UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

July 22, 2021

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

3200 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1400

Los Angeles, California 90010

(Address of principal executives offices, including zip code)

(213) 639-1700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 8.01 Other Events.

Effective July 22, 2021, the Board of Directors for Hope Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) approved a stock repurchase program that authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $50 million of its common stock. Stock repurchases may be executed through various means, including, without limitation, open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions or by other means as determined by the Company’s management and in accordance with the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A copy of the July 26, 2021 press release announcing the stock repurchase program is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

The following risk factor supplements the “Risk Factors” section in our 2020 Form 10-K.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and the further impact will depend on future developments that cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic, impact of the different variants of the virus, the economic implications of the same, and the actions taken by governmental authorities in response to the pandemic.

The novel COVID-19 pandemic has substantially and negatively impacted the United States economy, disrupted global supply chains, considerably lowered equity market valuations, created significant volatility and disruption in the financial markets, and materially increased unemployment levels. In addition, certain industries to which the Company has considerable exposure, including hospitality and retail, are expected to require a longer recovery period from the temporary pandemic-related restrictions on business operations. As a result, the demand for our products and services has been and likely will continue to be significantly impacted, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the pandemic could result in the recognition of amplified credit losses in our loan portfolios and increases in our allowance for loan losses, particularly if a rise in COVID-19 cases results in a return to business closures and lockdowns. Similarly, because of changing economic and market conditions, we may be required to recognize impairments on goodwill or the securities we hold. Our business operations may also be further disrupted if significant portions of our workforce are unable to work effectively, including because of challenges arising as a result of circumstances related to working from home, illness, quarantines, government actions, or other restrictions in connection with the pandemic. In response to the pandemic, we have also suspended residential property foreclosure sales and evictions, and previously offered payment deferrals and other expanded assistance for credit card, mortgage and small business lending customers, and future governmental actions may require these and other types of customer-related responses. In addition, we may take capital actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition, as well as our regulatory capital and liquidity ratios, will depend on future developments that cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic, impact of the different variants of the virus, the economic implications of the same and actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the pandemic.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Document

News Release

HOPE BANCORP ANNOUNCES NEW $50 MILLION STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

LOS ANGELES - July 26, 2021 - Hope Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: HOPE), the holding company of Bank of Hope (the “Bank”), today announced that its board of directors has approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to $50 million of its common stock.

“This stock repurchase program underscores our board and management’s growing confidence in the sustainability of our improved operational performance following the COVID-19 pandemic and commitment to returning capital to our shareholders,” said Kevin S. Kim, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Bancorp, Inc. “At current valuations, we believe the repurchase of our shares represents an attractive investment opportunity to redeploy excess capital and liquidity and enhances long-term shareholder value.”

The stock repurchase authorization does not have any expiration date and may be modified, amended, suspended or discontinued at the Company’s discretion at any time without notice. Stock repurchases may be made in open-market transactions, in block transactions on or off an exchange, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means as determined by the Company’s management and in accordance with the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The timing of repurchases and the number of shares repurchased under the program will depend on a variety of factors including price, trading volume, corporate and regulatory requirements and market conditions. Repurchases may also be made under a trading plan under Rule 10b5-1, which would permit shares to be repurchased when the Company might otherwise be precluded from doing so because of self-imposed trading blackout periods or other regulatory restrictions.

About Hope Bancorp, Inc.

Hope Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company of Bank of Hope, the first and only super regional Korean-American bank in the United States with $17.47 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2021. Headquartered in Los Angeles and serving a multi-ethnic population of customers across the nation, Bank of Hope operates 53 full-service branches in California, Washington, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Alabama. The Bank also operates SBA loan production offices in Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, New York City, Northern California and Houston; commercial loan production offices in Northern California and Seattle; residential mortgage loan production offices in Southern California; and a representative office in Seoul, Korea. Bank of Hope specializes in core business banking products for small and medium-sized businesses, with an emphasis in commercial real estate and commercial lending, SBA lending and international trade financing. Bank of Hope is a California-chartered bank, and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. Bank of Hope is an Equal Opportunity Lender. For additional information, please go to bankofhope.com. By including the foregoing website address link, the Company does not intend to and shall not be deemed to incorporate by reference any material contained or accessible therein.

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Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, expectations regarding the business environment in which we operate, projections of future performance, perceived opportunities in the market and statements regarding our business strategies, objectives and vision. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “will,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” or similar expressions. With respect to any such forward-looking statements, the Company claims the protection provided for in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results, performance or achievements may differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the timing of repurchases and the number of shares repurchased under the stock repurchase program; possible deterioration in economic conditions in our areas of operation; interest rate risk associated with volatile interest rates and related asset-liability matching risk; liquidity risks; risk of significant non-earning assets, and net credit losses that could occur, particularly in times of weak economic conditions or times of rising interest rates; the failure of or changes to assumptions and estimates underlying the Company’s allowances for credit losses, regulatory risks associated with current and future regulations; and the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, and capitalization. For additional information concerning these and other risk factors, see the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.

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