Senior Associate Attorney
3 days ago
Irvine
Senior Associate Attorney Reports to: General Counsel Essential Functions • Support and coordinate real estate closings, including review of closing documentation, settlement statements, payoff calculations, title matters, and post-closing issue resolution., • Work closely with the Legal Department, Compliance, Capital Markets, Servicing, and Asset Management teams to ensure special asset strategies align with Archwest’s legal, regulatory, and investor requirements., • Ensure internal and external compliance across all special asset activities, including adherence to federal and state regulatory requirements (licensing, foreclosure laws, bankruptcy rules, AML, privacy, and ECOA considerations)., • Assist with regulatory examinations, audits, and investor reviews by maintaining audit-ready documentation and responding to inquiries related to special assets and distressed loans., • Support capital markets initiatives by providing data, analysis, and documentation related to special asset performance, warehouse lending facilities, securitizations, and financing structures., • Establish and maintain operational reporting to identify performance trends, service-level gaps, risk exposure, and root-cause servicing issues., • Implement controls, risk-mitigation procedures, and process improvements to reduce legal, operational, and compliance risk., • Partner with senior management to support long-term planning, strategy development, and execution based on market conditions, regulatory changes, and portfolio performance., • Oversee policy and procedure development and enhancements related to special assets, loan servicing, workouts, and enforcement actions., • Manage special assets to achieve the highest and best outcome, including loan resolution, refinance, reinstatement, forbearance, foreclosure, bankruptcy, loss mitigation, liquidation, note sales, and structured workouts., • Oversee complex real estate–related transactions, including distressed loan workouts, deed-in-lieu transactions, REO strategies, loan modifications, restructurings, and asset dispositions., • Respond to internal, client, investor, and borrower escalations related to distressed assets and complex transactions., • Appropriately assess legal, regulatory, and operational risk when making business decisions. Competencies/Skills • Strong working knowledge of real estate transactions, loan workouts, and distressed asset resolution., • Demonstrated understanding of regulatory compliance frameworks affecting mortgage lending and servicing., • Moderate experience across default servicing and special asset functions, including collections, loss mitigation, foreclosure, bankruptcy, REO, claims, and default compliance., • Experience supporting or working with warehouse lending facilities and collateral enforcement is a strong plus., • Strong analytical and financial analysis skills with the ability to evaluate risk and structure solutions., • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with attorneys, regulators, investors, borrowers, and internal stakeholders., • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment., • Strong attention to detail with an organized, process-driven mindset., • Collaborative team player with the ability to work cross-functionally while exercising sound judgment and discretion. Education and Experience • Juris Doctor (JD) required., • Active California Bar license required., • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience required., • 3+ years of experience in special assets, mortgage operations, loan asset management, real estate transactions, legal operations, or related financial services., • Highly preferred experience includes:, • Real estate closings and loan workouts, • Distressed debt and enforcement actions, • Warehouse lending facilities, • Regulatory compliance, audits, or examinations, • Experience working closely with legal, compliance, capital markets, and servicing teams strongly preferred. Accessibility: At Archest, we will make reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Please just let us know by contacting us at