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4 This Month FROM OUR DESK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 DS JOURNAL e Long-Term Impact of Hazard Mitigation, GSE Loss Expectations Decline, Inventory Shortages & Affordability Leading Some Homeowners to Renovate, Housing Market Gets a Vote of Confidence from Builders, Can 2017's Mighty Construction Numbers Keep Rolling in 2018?, FHFA Reports: GSEs' Prevention Actions Edge Close to 4 Million, Bank of America Posts Solid Results for Q4 2017, Mulvaney Requests Zero Funding for CFPB in Q2, Homeowner Needs After Wildfires Fall Short of Expectations MOVERS AND SHAKERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ASK THE ECONOMIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 COUNSEL'S CORNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 STATE OF AFFAIRS Impactful local market information at your fingertips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 COVER STORY CHAINS OF KNOWLEDGE Fintech such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are rife with potential—but realizing that potential in mortgage and servicing will require making the right connections and knowing which problems you're trying to solve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 By David Wharton INDUSTRY INSIGHT BETTERING MORTGAGE LINK BY LINK Unearthing the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize the mortgage industry.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 By Katie Jo Keeling INDUSTRY INSIGHT LOOKING FOR A UNIVERSAL SOLUTION Law firm audits cost servicers millions of dollars annually, but hope is on the horizon as we narrow in on uniform audit guidelines.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 By Randall S. Miller INDUSTRY INSIGHT RIPPLE EFFECT With a new tax code in place, the impact is already being felt in the housing market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 By Ralph DeFranco Contributors MOLLY BOESEL is a Principal Economist for CoreLogic in the Office of the Chief Economist and is responsible for analyzing and forecasting housing and mortgage market trends. RALPH DEFRANCO is Global Chief Economist of the Mortgage Group with Arch Capital Services Inc., White Plains, New York. He leads the company's efforts to forecast regional home prices and develop predictive economic models. He is also the author of "e Housing and Mortgage Market Review," a quarterly report on the state of the nation's housing sector based on the findings of the Arch MI Risk Index. KATIE JO KEELING is the Managing Partner at McCarthy & Holthus, LLP, overseeing the default services practice for the firm. Keeling is licensed to practice law in the states of California and Washington and the California Southern and Central District Federal Courts. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and obtained her juris doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law. In 2014 and 2017, Keeling was named as one of MReport's Women in Housing "35 Under 35," featuring leading female executives in the mortgage and housing industry. Keeling also holds a Berkeley Law academy certificate for the UC Berkeley Law Blockchain Academy. RANDALL S. MILLER is President of Randall S. Miller & Associates, a default firm servicing the states of Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, as well as of Schweitzer Title Agency, LTD, which provides default title searches nationally. He is also CEO of U.S. Default Management. Miller graduated from Michigan State University in 1987, and the Detroit College of Law in 1992. He may be reached at rmiller@rsmalaw.com. DAVID WHARTON, Online Editor at the Five Star Institute, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, where he received his B.A. in English and minored in Journalism. Wharton has over 15 years of experience in journalism and previously worked at omson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information firm, as Associate Content Editor, focusing on producing media content related to tax and accounting principles and government rules and regulations for accounting professionals. Wharton has an extensive and diversified portfolio of freelance material, with published contributions in both online and print media publications. Wharton and his family currently reside in Arlington, Texas. He can be reached at David.Wharton@DSNews.com. Join the Conversation Do you have a suggestion, story idea, or some feedback you'd like to share with DS News readers? Help shape our next issue by emailing Editor@DSNews.com. M A R C H 2 0 1 8 C o n t e n t s D S N E W S . C O M 64 68 20 28 60

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