Live Oak Bancshares (NASDAQ:LOB) announced on December 1, 2025 that Ewa M. Stasiowska has been named Chief Risk Officer of the company and Live Oak Bank.
Stasiowska brings more than two decades of risk-management experience and joins from Webster Bank, where she led enterprise, model, and financial risk functions. The company said the change follows Live Oak surpassing the $10 billion asset threshold and separates the CRO role from the General Counsel after a three-year dual assignment by Greg Seward.
Management emphasizes that the appointment is intended to strengthen governance, controls, and risk culture while supporting the bank’s continued growth in small business banking.
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Positive
Ewa Stasiowska brings >20 years of risk-management experience
Live Oak exceeded the $10 billion asset threshold, prompting leadership structure change
CRO role separated from General Counsel after three years of dual responsibility
Negative
None.
News Market Reaction – LOB
-1.08%
-1.08%Session close to close
In the Dec 2 session, LOB declined 1.08%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.
This announcement highlights Live Oak’s decision to appoint a dedicated Chief Risk Officer after sur...
Analysis
This announcement highlights Live Oak’s decision to appoint a dedicated Chief Risk Officer after surpassing the $10 billion asset threshold, separating legal and risk responsibilities. It fits a broader pattern of balance sheet growth, SBA lending leadership, and technology investments. Investors may focus on how the new CRO shapes enterprise, operational, and model risk practices and how governance, insider activity, and future earnings trends interact with the bank’s small-business growth strategy.
Key Figures
Asset threshold:$10 billionPrior dual-role period:3 years
2 metrics
Asset threshold$10 billionCompany surpassed asset threshold prompting CRO role separation
Prior dual-role period3 yearsGeneral Counsel also served as CRO since 2022
Invested in AI-driven loan platform to automate Express loan processes.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Pattern Detected
Recent history shows frequent divergence, with several positive operational and growth updates followed by modest share price declines in the next session.
Recent Company History
Over the last six months, Live Oak Bancshares reported multiple growth milestones, including strong 3Q 2025 financials with net income of $25.6 million and total assets of $14.67 billion, leadership in SBA 7(a) lending with over $2.8 billion funded, and a strategic AI-enabled lending partnership through Live Oak Ventures. The current CRO appointment, tied to crossing the $10 billion asset threshold and separating risk and legal roles, extends this theme of scaling governance alongside balance sheet growth.
Key Terms
chief risk officer, operational risk, model risk, enterprise-wide risk and control frameworks, +3 more
7 terms
chief risk officerfinancial
"has been named Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of the company."
The chief risk officer is the senior executive responsible for identifying, measuring and reducing the major threats that could hurt a company’s finances or reputation, acting like a navigator who watches for storms and steers the business away from them. Investors care because effective risk oversight lowers the chance of surprise losses, legal fines or operational failures, which helps protect shareholder value and makes a company more predictable and trustworthy.
operational riskfinancial
"enterprise, financial, operational, and model risk functions within regulated"
Operational risk is the chance a company loses money or value because of failures in its day-to-day operations—such as broken systems, human error, fraud, supply-chain breakdowns, or regulatory and legal problems. Investors care because these events can cut profits, create unexpected costs, or damage reputation; like a kitchen fire or a cashier mistake shutting a restaurant temporarily, strong controls and backup plans show how resilient a business is.
model riskfinancial
"enterprise, financial, operational, and model risk functions within regulated"
Model risk is the danger that a mathematical or statistical model used to value assets, estimate risk, or make forecasts is flawed or applied incorrectly, producing misleading results. For investors this matters because reliance on a faulty model can lead to wrong prices, underestimated losses, or poor decisions—like trusting a map with the wrong scale, you can end up lost or take on more risk than you realize.
enterprise-wide risk and control frameworksfinancial
"she led the design and implementation of enterprise-wide risk and control frameworks"
An enterprise-wide risk and control framework is the organized set of policies, processes and assigned responsibilities a company uses across its whole business to spot potential problems, reduce their likelihood, and make sure safeguards are working. Investors care because it lowers the chance of big unexpected losses, fraud, regulatory penalties or unreliable financial reports and signals that management is maintaining steady operations—like a comprehensive safety plan that helps a building survive fires and other emergencies.
governance structuresfinancial
"strengthened governance structures, and advanced the organization’s risk culture"
Governance structures are the rules, roles and processes that determine who makes decisions, how they are made, and how people are held accountable in an organization. Think of it as the company’s rulebook and chain of command — like a household organizing bills, chores and who can sign checks — that shapes strategy, risk and ethical behavior. Investors care because strong, clear governance reduces the chance of mismanagement, fraud or surprise decisions that can hurt returns.
loan reviewfinancial
"positions spanning enterprise risk management, operational risk, model risk, financial risk, loan review, and regulatory"
A loan review is a periodic check-up of a lender’s loans to judge how likely borrowers are to repay and whether the loans are valued correctly. Like a mechanic inspecting a fleet of cars to spot wear, it identifies weak loans, needed reserves, or changes in credit rules so investors can gauge a bank’s risk of losses and the accuracy of its reported financial health. Clear loan reviews help investors judge safety and future earnings.
regulatory examinationsregulatory
"including oversight of regulatory examinations and remediation initiatives."
Regulatory examinations are formal reviews or inspections by government or industry authorities to check that a company follows laws, rules and safety standards; think of them as a health-check or building inspection for a business. They matter to investors because outcomes can lead to fines, operational changes or reputation effects that affect a company’s costs, future earnings and risk, so examination results help judge how safely and reliably a business is run.
WILMINGTON, N.C., Dec. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Live Oak Bancshares announced today that Ewa M. Stasiowska has been named Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of the company. Stasiowska also assumes the role of CRO of Live Oak Bank.
Stasiowska is a senior risk management executive with more than two decades of experience overseeing enterprise, financial, operational, and model risk functions within regulated financial institutions. Previously, she was Senior Managing Director at Webster Bank, where she was responsible for Enterprise, Model, and Financial Risk. While there, she led the design and implementation of enterprise-wide risk and control frameworks, strengthened governance structures, and advanced the organization’s risk culture, accountability, and transparency.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Ewa as Live Oak Bank’s new Chief Risk Officer. She brings deep expertise in risk management and a proven track record of guiding financial institutions through dynamic growth,” said Live Oak Chairman and CEO James S. (Chip) Mahan III. “As Live Oak continues to expand our reach to serve more business owners across the country, Ewa’s leadership will be instrumental in ensuring we maintain the strength, stability, and innovative approach our customers rely on.”
Greg Seward, Live Oak’s General Counsel assumed the additional role of Chief Risk Officer in 2022. “Greg has performed admirably in both roles over the last three years. Now that the company has surpassed the $10 billion asset threshold, this is a natural inflection point to revisit the structure of these leadership responsibilities and delineate the roles as we continue to grow,” said Live Oak President William C. (BJ) Losch III. “He remains our General Counsel, and we are confident his leadership will continue to drive excellence in critical areas for years to come.”
Stasiowska has held senior leadership positions spanning enterprise risk management, operational risk, model risk, financial risk, loan review, and regulatory relations, including oversight of regulatory examinations and remediation initiatives.
“I’m excited to join Live Oak Bank, an industry leader in small business banking and innovation,” said Stasiowska. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to further strengthen Live Oak’s risk management practices in ways that safeguard the bank and support sustainable growth for our customers.”
Stasiowska received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut.
About Live Oak Bancshares Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE: LOB) is a financial holding company and parent company of Live Oak Bank. Live Oak Bancshares and its subsidiaries partner with businesses that share a groundbreaking focus on service and technology to redefine banking. To learn more, visit www.liveoak.bank.
