UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

FORM 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004

OR

For the Transition Period From                      To                     

Commission File Number 0-26960

ITLA CAPITAL CORPORATION

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (858) 551-0511

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

     Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o.

     Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

     Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes þ No o.

     As of March 14, 2005, there were issued and outstanding 5,797,224 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock. The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2004, computed by reference to the closing price of such stock as of June 30, 2004, was $250.9 million. (The exclusion from such amount of the market value of the shares owned by any person shall not be deemed an admission by the Registrant that such person is an affiliate of the Registrant.)

ITLA CAPITAL CORPORATION

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

     “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in economic conditions in our market areas, changes in policies by regulatory agencies, the impact of competitive loan products, loan demand risks, the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios, increased costs from pursuing the national expansion of our small balance multi-family lending platform and operational challenges inherent in implementing this expansion strategy, fluctuations in interest rates and changes in the relative differences between short and long-term interest rates, levels of nonperforming assets and operating results, the economic impact of any terrorist actions on our loan originations and loan repayments and other risks detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We do not undertake and specifically disclaim any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements. These risks could cause our actual results for 2005 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements by, or on behalf of, us.

     As used throughout this report, the terms “we”, “our”, “us”, or the “Company” refer to ITLA Capital Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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PART I

Item 1. Business

General

     ITLA Capital Corporation (“ITLA Capital”) is the largest financial services company headquartered in San Diego County, California with consolidated assets of $2.3 billion, consolidated net loans of $1.8 billion, consolidated deposits of $1.4 billion and consolidated shareholders’ equity of $194.7 million as of December 31, 2004. We conduct and manage our business principally through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Imperial Capital Bank (the “Bank”), an institution with $2.3 billion in assets, with six retail branches located in California, (Beverly Hills, Costa Mesa, Encino, Glendale, San Diego, and San Francisco), and one branch located in Carson City, Nevada. Additionally, the Bank has twenty-six loan production offices serving the Western United States, the Southeast region, the Mid-Atlantic region, the Ohio Valley, the Metro New York area and New England. On January 1, 2003, the Bank converted from a California industrial bank to a California-chartered commercial bank, and ITLA Capital became a bank holding company. The Bank has been in business for 30 years. Our branch offices are primarily used for our deposit services and lending business. The Company is primarily engaged in:

	•	Originating and purchasing real estate loans secured by income producing properties for retention in its loan portfolio;
	•	Originating film finance loans and franchise loans; and
	•	Accepting customer deposits through the following products: certificates of deposits, money market, passbook and demand deposit accounts. Our deposit accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to the legal limits.

     In November 2002, we entered into a strategic business relationship with various subsidiaries of Household International, Inc. (“Household”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE – HBC) relating to certain tax refund products. In connection with this relationship, the Bank originated tax refund anticipation loans and sold Household a non-recourse participation interest representing substantially all of the outstanding loan balance.

     We also entered into an agreement in December 2002 with Household pursuant to which the Bank originated relatively small private label commercial revolving loans to small businesses. Pursuant to this agreement, the Bank sold Household a non-recourse participation interest representing substantially all of the outstanding loan balance. During 2004, Household and its affiliates terminated their tax refund and private label commercial revolving loan programs with the Bank. As of December 31, 2004, the Bank maintained no loan balances in connection with these programs.

     On February 23, 2005, the Bank entered into an agreement with Fannie Mae providing for the origination and sale by the Bank, as a Fannie Mae-approved M-Flex™ Lender, of small-balance, fixed-rate multifamily mortgage loans to Fannie Mae, with servicing retained by the Bank. The Loan Purchase Agreement provides for a two-year term, which Fannie Mae may extend for one or more nine-month periods.

     We continuously evaluate business expansion opportunities, including acquisitions or joint ventures with companies that originate or purchase commercial and multi-family real estate loans as well as other types of secured commercial loans. In connection with this activity, we periodically have discussions with and receive financial information about other companies that may or may not lead to the acquisition of the company, a segment or division of that company, or a joint venture opportunity.

     Our executive offices are located at 888 Prospect Street, Suite 110, La Jolla, California 92037 and our telephone number at that address is (858) 551-0511.

Lending Activities

     General. During 2004, our core lending activities were as follows:

	•	Originating and purchasing real estate loans, including construction loans, secured by income producing properties.
	•	Originating franchise and film finance loans.

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     Income Producing Property Loans. We originate and purchase real estate loans secured primarily by first trust deeds on income producing properties. Income property loan collateral consists primarily of the following types of properties:

	•	Apartments
	•	Mini-storage facilities
	•	Retail centers
	•	Mobile home parks
	•	Small office and light industrial buildings
	•	Multi-family real estate
	•	Hotels
	•	Other mixed use or special purpose commercial properties

     At December 31, 2004, we had $1.4 billion of income producing property loans outstanding, representing 88.0% of our total real estate loans and 76.0% of our gross loan portfolio. Most of our real estate borrowers are business owners, individual investors, investment partnerships or limited liability corporations. The income producing property lending that we engage in typically involves larger loans to a single borrower and is generally viewed as exposing the lender to a greater risk of loss than one- to four-family residential lending, because repayment of the loan generally is dependent, in large part, on the successful operation of the property securing the loan or the business conducted on the property securing the loan. During 2002, we launched a real estate lending platform focusing on originating smaller balance income producing property loans. In 2003, we commenced a national expansion of this platform and during 2004, we opened twenty new loan production offices in connection with this initiative.

     Income producing property values are also generally subject to greater volatility than residential property values. The liquidation values of income producing properties may be adversely affected by risks generally incident to interests in real property, such as:

	•	Changes or continued weakness in general or local economic conditions;
	•	Declines in rental, room or occupancy rates in hotels, apartment complexes or commercial properties;
	•	Changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments;
	•	Changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies, including rent control ordinances, environmental legislation and taxation;
	•	Increases in other operating expenses (including energy costs);
	•	Increases in interest rates, real estate and personal property tax rates;
	•	Declines in real estate values; and
	•	Other factors beyond the control of the borrower or the lender.

     We originate real estate loans through our retail branches and loan production offices. These offices are staffed by a total of 69 loan officers. Loan officers solicit mortgage loan brokers for loan applications that meet our underwriting criteria, and also accept applications directly from borrowers. A majority of the real estate loans funded by us are originated through mortgage loan brokers. Mortgage loan brokers act as intermediaries between us and the property owner in arranging real estate loans and earn a fee based upon the principal amount of each loan funded. Since a large portion of our marketing effort is through our loan officers’ contacts with mortgage loan brokers, we do not incur significant expenses for advertising our lending services to the general public.

     Income producing property loans are generally made in amounts up to 75% of the appraised value of the property; however, in certain instances, multi-family originations may be made at a loan to value ratio of 80%. Loans are generally made for terms up to ten years, with amortization periods up to 30 years. Depending on market conditions at the time the loan was originated, certain loan agreements may include prepayment penalties. Most real estate loans are subject to a quarterly or semi-annual adjustment of their interest rate based on one of several interest rate indexes.

     The average yield on our real estate loan portfolio was 7.13% in 2004 compared to 7.80% in 2003. Our commercial real estate loan portfolio is primarily composed of adjustable rate mortgages indexed to six month LIBOR with interest rate floors, below which the loan’s contractual interest rate may not adjust. Approximately 83.2% of our real estate loan portfolio was comprised of adjustable rate loans at December 31, 2004, and approximately 14.5% of the real estate loan portfolio was comprised of loans, which become adjustable rate loans after an initial fixed rate period of three or five years. Our adjustable rate loans generally re-price on a quarterly or semi-annual basis with increases generally limited to maximum adjustments of 2% per year up to 5% for the life of the loan. As of December 31, 2004, approximately $1.6 billion or 87.3% of our real estate loan portfolio contained interest rate floors, below which the loans’ contractual interest rate may not adjust. The inability of our real estate loans to adjust downward can contribute to increased income in periods of declining interest rates, and also assists us in our efforts to limit the risks to earnings resulting from changes in interest rates, subject to the risk that borrowers may refinance these loans during periods of declining interest rates. At December 31, 2004, the weighted average floor interest rate of our real estate loan portfolio was 6.32%. At that date, approximately $784.5 million or 49.2% of our real estate loan portfolio was at the floor interest rate. At December 31, 2004, 76.7% of the adjustable rate loans outstanding in our real estate loan portfolio had a lifetime interest rate cap. The weighted-average lifetime interest rate cap on our real estate loan portfolio was 11.25%.

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     In 2004, 2003, and 2002, we purchased income producing real estate loans totaling $136.5 million, $46.8 million, and $83.6 million, respectively. In our real estate loan purchases, we generally apply the same underwriting criteria as loans internally originated and reserve the right to reject particular loans from a loan pool being purchased that do not meet our underwriting criteria.

     Construction Loans. We originate construction loans for income producing properties, as well as for single-family residential tract construction. At December 31, 2004, we had $183.2 million of construction loans outstanding, representing 10.1% of our gross loans receivable. In addition to the lending risks previously discussed, construction loans also present risks associated with the accuracy of the initial estimate of the property’s value upon completion compared to its actual value, the timely completion of construction activities for their allotted costs and the time needed to stabilize income properties. These risks can be affected by a variety of factors, including the oversight of the project, localized costs for labor and materials, and the weather.

     Franchise Loans. We operate our franchise lending operations through a division of the Bank, Imperial Franchise Finance, based in Tempe, Arizona. Franchise loans are loans to owners of businesses, both franchisors and franchisees, such as fast food restaurants or gasoline retailers that are affiliated with nationally or regionally recognized chains and brand names. Various combinations of land, building, business equipment and fixtures may secure these loans, or they may be a general obligation of the borrower based on a valuation of the borrower’s business and debt service ability. These loans may be viewed as riskier than our real estate secured loans, as in each case, the primary source of repayment of a franchise loan is the cash flow of the business and not the underlying value of the collateral. In addition, in certain cases, the success of the borrower’s business depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the business. Many of these borrowers have smaller market shares than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, often need additional capital to expand or compete and may experience substantial variations in operating results, any of which might impair the borrower’s ability to repay a loan. As of December 31, 2004 and 2003, our franchise loan portfolio was $137.5 million and $102.1 million, respectively, which represented 7.6% and 6.7%, respectively, of our gross loan portfolio.

     Film Finance Loans. We conduct our film finance operations through ICB Entertainment Finance (“ICBEF”), a division of the Bank. Typically, ICBEF lends to independent producers of film and television on a senior secured basis, basing its credit decisions on the creditworthiness and reputation of distributors and sales agents who have contracted to distribute the films. ICBEF provides loans (with a typical term of 12 to 18 months) and letters of credit for the production of motion pictures and television shows or series that have a predictable market worldwide, and therefore, a predictable level of revenue arising from licensing of the distribution rights throughout the world.

     ICBEF lends to independent producers of film and television, many of which are located in California. ICBEF also has borrowing clients outside of the United States. Independent producers tend to be those producers that do not have major studio distribution outlets for their product. Large film and television studios generally maintain their own distribution outlets and finance their projects with internally generated financing. In addition to funding production loans against a number of distribution contracts, ICBEF has a proprietary system related to valuation of selected unsold rights to permit financing of a portion of the production budget. Typically, this unsecured amount does not exceed 10% of the total loan. ICBEF’s lending officers review the quality of the distributors and their contracts, the budget, the schedule of advances, and valuation of all distribution rights when considering a new lending opportunity. All ICBEF loans require the borrower to provide a completion bond that guarantees the completion of the film or the payoff of the outstanding balance of the loan in the event the film is not completed. After closing, each requested advance is approved by the bonding company on a weekly basis to ensure that ICBEF is not advancing ahead of an agreed-upon cash flow schedule. The loan documentation grants ICBEF the right to impose certain penalties on the borrower and exercise certain other rights, including replacing the sales agent, if sales are not consummated within the appropriate time. Loans are repaid principally from revenue received from distribution contracts. In many instances, the distribution contracts provide for multiple payments payable at certain milestones (such as execution of contract, commencement of principal photography or completion of principal photography). The maturity date of the loan is generally six to nine months after completion of the production. Delivery of the completed production is made to the various distributors only upon or after their minimum guarantees have been paid in full. To the extent a distributor fails to make payment upon completion of the film, or the predicted level of revenue is less than expected, we may incur a loss.

     ICBEF typically charges its customers an interest rate ranging from the prime rate to prime plus a margin (exclusive of loan fees) on the outstanding balance of the loan. Loan fees typically range from 1.00% to 2.50% with an additional fee up to 7.0% depending on the unsecured amount of the production budget being financed.

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     At December 31, 2004 and 2003, our film finance portfolio totaled $99.7 million and $98.6 million, respectively, representing 5.5% and 6.4% of our gross loan portfolio as of these dates. Of these amounts, approximately $12.2 million and $26.6 million, respectively, were issued to producers domiciled outside of the United States. These foreign loans were primarily issued to producers located in Australia, Canada and Germany. Approximately $7.0 million, $5.1 million and $600,000 of interest income was earned during 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively, in connection with these loans.

     Loan Underwriting. Many of our loans are made to lower credit grade borrowers or the property securing the loan has other factors such as debt-to-income ratios or property location that prevent the borrower from obtaining a prime interest rate. We attempt to mitigate the risk associated with these loans by charging higher interest rates and through our loan approval and loan purchasing process. Initial loan review for potential applications is performed by the Regional Managers and Area Manager of our loan production offices, in consultation with the Chief Underwriter, the respective Deputy Chief Credit Officer, and the Vice Chairman/Chief Credit Officer. Our loan underwriters are responsible for detailed reviews of borrowers, collateral, and loan terms, and prepare a written presentation for every loan application submitted to its real estate loan committee, which is comprised of the following Bank officers:

	•	Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
	•	Vice Chairman and Chief Credit Officer
	•	Senior Managing Director/Chief Lending Officer
	•	Senior Managing Director/Chief Banking Officer
	•	Managing Director/Business Credit
	•	Managing Director/Deputy Chief Credit Officer - Express Operations
	•	Managing Director/Deputy Chief Credit Officer – Commercial Real Estate Operations
	•	First Vice President/Manager Loan Underwriting
	•	First Vice President/Loan Administration

     The underwriting standards for loans secured by income producing real estate properties consider the borrower’s financial resources and ability to repay and the amount and stability of cash flow, if any, from the underlying collateral, to be comparable in importance to the loan-to-value ratio as a repayment source.

     All real estate secured loans over $2.0 million must be submitted to the loan committee for approval. At least one loan committee member or designee must personally conduct on-site inspections of any property involved in connection with a real estate loan recommendation of $1.0 million or more. Loans up to $750,000 may be approved by any loan committee member. Loans of $750,000 to $1.5 million require approval by any two members of the Bank’s loan committee, while loans in excess of $1.5 million require approval of three loan committee members. Additionally, loans over $3.0 million require the additional signature of the Vice Chairman and Chief Credit Officer; and individual loans over $5.0 million, loans resulting in an aggregate borrowing relationship to one borrower in excess of $7.5 million, and all purchased loan pools must be approved by the executive committee of the Bank’s Board of Directors.

     All franchise and film finance loans over $1.0 million are submitted to the business lending loan committee for approval. All loans must be approved by the Managing Director/Business Credit and loans over $3.0 million must be approved by the Vice Chairman and Chief Credit Officer. Individual loans over $5.0 million, loans resulting in an aggregate borrowing relationship to one borrower in excess of $7.5 million, and all purchased loan pools must be approved by the executive committee of the Bank’s Board of Directors.

     Our loans are originated on both a non-recourse and full recourse basis and we generally seek to obtain personal guarantees from the principals of borrowers which are single asset or limited liability entities (such as partnerships, corporations or trusts).

     The maximum size of a single loan made by the Bank is limited by California law to 25% of the Bank’s equity capital. At December 31, 2004, that limit was approximately $56.3 million. Our largest combined credit extension to related borrowers was $31.4 million at December 31, 2004. At December 31, 2004, we had a total of 238 extensions of credit, with a combined outstanding principal balance of $635.4 million, that were over $5.0 million to a single borrower or related borrowers. All combined extensions of credit over $5.0 million were performing in accordance with their repayment terms. At December 31, 2004, we had 1,813 secured real estate loans outstanding, with an average balance per loan of approximately $867,000.

     Servicing and Collections. Our loan portfolio is predominantly serviced by the Bank’s loan servicing department, which is designed to provide prompt customer service, and accurate and timely information for account follow-up, financial reporting and management review. We monitor our loans to ensure that projects are performing as underwritten. This monitoring allows us to take a proactive approach to addressing projects that do not perform as planned. When payments are not received by their contractual due date, collection efforts begin on the fifth day of delinquency with a telephone contact, and proceed to written notices that progress from reminders of the borrower’s payment obligation to an advice that a notice of default may be forthcoming. Accounts delinquent for more than 30 days are generally transferred to the Bank’s asset management department which, following a review of

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the account and management approval, implements a collection or restructure plan, or a disposition strategy, and evaluates any potential loss exposure on the asset.

     Competition. Our competition in originating real estate, construction, franchise and film finance loans is principally from community banks, savings and loan associations, industrial banks, real estate financing conduits, specialty finance companies, small insurance companies, and larger banks. Many of these entities enjoy competitive advantages over us relative to a potential borrower in terms of a prior business relationship, wider geographic presence or more accessible branch office locations, the ability to offer additional services or more favorable pricing alternatives, or a lower cost of funds structure. We attempt to offset the potential effect of these factors by providing borrowers with greater individual attention and a more flexible and time-sensitive underwriting, approval and funding process than they might obtain elsewhere.

Household Strategic Alliance

     Tax Refund Lending. In November 2002, we entered into a strategic business relationship with various subsidiaries of Household relating to certain tax refund anticipation loans (“RALs”). In connection with this relationship, the Bank originated RALs and sold to Household a non-recourse participation interest representing substantially all of the outstanding loan balance. The Bank also provided refund transfers to customers who did not want or did not qualify for loans. The transfer product facilitates the receipt of the refund by the customer by authorizing the customer’s tax preparer to print a check for the customer after the refund has been received by the Bank from the IRS (“RACs”). The Bank’s revenue, under the program, consisted of RAL and RAC transaction fees and the earnings stream from RALs originated under the program to the extent of its retained interest in such RALs. Household supported our credit administration, compliance, treasury and accounting functions with a range of services relating to the administration of this lending program. The Bank would not have originated these loans without the involvement of Household or a similar business partner.

     Because these programs related to the filing of income tax returns, activity was concentrated in the first quarter of each year. This caused first quarter net income to become a greater percentage of each year’s net income. This seasonality impacted a number of performance ratios, including return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and the operating efficiency ratio. These impacts are apparent in the first quarter of 2004 and 2003, as well as and the corresponding year-to-date ratios in subsequent quarters. At December 31, 2004 and 2003, there were no RAL loans outstanding.

     During 2004, subsequent to the tax filing season, Household and its affiliates terminated their tax refund lending program with the Bank.

     Private Label Commercial Revolving Credit Loans. We also entered into an agreement in December 2002 with Household pursuant to which the Bank originated private label small commercial revolving loans to small businesses. These loans were used primarily for purchases from major retailers. Pursuant to this agreement, the Bank sold Household a non-recourse participation interest representing substantially all of the outstanding loan balance. The Bank participated in the earnings stream from the loans originated under the program to the extent of its retained interest in such loans. At December 31, 2004 and 2003, our retained interest in commercial revolving credit loans was none and $5.8 million, respectively. During 2004, Household and its affiliates terminated their private label commercial lending program with the Bank.

Imperial Capital Real Estate Investment Trust

     During 2000, we acquired all of the equity and certain collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) of the ICCMAC Multi-family and Commercial Trust 1999-1 (“ICCMAC Trust”) through our real estate investment trust subsidiary, Imperial Capital Real Estate Investment Trust (“Imperial Capital REIT”). During 2004, the CMOs were retired and the ICCMAC Trust was dissolved. The remaining outstanding loans were contributed to the Imperial Capital REIT. At December 31, 2004, the Imperial Capital REIT held net real estate loans of $33.6 million, comprised of approximately 62.2% and 37.8% of multi-family and commercial loans, respectively, with over 44.4% of the loans secured by property located in California. Approximately two-thirds of the loans are adjustable rate mortgages. The cash flow from the Imperial Capital REIT loan pool provides cash flow on a monthly basis to ITLA Capital. ITLA Capital recorded $1.4 million of pre-tax income from its investment in the Imperial Capital REIT during the year ended December 31, 2004.

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Nonperforming Assets and Other Loans of Concern

     At December 31, 2004, nonperforming assets totaled $14.7 million or 0.63% of total assets. Nonperforming assets consisted entirely of nonaccrual loans. For additional information regarding nonperforming assets see “Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Credit Risk Elements”.

     As of December 31, 2004, we had loans with an aggregate outstanding balance of $37.1 million with respect to which known information concerning possible credit problems with the borrowers or the cash flows of the properties securing the respective loans has caused management to be concerned about the ability of the borrowers to comply with present loan repayment terms, which may result in the future inclusion of such loans in the non-accrual loan category. All of these loans are classified as substandard pursuant to the regulatory guidelines discussed below.

     At December 31, 2004, there was no other real estate owned.

Classified Assets

     Management uses a loan classification system consistent with the classification system used by bank regulatory agencies to help it evaluate the risks inherent in its real estate loan portfolio. Loans are identified as “pass”, “substandard”, “doubtful” or “loss” based upon consideration of all sources of repayment, underlying collateral values, current and anticipated economic conditions, trends and uncertainties, and historical experience. Pass loans are further divided into four additional sub-categories, based on the borrower’s financial strength and ability to service the debt and/or the value and debt service coverage of the underlying collateral. Underlying collateral values for real estate dependent loans are supported by property appraisals or evaluations. We review our loan classifications on at least a quarterly basis. At December 31, 2004, we classified $49.0 million of loans as “substandard”, $2.8 million as “doubtful” and none as “loss” of which, $14.7 million of these classified loans were included in the nonperforming assets table in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Financial Condition and Operations — Credit Risk Elements”.

Funding Sources

     The primary source of funding for our lending operations and investments are deposits. Our deposits are federally insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent permitted by law. Approximately 82.0% of our deposits are term deposits that pay fixed rates of interest for periods ranging from 90 days to five years, 12.0% of our deposits are variable rate passbook accounts and variable rate money market accounts with limited checking features, and 6.0% are customer demand deposit accounts.

     In connection with the Bank’s charter conversion in 2003, we expanded our line of banking products and services offered to our customers. The new products and services consist of commercial banking products and services, including consumer and business checking accounts. Our retail checking account balance was $85.9 million at December 31, 2004. As we continue to expand and grow our retail deposit base, we anticipate that the Bank’s dependence on interest rate sensitive certificates of deposit as a funding source will slowly diminish; however, in 2004, our deposit strategy continued to rely upon offering deposit rates significantly above those customarily offered by other financial institutions in its market. We generally accumulate deposits by relying on renewals of term accounts by existing depositors, participating in deposit rate surveys which promote the rates offered by us on our deposit products, and periodically advertising in various local market newspapers and other media. Management believes that our deposits are a reliable funding source and that the cost of funds resulting from our deposit gathering strategy is comparable to those of other banks pursuing a similar strategy. However, because we compete for deposits primarily on the basis of rates, we could experience difficulties in attracting deposits if we could not continue to offer deposit rates at levels above those of other financial institutions. Management also believes that any efforts to significantly increase the size of our deposit base may require greater marketing efforts and/or increases in deposit rates. At December 31, 2004, we had $100.0 million of brokered deposits.

     For information concerning overall deposits outstanding during the periods indicated and the rates paid thereon, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Net Interest Income”.

     The Bank also uses advances from the FHLB of San Francisco and borrowings from other unaffiliated financial institutions as funding sources. FHLB advances are collateralized by pledges of qualifying cash equivalents, investment securities, mortgage-backed securities and loans. At December 31, 2004, FHLB advances outstanding totaled $492.4 million, and the remaining available borrowing capacity, based on the loans and securities pledged as collateral, totaled $193.7 million, net of the $9.5 million of additional FHLB Stock that we would be required to purchase to support the additional borrowings. Additionally, the Bank has a $91.8 million repurchase agreement borrowing from an unaffiliated financial institution that is secured by mortgage-backed securities. The Bank also has uncommitted, unsecured lines of credit with other banks renewable daily in the amount of $30.0 million and ITLA

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Capital has a $25.0 million revolving credit facility with an unaffiliated financial institution. This revolving credit facility matures on April 30, 2005, which we intend on renewing upon maturity. See “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements — Notes 7, 8, and 10”.

Regulation

     On January 1, 2003, the Bank converted from a California industrial bank to a California-chartered commercial bank, and the Company became a bank holding company. As a result, ITLA Capital is now regulated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”). The Bank continues to be regulated by the California Department of Financial Institutions (the “DFI”) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”). Due to legislation which became effective in October 2000, California industrial banks are now generally subject to the same California banking laws as California commercial banks. Accordingly, the regulatory oversight to which the Bank is now subject as a commercial bank is not significantly different from the regulatory oversight to which it was subject as an industrial bank.

     Holding Company Regulation

     Bank holding companies are subject to comprehensive regulation by the Federal Reserve Board under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board. As a bank holding company, ITLA Capital is required to file reports with the Federal Reserve Board and such additional information as the Federal Reserve Board may require, and ITLA Capital and its non-bank subsidiaries are subject to examination by the Federal Reserve Board. The Federal Reserve Board also has extensive enforcement authority over bank holding companies, including, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, to issue cease and desist or removal orders and to require that a bank holding company divest subsidiaries, including its bank subsidiaries. In general, enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of law and regulation as well as unsafe or unsound practices.

     Under Federal Reserve Board policy, a bank holding company must serve as a source of strength for its subsidiary banks. Under this policy, the Federal Reserve Board may require, and has required in the past, bank holding companies to contribute additional capital to undercapitalized subsidiary banks.

     Under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, a bank holding company must obtain Federal Reserve Board approval before, among other matters:

	•	acquiring, directly or indirectly, ownership or control of any voting shares of another bank or bank holding company if, after the acquisition, it would own or control more than 5% of these shares (unless it already owns or controls a majority of these shares);
	•	acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company; or
	•	merging or consolidating with another bank holding company.

     This statute also prohibits a bank holding company, with certain exceptions, from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company, or from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or providing services for its subsidiaries. The principal exceptions to these prohibitions involve certain non-bank activities which have been identified as activities closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks.

     Dividends. The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the Federal Reserve Board’s view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that its net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention that is consistent with the bank holding company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. Furthermore, under its source of strength doctrine, the Federal Reserve Board expects a bank holding company to serve as a source of financial strength for its bank subsidiaries, which could limit the ability of a holding company to pay dividends if a bank subsidiary did not have sufficient capital.

     Repurchase or Redemption of Equity Securities. A bank holding company is required to give the Federal Reserve Board prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of its outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of its consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve Board may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve

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Board order, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve Board. This notification requirement does not apply to any company that meets the well-capitalized standard for bank holding companies, has a safety and soundness examination rating of at least a “2” and is not subject to any unresolved supervisory issues.

     Regulatory Capital Requirements.The Federal Reserve has established risk-based measures and a leverage measure of capital adequacy for bank holding companies. ITLA Capital was not subject to any minimum capital requirements prior to becoming a bank holding company.

     The risk-based capital standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks and bank holding companies, to account for off-balance-sheet exposure, and to minimize disincentives for holding liquid assets. Assets and off-balance-sheet items, such as letters of credit and unfunded loan commitments, are assigned to broad risk categories, each with appropriate risk weights. The resulting capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of total risk-weighted assets and off-balance-sheet items.

     The minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets is 8.0%. Total capital consists of two components, Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital. Tier 1 capital generally consists of common shareholders’ equity, including retained earnings, noncumulative perpetual preferred stock, certain trust preferred securities and minority interest in equity accounts of fully consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and other specified intangible assets. Tier 1 capital must equal at least 4.0% of risk-weighted assets. Tier 2 capital generally consists of subordinated debt and other hybrid capital instruments, other preferred stock, a limited amount of loan loss reserves and a limited amount of unrealized holding gains on equity securities. The total amount of Tier 2 capital is limited to 100% of Tier 1 capital. At December 31, 2004, our ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets was 16.0% and our ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets was 13.7%.

     In addition, the Federal Reserve has established minimum leverage ratio guidelines for bank holding companies. These guidelines provide for a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to average assets, less goodwill and other specified intangible assets, of 3.0% for certain bank holding companies that meet specified criteria, including having the highest regulatory rating and implementing the Federal Reserve’s risk-based capital measure for market risk. All other bank holding companies generally are required to maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4.0%. At December 31, 2004, ITLA Capital’s required Tier 1 capital ratio was 4.0% and its actual Tier 1 capital was 12.3%.

     ITLA Capital currently is deemed “well capitalized” under the Federal Reserve Board capital requirements. To be well capitalized, a bank holding company must have a ratio of total capital to risk weighted assets of at least 10% and a ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk weighted assets of at least 6.0%.

     Failure to meet capital guidelines could subject a bank or bank holding company to a variety of enforcement remedies, including issuance of a capital directive, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, a prohibition on accepting brokered deposits, and other restrictions on its business. As described below, significant additional restrictions can be imposed on FDIC-insured depository institutions that fail to meet applicable capital requirements.

     Bank Regulation — California Law

     The regulations of the DFI govern most aspects of the Bank’s businesses and operations, including, but not limited to, the scope of its business, investments, the nature and amount of any collateral for loans, the issuance of securities, the payment of dividends, bank expansion and bank activities. The DFI’s supervision of the Bank includes comprehensive reviews of all aspects of the Bank’s business and condition, and the DFI possesses broad remedial enforcement authority to influence the Bank’s operations, both formally and informally.

     Bank Regulation — Federal Law

     Because our deposits are insured by the Bank Insurance Fund of the FDIC, the FDIC, in addition to the DFI, also broadly regulates the Bank. As an insurer of deposits, the FDIC issues regulations, conducts examinations, requires the filing of reports, and generally supervises the operations of institutions to which it provides deposit insurance. The FDIC is also the federal agency charged with regulating state-chartered banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System, such as the Bank. Insured depository institutions, and their institution-affiliated parties, may be subject to potential enforcement actions by the FDIC and the DFI for unsafe or unsound practices in conducting their businesses or for violations of any law, rule, regulation or any condition imposed in writing by the agency or any written agreement with the agency. Management is not aware of any pending or threatened enforcement actions against the Bank.

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     Regulatory Capital Requirements. Federally-insured, state-chartered banks such as the Bank, are required to maintain minimum levels of regulatory capital as specified in the FDIC’s capital maintenance regulations. The FDIC also is authorized to impose capital requirements in excess of these standards on individual banks on a case-by-case basis.

     The Bank is required to comply with three separate minimum capital requirements: a “tier 1 capital ratio” and two “risk-based” capital requirements. “Tier 1 capital” generally includes common shareholders’ equity, including retained earnings, qualifying noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and any related surplus, and minority interests in the equity accounts of fully consolidated subsidiaries, less intangible assets, other than properly valued purchased mortgage servicing rights up to certain specified limits and less net deferred tax assets in excess of certain specified limits.

     Tier 1 Capital Ratio. FDIC regulations establish a minimum 3.0% ratio of tier 1 capital to total average assets for the most highly-rated state-chartered, FDIC-supervised banks. All other FDIC supervised banks must maintain at least a 4.0% tier 1 capital ratio. At December 31, 2004, the Bank’s required minimum tier 1 capital ratio was 4.0% and its actual tier 1 capital ratio was 11.0%.

     Risk-Based Capital Requirements. The risk-based capital requirements generally require the Bank to maintain a ratio of tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0% and a ratio of total risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%. To calculate the amount of capital required, assets are placed in one of four categories and given a percentage weight (0%, 20%, 50% or 100%) based on the relative risk of the category. For example, United States Treasury Bills and Ginnie Mae securities are placed in the 0% risk category. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are placed in the 20% risk category, loans secured by one-to four-family residential properties and certain privately-issued mortgage-backed securities are generally placed in the 50% risk category, and commercial and consumer loans and other assets are generally placed in the 100% risk category. In addition, certain off-balance-sheet items are converted to balance sheet credit equivalent amounts and each amount is then assigned to one of the four categories.

     For purposes of the risk-based capital requirements, “total capital” means tier 1 capital plus supplementary or tier 2 capital, so long as the amount of supplementary or tier 2 capital that is used to satisfy the requirement does not exceed the amount of tier 1 capital. Tier 2 capital includes cumulative and certain other perpetual preferred stock, mandatory convertible subordinated debt and perpetual subordinated debt, mandatory redeemable preferred stock, intermediate-term preferred stock, mandatory convertible subordinated debt and subordinated debt, the allowance for loan losses up to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets and a limited amount of unrealized holding gains on securities. At December 31, 2004 the Bank’s tier 1 risk-based and total capital ratios were 12.2% and 13.5%, respectively.

     The federal banking agencies have adopted regulations specifying that the agencies will include, in their evaluation of a bank’s capital adequacy, an assessment of the exposure to declines in the economic value of the bank’s capital due to changes in interest rates. The FDIC and the other federal banking agencies have also promulgated final amendments to their respective risk-based capital requirements which identify concentration of credit risk and certain risks arising from nontraditional activities, and the management of such risk, as important factors to consider in assessing an institution’s overall capital adequacy. The FDIC may require higher minimum capital ratios based on certain circumstances, including where the institution has significant risks from concentration of credit or certain risks arising from nontraditional activities.

     Prompt Corrective Action Requirements. The FDIC has implemented a system requiring regulatory sanctions against state-chartered banks that are not adequately capitalized, with the sanctions growing more severe the lower the institution’s capital. The FDIC has established specific capital ratios for five separate capital categories: “well capitalized”, “adequately capitalized”, “undercapitalized”, “significantly undercapitalized”, and “critically undercapitalized”.

     An institution is treated as “well capitalized” if its total risk based capital ratio is 10.0% or more, its tier 1 risk-based ratio is 6.0% or more, its tier 1 capital ratio is 5.0% or greater, and it is not subject to any order or directive by the FDIC to meet a specific capital level. The Bank exceeded these requirements at December 31, 2004.

     The FDIC is authorized and, under certain circumstances, required to take certain actions against institutions that fail to meet their capital requirements. The FDIC is generally required to take action to restrict the activities of an “undercapitalized” institution. Any such institution must submit a capital restoration plan and, until such plan is approved by the FDIC, may not increase its assets, acquire another institution, establish a branch or engage in any new activities, and generally may not make capital distributions. The capital restoration plan must include a limited guaranty by the institution’s holding company.

     In addition, the FDIC must appoint a receiver or conservator for an institution, with certain limited exceptions, within 90 days after it becomes “critically undercapitalized”.

     The FDIC is also generally authorized to reclassify an institution into a lower capital category and impose the restrictions applicable to such category if the institution is engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or is in an unsafe or unsound condition.

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     Community Reinvestment Act and Fair Lending Requirements. The Bank is subject to certain fair lending requirements and reporting obligations involving lending operations and Community Reinvestment Act activities. Federal banking agencies are required to evaluate the record of financial institutions in meeting the credit needs of their local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. In addition to substantial penalties and corrective measures that may be required for a violation of certain fair lending laws, the federal banking agencies take compliance with such laws into account when regulating and supervising other activities such as mergers and acquisitions. In its most recent examination, the FDIC rated the Bank “satisfactory” in complying with its Community Reinvestment Act obligations.

     Fiscal and Monetary Policies. Our business and earnings are affected significantly by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies. We are particularly affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve Board, which regulates the supply of money and credit in the United States. Among the instruments of monetary policy available to the Federal Reserve Board are (a) conducting open market operations in United States government securities; (b) changing the discount rates of borrowings of depository institutions, (c) imposing or changing reserve requirements against depository institutions’ deposits, and (d) imposing or changing reserve requirements against certain borrowings by banks and their affiliates. These methods are used in varying degrees and combinations to directly affect the availability of bank loans and deposits, as well as the interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. The policies of the Federal Reserve Board may have a material effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

     Privacy Provisions. Banking regulators, as required under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLB Act”), have adopted rules limiting the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose nonpublic information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties. The rules generally require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to nonaffiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of the GLB Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial services companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

     The state of California has adopted The California Financial Information Privacy Act (“CFPA”), which took effect in 2004. The CFPA requires a financial institution to provide specific information to a consumer related to the sharing of that consumer’s nonpublic personal information. A consumer may direct the financial institution not to share his or her nonpublic personal information with affiliated or nonaffiliated companies with which a financial institution has contracted to provide financial products and services, and requires permission from the consumer be acquired by a financial institution prior to sharing such information. These provisions are more restrictive than the privacy provisions of the GLB Act.

     In December 2003, the U.S. Congress adopted, and President Bush signed, the Fair and Accurate Transactions Act (the “FACT Act”). One of the provisions of the FACT Act provides that, when the implementing regulations have been issued and become effective, the FACT Act will preempt elements of the CFPA. The FACT Act requires the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Trade Commission to issue final regulations within nine months of the effectiveness of the FACT Act, and that those regulations must become effective within six months of issuance. The provisions of the regulations that will implement the FACT Act, and the timing of their effect on the Bank, cannot be determined at this time.

     Future Legislation. Various legislation, including proposals to change substantially the financial institution regulatory system, is from time to time introduced in Congress. This legislation may change banking statutes and our operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, this legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. We cannot predict whether any of this potential legislation will be enacted and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Employees

     As of December 31, 2004, we had 250 employees. Management believes that its relations with employees are satisfactory. We are not subject to any collective bargaining agreements.

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Segment Reporting

     Financial and other information regarding our operating segments is contained in Note 19 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report.

Internet Website

     We maintain a website with the address www.itlacapital.com. The information contained on our website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other than an investor’s own Internet access charges, we make available free of charge through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 2. Properties

     The following sets forth the Company’s material facilities as of December 31, 2004.

     For additional information regarding our premises, see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements — Note 6”.

     Management believes that our present facilities are adequate for its current needs, and that alternative or additional space, if necessary, will be available on reasonable terms.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

     We are party to certain legal proceedings incidental to our business. Management believes that the outcome of such proceedings, in the aggregate, will not have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

     No matter was submitted to a vote of security holders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise, during the quarter ended December 31, 2004.

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PART II

     Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

     ITLA Capital’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market system under the symbol “ITLA”. As of March 14, 2005, there were 113 holders of record of ITLA Capital’s common stock representing an estimated 1,400 beneficial shareholders with a total of 5,797,224 shares outstanding. We have not paid any cash dividends since our holding company reorganization in 1996. As a bank holding company, ITLA Capital’s ability to pay dividends may be affected by regulations, including those governing the payment of dividends by the Bank to ITLA Capital, which could be a source of funds for any dividends paid by ITLA Capital, as well as by the policies of the Federal Reserve Board. See “Item 1. Business—Regulation” and Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report.

     The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of high and low trade prices for ITLA Capital’s common stock. Stock price data on NASDAQ reflects inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission.

     The following table includes supplementary quarterly operating results and per share information for the past two years. The data presented should be read along with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and with “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included elsewhere in this report.

Quarterly Operations (Unaudited)

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Stock Repurchases

     The following table sets forth the repurchases of our common stock for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2004.