Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	May 03, 2012
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	PACWEST BANCORP
Entity Central Index Key	0001102112
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
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		35,680,378
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Unvested Restricted		1,617,638
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1