Wells Fargo expanded its commercial banking footprint by appointing John P. Manning executive vice president in the company’s southern California Commercial Banking Division.

The 25-year veteran will oversee Wells Fargo Commercial Banking in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura — a territory where more middle-market businesses cluster than in any U.S. region.

Previously, Manning was head of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking for Greater Los Angeles. Since 2009, he grew business with local middle-market customers by more than 50%, expanded the number of local commercial banking offices from four to seven, built a diverse team and added 60 jobs.

With more than 25 years of banking experience, Manning joined Wells Fargo in 1994 as a Commercial Banking relationship manager in the Greater Los Angeles division. He has progressed through the organization in a number of leadership positions.

With an expanding team of local relationship managers, business development officers and professional staff, the southern California division includes offices in Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Woodland Hills, Pasadena, West Covina, Santa Fe Springs, Los Angeles, Century City, Long Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Carlsbad and San Diego.

“We were able to increase our commitments in Southern California during an economic downturn with the strength of Wells Fargo’s balance sheet and the depth of Wells Fargo’s product offering,” said Manning. “Now, as the economy improves, our expanding network of local offices and local decision-makers will enable our customers and potential customers to take advantage of new opportunities. It’s an exciting time and place to be in business.”