Live Oak in N.C. Plans to Raise up to $86 Million in IPO

Live Oak Bancshares in Wilmington, N.C., has filed registration documents for an initial public offering, with plans to raise up to $86.3 million.

The $679 million-asset company has not determined how many shares it will offer, or the price per share, according to a news release.

In January, Live Oak held talks with five unnamed institutional investors about a private placement of up to 4 million shares of common stock, the company said in a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Live Oak ended the talks in March and decided to proceed with an IPO.

Live Oak in April 2014 filed plans to raise up to $86 million in an IPO, but later withdrew those plans after it secured an investment from Wellington Management, the Triangle Business Journal reported.

Wellington owns a 24.6% stake in Live Oak. James S. Mahan, Live Oak's chairman and chief executive, owns a 21.3% stake.

Live Oak plans to use the IPO proceeds to support lending growth to industries where it now does business and expansion into new industries, to develop a new online platform for loans of less than $350,000, to increase the size of its held-for-investment loan portfolio and for general corporate purposes.

Live Oak specializes in the online origination of commercial and construction loans partially guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

Sandler O'Neill & Partners; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey are financial advisers on the offering. Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton is legal counsel to Live Oak.

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