-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, SnoiKYFDstnvjOSJfbu86uSYCXjy8TwqGLhtmqWIJHWeiz3gQaxhldJ4+nu7/Asy 05An3pHr6FQBCGLU28iVfw== 0001104659-05-014413.txt : 20050331 0001104659-05-014413.hdr.sgml : 20050331 20050331165816 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001104659-05-014413 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 8-K/A PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 3 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20050324 ITEM INFORMATION: Non-Reliance on Previously Issued Financial Statements or a Related Audit Report or Completed Interim Review ITEM INFORMATION: Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers ITEM INFORMATION: Other Events ITEM INFORMATION: Financial Statements and Exhibits FILED AS OF DATE: 20050331 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20050331 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: NARA BANCORP INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001128361 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANKS [6021] IRS NUMBER: 954170121 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 8-K/A SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 000-50245 FILM NUMBER: 05721356 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 3701 WILSHIRE BLVD STREET 2: SUITE 220 CITY: LOS ANGELES STATE: CA ZIP: 90010 BUSINESS PHONE: 2136391700 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 3701 WILSHIRE BLVD STREET 2: SUITE 220 CITY: LOS ANGELES STATE: CA ZIP: 90010 8-K/A 1 a05-6094_18ka.htm 8-K/A

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K/A

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 24, 2005

 

Nara Bancorp, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delaware

 

000-50245

 

95-4170121

(State or other jurisdiction

 

(Commission

 

(IRS Employer

of incorporation)

 

File Number)

 

Identification No.)

 

 

 

 

3701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA

 

90010

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (213) 639-1700

 

 

 

(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 registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

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))

 

 

 



 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

Two corrective changes have been made in this Form 8-K/A which amends the Company's current report filed on Form 8-K filed on March 30, 2005: (1) the heading in the table below now reads "Year Ended December 31, 2002 (Estimated Restatement)" and (2) the third paragraph under Item 8.01 — Other Events — Material Weakness has been revised.

 

Item 4.02  Non-Reliance on Previously Issued Financial Statements or a Related Audit Report or Completed Interim Review

On February 23, 2005, a letter (the “Letter”) dated October 10, 2002 addressed to the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Nara Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) and signed by the former Chairman of the Board of the Company was brought to the attention of the Audit Committee. The Letter addressed the relinquishment of certain profit sharing rights held by the former President and Chief Executive Officer payable in 2003 and 2004 (for services rendered in 2002 and 2003 respectively) and referred to the smoothing of the Company’s earnings curve. The Letter further provided that for the relinquishment of those profit sharing rights, Nara Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, purportedly agreed to reimburse the former President and Chief Executive Officer for certain automobile and country club expenses and to provide him with compensation for additional work to be performed after his retirement, all in an amount not to exceed the amount of profit sharing rights to be relinquished by him.

A special sub-committee of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Subcommittee”) engaged independent counsel to conduct an investigation of matters relating to the Letter. The Subcommittee discovered that the amount the former President and Chief Executive Office relinquished was approximately $600,000 in 2003 and $0 in 2004. The Subcommittee determined that the failure to disclose and account for the arrangement to reimburse certain expense amounts up to approximately $600,000 contemplated by the Letter had a material effect on the Company’s previously issued consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002. The Subcommittee evaluated the error in accordance with the quantitative and qualitative guidance set forth in Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99. As a result thereof, on March 24, 2005, the Subcommittee concluded (and on March 25, 2005 the Board of Directors concurred) that the Company should restate its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002 and, accordingly, the previously issued financial statements and the related independent auditors reports thereon for the year ended December 31, 2002 and 2003 should no longer be relied upon. The Subcommittee discussed this conclusion with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2004, Crowe Chizek and Company LLP as well as its former independent registered public accounting firm for 2002 and 2003, Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

The Subcommittee has engaged Crowe Chizek and Company LLP to audit the Company’s financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003.

The preliminary assessment of the impact of the error for the year ended December 31, 2002 is expressed in the table below. The restated results will be reflected in the Company’s Form 10-K/A for the years ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003, subject to completion of reviews by management and the audit by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, Crowe Chizek and Company LLP of the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003.

 

 

 

Year Ended
December 31, 2002
(Estimated Restatement) (unaudited)

 

Year Ended
December 31, 2002
(As Reported) (unaudited)

 

Net Interest Income before provision for Loan Losses

 

$

35,106,671

 

$

35,106,671

 

Provision for loan losses

 

$

2,790,000

 

$

2,790,000

 

Non-interest income

 

$

18,000,976

 

$

18,000,976

 

Non-interest expense

 

$

32,837,449

 

$

32,237,449

 

Income before income tax provision and cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle

 

$

17,480,198

 

$

18,080,198

 

 

2



 

Income tax provision

 

$

6,551,760

 

$

6,776,760

 

Income before cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle

 

$

10,928,438

 

$

11,303,438

 

Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle

 

$

4,192,334

 

$

4,192,334

 

Net Income

 

$

15,120,772

 

$

15,495,772

 

Earnings per share before cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

$

0.50

 

 

$

0.52

 

Diluted

 

 

$

0.48

 

 

$

0.49

 

Earnings per share after cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

$

0.69

 

 

$

0.71

 

Diluted

 

 

$

0.66

 

 

$

0.67

 

 


* EPS figures adjusted for stock splits occurring in 2003 and 2004

Item 5.02  Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

On March 24, 2005, Dr. Thomas Chung tendered his resignation, effective immediately, from the Boards of Directors and the committees of Nara Bancorp, Inc. and Nara Bank.

On March 25, 2005, the Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp, Inc. removed Mr. Benjamin Hong from the Board of Directors and committees of Nara Bank and requested by letter that he resign from the Board of Directors and committees of Nara Bancorp, Inc. To date, Mr. Hong has not tendered his resignation.

On March 25, 2005, the Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp, Inc. reassigned Mr. Timothy Chang, Nara Bancorp, Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer, to other duties at the Company. Such duties will not involve the preparation of the Company’s periodic reports, press releases or financial statements.

On March 25, 2005, the Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp, Inc. appointed Ms. Christine Oh as the Company’s Acting Chief Financial Officer until such time as the Company retains the services of a permanent Chief Financial Officer.  Ms. Oh, age 38, has been the Controller of the Company since 2003.  From 1999 to 2003, Ms. Oh was Vice President and Accounting Manager of the Company. Ms. Oh received her B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Northridge. Ms. Oh’s annual base salary is $94,500. She is eligible to receive discretionary bonuses.

 

3



 

Item 8.01  Other Events

 

Material Weakness

As a result of the investigation, the Subcommittee concluded that a material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting existed in 2002 relating to a related party arrangement which was entered into by the former Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer which was not subjected to internal review and analysis to determine the proper accounting and disclosure under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A “material weakness” is a significant deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected.  A “Significant deficiency” is defined as a control deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, that adversely affects the Company’s ability to initiate, authorize, record, process or report external financial data reliably in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles such that there is more than a remote likelihood that a misstatement of the Company’s consolidated financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected.

Management has not completed its assessment of the adequacy of its internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 and Crowe Chizek and Company LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, has not yet issued its opinions relating to the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. As a result, material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting may exist.

Late Filing

The Company notes that it will not timely file its annual report on Form 10-K for its calendar year ended December 31, 2004, which is due on March 31, 2005. As noted above, the Subcommittee has engaged Crowe Chizek and Company LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, to audit the Company’s financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003.

Nasdaq

The Company expects to receive a notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday, April 1, 2005 notifying the Company that its securities will soon begin trading under the symbol (Nasdaq: NARAE). The notification will further advise the Company that its securities are subject to delisting from the Nasdaq National Market due to non-compliance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14), which requires the timely filing of all periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Upon receipt of the notification, the Company will request a hearing in accordance with the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules before a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel for continued listing on the Nasdaq National Market.  Pending a decision by the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel, the Company’s securities will remain listed on the Nasdaq National Market.

Item 9.01  Financial Statements and Exhibits

Exhibit 99.1 —  Letter dated October 10, 2002 from Dr. Thomas Chung, the Company’s former Chairman of the Board of the Company to Mr. Benjamin Hong, the Company’s former President and Chief Executive Officer.

Exhibit 99.2 —  Letter dated March 25, 2005 to Mr. Benjamin Hong from Dr. Chong Moon Lee, Chairman of the Board of the Company.

 

4



 

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.

 

 

Nara Bancorp, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date: March 31, 2005

/s/ Ho Yang

 

Ho Yang

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

5


 

EX-99.1 2 a05-6094_1ex99d1.htm EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

 

Nara Bank, National Association, Corporation Admin.

3701 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

 

Tel. (213) 639-1700

 

Fax (213) 235-3033

 

October 10, 2002

 

 

Dear Mr. Hong:

 

The board of directors of Nara Bank appreciates your decision not to withdraw the half of the profit share due to you in 2003 and 2004.  Your decision would help the bank’s smoother earnings curve in the future.

 

In appreciation of your contribution as such, the board has agreed to compensate you monetarily in the future.  The bank will provide you with automobile expenses, Wilshire country club dues and expenses, and reasonable monetary compensation for your extra work as ex-CEO of the bank.  All of these expenses, however, should not exceed the total of the profit share that is not claimed by you before your retirement.  If you should serve as a bank’s board member, the regular board compensation will be provided to you additionally.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

/s/ Thomas Chung

Thomas Chung

Chairman of the board

 


 

EX-99.2 3 a05-6094_1ex99d2.htm EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2

 

March 25, 2005

 

 

Mr. Benjamin Hong

325 North Oakhurst Drive #504

Beverly Hills, CA  90210

 

Re:  Resignation

 

Dear Mr. Hong:

 

I am writing this letter at the request of the subcommittee of the Audit Committee (the “Subcommittee”) and the Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp, Inc.  It is with deepest regret that the Board of Directors is requesting that you resign immediately from the Board of Directors and the Committees of Nara Bancorp, Inc. (“Nara” or the “Company”).

 

As you are aware, with the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, audit committees and board of directors of public companies have heightened responsibilities and we are left with no option but to deal harshly with misconduct.  The Audit Committee charter provides that the Audit Committee has the authority to “Conduct or authorize such inquiries within the Audit Committee’s scope of responsibility as the Committee deems appropriate.”  The Subcommittee commenced an investigation relating to the discovery of the letter dated October 10, 2002 from Thomas Chung to you (the “Letter”).  The Subcommittee, as authorized under the charter, employed independent counsel to investigate whether there was any wrongdoing or an appearance of wrongdoing as a result of the failure of certain management members to bring the Letter to the attention of the Audit Committee and the Company’s independent public accounting firm.  The Subcommittee’s independent counsel has concluded such wrongdoing occurred and has made a number of recommendations to the Subcommittee, which the Subcommittee accepted and in which the Board of Directors of the Company has concurred.

 

In addition, since the conduct caused the Company to file misleading financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company, pursuant to Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, is required to request that you reimburse bonuses paid to you for the relevant times and profits you earned from stock sales during the same periods.

 

While we appreciate the significant contribution that you have made to Nara Bancorp in the past, due to the fact that you were directly involved in the misconduct and the serious nature of the misconduct, the Subcommittee and the Board of Directors have no option but to request that you resign from the Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp and its committees.  The Board of Directors of Nara Bancorp has taken such action to remove you from the Board of Directors of Nara Bank and its committees effective immediately.

 

We have included for your convenience a resignation letter.  We would appreciate your response as soon as possible.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

/s/ Dr. Chong-Moon Lee

Dr. Chong-Moon Lee

 


 

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