Live Oak Bank has announced that John Wahl will serve as a senior loan officer for the bank’s mergers and acquisitions team, according to a news release.

Wahl specializes in business acquisitions including partner buyouts and stock purchases, owner-occupied real estate with and without tenant improvements, ground-up construction and start-up businesses, officials said in the release.

Wahl joins Live Oak as a seasoned lender, with more than 13 years of Small Business Administration (SBA) lending experience. In his role at Live Oak Bank, he will be responsible for cash flow analysis and initial credit underwriting of all M&A loan requests.

Live Oak Bank specializes in acquisition financing across all industries nationwide. The dedicated team has extensive SBA expertise to help brokers, intermediaries, search funds and individuals understand the process of acquiring a business structured with SBA financing, according to the release.

In his previous role, he worked at one of the nation’s largest banks, where he generated more than $215 million in SBA loans and was consistently one of the top SBA lenders by loan volume, officials said.

“We are thrilled to have John as part of our unparalleled M&A team. He is skilled at guiding customers through the SBA lending process and maintains strong relationships with leading brokers, CPAs and industry groups,” said Kay Anderson, director of emerging markets at Live Oak Bank, said in the release. “His extensive knowledge will be an asset to both the Live Oak team as well as customers navigating the complex M&A process.”

Wahl received a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis on finance from the University of Colorado Boulder.