Stuart B. Wolfe

PRACTICE AREAS

• Business Litigation and Counseling
• Insurance Defense
• Lender Liability Defense
• Mortgage Banking
• Title Insurance
• W&W Trial Team

EDUCATION

• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., Political Science, 1988
• University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D., 1991

BIOGRAPHY

Practice Areas
Stuart B. Wolfe is the co-founder of Wolfe & Wyman LLP and chair of the firm's financial services group. Stuart's practice involves representing primarily mortgage lenders, auto lenders, loan servicers, banks, title insurance companies, escrow companies and other financial institutes. His practice includes lender liability defense, secondary market disputes (including loan repurchase and indemnity disputes), loan fraud recovery and loss mitigation, class action defense, unfair business practice claims, title insurance defense and lien validity and priority challenges. The cases Stuart handles range from single borrower and plaintiff disputes to large high profile class actions.

Admitted to Practice
California State Bar
New York State Bar
Washington, D.C. Bar
All California Federal Courts
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Professional Activities
Stuart Wolfe is the 2016 Chair-Elect of the Banking and Lending Section of Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) and previously served as Chair of the OCBA's Financial Practices Section. Stuart has long been active in the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA) and the California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) and many of their respective committees, relating to legal issues, loan fraud, loan servicing, and ethics. Stuart has also participated in California Land Title Association (CLTA), the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, and formerly sat on the board of directors of Diversified Title Ins. Co. In 2005, Stuart was appointed to CLTA's E-Recording Task Force to assist the California Attorney General's office promulgate rules relative to the Electronic Recording Delivery Act. Stuart also previously served as the chair of the Association of Real Estate Attorneys (AREA).

Stuart is a frequent lecturer to bar and industry trade associations, as well as individual financial institutions and other companies, including the MBA, CMBA, OCBA, American Conference Institute, and the American Bar Association.

In addition to his law practice, Stuart also serves as a private mediator and expert witness with respect to business, real estate and finance disputes. "Southern California Super Lawyers" magazine named Stuart one of only thirty-six "Banking and Financial Super Lawyers" in 2005 (February 2005 publ.) and one of forty "Banking Super Lawyers" in 2006 (February 2006 publ.)

Hobbies and Interests
Stuart is actively involved in community service. He is the chair of "Interest Free Loans of Orange County," a non-profit division of the Jewish Federation and Family Services of Orange County to provide interest free micro-loans to students, women-in-crises, new entrepreneurs, and others without traditional access to capital.

Reported Appellate Opinions

• Dieden v. Schmidt, California Court of Appeal, (2002) 104 Cal.App.4th 645, 128 Cal.Rptr.2d 365

• Smith v. Home Loan Funding, Inc., California Court of Appeal, (2011) 192 Cal.App.4th 1331, 121 Cal.Rptr.3d 857

• Citibank, N.A. v. Yang, California Court of Appeal, Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.3d, 2009 WL 1709291, Cal.App. 1 Dist., June 18, 2009

• Lee v. Chang, California Court of Appeal, Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.2d, 2003 WL 21436797, Cal.App. 2 Dist., June 23, 2003

• Nunberger v. Cal Fed Ins. Agency, Inc., California Court of Appeal, Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.2d, 2002 WL 1587922, Cal.App. 2 Dist., July 19, 2002

• Salvador v. GMAC Mortgage LLC., Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, Slip Copy 2012 WL 8665, C.A. 9 (Nev.), January 3, 2012. (Not Selected for publication in the Federal Reporter)

• Gonzalez v. Michelucci-Hardrick, California Court of Appeal, Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.3d, 2010 WL 109729, Cal.App. 4 Dist., January 13, 2010

• Maupin v. Outland, California Court of Appeal, Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.3d, 2004 WL 2860407, Cal.App. 2 Dist., December 14, 2004

• Debrunner v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., California Court of Appeal, (2012) 204 Cal.App.4th 433, 138 Cal.Rptr.3d 830

• King v. GMAC Mortgage LLC., Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, Slip Copy, 2012 WL 1385640, C.A.9 (Nev.), April 23, 2012 (Not Selected for publication in the Federal Reporter)

• Perlas v. GMAC Mortgage LLC., California Court of Appeal, (2010) 187 Cal.App.4th 429, 113 Cal.Rptr.3d 790

• Henry v. Homecomings Financial, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, 376 Fed.Appx. 777 C.A.9 (Cal.), April 20, 2010 (Not Selected for publication in the Federal Reporter)