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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 7 A look at facts you didn't know you couldn't live without. Compiled by the DS News Staff The southern U.S. might emerge as the hottest region in 2018, with home prices expected to rise along with the cost of labor and materials according to a January report by We Buy Houses. Inventory is expected to remain about the same as 2017, a year in which housing inventory in the South was very tight. According to a study released by WalletHub in January, Massachusetts is the top state in which to raise a family, followed by Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Vermont. ARE SERVICING REFORMS ON THE HORIZON? INSIDE THE JOURNAL // MOVERS & SHAKERS // ON THE WEB // THE APP SPECTRUM TAKE A LOOK INSIDE THE NUMBERS D ATA B I T S * Comparison of more than 180 cities. ** Combined score of 35 metrics graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety. Source: WalletHub 2017's Safest Cities in America BOTTOM 10 SAFEST CITIES IN AMERICA* TOP 10 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 43.17 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 48.85 SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA 50.56 OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 55.07 DETROIT, MICHIGAN 56.30 LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 57.16 ORLANDO, FLORIDA 57.24 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE 58.82 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA 60.17 JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 60.75 NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE 87.36 SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT 87.34 WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND 87.18 COLUMBIA, MARYLAND 86.52 GILBERT, ARIZONA 85.29 FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA 85.29 LEWISTON, MAINE 84.44 PLANO, TEXAS 84.12 PORTLAND, MAINE 84.03 BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS 83.06 CITY TOTAL SCORE** CITY TOTAL SCORE** A report titled "Setting the Stage for Servicing Reforms" released by the Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center (HPFC) last month has made a case for the importance of policy reforms in the mortgage servicing sector. e report reviewed how the mortgage industry has changed over time and explained the importance of the mortgage servicing industry to the overall housing market, as well as the significance of servicing to a wide variety of stakeholders. e report was released by HPFC's Mortgage Servicing Collaborative—a group consisting of lenders, servicers, consumer groups, civil rights leaders, researchers, and government agencies—that was convened to develop a common understanding of the biggest issues in mortgage servicing, their implications, and possible solutions, as well as policy options that can advance policy reforms for mortgage servicing. e series will examine key servicing issues and provide recommendations for resolving them. It touched upon the current mortgage servicing landscape, how it was before the 2008 housing crisis, and how it has changed after the Great Recession. e report pointed out to the fact that although new rules put in place after the crisis increased standardization, they are not aligned among investors, leading to inefficient servicing. Making its case for policy reforms to increase efficiency in this sector, the report said that the costs of servicing mortgage loans have increased since the 2008 crisis. Citing an MBA survey of mortgage servicers, the report said that between 2008 and 2016, the per-loan cost of servicing a nonperforming loan, one that is either delinquent or in default, has almost quadrupled from $482 to $2,113. e cost of servicing a performing loan has also nearly tripled from $59 to $163. ese increasing costs have a negative effect on all stakeholders such as consumers, mortgage servicers, federal regulators, insurers, guarantors, and housing counselors the report said. e report indicated that the mortgage servicing industry today is much more complex, tightly regulated, and sophisticated than the pre-crisis servicing industry. With housing reform finance legislation once again in the works in Congress, now is the right time for service reforms. "The mortgage servicing industry today is much more complex, tightly regulated, and sophisticated than the pre- crisis servicing industry. With housing reform finance legislation once again in the works in Congress, now is the right time for service reforms." — Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center PAGE 18 Chief Revenue Officer, Altisource FIVE MINUTES WITH WITH John Vella

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