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): August 15, 2008

CAPITAL CORP OF THE WEST

(Exact Name of Company 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
(Company’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the Company under any of the following provisions:

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

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

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

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
	Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
SIGNATURES
Exhibit Index
EXHIBIT 99.1

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

On August 15, 2008, Capital Corp of the West (the “Company”) announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of SF had approved the appointment of Richard Cupp as president and chief executive officer of the Company and its subsidiary County Bank effective August 15, 2008. Mr. Cupp joined the Company as a consultant on July 29, 2008, pending consideration of his appointment by the FRB. He will assume his executive duties immediately and will also join the boards of directors of both companies.

Mr. Cupp, age 68, has over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, having held leadership roles within financial institutions of all sizes and regulatory charters. For the past 13 years, Cupp served as Chief Executive Officer of several independent commercial and savings banks and was responsible for significant improvements in operations, asset quality, regulatory and investor relations, earnings and shareholder valuation.

Since 2007 Mr. Cupp has been a member of a group organizing a de novo bank to be headquartered in Pasadena, California. From December 2002 through March 2007, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of 1st Century Bank, a newly chartered national banking institution headquartered in Los Angeles. From 1999 to 2002, he was president and chief executive officer of HF Bancorp, parent of Hemet Federal Bank.

Other banks Mr. Cupp has led include First Bank of Beverly Hills, HF Bancorp (Hemet Federal Bank) and Ventura County National Bancorp (VCNB). HF Bancorp was the largest independent banking institution in Riverside County, California, while VCNB was a multi-bank holding company whose principal subsidiary was Ventura County’s largest independent bank. From 1983 to 1993, he was Executive Vice President of CalFed, Inc., where he was responsible for CalFed’s entry into commercial banking. From 1963 to 1983, Mr. Cupp was with First Interstate Bancorp in a number of senior and executive positions.

Mr. Cupp’s terms of employment as president and chief executive officer are also subject to approval by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and will be filed as such time as his employment agreement is approved.

In light of Mr. Cupp’s approval by federal regulators and in accordance with prior announcements regarding this transition, Thomas T. Hawker announced his formal resignation as president and chief executive officer of the Company and as chief executive officer of County Bank and his resignation from the boards of directors of both companies to make way for Mr. Cupp.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

     (c) Exhibits:

     The exhibit list called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the Exhibit Index filed as part of this report.

SIGNATURES

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

	Capital Corp of the West (Company)
Dated: August 19, 2008	By:	/s/ David A. Heaberlin
		David A. Heaberlin
		Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit Index

Exhibit
Number		Description
	99.1	Press release of the registrant dated August 18, 2008

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Capital Corp of the West CEO Richard S. Cupp Receives Federal Reserve Bank Approval

MERCED, Calif. — August 18, 2008 — Capital Corp of the West (NASDAQ: CCOW), parent company of County Bank, today announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has approved Richard S. Cupp’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer and President of Capital Corp of the West and Chief Executive Officer of County Bank, effective immediately. Mr. Cupp will also join the Company’s and Bank’s Boards of Directors as well as the Boards of Directors of Bay View Funding and 1977 Services Corp.

As previously announced, the Company’s Board of Directors appointed Mr. Cupp to the Company’s top leadership position on July 29, 2008 subject to Federal Reserve Bank approval. In accordance with prior announcements, Thomas T. Hawker has announced his formal resignation, effective concurrently with the Federal Reserve Bank’s approval of Mr. Cupp, as Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company and Chief Executive Officer of County Bank and has resigned from the Company’s and Bank’s Boards of Directors as well as the Boards of Directors of Bay View Funding and 1977 Services Corp.

Cupp joins the Company with over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, having held leadership roles within financial institutions of all sizes and regulatory charters. For the past 13 years, Cupp served as Chief Executive Officer of several independent commercial and savings banks and was responsible for significant improvements in operations, asset quality, regulatory and investor relations, earnings and shareholder valuation. Cupp was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of 1st Century Bank, a newly chartered national banking institution headquartered in Los Angeles.

Other banks Cupp has led include First Bank of Beverly Hills, HF Bancorp (Hemet Federal Bank) and Ventura County National Bancorp (VCNB). HF Bancorp was the largest independent banking institution in Riverside County, California, while VCNB was a multi-bank holding company whose principal subsidiary was Ventura County’s largest independent bank. From 1983 to 1993, Cupp was Executive Vice President of CalFed, Inc., where he was responsible for CalFed’s entry into commercial banking. From 1963 to 1983, Cupp was with First Interstate Bancorp in a number of senior and executive positions.

Cupp received his undergraduate degree in Economics from UCLA and his M.B.A. from USC. He and his wife, Carol, who reside in La Canada-Flintridge, have two grown children. Cupp’s outside interests include vintage sports car racing and travel.

About Capital Corp of the West

Capital Corp of the West, a bank holding company established November 1, 1995, is the parent company of County Bank, which has more than 30 years of service as “Central California’s Community Bank.” County Bank currently has 39 branch offices serving 13 counties in California. Its primary concentration is in California’s Central Valley. As of the latest FDIC data, County Bank has a 7.29 percent market share in the six Central California counties in which it has a significant retail branch presence, ranking County Bank fifth out of 41 financial institutions in that market area.

Contact Information

For further information, contact Capital Corp of the West at 209-725-4540.

Safe Harbor

This press release includes forward-looking statements and information is subject to the “safe harbor” provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition to historical information, this press release includes certain forward-looking statements that are subject

to risks and uncertainties and include information about possible or assumed future results of operations. Many possible events or factors could affect the future financial results and performance of the Company. This could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans”, “assumes”, “projects”, “predicts”, “forecasts”, variations of such words and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Certain of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions are discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 and Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. Among the factors that may cause future performance to vary significantly from current expectations are uncertainties in the following areas: local, national and international economic conditions; volatility in the credit, equity and other markets; competition; volatility of real estate values and difficulties in obtaining current information on values; the Company’s credit quality and the adequacy of its allowance for loan losses; actions by banking regulators in response to the Company’s loan losses; deposit customer confidence in the Company and the sufficiency of the Company’s cash and liquid assets to meet high levels of withdrawal requests resulting from announcement of unfavorable operating results; availability of borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank; changes in market interest rates; risks in integrating acquired businesses and branches; regional weather and natural disasters; the possible adverse effect of concentrations in the loan portfolio; turmoil in credit and capital markets and potential impaired access to additional capital if needed; potential adverse changes in market interest rates; and the effect of existing and future regulation of the banking industry and the Company in particular; civil disturbances or terrorist threats or acts, or apprehension about the possible future occurrences or acts of this type; outbreak or escalation of hostilities in which the United States is involved, any declaration of war by the U.S. Congress or any other national or international calamity, crisis or emergency. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements.

# # #