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2 Watching the Horizon As 2017 winds to a close, it's time for us to celebrate our successes and be proud of what we achieved throughout the year. 2017 was a year of breakthroughs as the industry saw new technologies and advancements designed to make processes faster and more efficient. Before we get carried away, however, now is also a time to watch for what's on the horizon in 2018 and ensure that we are prepared to meet any new obstacle and challenge head-on. In this month's cover story, "History Set to Repeat Itself," Nicole Casperson speaks to some of the industry's foremost experts on whether we are headed toward another housing bubble. e answer will be crucial to your business in the next year and beyond. Next, in "Rebuilding and Rethinking," David Wharton speaks with executives from Altisource, Caliber Home Loans, e Collingwood Group, Ernst & Young, First American, Mr. Cooper, and e Urban Institute about their overall predictions for 2018. Among areas these experts say to watch are emerging technologies, leveraging new partners, inventory shortages, and more. After you are done catching up on your industry overview, Mark Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer at LRES, will inform you about the ways data and analytics are shaking up the appraisal space in "Remapping the DNA." en, in "Clean Up the Paper Trail," Michael O'Connell, COO of Nationwide Title Clearing, explores the importance of document custodians and how processes have changed since the housing crash. In his article, O'Connell discusses procedures that can be tightened to ensure documents are secure. Lastly, in "Unloading Inventory," Kelly Conley, who is First VP of Specialized Servicing at Flagstar Bank, discusses ways to expedite liquidation of REO properties—both to minimize neighborhood blight and to reduce operation and holding risks associated with distressed properties. With such an impressive lineup of executives contributing in the last edition of 2017, we know it will be hard to top it in 2018. However, we'd love your help in succeeding in this goal— please reach out to me at editor@dsnews.com with your opinions, thoughts, and article ideas. All my best, Rachel Williams Editor-in-chief FROM OUR DESK default servicing | in print and online VOL. 15 NO. 12 No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. ©2017 REO Publishing LLC All Rights Reserved This publication is intended to provide accurate, authoritative, and detailed information in regard to the subject matter covered. All written materials are disseminated with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal advice or other professional services. Under no circumstance should the information contained herein be relied upon as legal advice as it is designed to be a source of information only. DS News strongly encourages the use of qualified attorneys or other qualified experts with regard to the subject matter covered. does not guarantee the accuracy of the information, and is not liable for any damages, losses, or other detriments that may result from the use of these materials. PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DESIGN ASSOCIATE EDITOR DSNEWS.COM VIDEO EDITOR ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS COPY EDITORS ADVERTISING DS NEWS 2017-2018 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mark Hulme Rachel Williams Jonathon Won Nicole Casperson Jordan Funderburk Aly J. Yale David Wharton Alison Rich Suzanne Andresen: 207.443.3314 Kevin McCrea: 214.525.6756 Jason Myers: 214.525.6760 Robert Rakowski: 214.525.6783 Meg Burns, Financial Services Roundtable Kathy Cummings, Bank of America Jordan Dorchuck, BSI Financial Services Malloy Evans, Fannie Mae Yvette Gilmore, Freddie Mac Ramie Word, Nationstar Mortgage Follow DSNewsDaily on CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS American Mortgage Diversity Council Legal League 100, National Mortgage Servicing Association, Property Preservation Executive Forum FORCE DESIGN Mark Hulme Ed Delgado John Harrison Ernest Gillespie John Rieger: 214.525.6769 Derek Templeton: 214.525.6757 Annie Collier: 214.525.6740 Sean Walker Jason Stone Jonathon Won

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