AVANA Capital taps Matt Hunt as chief credit officer

AVANA Capital has added a key new member to its team.

Matthew Hunt, a known leader in SBA lending and a demonstrated risk manager, will join the AVANA Capital team this month. Hunt is coming to AVANA from Zions Bank in Utah, one of the top SBA 504 lenders in the country. He will help oversee AVANA’s growing portfolio and new wholesale lending program and manage over $1 billion in SBA 504 volume based on commitments received from global credit funds.

Hunt brings years of expertise in commercial real estate lending with Zions Bank’s National Real Estate Group in Salt Lake City, Utah. As senior vice president, he managed all aspects of the bank’s national commercial real estate lending business, including loan pricing, loan production, credit underwriting, construction lending, loan documentation, loan servicing, portfolio risk grading, budgeting and regulatory compliance.

Hunt earned his masters of business administration at the University of Utah in 2010, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in finance. In 2005, Hunt completed a master’s level extension program in banking at the University of Washington’s Pacific Coast Banking School.

“We are excited to have Matt Hunt join the AVANA team as we look to expand our SBA 504 program nationwide,” said Sanat Patel, Managing Partner of AVANA Capital. “With Matt’s 20 years of experience in SBA lending, his role of Chief Credit Officer will provide AVANA a strong foundation in continuing the momentum of building its platform in commercial real estate lending to small business in the US.”

Hunt said that AVANA Capital’s track record as a successful commercial real estate lender, combined with its new wholesale lending program and nationwide expansion, made the new position an inviting challenge.

“AVANA Capital is aggressively looking to expand its portfolio across the United States, so it is a unique opportunity to join the company at a time when it is really growing,” Hunt said. “I am excited to work in an entrepreneurial environment and have the flexibility as a non-bank lender to make common sense lending decisions. I look forward to working with the AVANA team to help more entrepreneurs across the country realize their dreams and grow the economy.”

Since 2005, AVANA Capital has funded more than $720 million in loans that led to 9,000 and counting new jobs created and saved in 30 states, under the United States Small Business Administration Lending Programs.

AVANA Capital specializes in SBA and USDA loans designed to grow businesses, so the parameters for qualification can be easier to achieve than conventional commercial real estate loans. This means AVANA Capital’s borrowers can access up to 90 percent loan-to-value financing, with quick prequalification and a range of loan structures. For more information on AVANA Capital and its products, visit www.avanacapital.com.