8-K

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                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

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                                    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): November 10, 2005

                             CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                Delaware                 0-18630             95-4274680
     (State or other jurisdiction      (Commission         (IRS Employer
           of incorporation)           File Number)      Identification No.)

         777 North Broadway, Los Angeles, California           90012
          (Address of principal executive offices)           (Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (213) 625-4700

                                 Not Applicable

          (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:

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

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

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

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

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ITEM 8.01  OTHER EVENTS

       On November 10, 2005, Cathay General Bancorp issued in a press release
in response to statements made by Great Eastern Bank in connection with Cathay
General Bancorp's previously announced proposal to acquire Great Eastern Bank.
This press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

ITEM 9.01  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

(c)    Exhibits
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       99.1     Press Release of Cathay General Bancorp dated November 10, 2005.



                                    SIGNATURE

       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 thereunto duly authorized.

Date:  November 10, 2005

                                                CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP

                                                By: /s/ Heng W. Chen
                                                    ----------------------------
                                                    Heng W. Chen
                                                    Executive Vice President and
                                                    Chief Financial Officer



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Number   Exhibit
- ------   ----------------------------------------------------------------
99.1     Press Release of Cathay General Bancorp dated November 10, 2005.

EX-99.1

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- ---------------------

For:    Cathay General Bancorp                             Contact: Heng W. Chen
        777 N. Broadway                                    (213) 625-4752
        Los Angeles, CA 90012

   CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP RESPONDS TO GREAT EASTERN BANK'S FAILURE TO SUPPORT
                           CATHAY'S SUPERIOR PROPOSAL

Los Angeles, Calif., November 10: Cathay General Bancorp (the "Company", NASDAQ:
CATY), the holding company for Cathay Bank, today responded to statements made
by Great Eastern Bank in connection with the Company's previously announced
proposal to acquire Great Eastern Bank.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Great Eastern Bank Board of Directors
has refused to support our superior proposal," said Mr. Dunson K. Cheng,
Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
"We have made a compelling proposal which is superior on both price and terms
and, notwithstanding Great Eastern Bank's statements to the contrary, is not
subject to significant conditions. Our proposal provides all Great Eastern Bank
shareholders with more value and certainty than Great Eastern Bank's agreement
with UCBH, and we intend to continue to aggressively pursue our proposal."

Under the previously announced proposal, the Company would be willing to pay $5
per share more than Great Eastern Bank's announced transaction with UCBH
Holdings, Inc. The Company's proposal for 100% of the outstanding shares of
Great Eastern Bank had contemplated payment of the same consideration to all
shareholders, including shareholders who had granted the Company options. In
addition, the Company has also previously announced that it would be willing to
enter into a transaction agreement with Great Eastern Bank that would provide
shareholders of Great Eastern Bank with a greater certainty of consummation than
the unpublished agreement between Great Eastern Bank and UCBH and on other more
favorable terms.

The Company has, subject to regulatory approval, exercised its rights to
purchase approximately 41% of the outstanding shares of Great Eastern Bank and
has informed Great Eastern Bank that the Company will not vote in favor of the
current transaction between Great Eastern Bank and UCBH which requires the
approval of holders 66 2/3rds of Great Eastern Bank stockholders. The Company
has made regulatory filings to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the
New York State Banking Department to acquire up to 100% of the stock of Great
Eastern Bank.



ABOUT CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP

Cathay General Bancorp is the holding company for Cathay Bank, a California
state-chartered bank. Founded in 1962, Cathay Bank offers a wide range of
financial services. Cathay Bank currently operates twenty-nine branches in
California, four branches in New York State, one in Massachusetts, one in
Houston, Texas, one in Washington State, and representative offices in Taipei,
Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Cathay Bank's website is found at
http://www.cathaybank.com/.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND OTHER NOTICES

Statements made in this news release, other than statements of historical fact,
are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the applicable provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other
than statements of historical facts included in this news release are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees. They
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause
the actual results, performance, or achievements, of Cathay General Bancorp to
be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and
uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, adverse
developments or conditions related to or arising from: the company's ability to
successfully consummate a transaction with Great Eastern Bank or realize the
benefits of such a transaction if consummated. These and other factors are
further described in Cathay General Bancorp's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2004, its reports and registration statements filed
(including those filed by GBC Bancorp prior to its merger with Cathay General
Bancorp) with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and other filings
it makes in the future with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Cathay General
Bancorp has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise or to publicly announce the results of any revision of any
forward-looking statement to reflect future developments or events. There can be
no guarantee that any transaction between Cathay General Bancorp and Great
Eastern Bank will occur or what the price or terms of any such transaction
may be.

Cathay General Bancorp's filings with the SEC are available to the public from
commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC
at http://www.sec.gov, or by request directed to Cathay General Bancorp, 777 N.
Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Attention: Investor Relations (213) 625-4749.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Subject to future developments, Cathay General Bancorp may file with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement to register
the Cathay General Bancorp shares which would be issued in the proposed
transaction. Investors and security holders are urged to read the registration
statement (when and if available) and any other relevant documents filed with
the Commission, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents,
because they will contain important information. Investors and security holders
may obtain a free copy of the registration statement (when and if available) and
other relevant documents at the Commission's Internet web site at www.sec.gov.
The registration statement (when and if available) and such other documents may
also be obtained free of charge from Cathay General Bancorp by directing such
request to: Cathay General Bancorp, 777 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012,
Attention: Investor Relations (213) 625-4749.