Web directory to connect HOAs and servicers

Matt Martin Real Estate Management, an asset management firm Arlington, Va., is launching an affiliate company to connect homeowner associations with mortgage servicers to reconcile unpaid HOA dues. The new affiliate, Sperlonga Data and Analytics, acts as a digital intermediary where both lender and HOA alike can find essential contact information after a borrower is in default or has moved from a property. Matt Martin, CEO of Matt Martin Real Estate and chairman of Sperlonga, said too often he hears about people who have trouble making contact with a third party to collect unpaid HOA bills. Borrowers stop paying these expenses long before they stop paying their mortgage, he says, but most HOAs will refuse a resale certification without back payments. “This causes all kinds of delays in moving the property out of REO,” Martin told HousingWire. HOA delinquencies are not recorded with the property title and late fees rack up easily. Martin said once a borrower is delinquent long enough, the issue gets moved to an attorney who charges additional fees. Some servicers never even hear about the HOA fees until they are denied proper certification to close a deal, Martin said. “That’s where we come in. Our Web portal empowers associations to quickly and easily submit demands to the right place and provide our servicing partners the ability to ensure timely payment,” Martin said. Sperlonga Data and Analytics is both a searchable database and a project management system. HOAs can search the address of a property, find out who owns the title and find the contact information of that company. It works the opposite direction for lenders who can find the homeowners association and the relevant contact information concerning the property they own. After getting in contact, third parties can submit requests and payments through the Sperlonga system, which tracks the status of that request or payment. Sperlonga is a fee-based service for mortgage professionals and it is free for homeowner associations. Sperlonga is scheduled to launch Aug. 1, but Martin said the technology can’t come soon enough. “I kept waiting for someone in the industry to launch this kind of service, and it never happened,” Martin said. “But it’s absolutely necessary and will speed up liquidation thereby speeding up recovery.” Write to Christine Ricciardi. Follow her on Twitter @HWnewbieCR.