BBCN in Los Angeles Quickly Fills Chief Operating Officer Post

The chief operating officer at BBCN Bancorp (BBCN) in Los Angeles is stepping down.

Bonita Lee plans to resign on Aug. 2, the $5.8 billion-asset company said Friday. Kyu Kim, BBCN's chief commercial banking operator, will succeed Lee, who has been the company's chief operating officer since its formation in 2011. Lee, 50, also stepped up to serve as BBCN's interim president after Alvin Kang's resignation in February.

BBCN hired former Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) head Soo Bong Min in April to become its president and chief executive.

Kim, 51, has been chief commercial officer since the merger of Nara Bancorp and Center Financial created BBCN. Before the merger, Kim was an executive vice president at Nara.

BBCN agreed in April to pay $4.6 million to buy Foster Bancshares, a Korean-American banking company based in Chicago.

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