Exhibit 3.1

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

PACIFIC PREMIER BANCORP, INC.

Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify as follows:

1.              The name of the Corporation is Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. The original certificate of incorporation of the Corporation (the “Original Certificate”) was filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 6, 1996 under the name Life Financial Corp.

2.              The Original Certificate was amended and restated pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation dated as of May 31, 2012, which was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation and by the stockholders of the Corporation, and subsequently was amended in accordance with the DGCL on May 27, 2015 and June 1, 2016 (the “Original Amended and Restated Certificate”).

3.              This Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (this “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation and by the stockholders of the Corporation in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the DGCL.

4.              This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation restates and integrates and further amends the Original Amended and Restated Certificate.

The text of the Original Amended and Restated Certificate, as amended, of the Corporation is amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

FIRST: The name of the Corporation is Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Corporation”).

SECOND: The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle. The name of the registered agent at that address is The Corporation Trust Company.

THIRD: The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a corporation may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

FOURTH:

A.   The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is one hundred fifty-one million (151,000,000) consisting of:

1.              One million (1,000,000) shares of Preferred Stock, par value one cent ($.01) per share (the “Preferred Stock”); and

2.              One hundred fifty million (150,000,000) shares of Common Stock, par value one cent ($.01) per share (the “Common Stock”).

B. The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, to provide for the issuance of the shares of Preferred Stock in series, and by filing a certificate pursuant to the applicable law of the State of Delaware (such certificate being hereinafter referred to as a “Preferred Stock Designation”), to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences, and rights of the shares of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Common Stock, without a vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to the terms of any Preferred Stock Designation.

FIFTH: The following provisions are inserted for the management of the business and the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation, and for further definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Corporation and of its Directors and stockholders:

A. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred upon them by statute or by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, the Directors are hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation.

B. The Directors of the Corporation need not be elected by written ballot unless the Bylaws so provide.

C. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected as provided by law and the Corporation’s Bylaws.

SIXTH:

A. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock outstanding, the newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of Directors or any vacancies in the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause may be filled only by a majority vote of the Directors then in office, though less than a quorum, and Directors so chosen shall hold office for a term expiring at the next annual meeting of stockholders. No decrease in the number of Directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent Director.

B. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of Directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

C. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock then outstanding, any Director, or the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office at any time with or without cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors, voting together as a single class.

SEVENTH: The Board of Directors is expressly empowered to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation. Any adoption, amendment or repeal of the Bylaws of the Corporation by the Board of Directors shall require the approval of a majority of the Whole Board. The term “Whole Board” shall mean the total number of authorized directorships (whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships at the time any such resolution is presented to the Board for adoption). The stockholders shall also have power to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote, voting together as a single class; subject to any additional vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of this Corporation as may be required by law or by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

EIGHTH:   The Corporation expressly elects to be governed by Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

NINTH:

A. Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Director or an Officer of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, Officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a Director, Officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a Director, Officer, employee or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section C hereof with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

B. The right to indemnification conferred in Section A of this Article NINTH shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the Delaware General Corporation Law requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her capacity as a Director or Officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including, without limitation, services to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under this Section or otherwise. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in Sections A and B of this Article NINTH shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a Director, Officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators.

C. If a claim under Section A or B of this Article NINTH is not paid in full by the Corporation within 60 days after a written claim has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid also the expenses of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (i) any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) in any suit by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final adjudication that, the indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article NINTH or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.

D. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in this Article NINTH shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws of the Corporation, agreement, vote of stockholders or Disinterested Directors or otherwise.

E. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any Director, Officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or subsidiary or Affiliate or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the Delaware General Corporation Law.  “Affiliate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as in effect on the date of filing of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

F. The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article NINTH with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of Directors and Officers of the Corporation.

TENTH: A Director of this Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the Director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction from which the Director derived an improper personal benefit. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of Directors, then the liability of a Director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as so amended.

Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.

ELEVENTH: The Corporation shall have the right, subject to any express provisions or restrictions contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, to amend, alter or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation in any manner now or hereafter prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware and all rights  and powers conferred upon stockholders are granted subject to this reservation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be executed on its behalf this 15th day of May, 2018.