Michael R. Pfeifer, Esq. became “Of Counsel” to Kirby & McGuinn, APC. on January 1, 2018. He has over 40 years of experience in real estate and consumer financial services litigation and regulatory compliance practice and currently serves as outside General Counsel to the California Mortgage Bankers Association, a position he has held since 2012. His practice focuses on the following: Representations of lenders, servicers, investors, brokers, and trustees in regulatory examination, enforcement, and license-revocation proceedings; mortgage and real estate-related litigation of every kind, including loan repurchase and indemnity disputes, mortgage fraud, title and lien priority disputes (including title insurance coverage litigation), “wrongful foreclosure” suits, lender liability and “UDAAP” claims, real estate purchase and sale transactions, and HOA matters; Regulatory Compliance advice and counseling on all aspects of mortgage lending and servicing; Officers’ and Directors’ Liability and Professional Errors and Omissions Litigation; Creditor Representation in Bankruptcy; and Consumer Credit, Business, Corporate, and Unfair Competition litigation. Mr. Pfeifer has been ranked AV-Pre-eminent for legal ability and ethical standards under the Martindale-Hubbell peer-review rating system for over 30 years.
Before becoming General Counsel to the California Mortgage Bankers Association, he served for 9 years on its Board of Directors, for 11 years as Chair of its Mortgage Quality Assurance and Compliance Committee, and for 7 years as Chair of its Legal Services Committee. From 2003 through 2014, he also served as Chair of the California MBA’s annual “Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference.” In addition to his work with the California MBA, Mr. Pfeifer is active in the Legal Issues, Regulatory Compliance, and Loan Administration Committees of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (“MBA”) and served as Chair of the MBA’s Fraud and Ethics Subcommittee from 1999 through 2002, and as editor and contributing author of the MBA publication: “Combating Fraud and Unethical Practices in Real Estate Transactions.” He is also active in the California Mortgage Association and the Consumer Financial Services Committee of the American Bar Association has published numerous articles on industry-related topics and is a frequent speaker and panelist at various industry conferences and educational events. Mr. Pfeifer received his Juris Doctorate Degree from Cornell University in 1975, his B.A. Degree Magna Cum Laude from Claremont Men’s College (now Claremont McKenna College) in 1972, and also spent a year of study at the London School of Economics.
