Saehan Bank Enters Into Regulatory Consent Order

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Saehan Bancorp said Thursday that its Saehan Bank has entered into a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the California State Department of Financial Institutions.

The regulators want the Koreatown bank to take steps to maintain adequate capital levels, eliminate reliance on brokered deposits, install new managers and refrain from entering any new lines of business or establishing any branches or other offices without prior approval.

Saehan Bank had been operating under a less-stringent memorandum of understanding since November 2008, aimed at improving the bank’s lending practices and bolstering management.

Under the new order, Saehan will be required to attain within 60 days an 8-percent Tier 1 capital leverage ratio, a comparision of the bank’s Tier 1 capital to average assets. The bank would have to attain a 10-percent ratio within 90 days and maintain it. Saehan at the end of the third quarter reported a capital leverage ratio of 3.65 percent, according to FDIC filings.

The bank said it is evaluating several capital-raising options, including tapping private sources in the U.S. and South Korea.

“Economic conditions have created a challenging banking environment, and all regulatory agencies are working closely with banks to provide the regulatory guidance and direction to help banks maintain financial soundness,” Chief Executive Chung Hoon Youk said in a statement.

Total assets at the end of the third quarter were down 6.6 percent to $830 million from a year ago, with deposits up 3.6 percent to nearly $712 million. Nonaccrual loans were down 4 percent to $55.9 million.

The bank holding company reported a third quarter net loss of $7.5 million compared with a $765,000 loss a year ago. The larger loss was still an improvement over the $22.3 million loss reported in this year’s second quarter, when the bank took a large provision for loan losses.

Saehan shares were unchanged at 30 cents Thursday on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board.

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