I want to recognize the impressive, timely, and trend-setting work that was performed during the foreclosure crisis here in Maryland. This work continues in various ways, including most recently the announcement that the state of Maryland will be participating in the launch of HOPE Loan Port, the country’s first web-based foreclosure mediation portal.
There will be a need to coordinate these efforts, and to produce a coherent picture of the different recommendations. This will be the main task of Mr Thijs Kettenis, policy advisor at De Nederlandsche Bank, who will be our Resident Programme Coordinator here in Belgrade. He is here today, and I would like to wish him full success in this undertaking.