Note 4 - Earnings per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]

	For the three months ended March 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)	2012			2011
Net income attributable to Cathay General Bancorp	$	28,913		$	22,063
Dividends on preferred stock		(4,117	)		(4,105	)
Net income available to common stockholders	$	24,796		$	17,958
Weighted-average shares:
Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding		78,678,645			78,609,460
Dilutive effect of weighted-average outstanding common share equivalents
Stock options		11,487			26,160
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding		78,690,132			78,635,620
Average stock options and warrants with anti-dilutive effect		6,227,224			6,198,286
Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	0.32		$	0.23
Diluted	$	0.32		$	0.23