PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 2, 2026--
Western Alliance Bank today announced that Ian Hawk has joined the company as New York market manager for the Note Finance Group, expanding the bank’s presence in one of the nation’s most competitive private credit hubs .
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In this role, Hawk provides Western Alliance Bank’s differentiated leverage solutions to New York-based private credit platforms, offering clients nearly a decade of experience across public and private real estate, capital markets, origination and AI‑driven financial analysis to deliver deep data-driven insights to facilitate informed decision-making.
“We’re pleased to enhance Western Alliance Bank’s Note Finance presence within the New York region with the addition of Ian Hawk, who has strong experience and relationships with key real estate lenders, portfolio managers and institutional investors,” said Mark Roberts, National Sales Manager for Western Alliance Bank’s Note Finance Group. “Ian is well prepared to help Western Alliance expand the availability of note finance and single note-on-note products and solutions in this region, which is experiencing growing demand for tailored, flexible financing.”
Hawk brings extensive experience with commercial real estate financing, including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), mortgage brokerage, and debt and equity capital for real estate developers and institutional and entrepreneurial sponsors across all asset types. He joins Western Alliance from Lument and previously worked for Dwight Securities Management, Walker & Dunlop and Fitch Ratings.
“Western Alliance Bank is at the heart of the note finance industry, with a distinctive entrepreneurial approach that focuses on ways to say ‘yes’ and do deals,” Hawk said. “Having served on both sides of the note finance relationship, including managing capital markets at a debt fund, I’m excited to bring my insights into what clients are seeking from note finance solutions to better meet their needs in this competitive landscape.”
Hawk earned his Bachelor of Finance degree from the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University. He is active in his community, having served as a volunteer firefighter with the Woodmere Fire Department, as well as working with Project Ezrah, a community organization that provides job placement and other services to families in need.
Western Alliance Note Finance, a national banking group within Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, delivers flexible, custom-tailored solutions and exceptional service that private lenders can rely on. The experienced relationship banking team is a trusted, committed resource empowering funds nationwide to access financing quickly. For more information, visit Western Alliance Note Finance.
About Western Alliance Bank
Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) is one of the country’s top-performing banking companies and has ranked as a top U.S. bank by American Banker and Bank Director since 2016. Its primary subsidiary, Western Alliance Bank, is a leading national bank for business that puts customers first, delivering tailored business banking solutions and consumer products backed by outstanding, personalized service and specific expertise in more than 30 industries and sectors. With $90 billion in assets and offices nationwide, Western Alliance excels at helping businesses of all sizes capitalize on their opportunities to solve today and succeed tomorrow. For more information on our offerings, subsidiaries and affiliates, visit Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Note Finance
Western Alliance Note Finance, a national banking group within Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, delivers flexible, custom-tailored solutions and exceptional service that private lenders can rely on. The experienced relationship banking team is a trusted, committed resource empowering funds nationwide to access financing quickly. The Note Finance Group is part of Western Alliance Bancorporation, which has $90 billion in assets and has ranked as a top U.S. bank by American Banker and Bank Director since 2016. With significant national capabilities, the Note Finance Group delivers the reach, resources and deep industry knowledge to help businesses capitalize on their opportunities to solve today and succeed tomorrow. For more information, visit Western Alliance Note Finance.
Ian Hawk, Seasoned Commercial Real Estate and Private Credit Professional to Support Growing Demand for Note Finance Solutions
NEW YORK (AP) — Wild swings that swept through financial markets overnight eased as trading headed westward to Wall Street on Monday. U.S. stocks rose following sharp drops in Asia and then gains in Europe, while gold and silver prices rallied back from severe earlier losses.
The S&P 500 added 0.7% and is on track to snap a three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 506 points, or 1%, as of 1:05 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher.
Stocks of companies that make computer storage helped lead the market, adding to gains from last week following several profit reports that topped analysts' expectations. Airlines and cruise-ship operators were also strong, benefiting from a sharp easing of oil prices.
The center of the action in financial markets was again precious metals, where momentum has suddenly halted after gold’s price had roughly doubled in just 12 months.
Gold briefly dropped below $4,500 per ounce in the overnight hours, down more than $1,000 from its high point reached just last week. It has since pulled back to $4,702.70, down 0.9%.
Silver’s price has been on an even wilder ride recently, and it swung from a 9% loss overnight to a gain of 0.5%.
Gold and silver prices had been surging as investors looked for safer things to own amid a wide range of worries, including a Federal Reserve that may be set to become less independent, a U.S. stock market that critics say is expensive, threats of tariffs and heavy debt loads for governments worldwide.
Their prices cratered on Friday, including a 31.4% plunge for silver. Some on Wall Street saw it as a result of President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the Fed. Warsh’s reputation as a former Fed governor may have raised expectations among some investors that he may keep interest rates high to fight against inflation, which would reduce the need to hide out in gold and silver for protection.
But many on Wall Street are also skeptical of that initial reading and say the expectation from Trump is likely that Warsh will cut interest rates, something the president has been demanding. That could give the economy a boost, but also inflation.
The Fed chair has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the U.S. central bank moves interest rates. That affects prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the U.S. job market humming without letting inflation get out of control.
The recent swoons for gold and silver are likely more about the washout for some traders who had borrowed money to bet on metals’ prices continuing to soar, rather than about a wholesale change in expectations for demand for metals, according to Darrell Cronk, chief investment officer for Wealth & Investment Management at Wells Fargo
On Wall Street, Sandisk leaped 16.2% to lead the S&P 500. The data-storage company added to its 6.9% gain from Friday, after it reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It credited demand created by the artificial-intelligence boom, among other things.
That helped offset a 0.6% drop for Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world’s move into AI technology. The losses were worse in Asia, where AI winners plunged. South Korea’s Kospi fell 5.3% from its record for its worst day in almost 10 months after chip company SK Hynix lost nearly 9%.
The Walt Disney Co. fell 6.9% even though the entertainment giant reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned of challenges keeping international visitors away from its U.S. theme parks, among other things.
Oil prices dropped more than 5% after Trump told reporters that Iran is “seriously talking to us.” It’s a potential signal of improving relations between the two countries, which could prevent a possible disruption to the global flow of oil.
That could mean less painful fuel bills for airlines and cruise ships. Carnival steamed 6.8% higher, and United Airlines climbed 5.5%.
In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher after a report said that U.S. manufacturing grew last month, when economists were expecting a contraction. The yield on the 10-year Treasury erased an earlier dip and rose to 4.27%, up from 4.26% late Friday.
In stock markets abroad, European indexes rose roughly 1% following Asia’s washout. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.3%, while stocks fell 2.2% in Hong Kong and 2.5% in Shanghai.
AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
Trader Michael Capolino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Robert Charmak works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Traders Drew Cohen, left, and Dylan Halvorsan work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A currency trader talks on the phone near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
