12/03/08

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Preferred president Kaufman resigns

Maria Kaufman

Marcia Kaufman resigned last month as president and chief operating officer of Preferred Empire Mortgage Company.

Preferred is one of the top 10 brokers in the tri-state area, with more than 50 locations in New York City and Long Island.

A company statement by Preferred said Kaufman recently relinquished her day-to-day responsibilities. According to Jeffrey Appel, a senior vice president at Preferred, Kaufman resigned on Jan. 5.

While Preferred maintains Kaufman left on amicable terms, others in the industry paint a different picture.

According to several sources, Kaufman is rumored to have left the company because of a strained relationship with residential brokerage behemoth Prudential Douglas Elliman, which owns the mortgage company.

Other sources say Kaufman may have left after being lured away by another mortgage company, possibly American Home Mortgage. Kaufman could not be reached for comment.

Kaufman took over as COO of Preferred in 2000, two years after it was founded, according to the company. Long Island-based Preferred expanded to Manhattan in 2003.

Preferred said it plans to fill the position, but no replacements have yet been named.