Center Financial Corp. said late Tuesday that Lonny Robinson has submitted his resignation as chief financial officer to pursue a new opportunity.

The Koreatown parent of Center Bank said Robinson submitted his resignation on May 20 and it will be effective at end of the business Thursday. Robinson has been with the bank for three years.

The company has launched search for a replacement, it said, but until one is appointed Chief Executive Jae Whan Yoo will oversee CFO responsibilities.

Robinson “has been a valued member of our management team and played an integral role in developing our corporate strategy to manage the company through a challenging economic period,” Yoo said in a statement.

Center Financial last month acquired the assets and operations of a failed Oakland bank called Innovative Bank, which had a branch in downtown Los Angeles.

Center Financial itself was in a precarious financial situation last year. Under pressure from regulators, it arranged two private placements that raised roughly $86.3 million in new capital in December. The bank holding company ended fiscal 2009 with a $24.4 million net loss but returned to profitability in the first quarter, reporting net income of $2.8 million (10 cents per share).

The announcement of Robinson’s resignation was made after the markets had closed. Bank executives earlier in the day had made a presentation to investors at the annual B. Riley & Co. Investor Conference in Santa Monica.

Shares had closed down 17 cents, or 3 percent, to $5.79 on the Nasdaq.