[MVB] – Mission Valley Bank, the sole subsidiary of Mission Valley Bancorp (OTCBB:  MVLY.OB), announced the expansion of the Bank’s SBA Lending Division to both the South Bay and Northern California.

“As a Preferred SBA Lender since 2007, Mission Valley Bank not only has tremendous experience in SBA Lending, but we have also earned a strong reputation for service excellence throughout the industry,” said CEO Tamara Gurney. “As a result of this, I am very pleased to announce that we were able to recently attract three highly respected SBA Lenders to join our growing team.  Wayne Wirth has joined us as senior vice president and manager of our SBA Division, bringing more than 30 years of experience as an SBA lender and manager throughout Southern California .  Grady Kjesbo, vice president and SBA business banker, will be overseeing our new Irvine Loan Production Office.  Having more than 20 years of SBA lending experience, Grady brings with him a wealth of knowledge, particularly of the Orange County / SouthBay region’s commercial real estate market.  Additionally, Mission Valley is very fortunate to bring onboard Kathy Blakley as vice president and SBA business banker.  Kathy will be based in the Northern California / San Francisco Bay area, where during her extensive career she has built a fine reputation as a skilled and knowledgeable SBA lender and business banker.”

Tamara continued, “Further growth of Mission Valley ’s SBA Division has been a top priority for our bank for quite some time.  We were very excited when we were presented with opportunity to have these three highly respected and experienced SBA lenders join our already strong SBA team.   Today’s economic environment makes SBA lending a strong alternative for increasing numbers of business borrowers.  Our skilled team, coupled with MVB’s Preferred Lending status, enables us to guide our clients through the process with ease, providing fast, flexible, financing to growing businesses and greatly reducing the time and frustration often associated with government guaranteed financing.”

Gurney continued, “Mission Valley Bank was established with the core principle to provide unique financial solutions to growing, small to mid-sized businesses throughout the markets we serve.  Many of these businesses have been overlooked and/or undervalued by our competitors.  Oftentimes these businesses don’t easily fit into the ‘cookie cutter’ style of banking and financing that the majority of our competition prescribes to.  We are here to ‘change the shape of the box’ and work with our clients to find what exactly is best for them and their business.”

About Mission Valley Bank

Mission Valley Bank is a full-service, independent, commercial bank specializing in the banking needs of small to medium businesses in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. The Bank was chartered in July 2001, with a vision of local ownership and a commitment to providing financial solutions to meet the needs of its clients.