8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): July 28, 2004

CAPITAL CORP OF THE WEST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

California
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation) 0-27384
(Commission File
Number) 77-0147763
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

550 West Main Street, Merced, California 95340
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(209) 725-2200
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSUE

Exhibits:

99.1 Press Release dated July 27, 2004

On July 27, 2004, Capital Corp of the West (Nasdaq: CCOW) announced that its board of directors had declared a $.05 per share second quarter 2004 cash dividend for shareholders of record as of August 5, 2004, payable on August 26, 2004.

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.

		Capital Corp of the West (Registrant)
Dated: July 28, 2004	By	/s/ David A. Curtis David A. Curtis Vice President and Controller

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Capital Corp of the West Announces a $.05 Per Share Third Quarter Cash Dividend

        MERCED, Calif., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Capital Corp of the West (Nasdaq: CCOW), the holding company for County Bank, Central California’s Community Bank, announced that today, its board of directors declared a $.05 per share cash dividend for the third quarter of 2004 for shareholders of record as of August 5, 2004. The cash dividend is payable on August 26, 2004.

        “This third quarter $.05 per share cash dividend continues the trend started at the beginning of this year when we initiated the payment of a cash dividend in the first quarter of 2004,” stated Tom Hawker Chief Executive Officer of Capital Corp of the West. “In a separate July 14th press release we announced a solid 14% increase in earnings and a 16% growth in assets compared to the second quarter of 2003. Our strong performance, combined with a 16.3% Return on Equity (ROE) allows for the payment of this cash dividend. At the same time, we retain sufficient capital to support our continuing rapid expansion of our branch system while still meeting our internal goal of generating a 15%, or better, Return on Equity for our shareholders.”

        Capital Corp. of the West, a bank holding company established November 1, 1995, is the parent company of County Bank, which has more than 26 years of service as “Central California’s Community Bank.” Currently County Bank has nineteen branch offices serving the communities of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, San Francisco, Stockton and Tuolumne counties. As of the latest FDIC data, County Bank has 6.2% market share of the six counties in which it has retail branches. This ranks County Bank sixth out of forty-one financial institutions in these counties. For further information about the Company’s financial performance, contact Tom Hawker, President & Chief Executive Officer at 209-725-2276, or R. Dale McKinney Chief Financial Officer, at 209-725-7435.

SOURCE Capital Corp of the West
-0-                        07/27/2004
/CONTACT: Thomas T. Hawker, President/Chief Executive Officer,
+1-209-725-2276; or R. Dale McKinney, EVP/Chief Financial Office,
+1-209-725-7435, both of Capital Corp of the West/
     /Web site: http://www.ccow.com /
     (CCOW)

CO: Capital Corp of the West; County Bank
ST: California
IN: FIN
SU: DIV