Preferred Bank Announces Opening of Loan Production Office in Houston, Texas

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Preferred Bank (NASDAQ: PFBC), (“the Bank”), an independent commercial bank, today announced plans to open a loan production office (“LPO”) in Houston, Texas. The Bank has hired the leader of what is expected to be a larger team of local, experienced lenders in the very near future.

Li Yu, Chairman and CEO, commented, “We are excited about this opportunity for Preferred Bank. The new team will be led by George M. Lee, who will be CEO of Preferred Bank’s Texas operations. Mr. Lee is past CEO of several publicly traded corporations including Metro Corp from 2002 to 2014, then the largest Asian-focused commercial bank in Texas. This LPO allows us to gain entry into a new and growing market in a very cost effective manner and we plan to eventually have full branch operations there. As with nearly all of our de novo expansions, the first step was finding the right personnel. This geographic expansion also allows for further risk diversification within the loan portfolio.”

About Preferred Bank

Preferred Bank is one of the larger independent commercial banks headquartered in California. The Bank is chartered by the State of California, and its deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, to the maximum extent permitted by law. The Bank conducts its banking business from its main office in Los Angeles, California, and through eleven full-service branch banking offices in California (Alhambra, Century City, City of Industry, Torrance, Arcadia, Irvine, Diamond Bar, Pico Rivera, Tarzana and San Francisco (2)) and one branch in Flushing, New York. Preferred Bank offers a broad range of deposit and loan products and services to both commercial and consumer customers. The Bank provides personalized deposit services as well as real estate finance, commercial loans and trade finance to small and mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, real estate developers, professionals and high net worth individuals. Although originally founded as a Chinese-American Bank, Preferred Bank now derives most of its customers from the diversified mainstream market but does continue to benefit from the significant migration to California of ethnic Chinese from China and other areas of East Asia.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Bank’s future financial and operating results, the Bank’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Bank’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: changes in economic conditions; changes in the California real estate market; the loss of senior management and other employees; natural disasters or recurring energy shortage; changes in interest rates; competition from other financial services companies; ineffective underwriting practices; inadequate allowance for loan and lease losses to cover actual losses; risks inherent in construction lending; adverse economic conditions in Asia; downturn in international trade; inability to attract deposits; inability to raise additional capital when needed or on favorable terms; inability to manage growth; inadequate communications, information, operating and financial control systems, technology from fourth party service providers; the U.S. government’s monetary policies; government regulation; environmental liability with respect to properties to which the bank takes title; and the threat of terrorism. Additional factors that could cause…