WIBC Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (MM)

Wilshire Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:WIBC) today announced that its primary operating subsidiary, Wilshire State Bank, received an award from the United States Small Business Administration program. Wilshire State Bank was one of two lenders nationally to receive the U.S. SBA 2005 Small Business Export Lender of the Year award. "We have increased our SBA lending activity dramatically over the years, even as Wilshire State Bank has diversified and expanded beyond Southern California," stated Soo Bong Min, President and CEO. "Between calendar 2000 and 2004, our SBA loan originations nearly tripled to $116 million, with SBA lending representing 17% of our total loan production last year. We remain committed to serving small businesses throughout the country, and we will continue to help this vital part of the American economy meet its banking needs." The SBA's primary focus was to recognize lenders that have shown steadfast commitment to supporting the growth and expansion of small businesses across the country, in addition to the volume of SBA-backed loans originated. In July 2004, Wilshire ranked #8 in the Top 200 Publicly Traded Banks by U.S. Banker, which listed community banks by their three-year average return on equity. Wilshire State Bank was also named one of Sandler O'Neill's 2004 Bank and Thrift Sm-All Stars, which honored the top 30 performing small banks in the country. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wilshire Bancorp is the parent company of Wilshire State Bank, which has 14 branch offices in California and Texas, and eight Loan Production Offices in San Jose, Seattle, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, and Denver. Wilshire State Bank is an SBA preferred lender at all of its office locations, excluding the newest LPOs in Houston, Atlanta, and Denver. The Bank is a community bank with a focus on commercial real estate lending and general commercial banking, with its primary market encompassing the multi-ethnic populations of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. Wilshire Bancorp's strategic goals include increasing shareholder and franchise value by continuing to grow its multi-ethnic banking business and expanding its geographic reach to other similar markets with strong levels of small business activity. Statements concerning future performance, events, expectations for growth and market forecasts, and any other guidance on future periods, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that might cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. Specific factors include, but are not limited to, the ability to continue to diversify Wilshire State Bank and the services it provides, the ability to successfully integrate new business lines and expand into new markets, competition in the marketplace and general economic conditions. The information contained in this release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in Wilshire Bancorp's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as they may be amended from time to time. Results of operations for the most recent quarter are not necessarily indicative of operating results for any future periods. Any projections in this release are based on limited information currently available to management, which is subject to change. Although any such projections and the factors influencing them will likely change, the bank will not necessarily update the information, since management will only provide guidance at certain points during the year. Such information speaks only as of the date of this release. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect our financial results are included in filings by Wilshire Bancorp with the Securities and Exchange Commission.