Safeguard has been a leader in the mortgage field services industry for almost 30 years, building its reputation by serving as true partners to not only its financial clients, but to the local communities they work in as well.
Today, Safeguard leverages its many technological innovations and long history of customer service to provide a full suite of property services on vacant, defaulted and foreclosed properties, whether they are residential, single- and multifamily rental or commercial properties.
The company is dedicated to building and sharing industry best practices to protect the integrity and value of the nation’s housing stock, working on behalf of its clients to comply with all investor and regulatory requirements.
As a result, many of the country’s largest financial institutions rely on Safeguard for property inspections, property preservation, REO maintenance, yard maintenance and snow removal, FHA conveyance management, property registration, estimate and repairs, and code enforcement.
Safeguard’s expertise is especially helpful in fulfilling difficult FHA property preservation and conveyance requirements. The company has developed new ways to improve the FHA post-sale process, adding controls and increased visibility to give clients full case management around any property issues, as well as access to real-time reporting.
One of Safeguard’s hallmarks is using technology to elevate field services to the highest standard.
In recent years, Safeguard has added video and panoramic photo capabilities to its mobile platforms. It also has enhanced its workflow through the new SafeView Field Services platform, including continuous improvements to its client integrated system to allow for full property management.
In addition, Safeguard has examined its business practices and identified key areas of default management that can benefit from re-evaluation, conducting comprehensive reviews of its vendor management workflow and business procedures.
In the process, Safeguard has made strides in perfecting the bidding process, examined ways to avoid FHA reconveyances, implemented new technology to streamline operations and updated its disaster protocols.
Mortgage servicers face multiple challenges trying to stay up to date with frequent changes to industry, investor and insurer guidelines, as well as the critical changes to assure compliance and reduce potential out-of-pocket costs.
Recognizing these challenges, Safeguard started facilitating the yearly Property Preservation Conference 15 years ago to provide relevant, timely and strategic information to clients, vendors and the industry as a whole.
Safeguard is positioned to provide its suite of services – as well as high quality, consistent results – to portfolios of any size in all parts of the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
Alan Jaffa, Chief Executive Officer
Alan Jaffa joined Safeguard in 1995, learning the business from the ground up. He was promoted to COO in 2002 and CEO in 2010. He also serves on the board of advisors for SCG Partners, a middle-market private equity fund focused on diversifying and expanding Safeguard Properties’ business model into complimentary markets. In 2013, Jaffa was named a NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalist.
Michael Greenbaum, Chief Operating Officer
Michael Greenbaum joined Safeguard in July 2010 as vice president of REO and has continued to take on additional duties and responsibilities, including the role of vice president of operations in 2013 and COO in 2015. Greenbaum is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in quantitative economics.
Joe Iafigliola, Chief Financial Officer
Joe Iafigliola is responsible for oversight of the Control, Quality Assurance, Accounting and Information Security departments. Iafigliola is also a managing director and operating partner with SCG Partners. He has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Honors Accounting program.
