Opus Bank (“Opus”) (NASDAQ: OPB) announced today it has been recognized for the second consecutive year as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in Orange County, California in the second annual Civic 50 Orange County. The Civic 50 Orange County evaluates corporate civic engagement and recognizes companies that incorporate community leadership and socially-responsible practices into their culture, which engagement is measured and ranked by OneOC and the Orange County Business Journal.

Stephen H. Gordon, Chief Executive Officer and President of Opus Bank, stated, “We are extremely proud to have received this recognition for a second consecutive year. To have Opus recognized as one of the 50 most civic-minded companies in Orange County is a testament to the culture that is deeply embedded in both Opus and its team members. What makes Opus Bank special is its talented team members, and their community leadership, service activities, and generosity give me a great sense of pride. This honor is one that has been earned by our team members and truly reflects their passion and efforts to improve the communities in which they live and work.”

To encourage and support community philanthropy, the Opus Community Foundation was established concurrently with Opus Bank in 2010. Its mission is to impact the lives of children and families living and working in Opus Bank’s service areas through grant awards, matching gift donations, and volunteer service. The Opus Community Foundation has awarded over 250 grants to Orange County nonprofits since inception, in addition to numerous others across the western region. Opus team members, together with the Opus Community Foundation, have provided financial support to nearly 700 charitable organizations.

Katie Ellis, Executive Director of the Opus Community Foundation, added, “I am very proud to be a part of the diverse team at Opus that is committed to our communities and understands the value of giving back. Opus team members consistently demonstrate their personal commitment and leadership by volunteering their time and talent as board members and advisors to Orange County-based community organizations such as: Mary Erickson Community Housing, The Wooden Floor, WHW, Oasis Center International, Orange County Grantmakers, Orange County Opportunity Initiative, and SeniorServ, among many others up and down the West Coast.”

Throughout the year, Opus inspires team members to continue strengthening their communities by giving generously of their own time and compassion through the “Great Works” volunteer program. Company organized efforts include serving food to the hungry, tutoring at-risk youth, teaching financial literacy, providing job skills trainings, and organizing food and school supply drives.

Cindy Pulido, Vice President, Community Reinvestment Act & Fair Lending Officer, stated, “In addition to the countless hours donated by our team members, Opus has made over $595 million of investments that primarily benefit low- to moderate-income communities throughout the bank’s footprint. These investments contribute to the vibrancy of our communities by preserving and creating affordable housing, supporting the growth of small businesses, and enabling our nonprofit partners to grow and fulfill their mission of serving the community at large.”

Community engagement is also encouraged through Opus’ internship program. Over the past year, 12 college-aged students and 4 high school students gained experience in their selected field by working side by side with senior management. They also attended professional job training sessions, and to encourage philanthropy in their young and developing careers wrote and presented grant applications to the Opus Community Foundation Board of Directors for funding. In addition, each high school student was paired with a college mentor to further engage and inspire them to pursue their career. Opus Bank has employed over 100 interns since its inception.

About Civic 50 Orange County

Since 2012, The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities. For a second year, the Orange County Business Journal presents the Civic 50 Orange County in partnership with OneOC, which recognizes the 50 most community-minded small, medium, and large Orange County companies. The Civic 50 Orange County winners are public and private Orange County companies and are selected based on four dimensions of their U.S. community engagement program: investment, integration, institutionalization, and impact.

About OneOC

OneOC is a nonprofit 501c3 organization committed to accelerating nonprofit success through volunteer, training, consulting and business services. Serving Orange County, California, OneOC provides support and solutions to more than 750 nonprofit organizations and community initiatives each year. OneOC is affiliated with the Points of Lights Institute, enabling participation in national community service initiatives and connection to a larger movement of change. For more information, visit www.OneOC.org.

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About Opus Bank

Opus Bank is an FDIC insured California-chartered commercial bank with $7.2 billion of total assets, $5.1 billion of total loans, and $5.9 billion in total deposits as of June 30, 2018. Opus Bank provides superior ideas and solutions, and banking products to its clients through its Retail Bank, Commercial Bank, and Merchant 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 $14 billion of custodial assets and approximately 49,000 client accounts, which are comprised of self-directed investors, financial institutions, capital raisers and financial advisors. Opus Bank operates 48 banking offices, including 29 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 Bank’s 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.