Banc of California, Inc. (“Banc of California”) (NYSE: BANC) today announced the completion of its transformational merger with PacWest Bancorp (“PacWest”) (Nasdaq: PACW), pursuant to which PacWest has merged into Banc of California, and as of December 1, 2023, Banc of California, N.A. will have merged into Pacific Western Bank (the “combined bank”). The combined bank will operate under the Banc of California name and brand. Concurrent with the completion of the merger, Banc of California also completed its $400 million equity raise from affiliates of funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC and certain investment vehicles sponsored, managed or advised by Centerbridge Partners, L.P. and its affiliates.
“Today begins a new chapter for Banc of California,” said Jared Wolff, CEO and President of Banc of California. “By combining the best of two well-respected banks, we have created one of the nation’s premier, relationship-focused business banks. We look forward to sharing our expanded capabilities with clients and all the communities we serve. California has experienced a void of business banks that we intend to fill, and we look forward to helping our clients grow and delivering for our clients, communities and shareholders.”
In connection with the merger, Banc of California, N.A. and Pacific Western Bank have sold approximately $1.9 billion in assets as part of the previously disclosed balance sheet repositioning strategy, which strategy includes additional asset sales expected to be completed through the end of the first quarter of 2024. As of the merger closing date, Pacific Western Bank has sold approximately $1.5 billion of its securities portfolio, which included agency commercial mortgage-backed securities, agency collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMO”), treasury bonds, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. As of the merger closing date, Banc of California, N.A. has sold approximately $447.4 million of its securities portfolio, which included agency mortgage-backed securities, CMOs and municipal bonds. In addition, the previously announced forward sale of Banc of California’s $1.8 billion single-family residential mortgage portfolio (“SFR Portfolio”) is expected to close on or about December 1, 2023. The proceeds from the securities sales and the SFR Portfolio sale, as well as proceeds from additional balance sheet repositioning sales to come, are expected to be utilized primarily for the repayment of the combined bank’s wholesale borrowings and higher cost funding.
The combined bank is headquartered in Los Angeles and operates more than 70 branches in California, as well as branches in North Carolina and Colorado. The combined bank has more than 2,200 team members focused on serving small- to medium-sized businesses through tailored solutions and industry-leading treasury management services. The full-service business bank offers solutions in all areas of commercial and real estate lending, including banking services for healthcare and education. The combined bank provides additional expertise in specialty national business lines, including venture banking, HOA services, small business lending, warehouse lending, and entertainment and media, along with payment processing solutions through its subsidiary, Deepstack Technologies.
