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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-K

Mark One
ýANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

Commission file number    000-24939


For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003


or
oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period fromto.

Commission file number 000-24939

EAST WEST BANCORP, INC.
(Exact name of registrantRegistrant as specifiedSpecified in its charter)Charter)

Delaware
95-4703316
(State or other jurisdictionOther Jurisdiction of
incorporation Incorporation or organization)Organization)
95-4703316
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

415 Huntington Drive, San Marino, California
(Address of principal executive offices)


91108
(Zip Code)
Number)

415 Huntington Drive San Marino, California    91108
(Address of Principal Executive Offices including Zip Code)

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code:Telephone Number, Including Area Code)(626) 799-5700

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class


Name of each exchange
on which registered


NONE

NONE

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value
(Title of class)

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes  ýx    No  o¨


      Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 orof Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant'sRegistrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of thethis Form 10-K, or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   ýx


      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     Yes  ýx    No  
o¨

        As of February 29, 2004, the
      The aggregate market value of the registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates is approximately $1,527,453,510 (based on the June 30, 2004 closing price of the registrant was approximately $1,284,737,548.

        NumberCommon Stock of $30.70 per share).       
      As of February 28, 2005, 52,515,545 shares of common stock of the registrant outstanding as of March 5, 2004: 25,084,334 shares

East West Bancorp, Inc. Common Stock were outstanding.
      The following documents are incorporated by reference herein:


Document Incorporated


Part of Form 10-K
Into Which Incorporated


Definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders which will be filed within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 20032004

Part III




East West Bancorp, Inc.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART IPart I.

3

Page

Item 1.

Business

Business

3

Item 2.

Properties

Properties19

22

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

20

23

Item 4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

20

23

PART IIPart II.

21

Item 5.

Market for Registrant's Common EquityStock and Related Stockholder Matters

21

24

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data

22

25

Item 7.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

23

26

   Item 7a.

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market RiskRisks

51

58

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

51

59

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

51

59

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

51

59

PART III

   Item 9B.

Other Information

52

61

Part III.

Item 10.

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

52

62

Item 11.

Executive Compensation

52

62

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

52

62

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

52

63

Item 14.

Principal AccountantAccounting Fees and Services

53

63

PART IVPart IV.

54

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

54

64

SIGNATURESSignatures

97

110

2



PART I

PART I

Certain matters discussed in this Annual Report may constitute forward-lookingforward- looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (theor the "1933 Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (theor the "Exchange Act"), and as such, may involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, expectations of the environment in which the Company operates and projections of future performance. The Company's actual results, performance, or achievements may differ significantly from the results, performance, or achievements expected or implied in such forward-looking statements. For discussion of some of the factors that might cause such differences, see "Item 1. BUSINESS—BUSINESS - Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results." The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements.


ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Organization

East West Bancorp, Inc. East West Bancorp, Inc. (referred to herein on an unconsolidated basis as "East West" and on a consolidated basis as the "Company") is a bank holding company incorporated in Delaware on August 26, 1998 and registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. The Company commenced business on December 30, 1998 when, pursuant to a reorganization, it acquired all of the voting stock of East West Bank, (theor the "Bank"). The Bank is the Company's principal asset.

        The In addition to the Bank, the Company has foursix other operating subsidiaries, namely East West Insurance Services, Inc., East West Capital Trust I, East West Capital Trust II, East West Capital Statutory Trust III, East West Capital Trust IV, and East West Capital Trust V.

East West Insurance Services, Inc.On August 22, 2000, East West completed the acquisition of East West Insurance Services, Inc. or, the "Agency", in a stock exchange transaction. In March 2000 and July 2000, respectively,exchange for all of the outstanding stock of the Agency, East West issued a total of 206,582 new shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. common stock, par value of $.001. The total value of the shares issued was approximately $1.7 million. The Agency, with assets of approximately $789 thousand as of the acquisition date, provides business and consumer insurance services to the Southern California market. The Agency runs its operations autonomously from the operations of the Company.

Other Subsidiaries of East WestBancorp, Inc. The Company has established five other subsidiaries as statutory business trusts, East West Capital Trust I and East West Capital Trust II.II in 2000, East West Capital Statutory Trust III was established in December 2003.2003, and East West Capital Trust I,IV and East West Capital Trust II, and East West Capital Statutory Trust III (theV in 2004, collectively referred to as the "Trusts"), as wholly owned subsidiaries, are statutory business trusts.. In threefive separate private placement transactions, the Trusts have issued $10.8 million of 10.875%either fixed rate, $10.0 million of 10.945% fixed rate, and $10.0 million ofor variable rate capital securities representing undivided preferred beneficial interests in the assets of the Trusts. East West is the owner of all the beneficial interests represented by the common securities of the Trusts. The main purpose of issuing the capital securities was to provide the Company with a cost-effective means of obtaining Tier 1I capital for regulatory purposes. Effective December 31, 2003, as a consequence of adopting the provisions ofIn accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Interpretation No. 46,46R,Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities ("FIN No. 46"46R"), the Trusts are no longer beingnot consolidated into the accounts of East West Bancorp, Inc.

        On August 22, 2000, East West completed the acquisition of its other wholly-owned subsidiary, East West Insurance Services, Inc. (the "Agency"), in a stock exchange transaction. In exchange for all of the outstanding stock of the Agency, East West issued a total of 103,291 new shares of East West Bancorp, Inc. common stock, par value of $.001. The total value of the shares issued was approximately $1.7 million. East West Insurance Services, Inc., with assets of approximately $789 thousand as of the acquisition date, provides business and consumer insurance services to the Southern California market. The Agency runs its operations autonomously from the operations of the Company.3

East West's principal business is to serve as a holding company for the Bank and other banking or banking-related subsidiaries which East West may establish or acquire. East West has not engaged in any other activities to date. As a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiaries, East West's principal source of funds is, and will continue to be, dividends that may be paid by its subsidiaries. East West's other sources of funds include proceeds from the issuance of its common stock in connection with stock option and warrant exercises and employee stock purchase plans. At December 31, 2003,2004, the Company had $4.06$6.03 billion in total consolidated assets, $3.23$5.08 billion in net consolidated loans, and $3.31$4.52 billion in total consolidated deposits.

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The principal office of the Company is located at 415 Huntington Drive, San Marino, California 91108, and its telephone number is (626) 799-5700.

East West Bank.East West Bank was chartered by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board in June 1972, as the first federally chartered savings institution focused primarily on the Chinese-American community, and opened for business at its first office in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles in January 1973. UntilFrom 1973 until the early 1990's, the Bank conducted a traditional savings and loan business by making predominantly long-term, single family residential and commercial and multifamily real estate loans. These loans were made principally within the ethnic Chinese market in Southern California and were funded primarily with retail savings deposits and advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. The Bank has emphasized commercial lending since its conversion to a state-chartered commercial bank on July 31, 1995. The Bank now also specializes in lendingprovides loans for commercial, construction, and residential real estate projects and for the financing of international trade for California companies.companies in California.

Acquisitions of existing banks have contributed to the Bank's growth. On May 28, 1999, the Bank completed its acquisition of First Central Bank, N.A. for an aggregate cash price of $13.5 million. First Central Bank had three branches in Southern California—oneCalifornia--one branch located in the Chinatown sector of Los Angeles, one branch in Monterey Park and one branch in Cerritos. The Bank acquired approximately $55.0 million in loans and assumed approximately $92.6 million in deposits.

On January 18, 2000, the Bank completed its acquisition of American International Bank for an aggregate cash price of $33.1 million. American International Bank had eight branches in Southern California. The Bank acquired approximately $107.9 million in loans and assumed approximately $170.8 million in deposits.

On January 16, 2001, the Bank completed the acquisition of Prime Bank for a combination of shares and cash valued at $16.6 million. Prime Bank was a one-branchone- branch commercial bank located in the Century City area of Los Angeles. The Bank acquired approximately $45.0 million in loans and assumed approximately $98.1 million in deposits.

On March 14, 2003, the Bank completed its acquisition of Pacific Business Bank for an aggregate cash price of $25.0 million. Pacific Business Bank operated four branches in Southern California located in Santa Fe Springs, Carson, El Monte, and South El Monte. The Bank acquired approximately $110.1 million in loans and $134.9 million in deposits.

On August 6, 2004, the Bank completed its acquisition of Trust Bancorp, parent company of Trust Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at $32.9 million. Trust Bank operated four branches in Southern California, located in Monterey Park, Rowland Heights, West Covina and Arcadia. The Bank acquired approximately $164.0 million in loans and assumed $193.4 million in deposits through this acquisition.

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The Bank has also grown through strategic partnerships and office locations. On August 30, 2001, the Bank entered into an exclusive ten-year agreement with 99 Ranch Market to provide retail banking services in their stores throughout California. 99 Ranch Market is the largest Asian-focused chain of supermarkets on the West Coast, with twentytwenty-two full service stores in California, onetwo in Washington, and affiliated licensee stores in Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada Georgia and Arizona.Indonesia. Tawa Supermarket Companies ("Tawa")or "Tawa" is the parent company of 99 Ranch Market. Tawa's property development division owns and operates many of the shopping centers where 99 Ranch Market stores are located. We are currently providing in-store banking services in the Arcadia, San Gabriel, Irvine, Anaheim, Van Nuys and Milpitas, California locations ofto seven 99 Ranch Market. All of our in-store branches are locatedMarket locations in Southern California except for the Milpitas branch, which is locatedand one in Northern California.

On January 20, 2003, the Bank opened its first overseas office in Beijing, China. The Beijing representative office serves to further builddevelop the Bank's existing international banking capabilities. In addition to facilitating traditional letters of credit and trade finance business, the Beijing office allows the Bank to assist existing clients, as well as develop new business relationships. Through this office, the Bank intends to focus on growing its export-import lending volume by aiding domestic exporters in identifying and developing new sales opportunities to China-based customers as well as capturing additional letters of credit business generated from China-based exports through broader correspondent banking relationships with a variety of Chinese financial institutions.

        On March 14, 2003, the Bank completed its acquisition of Pacific Business Bank for an aggregate cash price of $25.0 million. Pacific Business Bank operated four branches in Southern California

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located in Santa Fe Springs, Carson, El Monte, and South El Monte. The Bank acquired approximately $110.1 million in loans and $134.9 million in deposits.

At December 31, 2003,2004 the Bank had three wholly owned subsidiaries. The first subsidiary, E-W Services, Inc., is a California corporation organized by the Bank in 1977. E-W Services, Inc. holds property used by the Bank in its operations. At December 31, 2003,2004 the Bank's total investment in E-W Services, Inc. was $9.2$9.4 million. The second subsidiary, East-West Investments,Investment, Inc., is a California corporation organized by the Bank in 1972. East-West Investments,Investment, Inc. primarily acts as a trustee in connection with real estate secured loans. At December 31, 2003,2004 the Bank's total investment in East-West Investments,Investment, Inc. was $98$125 thousand. The third subsidiary, East West Mortgage Securities, LLC, is a California limited liability company organized by the Bank in September 2002. East West Mortgage Securities, LLC acts primarily as a special purpose entity in connection with private label securitization activities. At December 31, 20032004 the Bank's total investment in East West Mortgage Securities, LLC, was $1.7 million.$561 thousand.

Banking Services

The Bank was the fourththird largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Los Angeles County,Southern California as of December 31, 2003,2004, and one of the largest banks in the United States that focuses on the Chinese-American community. Through its network of 39 retail branches,49 banking locations, the Bank provides a wide range of personal and commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, business executives, professionals, and other individuals. The Bank offers multilingual services to its customers in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Spanish. The Bank also offers a variety of deposit products which includes the traditional range of personal and business checking and savings accounts, time deposits and individual retirement accounts, travelers' checks, safe deposit boxes, and Master Card and Visa merchant deposit services.

The Bank's lending activities include residential and commercial real estate, construction, commercial, trade finance, account receivables, small business administration, ("SBA")or the "SBA", inventory and working capital loans. It provides commercial loans to small and medium-sized businesses with annual revenues that generally range from several million to $200 million. In addition, the Bank provides short-term trade finance facilities for terms of less than one year primarily to U.S. importers and manufacturers doing business in the Asia Pacific region. The Bank's commercial borrowers are engaged in a wide variety of manufacturing, wholesale trade, and service businesses.

The Company's management has identified four principal operating segments within the organization: retail banking, commercial lending, treasury, and residential lending. Although all four operating segments offer financial products and services, they are managed separately based on each segment's strategic focus. While the retail banking segment focuses primarily on retail operations through the Bank's branch network, certain designated branches have responsibility for generating commercial deposits and loans.

5

The commercial lending segment primarily generates commercial loans and deposits through the efforts of commercial lending officers located in the northernNorthern and southernSouthern California production offices. The treasury department's primary focus is managing the Bank's investments, liquidity, and interest rate risk; while the residential lending segment is mainly responsible for the Bank's portfolio of single family and multifamily loans. Information about the financial results of our operating segments can be found in Note 23 of our consolidated financial statements presented elsewhere herein.

Market Area and Competition

The Bank concentrates on marketing its services in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County, the San Francisco Bay area, San Mateo County, the Silicon Valley area in Santa Clara County and Alameda County, with a particular focus on regions with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese. The ethnic Chinese markets within the Bank's primary market area have experienced rapid growth in recent years. Based onyears.According to information provided by the California State Department of Finance, there were

5



an estimated 4.24.7 million Asians and Pacific Islanders residing in California, or 13.2% of the total population, as of March 2002.2004. As California continues to gain momentum as the hub of the Pacific Rim, the Bank provides important competitive advantages to its customers participating in the Asia Pacific marketplace. We believe that our customers benefit from our understanding of Asian markets and cultures, our corporate and organizational ties throughout Asia, as well as our international banking products and services. We believe that this approach, combined with the extensive ties of our management and Board of Directors to the growing Asian and ethnic Chinese communities, provide us with an advantage in competing for customers in our market area.

The banking and financial services industry in California generally, and in our market areas specifically, areis highly competitive. The increasingly competitive environment is a result primarily of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems, and the accelerating pace of consolidation among financial services providers. In addition, recent federal legislation may have the effect of further increasing the pace of consolidation within the financial services industry. See "Item 1. Business—Economic Conditions, Government Policies, Legislation and Regulation."

The Bank competes for loans, deposits, and customers with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations and savings banks, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, finance companies, money market funds, credit unions, and other nonbank financial service providers. Some of these competitors are larger in total assets and capitalization, have greater access to capital markets and offer a broader range of financial services than the Bank. The Bank has 39 offices49 locations located in the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda. Neither the deposits nor loans of the offices of the Bank exceed 1% of the deposits or loans of all financial services companies located in the counties in which it operates.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

        For information regardingIn December 2003, the recentlyAccounting Standards Executive Committee of the AICPA issued Statement of Position No. 03-3 ("SOP 03-3"),Accounting for Certain Loans or Debt Securities Acquired in a Transfer. SOP 03-3 addresses the accounting standards, see Notefor differences between contractual cash flows and the cash flows expected to be collected from purchased loans or debt securities if those differences are attributable, in part, to credit quality. SOP 03-3 requires purchased loans and debt securities to be recorded initially at fair value based on the present value of the cash flows expected to be collected with no carryover of any valuation allowance previously recognized by the seller. Interest income should be recognized based on the effective yield from the cash flows expected to be collected. To the extent that the purchased loans or debt securities experience subsequent deterioration in credit quality, a valuation allowance would be established for any additional cash flows that are not expected to be received. However, if more cash flows subsequently are expected to be received than originally estimated, the effective yield would be adjusted on a prospective basis. SOP 03-3 will be effective for loans and debt securities acquired in the years beginning after December 15, 2004. Management does not expect the adoption of this statement to have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

6

In March 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) reached consensus on the guidance provided in EITF Issue No. 03-1,The Meaning of Other- Than-Temporary Impairment and its Application to Certain Investments(EITF 03-1) as applicable to debt and equity securities that are within the scope of SFAS No. 115,Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securitiesand equity securities that are accounted for using the cost method specified in Accounting Policy Board Opinion No. 18,The Equity Method of Accounting for Investments in Common Stock. An investment is impaired if the fair value of the investment is less than its cost. EITF 03- 1 entitled "Summaryoutlines that an impairment would be considered other-than-temporary unless: a) the investor has the ability and intent to hold an investment for a reasonable period of Significant Accounting Policies,"time sufficient for the recovery of the fair value up to (or beyond) the cost of the investment, and b) evidence indicating that the cost of the investment is recoverable within a reasonable period of time outweighs evidence to the contrary. Although not presumptive, a pattern of selling investments prior to the forecasted recovery of fair value may call into question the investor's intent. In addition, the severity and duration of the impairment should also be considered in determining whether the impairment is other-than-temporary. In September 2004, the FASB staff issued a proposed Board-directed FASB Staff Position, FSP EITF Issue 03-1-a,Implementation Guidance for the Application of Paragraph 16 of EITF Issue No. 03-1. The proposed FSP would provide implementation guidance with respect to debt securities that are impaired solely due to interest rates and/or sector spreads and analyzed for other-than-temporary impairment under paragraph 16 of Issue 03- 1. The Board also issued FSP EITF Issue 03-1-b, which delays the effective date for the measurement and recognition guidance contained in paragraphs 10-20 of EITF 03-1. The delay does not suspend the requirement to recognize other-than- temporary impairments as required by existing authoritative literature. Adoption of this standard may cause the Company to recognize impairment losses in the Consolidated Statements of Income which would not have been recognized under the current guidance or to recognize such losses in earlier periods, especially those due to increases in interest rates. Since fluctuations in the fair value for available-for-sale securities are already recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, adoption of this standard is not expected to have a significant impact on stockholders' equity.

In December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, Share-Based Payment. This Statement supersedes APB Opinion No. 25, and its related implementation guidance, is a revision of SFAS No. 123, andamends SFAS No. 95,Statement of Cash Flows. This revision of SFAS No. 123 eliminates the ability for public companies to measure share-based compensation transactions at the intrinsic value as allowed by APB Opinion No. 25, and requires that such transactions be accounted for based on the grant date fair value of the award. This Statement also amends SFAS No. 95, to require that excess tax benefits be reported as a financing cash inflow rather than as a reduction of taxes paid. Under the intrinsic value method allowed under APB Opinion No. 25, the difference between the quoted market price as of the date of the grant and the contractual purchase price of the share is charged to operations over the vesting period, and no compensation expense is recognized for fixed stock options with exercise prices equal to the market price of the stock on the dates of grant. Under the fair value based method as prescribed by SFAS No. 123R, the Company is required to charge the value of all newly granted stock-based compensation to expense over the vesting period based on the computed fair value grant date of the award. Additionally, the fair value of the award is to be remeasured subsequently at each reporting date through the settlement date. Changes in fair value during the requisite service period are to be recognized as compensation cost over that period. The Statement does not specify a valuation technique to be used to estimate the fair value but states that the use of option-pricing models such as a lattice model (i.e. a binomial model) or a closed-end model (i.e. the Black-Scholes model) would be acceptable. The revised accounting for stock-based compensation requirements must be adopted no later than the beginning of the first interim or annual reporting period that begins after June 15, 2005.

The Company will adopt this Standard effective July 1, 2005, using the modified prospective method, recording compensation expense for all awards granted after the date of adoption and for the unvested portion of previously granted awards that remain outstanding at the date of adoption.

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Currently, the Company does not recognize compensation expense for stock-based compensation. Management does not anticipate that this will have a material effect on the Company's consolidatedresults of operations, financial statements presented elsewhere herein.position or cash flows. Had the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R in prior periods, the impact on net income and earnings per share would have been similar to the pro forma net income and earnings per share in accordance with SFAS No. 123 as previously disclosed.

Economic Conditions, Government Policies, Legislation, and Regulation

The Company's profitability, like that of most financial institutions, is primarily dependent on interest rate differentials. In general, the difference between the interest rates paid by the Bank on interest-bearinginterest- bearing liabilities, such as deposits and other borrowings, and the interest rates received by the Bank on interest-earning assets, such as loans extended to its clients and securities held in its investment portfolio, comprise the major portion of the Company's earnings. These rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond the control of the Company and the Bank, such as inflation, recession and unemployment. Additionally, the impact which future changes in domestic and foreign economic conditions might have on the Company and the Bank cannot be predicted.

The business of the Company is also influenced by the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government and the policies of regulatory agencies, particularly the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, (theor the "FRB"). or "Federal Reserve." The FRB implements national monetary policies (with objectives such as curbing inflation and combating recession) through its open-market operations in U.S. Government securities by adjusting the required level of reserves for depository institutions subject to its reserve requirements and by varying the target federal funds and discount rates applicable to borrowings by depository institutions. The actions of the FRB in these areas influence the growth of bank loans, investments and deposits and also affect interest rates earned on interest-earning assets and paid on interest-bearing liabilities. The nature and impact of any future changes in monetary and fiscal policies cannot be predicted.

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From time to time, legislation, as well as regulations, are enacted which have the effect of increasing the cost of doing business, limiting or expanding permissible activities, or affecting the competitive balance between banks and other financial services providers. Proposals to change the laws and regulations governing the operations and taxation of banks, bank holding companies, financial holding companies, and other financial institutions and financial services providers are frequently made in the U.S. Congress, in the state legislatures, and before various regulatory agencies. This legislation may change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Company and its subsidiaries in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Company cannot predict whether any of this potential legislation will be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. See "Item 1. BUSINESS—BUSINESS - Supervision and Regulation."

Supervision and Regulation

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. This regulation is intended primarily for the protection of depositors and the deposit insurance fund and not for the benefit of stockholders of the Company. Set forth below is a summary description of the material laws and regulations that relate to the operations of the Company. The description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable laws and regulations.

The Company, as a registered bank holding company, is subject to regulation and supervision under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, (theor the "BHCA"). The Company is required to file with the FRB periodic reports and such additional information as the FRB may require pursuant to the BHCA. The FRB may conduct examinations of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The FRB may require that the Company terminate an activity or terminate control of or liquidate or divest certain subsidiaries, affiliates or investments whenif the FRB believes the activity or the control of the subsidiary or affiliate constitutes a significant risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any of its bankingour bank subsidiaries. The FRB also has the authority to regulate provisions of certain bank holding company debt, including the authority to impose interest ceilings and reserve requirements on such debt. Under certain circumstances, the Company must file written notice and obtain approval from the FRB prior to purchasing or redeeming its equity securities.

Further, the Company is required by the FRB to maintain certain levels of capital. See "Item 1. BUSINESS—BUSINESS - Supervision and Regulation—Regulation - Capital Standards."

The Company is required to obtain the prior approval of the FRB for the acquisition of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or substantially all of the assets of any bank or bank holding company. Prior approval of the FRB is also required for the merger or consolidation of the Company and another bank holding company.

The Company is prohibited by the BHCA, except in certain statutorily prescribed instances, from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting shares of any company that is not a bank or bank holding company and from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or furnishing services to its subsidiaries. However, the BHCA provides that, subject to the priornotice or approval offrom the FRB, a bank holding company may engage in any, or acquire shares of companies engaged in, activities that are deemed by the FRB to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a

7



proper incident thereto. The Company may also engage in suchthese and certain other activities pursuant to its election to become a financial holding company.

Under FRB regulations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary banks and may not conduct its operations in an unsafe or unsound manner. In addition, it is the FRB's policy that a bank holding company should stand ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to its subsidiary banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and should maintain the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks. A bank holding company's failure to meet its obligations to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks will generally be considered by the FRB to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice or a violation of the FRB's regulations or both.

The Company is also a bank holding company within the meaning of Section 3700 of the California Financial Code. As such, the Company and its subsidiaries will beare subject to the jurisdiction of the California Commissioner of Financial Institutions, or the "Commissioner" and are subject to examination by, and may be required to file reports with, the California Department of Financial Institutions.Institutions, or the "DFI" ..

9

The Company's securities are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ("SEC")or the "SEC" under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.Act. As such, the Company is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading, corporate governance, and other requirements and restrictions of the Exchange Act.

Bank holding companies that elect to become a financial holding company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities without prior FRB notice or approval that are determined by the FRB to be financial in nature or are incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. "Financial in nature" activities include:

        PriorIn order to filing a declaration of its election to become aelect or retain financial holding company status, all of thea bank holding company's depository institution subsidiaries must be well capitalized, well managed, and, except in limited circumstances, be in satisfactory compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act, ("CRA").

        Failureor the "CRA".Failure to sustain compliance with the financial holding company electionthese requirements or correct any non-compliance within a fixed time period could lead to divestiture of subsidiary banks or require all activities of such company toactivitiesto conform to those permissible for a bank holding company. No FRB approval is required for a financial holding company to acquire a company (other than a bank holding company, bank or savings association) engaged in those activities determined by the FRB that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, including but not limited to:

8


.

A bank holding company that is not also a financial holding company can only engage in banking and such other activities determined by the FRB to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto.

The Company elected to become a financial holding company on July 17, 2000 and is currently in compliance with the financial holding company election requirements.

As a California-chartered bank, the Bank is subject to primary supervision, periodic examination, and regulation by theCommissioner and the DFI. In addition to activities and investments permissible under the California CommissionerFinancial Code, because California permits commercial banks chartered by the state to engage in any activity permissible for national banks, the Bank can establish "financial subsidiaries" to engage to the same extent as a national bank in activities that are "financial in nature", except that a financial subsidiary may not engage as principal in underwriting insurance, issue securities or engage in real estate development or investment or merchant banking. In order to form a financial subsidiary, the bank must be well-capitalized and would be subject to the certain capital deduction, risk management and affiliate transaction rules. Presently, none of Financial Institutions ("Commissioner")Bank's subsidiaries are financial subsidiaries.

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In September 2004, the Bank became a member bank of the Federal Reserve System and the FRB replaced the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, (theor the "FDIC"). The Bank is also subject to certain regulations promulgated by as the FRB.Bank's primary federal regulator .. If, as a result of an examination of the Bank, the FDICCommissioner or the CommissionerFRB should determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, or other aspects of the Bank's operations are unsatisfactory or that the Bank or its management is violating or has violated any law or regulation, various remedies are available to theCommissioner and the FDIC or the Commissioner.FRB. Such remedies include the power to enjoin "unsafe or unsound" practices, to require affirmative action to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in capital, to restrict the growth of the Bank, to assess civil monetary penalties, to remove officers and directors, and ultimately to terminatecause the termination of the Bank's FDIC deposit insurance, which for a California-chartered bank would result in a revocation of the Bank's charter. The Commissioner separately has many of the same remedial powers.powers and the authority to take possession, close and liquidate the Bank.

        On July 30, 2002, President Bush signed into law The Sarbanes-Oxley Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002. This new legislation2002 addresses accounting oversight and corporate governance matters, including:

        We do not expect thisThe new legislation orand its implementing regulations have resulted in increased costs of compliance, including certain outside professional costs.The Company has incurred approximately $900 thousand in expenses for the year ended December 31, 2004 as a result of implementing the regulations related to have a material impact on our operations.this legislation.

The USA PatriotPATRIOT Act of 2001 and its implementing regulations significantly expanded the anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws including:

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        In December 2003, President Bush signed into law the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act ("FACT Act") which sets new obligations for financial firms to help deter identity theft and give consumers more control of their credit data. It also reauthorizes a federal ban on state laws that interfere with corporate credit granting and marketing practices. The FRB and the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") are required to draft regulationsestablish and maintain anti-money laundering programs which include:

The Bank has implemented comprehensive policies and procedures to address the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act. It is not possible at this time to determine the impact of such regulations that are to be drafted; however, the FRB and FTC recently announced that businesses will have until December 1, 2004 to comply with the new initiatives.

        Privacy. Privacy

Federal banking rules limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties. Pursuant to these rules, effective July 1, 2001, financial institutions must provide:

These privacy provisions affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors. Since the GLBA's enactment, a number of states have implemented their own versions of privacy laws. The Company has implemented its privacy policies in accordance with the law.

        On December 22, 2003, the SEC issued the advance notice of proposed rulemaking along with the federal banking agencies and other government agencies seeking comment on whether they should consider amending current regulations "to allow or require financial institutions to provide alternative types of privacy notices, such as a short privacy notice, that would be easier for consumers to understand." The concept release lists more than 40 questions regarding which the agencies seek comment from the public, organized in the following categories: goals of a privacy notice, elements of a privacy notice, language of a privacy notice, format of a privacy notice, mandatory and permissible aspects of a privacy notice, costs and benefits of a short notice, and other categories.

In recent years, a number of states have implemented their own versions of privacy laws. For example, in 2003, California adopted standards that are tougher than federal law, allowing bank customers the opportunity to bar financial companies from sharing information with their affiliates.

        On August 12, 2003, The provisions of the Federal bankCalifornia law (SB-1) went into effect during 2004. The Bankhasimplemented all appropriate consumer disclosures and thrift regulatory agencies requested public comment on proposed guidance that would require financial institutions to develop programs to respond to incidentsprotections as prescribed.

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of unauthorized access to customer information, including procedures for notifying customers under certain circumstances. The proposed guidance:

        We are not able at this time to determine the impact of any such proposed guidance on our financial condition or results of operation.

Dividends from the Bank constitute the principal source of income to the Company. The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. The Bank is subject to various statutory and regulatory restrictions on its ability to pay dividends to the Company. Under such restrictions, the amount available for payment of dividends to the Company by the Bank totaled $130.8$169.8 million at December 31, 2003.2004. In addition, the Bank's regulators have the authority to prohibit the Bank from paying dividends, depending upon the Bank's financial condition, if such payment is deemed to constitute an unsafe or unsound practice.