COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

21.         COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

              Credit Extensions—In the normal course of business, the Company has various outstanding commitments to extend credit that are not reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. While the Company does not anticipate losses as a result of these transactions, commitments to extend credit are included in determining the appropriate level of the allowance for unfunded commitments and credit exposures.

              Loan commitments are agreements to lend to a customer provided there is no violation of any condition established in the agreement. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses. Because many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future funding requirements. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, undisbursed loan commitments amounted to $2.19 billion and $1.89 billion, respectively. In addition, the Bank has committed to fund mortgage and commercial loan applications in process amounting to $305.6 million and $349.9 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Substantially all commitments are for loans to be held for investment.

              Commercial letters of credit are issued to facilitate domestic and foreign trade transactions while standby letters of credit are issued to make payments on behalf of customers when certain specified future events occur. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, commercial and standby letters of credit totaled $1.64 billion and $768.8 million, respectively. The Bank issues standby letters of credit ("SBLCs") and financial guarantees to support the obligations of its customers to beneficiaries. Based on historical trends, the probability that it will have to make payments under standby letters of credit is low. Additionally, in many cases, the Bank holds collateral in various forms against these standby letters of credit. As part of its risk management activities, the Bank continuously monitors the creditworthiness of the customer as well as its SBLC exposure; however, if the customer fails to perform the specified obligation to the beneficiary, the beneficiary may draw upon the standby letters of credit by presenting documents that are in compliance with the letter of credit terms. In that event, the Bank either repays the money borrowed or advanced, makes payment on account of the indebtedness of the customer or makes payment on account of the default by the customer in the performance of an obligation, to the beneficiary up to the full notional amount of the standby letters of credit. The customer is obligated to reimburse the Bank for any such payment. If the customer fails to pay, the Bank would, as applicable, liquidate collateral and/or set off accounts.

              Credit card lines are unsecured commitments that are not legally binding. Management reviews credit card lines at least annually and, upon evaluation of the customers' creditworthiness, the Bank has the right to terminate or change certain terms of the credit card lines.

              The Bank uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as in extending loan facilities to customers. It evaluates each customer's creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Bank upon extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral held varies but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing commercial properties.

              As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the allowance for unfunded loan commitments, off-balance sheet credit exposures, and recourse provision amounted to $11.0 million and $10.0 million, respectively. These amounts are included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The increase in the off-balance sheet allowance amount was due to increases in unfunded loan commitments and off-balance sheet exposures.

              Guarantees—From time to time, the Company sells or securitizes loans with recourse in the ordinary course of business. For loans that have been sold or securitized with recourse, the recourse component is considered a guarantee. When the Company sells or securitizes a loan with recourse, it commits to stand ready to perform if the loan defaults, and to make payments to remedy the default. As of December 31, 2011, total loans sold or securitized with recourse amounted to $589.9 million and were comprised of $54.5 million in single-family loans with full recourse and $535.4 million in multifamily loans with limited recourse. In comparison, total loans sold or securitized with recourse amounted to $699.6 million at December 31, 2010, comprised of $60.9 million in single-family loans with full recourse and $638.7 million in multifamily loans with limited recourse. In conjunction with the UCB Purchase and Assumption Agreement, East West Bank assumed all servicing agreements the prior UCB had entered into. The recourse provision on multifamily loans varies by loan sale and is limited to up to 4% of the top loss on the underlying loans. The Company's recourse reserve related to loan sales and securitizations totaled $4.4 million and $4.7 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Despite the challenging conditions in the real estate market, the Company continues to experience minimal losses from single-family and multifamily loan portfolios.

              The Company also sells or securitizes loans without recourse that may have to be subsequently repurchased if a defect that occurred during the loan origination process results in a violation of a representation or warranty made in connection with the securitization or sale of the loan. When a loan sold or securitized to an investor without recourse fails to perform according to its contractual terms, the investor will typically review the loan file to determine whether defects in the origination process occurred and if such defects give rise to a violation of a representation or warranty made to the investor in connection with the sale or securitization. If such a defect is identified, the Company may be required to either repurchase the loan or indemnify the investor for losses sustained. If there are no such defects, the Company has no commitment to repurchase the loan. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the amount of loans sold without recourse totaled $1.23 billion and $1.48 billion, respectively. Total loans securitized without recourse amounted to $273.7 million and $325.5 million, respectively, at December 31, 2011 and 2010. The loans sold or securitized without recourse represent the unpaid principal balance of the Company's loans serviced for others portfolio.

              Lease Commitments—The Company conducts a portion of its operations utilizing leased premises and equipment under operating leases. Rental expense amounted to $22.8 million, $23.2 million and $15.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

              Future minimum rental payments under non-cancelable operating leases are estimated as follows:

Estimate For The Year Ending December 31,	Amount
	(In thousands)
2012	$	22,149
2013		19,801
2014		17,693
2015		13,155
2016		10,051
Thereafter		24,900
Total	$	107,749

              Litigation—Neither the Company nor the Bank is involved in any material legal proceedings at December 31, 2011. The Bank, from time to time, is a party to litigation that arises in the ordinary course of business, such as claims to enforce liens, claims involving the origination and servicing of loans, and other issues related to the business of the Bank. After taking into consideration information furnished by counsel to the Company and the Bank, management believes that the resolution of such issues will not have a material adverse impact on the financial position, results of operations or liquidity of the Company or the Bank.