PacWest shares crumble as Wall Street shuns midsize banks
CBSN
In what is by now a familiar pattern, the fate of another regional lender hangs in the balance as investors bail from the sector following the sudden collapse of three prominent banks in a matter of weeks.
Shares of PacWest Bancorp crumbled after the close of trading on Wednesday, diving 55% to $2.88 amid a report by Bloomberg News that the $44 billion bank is weighing its strategic options, including a possible sale. The market drop followed a 28% plunge in Los Angeles-based PacWest's stock price the previous day.
PacWest, whose shares are down 78% over the last three months, has hired a financial adviser and is also considering a breakup or trying to raise capital, according to Bloomberg.
An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying a crew of three. Officials said early Thursday that everyone on board both aircraft is believed dead, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly a quarter century.