Live Oak Bancshares Execs Saw Rise in 2018 Compensation

4/7/19

By Nicholas Thompson, NCBIZNews

Several executives of Live Oak Bancshares Inc., a Wilmington-based bank holding company, saw increased 2018 compensation according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

James Mahan, current CEO and president, saw a 19 percent increase in compensation to $986,694, up from $802,349 he received in 2017.

The $184,345 rise in his 2018 compensation is attributed to payment he received for use of company aircraft, as well as matching 401k contributions.

Mahan’s base salary of $510,600 has not increased since the company’s IPO in July 2015. Due to his substantial ownership of company stock, he has not received any equity-based rewards since the IPO.

Mahan founded Live Oak in 2008. Prior to the company’s founding, Mahan served as the CEO and Chairman of S1 Corp. and founder of Security First Network bank, the first purely internet-based bank without physical offices.

Brett Caines, chief financial officer of Live Oak, saw a surge in his 2018 compensation, earning over $1.2 million in 2018.

The bulk of the 67 percent increase in his compensation is attributed to the $800,000 in company stock awards he received last year. His base salary increased slightly to $365,004, up from $328,341 in 2017.

Chief Credit Officer Steven Smits received $1.24 million in total 2018 compensation. That’s a substantial increase over the $405,859 in total compensation in 2017, but still slightly behind the $1.3 million he received in 2016. His base salary of $408,008 remained unchanged from the previous year.

In its filing, Live Oak highlighted an 37 percent increase in loans and leases held for investment.

Live Oak’s stock closed at $15.54 on Friday, up 29 cents from market open.