BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Details)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012 item
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Number of banking offices operated in San Francisco Bay area	3
Number of states where the entity has lease receivables	45
Number of acquisitions completed since May 2000	24

Represents the number of states where the equipment leasing function of the entity has lease receivables.

No definition available.

Name:	pacw_NumberOfStatesWhereEntityHasLeaseReceivables
Namespace Prefix:	pacw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration