Hanmi Bank Struggling to Raise Capital

Hanmi Financial Corp., one of Koreatown’s largest bank holding companies, said Monday that it may have trouble complying with a regulatory order to raise new capital.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the parent of Hanmi Bank, which has been ordered to raise at least $100 million by July 31, said its ability to raise capital is dependent on the state of the capital markets in the coming months.

“We cannot be certain of our ability to raise additional capital on terms acceptable to us,” the bank said in the filing. That uncertainty “raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.”

Additionally, the bank said management and its independent auditor “have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the allowance for loan losses.” The bank is taking steps to address the weakness, it said, but Hanmi may fail to meet future reporting requirements.

Hanmi has struggled with substantial losses on commercial and industrial loans over the past year; it recently reported a $118 million loss for the fourth quarter 2009.

The bank, which has $3.16 billion in assets, had long been the largest Korean-American institution. But in the fourth quarter, Hanmi fell behind both Wilshire Bancorp Inc. and Nara Bancorp Inc.

Shares of Hanmi closed Monday down 1 cent, or less than 1 percent, at $2.67 prior to the late afternoon filing.

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