10-Q 1 banc-3312018x10q.htm 10-Q Document

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

FORM 10-Q
 
(Mark One)
ý
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018
or
¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from              to             
Commission file number 001-35522
 
BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Maryland
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
04-3639825
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
3 MacArthur Place, Santa Ana, California
(Address of principal executive offices)
92707
(Zip Code)
(855) 361-2262
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
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  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
 
ý
 
Accelerated filer
 
¨
 
 
 
 
Non-accelerated filer
 
¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 
Smaller reporting company
 
¨
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Emerging growth company
 
¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.)  Yes ¨ No ý
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock as of the latest practicable date.
As of May 1, 2018, the registrant had outstanding 50,014,315 shares of voting common stock and 580,266 shares of Class B non-voting common stock.



BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
FORM 10-Q QUARTERLY REPORT
March 31, 2018
Table of Contents


2


Forward-looking Statements
When used in this report and in public stockholder communications, in other documents of Banc of California, Inc. (the Company, we, us and our) filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), or in oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer, the words or phrases “believe,” “will,” “should,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” “plans,” “guidance” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. These statements may relate to our future financial performance, strategic plans or objectives, revenue, expense or earnings projections, or other financial items. By their nature, these statements are subject to numerous uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated or projected include, but are not limited to, the following:
i.
a pending investigation by the SEC may result in adverse findings, reputational damage, the imposition of sanctions, increased costs and other negative consequences;
ii.
management time and resources may be diverted to address the pending SEC investigation as well as any related litigation, litigation initiated by stockholders and other litigation, as well as the threat of litigation;
iii.
the costs and effects of litigation, including settlements and judgments;
iv.
our performance may be adversely affected by the management transition we have recently undergone;
v.
a worsening of current economic conditions, as well as turmoil in the financial markets;
vi.
the credit risks of lending activities, which may be affected by deterioration in real estate markets and the financial condition of borrowers, and the operational risks of lending activities, including but not limited to the risk of fraud, any of which credit and operational risks may lead to increased loan and lease delinquencies, losses and non-performing assets in our loan and lease portfolio, and may result in our allowance for loan and lease losses not being adequate to cover actual losses and require us to materially increase our loan and lease loss reserves;
vii.
the quality and composition of our securities portfolio;
viii.
changes in general economic conditions, either nationally or in our market areas, or in financial markets;
ix.
continuation of or changes in the historically low short-term interest rate environment, changes in the levels of general interest rates, volatility in the interest rate environment, the relative differences between short- and long-term interest rates, deposit interest rates, and our net interest margin and funding sources;
x.
fluctuations in the demand for loans and leases, the number of unsold homes and other properties and fluctuations in commercial and residential real estate values in our market area;
xi.
our ability to develop and maintain a core deposit base or other low cost funding sources necessary to fund our activities;
xii.
results of examinations of us by regulatory authorities and the possibility that any such regulatory authority may, among other things, limit our business activities, require us to change our business mix, increase our allowance for loan and lease losses, write-down asset values, or increase our capital levels, or affect our ability to borrow funds or maintain or increase deposits, any of which could adversely affect our liquidity and earnings;
xiii.
legislative or regulatory changes that adversely affect our business, including, without limitation, changes in tax laws and policies and changes in regulatory capital or other rules, as well as additional regulatory burdens, including those that result from being larger than $10 billion in total assets;
xiv.
our ability to control operating costs and expenses;
xv.
staffing fluctuations in response to product demand or the implementation of corporate strategies that affect our work force and potential associated charges;
xvi.
errors in estimates of the fair values of certain of our assets and liabilities, which may result in significant changes in valuation;
xvii.
the network and computer systems on which we depend could fail or experience a security breach;
xviii.
our ability to attract and retain key members of our senior management team;
xix.
increased competitive pressures among financial services companies;
xx.
changes in consumer spending, borrowing and saving habits;
xxi.
adverse changes in the securities markets;
xxii.
earthquake, fire or other natural disasters affecting the condition of real estate collateral;
xxiii.
the availability of resources to address changes in laws, rules or regulations or to respond to regulatory actions;
xxiv.
the ability of key third party providers to perform their obligations to us;
xxv.
changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the financial institution regulatory agencies or the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) or their application to our business, including additional guidance and interpretation on accounting issues and details of the implementation of new accounting methods;
xxvi.
share price volatility and reputational risks, related to, among other things, speculative trading and certain traders shorting our common shares and attempting to generate negative publicity about us;
xxvii.
war or terrorist activities; and
xxviii.
other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory, and technological factors affecting our operations, pricing, products and services and the other risks described in this report and from time to time in other documents that we file with or furnish to the SEC, including, without limitation, the risks described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update any such statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date, on which the forward-looking statement is made, except as required by law.

3


PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)

 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
ASSETS
 
 
 
Cash and due from banks
$
20,058

 
$
20,117

Interest-earning deposits in financial institutions
326,646

 
367,582

Total cash and cash equivalents
346,704

 
387,699

Securities available-for-sale, at fair value
2,424,593

 
2,575,469

Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value
18,946

 
66,603

Loans held-for-sale, carried at lower of cost or fair value
1,234

 
466

Loans and leases receivable, net of allowance for loan and lease losses of $54,763 and $49,333 at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively
6,875,744

 
6,610,074

Federal Home Loan Bank and other bank stock, at cost
82,715

 
75,654

Servicing rights, net ($4,953 and $31,852 measured at fair value at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, and $2,851 and $29,793 measured at fair value were held-for-sale at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively)
6,739

 
33,708

Other real estate owned, net
1,024

 
1,796

Premises, equipment, and capital leases, net
135,198

 
135,699

Bank owned life insurance
105,384

 
104,851

Goodwill
37,144

 
37,144

Investments in alternative energy partnerships, net
48,344

 
48,826

Deferred income taxes, net
43,192

 
31,074

Income tax receivable
10,126

 
8,739

Other intangible assets, net
8,510

 
9,353

Other assets
153,834

 
161,797

Assets of discontinued operations
29,888

 
38,900

Total assets
$
10,329,319

 
$
10,327,852

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
 
Noninterest-bearing deposits
$
1,039,116

 
$
1,071,608

Interest-bearing deposits
6,071,049

 
6,221,295

Total deposits
7,110,165

 
7,292,903

Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank
1,905,000

 
1,695,000

Long term debt, net
172,966

 
172,941

Reserve for loss on repurchased loans
3,426

 
6,306

Due on unsettled securities purchases
59,000

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities
84,997

 
140,575

Liabilities of discontinued operations
9

 
7,819

Total liabilities
9,335,563

 
9,315,544

Commitments and contingent liabilities

 

Preferred stock
269,071

 
269,071

Common stock, $0.01 par value per share, 446,863,844 shares authorized; 51,663,116 shares issued and 50,079,736 shares outstanding at March 31, 2018; 51,666,725 shares issued and 50,083,345 shares outstanding at December 31, 2017
517

 
517

Class B non-voting non-convertible common stock, $0.01 par value per share, 3,136,156 shares authorized; 508,107 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017
5

 
5

Additional paid-in capital
623,483

 
621,435

Retained earnings
141,008

 
144,839

Treasury stock, at cost (1,583,380 shares at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017)
(28,786
)
 
(28,786
)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net
(11,542
)
 
5,227

Total stockholders’ equity
993,756

 
1,012,308

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
10,329,319

 
$
10,327,852

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)


4


BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)

 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
Interest and dividend income
 
 
 
Loans and leases, including fees
$
74,912

 
$
69,507

Securities
21,631

 
27,239

Other interest-earning assets
2,164

 
2,096

Total interest and dividend income
98,707

 
98,842

Interest expense
 
 
 
Deposits
16,795

 
13,960

Federal Home Loan Bank advances
7,392

 
1,423

Securities sold under repurchase agreements
750

 
6

Long term debt and other interest-bearing liabilities
2,332

 
2,972

Total interest expense
27,269

 
18,361

Net interest income
71,438

 
80,481

Provision for loan and lease losses
19,499

 
2,583

Net interest income after provision for loan and lease losses
51,939

 
77,898

Noninterest income
 
 
 
Customer service fees
1,592

 
1,623

Loan servicing income
2,311

 
2,756

Income from bank owned life insurance
533

 
581

Net gain on sale of securities available-for-sale
5,241

 
3,356

Net gain (loss) on sale of loans
(41
)
 
4,019

Net loss on sale of mortgage servicing rights
(2,295
)
 

Other income
1,241

 
2,568

Total noninterest income
8,582

 
14,903

Noninterest expense
 
 
 
Salaries and employee benefits
31,115

 
32,443

Occupancy and equipment
7,687

 
10,668

Professional fees
9,177

 
15,073

Outside service fees
2,546

 
1,883

Data processing
1,656

 
2,179

Advertising and promotion
3,277

 
1,725

Regulatory assessments
2,092

 
2,441

(Gain) loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships
(34
)
 
8,682

Reversal of provision for loan repurchases
(1,788
)
 
(325
)
Amortization of intangible assets
843

 
1,090

Impairment on intangible assets

 
336

Restructuring expense

 
5,287

All other expense
3,229

 
8,414

Total noninterest expense
59,800

 
89,896

Income from continuing operations before income taxes
721

 
2,905

Income tax benefit
(6,353
)
 
(6,471
)
Income from continuing operations
7,074

 
9,376

Income from discontinued operations before income taxes (including net gain on disposal of $1,003 and $13,302, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017)
2,044

 
13,348

Income tax expense
560

 
5,523

Income from discontinued operations
1,484

 
7,825

Net income
8,558

 
17,201

Preferred stock dividends
5,113

 
5,113

Net income available to common stockholders
$
3,445

 
$
12,088

Basic earnings per common share
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

Diluted earnings per common share
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

Basic earnings per class B common share
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

Diluted earnings per class B common share
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)


5


BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
Net income
$
8,558

 
$
17,201

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
 
 
 
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities:
 
 
 
Unrealized gain (loss) arising during the period
(13,561
)
 
1,300

Reclassification adjustment for gain included in net income
(3,704
)
 
(1,960
)
Total change in unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities
(17,265
)
 
(660
)
Total other comprehensive loss
(17,265
)
 
(660
)
Comprehensive income (loss)
$
(8,707
)
 
$
16,541

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)


6


BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
 
Preferred Stock
 
Common Stock
 
Additional Paid-in Capital
 
Retained Earnings
 
Treasury Stock
 
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
 
Total Stockholders' Equity
 
 
Voting
 
Class B Non-Voting
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at December 31, 2016
$
269,071

 
$
537

 
$
2

 
$
614,226

 
$
134,515

 
$
(29,070
)
 
$
(9,042
)
 
$
980,239

Comprehensive income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income

 

 

 

 
17,201

 

 

 
17,201

Other comprehensive loss, net

 

 

 

 

 

 
(660
)
 
(660
)
Issuance of common stock

 
1

 
1

 
(2
)
 

 

 

 

Share-based compensation expense

 

 

 
2,893

 

 

 

 
2,893

Restricted stock surrendered due to employee tax liability

 
(1
)
 

 
(2,134
)
 

 

 

 
(2,135
)
Stock appreciation right dividend equivalents

 

 

 

 
(203
)
 

 

 
(203
)
Dividends declared ($0.13 per common share)

 

 

 

 
(6,474
)
 

 

 
(6,474
)
Preferred stock dividends

 

 

 

 
(5,113
)
 

 

 
(5,113
)
Balance at March 31, 2017
$
269,071

 
$
537

 
$
3

 
$
614,983

 
$
139,926

 
$
(29,070
)
 
$
(9,702
)
 
$
985,748

Balance at December 31, 2017
$
269,071

 
$
517

 
$
5

 
$
621,435

 
$
144,839

 
$
(28,786
)
 
$
5,227

 
$
1,012,308

Reclassification of stranded tax effects to retained earnings

 

 

 

 
(496
)
 

 
496

 

Adjusted Balance at December 31, 2017
269,071

 
517

 
5

 
621,435

 
144,343

 
(28,786
)
 
5,723

 
1,012,308

Comprehensive income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income

 

 

 

 
8,558

 

 

 
8,558

Other comprehensive loss, net

 

 

 

 

 

 
(17,265
)
 
(17,265
)
Share-based compensation expense

 

 

 
2,087

 

 

 

 
2,087

Restricted stock surrendered due to employee tax liability

 

 

 
(97
)
 

 

 

 
(97
)
Shares purchased under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan

 

 

 
58

 
(74
)
 

 

 
(16
)
Stock appreciation right dividend equivalents

 

 

 

 
(203
)
 

 

 
(203
)
Dividends declared ($0.13 per common share)

 

 

 

 
(6,503
)
 

 

 
(6,503
)
Preferred stock dividends

 

 

 

 
(5,113
)
 

 

 
(5,113
)
Balance at March 31, 2018
$
269,071

 
$
517

 
$
5

 
$
623,483

 
$
141,008

 
$
(28,786
)
 
$
(11,542
)
 
$
993,756

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

7


BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
 
 
 
Net income
$
8,558

 
$
17,201

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
 
 
 
Provision for loan and lease losses
19,499

 
2,583

Provision for unfunded loan commitments
577

 
833

Reversal of provision for loan repurchases
(1,788
)
 
(325
)
Depreciation on premises and equipment
2,575

 
3,324

Amortization of intangible assets
843

 
1,090

Amortization of debt issuance cost
25

 
42

Net amortization of premium and discount on securities
73

 
218

Net accretion of deferred loan cost and fees
(122
)
 
(708
)
Accretion of discounts on purchased loans

 
(2,070
)
Deferred income tax benefit
(4,956
)
 
(8,214
)
Bank owned life insurance income
(533
)
 
(581
)
Share-based compensation expense
2,087

 
2,893

(Gain) loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships
(34
)
 
8,682

Impairment on intangible assets

 
336

Net revenue on mortgage banking activities
(232
)
 
(29,434
)
Net gain (loss) on sale of loans
41

 
(4,019
)
Net gain on sale of securities available for sale
(5,241
)
 
(3,356
)
Loss from change of fair value on mortgage servicing rights
920

 
1,903

Loss on sale or disposal of property and equipment
16

 
255

Loss on sale of mortgage servicing rights
2,295

 

Net gain on disposal of discontinued operations
(1,003
)
 
(13,302
)
Repurchase of mortgage loans
(9,670
)
 
(13,630
)
Originations of loans held-for-sale from mortgage banking

 
(935,428
)
Originations of other loans held-for-sale
(773
)
 
(63,101
)
Proceeds from sales of and principal collected on loans held-for-sale from mortgage banking
10,629

 
958,529

Proceeds from sales of and principal collected on other loans held-for-sale
5

 
127,629

Change in accrued interest receivable and other assets
1,847

 
(12,536
)
Change in accrued interest payable and other liabilities
(11,294
)
 
(54,805
)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
14,344

 
(15,991
)
Cash flows from investing activities:
 
 
 
Proceeds from sales of securities available-for-sale
190,917

 
378,539

Proceeds from maturities and calls of securities available-for-sale
96,600

 
32,465

Proceeds from principal repayments of securities available-for-sale
9,351

 
10,746

Proceeds from maturities and calls of securities held-to-maturity

 
21,020

Purchases of securities available-for-sale
(100,754
)
 
(472,850
)
Net cash provided by disposal of discontinued operations

 
55,629

Loan and lease originations and principal collections, net
(291,593
)
 
(309,961
)
Redemption of Federal Home Loan Bank stock

 
4,813

Purchase of Federal Home Loan Bank and other bank stock
(7,061
)
 
(209
)
Proceeds from sale of loans
6,506

 
249,695

Proceeds from sale of other real estate owned
553

 
320

Proceeds from sale of mortgage servicing rights
27,347

 

Proceeds from sale of premises and equipment

 
172

Additions to premises and equipment
(2,090
)
 
(10,317
)
Payments of capital lease obligations
(125
)
 
(271
)
Funding of equity investment
(275
)
 

Investments in alternative energy partnerships

 
(30,927
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(70,624
)
 
(71,136
)
Cash flows from financing activities:
 
 
 
Net decrease in deposits
(182,738
)
 
(544,457
)
Net increase in short-term Federal Home Loan Bank advances
30,000

 
540,000

Repayment of long-term Federal Home Loan Bank advances

 
(50,000
)
Proceeds from long-term Federal Home Loan Bank advances
180,000

 
100,000

Net increase in securities sold under repurchase agreements

 
26,320

Payment of junior subordinated amortizing notes

 
(1,330
)
Restricted stock surrendered due to employee tax liability
(97
)
 
(2,135
)
Dividend equivalents paid on stock appreciation rights
(202
)
 
(202
)
Dividends paid on preferred stock
(5,113
)
 
(5,113
)
Dividends paid on common stock
(6,565
)
 
(6,185
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
15,285

 
56,898

Net change in cash and cash equivalents
(40,995
)
 
(30,229
)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
387,699

 
439,510

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
$
346,704

 
$
409,281

Supplemental cash flow information
 
 
 
Interest paid on deposits and borrowed funds
$
25,430

 
$
15,888

Income taxes paid
31

 
6,574

Income taxes refunds received
(22
)
 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities
 
 
 
Transfer from loans to other real estate owned, net
$

 
$
1,171

Transfer of loans held-for-investment to loans held-for-sale
6,546

 
242,288

Equipment acquired under capital leases

 
70

Reclassification of stranded tax effects to retained earnings
496

 

Due on unsettled securities purchases
59,000

 

Loans sold to Ginnie Mae that are subject to a repurchase option
6,774

 
20,024

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

8


BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)
March 31, 2018
NOTE 1 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Nature of Operations: Banc of California, Inc. (collectively, with its consolidated subsidiaries, the Company, we, us and our) is a financial holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, headquartered in Santa Ana, California and incorporated under the laws of Maryland. Banc of California, Inc. is subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Banc of California, National Association (the Bank), operates under a national bank charter issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Bank's primary regulator. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system, and maintains insurance on deposit accounts with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
As of March 31, 2018, the Bank had 34 banking offices, serving Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara counties in California.
Basis of Presentation: The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to Article 10 of SEC Regulation S-X and other SEC rules and regulations for reporting on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are not included herein. These interim statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed by the Company with the SEC. The December 31, 2017 statement of financial condition presented herein has been derived from the audited financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the SEC, but does not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements.
In the opinion of management of the Company, the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements reflect all of the adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations as of the dates and for the periods presented. Certain reclassifications have been made in the prior period financial statements to conform to the current period presentation. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018.
Principles of Consolidation: The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 and for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. Significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Unless the context requires otherwise, all references to the Company include its then wholly owned subsidiaries.
Significant Accounting Policies: The accounting and reporting policies of the Company are based upon GAAP and conform to predominant practices within the banking industry. The Company has not made any significant changes in its critical accounting policies from those disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the SEC. Refer to Accounting Pronouncements below for discussion of accounting pronouncements adopted in 2018.
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions based on available information. These estimates and assumptions affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and disclosures provided, and actual results could differ. The allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL), reserve for loss on repurchased loans, reserve for unfunded loan commitments, servicing rights, realization of deferred tax assets, the valuation of goodwill and other intangible assets, purchased credit impaired (PCI) loan discount accretion, Hypothetical Liquidation at Book Value (HLBV) of investments in alternative energy partnerships, fair value of assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations, and the fair value measurement of financial instruments are particularly subject to change and such change could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Incentive Compensation: At December 31, 2017 and 2016 the Company accrued a liability for estimated discretionary incentive compensation payments to certain employees. In each case, the amount paid was less than the accrued liability. Consequently, the Company reversed each excess accrual and recorded a pre-tax credit to salaries and employee benefits on the consolidated statements of operations of $937 thousand and $7.8 million, respectively, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. Each reversal, based on new information driven by changes to certain facts and circumstances subsequent to December 31, 2017 and 2016, was determined to be a change in estimate.

9


Discontinued Operations: During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company completed the sale of its Banc Home Loans division, which largely represented the Company's Mortgage Banking segment. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 205-20, the Company determined that the sale of the Banc Home Loans division and certain other mortgage banking related assets and liabilities that would be sold or settled separately within one year met the criteria to be classified as a discontinued operation and the related operating results and financial condition have been presented as discontinued operations on the consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 for additional information. Unless otherwise indicated, information included in these notes to the consolidated financial statements is presented on a consolidated operations basis, which includes results from both continuing and discontinued operations, for all periods presented.
Adopted Accounting Pronouncements: During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the following pronouncement applicable to the Company was adopted:
In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This Update outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The model is based on the principle that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This Update also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to fulfill a contract. The Update, as amended by ASU 2015-14, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12, ASU 2016-20, ASU 2017-13, and ASU 2017-14, is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and entities have the option of using either a modified retrospective or full retrospective approach for the adoption. The Company’s revenue streams primarily consist of net interest income and noninterest income. The scope of this Update explicitly excludes net interest income, as well as other revenues from transactions involving financial instruments, such as loans, leases, and securities. Certain noninterest income items such as service charges on deposits accounts, gain and loss on other real estate owned sales, and other income items are in the scope of this Update. The Company evaluated the accounting impact of adopting this guidance based on the following “Five-step Model” prescribed in ASC 606:
(i)
identify the contract;
(ii)
identify the performance obligation in the contract;
(iii)
determine the transaction price;
(iv)
allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations; and
(v)
recognize revenue when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.
The Company identified and reviewed the revenue streams within the scope of the Update, including escrow fees, trust and fiduciary fees, deposit service fees, debit card fees, investment commissions, gains on sales of OREO, referral fees, and income from joint marketing with a certain credit card company. The Company determined that the new guidance will not require significant changes to the manner in which income from those revenue streams is currently recognized. Adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. However, the Company has enhanced its processes to identify contracts within the scope of Topic 606 and apply the Five-step Model to determine how revenue should be recognized. The Company adopted this Update and its related amendments effective January 1, 2018 utilizing the modified retrospective approach. Since there was no net income impact upon adoption of the new guidance, a cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings was not deemed necessary. See Note 21 for additional information.
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, “Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities.” This Update amends certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The ASU requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income; simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments by requiring a qualitative assessment; eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose methods and assumptions for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the statement of financial position; requires the exit price notion to be used when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes; requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability; requires separate presentation of financial assets and liabilities by measurement category; and certain other requirements. This ASU and ASU 2018-04 becomes effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017. Adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. With regard to the aforementioned exit price notion, the Company measured the fair value of its loans and leases portfolio as of March 31, 2018 using an exit price notion. See Note 3 for additional information.

10


In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230)." The amendments in this Update provide guidance on classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments. For public business entities that are SEC filers, this Update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. Adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230).” The amendments in this Update are intended to reduce diversity in practice regarding classification of changes in restricted cash, requiring an entity to provide changes in restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents during the period in a statement of cash flows. This Update is effective for public business entities with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805). This Update provide guidance on evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This Update provides a more robust framework to use when an entity determines whether a set of assets and activities is a business. Public business entities must prospectively apply the amendment in this Update to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-05, “Other Income - Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets.” This Update clarifies the scope and application of ASC 610-20 on the sale or transfer of nonfinancial assets, including real estate, and in substance nonfinancial assets to noncustomers, including partial sales. An entity should identify each distinct nonfinancial asset or in substance nonfinancial asset promised to a counterparty and derecognize each asset when the counterparty obtains control of it. In addition, the amendment requires an entity to derecognize a distinct nonfinancial asset or in substance nonfinancial asset in a partial sale transaction when the entity does not retain a controlling financial interest in the legal entity that holds the asset and an entity transfers control of the asset. Once control is transferred, any non-controlling interest received is required to be measured at fair value. The new guidance is effective for public business entities in annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, “Stock Compensation - Scope of Modification Accounting (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting.” This Update provides guidance on when changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award are to be accounted for as modifications. Under the new guidance, entities are not required to apply modification accounting to a share-based payment award when the award’s fair value, vesting conditions, and classification as an entity or a liability instrument remain the same after the change. The new guidance is effective for all entities beginning after December 15, 2017 including interim periods within the fiscal year. Upon adoption, the guidance will be applied prospectively to awards modified on or after the adoption date. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02. "Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income." This Update allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The amendments in this Update also require certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the amendments in this Update is permitted, including adoption in any interim period for public business entities for reporting periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued. The Company early adopted this Update during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and reclassified its stranded tax effect of $496 thousand in accumulated other comprehensive income that resulted from the change in the U.S. federal corporate tax rate to retained earnings.
In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-03, "Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities." The amendments in this Update are of a similar nature to the items typically addressed in the Codification improvements project. However, the FASB decided to issue a separate Update for technical corrections and improvements related to Update 2016-01 to increase stakeholders’ awareness of the amendments and to expedite the improvements. The amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 for public business entities. Public business entities with fiscal years beginning between December 15, 2017, and June 15, 2018, are not required to adopt these amendments until the interim period beginning after June 15, 2018. The Company has adopted this Update during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In March 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-05, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118." This Update amends ASC 740, Income Taxes, to reflect SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No.

11


118, which provides guidance on accounting for the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The amendments in this Update are effective upon issuance. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In May 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-06, "Codification Improvements to Topic 942, Financial Services—Depository and Lending." This Update superseded outdated guidance within Subtopic 942-740 that is related to the OCC’s Banking Circular 202, Accounting for Net Deferred Tax Charges. A cross-reference between Subtopic 740-30, Income Taxes—Other Considerations or Special Areas, and Subtopic 942-740 is being added to the remaining guidance in Subtopic 740- 30 to improve the usefulness of the Codification. The amendments in this Update are effective upon issuance. Adoption of the new guidance had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.


12


NOTE 2 – SALE OF BUSINESS UNIT (DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS)
Banc Home Loans Sale
On March 30, 2017, the Company completed the sale of specific assets and activities related to its Banc Home Loans division to Caliber Home Loans, Inc. (Caliber). The Banc Home Loans division largely represented the Company's Mortgage Banking segment, the activities of which related to originating, servicing, underwriting, funding and selling single family residential (SFR) mortgage loans. Assets sold to Caliber included mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) on certain conventional agency SFR mortgage loans. The Banc Home Loans division, along with certain other mortgage banking related assets and liabilities that were sold or settled separately within one year, is classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and Consolidated Statements of Operations. Certain components of the Company’s Mortgage Banking segment, including MSRs on certain conventional agency SFR mortgage loans that were not sold as part of the Banc Home Loans sale and repurchase reserves related to previously sold loans, have been classified as continuing operations in the financial statements as they remain part of the Company’s ongoing operations.
The specific assets acquired by Caliber include, among other things, the leases relating to the Company’s dedicated mortgage loan origination offices and rights to certain portions of the Company’s unlocked pipeline of residential mortgage loan applications. Caliber has assumed certain obligations and liabilities of the Company under the acquired leases, and with respect to the employment of transferred employees. The Company received a $25.0 million cash premium payment, in addition to the net book value of certain assets acquired by Caliber, totaling $2.5 million, upon the closing of the transaction. Additionally, the Company could receive an earn-out, payable quarterly, based on future performance over the 38 months following completion of the transaction. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recognized an earn-out of $635 thousand. Since the completion of the transaction, the Company has recognized a total earn-out of $1.7 million in Income from Discontinued Operations on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Caliber retains an option to buy out the future earn-out payable to the Company for cash consideration of $35.0 million, less the aggregate amount of all earn-out payments made prior to the date on which Caliber pays the buyout amount. Caliber also purchased MSRs of $37.8 million on approximately $3.86 billion in unpaid balances of conventional agency mortgage loans, subject to adjustment under certain circumstances. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company released $1.0 million in liability for estimated discretionary incentive compensation payments to certain employees transferred to Caliber as the amount paid was less than the accrued liability. Consequently, the reversal of excess accrual was recorded as a pre-tax credit to net gain on disposal on the Statements of Operations of Discontinued Operations. To date, the entire transaction has resulted in a net gain on disposal of $14.8 million.
The following table summarizes the calculation of the net gain on disposal of discontinued operations:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
Total Net Gain on Disposal After Completion of Sale
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
 
Proceeds from the transaction
 
$

 
$
63,332

 
$
63,054

Compensation expense related to the transaction
 
1,003

 
(4,000
)
 
(2,497
)
Other transaction costs
 

 
(3,703
)
 
(3,431
)
Net cash proceeds
 
1,003

 
55,629

 
57,126

Book value of certain assets sold
 

 
(2,455
)
 
(2,455
)
Book value of MSRs sold
 

 
(37,772
)
 
(37,772
)
Goodwill
 

 
(2,100
)
 
(2,100
)
Net gain on disposal
 
$
1,003

 
$
13,302

 
$
14,799

The Banc Home Loans division originated conforming SFR mortgage loans and sold these loans in the secondary market. The amount of net revenue on mortgage banking activities was a function of mortgage loans originated for sale and the fair values of these loans and related derivatives. Net revenue on mortgage banking activities included mark to market pricing adjustments on loan commitments and forward sales contracts, and initial capitalized value of MSRs.

13


The following tables present the financial information of discontinued operations as of the dates or for the periods indicated:
Statements of Financial Condition of Discontinued Operations
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
ASSETS
 
 
 
 
Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value (1) (2)
 
$
29,888

 
$
38,696

Other assets
 

 
204

Assets of discontinued operations
 
$
29,888

 
$
38,900

LIABILITIES
 
 
 
 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities (1)
 
$
9

 
$
7,819

Liabilities of discontinued operations
 
$
9

 
$
7,819

(1)
Includes $0 and $7.1 million of loans sold to Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), respectively, that were delinquent more than 90 days and subject to a repurchase option by the Company at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. As such, the Company was deemed to have regained control over those previously transferred assets and has re-recognized them with an offsetting liability in Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities in the Statements of Financial Condition of Discontinued Operations, as a secured borrowing. Because the Company intends to exercise its option to repurchase and sell them within one year, they have been classified as part of discontinued operations.
(2)
Includes $13.9 million and $24.1 million of non-performing loans at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.
Statements of Operations of Discontinued Operations
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Interest income
 
 
 
 
Loans, including fees
 
$
186

 
$
3,266

Total interest income
 
186

 
3,266

Noninterest income
 
 
 
 
Net gain on disposal
 
1,003

 
13,302

Loan servicing income
 

 
1,551

Net revenue on mortgage banking activities
 
232

 
29,434

All other income
 
635

 
514

Total noninterest income
 
1,870

 
44,801

Noninterest expense
 
 
 
 
Salaries and employee benefits
 
9

 
24,375

Occupancy and equipment
 

 
2,357

Professional fees
 

 
102

Outside Service Fees
 

 
2,364

Data processing
 

 
464

Advertising
 

 
833

Restructuring expense
 

 
3,218

All other expenses
 
3

 
1,006

Total noninterest expense
 
12

 
34,719

Income from discontinued operations before income taxes
 
2,044

 
13,348

Income tax expense
 
560

 
5,523

Income from discontinued operations
 
$
1,484

 
$
7,825


14


Statements of Cash Flows of Discontinued Operations
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
 
$
2,686

 
$
(10,111
)
Net cash provided by investing activities
 

 
55,629

Net cash provided by discontinued operations
 
$
2,686

 
$
45,518


15


NOTE 3 – FAIR VALUES OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Fair Value Hierarchy
ASC 820-10 establishes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The topic describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the entity has the ability to access as of the measurement date.
Level 2: Significant observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3: Significant unobservable inputs that reflect a reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.
Categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis
Securities Available-for-Sale: The fair values of securities available-for-sale are generally determined by quoted market prices in active markets, if available (Level 1). If quoted market prices are not available, the Company primarily employs independent pricing services that utilize pricing models to calculate fair value. Such fair value measurements consider observable data such as dealer quotes, market spreads, cash flows, yield curves, live trading levels, trade execution data, market consensus prepayment speeds, credit information, and respective terms and conditions for debt instruments. The Company employs procedures to monitor the pricing service's assumptions and establishes processes to challenge the pricing service's valuations that appear unusual or unexpected. Level 2 securities include U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan pool securities, U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise (GSE) residential mortgage-backed securities, non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities, non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, and corporate debt securities. When a market is illiquid or there is a lack of transparency around the inputs to valuation, including at least one unobservable input, the securities are classified as Level 3 and reliance is placed upon internally developed models, and management judgment and evaluation for valuation. The Company had no securities available-for-sale classified as Level 3 at March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017.
Loans Held-for-Sale, Carried at Fair Value: The fair value of loans held-for-sale is based on commitments outstanding from investors as well as what secondary market investors are currently offering for portfolios with similar characteristics, except for loans that are repurchased out of GNMA loan pools that become severely delinquent which are valued based on an internal model that estimates the expected loss the Company will incur on these loans. Loans previously sold to GNMA that are delinquent more than 90 days are subject to a repurchase option when that condition exists. These loans were re-recognized at fair value and offset by a secured borrowing, as the loans were still legally owned by GNMA. Loans held-for-sale subject to recurring fair value adjustments are classified as Level 2 or, in the case of loans repurchased or eligible to be repurchased out of GNMA loan pools, Level 3. The fair value includes the servicing value of the loans as well as any accrued interest.
Derivative Assets and Liabilities: The Company offers interest rate swaps and caps products to certain loan customers to allow them to hedge the risk of rising interest rates on their variable rate loans. The Company originates a variable rate loan and enters into a variable-to-fixed interest rate swap with the customer. The Company also enters into an offsetting swap with a correspondent bank. These back-to-back agreements are intended to offset each other and allow the Company to originate a variable rate loan, while providing a contract for fixed interest payments for the customer. The net cash flow for the Company is equal to the interest income received from a variable rate loan originated with the customer. The fair value of these derivatives is based on a discounted cash flow approach. Due to the observable nature of the inputs used in deriving the fair value of these derivative contracts, the valuation of interest rate swaps is classified as Level 2.
Mortgage Servicing Rights: The Company retains servicing on some of its mortgage loans sold and elected the fair value option for these MSRs. Generally, the value is estimated based on a valuation from a third party provider that calculates the present value of the expected net servicing income from the portfolio based on key factors that include interest rates, prepayment assumptions, discount rate and estimated cash flows. Because of the significance of unobservable inputs, these servicing rights are classified as Level 3. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, MSRs held-for-sale of $2.9 million and $29.8 million, respectively, were valued based on a market bid adjusted for value associated with early payoffs and paydowns and included as Level 3.

16


The following table presents the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of dates indicated:
 
 
 
 
Fair Value Measurement Level
($ in thousands)
 
Carrying Value
 
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
 
Significant Other Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
 
Significant Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pools securities
 
$
970

 
$

 
$
970

 
$

U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
467,499

 

 
467,499

 

Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
664

 

 
664

 

Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
200,721

 

 
200,721

 

Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,754,739

 

 
1,754,739

 

Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value (1)
 
48,834

 

 
5,872

 
42,962

Mortgage servicing rights (2)
 
4,953

 

 

 
4,953

Derivative assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and caps (3)
 
1,159

 

 
1,159

 

Liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Derivative liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and caps (4)
 
1,136

 

 
1,136

 

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pools securities
 
$
1,058

 
$

 
$
1,058

 
$

U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
476,929

 

 
476,929

 

Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
756

 

 
756

 

Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
310,511

 

 
310,511

 

Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,702,318

 

 
1,702,318

 

Corporate debt securities
 
83,897

 

 
83,897

 

Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value (5)
 
105,299

 

 
6,359

 
98,940

Mortgage servicing rights (2)
 
31,852

 

 

 
31,852

Derivative assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and caps (3)
 
1,005

 

 
1,005

 

Liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Derivative liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and caps (4)
 
1,033

 

 
1,033

 

(1)
Includes loans held-for-sale carried at fair value of $29.9 million ($5.9 million at Level 2 and $24.0 million at Level 3) of discontinued operations, which are included in Assets of Discontinued Operations in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
(2)
Included in Servicing Rights, Net in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
(3)
Included in Other Assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
(4)
Included in Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
(5)
Includes loans held-for-sale carried at fair value of $38.7 million ($6.4 million at Level 2 and $32.3 million at Level 3) of discontinued operations, which are included in Assets of Discontinued Operations in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition


17


The following table presents a reconciliation of assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), on a consolidated operations basis, for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Mortgage servicing rights (1)
 
 
 
 
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
31,852

 
$
76,121

Transfers in and (out) of Level 3 (2)
 

 

Total gains or losses (realized/unrealized):
 
 
 
 
Included in earnings—fair value adjustment
 
(874
)
 
(44
)
Additions
 

 
7,801

Sales, paydowns, and other (3)
 
(26,025
)
 
(41,045
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
4,953

 
$
42,833

Loans repurchased or subject to repurchase option from GNMA Loan Pools (4)
 
 
 
 
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
98,940

 
$
58,260

Transfers in and (out) of Level 3 (2)
 

 

Total gains or losses (realized/unrealized):
 
 
 
 
Included in earnings—fair value adjustment
 
(6
)
 
9

Additions
 
24,620

 
17,296

Sales, settlements, and other
 
(80,592
)
 
(8,864
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
42,962

 
$
66,701

(1)
Includes MSRs of discontinued operations, which is included in Assets of Discontinued Operations in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, of $0 and $37.7 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 in balance at beginning of period, and $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 in balance at end of period
(2)
The Company’s policy is to recognize transfers in and transfers out as of the actual date of the event or change in circumstances that causes the transfer
(3)
Includes $37.8 million of MSRs sold as a part of discontinued operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017
(4)
Includes loans repurchased from GNMA Loan Pools of discontinued operations, which is included in Assets of Discontinued Operations in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, of $32.3 million and $58.3 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 in balance at beginning of period, and $24.0 million and $66.7 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 in balance at end of period
Loans repurchased from GNMA loan pools and loans previously sold to GNMA that are delinquent more than 90 days and subject to a repurchase option held by the Company had aggregate unpaid principal balances of $43.5 million and $99.7 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.
The following table presents, as of the dates indicated, quantitative information about Level 3 fair value measurements on a recurring basis, other than loans that become severely delinquent and are repurchased out of GNMA loan pools that were valued based on an estimate of the expected loss the Company will incur on these loans, which was included as Level 3 at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017:
($ in thousands)
 
Fair Value
 
Valuation Technique(s)
 
Unobservable Input(s)
 
Range (Weighted Average)
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mortgage servicing rights
 
$
2,102

 
Discounted cash flow
 
Discount rate
 
13.00% to 13.00% (13.00%)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepayment rate
 
10.57% to 50.71% (15.68%)
December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mortgage servicing rights (1)
 
$
2,059

 
Discounted cash flow
 
Discount rate
 
13.00% to 13.00% (13.00%)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepayment rate
 
10.04% to 49.97% (16.54%)
(1)
Excludes MSRs held-for-sale of $2.9 million and $29.8 million, respectively, which were valued based on a market bid adjusted for expected obligations arising from standard representations and warranties at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017

18


The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company’s servicing rights include the discount rate and prepayment rate. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company's loans repurchased from GNMA loan pools at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 included an expected loss rate of 1.55 percent for insured loans and 20.00 percent for uninsured loans. There may be inherent weaknesses in any calculation technique, and changes in the underlying assumptions used, including discount rates and estimates of future cash flows, could significantly affect the results.
Fair Value Option
Loans Held-for-Sale, Carried at Fair Value: The Company elected to measure certain SFR mortgage loans held-for-sale under the fair value option. Electing to measure SFR mortgage loans held-for-sale at fair value reduces certain timing differences and better matches changes in the value of these assets with changes in the value of derivatives used as economic hedges for these assets. The Company also elected to record loans repurchased from GNMA at fair value, as the Company intends to sell them after curing any defects and, accordingly, they are classified as held-for-sale. Loans previously sold to GNMA that are delinquent more than 90 days are subject to a repurchase option when that condition exists. These loans were re-recognized at fair value and offset by a secured borrowing, as the loans were still legally owned by GNMA.
The following table presents the fair value and aggregate principal balance of certain assets, on a consolidated operations basis, under the fair value option:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Fair Value
 
Unpaid Principal Balance
 
Difference
 
Fair Value
 
Unpaid Principal Balance
 
Difference
Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value in continuing operations:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total loans
 
$
18,946

 
$
19,573

 
$
(627
)
 
$
66,603

 
$
67,415

 
$
(812
)
Non-accrual loans (1)
 
9,246

 
9,412

 
(166
)
 
60,999

 
61,900

 
(901
)
Loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing
 

 

 

 

 

 

Loans held-for-sale, carried at fair value in discontinued operations:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total loans
 
$
29,888

 
$
30,600

 
$
(712
)
 
$
38,696

 
$
39,541

 
$
(845
)
Non-accrual loans (2)
 
13,870

 
13,916

 
(46
)
 
24,073

 
24,297

 
(224
)
Loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing
 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)
Includes loans guaranteed by the U.S. government of $7.8 million and $54.2 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017
(2)
Includes loans guaranteed by the U.S. government of $11.3 million and $20.7 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017
The assets and liabilities accounted for under the fair value option are initially measured at fair value. Gains and losses from initial measurement and subsequent changes in fair value are recognized in earnings. The following table presents changes in fair value related to initial measurement and subsequent changes in fair value included in earnings for these assets and liabilities measured at fair value for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Net gains (losses) from fair value changes
 
 
 
 
Net gain (loss) on sale of loans (continuing operations)
 
$
(15
)
 
$
24

Net revenue on mortgage banking activities (discontinued operations)
 
8

 
10,793

Changes in fair value due to instrument-specific credit risk were insignificant for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. Interest income on loans held-for-sale under the fair value option is measured based on the contractual interest rate and reported in Loans and Leases, including Fees under Interest and Dividend Income and Income from Discontinued Operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

19


Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Non-Recurring Basis
Impaired Loans and Leases: The fair value of impaired loans and leases with specific allocations of the ALLL based on collateral values is generally based on recent real estate appraisals. These appraisals may utilize a single valuation approach or a combination of approaches including comparable sales and the income approach. Adjustments are routinely made in the appraisal process by the appraisers to adjust for differences between the comparable sales and income data available. Such adjustments are typically deemed significant unobservable inputs used for determining fair value and result in a Level 3 classification.
Loans Held-for-Sale, Carried at Lower of Cost or Fair Value: The Company records non-conforming jumbo mortgage loans held-for-sale and certain non-residential mortgage loans held-of-sale at the lower of cost or fair value, on an aggregate basis. The Company obtains fair values from a third party independent valuation service provider. Loans held-for-sale accounted for at the lower of cost or fair value are considered to be recognized at fair value when they are recorded at below cost, on an aggregate basis, and are classified as Level 2.
SBA Servicing Assets: SBA servicing assets represent the value associated with servicing SBA loans that have been sold. The fair value for SBA servicing assets is determined through a discounted cash flow analysis that utilizes estimated market yield and projected prepayment speeds as inputs. All of these assumptions require a significant degree of management estimation and judgment. The fair market valuation is performed on a quarterly basis for SBA servicing assets. SBA servicing assets are accounted for at the lower of cost or market value and considered to be recognized at fair value when they are recorded at below cost and are classified as Level 3.
Other Real Estate Owned Assets: Other Real Estate Owned (OREO) assets initially are recorded at fair value at the time of foreclosure. Thereafter, they are recorded at the lower of cost or fair value. The fair value of other real estate owned assets is generally based on recent real estate appraisals adjusted for estimated selling costs. These appraisals may utilize a single valuation approach or a combination of approaches including comparable sales and the income approach. Adjustments are routinely made in the appraisal process by the appraisers to adjust for differences between the comparable sales and income data available. Such adjustments may be significant and result in a Level 3 classification due to the unobservable inputs used for determining fair value. Only OREO assets with a valuation allowance are considered to be carried at fair value. The Company recorded valuation allowance expense for OREO assets of $53 thousand and $9 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, in All Other Expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

20


The following table presents the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as of the dates indicated:
 
 
 
 
Fair Value Measurement Level
($ in thousands)
 
Carrying Value
 
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
 
Significant Other Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
 
Significant Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other real estate owned:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential
 
1,008

 

 

 
1,008

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impaired loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA
 
174

 

 

 
174

Other real estate owned:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential
 
1,415

 

 

 
1,415

The following table presents the gains and (losses) recognized on assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Impaired loans:
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
$
(115
)
 
$

Commercial and industrial
 
(60
)
 

SBA
 
(381
)
 

Other consumer
 
(141
)
 

Other real estate owned:
 
 
 
 
Single family residential
 
11

 
(8
)

21


Estimated Fair Values of Financial Instruments
The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of financial assets and liabilities, on a consolidated operations basis, as of the dates indicated:
 
 
Carrying Amount
 
Fair Value Measurement Level
($ in thousands)
 
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
346,704

 
$
346,704

 
$

 
$

 
$
346,704

Securities available-for-sale
 
2,424,593

 

 
2,424,593

 

 
2,424,593

Federal Home Loan Bank and other bank stock
 
82,715

 

 
82,715

 

 
82,715

Loans held-for-sale (1)
 
50,068

 

 
7,176

 
42,962

 
50,138

Loans and leases receivable, net of ALLL
 
6,875,744

 

 

 
6,838,745

 
6,838,745

Accrued interest receivable
 
36,941

 
36,941

 

 

 
36,941

Derivative assets
 
1,159

 

 
1,159

 

 
1,159

Financial liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Deposits
 
7,110,165

 

 

 
6,848,132

 
6,848,132

Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank
 
1,905,000

 

 
1,901,137

 

 
1,901,137

Long term debt
 
172,966

 

 
179,310

 

 
179,310

Derivative liabilities
 
1,136

 

 
1,136

 

 
1,136

Accrued interest payable
 
9,173

 
9,173

 

 

 
9,173

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
387,699

 
$
387,699

 
$

 
$

 
$
387,699

Securities available-for-sale
 
2,575,469

 

 
2,575,469

 

 
2,575,469

Federal Home Loan Bank and other bank stock
 
75,654

 

 
75,654

 

 
75,654

Loans held-for-sale (2)
 
105,765

 

 
6,866

 
98,940

 
105,806

Loans and leases receivable, net of ALLL
 
6,610,074

 

 

 
6,601,767

 
6,601,767

Accrued interest receivable
 
35,355

 
35,355

 

 

 
35,355

Derivative assets
 
1,005

 

 
1,005

 

 
1,005

Financial liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Deposits
 
7,292,903

 

 

 
7,063,613

 
7,063,613

Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank
 
1,695,000

 

 
1,695,039

 

 
1,695,039

Long term debt
 
172,941

 

 
180,560

 

 
180,560

Derivative liabilities
 
1,033

 

 
1,033

 

 
1,033

Accrued interest payable
 
7,321

 
7,321

 

 

 
7,321

(1)
Includes loans held-for-sale carried at fair value of $29.9 million ($5.9 million at Level 2 and $24.0 million at Level 3) of discontinued operations
(2)
Includes loans held-for-sale carried at fair value of $38.7 million ($6.4 million at Level 2 and $32.3 million at Level 3) of discontinued operations

22


The methods and assumptions used to estimate fair value are described as follows:
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Time Deposits in Financial Institutions: The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents and time deposits in financial institutions approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments (Level 1).
Federal Home Loan Bank and Other Bank Stock: Federal Home Loan Bank and other bank stock are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value. Ownership of FHLB stock is restricted to member banks, and purchases and sales of these securities are at par value with the issuer (Level 2).
Loans and Leases Receivable, Net of ALLL: The fair value of loans and leases receivable is estimated based on a discounted cash flow approach under an exit price notion. The fair value reflects the estimated yield that would be negotiated with a willing market participant. Because sale transactions of such loans are not readily observable, as many of the loans have unique risk characteristics, the valuation is based on significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).
Accrued Interest Receivable: The carrying amount of accrued interest receivable approximates its fair value (Level 1).
Deposits: The fair value of deposits is estimated based on discounted cash flows. The cash flows for non-maturity deposits, including savings accounts and money market checking, are estimated based on their historical decaying experiences. The discount rate used for fair valuation is based on interest rates currently being offered by the Bank on comparable deposits as to amount and term (Level 3).
Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank and Other Borrowings: The fair values of advances from FHLB and other borrowings are estimated based on a discounted cash flow approach. The discount rate was derived from the current market rates for borrowings with similar remaining maturities (Level 2).
Long-Term Debt: Fair value of long-term debt is determined by observable data such as market spreads, cash flows, yield curves, credit information, and respective terms and conditions for debt instruments (Level 2).
Accrued Interest Payable: The carrying amount of accrued interest payable approximates its fair value (Level 1).



23


NOTE 4 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES
The following table presents the amortized cost and fair value of the investment securities portfolio as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
Amortized Cost
 
Gross Unrealized Gains
 
Gross Unrealized Losses
 
Fair Value
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pool securities
 
$
982

 
$

 
$
(12
)
 
$
970

U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
493,757

 
7

 
(26,265
)
 
467,499

Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
651

 
14

 
(1
)
 
664

Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
201,613

 
334

 
(1,226
)
 
200,721

Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,743,941

 
10,899

 
(101
)
 
1,754,739

Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
2,440,944

 
$
11,254

 
$
(27,605
)
 
$
2,424,593

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pool securities
 
$
1,056

 
$
2

 
$

 
$
1,058

U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
492,255

 
10

 
(15,336
)
 
476,929

Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
741

 
16

 
(1
)
 
756

Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
305,172

 
5,339

 

 
310,511

Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,691,455

 
11,129

 
(266
)
 
1,702,318

Corporate debt securities
 
76,714

 
7,183

 

 
83,897

Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
2,567,393

 
$
23,679

 
$
(15,603
)
 
$
2,575,469

During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company evaluated its securities held-to-maturity and determined that certain securities no longer adhere to the Company’s strategic focus and could be sold or reinvested to potentially improve the Company’s liquidity position or duration profile. Accordingly, the Company was no longer able to assert that it had the intent to hold these securities until maturity. As a result, the Company transferred all $740.9 million of its securities held-to-maturity to securities available-for-sale, which resulted in a pre-tax increase to accumulated other comprehensive income of $22.0 million as of June 30, 2017. Due to the transfer, the Company’s ability to assert that it has the intent and ability to hold to maturity debt securities will be limited for the foreseeable future.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company completed the sale of all remaining corporate debt securities totaling $76.8 million to reposition its securities available-for-sale portfolio. At March 31, 2018, the Company's investment securities portfolio consisted of SBA loan pool securities, mortgage-backed securities, and collateralized loan obligations. The expected maturities of these types of securities may differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were no holdings of any one issuer, other than the U.S. Government and its agencies, in an amount greater than 10 percent of the Company's stockholders’ equity.
The following table presents proceeds from sales and calls of securities available-for-sale and the associated gross gains and losses realized through earnings upon the sales and calls of securities available-for-sale for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Gross realized gains on sales and calls of securities available-for-sale
 
$
5,241

 
$
3,356

Gross realized losses on sales and calls of securities available-for-sale
 

 

Net realized gains on sales and calls of securities available-for-sale
 
$
5,241

 
$
3,356

Proceeds from sales and calls of securities available-for-sale
 
$
287,517

 
$
378,539

Tax expense on sales and calls of securities available-for-sale
 
$
1,537

 
$
1,396

Investment securities with carrying values of $571.4 million and $564.4 million as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, were pledged to secure FHLB advances, public deposits, repurchase agreements, and for other purposes as required or permitted by law.

24


The following table summarizes the investment securities with unrealized losses by security type and length of time in a continuous unrealized loss position as of the dates indicated:
 
 
Less Than 12 Months
 
12 Months or Longer
 
Total
($ in thousands)
 
Fair Value
 
Gross Unrealized Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Gross Unrealized Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Gross Unrealized Losses
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pool securities
 
$
970

 
$
(12
)
 
$

 
$

 
$
970

 
$
(12
)
U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
$
13,570

 
$
(281
)
 
$
449,970

 
$
(25,984
)
 
$
463,540

 
$
(26,265
)
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 

 

 
118

 
(1
)
 
118

 
(1
)
Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
144,673

 
(1,226
)
 

 

 
144,673

 
(1,226
)
Collateralized loan obligations
 
66,749

 
(101
)
 

 

 
66,749

 
(101
)
Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
225,962

 
$
(1,620
)
 
$
450,088

 
$
(25,985
)
 
$
676,050

 
$
(27,605
)
December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
$
4,880

 
$
(35
)
 
$
470,092

 
$
(15,301
)
 
$
474,972

 
$
(15,336
)
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 

 

 
148

 
(1
)
 
148

 
(1
)
Collateralized loan obligations
 
104,334

 
(266
)
 

 

 
104,334

 
(266
)
Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
109,214

 
$
(301
)
 
$
470,240

 
$
(15,302
)
 
$
579,454

 
$
(15,603
)
The Company did not record OTTI for investment securities for the three months ended March 31, 2018 or 2017.
At March 31, 2018, the Company’s securities available-for-sale portfolio consisted of 177 securities, 56 of which were in an unrealized loss position. At December 31, 2017, the Company’s securities available-for-sale portfolio consisted of 191 securities, 33 of which were in an unrealized loss position.
The Company monitors its securities portfolio to ensure it has adequate credit support. As of March 31, 2018, the Company believed there was no OTTI and did not have the intent to sell its securities in an unrealized loss position and it is not likely that it will be required to sell these securities before their anticipated recovery. The Company considers the lowest credit rating for identification of potential OTTI. As of March 31, 2018, all of the Company's investment securities in an unrealized loss position received an investment grade credit rating.
NOTE 5 – LOANS AND LEASES AND ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN AND LEASE LOSSES
The Company's loan and lease portfolio includes Non-Traditional Mortgage (NTM) loans. The Company’s NTM portfolio is comprised of three interest only products: Green Account Loans (Green Loans), which are a type of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), fixed or adjustable rate hybrid interest only mortgage (Interest Only) loans and a small number of additional loans with the potential for negative amortization.
The following table presents the balances in the Company’s loans and leases portfolio as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
NTM Loans
 
Traditional Loans and Leases
 
Total Loans and Leases Receivable
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$

 
$
1,638,559

 
$
1,638,559

Commercial real estate
 

 
773,193

 
773,193

Multifamily
 

 
1,944,082

 
1,944,082

SBA
 

 
79,022

 
79,022

Construction
 

 
200,766

 
200,766

Lease financing
 

 
3

 
3

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
843,255

 
1,358,103

 
2,201,358

Other consumer
 
3,545

 
89,979

 
93,524

Total loans and leases
 
$
846,800

 
$
6,083,707

 
$
6,930,507

Allowance for loan and lease losses
 
 
 
 
 
(54,763
)
Loans and leases receivable, net
 
 
 
 
 
$
6,875,744

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$

 
$
1,701,951

 
$
1,701,951

Commercial real estate
 

 
717,415

 
717,415

Multifamily
 

 
1,816,141

 
1,816,141

SBA
 

 
78,699

 
78,699

Construction
 

 
182,960

 
182,960

Lease financing
 

 
13

 
13

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
803,355

 
1,252,294

 
2,055,649

Other consumer
 
3,578

 
103,001

 
106,579

Total loans and leases
 
$
806,933

 
$
5,852,474

 
$
6,659,407

Allowance for loan and lease losses
 
 
 
 
 
(49,333
)
Loans and leases receivable, net
 
 
 
 
 
$
6,610,074




25


Non-Traditional Mortgage Loans
The following table presents the composition of the NTM portfolio as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
Green Loans (HELOC) - first liens
 
99

 
$
79,248

 
9.4
%
 
101

 
$
82,197

 
10.2
%
Interest-only - first liens
 
499

 
760,370

 
89.8
%
 
468

 
717,484

 
88.9
%
Negative amortization
 
11

 
3,637

 
0.4
%
 
11

 
3,674

 
0.5
%
Total NTM - first liens
 
609

 
843,255

 
99.6
%
 
580

 
803,355

 
99.6
%
Green Loans (HELOC) - second liens
 
12

 
3,545

 
0.4
%
 
12

 
3,578

 
0.4
%
Total NTM - second liens
 
12

 
3,545

 
0.4
%
 
12

 
3,578

 
0.4
%
Total NTM loans
 
621

 
$
846,800

 
100.0
%
 
592

 
$
806,933

 
100.0
%
Total loans and leases
 
 
 
$
6,930,507

 
 
 
 
 
$
6,659,407

 
 
% of NTM to total loans and leases
 
 
 
12.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
12.1
%
 
 
Green Loans
Green Loans are SFR first and second mortgage lines of credit with a linked checking account that allows all types of deposits and withdrawals to be performed. The loans are generally interest only with a 15-year balloon payment due at maturity. As a result of their unique payment feature, Green Loans possess higher credit risk due to the potential for negative amortization; however, management believes the risk is mitigated through the Company’s loan terms and underwriting standards, including its policies on loan-to-value (LTV) ratios and the Company’s contractual ability to curtail loans when the value of the underlying collateral declines. The Company discontinued origination of the Green Loan products in 2011.
Interest Only Loans
Interest only loans are primarily SFR first mortgage loans with payment features that allow interest only payments in initial periods before converting to a fully amortizing loan.
Loans with the Potential for Negative Amortization
The Company discontinued origination of negative amortization loans in 2007. Negative amortization loans other than Green Loans pose a potentially higher credit risk because of the lack of principal amortization and potential for negative amortization; however, management believes the risk is mitigated through the loan terms and underwriting standards, including the Company’s policies on LTV ratios.


26


Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses
The Company has established credit risk management processes that include regular management review of the loan and lease portfolio to identify problem loans and leases. During the ordinary course of business, management becomes aware of borrowers and lessees who may not be able to fulfill the contractual payment requirements of the loan and lease agreements. Such loans and leases are subject to increased monitoring. Consideration is given to placing the loan or lease on non-accrual status, assessing the need for additional ALLL, and partial or full charge-off of the principal balance. The Company maintains the ALLL at a level that is considered adequate to cover the estimated inherent risks in the loan and lease portfolio.
The Company also maintains a separate reserve for unfunded loan commitments at a level that is considered adequate to cover the estimated inherent risks. The estimated funding of the loan commitments and credit risk factors determined based on outstanding loans that share similar credit risk exposure are used to determine the adequacy of the reserve. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the reserve for unfunded loan commitments was $4.3 million and $3.7 million, respectively.
The credit risk monitoring system is designed to identify impaired and potential problem loans and to perform periodic evaluation of impairment and the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses in a timely manner. In addition, the Board of Directors of the Bank has adopted a credit policy that includes a credit review and control system that it believes should be effective in ensuring that the Company maintains an adequate allowance for loan and lease losses. The Board of Directors also provides oversight and guidance for management’s allowance evaluation process.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company, as part of its continuous evaluation of the ALLL methodology and assumptions, determined that it was appropriate to change from a rolling 28-quarter look-back period to a cumulative look-back period with a pegged (fixed) starting point (the quarter ended March 31, 2008). The Company believes that an extended period of observed credit loss stability warranted the review of a longer historical period that captured a full credit cycle. The Company further enhanced the methodology in the areas of qualitative adjustments and loan segmentation during the second quarter of 2017, and performed an annual update of the loss emergence period during the third quarter of 2017. These updates were designed to be systematic, transparent, and repeatable. The updates on qualitative adjustments and loan segmentation did not have a material impact.
The following table presents a summary of activity in the ALLL for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
49,333

 
$
40,444

Loans and leases charged off
 
(14,639
)
 
(357
)
Recoveries of loans and leases previously charged off
 
570

 
66

Provision for loan and lease losses
 
19,499

 
2,583

Balance at end of period
 
$
54,763

 
$
42,736

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded a charge-off of $13.9 million, which reflected the outstanding balance under a $15.0 million line of credit that was originated during the three months ended March 31, 2018. Subsequent to the granting of the line of credit, representations from the borrower in applying for the line of credit were determined by the Bank to be false, and third party bank account statements provided by the borrower to secure the line of credit were found to be fraudulent. The line of credit was granted after the borrower appeared to have satisfied a pre-condition that the line of credit be fully cash collateralized and secured by a bank account at a third party financial institution pledged to the Bank. As part of the Bank’s credit review and portfolio management process, the line of credit and disbursements were reviewed subsequent to closing and compliance with the borrower’s covenants was monitored. As part of this process, on March 9, 2018, the Bank received information that caused it to believe the existence of the pledged bank account had been misrepresented by the borrower and that the account had previously been closed. Although the Bank plans to pursue any available sources of collection and other potential means of mitigating the loss, no assurance can be given that it will be successful in this regard. Upon extensive review of the underwriting process for this loan, the Bank determined that this loan was the result of an isolated event of external fraud.


27


The following table presents the activity and balance in the ALLL and the recorded investment, excluding accrued interest, in loans and leases based on the impairment methodology as of or for the three months ended March 31, 2018:
($ in thousands)
 
Commercial and Industrial
 
Commercial Real Estate
 
Multifamily
 
SBA
 
Construction
 
Lease Financing
 
Single Family Residential Mortgage
 
Other Consumer
 
Total
ALLL:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at December 31, 2017
 
$
14,280

 
$
4,971

 
$
13,265

 
$
1,701

 
$
3,318

 
$

 
$
10,996

 
$
802

 
$
49,333

Charge-offs
 
(71
)
 

 

 
(381
)
 

 

 
(115
)
 
(14,072
)
 
(14,639
)
Recoveries
 
61

 

 

 
65

 

 
4

 
436

 
4

 
570

Provision
 
3,301

 
446

 
954

 
192

 
(98
)
 
(4
)
 
652

 
14,056

 
19,499

Balance at March 31, 2018
 
$
17,571

 
$
5,417

 
$
14,219

 
$
1,577

 
$
3,220

 
$

 
$
11,969

 
$
790

 
$
54,763

Individually evaluated for impairment
 
$
1,115

 
$

 
$

 
$
124

 
$

 
$

 
$
420

 
$
21

 
$
1,680

Collectively evaluated for impairment
 
16,456

 
5,417

 
14,219

 
1,453

 
3,220

 

 
11,549

 
769

 
53,083

Total ending ALLL balance
 
$
17,571

 
$
5,417

 
$
14,219

 
$
1,577

 
$
3,220

 
$

 
$
11,969

 
$
790

 
$
54,763

Loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Individually evaluated for impairment
 
$
5,265

 
$

 
$

 
$
359

 
$

 
$

 
$
19,667

 
$
766

 
$
26,057

Collectively evaluated for impairment
 
1,633,294

 
773,193

 
1,944,082

 
78,663

 
200,766

 
3

 
2,181,691

 
92,758

 
6,904,450

Total ending loan balances
 
$
1,638,559

 
$
773,193

 
$
1,944,082

 
$
79,022

 
$
200,766

 
$
3

 
$
2,201,358

 
$
93,524

 
$
6,930,507


28


The following table presents the activity and balance in the ALLL and the recorded investment, excluding accrued interest, in loans and leases based on the impairment methodology as of or for the three months ended March 31, 2017:
($ in thousands)
 
Commercial and Industrial
 
Commercial Real Estate
 
Multifamily
 
SBA
 
Construction
 
Lease Financing
 
Single Family Residential Mortgage
 
Other Consumer
 
Total
ALLL:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at December 31, 2016
 
$
7,584

 
$
5,467

 
$
11,376

 
$
939

 
$
2,015

 
$
6

 
$
12,075

 
$
982

 
$
40,444

Charge-offs
 
(250
)
 

 

 

 

 

 
(81
)
 
(26
)
 
(357
)
Recoveries
 

 

 

 
43

 

 
19

 
1

 
3

 
66

Provision
 
3,554

 
(924
)
 
(347
)
 
164

 
1,003

 
(20
)
 
(755
)
 
(92
)
 
2,583

Balance at March 31, 2017
 
$
10,888

 
$
4,543

 
$
11,029

 
$
1,146

 
$
3,018

 
$
5

 
$
11,240

 
$
867

 
$
42,736

Individually evaluated for impairment
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
250

 
$

 
$
250

Collectively evaluated for impairment
 
10,888

 
4,538

 
11,029

 
1,127

 
3,018

 
5

 
10,853

 
867

 
42,325

Acquired with deteriorated credit quality
 

 
5

 

 
19

 

 

 
137

 

 
161

Total ending ALLL balance
 
$
10,888

 
$
4,543

 
$
11,029

 
$
1,146

 
$
3,018

 
$
5

 
$
11,240

 
$
867

 
$
42,736

Loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Individually evaluated for impairment
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
1,528

 
$

 
$
10,984

 
$
883

 
$
13,395

Collectively evaluated for impairment
 
1,580,969

 
749,440

 
1,449,715

 
73,433

 
140,636

 
285

 
1,832,818

 
124,931

 
5,952,227

Acquired with deteriorated credit quality
 
4,687

 
1,152

 

 
2,607

 

 

 
131,253

 

 
139,699

Total ending loan balances
 
$
1,585,656

 
$
750,592

 
$
1,449,715

 
$
76,040

 
$
142,164

 
$
285

 
$
1,975,055

 
$
125,814

 
$
6,105,321


29


The following table presents loans and leases individually evaluated for impairment by class of loans and leases as of the dates indicated. The recorded investment, excluding accrued interest, presents customer balances net of any partial charge-offs recognized on the loans and leases and net of any deferred fees and costs and any purchase premium or discount.
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Unpaid Principal Balance
 
Recorded Investment
 
Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses
 
Unpaid Principal Balance
 
Recorded Investment
 
Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses
With no related ALLL recorded:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$
4,187

 
$
4,150

 
$

 
$
471

 
$
453

 
$

SBA
 
237

 
235

 

 
342

 
335

 

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
5,822

 
5,842

 

 
7,521

 
7,553

 

Other consumer
 
294

 
294

 

 
4,664

 
4,663

 

With an ALLL recorded:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
1,115

 
1,115

 
1,115

 
3,146

 
3,129

 
498

SBA
 
137

 
124

 
124

 
635

 
609

 
435

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
13,739

 
13,825

 
420

 
7,090

 
7,146

 
277

Other consumer
 
496

 
472

 
21

 
157

 
162

 
7

Total
 
$
26,027

 
$
26,057

 
$
1,680

 
$
24,026

 
$
24,050

 
$
1,217

The following table presents information on impaired loans and leases, disaggregated by class, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2018
 
2017
($ in thousands)
 
Average Recorded Investment
 
Interest Income Recognized
 
Cash Basis Interest Recognized
 
Average Recorded Investment
 
Interest Income Recognized
 
Cash Basis Interest Recognized
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$
5,333

 
$
3

 
$
3

 
$

 
$

 
$

SBA
 
373

 

 

 

 

 

Construction
 

 

 

 
1,528

 

 

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
19,715

 
57

 
49

 
11,055

 
43

 
43

Other consumer
 
749

 
3

 
2

 
889

 
2

 
1

Total
 
$
26,170

 
$
63

 
$
54

 
$
13,472

 
$
45

 
$
44



30


Past Due Loans and Leases
The following table presents the aging of the recorded investment in past due loans and leases as of dates indicated, excluding accrued interest receivable (which is not considered to be material), by class of loans and leases as of dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
30 - 59 Days Past Due
 
60 - 89 Days Past Due
 
Greater than 89 Days Past due
 
Total Past Due
 
Current
 
Total
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NTM loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
$
13,034

 
$
292

 
$
1,575

 
$
14,901

 
$
828,354

 
$
843,255

Other consumer
 
294

 

 

 
294

 
3,251

 
3,545

Total NTM loans
 
13,328

 
292

 
1,575

 
15,195

 
831,605

 
846,800

Traditional loans and leases:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
1,163

 
4,193

 
1,017

 
6,373

 
1,632,186

 
1,638,559

Commercial real estate
 
291

 

 

 
291

 
772,902

 
773,193

Multifamily
 

 

 

 

 
1,944,082

 
1,944,082

SBA
 
979

 

 
795

 
1,774

 
77,248

 
79,022

Construction
 

 

 

 

 
200,766

 
200,766

Lease financing
 

 

 

 

 
3

 
3

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
7,219

 
4,419

 
7,876

 
19,514

 
1,338,589

 
1,358,103

Other consumer
 
47

 
5

 
263

 
315

 
89,664

 
89,979

Total traditional loans and leases
 
9,699

 
8,617

 
9,951

 
28,267

 
6,055,440

 
6,083,707

Total
 
$
23,027

 
$
8,909

 
$
11,526

 
$
43,462

 
$
6,887,045

 
$
6,930,507

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NTM loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
$
9,060

 
$
1,879

 
$
1,171

 
$
12,110

 
$
791,245

 
$
803,355

Other consumer
 

 

 

 

 
3,578

 
3,578

Total NTM loans
 
9,060

 
1,879

 
1,171

 
12,110

 
794,823

 
806,933

Traditional loans and leases:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
136

 
3,595

 
948

 
4,679

 
1,697,272

 
1,701,951

Commercial real estate
 

 

 

 

 
717,415

 
717,415

Multifamily
 

 

 

 

 
1,816,141

 
1,816,141

SBA
 
3,578

 

 
1,319

 
4,897

 
73,802

 
78,699

Construction
 

 

 

 

 
182,960

 
182,960

Lease financing
 

 

 

 

 
13

 
13

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
6,862

 
3,370

 
6,012

 
16,244

 
1,236,050

 
1,252,294

Other consumer
 
3,194

 
413

 
92

 
3,699

 
99,302

 
103,001

Total traditional loans and leases
 
13,770

 
7,378

 
8,371

 
29,519

 
5,822,955

 
5,852,474

Total
 
$
22,830

 
$
9,257

 
$
9,542

 
$
41,629

 
$
6,617,778

 
$
6,659,407



31


Non-accrual Loans and Leases
The following table presents non-accrual loans and leases, and loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
NTM Loans
 
Traditional Loans and Leases
 
Total
 
NTM Loans
 
Traditional Loans and Leases
 
Total
Non-accrual loans and leases (1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$

 
$
5,239

 
$
5,239

 
$

 
$
3,723

 
$
3,723

SBA
 

 
1,171

 
1,171

 

 
1,781

 
1,781

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
1,575

 
12,763

 
14,338

 
1,171

 
8,176

 
9,347

Other consumer
 

 
472

 
472

 

 
4,531

 
4,531

Total non-accrual loans and leases
 
$
1,575

 
$
19,645

 
$
21,220

 
$
1,171

 
$
18,211

 
$
19,382

Loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

(1) The Company maintained ALLL individually evaluated for impairment for these loans of $1.6 million and $1.1 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively
Loans in Process of Foreclosure
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, SFR mortgage loans of $2.8 million and $4.3 million, respectively, were in the process of foreclosure.
Troubled Debt Restructurings
A modification of a loan constitutes a troubled debt restructuring (TDR) when the Company, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, grants a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise consider. The concessions may be granted in various forms, including reduction in the stated interest rate, reduction in the amount of principal amortization, forgiveness of a portion of the loan balance or accrued interest, or extension of the maturity date. In order to determine whether a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty, an evaluation is performed of the probability that the borrower will be in payment default on any of its debt in the foreseeable future without the modification. This evaluation is performed under the Company’s internal underwriting policy.
TDR loans consist of the following as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
NTM Loans
 
Traditional Loans
 
Total
 
NTM Loans
 
Traditional Loans
 
Total
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$

 
$
2,795

 
$
2,795

 
$

 
$
2,675

 
$
2,675

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
2,691

 
2,639

 
5,330

 
2,699

 
2,653

 
5,352

Other consumer
 
294

 

 
294

 
294

 

 
294

Total
 
$
2,985

 
$
5,434

 
$
8,419

 
$
2,993

 
$
5,328

 
$
8,321

The Company had no commitments to lend to customers with outstanding loans that were classified as TDRs as of March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017.

32


The following table summarizes the pre-modification and post-modification balances of the new TDRs for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2018
 
2017
($ in thousands)
 
Number of Loans
 
Pre-Modification Outstanding Recorded Investment
 
Post-Modification Outstanding Recorded Investment
 
Number of Loans
 
Pre-Modification Outstanding Recorded Investment
 
Post-Modification Outstanding Recorded Investment
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
2

 
$
171

 
$
163

 

 
$

 
$

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 

 

 

 
2

 
1,266

 
1,273

Total
 
2

 
$
171

 
$
163

 
2

 
$
1,266

 
$
1,273

The following table summarizes new TDRs by modification type for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended
 
 
Modification Type
 
 
Change in Principal Payments and Interest Rates
 
Change in Principal Payments
 
Change in Interest Rates
 
Bankruptcy Discharges
 
Total
($ in thousands)
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Count
 
Amount
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 

 
$

 
2

 
$
163

 

 
$

 

 
$

 
2

 
$
163

Total
 

 
$

 
2

 
$
163

 

 
$

 

 

 
2

 
$
163

March 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
1

 
$
130

 
1

 
$
1,143

 

 
$

 

 

 
2

 
$
1,273

Total
 
1

 
$
130

 
1

 
$
1,143

 

 
$

 

 

 
2

 
$
1,273

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, there was no loan that was modified as a TDR during the past 12 months that had payment defaults during the period. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, there was one loan with a principal balance of $124 thousand that was modified as TDRs during the past 12 months that had payment defaults during the period.

33


Credit Quality Indicators
The Company categorizes loans and leases into risk categories based on relevant information about the ability of borrowers to service their debt such as: current financial information, historical payment experience, credit documentation, public information, and current economic trends, among other factors. The Company performs historical loss analysis that is combined with a comprehensive loan or lease to value analysis to analyze the associated risks in the current loan and lease portfolio. The Company analyzes loans and leases individually by classifying the loans and leases as to credit risk. This analysis includes all loans and leases delinquent over 60 days and non-homogeneous loans and leases such as commercial and commercial real estate loans and leases. The Company uses the following definitions for risk ratings:
Pass: Loans and leases classified as pass are in compliance in all respects with the Bank’s credit policy and regulatory requirements, and do not exhibit any potential or defined weakness as defined under “Special Mention”, “Substandard” or “Doubtful”.
Special Mention: Loans and leases classified as special mention have a potential weakness that deserves management’s close attention. If left uncorrected, these potential weaknesses may result in deterioration of the repayment prospects for the loan or lease or of the Company’s credit position at some future date.
Substandard: Loans and leases classified as substandard are inadequately protected by the current net worth and paying capacity of the obligor or of the collateral pledged, if any. Loans and leases so classified have a well-defined weakness or weaknesses that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt. They are characterized by the distinct possibility that the institution will sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected.
Doubtful: Loans and leases classified as doubtful have all the weaknesses inherent in those classified as substandard, with the added characteristic that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions, and values, highly questionable and improbable.
Loans and leases not meeting the criteria above that are analyzed individually as part of the above described process are considered to be pass rated loans and leases.

34


The following table presents the risk categories for total loans and leases as of dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
Pass
 
Special Mention
 
Substandard
 
Doubtful
 
Total
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NTM loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
$
839,811

 
$
1,577

 
$
1,867

 
$

 
$
843,255

Other consumer
 
3,545

 

 

 

 
3,545

Total NTM loans
 
843,356

 
1,577

 
1,867

 

 
846,800

Traditional loans and leases:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
1,585,874

 
7,019

 
45,666

 

 
1,638,559

Commercial real estate
 
768,952

 

 
4,241

 

 
773,193

Multifamily
 
1,942,456

 
536

 
1,090

 

 
1,944,082

SBA
 
72,273

 
1,831

 
4,638

 
280

 
79,022

Construction
 
200,766

 

 

 

 
200,766

Lease financing
 
3

 

 

 

 
3

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
1,343,107

 
2,234

 
12,762

 

 
1,358,103

Other consumer
 
89,169

 
320

 
490

 

 
89,979

Total traditional loans and leases
 
6,002,600

 
11,940

 
68,887

 
280

 
6,083,707

Total
 
$
6,845,956

 
$
13,517

 
$
70,754

 
$
280

 
$
6,930,507

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NTM loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
$
800,589

 
$
1,595

 
$
1,171

 
$

 
$
803,355

Other consumer
 
3,578

 

 

 

 
3,578

Total NTM loans
 
804,167

 
1,595

 
1,171

 

 
806,933

Traditional loans and leases:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
1,651,628

 
33,376

 
16,947

 

 
1,701,951

Commercial real estate
 
713,131

 

 
4,284

 

 
717,415

Multifamily
 
1,815,601

 
540

 

 

 
1,816,141

SBA
 
72,417

 
1,555

 
4,621

 
106

 
78,699

Construction
 
182,960

 

 

 

 
182,960

Lease financing
 
13

 

 

 

 
13

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
1,240,866

 
2,282

 
9,146

 

 
1,252,294

Other consumer
 
98,030

 
422

 
4,549

 

 
103,001

Total traditional loans and leases
 
5,774,646

 
38,175

 
39,547

 
106

 
5,852,474

Total
 
$
6,578,813

 
$
39,770

 
$
40,718

 
$
106

 
$
6,659,407




35


Purchases, Sales, and Transfers
The Company had no purchases or sales of loans and leases, excluding loans held-for-sale, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The following table presents loans and leases transferred from (to) loans held-for-sale by portfolio segment for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2018
 
2017
($ in thousands)
 
Transfers from Held-For-Sale
 
Transfers (to) Held-For-Sale
 
Transfers from Held-For-Sale
 
Transfers (to) Held-For-Sale
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Multifamily
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
(6,583
)
Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 

 
(2,184
)
 

 
(236,510
)
Other consumer
 

 
(4,362
)
 

 

Total
 
$

 
$
(6,546
)
 
$

 
$
(243,093
)
Purchased Credit Impaired Loans
The Company had no PCI loans at March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017, due mainly to the sale of seasoned SFR mortgage PCI loans during the year ended December 31, 2017. The Company had acquired loans through business combinations and purchases of loan pools for which there was evidence of deterioration of credit quality subsequent to origination and it was probable, at acquisition, that all contractually required payments would not be collected.
The following table presents a summary of accretable yield, or income expected to be collected, for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$

 
$
41,181

Accretion of income
 

 
(1,949
)
Changes in expected cash flows
 

 
(225
)
Disposals
 

 
(316
)
Balance at end of period
 
$

 
$
38,691

During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company transferred seasoned SFR mortgage PCI loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance and aggregate carrying value of $147.5 million and $128.4 million, respectively, to loans held-for-sale. The Company transferred these PCI loans at lower of cost or fair value and recorded a fair value adjustment of $274 thousand against its ALLL. During the three months ended September 30, 2017, all of transferred seasoned SFR mortgage PCI loans were sold and the Company recognized a net gain on sale of loans of $3.7 million.

36


NOTE 6 – SERVICING RIGHTS
The Company retains MSRs from certain of its sales of residential mortgage loans. MSRs on residential mortgage loans are reported at fair value. Income earned by the Company on its MSRs is derived primarily from contractually specified mortgage servicing fees and late fees, net of curtailment costs and third party subservicing costs. The Company retains servicing rights in connection with its SBA loan operations, which are measured using the amortization method.
The following table presents a composition of total income from servicing rights, which is reported in Loan Servicing Income on the Consolidated Statements of Operations, on a consolidated operations basis, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Servicing fees for sold loans with servicing retained
 
$
3,231

 
$
6,210

Losses on the fair value and runoff of servicing rights
 
(920
)
 
(1,903
)
Total income from servicing rights
 
$
2,311

 
$
4,307

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company entered into a flow-agreement establishing general terms for the purchase and sale to a third party MSR investor in connection with SFR mortgage loan sales to GSEs. The flow-agreement allowed the Company to sell its MSRs to a third party investor contemporaneous with the Company’s sales of its servicing retained SFR mortgages to the GSEs. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company suspended sales of MSRs under the flow-agreement. The Company does not expect to resume sales under the flow-agreement, as the Company has discontinued its mortgage banking activities.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company sold $26.0 million of MSRs on approximately $3.21 billion in unpaid principal balances of conventional agency mortgage loans for cash consideration of $27.3 million, subject to adjustment under certain circumstances. This transaction resulted in a loss on sale of MSRs of $2.3 million, primarily related to transaction costs, provision for early repayments of loans and expected repurchase obligations under standard representations and warranties.
The following table presents a composition of servicing rights, on a consolidated operations basis, as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
Mortgage servicing rights, at fair value
 
$
4,953

 
$
31,852

SBA servicing rights, at amortized cost
 
1,786

 
1,856

Total
 
$
6,739

 
$
33,708

Mortgage loans sold with servicing retained are subserviced by a third party vendor. The unpaid principal balance of these loans at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $591.2 million and $3.94 billion, respectively. Custodial escrow balances maintained in connection with serviced loans were $1.5 million and $17.8 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.
Mortgage Servicing Rights
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, MSRs held-for-sale of $2.9 million and $29.8 million, respectively, were valued based on a market bid adjusted for expected obligations under standard representations and warranties and included as Level 3 fair value. The following table presents the key characteristics, inputs and economic assumptions used to estimate the Level 3 fair value of the MSRs as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
Fair value of retained MSRs
 
$
2,102

 
$
2,059

Discount rate
 
13.00
%
 
13.00
%
Constant prepayment rate
 
15.68
%
 
16.54
%
Weighted-average life
 
5.30 years

 
5.07 years


37


The following table presents activity in the MSRs, on a consolidated operations basis, for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
31,852

 
$
76,121

Additions
 

 
7,801

Sales of servicing rights (1)
 
(25,979
)
 
(39,186
)
Changes in fair value resulting from valuation inputs or assumptions
 
(874
)
 
(44
)
Other
 
(46
)
 
(1,859
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
4,953

 
$
42,833

(1) Includes $37.8 million of MSRs sold as a part of discontinued operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
SBA Servicing Rights
The Company used a discount rate of 8.75 percent to calculate the present value of cash flows and an estimated prepayment speed based on prepayment data available. Discount rates and prepayment speeds are reviewed quarterly and adjusted as appropriate. The following table presents activity in the SBA servicing rights for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
1,856

 
$
1,496

Additions
 

 
186

Amortization, including prepayments
 
(70
)
 
(47
)
Impairment
 

 
(17
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
1,786

 
$
1,618


38


NOTE 7 – OTHER REAL ESTATE OWNED
The following table presents the activity in OREO for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
1,796

 
$
2,502

Additions
 

 
1,171

Sales and net direct write-downs
 
(719
)
 
(325
)
Net change in valuation allowance
 
(53
)
 
(3
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
1,024

 
$
3,345

The following table presents the activity in the OREO valuation allowance included in All Other Expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
242

 
$
6

Additions
 
143

 
9

Recoveries
 
(90
)
 

Net direct write-downs and removals from sale
 

 
(6
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
295

 
$
9

The following table presents expenses related to foreclosed assets included in All Other Expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Net gain (loss) on sales
 
$
64

 
$
(5
)
Operating expenses, net of rental income
 
(48
)
 
(4
)
Total
 
$
16

 
$
(9
)
The Company did not provide loans to finance the purchase of its OREO properties during the three months ended March 31, 2018 or 2017.

39


NOTE 8 – GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had goodwill of $37.1 million. The Company conducts its evaluation of goodwill impairment as of August 31 each year, and more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that there may be impairment. The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment test as of August 31, 2017 and determined that no goodwill impairment existed.
Goodwill was allocated between the Commercial Banking and Mortgage Banking segments using a relative fair value approach in connection with the Company's realignment of segment reporting at December 31, 2014. The carrying values of goodwill allocated to the reportable segments were $37.1 million and $2.1 million to the Commercial Banking segment and Mortgage Banking segment, respectively, at December 31, 2016. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company discontinued its mortgage banking operations and wrote off goodwill of $2.1 million, which was previously allocated to its Mortgage Banking segment, against the gain on disposal of discontinued operations. See Note 2 for additional information.
Core deposit intangibles are amortized over their useful lives ranging from 4 to 10 years. As of March 31, 2018, the weighted average remaining amortization period for core deposit intangibles was approximately 5.8 years.
($ in thousands)
 
Gross Carrying Value
 
Accumulated Amortization
 
Net Carrying Value
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
Core deposit intangibles
 
$
30,904

 
$
22,394

 
$
8,510

December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
Core deposit intangibles
 
$
30,904

 
$
21,551

 
$
9,353

Aggregate amortization of intangible assets was $843 thousand and $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The following table presents estimated future amortization expenses as of March 31, 2018:
($ in thousands)
 
Remainder of 2018
 
2019
 
2020
 
2021
 
2022 and After
 
Total
Estimated future amortization expense
 
$
2,164

 
$
2,195

 
$
1,518

 
$
1,081

 
$
1,552

 
$
8,510

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company also wrote off a customer relationship intangible of $246 thousand and a trade name intangible of $90 thousand related to RenovationReady. RenovationReady was acquired in 2014 and provided specialized loan services to financial institutions and mortgage bankers that originate agency eligible residential renovation and construction loan products.

40


NOTE 9 – FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK ADVANCES AND OTHER BORROWINGS
The following table presents the Company's advances from the FHLB as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
Fixed rate:
 
 
 
 
Outstanding balance
 
$
730,000

 
$
550,000

Interest rates ranging from
 
1.23
%
 
1.23
%
Interest rates ranging to
 
3.00
%
 
3.00
%
Weighted average interest rate
 
2.19
%
 
2.02
%
Variable rate:
 
 
 
 
Outstanding balance
 
1,175,000

 
1,145,000

Weighted average interest rate
 
1.86
%
 
1.40
%
Each advance is payable at its maturity date. Advances paid early are subject to a prepayment penalty. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Bank’s advances from the FHLB were collateralized by certain real estate loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of $3.48 billion and $2.90 billion, respectively, and securities with carrying values of $422.2 million and $405.6 million, respectively. The Bank’s investment in capital stock of the FHLB of San Francisco totaled $55.8 million and $48.7 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Based on this collateral, the Bank's financing availability, and the Bank’s holdings of FHLB stock, the Bank was eligible to borrow an additional $1.09 billion at March 31, 2018.
The Bank maintained a line of credit of $64.7 million from the Federal Reserve Discount Window, to which the Bank pledged securities with a carrying value of $108.1 million with no outstanding borrowings at March 31, 2018. The Bank maintained available unsecured federal funds lines with correspondent banks totaling $210.0 million at March 31, 2018.
The Bank also maintained repurchase agreements and had no outstanding securities sold under agreements to repurchase at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Availabilities and terms on repurchase agreements are subject to the counterparties' discretion and pledging additional investment securities.
On June 30, 2017, the Company voluntarily terminated a line of credit of $75.0 million that was maintained at the holding company level with an unaffiliated financial institution. The line had a maturity date of July 17, 2017 and a floating interest rate equal to a London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rate plus 2.25 percent or The Wall Street Journal’s prime rate (Prime Rate). The Company had $50.0 million of borrowings outstanding under the line, which were repaid in connection with the termination of the line. The proceeds of the line were used for working capital purposes.


41


NOTE 10 – LONG-TERM DEBT
The following table presents the Company's long-term debt as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Par Value
 
Discount
 
Par Value
 
Discount
5.25% senior notes due April 15, 2025
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,034
)
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,059
)
Total
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,034
)
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,059
)
Senior Notes
On April 6, 2015, the Company completed the issuance and sale of $175.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.25 percent senior notes due April 15, 2025 (the Senior Notes). Net proceeds after discounts were approximately $172.8 million.
The Senior Notes are the Company’s senior unsecured debt obligations and rank equally with all of the Company’s other present and future unsecured unsubordinated obligations. The Company makes interest payments on the Senior Notes semi-annually in arrears.
The Company may, at its option, on or after January 15, 2025 (i.e., 90 days prior to the maturity date), redeem the Senior Notes in whole at any time or in part from time to time, in each case on not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ prior notice. The Senior Notes will be redeemable at a redemption price equal to 100 percent of the principal amount of the Senior Notes to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption.
The Senior Notes were issued under the Senior Debt Securities Indenture, dated as of April 23, 2012 (the Base Indenture), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture dated as of April 6, 2015 (the Supplemental Indenture and together with the Base Indenture, the Indenture). The Indenture contains several covenants which, among other things, restrict the Company’s ability and the ability of the Company’s subsidiaries to dispose of or incur liens on the voting stock of certain subsidiaries and also contains customary events of default.
Tangible Equity Units – Junior Subordinated Amortizing Notes
On May 21, 2014, the Company issued and sold $69.0 million of 8.00 percent tangible equity units (TEUs) in an underwritten public offering. A total of 1,380,000 TEUs were issued, including 180,000 TEUs issued to the underwriter upon exercise of its overallotment option, with each TEU having a stated amount of $50.00. Each TEU was comprised of (i) a prepaid stock purchase contract (each a Purchase Contract) settled by delivery of a specified number of shares of Company Common Stock and (ii) a junior subordinated amortizing note due May 15, 2017 (each an Amortizing Note) that had an initial principal amount of $10.604556 per Amortizing Note, bore interest at a rate of 7.50 percent per annum and had a final installment payment date of May 15, 2017.
The Purchase Contracts and Amortizing Notes were accounted for separately. The Purchase Contract component of the TEUs was recorded in Additional Paid in Capital in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. The Amortizing Note component was recorded in Long Term Debt in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. The relative fair values of the Amortizing Notes and Purchase Contracts were estimated to be approximately $14.6 million and $54.4 million, respectively, at the date of issuance. Total issuance costs associated with the TEUs were $4.0 million (including the underwriter discount of $3.3 million), of which $857 thousand was allocated to the debt component and $3.2 million was allocated to the equity component of the TEUs. The portion of the issuance costs allocated to the debt component of the TEUs was amortized over the term of the Amortizing Notes.
On each August 15, November 15, February 15 and May 15, commencing on August 15, 2014, the Company paid holders of Amortizing Notes equal quarterly cash installments of $1.00 per Amortizing Note (or, in the case of the installment payment due on August 15, 2014, $0.933333 per Amortizing Note) (such installments, the installment payments), which installment payments in the aggregate were equivalent to a 8.00 percent cash distribution per year with respect to each $50.00 stated amount of TEUs. Each installment payment constituted a payment of interest (at a rate of 7.50 percent per annum) and a partial repayment of principal on each Amortizing Note.
On May 15, 2017, the Company made the final installment payment on the Amortizing Notes and all Purchase Contracts that had not previously been settled were settled. See Note 15 for additional information.

42


NOTE 11 – INCOME TAXES
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, income tax benefit of continuing operations was $6.4 million and $6.5 million, respectively, and the effective tax rate was (881.1) percent and (222.8) percent, respectively. The Company recognized income tax benefits due mainly to the recognition of year-to-date tax credits from the investments in alternative energy partnerships of $7.3 million and $8.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 and the decrease in the federal statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% as a result of H.R. 1, originally known (and referred to below) as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”, which became effective on January 1, 2018. The Company uses the flow-through income statement method to account for the investment tax credits earned on the solar investments. Under this method, the investment tax credits are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense and the initial book-tax difference in the basis of the investments are recognized as additional tax expense in the year they are earned.
The Company accounts for income taxes by recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities based upon temporary differences between the amounts for financial reporting purposes and tax basis of its assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management will continue to evaluate both positive and negative evidence on a quarterly basis, including the existence of any cumulative losses in the current year and the prior two years, the amount of taxes paid in available carry-back years, future taxable income and tax planning strategies. Based on this analysis, management determined that it was more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets would be realized; therefore, no valuation allowance was provided against the net deferred tax assets of $43.2 million and $31.1 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The increase in net deferred tax assets was primarily due to a decrease of $7.9 million in deferred tax liabilities resulting from the sale of mortgage servicing rights and an increase of $7.2 million in deferred tax assets from the increase of unrealized loss on securities available-for-sale.
ASC 740-10-25 relates to the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements. ASC 740-10-25 prescribes a threshold and a measurement process for recognizing in the financial statements a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $1.1 million and $1.0 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The Company does not expect the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits to significantly change in the next twelve months. As of March 31, 2018, the total unrecognized tax benefit that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate is $901 thousand. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties. In the event the Company is assessed interest and/or penalties by federal or state tax authorities, such amounts will be classified in the consolidated financial statements as income tax expense.
The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to U.S. Federal income tax as well as income tax in multiple state jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to the assessment of U.S. federal income tax for years before 2014. The statute of limitations for the assessment of California Franchise taxes has expired for tax years before 2013 (other state income and franchise tax statutes of limitations vary by state).
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted into law and brought with it significant changes to the U.S Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (IRC), that impact corporate taxation requirements. At March 31, 2018, the Company did not have any material adjustments to the items previously recorded at December 31, 2017 related to tax reform legislation.
The Company early adopted ASU 2018-02 effective January 1, 2018. ASU 2018-02 permits companies to reclassify stranded tax effects due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. As a result of the adoption, the Company recorded an increase in accumulated other comprehensive income of $496 thousand and reduced retained earnings by $496 thousand to eliminate the stranded tax effects at that date from the reduction in the federal statutory tax rate that was enacted in December 2017 and became effective January 1, 2018.


43


NOTE 12 – RESERVE FOR LOSS ON REPURCHASED LOANS
The Company records a representation and warranty reserve representing its estimate of losses expected on mortgage loan repurchases or loss reimbursements attributable to underwriting or documentation defects on previously sold loans. The reserve for loss on repurchased loans is initially recorded at fair value against net revenue on mortgage banking activities at the time of sale, and any subsequent change in the reserve is recorded on the Consolidated Statements of Operations as an increase or decrease to the provision for loan repurchases (noninterest expense). The following table presents a summary of activity in the reserve for losses on repurchased loans for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
6,306

 
$
7,974

Initial provision for loan repurchases
 
2

 
842

Subsequent change in the provision
 
(1,788
)
 
(325
)
Utilization of reserve for loan repurchases
 
(1,094
)
 
(373
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
3,426

 
$
8,118

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, reserve for loss on repurchased loans decreased by $2.9 million. Approximately $1.5 million of the decrease was due to portfolio run-off and repurchase settlement activities, and approximately $1.4 million of the decrease was due to methodology and data enhancements. The methodology and data enhancements were a result of additional insights gained through the due diligence process pertaining to the MSR sale during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and utilization of the Company's actual run-off and historical loss data as opposed to industry data.
The Company believes that its obligations for mortgage loan repurchases or loss reimbursements were adequately reserved for at March 31, 2018.
NOTE 13 – DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
The Company uses derivative instruments and other risk management techniques to reduce its exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates in accordance with its risk management policies.
Interest Rate Swaps and Caps on Loans: The Company offers interest rate swap and cap products to certain loan customers to allow them to hedge the risk of rising interest rates on their variable rate loans. When such products are issued, the Company also enters into an offsetting swap with institutional counterparties to eliminate the interest rate risk. These back-to-back agreements are intended to offset each other and allow the Company to retain the credit risk of the transaction with its customer in exchange for a fee. The net cash flow for the Company is equal to the interest income received from a variable rate loan originated with the customer plus the fee. These swaps and caps are not designated as hedging instruments and are recorded at fair value in Other Assets and Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition. The changes in fair value are recorded in Other Income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, changes in fair value recorded through Other Income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations were insignificant.
The following table presents the notional amount and fair value of derivative instruments included in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition as of the dates indicated.
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Notional Amount
 
Fair Value
 
Notional Amount
 
Fair Value
Included in assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and cap on loans
 
$
69,414

 
$
1,159

 
$
70,486

 
$
1,005

Total included in assets
 
$
69,414

 
$
1,159

 
$
70,486

 
$
1,005

Included in liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps and caps on loans
 
$
69,414

 
$
1,136

 
$
70,486

 
1,033

Total included in liabilities
 
$
69,414

 
$
1,136

 
$
70,486

 
$
1,033

The Company has entered into agreements with counterparty financial institutions, which include master netting agreements that provide for the net settlement of all contracts with a single counterparty in the event of default. However, the Company elected to account for all derivatives with counterparty institutions on a gross basis. Due to clearinghouse rule changes, beginning January 1, 2017, variation margin payments are treated as settlements of derivative exposure rather than as collateral.

44


NOTE 14 – EMPLOYEE STOCK COMPENSATION
The Company issues stock-based compensation awards to its directors and employees from the Company's 2013 Omnibus Stock Incentive Plan (2013 Omnibus Plan). The 2013 Omnibus Plan provides that the aggregate number of shares of the Company's common stock that may be subject to awards will be 20 percent of the then outstanding shares of Company common stock (the Share Limit), provided that in no event will the Share Limit be less than the greater of 2,384,711 shares of Company common stock and the aggregate number of shares of Company common stock with respect to which awards have been properly granted under the 2013 Omnibus Plan up to that point in time. As of March 31, 2018, based on the number of shares then registered for issuance under the 2013 Omnibus Plan, 1,258,674 shares were available for future awards.
On December 28, 2017, the Company initiated the termination of the Banc of California Capital and Liquidity Enhancement Employee Compensation Trust (the SECT) that was established to fund employee stock compensation and benefit obligations of the Company. See Note 15 for additional information.
Share-based Compensation Expense
The following table presents share-based compensation expense and the related tax benefits for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Stock options
 
$
33

 
$
247

Restricted stock awards and units
 
2,054

 
2,604

Stock appreciation rights
 

 
42

Total share-based compensation expense
 
$
2,087

 
$
2,893

Related tax benefits
 
$
612

 
$
1,203

The following table presents unrecognized share-based compensation expense as of March 31, 2018:
($ in thousands)
 
Unrecognized Expense
 
Weighted-Average Remaining Expected Recognition Period
Stock option awards
 
$
240

 
2.1 years
Restricted stock awards and restricted stock units
 
8,175

 
2.5 years
Total
 
$
8,415

 
2.5 years
Stock Options
The Company has issued stock options to certain employees, officers and directors. Stock options are issued at the closing market price immediately before the grant date, and generally have a three- to five- year vesting period and contractual terms of seven to ten years. The Company recognizes an income tax deduction upon exercise of the stock option by the option holder in an amount equal to the taxable income reported by the option holders. The option holder recognizes taxable income based on the closing market price immediately before the exercise date less the exercise price stated in the grant agreement.
The following table represents stock option activity as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
($ in thousands except per share data)
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted-Average Exercise Price Per Share
 
Weighted-Average Remaining Contract Term
 
Aggregated Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at beginning of period
 
210,973

 
$
13.99

 
7.0 years
 
$
1,405

Exercised
 
(24,000
)
 
$
17.50

 
8.2 years
 


Outstanding at end of period
 
186,973

 
$
13.54

 
6.6 years
 
$
1,077

Exercisable at end of period
 
81,541

 
$
13.84

 
5.9 years
 
$
445


45


The following table sets forth information regarding unvested stock options as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018. There were no changes in this information during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted-Average Exercise Price Per Share
Outstanding at beginning of period
 
105,432

 
$
13.31

Outstanding at end of period
 
105,432

 
$
13.31

Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units
The Company also has granted restricted stock awards and restricted stock units to certain employees, officers and directors. The restricted stock awards and units are valued at the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of award. The restricted stock awards and units fully vest after a specified period (generally ranging from one to five years) of continued service from the date of grant plus, in some cases, the satisfaction of performance conditions. The Company recognizes an income tax deduction in an amount equal to the taxable income reported by the holders of the restricted stock, generally upon vesting or, in the case of restricted stock units, when settled. The following table presents unvested restricted stock awards and restricted stock units activity as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Outstanding at beginning of period
 
911,633

 
$
18.73

Granted (1)
 
39,778

 
$
20.34

Vested (1)
 
(12,265
)
 
$
14.96

Forfeited (1)
 
(21,205
)
 
$
18.56

Outstanding at end of period
 
917,941

 
$
18.91

(1)
The number of granted shares/units includes aggregate performance-based shares of 17,500 for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The number of forfeited shares includes aggregate performance-based shares of 5,638 for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The vesting of these awards is subject to certain performance targets and goals being met. These performance targets include conditions relating to the Company’s profitability and regulatory standing. The actual amounts of stock released upon vesting will be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors upon the Committee's certification of the satisfaction of the target level of performance.
Stock Appreciation Rights
On August 21, 2012, the Company granted to Steven A. Sugarman, its then- (now former) chief executive officer a ten-year stock appreciation right (SAR) for 500,000 shares (Initial SAR) of the Company’s common stock with a base price of $12.12 per share with one-third of the Initial SAR vesting on the grant date and the remaining amount vesting over a period of 2 years. The Initial SAR entitles Mr. Sugarman to dividend equivalent rights and originally contained an anti-dilution provision pursuant to which additional SARs (Additional SARs) were issued to Mr. Sugarman upon certain stock issuances by the Company, as described below. On March 24, 2016, concurrent with entering into a new employment agreement with the Company, Mr. Sugarman entered into a letter agreement that eliminated this anti-dilution provision of the Initial SAR. Under the terms of the March 24, 2016 letter agreement, in consideration of the removal of the anti-dilution provision of the Initial SAR, the Company granted Mr. Sugarman a onetime performance based restricted stock award with an aggregate grant date fair market value of $5.0 million, which would vest in full on March 24, 2017, but was also subject to restrictions on sale or transfer through March 24, 2021.
In connection with Mr. Sugarman’s resignation as the Company’s chief executive officer on January 23, 2017, all unvested equity awards (including any unvested SARs) immediately vested and became free of all restrictions. In addition, the SARs continued (and continue) to remain exercisable for their full terms, with dividend equivalent rights of the SARs also continuing in effect during their full terms.
As described more fully in the SAR agreement, the original anti-dilution provision of the Initial SAR did not apply to certain issuances of the Company’s common stock for compensatory purposes, but did apply to certain other issuances of the Company’s common stock, including the issuances of common stock to raise capital. Pursuant to this anti-dilution provision,

46


the Company issued Additional SARs to the former chief executive officer with a base price determined as of each date of issuance, but otherwise with the same terms and conditions as the Initial SAR, except for an Additional SAR granted relating to a public offering of the Company’s TEUs on May 21, 2014 that has different terms (Additional TEU SAR).
Regarding the Additional TEU SAR, the TEU contained a Purchase Contract that could be settled in shares of the Company’s voting common stock based on a maximum settlement rate (subject to adjustment) and a minimum settlement rate (subject to adjustment) as more fully described under Note 15. The Additional TEU SAR was calculated using the initial maximum settlement rate and, therefore, the number of shares underlying the Additional TEU SAR was subject to adjustment and forfeiture if the aggregate number of shares of stock issued in settlement of any single Purchase Contract was less than the initial maximum settlement rate. By its original terms, the Additional TEU SAR was to vest in full on May 15, 2017 or accelerate in vesting upon early settlement of a Purchase Contract at the holders' option, and until it vested, the Additional TEU SAR was to have no dividend equivalent rights and the shares underlying the Additional TEU SAR were subject to forfeiture.
The following table represents SARs activity as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
($ in thousands except per share data)
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted-Average Exercise Price Per Share
 
Weighted-Average Remaining Contract Term
 
Aggregated Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at beginning of period
 
1,559,012

 
$
11.60

 
4.6 years
 
$
14,105

Outstanding at end of period
 
1,559,012

 
$
11.60

 
4.4 years
 
$
12,001

Exercisable at end of period
 
1,559,012

 
$
11.60

 
4.4 years
 
$
12,001



47


NOTE 15 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Warrants
On November 1, 2010, the Company issued warrants to TCW Shared Opportunity Fund V, L.P. for up to 240,000 shares of non-voting common stock at an original exercise price of $11.00 per share, subject to certain adjustments to the number of shares underlying the warrants as well as certain adjustments to the warrant exercise price as applicable. These warrants were exercisable from the date of original issuance through November 1, 2015. On August 3, 2015, these warrants were exercised in full using a cashless (net) exercise, resulting in a net number of shares of non-voting common stock issued in the aggregate of 70,690, which were immediately thereafter exchanged pursuant to a separate exchange agreement entered into on May 29, 2013 for an aggregate of 70,690 shares of voting common stock. Based on automatic adjustments to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise of the warrants was $9.13 per share.
On November 1, 2010, the Company also issued warrants to COR Advisors LLC (COR Advisors), an entity controlled by Steven A. Sugarman, who became a director of the Company on that date and later became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company (and resigned from those and all other positions with the Company and the Bank on January 23, 2017). The warrants entitled COR Advisors to purchase up to 1,395,000 shares of non-voting common stock at an exercise price of $11.00 per share, subject to certain adjustments to the number of shares underlying the warrants as well as certain adjustments to the warrant exercise price as applicable. On August 3, 2011, COR Advisors transferred warrants for the right to purchase 960,000 shares of non-voting common stock to COR Capital Holdings LLC (COR Capital Holdings), an entity controlled by Steven A. Sugarman, and transferred warrants for the right to purchase the remaining 435,000 shares of non-voting common stock to Jeffrey T. Seabold, then- (now former) Executive Vice President and Management Vice-Chair.
On August 22, 2012, COR Capital Holdings transferred its warrants for the right to purchase 960,000 shares of non-voting common stock to a living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse. These warrants vested in tranches, with each tranche being exercisable for five years after the tranche's vesting date. With respect to the warrants transferred by COR Capital Holdings to the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse, warrants to purchase 50,000 shares vested on October 1, 2011 and the remainder vested in seven equal quarterly installments beginning January 1, 2012 and ending on July 1, 2013. With respect to the warrants transferred by COR Advisors to Mr. Seabold, warrants to purchase 95,000 shares vested on January 1, 2011; warrants to purchase 130,000 shares vested on each of April  1 and July 1, 2011, and warrants to purchase 80,000 shares vested on October 1, 2011.
On August 17, 2016, the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse transferred warrants to purchase 480,000 shares to Steven A. Sugarman's brother, Jason Sugarman. These transferred warrants were last exercisable on September 30, 2016, December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017 for 50,000, 130,000, 130,000, 130,000, and 40,000 shares, respectively. On August 17, 2016, Jason Sugarman irrevocably elected to fully exercise each tranche of the transferred warrants. Under his irrevocable election, Jason Sugarman directed that each such exercise would occur on the last exercisable date for each tranche using a cashless (net) exercise method and also directed that each exercise be for either non-voting common stock, or, if allowed under the terms of the warrant, for voting common stock. At September 30, 2016, December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017, in accordance with Jason Sugarman’s irrevocable election, warrants to purchase 50,000, 130,000, 130,000,130,000, and 40,000 shares, respectively, had been exercised, resulting in issuances of 25,051 and 64,962 shares of the Company's voting common stock and 75,875, 77,376 and 23,237 shares of the Company's non-voting common stock, respectively. Based on automatic adjustments to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $8.80, $8.72, $8.66, $8.61 and $8.55 per share, respectively. As a result of these exercises, Jason Sugarman no longer holds any warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s stock.

48


On August 16, 2016, the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse irrevocably elected to exercise its warrants to purchase 480,000 shares. Under its irrevocable election, the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse directed that each such exercise would occur on the last exercisable date for each tranche of such warrants (September 30, 2017, December 31, 2017, March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2018 with respect to 90,000, 130,000, 130,000, and 130,000 shares, respectively) using a cashless net exercise method and also directed that each exercise be for non-voting common stock. On September 30, 2017, in accordance with its irrevocable election, warrants to purchase 90,000 shares were exercised by the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse, resulting in the issuance of 52,284 shares of the Company's non-voting common stock. Based on an automatic adjustment to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $8.55 per share. On December 27, 2017, the Company was notified that the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse purportedly transferred warrants with respect to 130,000 shares, with a last exercisable date of December 31, 2017, to a separate entity, Sugarman Family Partners. In accordance with the irrevocable election to exercise previously submitted by the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse, the Company considered these transferred warrants to have been exercised with respect to 130,000 shares on December 31, 2017, resulting in the issuance of 77,413 shares of the Company's non-voting common stock. Based on an automatic adjustment to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $8.49 per share. On March 30, 2018, the Company was notified that the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse purportedly transferred warrants with respect to 130,000 shares to Sugarman Family Partners. In accordance with an irrevocable election to exercise the warrants previously submitted by the living trust for Steven A. Sugarman and his spouse, the Company considered these transferred warrants to have been exercised with respect to 130,000 shares on April 2, 2018, resulting in the issuance of 72,159 shares of the Company’s non-voting common stock. Based on an automatic adjustment to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $8.44 per share.
On December 8, 2015, March 9, 2016, June 17, 2016, and September 30, 2016, Mr. Seabold exercised his warrants with respect to 95,000, 130,000, 130,000, and 80,000 shares, respectively, using cashless (net) exercises, resulting in a net number of shares of non-voting common stock issued in the aggregate of 37,355, 53,711, 70,775, and 40,081, respectively. Based on automatic adjustments to the original $11.00 exercise price, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $9.04, $8.90, $8.84, and $8.80 per share, respectively. As a result of these exercises, Mr. Seabold no longer holds any warrants to purchase shares of the Company's stock.
Under the terms of the respective warrants, the warrants are exercisable for voting common stock in lieu of non-voting common stock following a transfer of the warrants under certain circumstances described in the terms of the warrants. The terms and issuance of the foregoing warrants were approved by the Company's stockholders at a special meeting held on October 25, 2010.
Preferred Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock with par value of $0.01 per share. Preferred shares outstanding rank senior to common shares both as to dividends and liquidation preference but generally have no voting rights. All of the Company's outstanding shares of preferred stock have a $1,000 per share liquidation preference. The following table presents the Company's total outstanding preferred stock as of dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Shares Authorized and Outstanding
 
Liquidation Preference
 
Carrying Value
 
Shares Authorized and Outstanding
 
Liquidation Preference
 
Carrying Value
Series C
8.00% non-cumulative perpetual
 
40,250

 
$
40,250

 
$
37,943

 
40,250

 
$
40,250

 
$
37,943

Series D
7.375% non-cumulative perpetual
 
115,000

 
115,000

 
110,873

 
115,000

 
115,000

 
110,873

Series E
7.00% non-cumulative perpetual
 
125,000

 
125,000

 
120,255

 
125,000

 
125,000

 
120,255

Total
 
280,250

 
$
280,250

 
$
269,071

 
280,250

 
$
280,250

 
$
269,071


49


Stock Employee Compensation Trust
On August 3, 2016, the Company established the SECT pursuant to the Trust Agreement, dated as of August 3, 2016 (the SECT Trust Agreement), between the Company and Newport Trust Company, as trustee (as successor trustee to Evercore Trust Company, N.A.) (the SECT Trustee) to fund employee compensation and benefit obligations of the Company using shares of the Company’s common stock. On August 3, 2016, the Company sold 2,500,000 shares of voting common stock to the SECT at a purchase price of $21.45 per share (the closing price of the voting common stock on August 2, 2016), or $53.6 million in the aggregate, in exchange for a cash amount equal to the aggregate par value of the shares and a promissory note for the balance of the purchase price. The SECT was to terminate on January 1, 2032 unless terminated earlier in accordance with the SECT Trust Agreement, including by the Company’s Board of Directors.
On December 28, 2017, in order to effectuate the early termination of the SECT, as authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company purchased from the SECT all 2,500,000 shares of voting common stock held by the SECT at a purchase price of $21.00 per share (the closing price per share of the voting common stock on December 27, 2017), or $52.5 million in the aggregate (the SECT Termination Sale). Following the SECT Termination Sale, such shares of voting common stock were canceled. Of the proceeds from the SECT Termination Sale, $2.7 million will be utilized for the purpose of funding obligations under certain of the Company’s benefit plans to which 126,517 shares of voting common stock had been allocated prior to the SECT Termination Sale, and $49.8 million was remitted by the SECT Trustee to the Company, which was deemed to be in satisfaction and termination of all remaining obligations of the SECT under the promissory note, which had an outstanding principal balance of $50.9 million plus accrued interest.
Tangible Equity Units - Prepaid Stock Purchase Contracts
On May 21, 2014, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of 1,380,000 of its tangible equity units (TEUs), which included 180,000 TEUs issued to the underwriter upon the full exercise of its over-allotment option, resulting in net proceeds of $65.0 million. The relative fair values of the Amortizing Notes and Purchase Contracts were estimated to be $14.6 million and $54.4 million, respectively, at the date of issuance. Total issuance costs associated with the TEUs were $4.0 million, of which $857 thousand was allocated to the debt component and $3.2 million was allocated to the equity component of the TEUs.
Each TEU was comprised of a Purchase Contract and an Amortizing Note. The terms of the Purchase Contracts provided that unless settled early at the holder’s option as described below, on May 15, 2017, each Purchase Contract would automatically settle and the Company would deliver a number of shares of its voting common stock based on the then-applicable market value of the voting common stock, ranging from an initial minimum settlement rate of 4.4456 shares per Purchase Contract (subject to adjustment) if the applicable market value is equal to or greater than $11.247 per share to an initial maximum settlement rate of 5.1124 shares per Purchase Contract (subject to adjustment) if the applicable market value is less than or equal to $9.78 per share.
From the first business day following the issuance of the TEUs, excluding the third business day immediately preceding May 15, 2017, a holder of a Purchase Contract could settle its Purchase Contract early, and the Company would deliver to the holder 4.4456 shares of voting common stock. On May 15, 2017, all Purchase Contracts that had not previously been settled early as described above were settled. The Company issued an aggregate of 6,134,988 shares of voting common stock pursuant to the Purchase Contracts. See Note 10 for additional information.

50


Change in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The Company’s Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) includes unrealized gain (loss) on securities available-for-sale. Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) are presented net of tax effect as a component of stockholders' equity. Reclassifications from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations either as a gain or loss. The following table presents changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Unrealized gain (loss) on securities available-for-sale
 
 
 
 
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
5,227

 
$
(9,042
)
Unrealized gain (loss) arising during the period
 
(19,682
)
 
2,226

Reclassification adjustment from other comprehensive income
 
(5,241
)
 
(3,356
)
Tax effect of current period changes
 
7,658

 
470

Total changes, net of taxes
 
(17,265
)
 
(660
)
Reclassification of stranded tax effects to retained earnings
 
496

 

Balance at end of period
 
$
(11,542
)
 
$
(9,702
)
NOTE 16 – REGULATORY CAPITAL MATTERS
The following table presents the regulatory capital amounts and ratios for the Company and the Bank as of dates indicated:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Minimum Capital Requirements
 
Minimum Required to Be Well-Capitalized Under Prompt Corrective Action Provisions
($ in thousands)
 
Amount
 
Ratio
 
Amount
 
Ratio
 
Amount
 
Ratio
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Banc of California, Inc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital
 
$
998,423

 
14.60
%
 
$
547,082

 
8.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Tier 1 risk-based capital
 
939,367

 
13.74
%
 
410,311

 
6.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Common equity tier 1 capital
 
670,296

 
9.80
%
 
307,733

 
4.50
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Tier 1 leverage
 
939,367

 
9.21
%
 
407,892

 
4.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Banc of California, NA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital
 
$
1,128,784

 
16.53
%
 
$
546,256

 
8.00
%
 
$
682,820

 
10.00
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital
 
1,069,728

 
15.67
%
 
409,692

 
6.00
%
 
546,256

 
8.00
%
Common equity tier 1 capital
 
1,069,728

 
15.67
%
 
307,269

 
4.50
%
 
443,833

 
6.50
%
Tier 1 leverage
 
1,069,728

 
10.50
%
 
407,428

 
4.00
%
 
509,285

 
5.00
%
December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Banc of California, Inc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital
 
$
1,002,200

 
14.56
%
 
$
550,499

 
8.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Tier 1 risk-based capital
 
949,151

 
13.79
%
 
412,874

 
6.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Common equity tier 1 capital
 
682,539

 
9.92
%
 
309,656

 
4.50
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Tier 1 leverage
 
949,151

 
9.39
%
 
404,339

 
4.00
%
 
 N/A

 
N/A

Banc of California, NA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital
 
$
1,131,057

 
16.56
%
 
$
546,359

 
8.00
%
 
$
682,949

 
10.00
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital
 
1,078,008

 
15.78
%
 
409,769

 
6.00
%
 
546,359

 
8.00
%
Common equity tier 1 capital
 
1,078,008

 
15.78
%
 
307,327

 
4.50
%
 
443,917

 
6.50
%
Tier 1 leverage
 
1,078,008

 
10.67
%
 
404,060

 
4.00
%
 
505,074

 
5.00
%
In July 2013, the Federal banking regulators approved a final rule to implement the revised capital adequacy standards of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, commonly called Basel III, and to address relevant provisions of the Dodd-Frank
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). The final rule strengthens the definition of regulatory capital, increases risk-based capital requirements, makes selected changes to the calculation of risk-weighted assets, and adjusts the prompt corrective action thresholds. The Company and the Bank became subject to the new rule on January 1, 2015 and certain provisions of the new rule will be phased in through 2019.
The final rule:
Permits banking organizations that had less than $15 billion in total consolidated assets as of December 31, 2009, to include in Tier 1 capital trust preferred securities and cumulative perpetual preferred stock that were issued and included in Tier 1 capital prior to May 19, 2010, subject to a limit of 25 percent of Tier 1 capital elements, excluding any non-qualifying capital instruments and after all regulatory capital deductions and adjustments have been applied to Tier 1 capital.
Establishes new qualifying criteria for regulatory capital, including new limitations on the inclusion of deferred tax assets and mortgage servicing rights.
Requires a minimum ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 4.5 percent.
Increases the minimum Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio requirement from 4 percent to 6 percent.
Retains the minimum total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio requirement of 8 percent.
Retains a minimum leverage ratio requirement of 4 percent.
Changes the prompt corrective action standards so that in order to be considered well-capitalized, a depository institution must have a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 6.5 percent (new), a ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 8 percent (increased from 6 percent), a ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 10 percent (unchanged), and a leverage ratio of 5 percent (unchanged).

51


Retains the existing regulatory capital framework for one-to-four family residential mortgage exposures.
Permits banking organizations that are not subject to the advanced approaches rule, such as the Company and the Bank, to retain, through a one-time election, the existing treatment for most accumulated other comprehensive income, such that unrealized gains and losses on securities available-for-sale will not affect regulatory capital amounts and ratios.
Implements a new capital conservation buffer requirement for a banking organization to maintain a common equity capital ratio more than 2.5 percent above the minimum common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital and total risk-based capital ratios in order to avoid limitations on capital distributions, including dividend payments, and certain discretionary bonus payments. The capital conservation buffer requirement is being phased in, beginning on January 1, 2016 at 0.625 percent, with additional 0.625 percent increments annually, and will be fully phased in at 2.50 percent by January 1, 2019. A banking organization with a buffer of less than the required amount would be subject to increasingly stringent limitations on such distributions and payments as the buffer approaches zero. The new rule also generally prohibits a banking organization from making such distributions or payments during any quarter if its eligible retained income is negative and its capital conservation buffer ratio was 2.5 percent or less at the end of the previous quarter. The eligible retained income of a banking organization is defined as its net income for the four calendar quarters preceding the current calendar quarter, based on the organization’s quarterly regulatory reports, net of any distributions and associated tax effects not already reflected in net income.
Increases capital requirements for past due loans, high volatility commercial real estate exposures, and certain short-term commitments and securitization exposures.
Expands the recognition of collateral and guarantors in determining risk-weighted assets.
Removes references to credit ratings consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act and establishes due diligence requirements for securitization exposures.



52


NOTE 17 – VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES
The Company holds ownership interests in alternative energy partnerships, qualified affordable housing partnerships, and the SECT. The Company evaluates its interests in these entities to determine whether they meet the definition of a variable interest entity (VIE) and whether the Company is required to consolidate these entities. A VIE is consolidated by its primary beneficiary, which is the party that has both (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) a variable interest that could potentially be significant to the VIE. To determine whether or not a variable interest the Company holds could potentially be significant to the VIE, the Company considers both qualitative and quantitative factors regarding the nature, size and form of the Company's involvement with the VIE. The Company has determined that its interests in these entities meet the definition of a variable interest.
Unconsolidated VIEs
Alternative Energy Partnerships
The Company invests in certain alternative energy partnerships (limited liability companies) formed to provide sustainable energy projects that are designed to generate a return primarily through the realization of federal tax credits (energy tax credits). These entities were formed to invest in newly installed residential rooftop solar leases and power purchase agreements. As a result of its investments, the Company has the right to certain investment tax credits and tax depreciation benefits (recognized on the flow through and income statement method in accordance with ASC 740), and to a lesser extent, cash flows generated from the installed solar systems leased to individual consumers for a fixed period of time.
While the Company's interest in the alternative energy partnerships meets the definition of a VIE in accordance with ASC 810, the Company has determined that the Company is not the primary beneficiary because the Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the entities including operational and credit risk management activities. As the Company is not the primary beneficiary, the Company did not consolidate the entities. The Company uses the HLBV method to account for these investments in energy tax credits as an equity investment under ASC 970-323-25-17. Under the HLBV method, an equity method investor determines its share of an investee's earnings by comparing its claim on the investee's book value at the beginning and end of the period, assuming the investee were to liquidate all assets at their U.S. GAAP amounts and distribute the resulting cash to creditors and investors under their respective priorities. The difference between the calculated liquidation distribution amounts at the beginning and the end of the reporting period, after adjusting for capital contributions and distributions, is the Company’s share of the earnings or losses from the equity investment for the period. To account for the tax credits earned on investments in alternative energy partnerships, the Company uses the flow-through income statement method. Under this method, the tax credits are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense and the initial book-tax differences in the basis of the investments are recognized as additional tax expense in the year they are earned.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company funded $0 and $30.9 million, respectively, recognized a gain (loss) on investment of $34 thousand and $(8.7) million, respectively, through its HLBV application. As a result, the balance of these investments was $48.3 million and $47.6 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and 2017. From an income tax benefit perspective, the Company recognized investment tax credits of $7.3 million and $8.8 million, respectively, as well as income tax expense (benefits) relating to the recognition of its gain (loss) through its HLBV application during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company completed the funding on one of its two investments. While the Company had committed $100.0 million to the investment, the amount that was drawn down and funded by the Company was $62.8 million and the remaining $37.2 million of the commitment was canceled.
The following table represents the carrying value of the associated assets and liabilities and the associated maximum loss exposure for alternative energy partnerships as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
Cash
 
$
6,107

 
$
16,518

Equipment, net of depreciation
 
268,320

 
246,297

Other assets
 
2,444

 
2,444

Total unconsolidated assets
 
$
276,871

 
$
265,259

Total unconsolidated liabilities
 
$
7,181

 
$
7,181

Maximum loss exposure
 
$
98,428

 
$
98,910

The maximum loss exposure that would be absorbed by the Company in the event that all of the assets in alternative energy partnerships are deemed worthless is $98.4 million, consisting of the investment balance of $48.3 million and unfunded equity commitments of $50.1 million at March 31, 2018.

53


The Company believes that the loss exposure on its investment is reduced considering the return on its investment is provided not only by the cash flows of the underlying customer leases and power purchase agreements, but also through the significant tax benefits, including federal tax credits generated from the investments. In addition, the arrangements include a transition manager to support any transition of the solar company sponsor whose role includes that of the servicer and operation and maintenance provider, in the event the sponsor would be required to be removed from its responsibilities (e.g., bankruptcy, breach of contract, etc.), thereby further limiting the Company’s exposure.
Qualified Affordable Housing Partnerships
The Company also invests in limited partnerships that operate qualified affordable housing projects. The returns on these investments are generated primarily through allocated Federal tax credits and other tax benefits. In addition, these investments contribute to the Company's compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act. These limited partnerships are considered to be VIEs, because either (i) they do not have sufficient equity investment at risk or (ii) the limited partners with equity at risk do not have substantive kick-out rights through voting rights or substantive participating rights over the general partner. As a limited partner, the Company is not the primary beneficiary because the general partner has the ability to direct the activities of the VIEs that most significantly impact their economic performance. Therefore, the Company does not consolidate these partnerships.
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had a total investment in qualified affordable housing projects of $21.5 million and $22.0 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company funded $14 thousand and recognized proportional amortization expense of $497 thousand. The Company has funded $13.7 million of its $29.3 million aggregated funding commitments and had an unfunded commitment of $15.6 million at March 31, 2018. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company made no funding into qualified affordable housing projects and recognized proportional amortization expense of $123 thousand. From an income tax benefit perspective, the Company recognized investment tax credits of $475 thousand and $106 thousand, respectively, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the maximum loss exposure that would be absorbed by the Company in the event that all of the assets in this investment are deemed worthless is $21.5 million and $22.0 million, which is the Company's recorded investment amount. The recorded investment amount is included in Other Assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and the proportional amortization expense is recorded in Income Tax Benefit in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As the investments in alternative energy partnerships and qualified affordable housing partnerships represent unconsolidated VIEs to the Company, the assets and liabilities of the investments themselves are not recorded on the Company's statements of financial condition.
Consolidated VIE
On August 3, 2016, the Company established the SECT pursuant to the SECT Trust Agreement, dated as of August 3, 2016, between the Company and Newport Trust Company, as trustee (as successor trustee to Evercore Trust Company, N.A.) to fund employee compensation and benefit obligations of the Company using shares of the Company’s common stock. On August 3, 2016, the Company sold 2,500,000 shares of voting common stock to the SECT at a purchase price of $21.45 per share (the closing price of the voting common stock on August 2, 2016), or $53.6 million in the aggregate, in exchange for a cash amount equal to the aggregate par value of the shares and a promissory note for the balance of the purchase price. The SECT was to terminate on January 1, 2032 unless terminated earlier in accordance with the SECT Trust Agreement, including by the Company’s Board of Directors.
On December 28, 2017, in order to effectuate the early termination of the SECT, as authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company purchased from the SECT all 2,500,000 shares of voting common stock held by the SECT at a purchase price of $21.00 per share (the closing price per share of the voting common stock on December 27, 2017), or $52.5 million in the aggregate. Following the SECT Termination Sale, such shares of voting common stock were canceled. Of the proceeds from the SECT Termination Sale, $2.7 million will be utilized for the purpose of funding obligations under certain of the Company’s benefit plans to which 126,517 shares of voting common stock had been allocated prior to the SECT Termination Sale, and $49.8 million was remitted by the SECT Trustee to the Company, which was deemed to be in satisfaction and termination of all remaining obligations of the SECT under the promissory note, which had an outstanding principal balance of $50.9 million plus accrued interest.
The Company evaluated its interest in the SECT and determined that it was a VIE for which the Company was the primary beneficiary. As such, the SECT was consolidated by the Company. The entire amount of assets and liabilities of the SECT represented the transactions between the Company and the SECT. As a result, the note receivable on the Company and the note payable on the SECT were eliminated on a consolidated basis. All other transactions, such as note principal and dividend payments and receipts, were also eliminated on a consolidated basis, accordingly.


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NOTE 18 – EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE
The following table presents computations of basic and diluted EPS for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2018
 
2017
($ in thousands except per share data)
 
Common Stock
 
Class B Common Stock
 
Total
 
Common Stock
 
Class B Common Stock
 
Total
Income from continuing operations
 
$
7,003

 
$
71

 
$
7,074

 
$
9,338

 
$
38

 
$
9,376

Less: income allocated to participating securities
 

 

 

 
(162
)
 
(1
)
 
(163
)
Less: participating securities dividends
 
(201
)
 
(2
)
 
(203
)
 
(202
)
 
(1
)
 
(203
)
Less: preferred stock dividends
 
(5,062
)
 
(51
)
 
(5,113
)
 
(5,092
)
 
(21
)
 
(5,113
)
Income from continuing operations allocated to common stockholders
 
1,740

 
18

 
1,758

 
3,882

 
15

 
3,897

Income from discontinued operations
 
1,469

 
15

 
1,484

 
7,793

 
32

 
7,825

Net income allocated to common stockholders
 
$
3,209

 
$
33

 
$
3,242

 
$
11,675

 
$
47

 
$
11,722

Weighted average common shares outstanding
 
50,082,438

 
508,107

 
50,590,545

 
49,788,421

 
202,765

 
49,991,186

Dilutive effects of stock units
 
135,649

 

 
135,649

 
209,395

 

 
209,395

Dilutive effects of stock options
 
47,701

 

 
47,701

 
207,506

 

 
207,506

Dilutive effects of warrants
 
151,635

 

 
151,635

 
346,058

 

 
346,058

Average shares and dilutive common shares
 
50,417,423

 
508,107

 
50,925,530

 
50,551,380

 
202,765

 
50,754,145

Basic earnings per common share
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
 
$
0.03

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

 
$
0.08

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
 
0.03

 
0.03

 
0.03

 
0.15

 
0.15

 
0.15

Net income
 
$
0.06

 
$
0.06

 
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

 
$
0.23

 
$
0.23

Diluted earnings per common share
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
 
$
0.03

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

 
$
0.08

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
 
0.03

 
0.03

 
0.03

 
0.15

 
0.15

 
0.15

Net income
 
$
0.06

 
$
0.06

 
$
0.06

 
$
0.23

 
$
0.23

 
$
0.23

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, there were 1,288 stock units and 0 stock options that were not considered in computing diluted earnings per common share, because they were anti-dilutive. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, there were no stock units/options that were anti-dilutive.


55


NOTE 19 – LOAN COMMITMENTS AND OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES
Some financial instruments, such as loan commitments, credit lines, letters of credit, and overdraft protection, are issued to meet customer financing needs. These are agreements to provide credit or to support the credit of others, as long as conditions established in the contract are met, and usually have expiration dates. Commitments may expire without being used. Risk of credit loss exists up to the face amount of these instruments. The same credit policies are used to make such commitments as are used for loans, including obtaining collateral at exercise of the commitment.
The contractual amount of financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk was as follows for the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Fixed Rate
 
Variable Rate
 
Fixed Rate
 
Variable Rate
Commitments to extend credit (1)
 
$
1,345

 
$
364,583

 
$
1,851

 
$
335,654

Unused lines of credit
 
11,082

 
1,273,908

 
19,085

 
1,309,170

Letters of credit
 
1,066

 
9,136

 
1,050

 
12,976

(1)
Includes no commitments to extend credit related to discontinued operations at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.
Commitments to make loans are generally made for periods of 30 days or less.
Other Commitments
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Bank entered into certain definitive agreements which grant the Bank the exclusive naming rights to the Banc of California Stadium, a soccer stadium of The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), as well as the right to be the official bank of LAFC. In exchange for the Bank’s rights as set forth in the agreements, the Bank agreed to pay LAFC $100.0 million over a period of 15 years, beginning in 2017 and ending in 2032. The advertising benefits of such rights are amortized on a straight-line basis and recorded as advertising and promotion expense beginning in 2018. As of March 31, 2018, the Bank has paid $11.3 million of the $100.0 million commitment. The prepaid commitment balance, net of amortization, was $9.7 million as of March 31, 2018, which was recognized as a prepaid asset and included in Other Assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. See Note 22 for additional information.
The Company had unfunded commitments of $15.6 million, $10.7 million, and $50.6 million for Affordable Housing Fund Investment, Small Business Investment Company (SBIC), and Other Investments including investments in alternative energy partnerships, at March 31, 2018, respectively.

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NOTE 20 – RESTRUCTURING
In connection with the sale of its Banc Home Loans division in 2017, the Company restructured certain aspects of its infrastructure and back office operations by realigning back office staffing resulting in certain severance and other employee related costs including accelerated vesting of equity awards, and amending certain system contracts in order to improve the Company's efficiency. These employees and systems primarily supported the Company's mortgage banking activities. The Company recognized $9.1 million of total restructuring expense during the year ended December 31, 2017. The Company had outstanding unpaid accrued liabilities of $161 thousand and $202 thousand, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The following table presents activities in accrued liabilities and related expenses for the restructuring as of or for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Expense
 
 
($ in thousands)
 
Continuing Operations
 
Discontinued Operations
 
Total
 
Accrued Liabilities
As of or For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at beginning of period
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
202

Payments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Severance and other employee related costs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(41
)
Other restructuring expense
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Total
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
(41
)
Balance at end of period
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
161

As of or For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at beginning of period
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$

Accrual:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Severance and other employee related costs
 
$
5,287

 
$
2,323

 
$
7,610

 
7,610

Other restructuring expense
 

 
895

 
895

 
895

Total
 
$
5,287

 
$
3,218

 
$
8,505

 
8,505

Payments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Severance and other employee related costs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1,503
)
Other restructuring expense
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Total
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
(1,503
)
Balance at end of period
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
7,002


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NOTE 21 – REVENUE RECOGNITION
On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)”, and all subsequent amendments. As stated in Note 1, the implementation of the new standard did not have a material impact on the measurement, timing, or recognition of revenue. Accordingly, no cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings was deemed necessary. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605.
Topic 606 does not apply to revenue associated with financial instruments, including revenue from loans and securities. In addition, certain noninterest income streams such as gain or loss associated with mortgage servicing rights, financial guarantees, derivatives, and income from bank owned life insurance are also not within the scope of the new guidance. Topic 606 is applicable to noninterest income such as trust and asset management income, deposit related fees, interchange fees, merchant related income, and annuity and insurance commissions. However, the recognition of these revenue streams did not change significantly upon adoption of Topic 606. Noninterest income considered to be within the scope of Topic 606 is discussed below.
Debit Card Fees
When customers use their debit cards to pay merchants for goods or services, the Company retains a fee from the funds collected from the related deposit account and transfers the remaining funds to the payment network for remittance to the merchant. The performance obligation to the merchant is satisfied and the fee is recognized at the point in time when the funds are collected and transferred to the payment network.
Investment Commissions
The Company acts as an agent for a third party vendor that provides investment services and products to customers. Upon completion of a sale of investment services or products to a customer, the Company receives a commission from the third party vendor. The performance obligation to the third party vendor is satisfied and the commission income is recognized at that point in time.
Deposit Service Fees
Service charges on deposit accounts consist of account analysis fees, monthly service fees, check orders, and other deposit related fees. The Company’s performance obligation for account analysis fees and monthly service fees is generally satisfied, and the related revenue recognized, over the period in which the service is provided. Check orders and other deposit account related fees are largely transactional based, and therefore, the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied, and related revenue recognized, at a point in time as incurred.
Other
Other noninterest income primarily consists of other recurring revenue streams from gains or losses on sales of OREO, and merchant referral commissions. The Company's performance obligation for sale of OREO is the transfer of title and ownership rights of the OREO to the buyer, which occurs at the settlement date when the sale proceeds are received and income is recognized. The Company's performance obligation for merchant referral commissions is satisfied with the successful sale of services to those referred merchants, which is when the commission is received and the income is recognized.

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The following presents noninterest income, segregated by revenue streams in-scope and out-of-scope of Topic 606, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Noninterest Income
 
 
 
 
In scope of Topic 606
 
 
 
 
Deposit Service Fees
 
$
778

 
$
756

Debit Card Fees
 
225

 
441

Investment Commissions
 
323

 
450

Other
 
155

 
77

Noninterest Income (in-scope of Topic 606)
 
1,481

 
1,724

Noninterest Income (out-of-scope of Topic 606)
 
7,101

 
13,179

Total Noninterest Income
 
$
8,582

 
$
14,903

The Company does not typically enter into long-term revenue contracts with customers, and therefore, does not experience significant contract balances. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company did not have any significant contract balances. As of March 31, 2018, the Company did not capitalize any contract acquisition costs.


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NOTE 22 – RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS
General. The Bank has granted loans to certain executive officers and directors and their related interests. Excluding the loan amounts described in detail below, loans outstanding to persons who were executive officers and directors during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017 and their related interests amounted to $0 and $249 thousand, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, all of which were performing in accordance with their respective terms as of those dates. These loans were made in the ordinary course of business and on substantially the same terms and conditions, including interest rates and collateral, as those of comparable transactions with non-insiders prevailing at the time, in accordance with the Bank’s underwriting guidelines, and do not involve more than the normal risk of collectability or present other unfavorable features.
The Bank has an Employee Loan Program, which is available to all employees and offers executive officers, directors and principal stockholders that meet the eligibility requirements the opportunity to participate on the same terms as employees generally, provided that any loan to an executive officer, director or principal stockholder must be approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors. The sole benefit provided under the Employee Loan Program is a reduction in loan fees.
Deposits from executive officers, directors, and their related interests amounted to $2.4 million and $2.2 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. There are certain deposits described below, which are not included in the foregoing amounts.
Transactions with Current Related Parties
The Company and the Bank have engaged in transactions described below with the Company’s directors, executive officers, and beneficial owners of more than 5 percent of the outstanding shares of the Company’s voting common stock and certain persons related to them.
Indemnification for Costs of Counsel in Connection with Special Committee Investigation, SEC Investigation and Related Matters. On November 3, 2016, in connection with an investigation by the Special Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company Board authorized and directed the Company to provide indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement for the costs of separate independent counsel retained by any then-current officer or director, in their individual capacity, with respect to matters related to the investigation, and to advise them on their rights and obligations with respect to the investigation. At the direction of the Company Board, this indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement is, to the extent applicable, subject to the indemnification agreement that each officer and director previously entered into with the Company, which includes an undertaking to repay any expenses advanced if it is ultimately determined that the officer or director was not entitled to indemnification under such agreements and applicable law. In addition, the Company is providing indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement for costs related to (i) a formal order of investigation issued by the SEC on January 4, 2017 directed primarily at certain of the issues that the Special Committee reviewed and (ii) any related civil or administrative proceedings against the Company as well as officers currently or previously associated with the Company. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the fees and expenses paid by the Company included $28 thousand, $501 thousand, and $0, respectively, incurred by the Company's General Counsel John Grosvenor. For indemnification costs paid for former executive officers or directors, see Transactions with Former Related Parties below.
Company’s Sale of Shares to and Purchase of Shares from SECT. As reported in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 13, 2017, Evercore Trust Company, as trustee of the SECT (which was later succeeded as trustee by Newport Trust Company, N.A.), beneficially owned 2,500,000 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of December 31, 2016, which Evercore Trust Company stated represented more than 5 percent of the total number of shares of the Company’s voting common stock outstanding as of that date. These shares were sold by the Company to the SECT on August 3, 2016 when the Company originally established the SECT. On December 28, 2017, in order to effectuate the early termination of the SECT, the Company purchased the 2,500,000 shares of voting common stock held by the SECT, all as more fully described in Note 15.
Sabal Loan. On September 5, 2017, John A. Bogler became the Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank. Mr. Bogler is a founding member, and since 2015 and up until his employment with the Company, was a board member and Chief Financial Officer, of Sabal Capital Partners, LLC. Sabal Capital Partners, LLC is the sole owner of Sabal Opportunities Fund I, LLC, which in turn is the sole owner of Sabal TL1, LLC (together, Sabal). Mr. Bogler remains a material owner of Sabal. Effective June 26, 2015, the Bank provided a $35.0 million committed revolving repurchase facility, which was increased to $40.0 million effective June 11, 2017, to Sabal TL1, LLC, with a maximum funding amount of $100.0 million in certain situations.

60


Under the Sabal repurchase facility, commercial mortgage loans originated by Sabal are purchased from Sabal by the Bank, together with a simultaneous agreement by Sabal to repurchase the commercial mortgage loans from the Bank at a future date. The advances under the Sabal repurchase facility are secured by commercial mortgage loans that have a market value in excess of the balance of the advances under the facility. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, the largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under the Sabal repurchase facility was $32.5 million and $94.7 million, respectively. The amount outstanding as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $10.4 million and $23.6 million, respectively. Interest on the outstanding balance under the Sabal repurchase facility accrues at the six-month LIBOR rate plus a margin. $106.4 million and $600.4 million in principal, respectively, and $190 thousand and $1.1 million in interest, respectively, was paid by Sabal on the facility to the Bank during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017.
Underwriting Services. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., a Stifel company, acted as an underwriter of public offerings of the Company’s securities in 2016 and 2015, and also acted as financial advisor for the Company's sale of its Commercial Equipment Finance Division in 2016. Halle J. Benett, a director of the Company and the Bank, was employed as a Managing Director and Head of the Diversified Financials Group at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. until August 31, 2016 and is entitled to receive compensation for certain deals that close subsequent to August 31, 2016 that he originated or actively managed (none involving the Company or the Bank). In addition, Mr. Benett agreed to provide unpaid consulting services to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., for a small number of transactions (none involving the Company or the Bank) through December 31, 2016.
The details of the financial advisory services are as follows:
On October 27, 2016, the Company sold its Commercial Equipment Finance Division to Hanmi Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hanmi Financial Corporation (Hanmi). Beginning on February 1, 2016, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods provided financial advisory and investment banking services to the Company with respect the possible sale of the division and, contingent upon the closing of the sale, received a non-refundable contingent fee from the Company of $516 thousand (less expenses, the amount was $500 thousand).
The details of the underwritten public offerings are as follows:
On March 8, 2016, the Company issued and sold 5,577,500 shares of its voting common stock. Pursuant to an underwriting agreement entered into with the Company for that offering on March 2, 2016, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. received gross underwriting fees and commissions from the Company of approximately $1.0 million (less estimated expenses, the amount was $846 thousand).
On February 8, 2016, the Company issued and sold 5,000,000 depositary shares (Series E Depositary Shares) each representing a 1/40th ownership interest in a share of 7.00 percent Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series E, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (equivalent to $25 per depositary share).  Pursuant to an underwriting agreement entered into with the Company for that offering on February 1, 2016, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. received gross underwriting fees and commission from the Company of approximately $944 thousand (less estimated expenses, the amount was $849 thousand).
On April 8, 2015, the Company issued and sold 4,600,000 depositary shares (Series D Depositary Shares) each representing 1/40th ownership interest in a share of 7.375 percent Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series D, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (equivalent to $25 per depositary share). Pursuant to an underwriting agreement entered into with the Company for that offering on March 31, 2015, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. received gross underwriting fees and commissions from the Company of approximately $590 thousand (less expenses, the amount was $515 thousand).
On April 6, 2015, the Company issued and sold $175.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.25 percent Senior Notes due April 15, 2025. Pursuant to a purchase agreement entered into with the Company for that offering on March 31, 2015, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. received gross underwriting fees and commissions from the Company of approximately $263 thousand (less expenses, the amount was $221 thousand).
Legion Affiliates. As reported in an amendment to a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on May 23, 2017, Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC (Legion Partners), Legion Partners, L.P. I, Legion and its affiliates (collectively, the Legion Group) beneficially owned 2,938,679 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of May 19, 2017, which the Legion Group reported represented 5.6 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding. As reported in an amendment to a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on April 26, 2018, the Legion Group beneficially owned 2,439,751 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of that date, which the Legion Group reported represented 4.8 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding.
Cooperation Agreement. On March 13, 2017, the Company entered into a cooperation agreement with the Legion Group (the Legion Group Cooperation Agreement). Under the terms of such agreement, among other things:
The Legion Group agreed to irrevocably withdraw its notice of director nomination and submission of a business proposal.

61


The Company agreed to conduct a search for two additional independent directors in collaboration with the Legion Group. In accordance with this provision, following a search initiated by the Company Board and (following entry into the Legion Group Cooperation Agreement) conducted in consultation with Legion Group, the Company Board appointed Mary A. Curran and Bonnie G. Hill as new independent directors, for terms that became effective on June 9, 2017 at the conclusion of the Company's 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Ms. Curran is serving as a Class I director, for a term to expire at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Dr. Hill is serving as a Class III director, for a term to expire at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Simultaneously with the effectiveness of their appointments to the Company Board, each of Ms. Curran and Dr. Hill was appointed as a director of the Bank.
From March 13, 2017 until June 10, 2017, the day after the Company’s 2017 Annual Meeting, the Legion Group agreed to vote all the shares of the Company's voting common stock that it beneficially owned (i) in favor of the Company’s slate of directors, (ii) against any stockholder’s nominations for directors not approved and recommended by the Board and against any proposals or resolutions to remove any director and (iii) in accordance with the Board’s recommendations on all other proposals of the Board set forth in the Company’s proxy statement.
The Legion Group agreed to certain standstill provisions that restricted the Legion Group and its affiliates, associates and representatives, from March 13, 2017 until June 10, 2017, from, among other things, acquiring additional voting securities of the Company that would result in the Legion Group having ownership or voting interest in 10 percent or more of the outstanding shares of voting common stock, engaging in proxy solicitations in an election contest, subjecting any shares to any voting arrangements except as expressly provided in the Legion Group Cooperation Agreement, making or being a proponent of a stockholder proposal, seeking to call a meeting of stockholders or solicit consents from stockholders, seeking to obtain representation on the Board except as otherwise expressly provided in the Legion Group Cooperation Agreement, seeking to remove any director from the Board, seeking to amend any provision of the governing documents of the Company, or proposing or participating in certain extraordinary corporate transactions involving the Company.
The Company agreed to reimburse the Legion Group up to $100 thousand for its legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with its investment in the Company.
PL Capital Affiliates. As reported in an amendment to a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on February 10, 2017, PL Capital Advisors, LLC (PL Capital Advisors) and certain of its affiliates (collectively, the PL Capital Group) owned 3,427,219 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of February 7, 2017, which the PL Capital Group reported represented 6.9 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding.
Cooperation Agreement. On February 7, 2017, Richard J. Lashley, a co-founder of PL Capital Advisors, LLC, was appointed to the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank, which appointments became effective February 16, 2017. Mr. Lashley was appointed as a Class I director of the Company, for a term that will expire at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Lashley to the Boards, on February 8, 2017, the PL Capital Group and Mr. Lashley entered into a cooperation agreement with the Company (PL Capital Cooperation Agreement), in which PL Capital Group agreed, among other matters:
From February 8, 2017 until June 10, 2017 (PL Capital Restricted Period), the PL Capital Group agreed to vote all the shares of Common Stock that it beneficially owned (i) in favor of the Company’s slate of directors, (ii) against any stockholder’s nominations for directors not approved and recommended by the Company’s Board and against any proposals or resolutions to remove any director and (iii) in accordance with the recommendations by the Company’s Board on all other proposals of the Company’s Board set forth in the Company’s proxy statement.
In addition, during the PL Capital Restricted Period, the PL Capital Group agreed to certain standstill provisions that restricted the PL Capital Group and its affiliates, associates and representatives, during the PL Capital Restricted Period, from, among other things, acquiring additional voting securities of the Company that would result in the PL Capital Group having ownership or voting interest in 10 percent or more of the outstanding shares of voting common stock, engaging in proxy solicitations in an election contest, subjecting any shares to any voting arrangements except as expressly provided in the PL Capital Cooperation Agreement, making or being a proponent of a stockholder proposal, seeking to call a meeting of stockholders or solicit consents from stockholders, seeking to obtain representation on the Company’s Board except as otherwise expressly provided in the PL Capital Cooperation Agreement, seeking to remove any director from the Company’s Board, seeking to amend any provision of the governing documents of the Company, or proposing or participating in certain extraordinary corporate transactions involving the Company.
Pursuant to the PL Capital Cooperation Agreement, during the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company reimbursed PL Capital Group $150 thousand for a portion of its legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with its investment in the Company.

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Patriot Affiliates. As reported in a Schedule 13D amendment filed with the SEC on November 10, 2014, Patriot’s last public filing reporting ownership of the Company’s securities, Patriot Financial Partners, L.P. (together with its affiliates referred to as Patriot Partners) owned 3,100,564 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of November 7, 2014, which Patriot Partners reported represented 9.3 percent of the Company’s outstanding voting common stock as of that date. For the details of the transaction in which Patriot Partners acquired certain of these shares, see “Securities Purchase Agreement with Patriot” below. In connection with the appointment of W. Kirk Wycoff, a managing partner of Patriot Partners, to the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank (described below), Mr. Wycoff filed a Form 3 with the SEC on February 24, 2017, which reported total holdings for Patriot Partners of 2,850,564 shares.
Director. On February 9, 2017, Mr. Wycoff was appointed to the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank, which appointment became effective on February 16, 2017. Mr. Wycoff was appointed as a Class III director of the Company, for a term that will expire at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Wycoff was a director of, and Patriot Partners was a stockholder of, Square 1 Financial, Inc. (Square 1). Douglas H. Bowers, who became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank and a director of the Bank effective May 8, 2017 and a director of the Company on June 9, 2017 at the conclusion of the Company’s 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Square 1 from 2011 to 2015. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Bowers and either Mr. Wycoff or Patriot Partners pursuant to which Mr. Bowers was selected as a director and an officer of the Company.
Securities Purchase Agreement with Patriot. As noted above, as reported in a Schedule 13D amendment filed on November 10, 2014 with the SEC, Patriot Partners owned 3,100,564 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of November 7, 2014, which Patriot Partners reported represented 9.3 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding as of the dates set forth in the Schedule 13D. On April 22, 2014, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (Patriot SPA) with Patriot Partners to raise a portion of the capital to be used to finance the acquisition of select assets and assumption of certain liabilities by the Bank from Banco Popular North America (BPNA) comprising BPNA's network of 20 California Branches (the BPNA Branch Acquisition), which was completed on November 8, 2014. The Patriot SPA was due to expire by its terms on October 31, 2014. Prior to such expiration, the Company and Patriot Partners entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 30, 2014 (New Patriot SPA). Pursuant to the New Patriot SPA, substantially concurrently with the BPNA Branch Acquisition, Patriot Partners purchased from the Company (i) 1,076,000 shares of its voting common stock at a price of $9.78 per share and (ii) 824,000 shares of its voting common stock at a price of $11.55 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million. In consideration for Patriot Partners’ commitment under the New SPA and pursuant the terms of the New SPA, on the closing of the sale of such shares on November 7, 2014, the Company paid Patriot Partners an equity support payment of $538 thousand and also reimbursed Patriot Partners $100 thousand in out-of-pocket expenses.
On October 30, 2014, concurrent with the execution of the New Patriot SPA, Patriot and the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release (the Patriot Settlement Agreement) in order to resolve, without admission of any wrongdoing by either party, a prior dispute regarding, among other things, the proper interpretation of certain provisions of the SPA, including but not limited to the computation of the purchase price per share (the Dispute).
Pursuant to the Patriot Settlement Agreement, Patriot and the Company released any claims they may have had against the other party with respect to the Dispute. In addition, Patriot and the Company agreed for the period beginning on the date of the Patriot Settlement Agreement and ending on December 31, 2016, that neither Patriot nor the Company would disparage the other party or its affiliates.
During the period beginning on the date of the Patriot Settlement Agreement and ending on December 31, 2016, Patriot also agreed not to:
institute, solicit, assist or join, as a party, any proxy solicitation, consent solicitation, board nomination or director removal relating to the Company against or involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys or financial advisors;
take any action relative to the governance of the Company that would violate its passivity commitments or vote the shares of voting common stock held or controlled by it on any matters related to the election, removal or replacement of directors or the calling of any meeting related thereto, other than in accordance with management’s recommendations included in the Company’s proxy statement for any annual meeting or special meeting;

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form or join in a partnership, limited partnership, syndicate or other group, or solicit proxies or written consents of stockholders or conduct any other type of referendum (binding or non-binding) with respect to, or from the holders of, the voting common stock and any other securities of the Company entitled to vote in the election of directors, or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, voting common stock or such other securities (such other securities, together with the voting common stock, being referred to as Voting Securities), or become a participant in or assist, encourage or advise any person in any solicitation of any proxy, consent or other authority to vote any Voting Securities; or
enter into any negotiations, agreements, arrangements or understandings with any person with respect to any of the foregoing or advise, assist, encourage or seek to persuade any person to take any action with respect to any of the foregoing.
The Company also agreed, during the same period, not to:
institute, solicit, assist or join, as a party, any proxy solicitation, consent solicitation, board nomination or director removal relating to Patriot against or involving Patriot or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, officers, partners, principals, employees, agents, attorneys or financial advisors; or
enter into any negotiations, agreements, arrangements or understandings with any person with respect to any of the foregoing or advise, assist, encourage or seek to persuade any person to take any action with respect to any of the foregoing.
Transactions with Former Related Parties
In addition to the transactions described above with former related parties, the Company and the Bank have engaged in transactions described below with the Company’s then (now former) directors, executive officers, and beneficial owners of more than 5 percent of the outstanding shares of the Company’s voting common stock and certain persons related to them.
Indemnification for Costs of Counsel for Former Executive Officers and Former Directors in Connection with Special Committee Investigation, SEC Investigation and Related Matters. On November 3, 2016, in connection with the investigation by the Special Committee of the Company's Board of Directors, the Company Board authorized and directed the Company to provide indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement for the costs of separate independent counsel retained by any then-current officer or director, in their individual capacity, with respect to matters related to the investigation, and to advise them on their rights and obligations with respect to the investigation. At the direction of the Company Board, this indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement is, to the extent applicable, subject to the indemnification agreement that each officer and director previously entered into with the Company, which includes an undertaking to repay any expenses advanced if it is ultimately determined that the officer or director was not entitled to indemnification under such agreements and applicable law. In addition, the Company is also providing indemnification, advancement and/or reimbursement for costs related to (i) a formal order of investigation issued by the SEC on January 4, 2017 directed primarily at certain of the issues that the Special Committee reviewed and (ii) any related civil or administrative proceedings against the Company as well as officers currently or previously associated with the Company.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and year ended December 31, 2017 (excluding fees paid in January 2017), the fees and expenses paid by the Company included $265 thousand and $3.0 million, respectively, incurred by the Company’s then- (now former) Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer Steven A. Sugarman ; $71 thousand and $1.4 million, respectively, incurred by the Bank’s then- (now former) Management Vice Chair Jeffrey T. Seabold; $11 thousand and $631 thousand, respectively jointly incurred by the Company’s then- (now former) Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer J. Francisco A. Turner and the Company’s then- (now former) Chief Financial Officer James J. McKinney; and $5 thousand and $509 thousand, incurred by the Company’s then- (now former) director Chad Brownstein.
For the year ended December 31, 2016, fees and expenses incurred under the arrangement described above (which were paid in January 2017) included $573 thousand incurred by Mr. Sugarman; $57 thousand incurred by Mr. Seabold; $135 thousand incurred jointly by Messrs. Turner and McKinney; and $29 thousand incurred by Mr. Brownstein. Indemnification was paid on behalf of other former executive officers and former directors in lesser amounts for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.
Settlement Agreement. On September 5, 2017, Jeffrey T. Seabold, the Bank’s former Management Vice Chair, submitted a notice of termination of employment pursuant to his employment agreement with the Bank and, that same day, filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, against the Company and the Bank and multiple unnamed defendants asserting claims for breach of contract, wrongful termination, retaliation and unfair business practices. On January 19, 2018, the parties reached a settlement in principle through mediation and a final settlement agreement was entered into by the Company, the Bank and Mr. Seabold on February 14, 2018 (the Settlement Agreement).

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Under the Settlement Agreement, which provides for a mutual release of claims and the dismissal of Mr. Seabold’s complaint with prejudice, Mr. Seabold received lump sum cash payments from the Company and the Bank aggregating $4.3 million, less applicable withholdings for the portions of such payments representing employee compensation. Included within this amount were cash payments totaling $576 thousand representing a benefit with respect to Mr. Seabold's unvested stock options and restricted stock awards. Mr. Seabold also received a cash payment of $38 thousand as reimbursement for his premiums for health care coverage for the period October 1, 2017 through March 2019. In addition, in accordance with the Settlement Agreement, the Bank paid $650 thousand of attorneys’ fees incurred by Mr. Seabold in connection with his lawsuit and the Settlement Agreement. All the cash payments to Mr. Seabold under the Settlement Agreement were made during the three months ended March 31, 2018. The Settlement Agreement contains certain standstill provisions that, prior to December 31, 2018, generally restrict Mr. Seabold and his affiliates from, among other things, acquiring beneficial ownership of any shares of the Company’s common stock or common stock equivalents to the extent this would result in Mr. Seabold beneficially owning in excess of 4.99 percent of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding, soliciting proxies in opposition to any matter not recommended by the Company’s Board of Directors or in favor of any matter not approved by the Company’s Board of Directors or initiating any stockholder proposal.
Banc of California Stadium Naming Rights and Sponsorship and Los Angeles Football Club Loans. Effective August 8, 2016, the Bank provided $40.3 million out of a $145.0 million committed construction line of credit (the Stadco Loan) to LAFC Stadium Co, LLC (Stadco) for the construction of a soccer-specific stadium for the LAFC in Los Angeles, California as well as to fund the interest and fees that become due under the Stadco Loan. LAFC is a Major League Soccer expansion franchise scheduled to debut in 2018. Also effective August 8, 2016, the Bank provided $9.7 million out of a $35.0 million committed senior secured line of credit (the Team Loan) to LAFC Sports, LLC (Team) to fund distributions to LAFC Partners, LLLP (Holdco) that will be used for stadium construction, funding interest and fees that become due under such Team Loan and to pay all other fees, costs and expenses payable by the Team in connection with project costs related to the stadium construction.
All of the outstanding equity interests in Stadco and Team are held by Holdco, and Holdco serves as sole guarantor of the Team Loan described above. Minority limited partnership interests in Holdco are held by, among others: (i) Jason Sugarman, who is the brother of the Company’s and the Bank’s then- (now former) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Steven A. Sugarman; and (ii) Jason Sugarman’s father-in-law, who currently serves as Executive Chairman and a member of Holdco’s board of directors, which is appointed by Holdco’s general partner and primarily functions in an advisory capacity. The foregoing statements are based primarily on information provided to the Company by Holdco through its legal counsel.
As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were $26.3 million and $23.3 million outstanding advances, respectively, by the Bank under the Stadco Loan. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, the largest amount of principal outstanding under the Stadco Loan was $26.5 million and $23.5 million, respectively. The Bank collected $38 thousand and $295 thousand, respectively, in unused loan fees during three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017. Interest on the outstanding balance under the Stadco Loan accrues at LIBOR plus a margin. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, $193 thousand and $325 thousand interest, respectively, was paid by Stadco to the Bank on the Stadco Loan.
As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were $6.1 million and $5.4 million outstanding advances, respectively, by the Bank under the Team Loan. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, the largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under the Team Loan was $6.2 million and $5.5 million, respectively. The Bank collected $12 thousand and $140 thousand, respectively, in unused loan fees during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017. Interest on the outstanding balance under the Team Loan accrues at LIBOR plus a margin. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, $50 thousand and $83 thousand interest, respectively, was paid by Team to the Bank on the Team Loan.
Team obtained a corporate credit card with a $100 thousand line of credit from a third party unaffiliated with the Bank. Effective November 24, 2017, the Bank provided a guaranty for the card by obtaining a standby letter of credit issued by another institution unaffiliated with the Bank in the amount of $100 thousand for the benefit the issuer of the credit card. This letter of credit had not been drawn upon as of March 31, 2018.
Following the closing of the Stadco Loan and the Term Loan, the Bank on August 22, 2016 reached agreement with the Team concerning, among other things, the Bank’s right to name the stadium to be operated by Stadco as “Banc of California Stadium.” The August 22, 2016 agreement, which contemplated the negotiation and execution of more detailed definitive agreements between the Bank, on the one hand, and Stadco and the Team on the other hand (LAFC Transaction), also included a sponsorship relationship between the Bank and the Team with an initial term ending on the completion date of LAFC’s 15th full Major League Soccer (MLS) season, and the Bank having a right of first offer to extend the term for an additional 10 years (LAFC Term). On February 28, 2017, the Bank executed more detailed definitive agreements with LAFC and Stadco relating to the LAFC Transaction, which are subject to MLS rules and/or approval (the LAFC Agreements).

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The LAFC Agreements provide that, during the LAFC Term, the Bank will have the exclusive right to name the Banc of California Stadium and will be the exclusive provider of financial services to (and the exclusive financial services sponsor of) the Team and Stadco. In connection with its right to name the Banc of California Stadium, the Bank will receive, among other rights, signage (including prominent exterior signage) and related branding rights throughout the exterior and interior of the Banc of California Stadium facility (including exclusive branding rights within certain designated areas and venues within the facility), will receive the right to locate a Bank branch within the Banc of California Stadium facility, will receive the exclusive right to install and operate ATMs in the Banc of California Stadium facility, and will receive the exclusive right to process payments and provide other financial services (with certain exceptions) throughout the facility. In addition, the Bank will receive suite access for LAFC and certain other events held at the Banc of California Stadium and will receive certain hospitality, event, media and other rights ancillary to its naming rights relating to the Banc of California Stadium and its sponsorship rights relating to the Team. In conjunction with the LAFC Agreements, the Company expects to decrease its other planned marketing and sponsorship expenses.
In exchange for the Bank’s rights as set forth in the LAFC Agreements, the Bank (i) paid the Team $10.0 million on March 31, 2017 and (ii) has agreed to pay the following annual aggregate amounts: for the Team’s 2018 MLS season, $5.3 million; for 2019, $5.4 million; for 2020, $5.5 million; for 2021, $5.6 million; for 2022, $5.7 million; for 2023, $5.8 million; for 2024, $5.9 million; for 2025, $6.0 million; for 2026, $6.1 million; for 2027, $6.2 million; for 2028, $6.3 million; for 2029, $6.4 million; for 2030, $6.5 million; for 2031, $6.6 million; and for 2032, $6.7 million. The advertising benefits of such rights are amortized on a straight-line basis and recorded as advertising expense beginning in 2018. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Bank paid $1.3 million for the Team's 2018 MLS season and the related advertising and promotion expense recorded was $1.7 million. As of March 31, 2018, the Bank has paid $11.3 million of the $100.0 million commitment. The prepaid commitment balance, net of amortization, was $9.7 million as of March 31, 2018, which was recognized as a prepaid asset and included in Other Assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition.
As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the various entities affiliated with LAFC held $37.2 million and $33.1 million, respectively, of deposits at the Bank.
Legal Fees and Other Matters. During July 2017, the Company and the Bank became aware that the former Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank, Steven A. Sugarman, became of counsel to Michelman & Robinson, LLP, a law firm that previously provided legal services to the Bank. For legal services that were performed for the Bank over a period of more than four months, the Bank paid Michelman & Robinson, LLP approximately $330 thousand in fees during the three months ended March 31, 2017. No legal services were provided and $0 was paid to Michelman & Robinson, LLP during the twelve-month period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Michelman & Robinson, LLP previously had three outstanding letters of credit with the Bank, which were issued under a line of credit that was originally extended to Michelman & Robinson, LLP prior to 2008. All three letters of credit were canceled in February 2018, and none were drawn upon as of December 31, 2017 or subsequent to that date. Michelman & Robinson, LLP elected to pay in full all outstanding borrowings under the line of credit in June 2017 and, thereafter, the line of credit was terminated. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Bank reimbursed Michelman & Robinson, LLP $100 thousand in connection with a matter concerning funds wired by a third party to a deposit account Michelman & Robinson, LLP held at the Bank.
Consulting Agreement for the Bank. On August 4, 2016, the Bank entered into a Management Services Agreement with Carlos Salas, who was, at the time, the Chief Executive Officer of COR Clearing LLC (COR Clearing) and Chief Financial Officer of COR Securities Holding, Inc. (CORSHI). Steven A. Sugarman, the then- (now former) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank, is believed by the Company to be the Chief Executive Officer, as well as a controlling equity owner, of both COR Clearing and CORSHI. For management consulting and advisory services provided to the Bank through the termination of the Management Services Agreement on November 30, 2016, Mr. Salas earned $108 thousand in fees. On December 1, 2016, Mr. Salas became a full-time employee of the Bank and tendered his resignation from his positions as Chief Executive Officer of COR Clearing and Chief Financial Officer of CORSHI effective upon the orderly transition of his duties, but in no case later than March 31, 2017. Mr. Salas earned $17 thousand as a full time employee of the Bank during the year ended December 31, 2016. Mr. Salas separated from the Bank on February 1, 2017.
TCW Affiliates. TCW Shared Opportunity Fund V, L.P. (SHOP V Fund), an affiliate of The TCW Group, Inc., initially became a holder of the Company’s voting common stock and non-voting common stock as a lead investor in the November 2010 recapitalization of the Company (the Recapitalization). In connection with its investment in the Recapitalization, SHOP V Fund also was issued by the Company an immediately exercisable five-year warrant (the SHOP V Fund Warrant) to purchase 240,000 shares of non-voting common stock or, to the extent provided therein, shares of voting common stock in lieu of non-voting common stock.
SHOP V Fund was issued shares of non-voting common stock in the Recapitalization because at that time, a controlling interest in TCW Asset Management Company, the investment manager to SHOP V Fund, was held by a foreign banking organization, and in order to prevent SHOP V Fund from being considered a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, the number of shares of voting common stock it purchased in the Recapitalization had to be limited to

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4.99 percent of the total number of shares of voting common stock outstanding immediately following the Recapitalization. For the same reason, the SHOP V Fund Warrant could be exercised by SHOP V Fund for voting common stock in lieu of non-voting common stock only to the extent SHOP V Fund's percentage ownership of the voting common stock at the time of exercise would be less than 4.99 percent as a result of dilution occurring from additional issuances of voting common stock subsequent to the Recapitalization.
In 2013, the foreign banking organization sold its controlling interest in TCW Asset Management Company, eliminating the need to limit SHOP V Fund's percentage ownership of the voting common stock to 4.99 percent. As a result, on May 29, 2013, the Company and SHOP V Fund entered into a Common Stock Share Exchange Agreement, dated May 29, 2013 (Exchange Agreement), pursuant to which SHOP V Fund could from time to time exchange its shares of non-voting common stock for shares of voting common stock issued by the Company on a share-for-share basis, provided that immediately following any such exchange, SHOP V Fund's percentage ownership of voting common stock did not exceed 9.99 percent. The shares of non-voting common stock that could be exchanged by SHOP V Fund pursuant to the Exchange Agreement included the shares of non-voting common stock it purchased in the Recapitalization, the additional shares of non-voting common stock SHOP V Fund acquired subsequent to the Recapitalization pursuant to the Company’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan and any additional shares of non-voting common stock that SHOP V Fund acquired pursuant to its exercise of the SHOP V Fund Warrant.
On December 10, 2014, SHOP V Fund and two affiliated entities, Crescent Special Situations Fund Legacy V, L.P. (CSSF Legacy V) and Crescent Special Situations Fund Investor Group, L.P. (CSSF Investor Group), entered into a Contribution, Distribution and Sale Agreement pursuant to which SHOP V Fund agreed to transfer shares of non-voting common stock and portions of the SHOP V Fund Warrant to CSSF Legacy V and CSSF Investor Group. Also on December 10, 2014, SHOP V Fund, CSSF Legacy V, CSSF Investor Group and the Company entered into an Assignment and Assumption Agreement pursuant to which all of SHOP V Fund’s rights and obligations under the Exchange Agreement with respect to the shares of non-voting common stock transferred by it to CSSF Legacy V and CSSF Investor Group pursuant to the Contribution, Distribution and Sale Agreement were assigned to CSSF Legacy V and CSSF Investor Group, including the right of SHOP V Fund to exchange such shares for shares of voting common stock on a one-for-one basis.
Based on a Schedule 13G amendment filed with the SEC on February 12, 2015, The TCW Group's last public filing reporting ownership of the Company's securities, as of December 31, 2014, The TCW Group, Inc. and its affiliates held 1,318,462 shares of voting common stock (which included, for purposes of this calculation, the 240,000 shares of stock underlying the as yet unexercised SHOP V Fund Warrant). On June 3, 2013, January 5, 2015, January 20, 2015, and March 16, 2015, SHOP V Fund or CSSF Legacy V or CSSF Investor Group exchanged 550,000 shares, 522,564 shares, 86,620 shares, and 934 shares, respectively, of non-voting common stock for the same number of shares of voting common stock. In addition, on August 3, 2015, the SHOP V Fund Warrant, which was held in separate portions by CSSF Legacy V and CSSF Investor Group, was exercised in full using a cashless (net) exercise, resulting in a net number of shares of non-voting common stock issued in the aggregate of 70,690, which were immediately thereafter exchanged for an aggregate of 70,690 shares of voting common stock. Based on automatic adjustments to the original $11.00 exercise price of the SHOP V Fund Warrant, the exercise price at the time of exercise was $9.13 per share. As a result of these exchanges and exercises The TCW Group, Inc. and its affiliates no longer hold any shares of non-voting common stock or warrants to acquire stock. Based on TCW Group's prior report of owning 1,318,462 shares of the Company’s voting common stock, TCW Group, Inc. would have owned 3.5 percent of the Company’s outstanding voting common stock as of December 31, 2015.
Oaktree Affiliates. As reported in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 16, 2015, OCM BOCA Investor, LLC (OCM), an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., owned 3,288,947 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of November 7, 2014, which OCM reported represented 9.9 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding as of the dates set forth in the Schedule 13G. For the details of the transaction in which OCM acquired these shares, see “Securities Purchase Agreement with Oaktree” below. However, as reported in a Schedule 13G amendment filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016 OCM and its affiliates owned 671,702 shares of the Company’s voting common stock as of December 31, 2015, which OCM reported represented less than 5 percent of the Company’s total shares outstanding.
Loans. Effective September 30, 2015, the Bank provided a $15.0 million committed revolving line of credit, which was increased to $20.0 million effective as of March 7, 2017 and terminated on February 6, 2018, to Teleios LS Holdings DE, LLC and Teleios LS Holdings II DE, LLC (Teleios), which generated income through the purchase, monitoring, maintenance and maturity of life insurance policies. At the time the facility was executed, the Teleios entities were hedge funds in which Oaktree Capital Management L.P. or one of its affiliates was a controlling investor.
Advances under the Teleios line of credit were secured by life insurance policies purchased by Teleios that had a market value in excess of the balance of the advances under the line of credit. As of December 31, 2017, outstanding advances by the Bank under the Teleios line of credit were$16.0 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, the largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under the Teleios line of credit was $16.0 million. Interest on the outstanding balance under the Teleios line of credit accrued at the Prime Rate plus a margin. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017,

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$16.0 million and $4.0 million in principal, respectively, and $104 thousand and $1.0 million in interest, respectively, was paid by Teleios on the line of credit to the Bank.
Effective June 26, 2015, the Bank provided a $35.0 million committed revolving repurchase facility, which was increased to $40.0 million (the Sabal repurchase facility) effective June 11, 2017, to Sabal TL1, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, with a maximum funding amount of $100.0 million in certain situations. At the time the facility was executed, Sabal TL1, LLC was controlled by an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and effective September 15, 2015, Sabal was no longer controlled by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. For more information about the facility, see above under "Transactions with Current Related Parties, Sabal Loan."
Securities Purchase Agreement with Oaktree. As noted above, as reported in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 16, 2015, OCM owned 3,288,947 shares of the Company’s voting common stock. OCM purchased these shares from the Company on November 7, 2014 at a price of $9.78 per share pursuant to a securities purchase agreement entered into on April 22, 2014 (and amended on October 28, 2014) in order for the Company to raise a portion of the capital to be used to finance the BPNA Branch Acquisition, which was completed on November 8, 2014. In consideration for its commitment under the securities purchase agreement, OCM was paid at closing an equity support payment from the Company of $1.6 million.
Management Services. Approximately nine months before OCM became a stockholder of the Company, certain affiliates of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (collectively, the Oaktree Funds) entered into a management agreement, effective January 30, 2014, as amended (the Management Agreement), with The Palisades Group, which was then a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
Pursuant to the Management Agreement, The Palisades Group serves as the credit manager of pools of SFR mortgage loans held in securitization trusts or other vehicles beneficially owned by the Oaktree Funds. Under the Management Agreement, The Palisades Group is paid a monthly management fee primarily based on the amount of certain designated pool assets and may earn additional fees for advice related to financing opportunities. During the period from January 1, 2016 through May 5, 2016 (the date the Company sold its membership interests in The Palisades Group) and the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Oaktree Funds paid The Palisades Group $1.0 million, $5.1 million, and $5.3 million as management fees, respectively, which in some instances represents fees for partial year services. In addition to the Management Agreement, the Bank may from time to time in the future enter into lending transactions with portfolio companies of investment funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
Consulting Services to The Palisades Group. The Company completed the sale of its subsidiary, The Palisades Group, on May 5, 2016, which it originally acquired on September 10, 2013. The information included herein is based on information known to the Company as of May 5, 2016, the date the Company completed the sale of The Palisades Group. Effective as of July 1, 2013, prior to the Company’s acquisition of The Palisades Group, The Palisades Group entered into a consulting agreement with Jason Sugarman, the brother of the Company’s and the Bank’s then- (now former) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Steven A. Sugarman. Jason Sugarman has historically provided advisory services to financial institutions and other institutional clients related to investments in residential mortgages, real estate and real estate related assets and The Palisades Group entered into the consulting agreement with Jason Sugarman to provide these types of services. The consulting agreement is for a term of five years, with a minimum payment of $30 thousand owed at the end of each quarter (or $600 thousand in aggregate quarterly payments over the five-year term of the agreement). These payments do not include any bonuses that may be earned under the agreement. Effective as of March 26, 2015, the bonus amount earned by Jason Sugarman for consulting services he provided during the year ended December 31, 2014 was credited in satisfaction and full discharge of all then currently accrued but unpaid quarterly payments as well as any future quarterly payments specified under the consulting agreement, but not against any future bonuses that he may earn under the consulting agreement. During the period from January 1, 2016 through May 5, 2016 (the date the Company sold its membership interests in The Palisades Group), no bonus amounts were earned by Jason Sugarman under the consulting agreement. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 base and bonus amounts earned by Jason Sugarman under the consulting agreement totaled $30 thousand, $1.2 million, and $121 thousand, respectively.
The consulting agreement may be terminated at any time by either The Palisades Group or Jason Sugarman upon 30 days prior written notice. The consulting agreement with Jason Sugarman was reviewed as a related party transaction and approved by the then-acting Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and approved by the disinterested directors of the Board. As of May 5, 2016, the Company has no direct or indirect obligation under the consulting agreement, as the agreement was entered into between Jason Sugarman and The Palisades Group, and the Company completed the sale of The Palisades Group on that date.

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CS Financial Acquisition. Effective October 31, 2013, the Company acquired CS Financial, which was controlled by Jeffrey T. Seabold and in which certain relatives of Steven A. Sugarman (the then- (now former) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank) directly or through their affiliated entities also owned certain minority, non-controlling interests. Mr. Seabold previously served as Management Vice Chair of the Bank and also held prior positions as a director of the Company and the Bank; on September 5, 2017, Mr. Seabold submitted a notice of termination of employment as Management Vice Chair of the Bank pursuant to his employment agreement with the Bank effective immediately. The Company’s acquisition of CS Financial (the CS Financial Merger) was effected pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the CS Financial Merger Agreement) with CS Financial, the stockholders of CS Financial (Sellers) and Mr. Seabold, as the Sellers’ Representative.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the CS Financial Merger Agreement, which was approved by the Board of Directors of each of the Company, the Bank and CS Financial, at the effective time of the CS Financial Merger, the outstanding shares of common stock of CS Financial were converted into the right to receive in the aggregate: (i) upon the closing of the CS Financial Merger, (a) 173,791 shares (Closing Date Shares) of voting common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, and (b) $1.5 million in cash and $3.2 million in the form of a noninterest-bearing note issued by the Company to Mr. Seabold that was due and paid by the Company on January 2, 2014; and (ii) upon the achievement of certain performance targets by the Bank’s lending activities following the closing of the CS Financial Merger that are set forth in the CS Financial Merger Agreement, up to 92,781 shares (Performance Shares) of voting common stock ((i) and (ii), together, CS Financial Merger Consideration).
The Sellers under the CS Financial Merger Agreement included Mr. Seabold, and the following relatives of Steven A. Sugarman: Jason Sugarman (brother), Elizabeth Sugarman (sister-in-law), and Michael Sugarman (father), who each owned minority, non-controlling interests in CS Financial. Upon the closing of the CS Financial Merger and pursuant to the terms of the CS Financial Merger Agreement, the aggregate shares of voting common stock issued as the consideration to the Sellers was 173,791 shares, which was allocated by the Sellers and issued as follows: (i) 103,663 shares to Mr. Seabold; (ii) 16,140 shares to Jason Sugarman; (iii) 16,140 shares to Elizabeth Sugarman; (iv) 3,228 shares to Michael Sugarman; and (v) 34,620 shares to certain employees of CS Financial. Of the 103,663 shares to be issued to Mr. Seabold, as allowed under the CS Financial Merger Agreement and in consideration of repayment of a certain debt incurred by CS Financial owed to an entity controlled by Elizabeth Sugarman, Mr. Seabold requested the Company to issue all 103,663 shares directly to Elizabeth Sugarman, and such shares were so issued by the Company to Elizabeth Sugarman.
On October 31, 2014, certain of the Performance Shares were issued as follows: (i) 28,545 shares to Mr. Seabold; (ii) 1,082 shares to Jason Sugarman; (iii) 1,082 shares to Elizabeth Sugarman; and (iv) 216 shares to Michael Sugarman. An additional portion of the Performance Shares was issued on November 2, 2015 as follows: (i) 28,545 shares to Mr. Seabold; (ii) 1,082 shares to Jason Sugarman; (iii) 1,082 shares to Elizabeth Sugarman; and (iv) 216 shares to Michael Sugarman. The final tranche of the Performance Shares were issued on October 31, 2016 as follows: (i) 28,547 shares to Mr. Seabold; (ii) 1,083 shares to Jason Sugarman; (iii) 1,083 shares to Elizabeth Sugarman and (iv) 218 shares to Michael Sugarman.
All decisions and actions with respect to the CS Financial Merger Agreement and the CS Financial Merger (including without limitation the determination of the CS Financial Merger Consideration and the other material terms of the CS Financial Merger Agreement) were under the purview and authority of special committees of the Board of Directors of each of the Company and the Bank, each of which was composed exclusively of independent, disinterested directors of the Boards of Directors, with the assistance of outside financial and legal advisors. Mr. Sugarman abstained from the vote of each of the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank to approve the CS Financial Merger Agreement and the CS Financial Merger.

69


NOTE 23 – LITIGATION
From time to time we are involved as plaintiff or defendant in various legal actions arising in the normal course of business. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company establishes an accrued liability when those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable. The Company continues to monitor the matter for further developments that could affect the amount of the accrued liability that has been previously established. As of March 31, 2018, the Company accrued $916 thousand for various litigations filed against the Company and the Bank.
The Company was named as a defendant in several complaints filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in January 2017 alleging violations of sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaints were brought as purported class actions on behalf of stockholders who purchased shares of the Company’s common stock between varying dates, inclusive of August 7, 2015 through January 23, 2017. Those actions were consolidated, a lead plaintiff was appointed, and the lead plaintiff filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint on May 31, 2017. The defendants moved to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Complaint. On September 18, 2017, the district court granted in part and denied in part Defendants’ motions to dismiss. Specifically, the court denied the defendants’ motions as to the Company’s April 15, 2016 Proxy Statement which listed the positions held by Steven A. Sugarman (the Company’s then (now former) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) with COR Securities Holdings Inc., COR Clearing LLC, and COR Capital LLC while omitting their alleged connections with Jason Galanis. Trial is currently set for October 21, 2019. The Company believes that the action is without merit and intends to vigorously contest it.
On September 26, 2017, a shareholder derivative action was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against four of the Company’s directors alleging that they breached their fiduciary duties to the Company. In that action, the Company is a nominal defendant. The complaint seeks monetary and equitable relief on behalf of the Company. The Company believes that the shareholder was required to, but failed to, make a demand on the Company to bring such claims, and that this failure requires dismissal of the action. The Company filed a motion to dismiss on those grounds. Rather than oppose the Company’s motion, plaintiff elected to file an amended complaint. The amended complaint was filed on February 6, 2018, which added Richard J. Lashley, Doug H. Bowers and John Grosvenor as individual defendants, and which added purported claims for gross negligence and unjust enrichment. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint, which is set for hearing on June 18, 2018.
On September 5, 2017, Jeffrey T. Seabold, a former officer of the Company and the Bank, filed a complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court against the Company and multiple unnamed defendants asserting claims for breach of contract, wrongful termination, retaliation and unfair business practices. Mr. Seabold alleges that he was constructively terminated as a Company and Bank employee and seeks in excess of $5 million in damages. On January 19, 2018, the parties reached a settlement in principle through mediation and a final settlement agreement was executed on February 14, 2018. The settlement did not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. For additional information, including the terms of the settlement agreement, see Note 22.
NOTE 24 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated events from the date of the consolidated financial statements on March 31, 2018 through the issuance of these consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and determined that no significant events were identified requiring recognition or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.


70


ITEM 2 – MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following is management’s discussion and analysis of the major factors that influenced our results of operations and financial condition as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018. This analysis should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The Company's financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and general practices within the banking industry. Within these financial statements, certain financial information contains approximate measurements of financial effects of transactions and impacts at the consolidated statements of financial condition dates and our results of operations for the reporting periods. As certain accounting policies require significant estimates and assumptions that have a material impact on the carrying value of assets and liabilities, the Company has established critical accounting policies to facilitate making the judgment necessary to prepare financial statements. The Company's critical accounting policies are described in Note 1 to Consolidated Financial Statements and in the “Critical Accounting Policies” section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in Note 1 Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted: The following are recently issued accounting pronouncements applicable to the Company that have not yet been adopted:
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” The amendments in this Update require lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases, as well as define classification criteria for distinguishing between financing leases and operating leases. For financing leases, lessees are required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability in the statement of financial position, recognize interest on the lease liability in the statement of comprehensive income, and classify the principal portion of the lease liability within financing activities and payments of interest within operating activities in the statement of cash flows. For operating leases with terms of more than 12 months, lessees are required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability in the statement of financial position, recognize a single lease cost calculated so that the cost of the lease is allocated over lease term on a straight line basis, and classify all cash payments as operating activities in the statement of cash flows. Lessor accounting is largely unchanged, but does align the transfer of control principle for a sale in Topic 606 to leases. For example, whether a lease is similar to a sale of the underlying asset depends on whether the lessee, in effect, obtains control of the underlying asset as a result of the lease. For public business entities, the amendments as amended by ASU 2017-13 to this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the amendments in this Update is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that adoption of this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)." The amendments in this Update replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects lifetime expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable forecast information to measure credit loss estimates. For public business entities that are SEC filers, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that adoption of this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350).The amendments in this Update eliminate Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test, reducing the cost and complexity of evaluating goodwill for impairment. Instead, an entity shall perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. For an impairment charge, an entity must recognize the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, but the loss recognized shall not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Furthermore, the amendment in this Update requires an entity to disclose the amount of goodwill allocated to each reporting unit with zero or negative carrying amount of net assets. Public business entities that are SEC filers must adopt the amendments in this Update for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that adoption of this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.

71


In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-08, “Receivables - Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities." The amendments in this Update shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities acquired at a premium. Specifically, the amendments require the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. The amendments do not require an accounting change for securities held at a discount, which continue to be amortized to maturity. Public business entities must prospectively apply the amendments in this Update to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods. The Company believes the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12. “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities.” The amendments in this Update are to better reflect the economic results of hedging in the financial statements along with simplification of certain hedge accounting requirements. Specifically, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instrument is required to be presented in the same income statement line as and in the same period that the earnings effect of the hedged item is recognized. Therefore, hedge ineffectiveness will not be reported separately or in a different period. In addition, hedge effectiveness can be determined qualitatively in periods following inception. The amendments permit an entity to measure the change in fair value of the hedged item on the basis of the benchmark rate component. They also permit an entity to measure the hedged item for a partial-term fair value hedge of interest rate risk by assuming the hedged item has a term that reflects only the designated cash flows being hedged. For a closed portfolio of prepayable financial assets, an entity is permitted to designate the amount that is not expected to be affected by prepayments or defaults as the hedged item. For public business entities, the new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.


72


SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table presents certain selected financial data as of the dates or for the periods indicated:
 
 
As of or For the Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands, except per share data)
 
2018
 
2017
Selected financial condition data:
 
 
 
 
Total assets
 
$
10,329,319

 
$
11,052,085

Cash and cash equivalents
 
346,704

 
409,281

Loans and leases receivable, net
 
6,875,744

 
6,062,585

Loans held-for-sale
 
20,180

 
228,196

Other real estate owned, net
 
1,024

 
3,345

Securities available-for-sale
 
2,424,593

 
2,434,541

Securities held-to-maturity
 

 
863,269

Bank owned life insurance
 
105,384

 
103,093

Time deposits in financial institutions
 

 
1,000

FHLB and other bank stock
 
82,715

 
63,238

Assets of discontinued operations
 
29,888

 
432,805

Deposits
 
7,110,165

 
8,597,693

Total borrowings
 
2,077,966

 
1,348,391

Liabilities of discontinued operation
 
9

 
30,309

Total stockholders' equity
 
993,756

 
985,748

Selected operations data:
 
 
 
 
Total interest and dividend income
 
$
98,707

 
$
98,842

Total interest expense
 
27,269

 
18,361

Net interest income
 
71,438

 
80,481

Provision for loan and lease losses
 
19,499

 
2,583

Net interest income after provision for loan and lease losses
 
51,939

 
77,898

Total noninterest income
 
8,582

 
14,903

Total noninterest expense
 
59,800

 
89,896

Income from continuing operations before income taxes
 
721

 
2,905

Income tax benefit
 
6,353

 
6,471

Income from continuing operations
 
7,074

 
9,376

Income from discontinued operations before income taxes
 
2,044

 
13,348

Income tax expense
 
560

 
5,523

Income from discontinued operations
 
1,484

 
7,825

Net income
 
8,558

 
17,201

Dividends paid on preferred stock
 
5,113

 
5,113

Net income available to common stockholders
 
3,445

 
12,088

Basic earnings per total common share
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
 
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
 
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
 
0.06

 
0.23

Diluted earnings per total common share
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations
 
$
0.03

 
$
0.08

Income from discontinued operations
 
0.03

 
0.15

Net income
 
0.06

 
0.23

Performance ratios of consolidated operations: (1)
 
 
 
 
Return on average assets
 
0.34
%
 
0.62
%
Return on average equity
 
3.40
%
 
6.96
%
Return on average tangible common equity (2)
 
2.37
%
 
7.76
%

73


 
 
As of or For the Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands, except per share data)
 
2018
 
2017
Dividend payout ratio (3)
 
216.67
%
 
56.52
%
Net interest spread
 
2.74
%
 
3.03
%
Net interest margin (4)
 
2.98
%
 
3.19
%
Ratio of noninterest expense to average total assets
 
2.36
%
 
4.52
%
Efficiency ratio (5)
 
72.87
%
 
86.87
%
Efficiency ratio, as adjusted (2), (5)
 
65.70
%
 
78.76
%
Average interest-earning assets to average interest-bearing liabilities
 
121.43
%
 
121.40
%
Asset quality ratios:
 
 
 
 
ALLL
 
$
54,763

 
$
42,736

Non-performing loans and leases
 
21,220

 
16,222

Non-performing assets
 
22,244

 
19,567

Non-performing assets to total assets
 
0.22
%
 
0.18
%
ALLL to non-performing loans and leases
 
258.07
%
 
263.44
%
ALLL to total loans and leases
 
0.79
%
 
0.70
%
Capital Ratios:
 
 
 
 
Average equity to average assets
 
9.94
%
 
8.95
%
Total stockholders' equity to total assets
 
9.62
%
 
8.92
%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (2)
 
6.60
%
 
6.07
%
Book value per common share
 
$
14.33

 
$
14.37

Tangible common equity (TCE) per common share (2)
 
13.42

 
13.38

Book value per common share and per common share issuable under purchase contracts
 
14.33

 
14.32

TCE per common share and per common share issuable under purchase contracts (2)
 
13.42

 
13.33

Banc of California, Inc.
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital ratio
 
14.60
%
 
13.72
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio
 
13.74
%
 
13.08
%
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio
 
9.80
%
 
9.37
%
Tier 1 leverage ratio
 
9.21
%
 
8.51
%
Banc of California, NA
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital ratio
 
16.53
%
 
15.11
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio
 
15.67
%
 
14.48
%
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio
 
15.67
%
 
14.48
%
Tier 1 leverage ratio
 
10.50
%
 
9.43
%
(1)
Consolidated operations include both continuing and discontinued operations.
(2)
Non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for reconciliation of the calculation.
(3)
Ratio of dividends declared per common share to basic earnings per common share.
(4)
Net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.
(5)
Efficiency ratio represents noninterest expense as a percentage of net interest income plus noninterest income.

74


Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Under Item 10(e) of SEC Regulation S-K, public companies disclosing financial measures in filings with the SEC that are not calculated in accordance with GAAP must also disclose, along with each non-GAAP financial measure, certain additional information, including a presentation of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, as well as a statement of the reasons why the company’s management believes that presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure provides useful information to investors regarding the company’s financial condition and results of operations and, to the extent material, a statement of the additional purposes, if any, for which the company’s management uses the non-GAAP financial measure.
Return on average tangible common equity and efficiency ratio, as adjusted, tangible common equity to tangible assets, and tangible common equity per common share and tangible common equity per common share and per common share issuable under purchase contracts constitute supplemental financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures are used by management in its analysis of the Company's performance.
Tangible common equity is calculated by subtracting preferred stock, goodwill, and other intangible assets from stockholders’ equity. Tangible assets is calculated by subtracting goodwill and other intangible assets from total assets. Banking regulators also exclude goodwill and other intangible assets from stockholders’ equity when assessing the capital adequacy of a financial institution.
Adjusted efficiency ratio is calculated by subtracting loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships from noninterest expense and adding total pre-tax return, which includes the loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships, to the sum of net interest income and noninterest income (total revenue). Management believes the presentation of these financial measures adjusting the impact of these items provides useful supplemental information that is essential to a proper understanding of the financial results and operating performance of the Company.
This disclosure should not be viewed as a substitute for results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor is it necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.
The following tables provide reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures with financial measures defined by GAAP.
Return on Average Tangible Common Equity
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Average total stockholders' equity
 
$
1,019,961

 
$
1,001,784

Less average preferred stock
 
(269,071
)
 
(269,071
)
Less average goodwill
 
(37,144
)
 
(39,221
)
Less average other intangible assets
 
(8,972
)
 
(13,190
)
Average tangible common equity
 
$
704,774

 
$
680,302

 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
$
8,558

 
$
17,201

Less preferred stock dividends
 
(5,113
)
 
(5,113
)
Add amortization of intangible assets
 
843

 
1,090

Add impairment on intangible assets
 

 
336

Less tax effect on amortization and impairment of intangible assets
 
(177
)
 
(499
)
Adjusted net income
 
$
4,111

 
$
13,015

 
 
 
 
 
Return on average equity
 
3.40
%
 
6.96
%
Return on average tangible common equity
 
2.37
%
 
7.76
%
 
 
 
 
 
Effective tax rate utilized for calculating tax effect on amortization and impairment of intangible assets
 
21.00
%
 
35.00
%


75


Efficiency ratio as adjusted to include the pre-tax effect of investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Noninterest expense
 
$
59,812

 
$
124,615

Gain (loss) on investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
34

 
(8,682
)
Total adjusted noninterest expense
 
$
59,846

 
$
115,933

Net interest income
 
$
71,624

 
$
83,747

Noninterest income
 
10,452

 
59,704

Total revenue
 
82,076

 
143,451

Tax credit from investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
7,323

 
8,829

Deferred tax expense on investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
(769
)
 
(1,545
)
Tax effect on tax credit and deferred tax expense
 
2,422

 
5,140

Gain (loss) on investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
34

 
(8,682
)
Total pre-tax adjustments for investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
9,010

 
3,742

Total adjusted revenue
 
$
91,086

 
$
147,193

Efficiency ratio
 
72.87
%
 
86.87
%
Efficiency ratio as adjusted to include the pre-tax effect of investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
65.70
%
 
78.76
%
Effective tax rate utilized for calculating tax effect on tax credit and deferred tax expense
 
26.98
%
 
41.37
%
Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets and Tangible Common Equity Per Common Share and Per Common Share Issuable under Purchase Contracts
 
 
March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Total stockholders' equity
 
$
993,756

 
$
985,748

Less goodwill
 
(37,144
)
 
(37,144
)
Less other intangible assets
 
(8,510
)
 
(12,191
)
Less preferred stock
 
(269,071
)
 
(269,071
)
Tangible common equity
 
$
679,031

 
$
667,342

Total assets
 
$
10,329,319

 
$
11,052,085

Less goodwill
 
(37,144
)
 
(37,144
)
Less other intangible assets
 
(8,510
)
 
(12,191
)
Tangible assets
 
$
10,283,665

 
$
11,002,750

Total stockholders' equity to total assets
 
9.62
%
 
8.92
%
TCE to tangible assets
 
6.60
%
 
6.07
%
Common shares outstanding
 
50,079,736

 
49,601,363

Class B non-voting non-convertible common shares outstanding
 
508,107

 
277,797

Total common shares outstanding
 
50,587,843

 
49,879,160

Minimum number of shares issuable under purchase contracts (1)
 

 
166,265

Total common shares outstanding and shares issuable under purchase contracts
 
50,587,843

 
50,045,425

Book value per common share
 
$
14.33

 
$
14.37

TCE per common share
 
$
13.42

 
$
13.38

Book value per common share and per common share issuable under purchase contracts
 
$
14.33

 
$
14.32

TCE per common share and per common share issuable under purchase contracts
 
$
13.42

 
$
13.33

(1)
Purchase contracts relating to tangible equity units

76


Executive Overview
The Company is focused on California and core banking products and services designed to cater to the unique needs of California's diverse private businesses, entrepreneurs and communities through its 34 full service branches in San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties. The Company offers a variety of financial products and services designed around its target client in order to serve all of their banking and financial needs.
Financial Highlights
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, net income from continuing operations was $7.1 million and $9.4 million, respectively. Diluted earnings from continuing operations per total common share were $0.03 and $0.08, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The decrease in net income from continuing operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017 was due mainly to decreases in net interest income and noninterest income, and an increase in provision for loan and leases losses, partially offset by a decrease in noninterest expense.
Total assets were $10.33 billion at March 31, 2018, an increase of $1.5 million from $10.33 billion at December 31, 2017. The increase was mainly due to an increase in loans and leases held-for-investment, partially offset by decreases in investment securities, loans held-for-sale and servicing rights.
Significant financial highlights include:
Securities available-for-sale were $2.42 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $150.9 million, or 5.9 percent, from $2.58 billion at December 31, 2017. The Company repositioned its securities available-for-sale portfolio to navigate a volatile rate environment by reducing the overall duration of the portfolio by selling longer-duration corporate debt securities. The proceeds from such sales were primarily used to fund loan originations.
Loans and leases receivable, net of ALLL, were $6.88 billion at March 31, 2018, an increase of $265.7 million, or 4.0 percent, from $6.61 billion at December 31, 2017. The increase was due mainly to originations during the three months ended March 31, 2018, partially offset by an increase of $5.4 million in the ALLL.
Total deposits were $7.11 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $182.7 million, or 2.5 percent, from $7.29 billion at December 31, 2017. The Company reduced its reliance on high-rate and high-volatility deposits by replacing them with more predictable advances from FHLB with the goal of increasing core deposits to fund new loan originations.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Condensed Statements of Continuing Operations, Discontinued Operations and Consolidated Operations
The following table presents condensed statements of continuing operations, discontinued operations and consolidated operations for the period indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
($ in thousands)
 
Continuing Operations
 
Discontinued Operations
 
Consolidated Operations
Interest and dividend income
 
$
98,707

 
$
186

 
$
98,893

Interest expense
 
27,269

 

 
27,269

Net interest income
 
71,438

 
186

 
71,624

Provision for loan and lease losses
 
19,499

 

 
19,499

Noninterest income
 
8,582

 
1,870

 
10,452

Noninterest expense
 
59,800

 
12

 
59,812

Income from continuing operations before income taxes
 
721

 
2,044

 
2,765

Income tax (benefit) expense
 
(6,353
)
 
560

 
(5,793
)
Net income
 
$
7,074

 
$
1,484

 
$
8,558


77


Net Interest Income
The following table presents interest income, average interest-earning assets, interest expense, average interest-bearing liabilities, and their correspondent yields and costs expressed both in dollars and rates, on a consolidated operations basis, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2018
 
2017
($ in thousands)
 
Average Balance
 
Interest
 
Yield/Cost
 
Average Balance
 
Interest
 
Yield/Cost
Interest-earning assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total loans and leases (1)
 
$
6,805,276

 
$
75,098

 
4.48
%
 
$
6,785,013

 
$
72,773

 
4.35
%
Securities
 
2,525,220

 
21,631

 
3.47
%
 
3,376,698

 
27,239

 
3.27
%
Other interest-earning assets (2)
 
407,064

 
2,164

 
2.16
%
 
500,123

 
2,096

 
1.70
%
Total interest-earning assets
 
9,737,560

 
98,893

 
4.12
%
 
10,661,834

 
102,108

 
3.88
%
ALLL
 
(49,257
)
 
 
 
 
 
(41,285
)
 
 
 
 
BOLI and non-interest earning assets (3)
 
574,930

 
 
 
 
 
568,257

 
 
 
 
Total assets
 
$
10,263,233

 
 
 
 
 
$
11,188,806

 
 
 
 
Interest-bearing liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Savings
 
$
1,055,338

 
3,300

 
1.27
%
 
$
1,042,031

 
2,292

 
0.89
%
Interest-bearing checking
 
1,976,160

 
4,108

 
0.84
%
 
2,008,828

 
3,414

 
0.69
%
Money market
 
1,076,117

 
2,834

 
1.07
%
 
2,735,810

 
4,691

 
0.70
%
Certificates of deposit
 
1,906,556

 
6,553

 
1.39
%
 
1,937,392

 
3,563

 
0.75
%
FHLB advances
 
1,711,089

 
7,392

 
1.75
%
 
812,444

 
1,423

 
0.71
%
Securities sold under repurchase agreements
 
119,543

 
750

 
2.54
%
 
2,123

 
6

 
1.15
%
Long term debt and other interest-bearing liabilities
 
174,424

 
2,332

 
5.42
%
 
244,040

 
2,972

 
4.94
%
Total interest-bearing liabilities
 
8,019,227

 
27,269

 
1.38
%
 
8,782,668

 
18,361

 
0.85
%
Noninterest-bearing deposits
 
1,056,700

 
 
 
 
 
1,181,279

 
 
 
 
Non-interest-bearing liabilities
 
167,345

 
 
 
 
 
223,075

 
 
 
 
Total liabilities
 
9,243,272

 
 
 
 
 
10,187,022

 
 
 
 
Total stockholders’ equity
 
1,019,961

 
 
 
 
 
1,001,784

 
 
 
 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
 
$
10,263,233

 
 
 
 
 
$
11,188,806

 
 
 
 
Net interest income/spread
 
 
 
$
71,624

 
2.74
%
 
 
 
$
83,747

 
3.03
%
Net interest margin (4)
 
 
 
 
 
2.98
%
 
 
 
 
 
3.19
%
(1)
Total loans and leases are net of deferred fees, related direct costs and discounts, but exclude the allowance for loan and lease losses. Non-accrual loans and leases are included in the average balance. Net accretion of deferred loan fees and costs of $122 thousand and $708 thousand and accretion of discount on purchased loans of $10 thousand and $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, are included in interest income.
(2)
Includes average balance of FHLB and other bank stock at cost and average time deposits with other financial institutions.
(3)
Includes average balance of bank-owned life insurance of $105.0 million and $102.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
(4)
Annualized net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.

78


Rate/Volume Analysis
The following table presents the changes in interest income and interest expense for major components of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Information is provided on changes attributable to: (i) changes in volume multiplied by the prior rate; and (ii) changes in rate multiplied by the prior volume. Changes attributable to both rate and volume which cannot be segregated have been allocated proportionately to the change due to volume and the change due to rate.
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 vs. 2017
 
 
Increase (Decrease) Due to
 
Net Increase (Decrease)
(In thousands)
 
Volume
 
Rate
 
Interest and dividend income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total loans and leases
 
$
218

 
$
2,107

 
$
2,325

Securities
 
(7,210
)
 
1,602

 
(5,608
)
Other interest-earning assets
 
(433
)
 
501

 
68

Total interest and dividend income
 
$
(7,425
)
 
$
4,210

 
$
(3,215
)
Interest expense:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Savings
 
$
29

 
$
979

 
$
1,008

Interest-bearing checking
 
(57
)
 
751

 
693

Money market
 
(3,656
)
 
1,799

 
(1,857
)
Certificates of deposit
 
(58
)
 
3,048

 
2,991

FHLB advances
 
2,566

 
3,403

 
5,969

Securities sold under repurchase agreements
 
729

 
15

 
744

Long term debt and other interest-bearing liabilities
 
(910
)
 
270

 
(640
)
Total interest expense
 
(1,357
)
 
10,265

 
8,908

Net interest income
 
$
(6,068
)
 
$
(6,055
)
 
$
(12,123
)
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
Net interest income was $71.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $12.1 million, or 14.5 percent, from $83.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in net interest income from the prior period was largely due to higher average cost of interest-bearing liabilities and lower average balances of securities and other interest-earning assets, partially offset by higher average yield from interest-earning assets and lower average balances of interest-bearing deposits.
Interest income on total loans and leases was $75.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $2.3 million, or 3.2 percent, from $72.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase in interest income on loans and leases was due to a $20.3 million increase in the average balance of total loans and leases and a 13 basis points (bps) increase in average yield. The increase in average balance was due mainly to increased loan originations, partially offset by sales of seasoned SFR mortgage loan pools during three months ended September 30, 2017 and the sale of the Banc Home Loans division on March 30, 2017. The increase in average yield was mainly due to higher interest rates on new loans and loans with variable interest rates from a rising interest rate environment, partially offset by a decrease of seasoned SFR mortgage loan pools, the discounts of which generated additional interest income during the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Interest income on securities was $21.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $5.6 million, or 20.6 percent, from $27.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in interest income on securities was due to an $851.5 million decrease in average balance, partially offset by a 20 bps increase in average yield. The decrease in average balance was mainly due to purchases of securities during the three months ended March 31, 2017 to deploy the proceeds from the preferred stock and common stock offerings in 2016 and the deposit balance increase during the three months ended March 31, 2017, as well as sales of certain longer-duration and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities and corporate debt securities to navigate a volatile rate environment during the subsequent quarters of 2017 and 2018. The increase in average yield was due to higher interest rates on newly purchased investment securities and investment securities with variable interest rates from a rising interest rate environment.
Dividends and interest income on other interest-earning assets was $2.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $68 thousand, or 3.2 percent, from $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase in dividends and interest income on other interest-earning assets was due to a 46 bps increase in average yield, partially offset by a $93.1 million decrease in average balance. The increase in average yield was mainly due to higher interest rates on interest-earning deposits in financial institutions from a rising interest rate environment. The decrease in average balance was mainly

79


due to reduced cash balance from decreases in deposits and other borrowings and an increase in total loans and leases, partially offset by a decrease in securities.
Interest expense on interest-bearing deposits was $16.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $2.8 million, or 20.3 percent, from $14.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase in interest expense on interest-bearing deposits was due to a 40 bps increase in average cost, partially offset by a $1.71 billion decrease in average balance. The increase in average cost was mainly due to a rising interest rate environment. The decrease in average balance was mainly due to the Company's strategic reduction of brokered and other high-rate and high-volatility deposits.
Interest expense on FHLB advances was $7.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $6.0 million, or 419.5 percent, from $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase was due mainly to a 104 bps increase in average cost and a $898.6 million increase in average balance. The increase in average cost was mainly due to a rising interest rate environment. The increase in average balance was mainly due to additional term advances, primarily two- to six-year duration, which were obtained as a result of asset and liability management activities to offset the decrease in deposits.
Interest expense on securities sold under repurchase agreements was $750 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $744 thousand, from $6 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Company utilized an increased amount of repurchase agreements to diversify its funding sources during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Interest expense on long term debt and other interest-bearing liabilities was $2.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $640 thousand, or 21.5 percent, from $3.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to the maturity of amortizing debt during the three months ended June 30, 2017 and the utilization of a line of credit with an unaffiliated third party financial institution during the three months ended March 31, 2017, which was voluntarily terminated by the Company on June 30, 2017.
Provision for Loan and Lease Losses
The provision for loan and lease losses is charged to operations to adjust the allowance for loan and lease losses to the level required to cover estimated credit losses inherent in the loan and lease portfolio. The Company recorded provisions for loan and lease losses of $19.5 million and $2.6 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The increase was mainly due to an additional provision for a charge-off of $13.9 million on a line of credit determined to have been fraudulently obtained and a downgrade of a commercial and industrial loan with a carrying value of $28.5 million from Special Mention to Substandard, as well as an increase in loan balances during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
See further discussion in "Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses."

80


Noninterest Income
The following table presents the breakdown of non-interest income for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Customer service fees
 
$
1,592

 
$
1,623

Loan servicing income
 
2,311

 
2,756

Income from bank owned life insurance
 
533

 
581

Net gain on sale of securities available-for-sale
 
5,241

 
3,356

Net gain (loss) on sale of loans
 
(41
)
 
4,019

Net loss on sale of mortgage servicing rights
 
(2,295
)
 

Other income
 
1,241

 
2,568

Total noninterest income
 
$
8,582

 
$
14,903

Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
Noninterest income was $8.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $6.3 million, or 42.4 percent, from $14.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in noninterest income was mainly due to decreases in net gain on sale of loans, loan servicing income, other income and a net loss on sale of mortgage servicing rights, partially offset by an increase in net gain on sale of securities available-for-sale.
Customer service fees were $1.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. Due to similar average balances of noninterest-bearing checking accounts for both periods, customer service fees were similar for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.
Loan servicing income was $2.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $445 thousand, or 16.1 percent, from $2.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. On a consolidated operations basis, total income from servicing rights was $2.3 million and $4.3 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The decrease was mainly due to the decreased volume of loans sold with servicing retained as a result of discontinued operations and a recent sale of MSRs. Losses on fair value and runoff of servicing assets were $920 thousand and $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Servicing fees were $3.2 million and $6.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Net gain on sale of securities available-for-sale was $5.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Company sold securities available-for-sale of $180.2 million and $375.2 million, respectively, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company further repositioned its securities available-for-sale portfolio to reduce duration by selling corporate debt securities during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Net gain (loss) on sale of loans was $(41) thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $4.1 million from $4.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company sold jumbo SFR mortgage loans of $2.2 million with a loss of $25 thousand and other consumer loans of $4.4 million with a loss of $16 thousand. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company sold jumbo SFR mortgage loans of $345.2 million with a gain of $2.8 million, SBA loans of $9.0 million with a gain of $895 thousand, and multifamily loans of $8.0 million with a gain of $421 thousand.
Net loss on sale of mortgage servicing rights was $2.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company sold $26.0 million of MSRs on $3.21 billion in unpaid principal balances of conventional mortgage loans. This transaction resulted in a loss on sale of MSRs of $2.3 million, primarily related to transaction costs, provision for early repayments of loans and expected repurchase obligations under standard representations and warranties.
Other income was $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $1.3 million, or 51.7 percent, from $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in loan brokerage income of $1.0 million as the Company did not have any brokered loans activity during the three months ended March 31, 2018.


81


Noninterest Expense
The following table presents the breakdown of noninterest expense for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Salaries and employee benefits
 
31,115

 
32,443

Occupancy and equipment
 
7,687

 
10,668

Professional fees
 
9,177

 
15,073

Outside service fees
 
2,546

 
1,883

Data processing
 
1,656

 
2,179

Advertising
 
3,277

 
1,725

Regulatory assessments
 
2,092

 
2,441

Reversal of provision for loan repurchases
 
(1,788
)
 
(325
)
Amortization of intangible assets
 
843

 
1,090

Impairment on intangible assets
 

 
336

Restructuring expense
 

 
5,287

All other expense
 
3,229

 
8,414

Noninterest expense before loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
59,834

 
81,214

(Gain) loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships
 
(34
)
 
8,682

Total noninterest expense
 
$
59,800

 
$
89,896

Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
Noninterest expense was $59.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $30.1 million, or 33.5 percent, from $89.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to overall expense reductions from the Company's effort to manage its expenses and a decrease in loss on investments in alternative energy partnerships, partially offset by increases in outside service fees and advertising.
Salaries and employee benefits expense was $31.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $1.3 million, or 4.1 percent, from $32.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to decreases in number of employees, commissions, and temporary staff expenses, partially offset by a $7.8 million excess bonus accrual reversal due to a change in estimate during the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Occupancy and equipment expenses were $7.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $3.0 million, or 27.9 percent, from $10.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to decreased rent and other equipment expenses from the sale of the Banc Home Loan division on March 30, 2017.
Professional fees were $9.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $5.9 million, or 39.1 percent, from $15.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to higher expenses related to the special committee investigation, pending SEC investigation, various other litigation and increased audit fees for the three months end March 31, 2017.
Outside service fees were $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $663 thousand, or 35.2 percent, from $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase was mainly due to an increase in recruiting fees and expenses related to foreclosure activities, partially offset by decreases in loan sub-servicing expense for seasoned SFR mortgage loan pools.
Data processing expense was $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $523 thousand, or 24.0 percent, from $2.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to a decreased volume of transactions from the lower deposit average balances during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Advertising costs were $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $1.6 million, or 90.0 percent, from $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase was mainly due to $1.7 million of LAFC naming rights commitment expensed to marketing and advertising expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

82


Regulatory assessments were $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $349 thousand, or 14.3 percent, from $2.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to year-over-year balance sheet decrease.
(Gain) on investments in alternative energy partnerships was $(34) thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a change of $8.7 million, or 100.4%, from a loss of $8.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The change from loss to gain was mainly due to lower HLBV loss resulting from no new equipment being placed into service by one of the two investments and a higher investor profit ratio allocated to the Bank by the other investment.
Reversal of provision for loan repurchases was $1.8 million and $325 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Additionally, the Company recorded an initial provision for loan repurchases of $2 thousand and $842 thousand during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As a result, total provision (reversal) for loan repurchases were $(1.8) million and $517 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease was mainly due to the portfolio run-off and repurchase settlement activities as well as methodology and data enhancements.
Amortization of intangible assets was $843 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $247 thousand, or 22.7 percent, from $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to an impairment on customer relationship intangible during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and no new additional intangible assets between the periods.
Other expenses were $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $5.2 million, or 61.6 percent, from $8.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to overall expense reductions from the Company's effort to manage its expenses on supplies, business travel, directors' fees and other administrative expenditures, a decrease in provision for unfunded loan commitments, and a reversal of previously accrued legal settlement expense.
Income Tax Expense
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, income tax benefit of continuing operations was $6.4 million and $6.5 million, respectively, and the effective tax rate was (881.1) percent and (222.8) percent, respectively. The Company recognized income tax benefits due mainly to the recognition of year-to-date tax credits from the investments in alternative energy partnerships of $7.3 million and $8.8 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 and the decrease in the federal statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% as a result of H.R. 1, originally known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”, which became effective on January 1, 2018. The Company uses the flow-through income statement method to account for the investment tax credits earned on the solar investments. Under this method, the investment tax credits are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense and the initial book-tax difference in the basis of the investments are recognized as additional tax expense in the year they are earned.
For additional information, see Note 11 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

83


Discontinued Operations
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company completed the sale of the Banc Home Loans division, which largely represented the Company's Mortgage Banking segment. In accordance with ASC 205-20, the Company determined that the sale of the Banc Home Loans division and certain other mortgage banking related assets and liabilities that were to be sold or settled separately within one year met the criteria to be classified as a discontinued operation and its operating results and financial condition have been presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements. Certain components of the Company’s Mortgage Banking segment including MSRs on certain conventional government SFR mortgage loans that were not sold as part of the Banc Home Loans sale, and the repurchase reserves related to previously sold loans, have been classified as continuing operations in the financial statements as they will continue to be part of the Company’s ongoing operations.
The Banc Home Loans division originated conforming SFR mortgage loans and sold these loans in the secondary market. The amount of net revenue on mortgage banking activities was a function of mortgage loans originated for sale and the fair value adjustments of these loans and related derivatives. Net revenue on mortgage banking activities included mark to market pricing adjustments on loan commitments and forward sales contracts, and initial capitalized value of MSRs. For additional information, see Note 2 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Interest Income
Interest income of discontinued operations was $186 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $3.1 million, or 94.3 percent, from $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in the average balance of loans held-for-sale of discontinued operations.
Noninterest Income
Noninterest income of discontinued operations was $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease of $42.9 million, or 95.8 percent, from $44.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in net revenue from discontinued operations and a net gain on disposal of discontinued operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Net gain on disposal of discontinued operations was $1.0 million and $13.3 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.
Loan servicing income (loss) was $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $1.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. As all MSRs in discontinued operations were sold during the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company did not recognize any loan servicing income in discontinued operations subsequent to the sale of Banc Home Loans division.
Net revenue on mortgage banking activities was $232 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $29.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Bank sold $2.8 million of conforming SFR mortgage loans in the secondary market. The net gain was $232 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Bank originated $934.6 million and sold $934.1 million of conforming SFR mortgage loans in the secondary market. The net gain and margin were $26.3 million and 2.8 percent, respectively, and loan origination fees were $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Included in the net gain is the initial capitalized value of our MSRs, which totaled $7.3 million on loans sold to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense of discontinued operations was $12 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $34.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Noninterest expense decreased significantly as the Company wound down the mortgage banking activities in discontinued operations.
For additional information, see Note 2 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

84


FINANCIAL CONDITION
Investment Securities
Investment securities are classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale in accordance with GAAP. Investment securities that the Company has the ability and the intent to hold to maturity are classified as held-to-maturity. All other securities are classified as available-for-sale. Investment securities classified as held-to-maturity are carried at amortized cost. Investment securities classified as available-for-sale are carried at their estimated fair values with the changes in fair values recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax, as a component of stockholders’ equity. At March 31, 2018, all of the Company’s investment securities were classified as available-for-sale.
The primary goal of our investment securities portfolio is to provide a relatively stable source of interest income while satisfactorily managing risk, including credit risk, reinvestment risk, liquidity risk and interest rate risk. Certain investment securities provide a source of liquidity as collateral for FHLB advances, repurchase agreements, certain public funds deposits, and for Federal Reserve Discount Window availability.
The following table presents the amortized cost and fair value of the investment securities portfolio as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Amortized Cost
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized Gain (Loss)
 
Amortized Cost
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized Gain (Loss)
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pool securities
 
$
982

 
$
970

 
$
(12
)
 
$
1,056

 
$
1,058

 
$
2

U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
493,757

 
467,499

 
(26,258
)
 
492,255

 
476,929

 
(15,326
)
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
651

 
664

 
13

 
741

 
756

 
15

Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
201,613

 
200,721

 
(892
)
 
305,172

 
310,511

 
5,339

Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,743,941

 
1,754,739

 
10,798

 
1,691,455

 
1,702,318

 
10,863

Corporate debt securities
 

 

 

 
76,714

 
83,897

 
7,183

Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
2,440,944

 
$
2,424,593

 
$
(16,351
)
 
$
2,567,393

 
$
2,575,469

 
$
8,076

During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company evaluated its securities held-to-maturity and determined that certain securities no longer adhered to the Company’s strategic focus and could be sold or reinvested to potentially improve the Company’s liquidity position or duration profile. Accordingly, the Company was no longer able to assert that it had the intent to hold these securities until maturity. As a result, the Company transferred all $740.9 million of its securities held-to-maturity to securities available-for-sale, which resulted in a pre-tax increase to accumulated other comprehensive income of $22.0 million as of June 30, 2017. Due to the transfer, the Company’s ability to assert that it has the intent and ability to hold to maturity debt securities will be limited for the foreseeable future.
Securities available-for-sale were $2.42 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $150.9 million, or 5.9 percent, from $2.58 billion at December 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to sales of $180.2 million, calls and pay-offs of $96.6 million and principal payments of $9.4 million, partially offset by purchases of $159.8 million.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company completed the sale of all remaining corporate debt securities, totaling $76.8 million, to reposition its securities available-for-sale portfolio. The Company continued to reposition its securities available-for-sale portfolio during the three months ended March 31, 2018 to navigate a volatile rate environment by reducing the overall duration by selling certain longer-duration and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities and corporate debt securities.
Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) totaled $1.74 billion and $1.69 billion, respectively, in amortized cost basis at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. CLOs are floating rate debt securities backed by pools of senior secured commercial loans to a diverse group of companies across a broad spectrum of industries. Underlying loans are generally secured by a company’s assets such as inventory, equipment, property, and/or real estate. CLOs are structured to diversify exposure to a broad sector of industries. The payments on these commercial loans support interest and principal on the CLOs across classes that range from AAA rated to equity tranches. The Company believes that its CLO portfolio, consisting entirely of variable rate securities, supports the Company’s interest rate risk management strategy by lowering the extension risk and duration risk inherent to certain fixed rate investment securities. At March 31, 2018, the Company owned AAA and AA rated CLOs and did not own CLOs rated below AA. As all CLOs are also rated above investment grade credit ratings and were diversified across

85


issuers, the Company believes that these CLOs enhance the Company's liquidity position. The Company also maintains pre-purchase due diligence and ongoing review processes by a dedicated credit administration team. The ongoing review process includes monitoring of performance factors including external credit ratings, collateralization levels, collateral concentration levels and other performance factors. The Company only acquires CLOs that it believes are Volcker Rule compliant.
The Company did not record OTTI for investment securities for the three months ended March 31, 2018 or 2017. The Company monitors its securities portfolio to ensure it has adequate credit support. As of March 31, 2018, the Company believed there was no OTTI and did not have the intent to sell securities with fair value below amortized cost at March 31, 2018 . The Company considers the lowest credit rating for identification of potential OTTI. As of March 31, 2018, all of the Company's investment securities in an unrealized loss position received an investment grade credit rating.

86


The following table presents the composition of the repricing and yield information, at amortized cost, of the investment securities portfolio as of March 31, 2018:
 
 
One Year or Less
 
More than One Year through Five Years
 
More than Five Years through Ten Years
 
More than Ten Years
 
Total
($ in thousands)
 
Amortized Cost
 
Weighted Average Yield
 
Amortized Cost
 
Weighted Average Yield
 
Amortized Cost
 
Weighted Average Yield
 
Amortized Cost
 
Weighted Average Yield
 
Amortized Cost
 
Weighted Average Yield
Securities available-for-sale:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SBA loan pools securities
 
$

 
%
 
$

 
%
 
$

 
%
 
$
982

 
2.72
%
 
$
982

 
2.72
%
U.S. government agency and U.S. government sponsored enterprise residential mortgage-backed securities
 
360

 
1.34
%
 
4,878

 
1.82
%
 

 
%
 
488,519

 
2.60
%
 
493,757

 
2.59
%
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities
 
277

 
4.13
%
 
54

 
3.22
%
 

 
%
 
320

 
5.66
%
 
651

 
4.80
%
Non-agency commercial mortgage-backed securities
 
25,414

 
4.25
%
 

 
%
 
109,720

 
3.81
%
 
66,479

 
3.81
%
 
201,613

 
3.87
%
Collateralized loan obligations
 
1,743,941

 
3.50
%
 

 
%
 

 
%
 

 
%
 
1,743,941

 
3.50
%
Corporate debt securities
 

 
%
 

 
%
 

 
%
 

 
%
 

 
%
Total securities available-for-sale
 
$
1,769,992

 
3.51
%
 
$
4,932

 
1.84
%
 
$
109,720

 
3.81
%
 
$
556,300

 
2.75
%
 
$
2,440,944

 
3.34
%


87


Loans Held-for-Sale
Total loans held-for-sale on a consolidated operations basis were $50.1 million and $105.8 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Loans held-for-sale consisted of two components; loans held-for-sale carried at fair value and loans held-for-sale carried at lower of cost or fair value.
Loans held-for-sale carried at fair value are mainly repurchased conforming SFR mortgage loans that were previously sold and loans previously sold to GNMA that are delinquent more than 90 days and subject to a repurchase option by the Company. Loans held-for-sale carried at fair value on a consolidated operations basis were $48.8 million and $105.3 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The $56.5 million, or 53.6 percent, decrease was mainly due to a net decrease of $56.0 million in GNMA loans delinquent more than 90 days, which are subject to a repurchase option held by the Company, as a result of the sale of related MSRs, as well as sales of $2.8 million of loans, partially offset by repurchases of $9.7 million of loans.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company completed the sale of its Banc Home Loans division, which largely represented the Company's Mortgage Banking segment, and determined that this met the criteria to be classified as a discontinued operation. Loans held-for-sale carried at fair value related to the Banc Home Loans division were transferred to Assets of Discontinued Operations on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. Such loans totaled $29.9 million and $38.7 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.
Loans held-for-sale carried at the lower of cost or fair value are mainly non-conforming jumbo mortgage loans and SBA loans. Loans held-for-sale carried at the lower of cost or fair value on a consolidated operations basis were $1.2 million and $466 thousand, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The $768 thousand, or 164.8 percent, increase was due mainly to loans transferred from loans and leases receivable of $6.5 million and originations of $773 thousand, partially offset by sales of $6.5 million.

88


Loans and Leases Receivable, Net
The following table presents the composition of the Company’s loan and lease portfolio as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$
1,638,559

 
$
1,701,951

 
$
(63,392
)
 
(3.7
)%
Commercial real estate
 
773,193

 
717,415

 
55,778

 
7.8
 %
Multifamily
 
1,944,082

 
1,816,141

 
127,941

 
7.0
 %
SBA
 
79,022

 
78,699

 
323

 
0.4
 %
Construction
 
200,766

 
182,960

 
17,806

 
9.7
 %
Lease financing
 
3

 
13

 
(10
)
 
(76.9
)%
Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
2,201,358

 
2,055,649

 
145,709

 
7.1
 %
Other consumer
 
93,524

 
106,579

 
(13,055
)
 
(12.2
)%
Total loans and leases
 
6,930,507

 
6,659,407

 
271,100

 
4.1
 %
ALLL
 
(54,763
)
 
(49,333
)
 
(5,430
)
 
11.0
 %
Loans and leases receivable, net
 
$
6,875,744

 
$
6,610,074

 
$
265,670

 
4.0
 %

89


Non-Traditional Mortgage Portfolio
The Company’s NTM portfolio is comprised of three interest only products: Green Loans, Interest Only loans and a small number of additional loans with the potential for negative amortization. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the NTM portfolio totaled $846.8 million, or 12.2 percent of the total gross loan portfolio, and $806.9 million, or 12.1 percent of the total gross loan portfolio, respectively. The total NTM portfolio increased by $39.9 million, or 4.9 percent during the period. The increase was primarily due to originations of $79.5 million, partially offset by paydowns and amortization of $36.8 million and loans transferred to held-for-sale of $1.2 million.
The initial credit guidelines for the NTM portfolio were established based on the borrower's Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) score, LTV ratio, property type, occupancy type, loan amount, and geography. Additionally, from an ongoing credit risk management perspective, the Company has determined that the most significant performance indicators for NTMs are LTV ratios and FICO scores. The Company reviews the NTM loan portfolio periodically, which includes refreshing FICO scores on the Green Loans and HELOCs and ordering third party automated valuation models (AVMs) to confirm collateral values.
Green Loans
The Company discontinued the origination of Green Loan products in 2011. Green Loans are SFR first and second mortgage lines of credit with a linked checking account that allows all types of deposits and withdrawals to be performed. The loans are generally interest only with a 15-year balloon payment due at maturity. The Company initiated the Green Loan products in 2005 and proactively refined underwriting and credit management practices and credit guidelines in response to changing economic environments, competitive conditions and portfolio performance. The Company continues to manage credit risk, to the extent possible, throughout the borrower’s credit cycle.
Green Loans totaled $82.8 million at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $3.0 million, or 3.5 percent from $85.8 million at December 31, 2017, primarily due to reductions in principal balances and payoffs. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, none of the Company’s Green Loans were non-performing. As a result of their unique payment feature, Green Loans possess higher credit risk due to the potential of negative amortization; however, management believes the risk is mitigated through the Company’s loan terms and underwriting standards, including its policies on loan-to-value ratios and the Company’s contractual ability to curtail loans when the value of underlying collateral declines.
The Green Loans are similar to HELOCs in that they are collateralized primarily by the equity in the borrower's home. However, some Green Loans are subject to differences from HELOCs relating to certain characteristics including one-action laws. Similar to Green Loans, HELOCs allow the borrower to draw down on the credit line based on an established loan amount for a period of time, typically 10 years, requiring an interest only payment with an option to pay principal at any time. A typical HELOC provides that at the end of the term the borrower can continue to make monthly principal and interest payments based on the loan balance until the maturity date. The Green Loan is an interest only loan with a maturity of 15 years, at which time the loan comes due and payable with a balloon payment at maturity. The unique payment structure also differs from a traditional HELOC in that payments are made through the direct linkage of a personal checking account to the loan through a nightly sweep of funds into the Green Loan Account. This reduces any outstanding balance on the loan by the total amount deposited into the checking account. As a result, every time a deposit is made, effectively a payment to the Green Loan is made. HELOCs typically do not cause the loan to be paid down by a borrower’s depositing of funds into their checking account at the same bank.
Credit guidelines for Green Loans were established based on borrower FICO scores, property type, occupancy type, loan amount, and geography. Property types include single family residences and second trust deeds where the Company owned the first liens, owner occupied as well as non-owner occupied properties. The Company utilized its underwriting guidelines for first liens to underwrite the Green Loan secured by second trust deeds as if the combined loans were a single Green Loan. For all Green Loans, the loan income was underwritten using either full income documentation or alternative income documentation.

90


The following table presents the Company’s Green Loans first lien portfolio at March 31, 2018 by FICO scores that were obtained during the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to the FICO scores for those same loans that were obtained during the quarter ended December 31, 2017:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
 
By FICO Scores Obtained During the Quarter Ended March 31, 2018
 
By FICO Scores Obtained During the Quarter Ended December 31, 2017
 
Change
($ in thousands)
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
FICO Score
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
800+
 
14

 
$
8,971

 
11.3
%
 
12

 
$
7,716

 
9.7
%
 
2

 
$
1,255

 
1.6
 %
700-799
 
57

 
41,029

 
51.8
%
 
55

 
39,460

 
49.9
%
 
2

 
1,569

 
1.9
 %
600-699
 
23

 
23,178

 
29.2
%
 
23

 
23,468

 
29.6
%
 

 
(290
)
 
(0.4
)%
<600
 
2

 
2,297

 
2.9
%
 
5

 
4,688

 
5.9
%
 
(3
)
 
(2,391
)
 
(3.0
)%
No FICO
 
3

 
3,773

 
4.8
%
 
4

 
3,916

 
4.9
%
 
(1
)
 
(143
)
 
(0.1
)%
Totals
 
99

 
$
79,248

 
100.0
%
 
99

 
$
79,248

 
100.0
%
 

 
$

 
 %
Interest Only Loans
Interest only loans are primarily SFR mortgage loans with payment features that allow interest only payment in initial periods before converting to a fully amortizing loan. Interest only loans totaled $760.4 million at March 31, 2018, an increase of $42.9 million, or 6.0 percent, from $717.5 million at December 31, 2017. The increase was primarily due to originations of $79.5 million, partially offset by paydowns and amortization of $33.8 million and loans transferred to held-for-sale of $1.2 million. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, $1.6 million and $1.2 million of the interest only loans were non-performing, respectively.
Loans with the Potential for Negative Amortization
Negative amortization loans other than Green Loans totaled $3.6 million at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $37 thousand, or 1.0 percent, from $3.7 million as of December 31, 2017. The Company discontinued origination of negative amortization loans in 2007. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, none of the loans that had the potential for negative amortization were non-performing. These loans pose a potentially higher credit risk because of the lack of principal amortization and potential for negative amortization; however, management believes the risk is mitigated through the loan terms and underwriting standards, including the Company’s policies on loan-to-value ratios.
NTM Loan Credit Risk Management
The Company performs detailed reviews of collateral values on loans collateralized by residential real property including its NTM portfolio based on appraisals or estimates from third party AVMs to analyze property value trends periodically. AVMs are used to identify loans that have experienced potential collateral deterioration. Once a loan has been identified that may have experienced collateral deterioration, the Company will obtain updated drive by or full appraisals in order to confirm the valuation. This information is used to update key monitoring metrics such as LTV ratios. Additionally, FICO scores are obtained in conjunction with the collateral analysis. In addition to LTV ratios and FICO scores, the Company evaluates the portfolio on a specific loan basis through delinquency and portfolio charge-offs to determine whether any risk mitigation or portfolio management actions are warranted. The borrowers may be contacted as necessary to discuss material changes in loan performance or credit metrics.
The Company’s risk management policy and credit monitoring includes reviewing delinquency, FICO scores, and collateral values on the NTM loan portfolio. The Company also continuously monitors market conditions for our geographic lending areas. The Company has determined that the most significant performance indicators for NTM are LTV ratios and FICO scores. The loan review provides an effective method of identifying borrowers who may be experiencing financial difficulty before they fail to make a loan payment. Upon receipt of the updated FICO scores, an exception report is run to identify loans with a decrease in FICO score of 10 percent or more and a resulting FICO score of 620 or less. The loans are then further analyzed to determine if the risk rating should be downgraded, which may require an increase in the ALLL the Company needs to establish for potential losses. A report is prepared and regularly monitored.
On the interest only loans, the Company projects future payment changes to determine if there will be an increase in payment of 3.50 percent or greater and then monitors the loans for possible delinquencies. The individual loans are monitored for possible downgrading of risk rating, and trends within the portfolio are identified that could affect other interest only loans scheduled for payment changes in the near future.

91


As these loans are revolving lines of credit, the Company, based on the loan agreement and loan covenants of the particular loan, as well as applicable rules and regulations, could suspend the borrowing privileges or reduce the credit limit at any time the Company reasonably believes that the borrower will be unable to fulfill their repayment obligations under the agreement or certain other conditions are met. In many cases, the decrease in FICO score is the first red flag that the borrower may have difficulty in making their future payment obligations.
As a result, the Company proactively manages the portfolio by performing a detailed analysis with emphasis on the non-traditional mortgage portfolio. The Company’s Management Credit Committee (MCC), formally known as Internal Asset Review Committee, conducts regular meetings to review the loans classified as special mention, substandard, or doubtful and determines whether suspension or reduction in credit limit is warranted. If the line has been suspended and the borrower would like to have their credit privileges reinstated, they would need to provide updated financials showing their ability to meet their payment obligations. From the most recent review completed during the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company made no curtailment in available commitments on Green Loans.
Consumer and NTM loans may entail greater risk than do traditional SFR mortgage loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans that are secured by rapidly depreciable assets, such as automobiles and recreational vehicles. In these cases, any repossessed collateral for a consumer and NTM loan are more dependent on the borrower‘s continued financial stability and, thus, are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness, or personal bankruptcy.

92


Loan-to-Value Ratio
LTV ratio represents estimated current loan to value ratio, determined by dividing current unpaid principal balance by latest estimated property value received per the Company policy. The table below represents the Company’s single family residential NTM first lien portfolio by LTV ratios as of the dates indicated:
 
 
Green
 
Interest Only
 
Negative Amortization
 
Total
($ in thousands)
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Count
 
Amount
 
Percent
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
< 61%
 
65

 
$
51,420

 
64.8
%
 
266

 
$
449,708

 
59.2
%
 
10

 
$
3,477

 
95.6
%
 
341

 
$
504,605

 
59.8
%
61-80%
 
26

 
22,237

 
28.1
%
 
231

 
309,562

 
40.7
%
 
1

 
160

 
4.4
%
 
258

 
331,959

 
39.4
%
81-100%
 
8

 
5,591

 
7.1
%
 
2

 
1,100

 
0.1
%
 

 

 
%
 
10

 
6,691

 
0.8
%
> 100%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
Total
 
99

 
$
79,248

 
100.0
%
 
499

 
$
760,370

 
100.0
%
 
11

 
$
3,637

 
100.0
%
 
609

 
$
843,255

 
100.0
%
December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
< 61%
 
60

 
$
51,241

 
62.3
%
 
242

 
$
407,810

 
56.8
%
 
9

 
$
2,826

 
76.9
%
 
311

 
$
461,877

 
57.5
%
61-80%
 
33

 
25,072

 
30.5
%
 
220

 
300,500

 
41.9
%
 
2

 
848

 
23.1
%
 
255

 
326,420

 
40.6
%
81-100%
 
8

 
5,884

 
7.2
%
 
6

 
9,174

 
1.3
%
 

 

 
%
 
14

 
15,058

 
1.9
%
> 100%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
 

 

 
%
Total
 
101

 
$
82,197

 
100.0
%
 
468

 
$
717,484

 
100.0
%
 
11

 
$
3,674

 
100.0
%
 
580

 
$
803,355

 
100.0
%


93


Seasoned SFR Mortgage Loans
The Company did not have any outstanding seasoned SFR mortgage loan pools at March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017.
During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company transferred all of its seasoned SFR mortgage loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance and aggregate carrying value of $168.3 million and $147.9 million, respectively, to loans held-for-sale in order to improve the credit quality of the loan portfolio and provide additional liquidity. The Company transferred these loans at lower of cost or fair value and recorded a fair value adjustment of $1.8 million against its ALLL. This transfer included PCI loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance and aggregate carrying value of $147.5 million and $128.4 million, respectively, and recorded a fair value adjustment of $274 thousand. All of these loans were sold during the three months ended September 30, 2017. On the date of sale settlement, the aggregate unpaid principal balance and aggregate carrying value were $165.7 million and $144.2 million, respectively, and the Company recognized a gain on sale of $4.7 million.
The Company did not purchase any seasoned SFR mortgage loan pools during the three months ended March 31, 2018 or the year ended December 31, 2017.
Non-Performing Assets
The following table presents a summary of total non-performing assets, excluding loans held-for-sale, as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
Loans past due 90 days or more still on accrual
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
NM

Non-accrual loans and leases
 
21,220

 
19,382

 
1,838

 
9.5
 %
Total non-performing loans
 
21,220

 
19,382

 
1,838

 
9.5
 %
Other real estate owned
 
1,024

 
1,796

 
(772
)
 
(43.0
)%
Total non-performing assets
 
$
22,244

 
$
21,178

 
$
1,066

 
5.0
 %
Performing restructured loans (1)
 
$
5,787

 
$
5,646

 
$
141

 
2.5
 %
Total non-performing loans and leases to total loans and leases
 
0.31
%
 
0.29
%
 
 
 
 
Total non-performing assets to total assets
 
0.22
%
 
0.21
%
 
 
 
 
ALLL to non-performing loans and leases
 
258.07
%
 
254.53
%
 
 
 
 
(1) Excluded from non-performing loans
Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when they become 90 days past due, unless management believes the loan is well secured and in the process of collection. Past due loans may or may not be adequately collateralized, but collection efforts are continuously pursued. Loans may be restructured by management when a borrower experiences changes to their financial condition, causing an inability to meet the original repayment terms, and where we believe the borrower will eventually overcome those circumstances and repay the loan in full.
Additional income of approximately $295 thousand would have been recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2018, had these loans been paid in accordance with their original terms throughout the periods indicated.
Troubled Debt Restructurings
Loans that the Company modifies or restructures where the debtor is experiencing financial difficulties and makes a concession to the borrower in the form of changes in the amortization terms, reductions in the interest rates, the acceptance of interest only payments and, in limited cases, reductions in the outstanding loan balances are classified as TDRs. TDRs are loans modified for the purpose of alleviating temporary impairments to the borrower’s financial condition. A workout plan between a borrower and the Company is designed to provide a bridge for the cash flow shortfalls in the near term. If the borrower works through the near term issues, in most cases, the original contractual terms of the loan will be reinstated.
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had 14 and 12 loans, respectively, with an aggregate balance of $8.4 million and $8.3 million, respectively, classified as TDRs. When a loan becomes a TDR the Company ceases accruing interest, and classifies it as non-accrual until the borrower demonstrates that the loan is again performing.
At March 31, 2018, of the 14 loans classified as TDRs, 13 loans totaling $5.8 million were making payments according to their modified terms and were less than 90-days delinquent under the modified terms and were in accruing status. At December 31, 2017, of the 12 loans classified as TDRs, 11 loans totaling $5.6 million were making payments according to their modified terms and were less than 90-days delinquent under the modified terms and were in accruing status.

94


Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses
The Company maintains an ALLL to absorb probable incurred losses inherent in the loan and lease portfolio at the balance sheet date. The ALLL is based on an ongoing assessment of the estimated probable losses inherent in the loan and lease portfolio. In evaluating the level of the ALLL, management considers the types of loans and leases and the amount of loans and leases in the portfolio, peer group information, historical loss experience, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, estimated value of any underlying collateral, and prevailing economic conditions. This methodology takes into account many factors, including the Company’s own historical and peer loss trends, loan and lease-level credit quality ratings, loan and lease specific attributes along with a review of various credit metrics and trends. The process involves subjective as well as complex judgments. In addition, the Company uses adjustments for numerous factors including those found in the federal banking agencies' joint Interagency Policy Statement on ALLL, which include current economic conditions, loan and lease seasoning, underwriting experience, and collateral value changes among others. The Company evaluates all impaired loans and leases individually using guidance from ASC 310 primarily through the evaluation of cash flows or collateral values. The following table provides a summary of the allocation of the ALLL by loan and lease category as well as loans and leases receivable for each category as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
ALLL
 
Loans and Leases Receivable
 
ALLL
 
Loans and Leases Receivable
Commercial:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
$
17,571

 
$
1,638,559

 
$
14,280

 
$
1,701,951

Commercial real estate
 
5,417

 
773,193

 
4,971

 
717,415

Multifamily
 
14,219

 
1,944,082

 
13,265

 
1,816,141

SBA
 
1,577

 
79,022

 
1,701

 
78,699

Construction
 
3,220

 
200,766

 
3,318

 
182,960

Lease financing
 

 
3

 

 
13

Consumer:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Single family residential mortgage
 
11,969

 
2,201,358

 
10,996

 
2,055,649

Other consumer
 
790

 
93,524

 
802

 
106,579

Total
 
$
54,763

 
$
6,930,507

 
$
49,333

 
$
6,659,407

The following table presents the ALLL allocation among loan and lease origination types as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
Loan breakdown by ALLL evaluation type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Originated loans and leases
 
$
6,295,843

 
$
5,988,101

 
$
307,742

 
5.1
 %
Acquired loans not impaired at acquisition
 
634,664

 
671,306

 
(36,642
)
 
(5.5
)%
Total loans
 
$
6,930,507

 
$
6,659,407

 
$
271,100

 
4.1
 %
ALLL breakdown:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Originated loans and leases
 
$
53,605

 
$
48,110

 
$
5,495

 
11.4
 %
Acquired loans not impaired at acquisition
 
1,158

 
1,223

 
(65
)
 
(5.3
)%
Total ALLL
 
$
54,763

 
$
49,333

 
$
5,430

 
11.0
 %
Discount on purchased/acquired Loans:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acquired loans not impaired at acquisition
 
$
14,255

 
$
14,943

 
$
(688
)
 
(4.6
)%
Total discount
 
$
14,255

 
$
14,943

 
$
(688
)
 
(4.6
)%
Percentage of ALLL to:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Originated loans and leases
 
0.85
%
 
0.80
%
 
0.05
%
 
 
Originated loans and leases and acquired loans not impaired at acquisition
 
0.79
%
 
0.74
%
 
0.05
%
 
 
Total loans and leases:
 
0.79
%
 
0.74
%
 
0.05
%
 
 


95


The following table provides information regarding activity in the ALLL during the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
ALLL at beginning of period
 
$
49,333

 
$
40,444

Charge-offs:
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
(71
)
 
(250
)
Commercial real estate
 

 

Multifamily
 

 

SBA
 
(381
)
 

Construction
 

 

Lease financing
 

 

Single family residential mortgage
 
(115
)
 
(81
)
Other consumer
 
(14,072
)
 
(26
)
Total charge-offs
 
(14,639
)
 
(357
)
Recoveries:
 
 
 
 
Commercial and industrial
 
61

 

Commercial real estate
 

 

Multifamily
 

 

SBA
 
65

 
43

Construction
 

 

Lease financing
 
4

 
19

Single family residential mortgage
 
436

 
1

Other consumer
 
4

 
3

Total recoveries
 
570

 
66

Provision for loan and lease losses
 
19,499

 
2,583

ALLL at end of period
 
$
54,763

 
$
42,736

Average total loans and leases held-for-investment
 
$
6,708,181

 
$
6,085,342

Total loans and leases held-for-investment at end of period
 
$
6,930,507

 
$
6,105,321

Ratios:
 
 
 
 
Annualized net charge-offs to average total loans and leases held-for-investment
 
0.84
%
 
0.02
%
ALLL to total loans and leases held-for-investment
 
0.79
%
 
0.70
%
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded a charge-off of $13.9 million, which reflected the outstanding balance under a $15.0 million line of credit that was originated during the three months ended March 31, 2018. Subsequent to the granting of the line of credit, representations from the borrower in applying for the line of credit were determined by the Bank to be false, and bank account statements provided by the borrower to secure the line of credit were found to be fraudulent. The line of credit was granted after the borrower appeared to have satisfied a pre-condition that the line of credit be fully cash collateralized and secured by a bank account at a third party financial institution pledged to the Bank. As part of the Bank’s credit review and portfolio management process, the line of credit and disbursements were reviewed subsequent to closing and compliance with the borrower’s covenants was monitored. As part of this process, on March 9, 2018, the Bank received information that caused it to believe the existence of the pledged bank account had been misrepresented by the borrower and that the account had previously been closed. Although the Bank plans to pursue any available sources of collection and other potential means of mitigating the loss, no assurance can be given that it will be successful in this regard. Upon review of the underwriting process for this loan, the Bank determined that this loan was the result of an isolated event of external fraud.

96


Servicing Rights
Total mortgage and SBA servicing rights were $6.7 million and $33.7 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The fair value of the MSRs amounted to $5.0 million and $31.9 million and the amortized cost of the SBA servicing rights was $1.8 million and $1.9 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The Company retains servicing rights from certain of its sales of SFR mortgage loans and SBA loans.
The aggregate principal balance of the loans underlying our total MSRs and SBA servicing rights was $591.2 million and $99.0 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and $3.94 billion and $101.0 million, respectively, at December 31, 2017. The recorded amount of the MSRs and SBA servicing rights as a percentage of the unpaid principal balance of the loans we are servicing was 0.84 percent and 1.80 percent, respectively, at March 31, 2018 as compared to 0.81 percent and 1.84 percent, respectively, at December 31, 2017.
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company sold $26.0 million of MSRs on approximately $3.21 billion in unpaid balances of conventional agency mortgage loans, subject to adjustment under certain circumstances. The transaction resulted in a net loss of sale of MSRs of $2.3 million, primarily related to transaction costs, provision for early repayments of loans and expected repurchase obligations under standard representations and warranties.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company sold $37.8 million of MSRs as a part of discontinued operations.
For additional information, see Note 6 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

97


Alternative Energy Partnerships
The Company invests in certain alternative energy partnerships (limited liability companies) formed to provide sustainable energy projects that are designed to generate a return primarily through the realization of federal tax credits (energy tax credits) and other tax benefits. The investment helps promote the development of renewable energy sources and help lower the cost of housing for residents by lowering homeowners’ monthly utility costs.
As the Company’s respective investments in these entities are more than minor, the Company has significant influence, but not control, over the investee’s activities that most significantly impact its economic performance. As a result, the Company is required to apply the equity method of accounting, which generally prescribes applying the percentage ownership interest to the investee’s GAAP net income in order to determine the investor’s earnings or losses in a given period. However, because the liquidation rights, tax credit allocations and other benefits to investors can change upon the occurrence of specified events, application of the equity method based on the underlying ownership percentages would not accurately represent the Company’s investment. As a result, the Company applies the HLBV method of the equity method of accounting.
The HLBV method is a balance sheet approach where a calculation is prepared at each balance sheet date to estimate the amount that the Company would receive if the equity investment entity were to liquidate all of its assets (as valued in accordance with GAAP) and distribute that cash to the investors based on the contractually defined liquidation priorities. The difference between the calculated liquidation distribution amounts at the beginning and the end of the reporting period, after adjusting for capital contributions and distributions, is the Company’s share of the earnings or losses from the equity investment for the period.
The following table presents the activity related to the Company’s investment in alternative energy partnerships for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
48,826

 
$
25,639

New funding
 

 
30,927

Cash distribution from investments
 
(516
)
 
(251
)
Gain (loss) on investments using HLBV method
 
34

 
(8,682
)
Balance at end of period
 
$
48,344

 
$
47,633

Unfunded equity commitments
 
50,084

 
111,732

The Company’s investments in alternative energy partnerships are primarily returned through the realization of energy tax credits and other tax benefits rather than through distributions or through the sale of the investment. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recognized energy tax credits of $7.3 million, offset by $769 thousand of deferred tax expenses in connection with new equipment being placed into service as well as income tax expense of $9 thousand (based on a current effective tax rate of 26.98 percent, which excludes the foregoing energy tax credits and related deferred tax expense) related to the recognition of its gain through its HLBV application. Annually, the Company’s share of projected tax benefits is reviewed and resulted in an estimated increase in the Company’s share of projected tax benefits that was recognized during the period, resulting in a net gain. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company recognized energy tax credits of $8.8 million, offset by $1.5 million of deferred tax expenses in connection with new equipment being placed into service as well as income tax benefits of $3.6 million (based on a current effective tax rate of 41.37 percent, which excludes the foregoing energy tax credits and related deferred tax expense) related to the recognition of its loss through its HLBV application.
The HLBV loss for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was largely driven by accelerated tax depreciation on equipment and the recognition of energy tax credits which reduces the amount distributable by the investee in a hypothetical liquidation under the contractual liquidation provisions.
For additional information, see Note 17 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.


98


Deposits
The following table shows the composition of deposits by type as of the dates indicated:
($ in thousands)
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
Noninterest-bearing deposits
 
$
1,039,116

 
$
1,071,608

 
$
(32,492
)
 
(3.0
)%
Interest-bearing demand deposits
 
1,864,629

 
2,089,016

 
(224,387
)
 
(10.7
)%
Money market accounts
 
1,091,735

 
1,146,859

 
(55,124
)
 
(4.8
)%
Savings accounts
 
1,051,267

 
1,059,628

 
(8,361
)
 
(0.8
)%
Certificates of deposit of $250,000 or less
 
1,466,010

 
1,365,452

 
100,558

 
7.4
 %
Certificates of deposit of more than $250,000
 
597,408

 
560,340

 
37,068

 
6.6
 %
Total deposits
 
$
7,110,165

 
$
7,292,903

 
$
(182,738
)
 
(2.5
)%
Total deposits were $7.11 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $182.7 million, or 2.5 percent, from $7.29 billion at December 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to the Company's strategic reduction of high-rate and high-volatility deposits during the three months ended March 31, 2018. Brokered deposits were $1.42 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $31.9 million, or 2.2 percent, from $1.46 billion at December 31, 2017.
Borrowings
The Company utilizes FHLB advances and securities sold under repurchase agreements to leverage its capital base, to provide funds for its lending activities, as a source of liquidity, and to enhance its interest rate risk management. The Company also maintains additional borrowing availabilities from Federal Reserve Discount Window and unsecured federal funds lines of credit.
FHLB advances totaled $1.91 billion and $1.70 billion, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The Company did not utilize repurchase agreements at March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017.
On June 30, 2017, the Company voluntarily terminated a line of credit of $75.0 million that it maintained at the holding company level with an unaffiliated financial institution. The line had a maturity date of July 17, 2017. The Company had $50 million of borrowings outstanding under the line, which were repaid in connection with the termination of the line.
For additional information, see Note 9 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Long Term Debt
The following table presents the Company's long term debt as of the dates indicated:
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
($ in thousands)
 
Par Value
 
Unamortized Debt Issuance Cost and Discount
 
Par Value
 
Unamortized Debt Issuance Cost and Discount
5.25% senior notes due April 15, 2025
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,034
)
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,059
)
Total
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,034
)
 
$
175,000

 
$
(2,059
)
On May 15, 2017, the Company made the final installment payment on its 7.50 percent junior subordinated amortizing notes due May 15, 2017.
For additional information, see Note 10 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

99


Reserve for Unfunded Loan Commitments
The Company maintains a reserve for unfunded loan commitments at a level that is considered adequate to cover the estimated and known inherent risks. The probability of usage of the unfunded loan commitments and credit risk factors are determined based on outstanding loans that share similar credit risk exposure. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the reserve for unfunded loan commitments was $4.3 million and $3.7 million, respectively. The increase was mainly due to an increase in unfunded loan commitments.
The following table presents a summary of activity in the reserve for unfunded loan commitments for the periods indicated:
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
($ in thousands)
 
2018
 
2017
Balance at beginning of period
 
$
3,716

 
$
2,385

Provision for unfunded loan commitments
 
577

 
833

Balance at end of period
 
$
4,293

 
$
3,218

Reserve for Loss on Repurchased Loans
When the Company sells residential mortgage loans into the secondary mortgage market, the Company makes customary representations and warranties to the purchasers about various characteristics of each loan, such as the manner of origination, the nature and extent of underwriting standards applied and the types of documentation being provided. Typically, these representations and warranties are in place for the life of the loan. If a defect in the origination process is identified, the Company may be required to either repurchase the loan or indemnify the purchaser for losses it sustains on the loan. If there are no such defects, generally the Company has no liability to the purchaser for losses it may incur on such loan. In addition, the Company has the option to buy out severely delinquent loans at par from GNMA loan pools for which the Company is the servicer and issuer of the pool. The Company maintains a reserve for losses on repurchased loans to account for the expected losses related to loans the Company might be required to repurchase (or the indemnity payments the Company may have to make to purchasers). The reserve takes into account both the estimate of expected losses on loans sold during the current accounting period, as well as adjustments to the previous estimates of expected losses on loans sold. In each case, these estimates are based on the most recent data available, including data from third parties, regarding demand for loan repurchases, actual loan repurchases, and actual credit losses on repurchased loans, among other factors.
Reserve for loss on repurchased loans totaled $3.4 million at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $2.9 million, or 45.7 percent, from $6.3 million at December 31, 2017. Approximately $1.5 million of the decrease was due to portfolio run-off and repurchase settlement activities, and approximately $1.4 million of the decrease was due to methodology and data enhancements. The methodology and data enhancements were a result of additional insights gained through the due diligence process pertaining to the MSR sale during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and utilization of the Company's actual run-off and historical loss data as opposed to industry data.
Provisions added to the reserve for loss on repurchased loans are initially recorded against net revenue on mortgage banking activities at the time of sale, and any subsequent increase or decrease in the provision is then recorded under noninterest expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations as an increase or decrease to provision for loan repurchases. Initial provisions for loan repurchases were $2 thousand and $842 thousand, respectively, and subsequent changes in the provision were $(1.8) million and $(325) thousand, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.
The Company believes that all repurchase demands received were adequately reserved at March 31, 2018. For additional information, see Note 12 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.


100


Liquidity Management
The Company is required to maintain sufficient liquidity to ensure a safe and sound operation. Liquidity may increase or decrease depending upon availability of funds and comparative yields on investments in relation to the return on loans. Historically, the Company has maintained liquid assets above levels believed to be adequate to meet the requirements of normal operations, including potential deposit outflows, and dividend payments. Cash flow projections are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that adequate liquidity is maintained.
Banc of California, N.A.
The Bank's liquidity, represented by cash and cash equivalents and securities available-for-sale, is a product of its operating, investing, and financing activities. The Bank's primary sources of funds are deposits, payments and maturities of outstanding loans and investment securities; and other short-term investments and funds provided from operations. While scheduled payments from the amortization of loans and investment securities, and maturing investment securities and short-term investments are relatively predictable sources of funds, deposit flows and loan prepayments are greatly influenced by general interest rates, economic conditions, and competition. In addition, the Bank invests excess funds in short-term interest-earning assets, which provide liquidity to meet lending requirements. The Bank also generates cash through borrowings. The Bank mainly utilizes FHLB advances and securities sold under repurchase agreements to leverage its capital base, to provide funds for its lending activities, as a source of liquidity, and to enhance its interest rate risk management. The Bank also has the ability to obtain brokered deposits and collect deposits through wholesale and treasury operations. Liquidity management is both a daily and long-term function of business management. Any excess liquidity is typically invested in federal funds or investment securities. On a longer-term basis, the Bank maintains a strategy of investing in various lending products. The Bank uses its sources of funds primarily to meet its ongoing loan and other commitments, and to pay maturing certificates of deposit and savings withdrawals.
Banc of California, Inc.
The primary sources of funds for Banc of California, Inc., on a stand-alone holding company basis, are dividends and intercompany tax payments from the Bank, outside borrowing, and its ability to raise capital and issue debt securities. Dividends from the Bank are largely dependent upon the Bank's earnings and are subject to restrictions under the certain regulations that limit its ability to transfer funds to the holding company. OCC regulations impose various restrictions on the ability of a bank to make capital distributions, which include dividends, stock redemptions or repurchases, and certain other items. Generally, a well-capitalized bank may make capital distributions during any calendar year equal to up to 100 percent of net income for the year-to-date plus retained net income for the two preceding years without prior OCC approval. At March 31, 2018, the Bank had $217.4 million available to pay dividends to Banc of California, Inc. without prior OCC approval. However, any dividend granted by the Bank would be limited by the need to maintain its well capitalized status plus the capital buffer in order to avoid additional dividend restrictions. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Bank paid dividends of $18.0 million to Banc of California, Inc. At March 31, 2018, Banc of California, Inc. had $44.4 million in cash, all of which was on deposit at the Bank.
On a consolidated basis, the Company maintained $346.7 million of cash and cash equivalents, which was 3.4 percent of total assets at March 31, 2018. The Company's cash and cash equivalents decreased by $41.0 million, or 10.6 percent, from $387.7 million, or 3.8 percent of total assets, at December 31, 2017. The decrease was mainly due to decreases in deposits, partially offset by an increase in FHLB advances and a decrease in securities. The Company reduced the reliance on brokered deposits and other high-rate and high-volatility deposits by replacing them with more predictable advances from FHLB with the goal of increasing core deposits to fund new loan originations. The Company also strategically decreased its securities portfolio to navigate a volatile rate environment by reducing overall duration by selling longer-duration and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities and corporate debt securities. All of these strategic actions were taken in order to expand core lending activities across the organization, while reducing risk on the Company's balance sheet.
At March 31, 2018, the Company had available unused secured borrowing capacities of $1.09 billion from FHLB and $64.7 million from Federal Reserve Discount Window, as well as $210.0 million from unused unsecured federal funds lines of credit. The Company also maintained repurchase agreements and had no outstanding securities sold under repurchase agreements at March 31, 2018. Availabilities and terms on repurchase agreements are subject to the counterparties' discretion and pledging additional investment securities. The Company also had unpledged securities available-for-sale of $1.85 billion at March 31, 2018.
The Company believes that its liquidity sources are stable and are adequate to meet its day-to-day cash flow requirements. As of March 31, 2018, the Company believes that there are no events, uncertainties, material commitments, or capital expenditures that were reasonably likely to have a material effect on its liquidity position.

101


Commitments and Contractual Obligations
The following table presents the Company’s commitments and contractual obligations as of March 31, 2018:
 
 
Commitments and Contractual Obligations
($ in thousands)
 
Total Amount Committed
 
Less Than One Year
 
More Than One Year Through Three Years
 
More Than Three Year Through Five Years
 
Over Five Years
Commitments to extend credit
 
$
365,928

 
$
78,506

 
$
138,961

 
$
85,389

 
$
63,072

Unused lines of credit
 
1,284,990

 
933,328

 
118,743

 
77,093

 
155,826

Standby letters of credit
 
10,202

 
8,038

 
1,056

 
1,088

 
20

Total commitments
 
$
1,661,120

 
$
1,019,872

 
$
258,760

 
$
163,570

 
$
218,918

FHLB advances
 
$
1,905,000

 
$
1,300,000

 
$
294,000

 
$
191,000

 
$
120,000

Long-term debt
 
243,906

 
9,187

 
18,375

 
18,375

 
197,969

Operating and capital lease obligations
 
33,144

 
7,710

 
11,892

 
5,667

 
7,875

Certificate of deposits
 
2,063,418

 
1,869,223

 
188,479

 
5,716

 

Total contractual obligations
 
$
4,245,468

 
$
3,186,120

 
$
512,746

 
$
220,758

 
$
325,844

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Bank entered into certain definitive agreements which grant the Bank the exclusive naming rights to the Banc of California Stadium, a soccer stadium of LAFC, as well as the right to be the official bank of LAFC. In exchange for the Bank’s rights as set forth in the agreements, the Bank agreed to pay LAFC $100.0 million over a period of 15 years, beginning in 2017 and ending in 2032. The advertising benefits of such rights are amortized on a straight-line basis and recorded as advertising and promotion expense beginning in 2018. As of March 31, 2018, the Bank has paid $11.3 million of the $100.0 million commitment. The prepaid commitment balance, net of amortization, was $9.7 million as of March 31, 2018, which was recognized as a prepaid asset and included in Other Assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. See Note 22 for additional information.
The Company had unfunded commitments of $15.6 million, $10.7 million, and $50.6 million for Affordable Housing Fund Investment, SBIC, and Other Investments including investments in alternative energy partnerships, at March 31, 2018, respectively.


102


Capital
In order to maintain adequate levels of capital, the Company continuously assesses projected sources and uses of capital to support projected asset growth, operating needs and credit risk. The Company considers, among other things, earnings generated from operations and access to capital from financial markets. In addition, the Company performs capital stress tests on an annual basis to assess the impact of adverse changes in the economy on the Company's capital base.
Regulatory Capital
The Company and the Bank are subject to the regulatory capital adequacy guidelines that are established by the Federal banking regulators. In July 2013, the Federal banking regulators approved a final rule to implement the revised capital adequacy standards of the Basel III and to address relevant provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. The final rule strengthens the definition of regulatory capital, increases risk-based capital requirements, makes selected changes to the calculation of risk-weighted assets, and adjusts the prompt corrective action thresholds. The Company and the Bank became subject to the new rule on January 1, 2015 and certain provisions of the new rule will be phased in through 2019. For additional information on BASEL III capital rules, see Note 16 to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) included in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The following table presents the regulatory capital ratios for the Company and the Bank as of dates indicated:
 
 
Banc of California, Inc.
 
Banc of California, NA
 
Minimum Regulatory Requirements
 
Well Capitalized Requirements (Bank)
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital ratio
 
14.60
%
 
16.53
%
 
8.00
%
 
10.00
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio
 
13.74
%
 
15.67
%
 
6.00
%
 
8.00
%
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio
 
9.80
%
 
15.67
%
 
4.50
%
 
6.50
%
Tier 1 leverage ratio
 
9.21
%
 
10.50
%
 
4.00
%
 
5.00
%
December 31, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total risk-based capital ratio
 
14.56
%
 
16.56
%
 
8.00
%
 
10.00
%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio
 
13.79
%
 
15.78
%
 
6.00
%
 
8.00
%
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio
 
9.92
%
 
15.78
%
 
4.50
%
 
6.50
%
Tier 1 leverage ratio
 
9.39
%
 
10.67
%
 
4.00
%
 
5.00
%
In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act requires publicly-traded bank holding companies with assets of $10 billion or more to perform capital stress testing and establish a risk committee responsible for enterprise-wide risk management practices, comprised of independent directors, including one risk management expert. These provisions become applicable if the average of the total consolidated assets of the bank holding company, as reported in its quarterly Consolidated Financial Statements for Bank Holding Companies, for the four most recent consecutive quarters exceed $10 billion. The “Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test” or “DFAST” is designed to determine whether the capital planning of the Company, assessment of its capital adequacy and risk management practices adequately protect it and its affiliates in the event of an economic downturn. As the Company and the Bank exceeded the $10 billion threshold for four consecutive quarters during the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company and the Bank became subject to the DFAST regime on January 1, 2018. Accordingly, the Company and the Bank must submit its first DFAST results as of December 31, 2017 by July 31, 2018. The Company must establish adequate internal controls, documentation, policies and procedures to ensure the annual stress test adequately meets these objectives. The boards of directors of the Company and the Bank must review the Company’s and the Bank's policies and procedures at least annually. The Company and the Bank are required to report the results of their annual stress tests to the Federal Reserve and the OCC, respectively, publicly disclose the results and consider the results as part of their capital planning and risk management practices.


103


ITEM 3 — QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Our Risk When Interest Rates Change. The rates of interest we earn on assets and pay on liabilities generally are established contractually for a period of time. Market interest rates change over time. Accordingly, our results of operations, like those of other financial institutions, are impacted by changes in interest rates and the interest rate sensitivity of our assets and liabilities. The risk associated with changes in interest rates and our ability to adapt to these changes is known as interest rate risk and is our most significant market risk.
How We Measure Our Risk of Interest Rate Changes. As part of our attempt to manage our exposure to changes in interest rates and comply with applicable regulations, we have established asset/liability committees to monitor our interest rate risk. In monitoring interest rate risk we continually analyze and manage assets and liabilities based on their payment streams and interest rates, the timing of their maturities and/or prepayments, and their sensitivity to actual or potential changes in market interest rates.
We maintain both a management asset/liability committee (Management ALCO), comprised of select members of senior management, and a joint asset/liability committee of the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank (Board ALCO, together with Management ALCO, ALCOs). In order to manage the risk of potential adverse effects of material and prolonged increases in interest rates on our results of operations, we have adopted asset/liability management policies to align maturities and repricing terms of interest-earning assets to interest-bearing liabilities. The asset/liability management policies establish guidelines for the volume and mix of assets and funding sources taking into account relative costs and spreads, interest rate sensitivity and liquidity needs, while the ALCOs monitor adherence to those guidelines. The objectives are to manage assets and funding sources to produce results that are consistent with liquidity, capital adequacy, growth, risk, and profitability goals. The ALCOs meet periodically to review, among other things, economic conditions and interest rate outlook, current and projected liquidity needs and capital position, anticipated changes in the volume and mix of assets and liabilities and interest rate risk exposure limits versus current projections pursuant to our net present value of equity analysis.
In order to manage our assets and liabilities and achieve the desired liquidity, credit quality, interest rate risk, profitability and capital targets, we evaluate various strategies including:
Originating and purchasing adjustable rate mortgage loans,
Selling longer duration fixed or hybrid mortgage loans,
Originating shorter-term consumer loans,
Managing the duration of investment securities,
Managing our deposits to establish stable deposit relationships,
Using FHLB advances and/or certain derivatives such as swaps to align maturities and repricing terms, and
Managing the percentage of fixed rate loans in our portfolio.
At times, depending on the level of general interest rates, the relationship between long- and short-term interest rates, market conditions and competitive factors, the ALCOs may decide to increase the Company’s interest rate risk position within the asset/liability tolerance set forth by the Company's Board of Directors.
As part of its procedures, the ALCOs regularly reviews interest rate risk by forecasting the impact of alternative interest rate environments on net interest income and market value of portfolio equity, which is defined as the net present value of an institution’s existing assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet instruments, and evaluating such impacts against the maximum potential changes in net interest income and market value of portfolio equity.


104


Interest Rate Sensitivity of Economic Value of Equity and Net Interest Income
The following table presents the projected change in the Bank’s net portfolio value at March 31, 2018 that would occur upon an immediate change in interest rates based on independent analysis, but without giving effect to any steps that management might take to counteract that change:
 
 
Change in Interest Rates in Basis Points (bps) (1)
($ in thousands)
 
Economic Value of Equity
 
Net Interest Income
 
Amount
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
 
Amount
 
Amount Change
 
Percentage Change
March 31, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
+200 bps
 
$
1,229,749

 
$
(89,948
)
 
(6.8
)%
 
$
305,588

 
$
(509
)
 
(0.2
)%
+100 bps
 
1,286,286

 
(33,411
)
 
(2.5
)%
 
306,338

 
241

 
0.1
 %
0 bp
 
1,319,697

 
 
 
 
 
306,097

 
 
 
 
-100 bps
 
1,326,112

 
6,415

 
0.5
 %
 
302,801

 
(3,296
)
 
(1.1
)%
(1)
Assumes an instantaneous uniform change in interest rates at all maturities
As with any method of measuring interest rate risk, certain shortcomings are inherent in the method of analysis presented in the foregoing table. For example, although certain assets and liabilities may have similar maturities or periods to repricing, they may react in different degrees to changes in market interest rates. Also, the interest rates on certain types of assets and liabilities may fluctuate in advance of changes in market interest rates, while interest rates on other types may lag behind changes in market rates. Additionally, certain assets, such as adjustable rate mortgage loans, have features which restrict changes in interest rates on a short-term basis and over the life of the asset. Further, if interest rates change, expected rates of prepayments on loans and early withdrawals from certificates of deposit could deviate significantly from those assumed in calculating the table.
At March 31, 2018, the Company did not maintain any securities for trading purposes or engage in trading activities. Interest rate risk is the most significant market risk affecting the Company. Other types of market risk, such as foreign currency exchange risk and commodity price risk, do not arise in the normal course of the Company’s business activities and operations.
ITEM 4 - CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
An evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Act) as of March 31, 2018 was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and other members of the Company’s senior management. The Company’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2018, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Act is: (i) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management (including the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer) to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure; and (ii) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Act) that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2018 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
The Company does not expect that its disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and fraud. A control procedure, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control procedure are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control procedures, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any control procedure also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control procedure, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

105


PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time we are involved as plaintiff or defendant in various legal actions arising in the normal course of business.
On January 23, 2017, the first of three putative class action lawsuits, Garcia v. Banc of California, et al., Case No. 8:17-cv-00118, was filed against Banc of California, James J. McKinney, Ronald J. Nicolas, Jr., and Steven A. Sugarman in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Thereafter, two related putative class action lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California: (1) Malak v. Banc of California, et al., Case No. 8:17-cv-00138 (January 26, 2017), asserting claims against Banc of California, James J. McKinney, and Steven A. Sugarman, and (2) Cardona v. Banc of California, et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-00621 (January 26, 2017), asserting claims against Banc of California, James J. McKinney, Ronald J. Nicolas, Jr., and Steven A. Sugarman. Those actions were consolidated, a lead plaintiff was appointed, and the lead plaintiff filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint against Banc of California, Steve A. Sugarman and James J. McKinney on May 31, 2017 alleging that the defendants violated sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
In general, the Consolidated Amended Complaint alleges that the purported concealment of the defendants’ alleged relationship with Jason Galanis caused various statements made by the defendants to be false and misleading. The defendants moved to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Complaint. The plaintiff thereafter dismissed Mr. McKinney, leaving the Company and Mr. Sugarman as the remaining defendants. On September 18, 2017, the district court granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ motions to dismiss. Specifically, the court denied the defendants’ motions as to the Company’s April 15, 2016 Proxy Statement which listed Mr. Sugarman’s positions with COR Securities Holdings Inc., COR Clearing LLC, and COR Capital LLC while omitting their alleged connections with Jason Galanis. The lawsuits purport to be brought on behalf of stockholders who purchased stock in the Company between varying dates, inclusive of August 15, 2016 through January 23, 2017. The lawsuits seek class certification, an award of unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, an award of reasonable costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, and other further relief as the Court may deem just and proper. Trial is currently set for October 21, 2019. The Company believes that the consolidated action is without merit and intends to vigorously contest it.
On September 26, 2017, a shareholder derivative action captioned Gordon v. Sznewajs, Case No. 17-CV-1678, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against four of the Company’s directors (Robert D. Sznewajs, Halle J. Benett, Jonah F. Schnel and Jeffrey Karish) alleging that they breached their fiduciary duties to the Company. In that action, the Company is a nominal defendant. The complaint seeks monetary and equitable relief on behalf of the Company. The Company believes that the shareholder was required to, but failed to, make a demand on the Company to bring such claims, and that the failure of the shareholder to make a demand requires dismissal of the action. The Company filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the plaintiff was required to, but did not, make a demand on the Company. Rather than oppose the Company’s motion, plaintiff elected to file an amended complaint. The amended complaint was filed on February 6, 2018, which added Richard J. Lashley, Doug H. Bowers and John Grosvenor as individual defendants, and which added purported claims for gross negligence and unjust enrichment. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint, which is set for hearing on June 18, 2018.
On September 5, 2017, Jeffrey T. Seabold, a former officer of the Company and the Bank, filed a complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court (Case No. BC 624694) against the Company, the Bank and multiple unnamed defendants asserting claims for breach of contract, wrongful termination, retaliation and unfair business practices. Mr. Seabold alleges that he was constructively terminated as a Company and Bank employee and seeks in excess of $5 million in damages. On January 19, 2018, the parties reached a settlement in principle through mediation and a final settlement agreement was entered into on February 14, 2018. The settlement did not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. For additional information, including the terms of the settlement agreement, see Note 25 to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
On August 15, 2017, COR Securities Holdings, Inc., and COR Clearing LLC filed an action in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, captioned COR Securities Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Banc of California, N.A., et al., Case No. 8:17-cv-01403 DOC JCGx), against the Bank and Hugh F. Boyle, the Company’s and the Bank’s Chief Risk Officer. The lawsuit asserts claims under various state and federal statutes related to computer fraud and abuse, as well as a claim of common law fraud. The plaintiffs allege that the Bank inappropriately gained access to their confidential and privileged documents on a cloud storage site. On October 2, 2017, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss. On February 2, 2018, the court granted in part and denied in part that motion to dismiss. The Bank believes that the action is without merit and intends to vigorously contest it.

106


On August 11, 2017, Carlos P. Salas, the Bank’s former Chief of Staff, filed an action in the Los Angeles Superior Court, captioned Carlos P. Salas v. Banc of California, Inc., et al., Case No. BC672208, against the Company and the Bank asserting claims for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of an implied in fact contract, promissory estoppel, promissory fraud, declaratory relief, fraud/intentional misrepresentation, unfair business practices, wrongful termination, violation of the right to privacy and violation of California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act. In general, Mr. Salas alleges that he was constructively terminated as a Bank employee and suffered damages in excess of $4 million. He seeks both compensatory and punitive damages. On September 18, 2017, the Company and the Bank filed a motion to compel arbitration, as required by Mr. Salas’ written agreement with the Bank, On January 17, 2018, the court granted the motion to compel arbitration and stayed the court action. Mr. Salas has commenced arbitration. The Company believes that the action is without merit and intends to vigorously contest it.
On December 7, 2017, Heather Endresen filed an action in the Los Angeles Superior Court, captioned Heather Endresen v. Banc of California, Inc.; Banc of California, N.A., Case No. BC685641. Endresen’s complaint purports to state claims for retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and various statutory claims. The complaint does not specify any amount of alleged damages. Endresen dismissed the action without prejudice.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
There have been no material changes to the risk factors that appeared under “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.
ITEM 2 - UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
 
 
Purchase of Equity Securities by the Issuer
 
 
 
 
Total Number of Shares
 
Average Price Paid Per Share
 
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans
 
Total Number of Shares That May Yet be Purchased Under the Plan
From January 31, 2018 to January 31, 2018
 

 
$

 

 

From February 1, 2018 to February 28, 2018
 

 
$

 

 

From March 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018
 

 
$

 

 

Total
 

 
$

 

 
 
During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company did not purchase any equity securities. On October 18, 2016, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved a share buyback program under Rule 10b-18 authorizing the Company to buy back, from time to time during the 12 months ending on October 18, 2017, an aggregate amount representing up to 10 percent of the Company's currently outstanding common shares. The Company did not purchase any shares under this share buyback program, and the program has expired.
The Company has a practice of buying back stock for tax purposes pertaining to employee benefit plans, and does not count these purchases toward the allotment of the shares. The Company did not purchase any shares during the three months ended March 31, 2018 related to tax liability sales for employee stock benefit plans.
ITEM 3 - DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None
ITEM 4 MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable
ITEM 5 - OTHER INFORMATION
None

107


ITEM 6 - EXHIBITS
2.1
Footnote 1
 
 
 
2.2
Footnote 2
 
 
 
2.3
Footnote 3
 
 
 
2.4
Footnote 3
 
 
 
3.1
Footnote 4
 
 
 
3.2
Footnote 4
 
 
 
4.1
Footnote 5
 
 
 
4.2
Footnote 6
 
 
 
4.3
Footnote 6
 
 
 
4.4
Footnote 7
 
 
 
4.5
Footnote 8
 
 
 
4.6
Footnote 9
 
 
 
4.7
Footnote 10
 
 
 
4.8
Footnote 10
 
 
 
4.9
Footnote 10
 
 
 
4.10
Footnote 5
 
 
 
10.1
Footnote 12
 
 
 
10.2
Footnote 13
 
 
 
10.3
Footnote 14
 
 
 
10.3A
Footnote 15
 
 
 
10.3B
10.3B
 
 
 
10.4
Footnote 16
 
 
 
10.4A
Footnote 15
 
 
 
10.8
Footnote 16
 
 
 
10.8A
Footnote 16
 
 
 
10.8B
Footnote 17
 
 
 
10.8C
Footnote 18
 
 
 

108


10.8D
Footnote 19
 
 
 
10.8E
Footnote 20
 
 
 
10.8F
Footnote 20
 
 
 
10.8G
Footnote 21
 
 
 
10.9
Footnote 20
 
 
 
10.9A
Footnote 39
 
 
 
10.10
Reserved
 
 
 
 
10.11
Footnote 23
 
 
 
10.11A
Footnote 24
 
 
 
10.11B
Footnote 15
 
 
 
10.11C
Footnote 39
 
 
 
10.12
Footnote 15
 
 
 
10.12A
Footnote 20
 
 
 
10.12B
Footnote 25
 
 
 
10.13
Footnote 3
 
 
 
10.14

Footnote 26
 
 
 
10.15
Footnote 26
 
 
 
10.16
Footnote 27
 
 
 
10.16A
Footnote 28
 
 
 
10.16B
Footnote 28
 
 
 
10.16C
Footnote 28
 
 
 
10.17
Footnote 29
 
 
 
10.17A
Footnote 30
 
 
 
10.17B
Footnote 3
 
 
 
10.17C
Footnote 30
 
 
 
10.17D
Footnote 31
 
 
 
10.17E
Footnote 31
 
 
 
10.17F
Footnote 18
 
 
 
10.17G
Footnote 18
 
 
 
10.17H
Footnote 24
 
 
 
10.17I
Footnote 24
 
 
 
10.17J
Footnote 24
 
 
 

109


10.17K
Footnote 24
 
 
 
10.17L
Footnote 39
 
 
 
10.18
Footnote 32
 
 
 
10.18A
Footnote 33
 
 
 
10.19
Footnote 2
 
 
 
10.19A
Footnote 34
 
 
 
10.20
Footnote 13
 
 
 
10.21
Footnote 35
 
 
 
10.22
Footnote 15
 
 
 
10.23
Footnote 36
 
 
 
10.23A
Footnote 36
 
 
 
10.24
Footnote 37
 
 
 
10.25
Footnote 38
 
 
 
11.0
Footnote 40
 
 
 
31.1
31.1

 
 
 
31.2
31.2

 
 
 
32.0
32.0

 
 
 
101.0
The following financial statements and footnotes from the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition; (ii) Consolidated Statements of Operations; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss); (iv) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity; (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; and (vi) the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
101.0


110


(1)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 31, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(2)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 25, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(3)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
(4)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 30, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(5)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on November 16, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference.
(6)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 23, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference.
(7)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 6, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
(8)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 12, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(9)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 8, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
(10)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 21, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(11)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 8, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
(12)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 27, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(13)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(14)
Field as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(15)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
(16)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference.
(17)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(18)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(19)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 8, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
(20)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 25, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
(21)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 25, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(22)
Reserved.
(23)
Field as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(24)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
(25)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 14, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(26)
Filed as an appendix to the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement filed on March 21, 2003 and incorporated herein by reference.
(27)
Filed as an appendix to the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement filed on April 25, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
(28)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
(29)
Filed as an appendix to the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement filed on June 11, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(30)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on July 31, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(31)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(32)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 4, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
(33)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(34)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 30, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
(35)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 2, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
(36)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
(37)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 8, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(38)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 14, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(39)
Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
(40)
Refer to Note 18 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 1 of Part I of this report.
(41)
Included on signatory pages of this report.


111


SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
 
BANC OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
 
 
 
 
Date:
May 10, 2018
 
/s/ Douglas H. Bowers
 
 
 
Douglas H. Bowers
 
 
 
President/Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 
Date:
May 10, 2018
 
/s/ John A. Bogler
 
 
 
John A. Bogler
 
 
 
Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
 
 
 
 
Date:
May 10, 2018
 
/s/ Lawrence Gee
 
 
 
Lawrence Gee
 
 
 
Senior Vice President/Interim Chief Accounting Officer
(Principal Accounting Officer)


112