Banking and Finance: January 2012 Archives

Community Bank, a business bank with 15 branches in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, reported a $25.2 million profit for the year ending Dec. 31.

The bank's profit compares with a $20.7 million profit earned in 2010.

The bank also reported a decrease in its reserve for loan losses. At the end of last year, the bank reported a $37.5 million, or 2.12 percent, of its total loans as being reserved for potential losses. That number is down from $39.7 million, or 2.25 percent of outstanding loans, at the end of 2010.

Community Bank has $2.6 billion in reported assets. The bank's branches include locations in Ontario, Fontana and Redlands. Community Bank's main office is in Pasadena.

U.S. debtors delinquency rates improved significantly, credit bureau Equifax reported. Among the most significant statistics, 60-day deliquescence on credit card bills fell by 29 percent.

The reduction in late payments has in turn led to increased credit, according to Equifax. Credit card originations for consumers with subprime credit scores (below 660 points) increased 48 percent from January through October.

Among other types of debt, 60-day delinquencies among auto loans financed by dealers decreased by 19 percent. Auto loans financed by banks fell 23 percent in 2011.

Mortgage payments delinquent by 30 days declined by 13 percent last year, according to Equifax.

Altura Credit Union, which is based in Riverside, reported an $8.43 million profit for 2011.

The amount signifies an improvement over the credit union's $5.8 million loss in 2010.

"After the economic turmoil of the past few years, 2011 was our best year since 2006," Altura Credit Union CEO Mark Hawkins said in a statement. "Although we continued to deal with a difficult economy, 2011 was the year in which we finally saw the marketplace begin to firm up. Unemployment is settling down and foreclosures and delinquencies have eased substantially."

Altura Credit Union ended 2011 with a 7.84 percent net worth ratio, well above the 5.81 percent ratio at the end of 2010. The National Credit Union Administration considers an institution with a ratio of at least 7 percent to be well capitalized.

CO-OP Financial Services, based in Rancho Cucamonga, processed more than 200 million electronic payments in December, the company reported.

It was the first time the company ever processed more than 200 million transactions in a single month.

CO-OP Financial services provides payment processing and other services to credit unions. The company processed some 2.2 billion payments in all of 2011.

The company first crested the 1 billion mark in 2004.

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. plan to about 60 Southern California branches this year.

The anticipated openings are part of the banking firm's plan to open nearly 100 branches up and down California and about 175 branches nationwide.

A bank spokesman said he could not identify where the new Chase bank branches will open, but did say most of the Southern California branches will be in the Los Angeles and Inland Empire areas.

Chase has 930 branches in California.  J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. acquired Washington Mutual in 2008.

CVB Financial, parent company of Citizens Business Bank, will report its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 and the past year as a whole after markets close on Jan. 18.

The banking firm's management is scheduled to discuss their financial results in a conference call the following morning.

The conference call is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 19. Investors and other interested parties can listed to the call by dialing 877-317-6789. The call will also be broadcast online via the company's website, which is www.cbbank.com.

CVB Financial's corporate offices are in Ontario.