California National Bank also known as Cal National Bank, was an American consumer and business bank that operated in Southern California area between 1996 and 2009. The bank was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency after financial issues caused by the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008.

Overview

Cal National Bank originally began in 1996 when FBOP Corporation acquired Torrance Bank. Two years later, FBOP acquired five branches of Topa Savings and Topa Thrift, establishing California National Bank.

As Cal National started growing, it acquired People’s Bank of California in 2001 and Fidelity Federal Bank in 2002.

By 2009, Cal National had grown to 68 branches throughout Southern California.^{[clarification needed]}

Bank failure

On Friday, October 30, 2009, California National Bank was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Receiver. All deposits and branches were transferred to U.S. Bank.^[1]

Because of the subprime mortgage crisis, Cal National suffered massive losses on $855 million worth of securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- becoming a primary cause of Cal National's failure. ^[2]