Which banks are lending on multifamily and commercial real estate in California?
Reviewed by Dominick Prevete, Founder, Blue Sky Capital Advisors
LinkedInBlue Sky Capital Advisors LLC, NJ entity ID 0450507578 (verify on the NJ business search)
120 FDIC-insured banks headquartered in California with under $100 billion in assets held $42.1 billion of multifamily loans and $143.6 billion of commercial real estate loans at June 30, 2026, in Dominick Prevete's analysis of FDIC Call Report data for Blue Sky Capital Advisors, a commercial mortgage advisor. The two largest multifamily books are at Banc Of California and Mechanics Bank. 32.2% of the state's bank CRE sits at banks at or above the 300% monitoring level, rank 9 of 43 states.
Data as of June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026 FDIC Call Reports) · Retrieved October 12, 2026MethodologyDownload the California data (CSV)
California bank CRE at a glance
| Measure | California | U.S. | Rank of 43 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDIC-insured banks | 120 | 4,281 | 13 (tied) |
| Multifamily loans | $42.1B | $405.2B | 2 |
| Total CRE loans | $143.6B | $1,600.5B | 1 |
| Multifamily growth, year over year | +4.8% | +3.5% | 31 (tied) |
| CRE growth, year over year | +3.3% | +3.4% | 28 (tied) |
| Share of CRE at banks at or above 300% | 32.2% | 25.0% | 9 |
| Share of CRE at banks at or above 200% | 83.0% | 71.0% | 16 |
| Banks growing multifamily | 46 of 78 (59.0%) | 670 of 1,066 (62.9%) | 30 |
CRE is construction, multifamily and non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans. Growth is like for like: California banks that filed at both dates with no merger in the year. "Banks growing multifamily": of the 78 such California banks with a multifamily book of $25 million or more a year earlier, the 46 whose book is larger now; the rank orders that share.
What stands out in California
The 10 largest multifamily books hold 65.2% of California's bank multifamily loans, ranking 11th lowest of the 43 ranked states (median of the 43 states: 85.2%).
Multifamily loans here are spread across many banks, so a smaller community bank can be a real option alongside the largest holders.
32.2% of California's bank CRE sits at banks at or above the 300% monitoring level, ranking 9th highest of the 43 ranked states (U.S.: 25.0%).
More of this state's bank CRE sits at banks near their concentration limits, so a bank that isn't growing its book may say no on size alone.
Which California banks are growing multifamily?
| # | Bank | City | Multifamily loans | Multifamily, year over year | CRE concentration (% of capital) | CRE, 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BANC OF CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES | $5.9B | −7.2% | 291.3% | −3.2%† |
| 2 | MECHANICS BANK | WALNUT CREEK | $5.1B | +79.5%‡ | 340.0% | +46.3%† |
| 3 | EAST WEST BANK | PASADENA | $4.6B | +5.8% | 205.2% | +10.0% |
| 4 | CITY NATIONAL BANK | LOS ANGELES | $2.7B | +24.2% | 108.4% | +6.4% |
| 5 | CATHAY BANK | LOS ANGELES | $2.6B | +3.6% | 265.4% | +12.6% |
| 6 | RIVER CITY BANK | SACRAMENTO | $1.6B | +7.5% | 649.4% | +45.5% |
| 7 | FIVE STAR BANK | ROSEVILLE | $1.4B | +19.4% | 536.4% | +44.8% |
| 8 | CITIZENS BUSINESS BANK NA | ONTARIO | $1.2B | +51.3%‡ | 281.1% | +41.3%† |
| 9 | AXOS BANK | SAN DIEGO | $1.2B | −4.8% | 187.9% | −5.1% |
| 10 | TRI COUNTIES BANK | CHICO | $1.2B | +12.3% | 314.9% | +19.5% |
| 11 | BANK OF HOPE | LOS ANGELES | $1.1B | −3.3% | 270.7% | −7.0%† |
| 12 | MALAGA BANK FSB | PALOS VERDES PEN | $1.1B | +3.5% | 472.8% | −3.1% |
| 13 | POPPY BANK | SANTA ROSA | $919.6M | +35.4% | 359.6% | +73.1% |
| 14 | ROYAL BUSINESS BANK | LOS ANGELES | $758.4M | +10.2% | 231.2% | +12.5% |
| 15 | PREFERRED BANK | LOS ANGELES | $586.4M | −4.0% | 357.3% | +27.0% |
| 16 | BENEFICIAL STATE BANK | OAKLAND | $515.5M | +28.3% | 255.4% | +37.1% |
| 17 | COMMERCIAL BANK OF CA | IRVINE | $495.1M | 0.0% | 470.0% | +81.4%† |
| 18 | HANMI BANK | LOS ANGELES | $459.2M | +4.3% | 315.4% | +4.0% |
| 19 | CTBC BANK CORP USA | LOS ANGELES | $407.9M | −13.2% | 201.6% | −7.3% |
| 20 | PROVIDENT SAVINGS BANK FSB | RIVERSIDE | $398.3M | −6.5% | 354.0% | −16.3% |
| 21 | FARMERS&MERCHANTS BK LONG BE | LONG BEACH | $358.4M | −4.1% | 254.5% | −6.2% |
| 22 | UNITED BUSINESS BANK | WALNUT CREEK | $346.3M | +36.9% | 402.2% | +28.8% |
| 23 | CALIFORNIA BK OF COM NA | SAN DIEGO | $286.3M | +10.8% | 312.5% | +52.5%† |
| 24 | AVIDBANK | SAN JOSE | $280.8M | +16.3% | 265.0% | +11.6% |
| 25 | FREMONT BANK | FREMONT | $276.9M | −4.4% | 217.0% | +5.3% |
‡ / † 6 of these 25 California banks absorbed another institution inside the year-over-year / 36-month window (FDIC structure history), so their change reflects a merger, not solely new lending. Names as filed in the FDIC financial data; city is the headquarters. Shading: 300% and over, and 200%–299%.
Banks with $100 billion or more in assets are left out of this table and the state ranks, as on the national page: the largest banks' balance sheets are national. None is headquartered in California.
This list is FDIC Call Report data, not a list of Blue Sky's lender relationships, and it isn't a ranking or endorsement. How Blue Sky gets paid →
Download every California bank (CSV)Every state, and the national picture →
What this means if you're a borrower in California
Because California's multifamily loans are spread across many banks, smaller community banks belong on the list alongside the largest holders in the table above.
If a California bank turns your loan down, ask whether it was the deal or the bank's own concentration. A bank at or above the monitoring level can decline a sound loan, and the same file may fit a bank with room on its books.
Dominick Prevete of Blue Sky Capital Advisors arranges multifamily and commercial financing for California properties with banks and other lenders, and is paid at closing (how Blue Sky gets paid). Call (908) 220-6404 or request a consultation.
Sources
- FFIEC Central Data Repository: public Call Reports as of June 30, 2026 — Every bank figure on this page: each bank's loans, capital, concentration and growth, from its Call Report as of June 30, 2026 (retrieved October 12, 2026).
- FDIC BankFind Suite: bank lookup — The banks named in the table: look up any California bank by name or FDIC certificate number to confirm its headquarters and status.
- California banks, bank by bank (CSV) — The 120 banks headquartered in California, as filed: the rows behind the tables and every state figure here.
- Methodology, sources and limitations — How CRE concentration, like-for-like growth and the ranks among the 43 states are computed.
California bank CRE: common questions
Which banks in California hold the most multifamily loans?+
Among banks headquartered in California with under $100 billion in assets, Banc Of California ($5.9 billion), Mechanics Bank ($5.1 billion) and East West Bank ($4.6 billion) held the largest multifamily books at June 30, 2026, according to FDIC Call Report data. The table on this page lists the 25 largest, with each bank's change over the year.
Are California banks still growing multifamily?+
Like for like, California's banks grew 4.8% their multifamily books in the year to June 30, 2026, against +3.5% for U.S. banks under $100 billion. 46 of the 78 California banks with a multifamily book of $25 million or more a year earlier grew it. Like for like means banks that filed at both dates with no merger in the year.
How concentrated is California bank CRE?+
32.2% of the CRE held by California's banks under $100 billion sits at banks at or above 300% of capital, the 2006 interagency monitoring level: rank 9 of 43 states, against 25.0% nationally. 83.0% sits at banks at or above 200%. These are monitoring levels, not limits, and a bank above one is not in violation of anything.
Why don't national banks appear in this list?+
Banks with $100 billion or more in assets are left out of this page's tables and ranks, as on the national page: the largest banks' balance sheets are national, so their headquarters state says little about where they lend. None is headquartered in California. Every bank here is listed by headquarters state, not by where its loans are.
How often is this updated?+
Every quarter, after banks file their Call Reports. This California page reflects the 120 California banks' June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026) filings, retrieved October 12, 2026; Q3 2026 data is expected in December 2026.
What this table is not. Concentration ratios are computed from each California bank's own public regulatory filings and describe portfolio composition relative to capital — nothing here is a statement about any institution's safety, soundness, or condition, and exceeding a supervisory monitoring criterion is neither a violation nor a supervisory finding. Blue Sky Capital Advisors is a commercial mortgage advisory firm, not a bank rating agency.