Cathay Bank
Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles County
$24.6B in total assets, the 91st largest of 4,309 US banks and 5th of 120 headquartered in California.
- FDIC certificate
- 18503
- Established
- 1962
- Owned by
- Cathay General Bcorp
- Primary regulator
- FDIC
- Website
- www.cathaybank.com
At a glance
Compared with 9 banks headquartered in California with $10 billion to $100 billion in assets, as of June 30, 2026.
| Measure | This bank | Percentile | Peer range, middle 90% | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $24.6B | 56% | $21.2B | |
| Loans | $20.6B | 56% | $15.0B | |
| Deposits | $21.1B | 56% | $18.1B | |
| Return on assets | 1.48% | 78% | 1.04% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.48% | 67% | 3.31% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 40.2% | 11% | 58.8% | |
| Equity to assets | 12.58% | 56% | 12.41% | |
| Loans to deposits | 98% | 89% | 84% |
Growth
Total assets grew 5.0% a year over the last 5 years and 6.2% a year over 10 years, including 1 acquisition in the last 10 years.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2017 | Far East National Bank Los Angeles, CA, an affiliate under the same holding company | $1.1B |
| Aug 2015 | Asia Bank, National Association Flushing, NY | $516M |
| Jun 2013 | Nevada National Bank Las Vegas, NV | $52M |
| Mar 2007 | United Heritage Bank Edison, NJ | $57M |
| Oct 2006 | New Asia Bank Chicago, IL | $142M |
| May 2006 | Great Eastern Bank New York, NY | $326M |
| Oct 2003 | General Bank Los Angeles, CA | $2.4B |
| May 2003 | CITIC Ka Wah Bank Limited New York City, NY | $61M |
| Dec 2000 | Kermit State Bank Houston, TX | $58M |
| Dec 1999 | Golden City Commercial Bank New York, NY | $87M |
| Nov 1996 | First Public Savings Bank, F.S.B. Los Angeles, CA | $278M |
Where they operate
62 branches in 22 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | $9.7B | 1.9% | 10 of 91 |
| Orange County, CA | $2.5B | 1.6% | 11 of 73 |
| Cook County, IL | $1.2B | 0.3% | 30 of 90 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $1.1B | 0.6% | 14 of 42 |
| Queens County, NY | $1.0B | 1.3% | 14 of 52 |
| Alameda County, CA | $898M | 1.3% | 11 of 37 |
Deposits by branch from the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 2026. Rank among all banks with branches in that county.
Branch history since 2016
Net gain of 5 branches since 2016 (57 to 62, +8.8%). 18 opened, 6 acquired, 19 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 57 | |||
| 2016 | Opened Rancho Cucamonga | 1 | 0 | +1 | 58 |
| 2017 | Acquired Far East National BankOpened Plano, closed Plano | 7 | 1 | +6 | 64 |
| 2018 | Opened 3 in 2 statesClosed 3 in 2 states | 3 | 3 | 0 | 64 |
| 2019 | Opened New YorkClosed 4 in 2 states | 1 | 4 | −3 | 61 |
| 2021 | Closed Chicago and Monterey Park | 0 | 2 | −2 | 59 |
| 2022 | Opened 10 in CaliforniaClosed 5 in 2 states | 10 | 5 | +5 | 64 |
| 2023 | Opened BreaClosed Orange | 1 | 1 | 0 | 64 |
| 2024 | Closed San Francisco | 0 | 1 | −1 | 63 |
| 2025 | Opened San FranciscoClosed Milpitas and San Francisco | 1 | 2 | −1 | 62 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 family residential | 34% | 29% | |
| Commercial real estate | 34% | 30% | |
| Business (C&I) | 15% | 10% | |
| Multifamily | 13% | 11% | |
| Construction and land | 1% | 3% | |
| Consumer | 0% | 2% | |
| Other | 3% | 14% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time deposits | 44% | 17% | |
| Other interest-bearing | 38% | 56% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 17% | 27% |
Brokered deposits are 8.5% of deposits (peers 8.1%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.52% | 0.44% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.04% | 0.09% |
| Reserves to loans | 1.06% | 1.05% |
| Leverage ratio | 11.52% | 10.08% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in California
Largest competitors in Los Angeles County, CA
Figures as of June 30, 2026 from the bank's Call Report, FDIC structure and branch data, and the Federal Reserve. Short link: bankingstats.com/cathay