At the recently concluded U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Meeting in Providence RI, the issue of urban blight was prominent among the various topics discussed throughout.

During sessions titled "Responding to The Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis: Implementing Neighborhood Stabilization Programs" and "Vacant and Abandoned Properties Task Force" panelist Robert Klein, CEO Safeguard Properties was offered the opportunity to present the industry perspective and solution-driven initiatives - specifically the MERS Initiative.

Following the Sunday June 14th session the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) released their 2009 Vacant and Abandoned Properties Survey and Best Practices.

This Survey is the third in a series of reports prepared by The U.S. Conference of Mayors on cities’ efforts to combat problems of vacant and abandoned property. It updates and expands upon reports published in 2006 and 2008 and focuses on the impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis on the problems created by vacant and abandoned properties and on cities’ efforts to manage them. Sixty cities responded to a set of survey questions sent to mayors at the end of April; 24 cities submitted descriptions of one or more “best practices” that have been or are being implemented to address their problem properties, touching on the following subjects:

•  Increase in Vacant and Abandoned Properties

• Impact of the Foreclosure Crisis on Vacant and Abandoned Property Efforts

• Neighborhood Stabilization Program

• Changes in Local Ordinances and Policies

• Seriousness of the Mortgage Foreclosure Problem

• Impact of the Current Economic Recession

• Mortgage Foreclosure Problems in the Next Year

To view the online Press Release, please click here.

To view the Survey in its entirety, please click here.

 About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest privately held field services company in the country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio and founded in 1990 by Robert Klein, Safeguard has grown from a regional preservation company with a few employees and a handful of contractors performing services in the Midwest, to a national company with over 700 employees. Safeguard is supported by a nationwide network of subcontractors able to perform any requested superintendence, preservation, and maintenance functions, as well as numerous ancillary services in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.