Banking Crisis Fears Extend To PacWest As Shares Fall More Than 50%

Topline

Regional bank PacWest Bancorp said early Thursday said it has seen a rise in deposits since the end of March and it has been in talks with “several” potential investors and partners, in an effort to calm markets after its stock fell more than 50% following reports that it was the latest regional bank on the brink of a crisis and exploring a sale or a breakup.

A Pacific Western Bank branch in Encino, California.

Key Facts

PacWest saw an increase in “core customer deposits” since March 31, with its total deposits rising to $28 billion as of May 2, the bank said in a statement after midnight on Thursday.

The bank added it has not seen any “out-of-the-ordinary deposit flows” following the collapse and sale of First Republic Bank earlier this week.

The regional lender said its “cash and available liquidity remains solid” and exceeds its uninsured deposits.

Responding to a Bloomberg report that it was considering a sale, the bank said it was continuously reviewing strategic options and has recently been approached by “several potential partners and investors.”

The announcement does not appear to have had a major impact on the company’s stock price, which has fallen a further 2% in after-market trading.

Crucial Quote

Fears of another brewing crisis at a regional bank contradict remarks made by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell earlier on Wednesday, where he said the U.S. banking system “is sound and resilient with strong capital and liquidity.” He then added: “There were three large banks, really from the very beginning, that were at the heart of the stress that we saw in early March — the severe period of stress. Those have now all been resolved, and all the depositors have been protected.”

Key Background

PacWest’s stock price collapsed nearly 53% on Wednesday, after Bloomberg’s report raised fears that it is the latest regional bank to face turmoil after the recent collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank. Bloomberg reported that PacWest was considering various options, including a sale, a potential breakup or raising capital. The report added that a sale may be the least likely outcome due to the lack of potential buyers—who would have to be prepared to take a major loss by marking down some of PacWest’s loans. Earlier this week, First Republic became the third major regional bank in the country to fail this year, resulting in its seizure by financial regulators, followed by a quick sale to JPMorgan Chase.

Banking Crisis Fears Extend To PacWest As Shares Fall More Than 50%—But Bank Says Deposits Grew Since March

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Key Facts

Crucial Quote

Key Background

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