Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Nov. 01, 2011
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	PACWEST BANCORP
Entity Central Index Key	0001102112
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		35,495,962
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Unvested Restricted		1,762,870
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3