PacWest Bancorp Announces Quarterly Dividend

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PacWest Bancorp (Nasdaq:PACW) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per common share. The cash dividend is payable on August 31, 2012 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 20, 2012. 

ABOUT PACWEST BANCORP

PacWest Bancorp ("PacWest") is a bank holding company with $5.3 billion in assets as of June 30, 2012, with one wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank ("Pacific Western"). Through 76 full-service community banking branches, excluding the two recently acquired branches of American Perspective Bank which are expected to be integrated in September 2012, Pacific Western provides commercial banking services, including real estate, construction and commercial loans, to small and medium-sized businesses. Pacific Western's branches are located throughout California in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo and Ventura Counties. Through its subsidiaries, BFI Business Finance and Celtic Capital Corporation, and its divisions First Community Financial and Pacific Western Equipment Finance, Pacific Western also provides working capital financing and equipment leasing to growing companies located throughout the United States, with a focus on the Southwestern U.S., primarily in Arizona, California, Utah and Texas. Additional information regarding PacWest Bancorp is available on the Internet at www.pacwestbancorp.com . Information regarding Pacific Western Bank is also available on the Internet at www.pacificwesternbank.com .

CONTACT: Matthew P. Wagner
         Chief Executive Officer
         10250 Constellation Boulevard
         Suite 1640
         Los Angeles, CA 90067
         
         Phone: [phone]
         Fax: [phone]
         
         Victor R. Santoro
         Executive Vice President and
         Chief Financial Officer
         10250 Constellation Boulevard
         Suite 1640
         Los Angeles, CA 90067
         
         Phone: [phone]
         Fax: [phone]