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Donald Royer serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of both Fremont General Corporation, a financial services holding company and Fremont Investment & Loan, its wholly-owned bank subsidiary.
Donald Royer has had a distinguished thirty year legal and business career representing and working in the California financial services industry. During 2007 to present, Mr. Royer has acted as a consultant and actively represents various mortgage lending clients. In 2006, Mr. Royer joined Commercial Capital Bank (CCB) and Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc. (CCBI) as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Mr. Royer was retained by Washington Mutual, Inc. following its acquisition of CCBI to assist in resolving legacy litigation involving CCB. In late October 2006, this litigation was successfully resolved and Mr. Royer thereafter resigned.
From 2002 through 2003, Mr. Royer was in private practice as a sole practitioner. In September 2003, Mr. Royer joined the Law Offices of Steven J. Melmet, Inc., where he handled litigation for large financial institutions, banks, credit unions, and thrift institutions, as well as nationwide mortgage lenders, and large mortgage service companies. In October 2004, the Melmet firm merged with the law firm of Pite Duncan, LLP. From 1991 to 2002, Mr. Royer was employed by Downey Savings, as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Royer helped Downey grow from $3 billion to over $11 billion, while substantially increasing shareholder value. Mr. Royer helped Downey’s management and Board complete a State charter conversion for Downey to become a federal savings association, and obtain shareholder approval to organize its parent, Downey Financial Corporation, as a unitary thrift holding company. Mr. Royer’s previous positions included serving from late 1988 to 1991 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of American Savings Bank, with responsibility for a law department with 100 employees.
From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Royer served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Financial Corporation of America (FCA), and American Savings and Loan Association. Mr. Royer was retained by a newly assembled management team in 1984. Mr. Royer worked to resolve $20 billion in problem loan assets, including numerous litigation matters, shareholder securities class and derivative claims. The new management team successfully eliminated Going Concern and Litigation Uncertainty qualifications reported on FCA’s audited financial statements at year end 1984. Prior thereto, Mr. Royer held positions as General Counsel for American Savings and Loan Association from 1979 to 1983 and began his legal career working at First Federal Savings from 1977 to 1979. | 