First PacTrust Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") announced today that it intends to offer and sell senior notes due 2020 in an underwritten public offering. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for possible acquisitions, support of organic growth, investments in, or extensions of credit to, its subsidiaries, investments in securities and for general corporate purposes. A copy of the press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1.

This Current Report on Form 8-K and the attached press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described therein, nor shall there be any offer or sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Company is conducting the offering pursuant to an effective Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-170622) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The senior notes offering is being made solely by means of a separate prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Prospective investors should read the prospectus in that registration statement, the preliminary prospectus supplement and other documents that the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for more complete information about the Company and the offering. Investors may obtain these documents without charge by visiting the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10020, (866) 805-4128.

See Exhibit Index.