California BanCorp. operates as the bank holding company for California Bank of Commerce, N.A. that provides various financial products and services to individuals, professionals, and small- to medium-sized businesses in California, the United States.
The company focuses on its solution-driven, relationship-based approach to banking, providing clients accessibility to decision makers and enhancing the value of the company’s services through strong client partnerships. The company’s lending prod...
California BanCorp. operates as the bank holding company for California Bank of Commerce, N.A. that provides various financial products and services to individuals, professionals, and small- to medium-sized businesses in California, the United States.
The company focuses on its solution-driven, relationship-based approach to banking, providing clients accessibility to decision makers and enhancing the value of the company’s services through strong client partnerships. The company’s lending products consist primarily of construction and land development loans, commercial real estate (CRE) loans, commercial and industrial (C&I) loans, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and consumer loans.
The company’s deposit products consist primarily of demand deposit, money market, and certificates of deposit. In addition, the company is a participant in the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS), IntraFi Network Insured Cash Sweep (ICS), and Reich & Tang Deposit Solutions (R&T) networks. The company receives an equal dollar amount of deposits (‘reciprocal deposits’) from other participating banks in exchange for the deposits it places into the networks to fully qualify large customer deposits for FDIC insurance. The company also provides treasury management services including online banking, cash vault, sweep accounts and lock box services.
Strategy
The company’s strategy is to grow the franchise to serve those customers, to increase value for its shareholders, and serve the broader community.
Market Area
The company defines its target market as the Southern California counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego, as well as the Inland Empire and the Northern California counties of San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Alameda and Sacramento.
The company’s business clientele is generally consisting of small to medium-sized businesses engages in any of the following California business sectors: manufacturing, wholesale distribution, professional services, commercial real estate, healthcare, hospitality, commercial contractors and non-profit organizations.
Lending Products
The company offers a diversified mix of business loans, primarily encompassing the following loan products: construction and land development loans; real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; SBA loans, guaranteed in part by the U.S. Government; and consumer loans. The company occasionally offers lines of credit, secured by a lien on real estate owned by its clients, which may include the primary personal residence of its clients; such lines of credit generally are requested to accommodate the business and investment needs of that customer. The company encourages relationship banking, obtaining a substantial portion of each borrower’s banking business, including deposit accounts. The company will engage in transactional-based lending only for borrowers with successful track records, who typically have worked with its employees here or at other banks and has a good record of repayment.
Construction and Land Development Loans
The company offers adjustable rate residential and commercial construction loan financing to builders, developers or other investors. The term of construction and development loans generally is limited to 12 to 36 months. Most loans require payment in full upon the sale or refinance of the property, unless the project is user-owned which may then convert to a conventional term loan.
Real Estate Loans
A significant component of the company’s loan portfolio is real estate loans. These loans are secured by single family residential properties (one to four units), multifamily residential properties (five or more units), owner-occupied CRE, and non-owner-occupied CRE.
Commercial and Industrial Loans
The company’s C&I loans are generally made to businesses located in California. These loans are made to finance operations, to provide working capital, or for specific purposes, such as to finance the purchase of assets or equipment, or to finance accounts receivable and inventory. The company’s C&I loans may be secured (other than by real estate) or unsecured. They may take the form of single payment, installment, or lines of credit. These loans are generally based on the financial strength and integrity of the borrower and guarantor(s), and generally (with some exceptions) are collateralized by short-term assets, such as accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, or a borrower’s other business assets. Commercial term loans are typically made to finance the acquisition of fixed assets, refinance short-term debt originally used to purchase fixed assets, or, in rare cases, to finance the purchase of businesses.
Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans
The company is designated as a Preferred Lender under the SBA Preferred Lender Program, and it offers both an SBA 7(a) loan program, generally at variable rates, and an SBA 504 loan program, generally with an initial fixed rate for a term of between five and seven years. These SBA loans are reported in construction and land loans, real estate loans, and C&I loans.
The company originates SBA 7(a) loans with the intention of selling the guaranteed portion in the secondary market as soon as the loan is fully funded, and the guaranteed portion may be sold.
The SBA 504 loan program is not guaranteed by the SBA, as there is a junior lien loan that is funded separately by the SBA. The SBA 504 loan program consists of real estate backed commercial mortgages where the company has the first mortgage, and the SBA has the second mortgage on the property. The company has SBA 504 loans are typically made to manufacturing companies, wholesalers and retailers, hotels/motels, and other service businesses for the purpose of purchasing real estate, refinancing real estate, and property improvements or business equipment needs. SBA 504 loans can have maturities of up to 25 years. SBA loans are personally guaranteed.
Consumer Loans
The company occasionally makes loans to individuals for personal and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment loans and revolving lines of credit. Consumer loans are underwritten based on the borrower’s income, debt level, past credit history, and the availability and value of collateral. Consumer rates are both fixed and variable, with negotiable terms. The company’s installment loans typically amortize over periods up to 5 years. Although the company typically requires monthly payments of interest and a portion of the principal on its loan products, it will offer consumer loans with a single maturity date when a specific source of repayment is available.
Deposit Products
The company offers comprehensive treasury services tools that are designed to improve its clients’ cash flow, minimize unnecessary fees, and maximize their earnings. These services are offered at the company’s branch locations and include analyzed business checking accounts, remote deposit capture, ACH origination, cash vault services, courier service, and lockbox processing. Transaction accounts and time deposits are tailored to the company’s customers and are relationship-based. The company’s customers primarily include businesses, business owners and their trusts, limited liability corporations, business partnerships, associations, organizations and governmental authorities. The company’s deposits are insured by the FDIC up to statutory limits of $250,000 per depositor.
The company participates in the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS), IntraFi Network Insured Cash Sweep (ICS), and Reich & Tang Deposit Solutions (R&T) networks.
Debt Securities
The company primarily invests in agency securities, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations securities, SBA loan pools securities, and U.S. Treasury securities.
Supervision and Regulation
The company is regulated as a bank holding company by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (‘Federal Reserve’). The bank operates under a national charter and is regulated by the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (‘OCC’). As a bank holding company, the company is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the 'Bank Holding Company Act'), and its primary regulator is the Federal Reserve. The bank is a national banking association chartered under the National Bank Act. As a national bank, the bank is subject to supervision and regulation by the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the chartering authority for national banks. The deposit accounts of the bank are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent provided under federal law and the bank is therefore subject to certain FDIC regulations as well.
The company's deposits are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC up to the maximum amount permitted by law. As an FDIC insured financial institution, the company is subject to deposit insurance assessments as determined by the FDIC. The company is subject to the provisions of Regulation W promulgated by the Federal Reserve, which implements Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act.
The company is subject to consumer laws and regulations intended to protect consumers in transactions with depository institutions, as well as other laws or regulations affecting customers of financial institutions generally. These laws and regulations include, among others, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act, among others. Depository institutions with less than $10 billion in assets, such as the bank, are subject to rules promulgated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) but are examined and supervised by federal banking regulators for consumer compliance purposes.
History
The company was founded in 2001. It was incorporated in 2019. The company was formerly known as Southern California Bancorp and changed its name to California BanCorp. in August 2024.