Opus Bank Enters into Strategic Marketing and Referral Agreement with Leading Online Lender to Increase Lending to Small Businesses

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Opus Bank (“Opus”) (NASDAQ: OPB) announced today that it has entered into a marketing and referral agreement with OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), the leader in online lending for small business, that will leverage Opus’ 58 retail banking office distribution located in major metro markets up and down the West Coast and OnDeck’s sophisticated credit and funding platform. Entering into this arrangement allows Opus to offer a complete solution to those small businesses that are looking for financing up to $500,000, including a range of term loans and lines of credit powered by a streamlined application process and fast access to the funds.

Stephen H. Gordon, Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank, stated, “I am excited to have entered into this marketing and referral agreement with OnDeck. Opus offers an extensive suite of lending products through its Commercial Bank and, while we receive a significant amount of inquiry for small business loans through our Retail Bank, OnDeck has proven to be much more proficient in underwriting and funding these smaller loans. This partnership enables Opus to further leverage and scale its strong market presence by offering small balance financing solutions that it was otherwise not able to efficiently accommodate and, in doing so, generate additional revenues while not using Opus’ balance sheet or capital.”

Gordon concluded, “Since Opus’ inception, it has had an acute focus on providing tailored financial products, services, and solutions to those small and mid-sized commercial businesses, entrepreneurs, real estate investors, and professionals with a vision to expand and grow. Opus is now better positioned to provide faster access to capital to those businesses where the availability of small balance financing has an outsized impact on their ability to expand, create new jobs, and succeed. At Opus Bank, we understand that by providing capital financing to successful entrepreneurs and their businesses, we are enabling those businesses to flourish and, in turn, build healthy, vital, and vibrant communities from the ground up.”

About Opus Bank

Opus Bank is an FDIC insured California-chartered commercial bank with over $6.2 billion of total assets, $5.0 billion of total loans, and $4.9 billion in 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. For additional information about Opus Bank, please visit our website: www.opusbank.com. Opus Bank is an Equal Housing Lender.

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.