TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/1285919
M R EP O RT | 33 Elizabeth Squires Director of Client Account Management, Safeguard Properties Elizabeth Squires joined Safeguard Properties in 2011 as an REO specialist after a career as the owner and director of a Cleveland art gallery. She quickly began to take on additional duties and responsibilities within the company, including business analyst, supervisor, and manager. "After I lost my job and small business during the Great Recession, I was fortunate to land a career within this industry," Elizabeth Squires told MReport. "The relationships I have fostered helped define me and provided stability for my family. In her nine years with the company, Squires has repeatedly displayed the qualities that define leadership. She was a member of the inaugural Emerging Leader Program at Safeguard in 2017 and has served as a featured speaker in Safeguard's annual webinar series and as a moderator at the National Property Preservation Conference. Squires was among the Safeguard representatives at the Five Star PR18 Summit held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following Hurricane Maria's devastation, where she offered much- welcomed insight on complex considerations ranging from title issues for properties in securing FEMA assistance to improving communications between banks and impacted property owners. "I feel privileged to work in an industry that offers so many amazing programs and services for those needing assistance," Squires said. "I get to witness this every day through the clients I work with and see, first-hand, their commitment to their borrowers. As more and more individuals find themselves in positions of hardship due to the current pandemic, I feel honored to be working in an industry that employs so many hard-working individuals who collaborate to meet the challenges faced in our ever-changing world." Amber Todd VP of Default Oversight, RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation Amber Todd joined RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation in 2012 after holding leadership roles at a law firm where she was responsible for the strategic oversight and day-to-day operations of the foreclosure department. During her tenure at RoundPoint, she has grown her career in default servicing from a Foreclosure Specialist to a Default Program Manager and rose to become a Default Leader. Todd is recognized as an expert in default technology and has tapped into this skill-set to transform the company's foreclosure and bankruptcy departments. She has implemented several internal processes and controls to ensure continuous regulatory compliance in an ever- changing environment. Todd's high-tech savvy skills came into full play when she spearheaded the effort to build robust processes within the Black Knight Financial Services' LoanSphere technology. The result of these processes maximized efficiencies internally, as well as on the law firm side. It is an accomplishment that brought positive comments regarding RoundPoint's approach to default automation from the company's partners. Todd's willingness to "roll up her sleeves" and take charge of difficult situations has made her a servicing industry leader. Todd is also a prominent figure within the industry.She is involved in the BKFS FAC Committees, USFN Eviction and Bankruptcy Committees, and ALFN's Women in Legal Leadership. Marissa M. Yaker Managing Attorney of Foreclosure, Padgett Law Group Marissa M. Yaker has been in the default industry since 2013 and has quickly received national attention for her legal knowledge and passion in the area of foreclosure law, particularly regarding FHA/HUD Servicing Handbook 4000.1 and Regulations. Yaker told MReport, "I have a respect for this industry, and I've always been excited to contribute to the development of the law, move our industry forward, and to leave it a better place to practice and do business." Yaker has become a much-welcomed figure within the servicing industry through her authorship on a series of magazine articles and as an articulate guest speaker across industry webinars and trade conference panels. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including being named Top 25 Women in Law by DS News. She is also a member of the Legal League 100's Special Working Initiatives Group, the MBA's FHA Subcommittee, and several other key industry groups. Yaker loves the practice of law and values industry collaboration such as attending/ conducting webinars and working with the agencies for items of clarification. She is a huge advocate of the motto that "it never hurts to ask." "Padgett Law Group gives me the room to pursue my academic interests, which is partly what drew me to the law in the first place, and to combine that with practical application every day for our clients. So, when our clients get alerts or I seek clarifications from HUD, it's coming from a place of genuine interest and excitement to apply what I've learned." On December 9, 2019, Yaker achieved one of the greatest goals any attorney can pursue when she was sworn in and enabled to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.