Manuel Alvarez, Cornell ’02, of Lafayette, California was recently confirmed as Commissioner of the California Department of Business Oversight. Alvarez was previous general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary at Affirm, Inc.
Brother Alvarez has dedicated his career to protecting consumers from harmful practices, previously serving as an enforcement attorney with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) where he investigated and prosecuted violations of federal consumer financial law. He joined CFPB from the California Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Law Section, where he prosecuted violations of unfair competition, false advertising and other consumer protection laws. Early in his career he was an associate at Dentons LLP.
Brother Alvarez is a regular attender of the San Francisco Alumni Club’s monthly gatherings at Phi-owned iconic Financial District restaurant, the Royal Exchange. An interesting side note, the restaurant owner is Mike O’Brien, Berkeley ’83.
Alvarez holds a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law and a BA from Cornell University, where he served as vice president to the New York Alpha Chapter. In addition to being a licensed attorney with the State Bar of California, Alvarez is also a credentialed real estate broker.
From his LinkedIn profile: “I’m a consumer finance lawyer committed to protecting consumers from harmful practices, increasing access to financial literacy and technology, and engaging under-served communities.”
“I call the Bay Area home, but I grew up in Oxnard, California, which—despite a quirky name—still has the best strawberries, shrimp tacos, and year-round climate in the world.”
