Short Answer: Because it’s the law.

Answer Explained in Detail:

Fannie Mae passed a regulation (Announcement SVC-2011-08R) on September 2nd 2011 that on page 4 says:

Standardized background checks are important because the field service business is an elongated, tiered process. It
starts when a financial institution issues a work order to inspect or perform work at a property. They typically contract
with a national field service provider to perform the requested work.

Click the quote below to read the full article.

After hundreds of lawsuits and thousands of complaints, banks are finally pushing for reform.  The measures are meant to screen out people convicted of felony criminal offense, such as theft or fraud. 

The Mortgage Field Services Industry is facing ever increasing requirements to ensure there is appropriate oversight of their third party service providers. One by-product is the requirement to have a valid criminal background check.  Background checks are a long-term standard practice in many organizations as a way to mitigate risk.  Background checks are now a mandatory reality for the mortgage field service industry, but to date no standard has been applied that is valid for multiple clients. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which was created out of the Dodd-Frank Reform Act has rolled out new regulations requiring financial institutions to manage their risk appropriately.  These reforms are across the entire mortgage industry, but the major issue of compliance for our business of inspections is by requiring third-party vendors to pass a criminal background check.

As a result, the National Association of Mortgage Field Services (NAMFS) in conjunction with Aspen Grove Solutions (AGS) and First Advantage established a solution, called Aspen iRecord^TM, a Standardized Background Compliance Solution for the Financial Services Industry.  Now the mortgage field services industry has a centrally managed criminal background check process set in place and it verifies that an inspector has the credentials to conduct mortgage field services at every property they visit.  It is thought that this new credentialing system gives a collaborative approach, builds professionalism and trust in our services, and shows we are passionate about maintaining a safe, sound and secure vendor network.

If you have not heard about this new criminal background requirement provided by Aspen Grove from the major Nationals, you soon will.  Within the months to come more and more banks and national as well as regional mortgage field service companies will be requiring this new background check from their vendors. You won’t be able to conduct inspections without it!

THE SYSTEM

Aspen iRecord assigns a unique “ABC” number to those who pass a criminal background check through AGS.  This new system will require one of two things: (1) the inspector uses the AGS phone app, which allows them to enter in their unique ABC number at each property they are inspecting, or (2) the inspector enters their ABC number into the InspectorADE cell phone app.  In essence, in the very near future you will not be able to conduct an inspection for any National Mortgage Field Services company unless you provide your unique ABC number.  The Aspen Grove Solutions program is not just a standardized background check. It’s a complete onsite verification system that validates that the inspector at the property has the credentials to be there.

The process for obtaining your unique ABC# takes about a week.  To help ensure your future success in the mortgage field services industry, you should sign up as soon as possible.  National mortgage field service companies who have not already joined Aspen Grove Solutions will also need to get onboard with this new standardized process as well.  Soon, banks and mortgage companies are going to demand that all of their vendors, from Nationals down to the inspector in the field, be required to provide an ABC number in order to be paid for their inspections.

The opportunities this new background procedure will ensure are priceless to those interested in staying in the industry.  Those who have an ABC number from Aspen Grove Solutions will be in high demand.  Estimates of 25% to 40% of unqualified inspectors will be forced to drop out of our industry because they either refuse to go along with the process, or worse, they are not qualified to step foot on a client’s property due to previous felony convictions.  By the laws of Supply and Demand, this practically guarantees that those who have an ABC number will most assuredly be sought out to do inspections.

The new background process has already started.  Wells Fargo had MCS go through the process first.  LPS (Black Knight) is next in line, followed by all other Nationals who service Wells Fargo to follow shortly thereafter.  This is all going to happen in a very short time frame. 

As a company, NMFS spends about $800 a year on background checks for the CEO personally, just to contract with the Nationals to conduct their inspections.  When the Aspen Grove Solutions system is fully implemented, inspectors will no longer have to pay for background checks for every company the desire to work for.  With this new background process one fee is paid once a year.  Then, you provide your ABC number to any new company you work for.  The fee for background checks are part of our business, and is tax deductible.  For other questions about Aspen Grove and this entire process, visit the FAQ on their website.

GETTING SETUP WITH ASPEN GROVE 

If you have not created an account with Aspen Grove Solutions and you would like to create your own “Organizational Account”, which is required if you desire to work for more than one National Mortgage Field Service company at a time, then click on the following link to get started.  Aspen Grove Organizational Account.   

Click on the [Register Now] button.  When filling out the form pay particular attention to this question: “Will you be submitting more than one contact for a background check?”

a)      Select NO if the background check is only for you ($25.00 registration fee). 

b)      Select YES if you have or will have other inspectors working under you ($75.00 registration fee).

Once your organization account is approved by submitting the proper documents (e.g., electric or water bill etc.), you will then be asked to pay for your background check directly to Aspen Grove, which is $65.  

 
If you have already created an Organization Account with Aspen Grove, and passed their background check, you simply request your new client to send you a Connection Code to connect your organization with the company you intend to do business with.  No other fees apply.

National Mortgage Field Services (NMFS.com) fully intends to comply with this new innovated process which will create a more professional industry for us to work in.  NMFS will soon have a nationwide army of Aspen Grove qualified inspectors, each having their own unique ABC number, to conduct inspections for all of our clients who require it.

Mortgage Field Service contractors are faced with the dilemma of providing occupancy verification and letter delivery services to all sorts of properties for their clients.

Properties with “No Trespassing” signs can and often are treated in the same way as “no contact” inspections. Inspectors are asked to take detailed photos of the signage, but to always keep their personal safety in mind. With the exception of bankruptcy cases, if we choose not to cross a “No Trespassing” sign, then we need to reach out to the neighbors to verify occupancy. Just because there is a No Trespassing sign does not mean that we cannot provide accurate results to our clients.

The laws about No Trespassing are interpreted and applied on a case by case basis and can be confusing.  For our part, our clients do not expect us to trespass just to put a door hanger on occupied property.  But they do expect the occupancy results.  We NEVER leave a door hanger or letter on the “No Trespassing” sign itself, or anywhere else other than the door.  On vacant properties it is more than likely an old sign that was never removed.

The best practice to keep in mind when ever you encounter a No Trespassing sign is to ask yourself, are you trespassing?  If you are representing the bank or the investors interest and are there to conduct official business, then who would ever think that you are trespassing?  Does it really make sense to believe that a person can buy a home, have a mortgage on the property, become delinquent in their house payments, slap up a No Trespassing sign so that they can stay there forever without paying or being asked about the payments?  If you have no business at the property then you are probably trespassing.  If you are there at the property for official business, then you are not trespassing.

Imagine this, let’s say you are delivering a pizza and you saw a No Trespassing sign.  What would you do?  Would you consider yourself trespassing?  Of course not. You are there to do business.  It’s the same way with the Mortgage Field Services industry.  Built into that stack of papers (that nobody reads) when they go to the signing of all those documents when buying a house, is the right provided to the mortgage company to periodically send inspectors to take updated photos and to check on the condition of the property. The homeowner gave permission for inspectors to take photos of their property whether they read it or not.  

The following information may be helpful to field service inspectors.  It shows that actually, we can, legally deliver a door hanger or letter to a property even it No Trespassing signs are posted, because we have the legal right to do so as part of the mortgage process. Of course this is a regulation that you would need to determine based on the state you are conducting mortgage field services in.  The example below is for the state of Oklahoma.

HB 2984, the trespass reform bill championed by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, has been signed into law by the governor and will become effective on November 1. What does that mean for private property owners? How does this law apply? Who is affected? Who is not?

The new trespass law clearly states that whoever willfully enters the private land of another that is primarily devoted to farming, ranching, or forestry purposes, without permission by the owner or occupant shall be guilty of trespass. This means that anyone entering private agriculture land must have permission to enter, or he or she is trespassing. The landowner is no longer required to post or to prove the land was posted for “no trespassing,” but it is not a bad idea to leave your signs up as an extra deterrent.

The law does not apply to peace officers or federal, state or local government employees while performing their official duties; or to firefighters, emergency medical personnel or public utility employees addressing an emergency; or to parties engaged in oil and gas operations acting under a legal agreement, permit or order. Basically, law enforcement and others working to assist the public are not trespassing when they enter private agricultural land to carry out their official duties.

Others who may enter such land, unless forbidden to do so by the owner or occupant are: registered land surveyors to perform their services; persons in the sole process of retrieving their livestock or animals; persons making a delivery, selling a product or service, conducting a survey or poll or working on behalf of a political candidate or who otherwise have a legitimate reason for entering and immediately upon entering seek to conduct that business. This means that those who can show a legal or lawful reason to be on the property will not be considered trespassers, unless they had been told not to enter by the landowner.

As an independent contractor to any company it is important to understand that your email address (or other communications for that matter) reflect your professionalism. You can keep your personal email address, just create a separate business email address.

You may want to consider a unique email address that is consistent with your business name or the mortgage field services industry. You should give careful consideration to what comes after the “@” sign in your email address.

In your opinion, which email address sounds more business-like?

JohnDoe1983@yahoo.com or
John.Doe@fieldservices.com

What your email address is, shows a lot about you.  And who you host your email address from, says even more.

What Not to Do

Do not have a business email address with numbers (unless your company name has a number in it such as “A1”. Using your age, street number, graduation date, birth date, anniversary date, etc. implies a more personal email address, not a professional email address.

How To Get a Business Email Address

Basically what you are doing is getting yourself a website domain without the website.  (Unless of course you want to use and create a website.) What ever you name your website domain is what you use for your email address.  They go hand in hand.  But just because you have a website domain name does not mean you have to create a website. You can just use the email part for the purpose of having a business email address. When choosing a business name, make sure you think it over carefully. 

If you don’t already have a business website, you can still obtain a website domain name and not actually create a website. The domain name gives you the ability to create your unique identity. When choosing a business name, make sure you give a great deal of thought for a name that says who you are and what your business does.

To find out if the domain name (business name) you would like to use is available, go to NameCheap.com.  Don’t use their web-hosting.  I can show you a better place.

Once you have found the web domain (business name) that you want, you will then have to Register it. Registering your domain with NameCheap.com is fine. This is something you do once a year and is very inexpensive.

After registering your domain name you will need to have a place that it is hosted from.
I recommend BizzyShark.com because you can have your email (and website if you so desire) hosted there for $1 a month.

If you want to make the appearance that you are a legitimate Mortgage Field Service or Property Preservation business, then you have to look like a business.  WeDoInspections@aol.com is not a business email address. It’s a fly by night operation that other real businesses are going to shun.

Do it right. Get a real business email address.

Mortgage Field Services: Automated Data Processing

Mortgage field service companies who hire independent contractors need automated data processing software in order to remain competitive in the field services business. A service company with a dozen or more clients needs to provide a way for their field service reps to download and submit their inspections to just one website or program. Bombarding your reps with dozens of websites, programs, and systems will only lead to high turnover rates.

Mortgage companies and banks will send work orders to Mortgage Field Service companies for various reasons. Drive-By Inspections, Property Inspections, Interior Inspections, Occupancy Verification Inspections represent some of the types of inspections that a bank will send to a National, Regional or Individual mortgage field servicing company. The “Nationals” such as Safeguard Properties, LPS, M&M Mortgage Servicing, MSI, Five Brothers, A2Z, National Field Reps etc., will hire Independent Contractors or “reps” to physically conduct the inspection out in the field.

Due to the current mortgage crisis the need for qualified inspectors has never been greater. The “Nationals” have their hands full and are limited to the amount of training they can provide individual contractors. Good training leads to quality field service inspections. For this reason, so many Mortgage Field Service companies are leaning more and more on Regional Companies to provide that training.

Usually there is not enough volume in a zone or region for the Regional Company to limit itself to just one or two clients. A successful Regional Company will need to diversify not only the type of services they perform, but also the number of clients they include in their business.

The biggest problem the Regional Company faces while contracting with 20 to 30 different Nationals are all those different websites their inspectors have to login to in order to submit their inspections.

The solution is for Regional Companies to utilize an Automated Data Processing program that can upload, download, and provide a means for their inspectors to actually conduct their inspections.

An Automated Data Processing program will eliminate the need for the inspectors of a Regional Company to keep track of all those different websites and logins from all those different Nationals.

Some Data Processing companies will farm out the completed work orders to foreign countries, taking days to return to the National client. This seems at the very least to infringe upon the security of those homeowners who have no control over their inspection status or privacy. Quality Control procedures should not be left to an outside company. The Regional Company should address this issue while maintaining strict security.

The choices for the Regional Mortgage Field Service Company are limited to a small handful of processing companies that fully understand the needs of the industry. Companies such as BC Connect and In Field Express are expensive and do not have the flexibility that InspectorADE does. With some processing companies they only allow you to import .csv files or only .pdf files. InspectorADE can handle either of them.

The needs of the individual inspector should be considered before deciding which Data Processing program to go with. InspectorADE allows the inspector to use paper, laptop while offline, or their Android cell phone. Processing inspections with InspectorADE is instant. It goes straight to the Regional Company for QC and can be delivered to the National within 10 to 30 minutes. Competitors to InspectorADE can take as long as 48 hours to process the inspections. In today’s market, this is simply not acceptable.

Successful companies like National Mortgage Field Services use InspectorADE for all their Automated Data Processing. InspectorADE has allowed NMFS to grow and expand their Region and territories and to add more National clients without worry. At .25 cents per inspection, this is less than half of any other processing company. If Automated Data Processing for your Mortgage Field Service business is important to you, InspectorADE is worth considering.

https://InspectorADE.com