S-8 1 forms-8.htm

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 2, 2018

333-            

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

First Choice Bancorp

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

17785 Center Court Drive N,

 
    Suite 750    
    Cerritos, CA 90703    
California   562-345-9092   82-2711227

(State or other jurisdiction of

  

(Address of principal executive offices

  

(I.E. Employer

incorporation or organization)   including zip code)   Identification No.)

 

First Choice Bancorp 2013 Omnibus Stock Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

 

Robert M. Franko

President and Chief Executive Officer

First Choice Bancorp

17785 Center Court Drive N, Suite 750

Cerritos, CA 90703

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

562-345-9092

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 [  ]   Accelerated filer [  ]
         
Non-accelerated filer (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) [  ]      
         
Smaller reporting company [  ]   Emerging growth company [X]

 

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. [  ]

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of each class of securities

to be registered(1)

  Amount to be Registered (2)   Proposed maximum offering price per share(3)   Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(3)   Amount of registration fee(4) 
Common Stock, $0.00 par value per share   1,390,620   $27.50   $38,242,050   $4,761.14 

 

(1) This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) covers up to 1,390,620 shares of the Common Stock of First Choice Bancorp, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), that may be offered in connection with the First Choice Bancorp 2013 Omnibus Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”).

(2) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall also be deemed to cover any additional securities to be offered or issued in connection with the provisions of the 2013 Plan, which provides for adjustments in the amount of securities to be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(3) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) under the Securities Act. The price of $38,242,050 equals: (i) the product of: (x) 1,390,620 shares of Common Stock and (y) $27.50, the average of the high and low sales prices for Common Stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 1, 2018.

(4) Fee was calculated by multiplying 0.0001245 by the proposed maximum aggregate offering price.

 

 

 

   
 

 

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

 

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) of First Choice Bancorp, a California corporation (“FCB” or the “Registrant”), relates to up to 1,390,620 shares of common stock of FCB, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), that may be offered in connection with the First Choice Bancorp 2013 Omnibus Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”).

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

The documents containing the information specified in this Part I will be sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents need not be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents previously filed by FCB with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are hereby incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

 

  1. FCB’s final prospectus dated April 30, 2018 and filed with the Commission on May 2, 2018 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) under the Securities Act in connection with FCB’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-224145 (the “Form S-4”));

 

  2. The description of the Common Stock set forth in FCB’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on April 30, 2018 and any amendments, reports or other filings filed with the Commission for the purpose of updating that description; and

 

  3. FCB’s other reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the document listed in the first item above.

 

All documents subsequently filed by FCB pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents (other than information therein that is furnished and not deemed filed with the Commission).

 

Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable.

 

   
 

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Under Section 317 of the California Corporations Code, or the CGCL, a California corporation has the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor) by reason, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding if that person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation and, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

In addition, an California corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by that person in connection with the defense or settlement of the action if the person acted in good faith, in a manner the person believed to be in the best interests of the corporation and its shareholders, provided that no indemnification shall be made for any of the following (1) with respect to any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person has been adjudged to have been liable to the corporation in the performance of that person’s duty to the corporation and its shareholders, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the proceeding is or was pending shall determine upon application that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses and then only to the extent that the court shall determine; (2) of amounts paid in settling or otherwise disposing of a pending action without court approval; or (3) of expenses incurred in defending a pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of without court approval.

 

Section 317 of the CGCL also provides that, to the extent that an agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits in the defense of any proceeding referred to in either of the foregoing paragraphs or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in connection therewith.

 

Section 317 of the GCGL also provides that to the extent that an agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits in defense of any proceeding referred to above or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in connection therewith.

 

Except as provided in the paragraph above, any indemnification under this section shall be made by the corporation only if authorized in the specific case, upon a determination that indemnification of the agent is proper in the circumstances because the agent has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth above, by any of the following: (1) a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to such proceeding, (2) if such a quorum of directors is not obtainable, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, (3) approval of the shareholders (Section 153), with the shares owned by the person to be indemnified not being entitled to vote thereon, or (4) The court in which the proceeding is or was pending upon application made by the corporation or the agent or the attorney or other person rendering services in connection with the defense, whether or not the application by the agent, attorney or other person is opposed by the corporation.

 

Our articles of incorporation provide that the liability of the directors of the Corporation for monetary damages shall be eliminated to the fullest extent permissible under California law. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws also provide that we are authorized to provide indemnification of agents (as defined in Section 317 of the Corporations Code) for breach of duty to the corporation and its shareholders through bylaw provisions or through agreements with agents, or both, in excess of the indemnification otherwise permitted by Section 317 of the Corporations Code, subject to the limits of such excess indemnification set forth in Section 204 of the Corporations Code.

 

   
 

 

We have also obtained officers’ and directors’ liability insurance which insures against liabilities that officers and directors may, in such capacities, incur. Section 317 of the GCGL provides that a California corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any agent of the corporation against any liability asserted against or incurred by the agent in any that capacity or arising out of the agent’s status as such whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the agent against that liability under CGCL Section 317.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits.

 

The list of exhibits is set forth under “Exhibit Index” at the end of this registration statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

 

  (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

  (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

  (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;

 

  (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;
     
    provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(a)(i) and (1)(a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement;

 

  (2) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

 

  (3) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered that remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

   
 

 

  (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

   
 

 

SIGNATURES AND POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cerritos, State of California, on this 2nd day of May 2018.

 

  First Choice Bancorp
     
  By: /s/ Robert M. Franko
  Name: Robert M. Franko
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Each of the undersigned officers and directors of First Choice Bancorp does hereby severally constitute and appoint Robert M. Franko and Yvonne L. Chen, and each of them acting alone, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including pre-effective and post-effective amendments and any other registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) to this Registration Statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC and any applicable securities exchange or securities self-regulatory body, granting to said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Roshan H. Bhakta   Director   May 2, 2018
Roshan H. Bhakta        
         
/s/ Homer Wai Chan   Director   May 2, 2018
Homer Wai Chan        
         
/s/ Yvonne Liu Chen   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    
Yvonne Liu Chen   (principal financial officer)   May 2, 2018
         
/s/ Robert M. Franko   President, Chief Executive Officer and Director    
Robert M. Franko   (principal executive officer)   May 2, 2018
         
/s/ James H. Gray   Director    
James H. Gray       May 2, 2018
         
/s/ Peter H. Hui   Chairman of the Board   May 2, 2018
Peter H. Hui        
         
/s/ Fred Jensen   Director   May 2, 2018
Fred Jensen        
        May 2, 2018
/s/ Pravin C. Pranav   Director    
Pravin C. Pranav        
         
/s/ Uka Solanki   Director   May 2, 2018
Uka Solanki        
         
/s/ Phillip T. Thong   Vice Chairman of the Board   May 2, 2018
Phillip T. Thong        

 

   
 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

     
4.1   Articles of Incorporation of First Choice Bancorp (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on form S-4 filed on April 4, 2018)
     
 4.2   Bylaws of First Choice Bancorp (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on form S-4 filed on April 4, 2018)
     
5.1   Opinion of Loren P. Hansen, APC regarding the validity of securities to be issued1
     
10.2   First Choice Bancorp 2013 Omnibus Stock Incentive Plan, form of Stock Option Agreement and form of Restricted Stock Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on form S-4 filed on April 4, 2018)
     
23.1   Consent of Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co., LLP1
     
23.2   Consent of Loren P. Hansen, APC (included in Exhibit 5.1)
     
24   Power of Attorney (included on Signature Page hereof)

 

 

     
1   Indicates filed herewith