The Collingwood Group Opens New Office in Manhattan


Washington, DC and New York, NY (PRWEB) May 18, 2011

The Collingwood Group today announced the opening of an office in New York City, New York. With its expanding New York client base, a dedicated New York office will enable The Collingwood Group to more effectively support the firms New York-based financial services clients. The new office, located at 245 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, New York 10167, will be run by Managing Director Mark DeGennaro. The Collingwood Group headquarters will remain in Washington, D.C. at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Establishing this office represents a significant milestone for The Collingwood Group, said Joe Murin, Chairman. Collingwoods success in New York affirms the validity of the firms strategy that, especially during this period of market upheaval and unprecedented legislative and regulatory change, hedge funds, private equity groups and other large financial institutions would benefit from the unique Washington insight and guidance of a DC-based business advisory firm.

The Collingwood Group (http://www.collingwoodllc.com) is a Washington, DC-based business advisory firm focused on growing clients businesses, promoting revenue growth and increasing investment returns. The firm is led by Joe Murin, former President and CEO of Ginnie Mae, and Brian Montgomery, former Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. Both played major roles in the federal governments efforts to address the nations financial crisis and restore stability and liquidity to financial markets. The firms expertise spans all aspects of Agency, non-Agency and FHA/VA housing financing programs; Ginnie Mae securitization activities; domestic and international secondary market activities and issues; primary and special servicing; full asset lifecycle vendor and talent management; and all elements of portfolio due diligence, acquisition, property management and asset disposition.

Contact:

Debbie Kaufmann The Collingwood Group

dkaufmann(at)collingwoodllc(dot)com

Phone – 202.626.9724

Mobile 301.252.3582

1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20006

202.540.9620 . http://www.collingwoodllc.com

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Former Freddie Mac Senior Vice President Joins The Collingwood Group As Special Advisor

(PRWEB) July 27, 2011

The Collingwood Group announced today that it has retained Manoj K. Singh as a Special Advisor, working with the Collingwood Group to bring his unique expertise in risk management along with his senior level experience on Wall Street. In his new role, Dr. Singh will work with The Collingwood Group to further help clients navigate the business opportunities that exist in Washington as a result of the housing crisis.

Dr. Singh has a lengthy and strong background in Financial Services. Most recently Senior Vice President of Pricing and Securitization (Single Family) and, before that, Senior Vice President, Head of Market Risk Management for Freddie Mac, he worked closely with the credit guarantee business, managed the profitability of the Single-Family Credit Guarantee business, identified key drivers of credit risk, and developed recommendations for the corporate costing models, creating strategies to expand and improve Freddie Macs mortgage securities funding alternatives and overseeing its cash execution program. His primary responsibilities included pricing the guarantee fees under Freddie Macs Mortgage Backed Securities Program and the issuance of pass-thru as well as structured securities. In addition to Single-Family Sourcing, Dr. Singh worked closely with Credit Management, Investments & Capital Markets, Credit and Counterparty Risk Management, and Operations.

Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Dr. Singh held executive-level positions with Bear, Stearns & Co (Senior Managing Director, FAST Group), Lehman Brothers, Inc. (Senior Vice President, Risk Management), and Wasserstein Perella Capital Management (Vice President, R&D). His thirteen years of experience with Wall Street provided him with the knowledge to help investors pursue mortgage and real estate assets while enabling them to identify the true risks and value of their targets. His career started in academia, as Assistant Professor of Finance at Boston College.

We are delighted to welcome Manoj to The Collingwood Group team, said Tim Rood, a Partner with The Collingwood Group The Collingwood Group announced today that it has retained Manoj K. Singh as a Special Advisor, working with the Collingwood Group to bring his unique expertise in risk management along with his senior level experience on Wall Street. In his new role, Dr. Singh will work with The Collingwood Group to further help clients navigate the business opportunities that exist in Washington as a result of the housing crisis.

Dr. Singh has a lengthy and strong background in Financial Services. Most recently Senior Vice President of Pricing and Securitization (Single Family) and, before that, Senior Vice President, Head of Market Risk Management for Freddie Mac, he worked closely with the credit guarantee business, managed the profitability of the Single-Family Credit Guarantee business, identified key drivers of credit risk, and developed recommendations for the corporate costing models, creating strategies to expand and improve Freddie Macs mortgage securities funding alternatives and overseeing its cash execution program. His primary responsibilities included pricing the guarantee fees under Freddie Macs Mortgage Backed Securities Program and the issuance of pass-thru as well as structured securities. In addition to Single-Family Sourcing, Dr. Singh worked closely with Credit Management, Investments & Capital Markets, Credit and Counterparty Risk Management, and Operations.

Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Dr. Singh held executive-level positions with Bear, Stearns & Co (Senior Managing Director, FAST Group), Lehman Brothers, Inc. (Senior Vice President, Risk Management), and Wasserstein Perella Capital Management (Vice President, R&D). His thirteen years of experience with Wall Street provided him with the knowledge to help investors pursue mortgage and real estate assets while enabling them to identify the true risks and value of their targets. His career started in academia, as Assistant Professor of Finance at Boston College.

We are delighted to welcome Manoj to The Collingwood Group team, said Tim Rood, a Partner with The Collingwood Group. We have advised our clients that the watershed moment of asset sales is upon us and his unique expertise will be invaluable to our private equity and hedge fund clients looking to buy or sell mortgage and real estate assets”.

Brian Montgomery, Vice Chairman of The Collingwood Group, agrees. Manoj brings a unique set of skills to our company and our clients that will further enhance our competencies in providing an integrated mix of high level business advisory services. His involvement with our firm will supplement our already wide range of proficiencies in assisting our financial services clientele.

Dr. Singh received his Bachelors Degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, and both his Masters of Science Degree and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. His has published numerous research publications, and is a frequent presenter at industry conferences. He has refereed journals such as Management Science, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and Journal of Financial Research, and was a book reviewer for the Journal of Finance. He and his family live in McLean, Virginia.

About The Collingwood Group

The Collingwood Group (http://www.collingwoodllc.com) is a Washington, DC-based business advisory firm focused on growing clients businesses, promoting revenue growth and increasing investment returns. The firm is led by Joe Murin, former President and CEO of Ginnie Mae, and Brian Montgomery, former Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. Both played major roles in the federal governments efforts to address the nations financial crisis and restore stability and liquidity to financial markets. The firms expertise spans all aspects of Agency, non-Agency and FHA/VA housing financing programs; Ginnie Mae securitization activities; domestic and international secondary market activities and issues; primary and special servicing; full asset lifecycle vendor and talent management; and all elements of portfolio due diligence, acquisition, property management and asset disposition.

Contact:

Debra Kaufmann

The Collingwood Group

dkaufmann(at)collingwoodllc(dot)com

o: 202.626.9724

m: 301.252.3582

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Tom Cronin Joins The Collingwood Group as Managing Director

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 08, 2011

The Collingwood Group announced today that Tom Cronin has joined the firm as a Managing Director. In his new role, Cronin will lead The Collingwood Groups secondary market initiatives. Cronin will support The Collingwood Groups ongoing efforts helping clients navigate the business opportunities that exist in Washington and the housing finance industry.

Cronin has more than 35 years of mortgage industry experience. Most recently, he served as Senior Managing Director of Clayton Holdings, Inc., responsible for the areas of industry, corporate and government relations.

Southside Financial Group Launches National Subprime Loan Portfolio Program to Help Franchised and Independent Auto Dealers Achieve Greater Liquidity

Arlington, TX (PRWEB) October 17, 2011

Southside Financial Group (http://www.southsidefg.com), an active purchaser of auto finance receivables, today announced the launch of a nationwide program to purchase existing near prime and subprime auto loan portfolios from franchised and independent auto dealers.

Southside Financial Groups program includes near prime and subprime portfolios ranging from $ 500,000 to $ 40 million, service released; all portfolios are held on the balance sheet and serviced internally. The program is highly efficient with a 7-10 day total turnaround from analysis to closing, and will target accounts with 60-90 day pay history. Since the inception of this program Southside Financial Group has actively purchased and closed portfolios from dealers in Oklahoma, California, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas with other purchases scheduled to close in Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia and North Carolina . Funding is made possible by Southsides parent bank, with the added advantage of no need to securitize plus a more stable cost of funds.

Franchised and independent dealers have responded extremely positively to this new loan portfolio program as they can achieve greater liquidity in their business ventures by letting us purchase their existing portfolios of near prime and subprime loans, Southside Financial Group COO Henry Gonzales commented. Our executive team has purchased over $ 2 billion of prime, near prime and subprime loans in the past three years and their expertise and service is beyond compare. We can analyze and review a portfolio and offer attractive pricing and very quick funding, with a 7-10 day total turn around. Southside also builds relationships with each dealer to insure a smooth transition plus long term customer satisfaction.

Southside Financial offers complete transparency and up-front pricing based on its superior analytics. A due diligence team will evaluate all loans to maximize return without interrupting the dealerships existing business, ensuring a seamless transition.

About Southside Financial

Southside Financial Group is an active purchaser of auto finance receivables and its executive management team has over 75 years of combined industry experience. It is a wholly owned affiliate of Southside Bank, one of the nations largest independent banks with $ 3.2 Billion in assets. Southside Financial Group buys sub-prime through near prime auto paper, servicing released, from banks, credit unions, auto dealers, and other financial institutions nationwide. The companys aggressive pricing and experience across all credit spectrums make it an industry leader. For more information visit: http://www.southsidefg.com or call: 266-590-7734

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Former Freddie Mac Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer Joins the Collingwood Group as Senior Advisor

Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 18, 2011

The Collingwood Group announced today that it has retained Ray Romano as Senior Advisor, working with the Collingwood Group to bring his unique expertise and executive leadership in the areas of risk management for consumer and multi-family mortgage products. Romano is a mortgage finance industry veteran with more than 26 years of wide-ranging experience in the areas of credit risk, operations risk, mortgage servicing, financial management, strategic planning, and capital markets. In his new role, Romano will work with The Collingwood Group to further help clients navigate the business opportunities that exist in Washington as a result of the housing crisis.

Romano has a lengthy and distinguished background in Financial Services. Most recently he served as executive vice president and chief credit officer at Freddie Mac. Prior to joining Freddie Mac, where he began as senior vice president of Credit Risk Oversight, Romano held executive level positions with Washington Mutual (SVP chief credit and risk management officer Home Loans Group), North American Mortgage Company (SVP chief credit & compliance officer, Mortgage Banking), and Dime Savings Bank of New York, FSB (VP director of Underwriting Operations). Early in his career, he was assistant manager of CitiCorps North American Investment Bank in New York and Assistant Supervisor, Residential Lending Operations with The Dime Savings Bank of New York, FSB.

Ray brings strong leadership and valued expertise in an area that is highly needed in todays mortgage market, said Brian Montgomery, vice chairman of The Collingwood Group. His involvement with our firm will supplement our already wide range of proficiencies in assisting our financial services clientele.

Tim Rood, a partner with The Collingwood Group, agrees. We are delighted to welcome Ray to The Collingwood Group team. His vast experience in risk and credit management will help us to even further enhance the benefits that The Collingwood Group brings to our clients.

Romano received his Bachelors Degree in finance and economics from Long Island University.

About The Collingwood Group

The Collingwood Group (http://www.collingwoodllc.com) is a Washington, DC-based business advisory firm focused on growing clients businesses, promoting revenue growth and increasing investment returns. The firm is led by Joe Murin, former President and CEO of Ginnie Mae, and Brian Montgomery, former Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. Both played major roles in the federal governments efforts to address the nations financial crisis and restore stability and liquidity to financial markets. The firms expertise spans all aspects of Agency, non-Agency and FHA/VA housing financing programs; Ginnie Mae securitization activities; domestic and international secondary market activities and issues; primary and special servicing; full asset lifecycle vendor and talent management; and all elements of portfolio due diligence, acquisition, property management and asset disposition.

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Southside Financial Group Changes Name to SFG Finance


Arlington, TX (PRWEB) January 16, 2012

Southside Financial Group (http://www.sfgfinance.com), an active purchaser of auto finance receivables, today announced the company is changing its name from Southside Financial Group to its most commonly used moniker, SFG Finance, effective immediately.

Since the founding of Southside Financial Group, the majority of our customers, vendors, and employees have informally referred to us as simply SFG Finance and frankly, we like it. Therefore, we have decided to formally change our name to reflect what the public has already thoughtfully given us. Effective immediately, Southside Financial Group has changed its name to SFG Finance, said SFG Finance COO Henry Gonzalez. The ownership and management of our company remain the same as does our commitment of excellence to everyone we do business with. We would like to thank everyone for the valued services that you have provided to us over the past several years and look forward to many more to come, Gonzalez added.

SFG Finance recently launched a new nationwide program to purchase existing near prime and subprime auto loan portfolios from franchised and independent auto dealers. The program includes near prime and subprime portfolios ranging from $ 500,000 to $ 40 million, service released; all portfolios are held on the balance sheet and serviced internally. The program is highly efficient with a 7-10 day total turnaround from analysis to closing, and will target accounts with 60-90 day pay history. Since the inception of this program SFG Finance has actively purchased and closed portfolios from dealers in 30 states.

Funding is made possible by SFGs parent bank, with the added advantage of no need to securitize plus a more stable cost of funds.SFG Finance offers complete transparency and up-front pricing based its superior analytics. A due diligence team will evaluate all loans to maximize return without interrupting the dealerships existing business, ensuring a seamless transition.

About SFG Finance:

SFG Finances tagline is: Turning Paper into Profit One Relationship at a Time. The company is an active purchaser of auto finance receivables and its executive management team has over 75 years of combined industry experience. It is a wholly owned affiliate of Southside Bank, one of the nations largest independent banks with $ 3.2 Billion in assets. SFG Finance buys sub-prime through near prime auto paper, servicing released, from banks, credit unions, auto dealers, and other financial institutions nationwide. The companys aggressive pricing and experience across all credit spectrums make it an industry leader. For more information visit: http://www.sfgfinance.com or call: 866-590-7734.

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The Collingwood Group Enters Into Strategic Partnership With Valued Veterans

Washington, DC (PRWEB) January 17, 2012

The Collingwood Group (Collingwood) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Valued Veterans, a service disabled veteran-owned small business that provides professional residential and commercial property valuation services. In keeping with its long-standing commitment to promote diverse supplier companies, including service disabled veteran, minority, and women-owned business, Collingwood will work with Valued Veterans to help identify and close opportunities to expand its business into the federal sector, where today the companys penetration is limited. In addition, Collingwood will work with the company to grow its already sizeable commercial sector business by expanding its footprint to include major financial services companies.

In the current economic environment, in particular, many diverse suppliers lack access to both opportunity and capital, and therefore their ability to scale is impeded and their opportunities for success are limited. The Collingwood Group helps qualified diverse suppliers overcome these challenges.

In addition to delivering best-in-class real estate valuation services, Valued Veterans actively supports veterans that seek to develop careers in the valuation services industry through its appraisal mentor program.

We are pleased to establish this important business relationship with Valued Veterans and honored by the opportunity to support our nations veterans as we work to grow Valued Veterans success in the financial services industry, said Brian Montgomery, Chairman of The Collingwood Group.

Brian OReilly, President of The Collingwood Group, agrees. Since its founding, The Collingwood Group has actively supported and incubated best-in-class diverse supplier businesses to meet the ever-increasing counter party requirements of large financial services companies and federal departments and agencies. The barriers to success for diverse and service disabled businesses are similar to those encountered by many small, non-diverse firms, said OReilly.

Andrew Belt, President and CEO of Valued Veterans, established the organization, which has a mission to, among other things, promote stewardship and public trust, provide exceptional quality mortgage related products, and put Veterans to work. Belt served in combat as a United States Marine Corps Platoon Sergeant with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, where he received a Combat “V” for personal valor.

Collingwood has a proven track record of success assisting firms of all sizes grow their businesses in meaningful ways, said Belt. In particular, Collingwood and its team understand the unique business challenges faced by diverse service provider businesses and possess the skills, access to opportunity and capital, and industry standing required for a small business to succeed and grow in this dynamic industry. We are proud to join forces with the Collingwood team, Belt continued.

About The Collingwood Group

The Collingwood Group (http://www.collingwoodllc.com) is a Washington, DC-based business advisory firm focused on growing clients businesses, promoting revenue growth and increasing investment returns. The firm is led by Brian Montgomery, former Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner and by Joe Murin, former President and CEO of Ginnie Mae. Both played major roles in the federal governments efforts to address the nations financial crisis and restore stability and liquidity to financial markets. The firms expertise spans all aspects of Agency, non-Agency and FHA/VA housing financing programs; Ginnie Mae securitization activities; domestic and international secondary market activities and issues; primary and special servicing; full asset lifecycle vendor and talent management; and all elements of portfolio due diligence, acquisition, property management and asset disposition.

About Valued Veterans

Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Valued Veterans is a service disabled veteran-owned small business. Valued Veterans provides professional Residential and Commercial Valuation Services. With an intense focus on customized personal service, Valued Veterans uses cutting-edge technology to effectively manage every product order from start to finish. Its experienced management team is made up of appraisers and former mortgage industry professionals with over 120 years of combined residential real estate experience. Valued Veterans ensures each and every service provided is performed with the highest level of quality and compliance. As President and CEO of Valued Veterans, Andrew Belt promotes strong core values with honor and commitment.

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Janet Vaughan Robertson Joins Houston Office of Haynes and Boone, Brings Valued Experience to Public Law Practice Group


Houston, Texas (PRWEB) January 20, 2012

Janet Vaughan Robertson has joined the Houston office of Haynes and Boone, LLP as of counsel in the Public Law Practice Group.

As the size and complexity of public law projects and disputes continues to grow, we look to recruit experienced legal professionals with knowledge in both the public and private sector, said Partner Casey Wallace, chair of the Public Law Practice Group. Janet is just that, and we are excited to have her joining our team of talented lawyers.

In addition to serving as bond counsel, underwriter counsel, credit bank counsel, borrower counsel, and issuer counsel in connection with multi-million dollar municipal and conduit bond issues, Robertsons work in public finance includes providing taxable and tax-exempt financing for charter schools, hospitals, health care facilities, continuous care retirement communities, cultural facilities, various industrial development facilities, and other issuers located throughout Texas and the United States.

In addition, she has substantial experience in banking and lending, securities law, project finance, private placements, asset securitizations (including issuance of nonconsolidation and true sale opinions), all forms of secured transactions (real, personal and mixed collateral), mortgage warehouse lending, repurchase agreements, interest rate swaps and loan workouts.

Robertson received her bachelors degree with high honors from the University of Texas and juris doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center.

About Haynes and Boone

Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Moscow, providing a full spectrum of legal services. With more than 525 attorneys, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest law firms in the nation by The National Law Journal. The firm has been named one of the “Best Corporate Law Firms in America” (Corporate Board Member Magazine, 2001-2011) and recognized as a Top 20 Law Firm for culture and for diversity with respect to both women and minorities (Vault, 2012). For more information, visit http://www.haynesboone.com.

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Janet Vaughan Robertson Joins Houston Office of Haynes and Boone, Brings Valued Experience to Public Law Practice Group

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) January 23, 2012

Janet Vaughan Robertson has joined the Houston office of Haynes and Boone, LLP as of counsel in the Public Law Practice Group.

As the size and complexity of public law projects and disputes continues to grow, we look to recruit experienced legal professionals with knowledge in both the public and private sector, said Partner Casey Wallace, chair of the Public Law Practice Group. Janet is just that, and we are excited to have her joining our team of talented lawyers.

The Collingwood Group to Conduct First Mortgage Industry Conference Call

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) January 26, 2012

The Collingwood Group (Collingwood) is pleased to introduce its new offering — a series of industry conference calls — which will begin with a February 9, 2012 call entitled FHA Enforcement: Myths, Misconceptions and Facts. This call series comes as a result of Collingwoods launch of its new Risk Management and Compliance Division, established with its January 1, 2012 acquisition of GWN Consulting, LLC (GWN), a firm specializing in Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae risk management and quality control.

Collingwoods Risk Management and Compliance Division staff brings to the organization extensive FHA and Ginnie Mae knowledge and experience, and plans to share information on an ongoing basis with Collingwood clients and other industry colleagues. As part of this effort, the team will launch a series of educational conference calls, beginning with the first call FHA Enforcement: Myths, Misconceptions and Facts focusing on FHA Enforcement, Quality Assurance and Inspector General reviews and the Mortgagee Review Board. The call, offered at no cost to participants, will be held on February 9, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The call will be led by Collingwood Group Chairman and former FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery, who will moderate a discussion between Karen Garner, Collingwood Group Managing Director and former HUD compliance manager and GWN Principal, and David Hintz, former Secretary to the HUD Mortgagee Review Board. It will also serve as an introduction to the services that the Risk Management and Compliance Division will offer.

Additional calls will be held moving forward, covering potential topics such as FHA Loss Mitigation tools, Ginnie Mae compliance reviews, and compliant and effective quality control plans.

This is a critical time for lenders and servicers struggling with compliance, litigation and claims management issues related to their FHA and Ginnie Mae operations, said Montgomery. The experience, insight, and relationships of our new Risk Management and Compliance Division staff can provide substantial information that will be helpful to these organizations in developing proactive, preventative activities in their compliance efforts.

The expansion of Collingwoods offerings and this call could not be more timely, given the issuance of the press release by Acting FHA Commissioner Carol Galante announcing changes to FHA authority for the lender insurance program and standards for indemnification requests. (Follow this link to the press release issued by HUD: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2012/HUDNo.12-010)

With FHA toughening its standards, rules and penalties, and with volume that has grown to historically high levels, lenders and issuers can reasonably expect corresponding increases in the level of FHA audit, enforcement actions, and penalties. The goal of Collingwoods Risk Management and Compliance Division is to assist its clients with capabilities that now include FHA and Ginnie Mae lender/issuer applications and re-certifications, preparation and responses to audits or reviews, origination or servicing compliance and best practices, claims management and recoveries, program manuals and operating guides, and development of written and program training.

Garner is proud of the new divisions capabilities, saying, With our upcoming conference call series and new services, we are confident that we can provide substantial assistance to lenders and servicers as they focus on quality control activities that will enable them to proactively monitor performance and mitigate risk.

About The Collingwood Group

The Collingwood Group (http://www.collingwoodllc.com) is a Washington, DC-based business advisory firm focused on growing clients businesses, promoting revenue growth and increasing investment returns. The firm is led by Chairman Brian Montgomery, former Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, and Vice Chairman Joe Murin, former President and CEO of Ginnie Mae. Both played major roles in the federal governments efforts to address the nations financial crisis and restore stability and liquidity to financial markets. The firms expertise spans all aspects of Agency, non-Agency and FHA/VA housing financing programs; Ginnie Mae securitization activities; domestic and international secondary market activities and issues; primary and special servicing; full asset lifecycle vendor and talent management; and all elements of portfolio due diligence, acquisition, property management and asset disposition.

Visit http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/46706588 for additional information on The Collingwood Groups February 9, 2012 conference call FHA Enforcement: Myths, Misconceptions and Facts or to register for the call.

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