Opus Bank Further Expands Pacific Northwest Commercial Banking Team

- John Norawong Joins as Senior Managing Director, Commercial Banking - Pacific Northwest -

Opus Bank ("Opus") OPB announced today that John Norawong has joined Opus as Senior Managing Director – Commercial Banking - Pacific Northwest Region. Mr. Norawong, a 24-year banking veteran, is responsible for expanding Opus' commercial and corporate client base, as well as for leading, managing, and growing Opus' Commercial Banking division's impact and presence in the Pacific Northwest region.

Stephen H. Gordon, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Opus Bank, stated, "We are excited to have John join Opus to lead and continue to grow our Commercial Banking team in the Seattle Puget Sound market. He is a seasoned banking professional with a deep understanding of the region's unique business climate. Opus' Commercial Banking clients will directly benefit from John's wealth of knowledge and nearly 25 years of commercial banking experience structuring and delivering tailored solutions to entrepreneurs, business owners, and lower-middle and middle market companies in the Pacific Northwest." Mr. Gordon added, "We look forward to Opus continuing to grow its lending, depository services, and market presence, adding to the success Opus has already achieved having funded over $400 million of loans in the Seattle Puget Sound region in the past two years."

Geoff Anfuso, Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial and Specialty Banking, said, "John is a deeply rooted banker in the Puget Sound region and shares Opus' approach to relationship-based banking, where our bankers are viewed as trusted advisors in their approach to delivering tailored financial solutions to those entrepreneurs, businesses, and middle market companies with the vision and ability to expand and grow." Mr. Anfuso concluded, "We look forward to John's contribution as Opus continues to grow its overall relationship-based commercial banking franchise in the Pacific Northwest."

Mr. Norawong joins Opus most recently from Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union, where he served as Head of Commercial Lending and had the overall responsibility for the leadership, strategic development, and sales profitability for the Pacific Northwest. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Norawong served as Pacific Northwest Market President at BBVA Compass, where he focused on building client relationships with middle and upper middle market companies. From 2012 to 2013, Mr. Norawong served as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager at Bank of the West, where he led the sales, strategic planning, budgeting, and profitability of the lower middle market and large corporate banking team. Earlier in his career, Mr. Norawong served for seven years as Senior Vice President with Key Bank, where he led the corporate banking activities in Western Washington and San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Norawong began his banking career in 1993 with Sanwa Bank, prior to its acquisition by Bank of the West. Mr. Norawong holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Brigham Young University and a M.B.A from the University of Tennessee.

About Opus Bank

Opus Bank is an FDIC insured California-chartered commercial bank with $7.3 billion of total assets, $5.1 billion of total loans, and $6.1 billion in total deposits as of September 30, 2017. 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, Member FINRA/SIPC. Opus Bank's alternative asset IRA custodian subsidiary has over $16 billion of custodial assets and approximately 52,000 client accounts, which are comprised of self-directed investors, financial institutions, capital raisers and financial advisors. Opus Bank operates 50 banking offices, including 31 in California, 16 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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