Center Bank's Chicago Branch Office Moves to Koreatown Business District; New Koreatown Location Better Positions Company to Serve Financial Needs of Korean-American Business Owners.

LOS ANGELES -- Center Bank, a community bank focused on the Korean-American niche market and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Center Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CLFC), today announced the relocation of its Chicago Branch Office to the Koreatown business district. The new site is located at 5520 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625, telephone number 773-433-3000.

"Our new location in the main Koreatown business district provides Korean-American and neighboring ethnic communicates with more convenient access to Center Bank's full offering of financial services," said (Paul) Seon-Hong Kim, president and chief executive officer of Center Financial. "We believe this strategic move will significantly increase our opportunities to develop and expand deep relationships with both new and current customers.

"With the added visibility and our focus on providing value-added products and services to small business owners, we believe we are well situated to grow the Center Bank franchise in one of the largest and most mature Korean-American communities in the U.S. We welcome all to visit our new, conveniently located Chicago Branch," Kim said.

About Center Financial Corporation

Center Financial Corporation is the financial holding company of Center Bank, a community bank offering a full range of financial services for diverse ethnic and small business customers. Founded in 1986 and specializing in commercial and SBA loans and trade finance products, Center Bank has grown to be one of the nation's largest financial institutions focusing on the Korean-American community, with total assets of $1.4 billion at March 31, 2005. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Center Bank operates 25 branch and loan production offices across the nation. Of the company's 16 full-service branches, 14 are located throughout Southern California, along with one branch each in Chicago and Seattle. Center Bank's nine loan production offices are strategically located in Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston and Dallas. Center Bank is a California state-chartered institution and member of the FDIC. For additional information on Center Bank, visit the company's Web site at www.centerbank.com.

This release may contain forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and accordingly, the cautionary statements contained in Center Financial Corp's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2004. (See Business, and Management's Discussion and Analysis), and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated herein by reference. These factors include, but are not limited to: the company's successful operation of the newly relocated Chicago Office; the effect of interest rate and currency exchange fluctuations; competition in the financial services market for both deposits and loans; Center Financial's ability to efficiently incorporate acquisitions into its operations; the ability of Center Financial and its subsidiaries to increase its customer base; and regional and general economic conditions. Actual results and performance in future periods may be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this release. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Center Financial expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements found herein to reflect any changes in the Company's expectations of results or any change in events.