IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Opus Bank (“Opus” or the “Bank”)) (NASDAQ: OPB) announced today that Frederic Stupart has joined Opus’ Merchant Banking division and Opus Financial Partners, the Bank’s broker-dealer subsidiary, as Managing Director, Financial Sponsors Group. Mr. Stupart, an investment banking and private equity veteran with over 20 years of experience, is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships and providing capital funding, tailored solutions, and strategic advice for middle-market companies and their private equity sponsors.

Additionally, Opus announced today that its Merchant Banking division has opened an office in New York City, New York. The new office will support its growing Merchant Banking team in the Northeast. The new office is located in Midtown Manhattan in the Lever House at 390 Park Avenue, 8^th Floor, New York City, New York.

Stephen H. Gordon, Chairman, CEO & President of Opus Bank, stated, “I am pleased to announce the continued expansion of our Merchant Banking team and the opening of the New York office. We look forward to Fred’s contributions as we expand the capabilities of Opus’ Merchant Banking division, which has more than doubled its revenues year over year.” Gordon added, “With the office in New York City, which is in immediate proximity to investment banks, private equity firms, and mezzanine funds, Opus’ Merchant Banking division is now better positioned to provide its one-stop principal investing and advisory solutions, as well as be a more effective strategic partner to its existing base of financial sponsor relationships and their portfolio companies. The new office will also allow Opus to scale up its Merchant Banking team by accessing the pool of deeply talented and experienced investment bankers/advisors desirous of working in a uniquely entrepreneurial and collaborative environment such as Opus.”

Dale Cheney, President of the Merchant Banking Division, continued, “Fred’s successful experience as both a private equity and investment banking professional complements our differentiated merchant banking model of providing a flexible one-stop principal investing and advisory solution to lower middle-market companies. In this effort, Fred will be working closely with financial sponsors to provide growth equity capital for portfolio companies, structure financings for new acquisitions, and present M&A opportunities to the financial sponsor community.”

Mr. Stupart, a 21-year investment banking and finance veteran, joins Opus’ Merchant Banking division from Eaglestone Capital Management, LLC in New York City, where he served as Managing Member, Chief Investment Officer and was responsible for originating investment opportunities focused on public market private equity investments. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Stupart served as Executive Director, Leveraged & Acquisition Finance – Sponsor Coverage at Morgan Stanley in New York, where he led the sponsors coverage effort. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Stupart served as Principal at EG Capital Group, LLC, where he was responsible for new investment opportunities in the middle market. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Stupart served as Vice President, Leveraged Finance and Financial Sponsors Coverage at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, where he developed sponsor relationships while working on debt, equity, and M&A transactions across various industries. Earlier in his career, he served in finance roles with Deutsche Bank AG, Clifford Chance LLP, and Davies, Ward & Beck. Mr. Stupart holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Economics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

About Opus Bank’s Merchant Banking Division

Opus Bank’s Merchant Banking Division is an integrated principal investing and financial advisory platform that provides a broad range of direct investment and advisory solutions to lower middle-market companies. The Merchant Banking Division includes Opus Equity Partners, LLC, the advisor to the Opus Bank-sponsored private equity SBIC Fund that provides growth capital to successful and dynamic companies in need of a capital solution beyond what is customarily available from traditional bank sources. The Merchant Banking Division also includes both Opus Financial Partners, LLC, Opus Bank’s wholly-owned registered broker-dealer and an investment banking group that provide advisory solutions to lower middle-market companies for mergers & acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs, growth equity capital, junior and senior debt, recapitalizations and other broad transactional support to assist companies in their business development efforts.

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About Opus Bank

Opus Bank is an FDIC-insured California-chartered commercial bank with $7.7 billion of total assets, $6.3 billion of total loans and $6.5 billion in total deposits as of September 30, 2016. Opus Bank provides superior ideas and solutions, and banking products 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, healthcare, media and entertainment, corporate finance, 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, LLC. Opus Bank’s subsidiary, PENSCO Trust Company, is a leading tech-enabled alternative asset IRA custodian with over $12 billion of custodial assets and over 48,000 client accounts, which are comprised of self-directed investors, financial institutions, capital raisers, and financial advisors. Opus Bank operates 56 banking offices, including 32 in California, 21 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. For additional information about Opus Bank, please visit our website: www.opusbank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may include forward-looking statements related to Opus’ plans, beliefs and goals, which involve certain risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. 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 undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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