Columbia Commercial Bancorp in Hillsboro, Ore., is operating under a regulatory agreement to preserve its capital, so that it can be a source of strength for its ailing bank unit.
The $402 million-asset parent of Columbia Community Bank — which said this month that it plans to conduct "a small amount of capital-raising" — signed the agreement last week with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities.
The agreement prohibits Columbia Commercial from paying dividends, redeeming stock or paying interest or principal on subordinated debt or trust-preferred securities without approval from regulators.
Columbia Community Bank had disclosed March 12 that it signed an agreement last month with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Oregon regulator. That agreement gave the bank 90 days to raise its leverage ratio to at least 8% and its Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio to at least 10%. It also had 120 days to raise its total risk-based capital ratio to at least 12%.
As of yearend the bank had a leverage ratio of 8.42%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 9.38%, and a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.64%.
Rick A. Roby, the president and chief executive officer of the parent company and the bank, said in a press release that the ratio goals can be achieved through retained earnings, the reduction of construction and land development loans and a small amount of capital-raising.
To comply with its order, Columbia Community Bank also must improve its liquidity, reduce its problem loans and maintain an adequate loan-loss allowance, among other things.
The bank earned $1.7 million last year, according to data from the FDIC. But its noncurrent loans jumped to 5.9% of the total as of Dec. 31, from 0.06% a year earlier.
