Opus Bank (“Opus”) (Nasdaq: OPB) announced today that Bret Carroll has joined Opus as Managing Director, Head of Technology Investment Banking within Opus’ Merchant Banking division. Mr. Carroll, an 18-year financial services veteran with 10 years in investment banking, is responsible for providing mergers and acquisition (“M&A”) advisory services, debt and equity capital solutions, and other strategic advisory services to middle-market and emerging growth companies in the technology sector.

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Bret Carroll Managing Director, Technology Banking Opus Bank (Photo: Business Wire)

Bret Carroll Managing Director, Technology Banking Opus Bank (Photo: Business Wire)

Dale Cheney, Senior Managing Director, Head of the Merchant Banking division stated, “We are pleased that Bret has joined Opus to lead our Technology Investment Banking efforts. He is a highly-talented and experienced investment banking professional having executed over $10 billion of M&A and financing transactions. His background designing and delivering sophisticated, client-centric solutions complements our merchant banking model of providing middle-market companies with comprehensive and integrated principal investing and advisory services.”

Stephen H. Gordon, Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Opus Bank stated, “Opus Bank is committed to providing solutions-based, strategic advisory and execution services and debt and equity capital funding solutions, including access to alternative sources of capital, M&A, and other strategic advisory solutions. The addition of Bret to our Merchant Banking division enables Opus to integrate our niche Technology Banking focus within Opus’ Commercial Bank with complimentary investment banking expertise, better positioning Opus to provide a comprehensive and customized financial and strategic solution to those companies and entrepreneurs within the technology sector.”

Mr. Carroll joins Opus’ Merchant Banking division from Arrowroot Advisors, L.L.C. (“Arrowroot”), which he co-founded. Arrowroot, a Los Angeles-based technology-focused investment bank, provides sell-side M&A advisory, capital raising, and merchant banking services to emerging growth and middle-market companies, as well as private equity (“PE”) and venture capital (“VC”) funds. From 2006 and following its acquisition by Nomura in 2008, Mr. Carroll served as Executive Director and Vice President with Lehman Brothers’ Technology Investment Banking group where he originated and executed M&A advisory and financing transactions for corporate, PE, and VC clients. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Carroll served as an Equity Research Associate with Lehman Brothers where he covered Technology companies. Earlier in his career, Mr. Carroll served in financial analyst roles with Spin-Off Advisors, L.L.C. and Mondiale Partners, Ltd. Mr. Carroll holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

About Opus Bank’s Merchant Banking Division

Opus’ Merchant Banking division focuses on providing capital and advisory solutions to middle market companies for mergers & acquisitions, growth capital, leveraged buy-outs, recapitalizations, and balance sheet restructurings. The Merchant Banking division’s equity services and solutions include raising capital through the private placement of equity for clients in the Healthcare, Technology, Commercial Real Estate, Consumer, and Food and Beverage sectors, as well as other sectors served by Opus’ Commercial Banking division.

About Opus Bank

Opus Bank is an FDIC insured California-chartered commercial bank with $6.2 billion of total assets, $5.0 billion of total loans, and $4.9 billion of total deposits as of September 30, 2015. Opus Bank provides high-value, relationship-based banking products, services, and solutions to its clients through its Retail Bank, Commercial Bank, Merchant Bank, and Correspondent Bank. Opus Bank offers a suite of treasury and cash management and depository solutions and a wide range of loan products, including commercial business, healthcare, technology, multifamily residential, commercial real estate, and structured finance, and is an SBA preferred lender. Opus Bank offers commercial escrow services and facilitates 1031 Exchange transactions through its Escrow and Exchange divisions. Opus Bank provides clients with financial and advisory services related to raising equity capital, targeted acquisition and divestiture strategies, general mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, balance sheet restructuring, valuation, strategy, and performance improvement through its Merchant Banking division and its broker-dealer subsidiary, Opus Financial Partners. Opus Bank operates 58 client experience centers, including 33 in California, 22 in the Seattle/Puget Sound region in Washington, two in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Arizona, and one in Portland, Oregon. Opus Bank is an Equal Housing Lender.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements include information, which is subject to change and subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events, and actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “intend” or “expect” or variations thereon or similar terminology. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Opus Bank undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.