CRPB: Cash merger; CRPB acquired by Mechanics Bank, a private bank; for every 1 share of CRPB shareholders have the right to receive $37.19

FINRA deleted symbol:

http://otce.finra.org/DLDeletions

California Republic Bank Acquired

Friday, April 29, 2016

Irvine-based California Republic Bancorp has been sold to Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek in a deal worth an estimated $330 million in cash.

Boards of both banks have approved the deal that pays California Republic shareholders $37.19 a share, a 50% premium over yesterday’s closing price of $24.77. The deal is expected to close by year-end.

“There’s very little overlap between the two institutions and many synergies,” said California Republic President John DeCero, in a news release.

The Business Journal in November ranked California Republic the fifth-largest OC-based commercial bank with $1.5 billion in assets as of June 30, 2015, up 56%. It’s assets as of March 31 were $1.8 billion.

California Republic employed 233 locally and 500 total across five Southern California locations. It also runs CRB Auto, which buys car loans from dealerships in 14 states and has some $3.6 billion in assets.

Mechanics Bank has $3.6 billion in assets and 30 branches in Northern California.

Shares prices of California Republic Bancorp soared 45% to $36 and a market cap of $281 million in morning trading.

http://www.ocbj.com/news/2016/apr/29/california-republic-bank-acquired/

Marker:
California Republic (CRPB)
$36.30 0.0 (0.00%)
Volume: 1,631

California Republic Bancorp Announces Second-Quarter 2013 Record Assets of $737 Million with Record Net Interest Margin of 6.41% and Net Income of $2.8 Million (7/24/13)

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Republic Bancorp (OTCBB: CRPB), holding company for California Republic Bank, announced its results for the second-quarter 2013, reporting quarterly net income of $2.8 million, record net interest margin of 6.41%, record assets of $737.1 million and record deposits of $669.7 million.

CEO Jon Wilcox stated, “In the second-quarter we not only experienced strong deposit and loan growth, but also continued to invest in our people and infrastructure both in California as well as nationally, while increasing our bottom line and maintaining solid credit quality.”

President John DeCero explained, “In the second-quarter we achieved several milestones both in commercial banking as well as our indirect auto finance division, CRB Auto. In auto finance, we became fully operational in our Las Vegas customer service center, we built out and opened our Dealer Service Center in Dallas and continued our expansion throughout Texas. We also successfully completed another prime automobile securitization of $238 million. In commercial banking, we achieved record non-interest bearing demand deposit and loan growth, continued to have no non-performing assets since inception, and bank wide achieved pre-tax profits of over $5 million for the quarter.”

Second-Quarter 2013 Results:

At June 30, 2013, California Republic Bank reported total assets of $737.1 million, an increase of $255.0 million, or 52.9% above total assets as of June 30, 2012. The year-over-year increase in total assets reflects continued strong core checking account growth with non-interest bearing demand deposits reaching a record $373.7 million compared with $193.5 million at the end of the second-quarter of 2012, an increase of $180.2 million, or 93.1%. The non-interest bearing accounts represent 55.8% of total deposits as of June 30, 2013. Total deposits grew to a record $669.7 million, compared to $431.8 million for the second-quarter of 2012, an increase of $237.9 million or 55.1%.

Of the Bank’s $392.4 million total loans outstanding at quarter-end, commercial banking loans represented a record $329.7 million, and the owned indirect auto loan portfolio represented $62.7 million, compared with total loans outstanding of $424.6 million at the end of the second-quarter of 2012, a decrease of $32.2 million, or 7.6%. The decrease was due to the securitization of $238 million of the Bank’s owned indirect auto loan portfolio completed on June 20, 2013, which reduced the Bank’s loans outstanding by that same amount. Indirect auto originations for the second-quarter grew to a record $126.2 million compared to $66.9 million in the second-quarter of 2012, an increase of $59.3 million or 88.6%. Additionally, the Bank stated that its sold, servicing-retained indirect auto loan portfolio has grown to $378.0 million at quarter-end. The Bank has previously stated that it earns a 1% fee for the servicing of its securitized auto loan portfolio.

California Republic Bancorp continued to report strong credit quality throughout the second-quarter, with no non-performing or charged-off loans within the commercial banking portfolio, and net annualized charge-offs of 0.12% within the owned indirect auto portfolio.

Total interest income grew in the second-quarter of 2013 to $8.3 million; a $2.2 million or 36.2% increase over total interest income for the same period of 2012. Second-quarter net interest margin also grew to a record 6.41%, compared with a net interest margin of 5.54% for the same period of 2012. Pre-tax income for the quarter was $5.2 million for the Bank and $4.9 million for the Bancorp. Net income for the quarter was $3.0 million for the Bank and $2.8 million for the Bancorp, compared with net income of $1.1 million for the Bank and $1.0 million for the Bancorp for the second-quarter of 2012. Year-to-date net income for the Bank was $3.2 million and $2.9 million for the Bancorp. The majority of the difference in net income from the Bank to the Bancorp is due to 123-R non-cash expense relating to the amortization of stock options reported at the holding company level.

At June 30, 2013, California Republic Bank reported a Tier-1 leverage capital ratio of 8.5%, a Tier-1 risk based capital ratio of 13.9% and a total risk based capital ratio of 15.1%, well in excess of the 5%, 6% and 10%, respectively, needed to be considered “well-capitalized” by the Bank’s regulatory agencies.

About California Republic Bancorp:

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank. California Republic Bank is a full-service Bank providing loans, deposit and cash management products and services to businesses, investors and professionals. The Bank offers its clients direct access to decision makers, unparalleled responsiveness, and seasoned Relationship Managers who handle all aspects of a client’s needs. The Bank operates four full-service branches located in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Irvine and Westlake Village. The Bank also operates an indirect auto finance division, CRB Auto, which purchases auto contracts from both franchised and independent automobile dealerships throughout California, Arizona and Texas.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, CEO, or John DeCero, President, at 949-270-9719 in Orange County, at 424-230-5400 in Los Angeles, or at 805-496-9010 in Ventura County. You can also visit the Company’s website at www.crbnk.com. California Republic Bancorp’s headquarters is located at 18400 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1100, Irvine, CA 92612.

California Republic Bancorp’s Board of Directors includes:

• Inside Directors: Jon Wilcox, CEO and John DeCero, President.

• Outside Directors: Robert Barth, Chairman of the Board of California Republic Bank and CEO of Black Equities Group Ltd.; John Bendheim, President of Bendheim Enterprises, Inc.; Marc Brutten, Entrepreneur and CEO of Westcore Holdings; Bob Din, CEO of En Pointe Technologies; John Hagestad, Managing Partner of SARES-REGIS Group; Warren S. Orlando, Chairman, 1st United Bancorp Inc.; and J. Scott Watt, President and CEO of the Watt Group of Companies.

For information regarding the purchase or sale of California Republic Bancorp’s stock, contact Michael Natzic of Crowell, Weedon & Co. at 800-288-2811.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130723006675/en/California-Republic-Bancorp-Announces-Second-Quarter-2013-Record

California Republic Bank Ranked Third Best in Nation by SNL Financial (4/05/13)

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SNL Financial, a leading national provider of financial data and expert analysis for the banking and insurance industry, recently named California Republic Bank, wholly owned subsidiary of California Republic Bancorp, (OTCBB: CRPB), the third best performing bank in the nation for banks between $500 million and $5 billion in assets. SNL used six core financial performance metrics that focus on profitability, asset quality and growth for the 12 month period ended December 31, 2012 in determining this prestigious position for the Irvine, California based bank.

California Republic Bank CEO, Jon Wilcox stated, “We are honored that SNL recognized us as one of the best banks in the industry. It is very gratifying when an industry leader, such as SNL acknowledges our bank’s performance, and further validates our overall safety and soundness.”

President, John DeCero added, “We are pleased to join the company of so many other well respected banks on SNL’s annual list. We continually strive to be the best bank for our customers, shareholders and employees.”

For the original SNL article visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/3/prweb10548638.htm

Forward-looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to the safe harbors created by the act. These forward-looking statements refer to California Republic’s current expectations regarding future operating results, and growth in loans, deposits, and assets. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed, suggested or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to (1) the impact of changes in interest rates, a decline in economic conditions and increased competition by financial service providers on California Republic’s results of operations; (2) California Republic’s ability to continue its internal growth rate; (3) California Republic’s ability to build net interest spread; (4) the quality of California Republic’s earning assets; (5) changes in the level of non-performing assets and charge-offs; (6) the effect of changes in laws and regulations with which California Republic must comply; (7) changes in estimates of future reserve requirements based upon the periodic review thereof under relevant regulatory authorities and accounting requirements; (8) acts of war or terrorism or natural disasters; (9) the timely development of new banking products and services; (10) the success of products and services, such as the indirect auto loan business; (11) technological changes; (12) cyber-security threats, including loss of system functionality or theft or loss of data; (13) the ability to increase market share and control expenses; (14) changes in California Republic’s organization, management, and compensation; and (15) California Republic’s success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing items.

California Republic does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.

Contacts
California Republic Bank
John DeCero, President, 949-270-9797

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130405005162/en/California-Republic-Bank-Ranked-Nation-SNL-Financial

CRPB does not owe TARP.

Currently selling at over a 5 year high.

rock star bank :~O

CRPB Announces Record Fourth-Quarter 2012 Net Income of $5.1 Million, and Record Full-Year 2012 Net Income of $7.7 Million (1/23/13)

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Republic Bancorp (OTCBB: CRPB), holding company for California Republic Bank, announced its unaudited results for the fourth-quarter 2012, reporting record quarterly net income of $5.1 million and record full-year 2012 net income of $7.7 million, on pre-tax income of $10.2 million. For the fourth-quarter 2012, the Bancorp’s basic earnings per share were $0.98. Basic earnings per share for full-year 2012 were $1.48.

The Bank reported that net interest margin in the fourth-quarter grew to 5.92% and that it achieved record quarterly net income of $5.2 million and record full-year 2012 net income of $8.1 million on pre-tax income of $10.6 million. The Bank achieved an ROAE of 16.14% and ROAA of 1.60%. The majority of the difference in net income from the Bancorp to the Bank is due to 123-R non-cash expense relating to the amortization of stock options reported at the holding company level. The Bank continued to report record growth in all major categories, including assets, loans and deposits for 2012.

CEO Jon Wilcox stated, “For 2012, we are pleased with both our financial results and the platform we have built for future growth. Our commercial banking business had another year of record growth in core deposits and loans and our indirect auto business grew according to plan with long-term, quality dealerships. We are now in an attractive position to consistently and profitably grow our auto finance business, both on a local and national level.”

President John DeCero added, “With our business lines now fully operational, we have recently expanded our auto loan production into Arizona and Texas, and have established a new call center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both investors and Moody’s Investor Services have shown confidence in us, with Moody’s providing an Aa3 rating on the senior tranche of our first securitization. Our primary consideration in all of our expansion will always be our commitment to credit quality and building shareholder value.”

The Company also announced that its corporate headquarters were relocated in December 2012 to Irvine Towers, at 18400 Von Karman Avenue, where commercial banking, the auto finance division (CRB Auto), administration, bank operations and a new Irvine bank branch are all located. In addition, the Bank also relocated its Newport Beach branch to a new location across from Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2012 Results:

At December 31, 2012, California Republic Bank reported total assets of $591.8 million, an increase of $186.3 million, or 45.9% above total assets as of December 31, 2011. The year-over-year growth in total assets reflects continued strong core deposit growth with record total deposits of $530.5 million, a $189.1 million, or 55.4% increase from the end of the fourth-quarter of 2011. Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts grew to $252.4 million compared with $139.0 million at the end of the fourth-quarter of 2011, an increase of $113.4 million, or 81.7%.

Total loans outstanding increased to $396.9 million, representing a $110.6 million, or 38.6% increase over December 31, 2011. Of the Bank’s total loans outstanding as of December 31, 2012, commercial banking and commercial real estate loans outstanding represented $306.8 million; indirect auto loans outstanding represented $90.1 million, following the $182.6 million securitization in November. Total auto loans being serviced as of December 31, 2012 were $268.5 million.

California Republic Bank continued to report strong credit quality through the fourth-quarter, with no non-performing or charged-off loans within the commercial bank portfolio and 0.35% net annualized charge-offs for its auto loan portfolio.

Fourth-Quarter 2012:

Total interest income for the Bank improved in the fourth-quarter of 2012 to $6.8 million, a $3.1 million or 80.8% increase over total interest income for the same period of 2011. Fourth-quarter net interest margin also improved to 5.92% compared with a net interest margin of 4.43% for the same period of 2011.

For the Bancorp, net income for the quarter improved to $5.1 million, $7.6 million pre-tax, driven primarily by the Company’s completion of its first securitization. Basic earnings per share for the fourth-quarter 2012 were $0.98.

The Bank reported record quarterly pre-tax earnings of $7.7 million and quarterly net income of $5.2 million compared to a net loss of $1.2 million in the fourth-quarter 2011. Return on average equity for the fourth-quarter 2012 was 38.41%, and return on average assets was 3.42%. The majority of the difference in net income from the Bancorp to the Bank during the quarter was due to 123-R non-cash expense relating to the amortization of stock options reported at the holding company level.

As reported, in November 2012 the Company completed its inaugural securitization of $182.6 million of prime automobile contracts. The Company said it intends to access the securitization markets on a regular basis, as market conditions allow.

Full-Year 2012:

For the Bank, total interest income for 2012 improved to $25.2 million, a $12.6 million or 100.5% increase over total interest income for 2011.

For the Bancorp, record 2012 pre-tax earnings were $10.2 million and net income was $7.7 million compared with a net loss of $1.9 million for 2011, a year in which the Company made significant investments in the auto finance business. In 2012, basic earnings per share for the Bancorp was $1.48.

The Bank reported record 2012 pre-tax earnings of $10.6 million and net income of $8.1 million, compared to a net loss of $1.8 million for 2011. Return on average equity for 2012 was 16.14% and return on average assets was 1.60%.

At December 31, 2012, California Republic Bank reported a Tier-1 leverage capital ratio of 9.04%, a Tier-1 risk based capital ratio of 13.32% and a total risk based capital ratio of 14.47%, each well in excess of the 5%, 6% and 10%, respectively, needed to be considered “well-capitalized” by California Republic Bank’s regulatory agencies.

About California Republic Bancorp:

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank. California Republic Bank provides loans, deposit and cash management services to individuals, companies, and their owners throughout Southern California. The Bank offers direct access to executive management and unparalleled responsiveness in order to establish long-term customer relationships. The Bank operates four full-service regional bank branches located in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Irvine and Westlake Village. The Bank also operates an indirect auto finance division, CRB Auto, which purchases auto contracts from both franchised and independent automobile dealerships in California, Arizona and Texas.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, CEO, or John DeCero, President, at 949-270-9700 in Orange County, at 424-230-5400 in Los Angeles, or at 805-496-9010 in Ventura County. You can also visit the Company’s website at www.crbnk.com. California Republic Bancorp’s headquarters is located at 18400 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1100, Irvine, CA 92612.

California Republic Bancorp’s Board of Directors includes:

•Inside Directors: Jon Wilcox, CEO and John DeCero, President.

•Outside Directors: Robert Barth, Chairman of the Board of California Republic Bank and CEO of Black Equities Group Ltd.; John Bendheim, President of Bendheim Enterprises, Inc.; Marc Brutten, Entrepreneur and CEO of Westcore Holdings; Bob Din, CEO of En Pointe Technologies; John Hagestad, Managing Partner of SARES-REGIS Group; Warren S. Orlando, Chairman, 1st United Bancorp Inc.; and J. Scott Watt, President and CEO of the Watt Group of Companies.

For information regarding the purchase or sale of California Republic Bancorp’s stock, contact Michael Natzic of Crowell, Weedon & Co. at 800-288-2811.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130123006506/en/California-Republic-Bancorp-Announces-Record-Fourth-Quarter-2012

Somebody got the memo here in the past few weeks.

They won't sell for less than 3x book value IMO. And as far as shareholder lawsuits, the shares are so tightly controlled that it would be hard to find someone with enough shares to go solo on it. Hollencrest Securities sold out it's entire stake in the quarter ending 9/30/12 and Zeke Capital Advisors is the only other institutional holder (as of 9/30) with 22,500 shares.

The remaining shareholders are management and those who were involved in the IPO or those who picked up a few thousand shares over the years. So sit tight and let these guys do their work. Maybe they will take a chance or two but the So Cal job market has to improve before they will really roll the dice IMO.

I hear what you're saying but I have a different view.

If someone wants this bank (which I predict someone does) and offers a 30% premium (which I predict someone will do sometime in 2013) and management turns it down (which I predict they wouldn't dream of doing)...they risk a shareholder lawsuit(s).

IMO, they will eventually be a takeover target but not for at least another five years. I think they will do some smaller acquisitions themselves to get themselves up to the next level. But right now they appear to be happy being as clean as a whistle with very little downside risk other than a very thin float.

Lenders Rev Their Engines (11/23/12)

SHARON TERLEP and CHRISTOPHER BJORK

The booming market for auto lending is causing deal makers to kick into high gear.

General Motors Co. on Wednesday said that it would buy the international operations owned by Ally Financial Inc. as part of a push to build up an auto-loan business after abandoning it six years ago. Spanish lender Banco Santander SA is planning to take its U.S. consumer-finance unit public in a deal that could value it at $6 billion, people familiar with the effort said.

The two deals are among the biggest of a flurry of transactions over the past few months as investors, companies and banks try to take advantage of a surge in demand for auto loans from consumers.

The business is particularly attractive because car sales are on the rise after years of decline. Auto loans are considered relatively safe compared with other loans. Consumers are seen as more likely to default on credit-card debt and even a mortgage before car loans. And delinquencies are near record lows.

That all helps make car lending more profitable than other types of loans.

Banks "are able to operate these businesses as extremely profitable businesses," said Brian Wiele, head of syndicate for Barclays's securitization business in the Americas, which packages loans into bonds to sell to investors.

For car makers like GM, owning a financing business is particularly attractive because it removes their reliance on outside sources to provide loans to customers. In 2006, GM, struggling under the weight of a ballooning debt burden, shed its finance arm to help protect the unit's investment-grade credit ratings.

But in recent years, the auto maker has sought to get back into the business, including an unsuccessful bid in 2010 to buy Ally's U.S. auto dealer finance business for $5 billion.

General Motors said Wednesday that it agreed to buy Ally operations in Europe and Latin American, along with a 40% stake in a Chinese joint venture, in a $4.2 billion deal, GM's biggest in years. It also is building out its own U.S. lending business, according to people familiar with the plans. Ally also recently agreed to sell operations in Mexico and Canada.

Private-equity firms also are getting in on the action.

This month, buyout shop Parthenon Capital Partners said it would acquire White River Capital Inc. and its subprime auto lender, Coastal Credit, for $79.5 million. And a company controlled by buyout firm Aquiline Capital Partners LLC last month closed on a purchase of subprime lender First Investors Financial Services Group Inc. for $100 million.

And some big commercial banks, including Wells Fargo & Co. and Capital One Financial Corp., have a bigger share of the market, according to credit-reporting firm Experian.

Santander is betting that its fast-expanding business, which offers loans through more than 13,000 car dealers across the U.S., will attract big demand from investors, enabling the bank to weather the economic crisis in Spain, according to people involved in the effort.

Last year, Santander sold a 25% stake to buyout firms KKR , Warburg Pincus LLC and Centerbridge Partners LP in a deal that valued Santander Consumer USA at $4 billion. The bank still owns 65% of the consumer-finance unit.

Auto lending was the fastest-expanding segment of consumer debt in the second quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. U.S. consumers had $750 billion in outstanding auto loans in the second quarter, an increase of $13 billion, or 1.7%, from the previous quarter. Student-loan debt was at $914 billion, up 1.1%. Meanwhile, credit-card balances hit their lowest level in 10 years.

Particularly in demand are those loans extended to buyers with subpar credit, which command a higher interest rate. These subprime auto loans are nearing prerecession levels, according to Experian, as lenders see the draw as outweighing the risk.

Some industry watchers worry the competition will drive lenders to extend credit to consumers who can't afford it or drop rates too low, leading to higher losses in the future. The interest from private-equity firms that are funding some of the newer finance companies could also drive risky behavior, Standard & Poor's analyst Amy Martin wrote in a research note.

"We're reminded of the industry's first 'boom' period in 1994 to early 1997, which was followed by a severe contraction," she said of subprime lending.

For now, delinquencies aren't so much of an issue. Loans past due for 30 or 60 days dropped 15% in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to Experian.

Meanwhile, auto loans are a big driver behind the surge in U.S. asset-backed securities, which are on track to record their strongest year since at least 2005. These are bonds backed by assets other than real estate or mortgages.

Smaller lenders, including those owned by auto companies, are using asset-backed offerings to raise funds. In one week this fall, subprime auto lenders Consumer Portfolio Services Inc., Credit Acceptance Corp. and Exeter Finance Corp. sold $7 billion in asset-backed securities, helping make 2012 the largest issuance year for auto-related asset-backed securities since 2005, according to Barclays. Securities backed by auto assets are the main driver of growth in nonmortgage asset-backed securities, with $93.7 billion so far this year, compared with $65.8 billion in all of 2011.

http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324712504578135090642267124.html

You said in April this bank was a potential diamond in the rough. We don't own this but its up 40% since August.

Potential acquisition target?

CRPB Announces the Successful Completion of Its First Securitization of Nearly $183 Million of Prime Automobile Loans (11/08/12)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Republic Bancorp (OTCBB:CRPB) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, California Republic Bank, closed its first securitization today amounting to nearly $183 million of prime indirect automobile loans. In the securitization, $182.56 million in notes backed by California Republic’s automobile loans were sold to qualified institutional buyers in a private offering pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act.

The Bank also announced that it sold all remaining residual interests in the securitized receivables through a sale of the underlying ownership certificates of the securitization trust through the private placement transaction. California Republic Bank will continue to service the underlying receivables on behalf of the noteholders and certificateholders.

“This is an important milestone for our company,” commented Jon Wilcox, CEO. “It reflects the strong growth in our indirect automobile platform since its start in July 2011.”

President John DeCero added, “By accessing the securitization markets as we have in this transaction, it has provided us the ability to continue to accelerate growth while efficiently maximizing the strong capital base of the Bank.”

This announcement of the sale of the notes included in the securitization and the ownership certificates of the securitization trust appears as a matter of record only. Credit Suisse LLC acted as the structuring agent and the sole bookrunner for this transaction, and Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP acted as issuer’s counsel.

About California Republic Bancorp:

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank. California Republic Bank provides loans, deposit and cash management services to individuals, companies, and their owners throughout Southern California. The Bank offers direct access to executive management and unparalleled responsiveness with the goal of establishing long-term relationships. The Bank operates three full-service regional branch hubs based in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Westlake Village.

The Bank also has an indirect auto finance division headquartered in Irvine, California, which purchases automobile installment sale contracts from both franchised and independent automobile dealerships.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, Chief Executive Officer, or John DeCero, President, at 949-270-9700 or visit the company’s website at www.crbnk.com.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121108006525/en/California-Republic-Bank-Announces-Successful-Completion-Securitization

CRPB Announces Record 3rd Quarter 2012 Results with Net Income of $1.91 Million, and Total Assets of $585.5 Million (10/19/12)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Republic Bancorp (OTCBB: CRPB), holding company for California Republic Bank, announced its results for the third quarter of 2012, reporting quarterly net income of $1.91 million, and record growth in all major categories including assets, loans and deposits.

CEO Jon Wilcox stated, “During the quarter we were very pleased with our continued loan growth, and our ability to respond to that growth from a liquidity standpoint by generating over $100 million of new core deposits. We understand the importance of paying attention to both sides of the balance sheet and continue to execute our plan accordingly.”

President John DeCero added, “Our credit discipline is at the heart of everything we do, as is our commitment to generating strong yielding assets funded by low cost core demand deposits. Our attention to and execution of this strategy has translated into rising net interest margins and quarterly profits.”

3rd Quarter 2012 Results:

At September 30, 2012, California Republic reported total assets of $585.5 million, an increase of $215.4 million, or 58.29% above total assets as of September 30, 2011. The year-over-year growth in total assets reflects continued core deposit growth with record total deposits of $532.9 million, a $212.1 million, or 66.1% increase from the third quarter of 2011, and a $101.1 million increase from last quarter. Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts grew to $228.4 million compared with $121.1 million at the end of the third quarter of 2011, an increase of $107.3 million, or 88.6%. Total loans outstanding increased to a record $487.5 million, representing a $254.3 million, or 109.1% increase over the third quarter of 2011. Of the Bank’s total loans outstanding, commercial banking and commercial real estate loans outstanding represented $290.7 million and the indirect auto loan portfolio represented $196.8 million. California Republic continued to report strong credit quality through the third quarter, with no non-performing or charged-off loans within the commercial bank portfolio and 12 basis points of charge-offs for the auto portfolio.

Total interest income improved in the third quarter of 2012 to $7.4 million, a $4.3 million or 138.7% increase over total interest income for the same period of 2011. Third quarter net interest margin also improved to 5.90%, compared with a net interest margin of 3.54% for the same period of 2011. Net income for the quarter improved to $1.91 million, compared with a net loss of $(412) thousand for the third quarter of 2011. Year-to-date net income was $2.58 million compared with a year-to-date net loss of $(591) thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2011.

At September 30, 2012, California Republic Bank reported a Tier-1 leverage capital ratio of 9.27%, a Tier-1 risk based capital ratio of 9.80% and a total risk based capital ratio of 11.05%, well in excess of the 5%, 6% and 10%, respectively, needed to be considered “well-capitalized” by California Republic Bank’s regulatory agencies.

California Republic Bank stated, consistent with maximizing shareholder value and meeting its regulatory capital requirements, that it may sell up to a significant portion of its auto loans from time to time, either through servicing retained securitizations or whole loan sales, as market conditions permit.

About California Republic Bancorp:

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank. California Republic Bank provides loans, deposit and cash management services to individuals, companies, and their owners throughout Southern California. The Bank offers direct access to executive management and unparalleled responsiveness with the goal of establishing long-term relationships. The Bank operates three full-service regional branch hubs based in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Westlake Village.

The Bank also has an indirect auto finance division based in Irvine, which purchases auto contracts from both franchised and independent automobile dealerships, to which it also has long-term relationships.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, CEO, or John DeCero, President, at 949-270-9700 in Orange County, at 424-230-5400 in Los Angeles, or at 805-496-9010 in Ventura County. You can also visit the company’s website at www.crbnk.com. California Republic Bancorp’s headquarters is located at 1400 Newport Center Drive, Suite 150, Newport Beach, California 92660. California Republic Bank’s Beverly Hills branch is located at 100 North Crescent Drive, Suite 125, Beverly Hills, California 90210. California Republic Bank’s Westlake Village branch is located at 875 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 101, Westlake Village, CA 91361.

California Republic Bancorp’s Board of Directors includes:

• Inside Directors: Jon Wilcox, CEO and John DeCero, President.

• Outside Directors: Robert Barth, Chairman of the Board of California Republic Bank and CEO of Black Equities Group Ltd.; John Bendheim, President of Bendheim Enterprises, Inc.; Marc Brutten, Entrepreneur and CEO of Westcore Holdings; Bob Din, CEO of En Pointe Technologies; John Hagestad, Managing Partner of SARES-REGIS Group; Warren S. Orlando, Chairman, 1st United Bancorp Inc.; and J. Scott Watt, President and CEO of the Watt Group of Companies.

For information regarding the purchase or sale of California Republic Bancorp’s stock, contact Michael Natzic of Crowell, Weedon & Co. at 800-288-2811.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121019005164/en/California-Republic-Bancorp-Announces-Record-3rd-Quarter

This stock will be at 20 by the time people discover it. So much potential if they ever decided to take some risks. But right now in this environment it's easier to take baby steps and not stick your neck out and be a hero.

Finally a profit from these guys.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/california-republic-bancorp-announces-record-130000344.html

They did have their first bad loans in the auto loan sector, but they were minimal. It's to be expected in that type of loan business and the margins they make in auto loans more than offset the risk they are taking.

Sure wish the stock price would start doing something but I think with practically all the shares tied up by the IPO buyers years ago it's hard to find shares to buy.

They need to find some way to make their shares more attractive or get the word out better.

California Republic Bancorp Announces its Year-End 2011 and First Quarter 2012 Results with a Record $405.6 and $435.9 Million in Assets, Respectively (5/02/12)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Republic Bancorp (OTCBB: CRPB), holding company for California Republic Bank, announced its audited financial results for year ended December 31, 2011, and its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2012. California Republic reported strong growth in assets, loans, and core deposits; and continued its track record of no non-performing or charged-off loans in its history through 2011.

CEO Jon Wilcox stated, “2011 marked a year of growth and the implementation of strategic initiatives for the future. Having one of the best deposit and loan growth years in our history, we also formed a holding company, and, after making a substantial investment, successfully launched our new indirect auto loan business. In January 2012, we also completed our first branch acquisition opening our new office in Westlake Village.”

President John DeCero remarked on the newly formed auto lending business, “Our strong core deposit franchise combined with a consistent and scalable yield generator creates a unique opportunity to invest our liquidity in a vehicle that has a favorable risk to reward profile in today’s rate-compressed environment. It also minimizes any long-term interest rate risk due to the shorter average life of automobile assets, and is something we all understand from our prior experience.”

Year-end December 31, 2011 audited results:

For December 31, 2011, California Republic Bancorp reported total assets of $405.6 million, an increase of $92.3 million, or 29.5% above total assets as of December 31, 2010. The year-over-year growth in total assets reflects continued core deposit growth, with total deposits at $341.4 million, an increase of $77.6 million, or 29.4% from the end of 2010. Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts grew to $138.9 million, compared to $89.9 million at the end of 2010, an increase of $49.0 million, or 54.5%. Total loans outstanding were $286.4 million, representing an increase of $101.0 million, or 54.5% over the 2010 year-end total. The indirect auto loan portfolio represented $41.4 million of total loans outstanding at year-end.

Year-end net interest margin continued to improve overall and was 4.43% compared to a net interest margin of 3.35% for the same period of 2010. Net loss for 2011 was $1.87 million, which included a significant investment in the formation of the auto finance division, and included non-cash charges of $3.17 million, comprised of $1.993 million in additions to loan loss reserves, $882 thousand in accelerated stock option based compensation due to the formation of the holding company, and $292 thousand in depreciation and amortization.

California Republic Bank continued to report strong credit quality in both its core and auto loan portfolios, with no non-performing loans and no charged-off loans for the year.

At year-end 2011, California Republic Bank reported a Tier-1 leverage capital ratio of 12.23%, a Tier-1 risk based capital ratio of 14.83% and a total risk based capital ratio of 16.08%, well in excess of the 5%, 6% and 10%, respectively, needed to be considered “well-capitalized” by the Bank’s regulatory agencies.

Quarter end March 31, 2012 unaudited results:

At March 31, 2012, California Republic reported total assets of $435.9 million, an increase of $115.5 million, or 36.1% above total assets as of March 31, 2011. The year-over-year growth in total assets reflects continued core deposit growth with total deposits at $387.1 million, a $116.3 million, or 42.9 % increase from the first quarter of 2011. Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts grew to $157.5 million, compared to $104.6 million at the end of the first quarter of 2011, an increase of $52.9 million, or 50.6%. Total loans outstanding were $342.5 million, representing a $142.4 million, or 71.2% increase over the first quarter of 2011. The indirect auto loan portfolio represented $85.7 million of total loans outstanding as of March 31, 2012.

Total interest income continued to improve and for the first quarter of 2012 grew to $4.8 million, a $2.0 million or 73% increase over total interest income for the same period of 2011. First quarter net interest margin also improved to 4.86%, compared to a net interest margin of 3.43% for the same period of 2011. Net loss for the quarter improved to $320 thousand, which included total non cash charges of $1.1 million. California Republic Bancorp continued to report strong credit quality through the first quarter, with no non-performing or charged-off loans within the commercial bank.

At March 31, 2012, California Republic Bank reported a Tier-1 leverage capital ratio of 11.09%, a Tier-1 risk based capital ratio of 12.42% and a total risk based capital ratio of 13.67%, well in excess of the 5%, 6% and 10%, respectively, needed to be considered “well-capitalized” by the bank’s regulatory agencies.

About California Republic Bancorp

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank, one of the strongest banks in California based on its capital, liquidity and credit quality. The Bank primarily serves investors, companies and their owners throughout Southern California. It provides direct access to executive management and establishes ongoing, long term deposit and loan relationships with its clients. The Bank has three full service regional branch hubs based in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Westlake Village. The Bank also has an indirect auto finance division based in Irvine, which purchases auto loans from both franchised and independent auto dealerships throughout Southern California.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, CEO, or John DeCero, President at 949-270-9700 in Orange County, 424-230-5400 in Los Angeles, or 805-496-9010 in Ventura County. You can also visit the company’s website at www.crbnk.com. California Republic Bancorp’s headquarters is located at 1400 Newport Center Drive, Suite 150, Newport Beach, California 92660. The Bank's Beverly Hills branch is located at 100 North Crescent Drive, Suite 125, Beverly Hills, California 90210. The Bank’s Westlake Village branch is located at 875 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 101, Westlake Village, CA 91361.

California Republic Bancorp’s Board of Directors includes:

- Inside Directors: Jon Wilcox, CEO and John DeCero, President.

- Outside Directors: Robert Barth, Chairman of the Board of California Republic Bank and CEO of Black Equities Group Ltd.; John Bendheim, President of Bendheim Enterprises, Inc.; Marc Brutten, Entrepreneur and CEO of Westcore Holdings; Bob Din, CEO of En Pointe Technologies; John Hagestad, Managing Partner of SARES-REGIS Group; Warren S. Orlando, Chairman, 1st United Bancorp Inc.; and J. Scott Watt, President and CEO of the Watt Group of Companies.

For information regarding the purchase or sale of California Republic Bancorp’s stock, contact Michael Natzic of Crowell, Weedon & Co. at 800-288-2811.

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to the safe harbors created by the act. These forward-looking statements refer to the Company’s current expectations regarding future operating results, and growth in loans, deposits, and assets. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed, suggested or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to (1) the impact of changes in interest rates, a decline in economic conditions and increased competition by financial service providers on the Company’s results of operation; (2) the Company’s ability to continue its internal growth rate; (3) the Company’s ability to build net interest spread; (4) the quality of the Company’s earning assets; and (5) governmental regulations.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120502005613/en/California-Republic-Bancorp-Announces-Year-End-2011-Quarter

CRPB is potential diamond in the rough.

Banking centers are located in high income areas.

Median income for CA is $60,883 per U.S. Census Bureau. Locations are in Beverly Hills ($83,463), Newport Beach ($107,007) and Westlake Village ($116,213).

However, CRPB is not a SEC-reporting company. Financial reporting may lag.

On my radar now...

Highlights for the 3rd quarter 2011:

• Total assets of $370.1 million, a 12.4% increase over the same period 2010.
• Total demand deposit accounts of $121.1 million, a 49.0% increase over the same period 2010.
• Total loan commitments of $351.9 million and loan outstandings of $233.2 million, a 38.2% increase in outstandings over the same period 2010.
• The Bank continues its record of no non-performing or charged-off loans, for our commercial, real estate and auto loan portfolios.
• Total risk based capital ratio of 19.8%.


http://crbnk.com/press/california-republic-bank-announces-continued-organic-growth-with-a-record-370-million-in-assets-a-49-increase-in-demand-deposits-and-a-38-increase-in-loans-from-the-same-period-of-2010/

* I do not own any shares of CRPB nor do I plan to as of 4/8/2012

Thank you ICEQUITY...not sure of the full impact on the banks' securities...it may mean buying & selling has to go through brokers such as Zecco/etc. If you have more info please advise.

General DTC Information for the board

What is DTC?

DTC is a subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Company. According to its website, DTC was created in 1973 to “reduce costs and provide clearing and settlement efficiencies by immobilizing securities and making “book-entry” changes to ownership of the securities. DTC provides securities movements for NSCC’s net settlements, and settlement for institutional trades (which typically involve money and securities transfers between custodian banks and broker/dealers), as well as money market instruments.” Everyone got that? O.k., in layman’s terms this means DTC provides the electronic basis through which stock sales bought and sold through brokers are transferred from the seller’s brokerage account to the buyer’s account. For example, when you place an order through your broker to buy shares of XYZ, Inc. that order goes through your broker to a clearing firm and then on to DTC to be processed. DTC receives the order and then operates back through the clearing firm and the seller’s broker to move the shares from the seller’s account to the buyer’s account. It is in this manner that shares are bought and sold electronically since, obviously, paper certificates are not transferred between owners that own shares in “electronic format” in their brokerage accounts. Therefore, if an issuer is not “DTC-eligible” then its shares cannot be electronically transferred between brokerage accounts, which, based on the realities of the marketplace (especially the OTC Bulletin Board), means shares of the company will not be traded (technically the shares can be traded manually between accounts, but this takes days and is not a realistic option for companies relying on broker dealers for stock transactions – like all the companies on the OTC Bulletin Board). What this boils down to is that while DTC-eligibility is not a requirement to trade on the OTC Bulletin Board, it is a necessity to process trades on the OTC Bulletin Board if the company’s stock is going to trade with any volume.

What happened?

As stated above, historically, approval by DTC was a matter of course after a company cleared SEC comments on its registration statement and cleared FINRA comments on its 15c2-11. Once this occurred one of the company’s shareholders would deposit shares with their broker and the broker, at times with the company’s transfer agent, would apply for DTC-eligibility through a clearing firm affiliated with DTC. Once the request was granted the company’s shareholders could then buy and sell stock electronically through brokers. But this seemingly automatic approval by DTC is not occurring any longer for many small issuers, and many are having trouble even finding a broker and/or clearing firm even willing to submit the DTC-eligibility application. Why? What happened? The cause is easy to pinpoint, it’s the reaction by DTC, brokers and clearing firms is much more difficult to grasp and has left many companies wondering exactly what they need to do to get DTC-eligibility.In January 2009, FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 09-05. In a nutshell this release was a reminder to FINRA’s member firms (broker-dealers) of their responsibility to ensure that federal securities laws and FINRA rules are complied with when they are participating in the sales of unregistered securities. According to the Release it was issued in response to some of its member firms missing “red flags” that signaled the possibility of illegal, unregistered distributions of certain companies’ stock. The gist of the Release was that FINRA’s member firms needed to make the necessary investigations of issuers and their stock issuances to ensure there were no illegal, unregistered distributions. Because smaller companies, without long operating histories, were more likely to trigger the “red flags” mentioned in the Release the Release has had its biggest impact on smaller public companies. FINRA’s member firms, broker-dealers, and the other entities involved in clearing stock transactions for the member firms, primarily clearing firms and DTC, have taken the Release to be a “shot across the bow” regarding their potential liability for any involvement they have with issuers or shareholders that are found to have conducted illegal, unregistered resales of the issuer’s securities.

Recent Developments

A couple recent developments are worth mentioning. First, there has been some mention of a “DTC-eligibility fee” being charged in the range of $3,500 to $6,000, which, if true, is remarkably high considering the services performed. I think everyone is o.k. with a “risk premium” for the services for new small public companies in light of the FINRA Release, but that fee range is absurd. Second, and more importantly, according to the latest rumors, any name change, stock split or other activity that requires an issuer obtain a new CUSIP number will cause the company to need to re-apply for DTC-eligibility, which, based on what has occurred recently with new public companies, could be a time-consuming, expensive process with no known conclusion. Additionally, there is allegedly a legal opinion that may be required for these companies to obtain and submit to DTC with their re-application. This could also prove to be an expensive proposition. Stay tuned to our website for the latest updates as things are changing quickly, and be careful of hurdles appearing after the finish line, they can really trip you up.


http://www.thelebrechtgroup.com/tlg-publications/dtc-the-final-final-hurdle/

http://www.dtcc.com/legal/rules_proc/dtc_rules.pdf

California Republic Bank is the 9th largest bank based in Orange County and one of the strongest community banks in California based on its capital, liquidity, and credit quality.