East West Bancorp, Inc. 135 N. Los Robles Ave., 7th Fl. Pasadena, CA 91101 Tel. 626.768.6800 Fax 626.817.8838

NEWS RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AT THE COMPANY: Irene Oh Chief Financial Officer (626) 768-6360

EAST WEST BANCORP ANNOUNCES THE ELECTION OF RUDOLPH I. ESTRADA AS LEAD DIRECTOR

Pasadena, CA – April 19, 2013 – East West Bancorp, Inc. (“East West”) (Nasdaq: EWBC), parent company of , the financial bridge between the and Greater China, today announced that the outside independent directors of its Board of Directors have elected Rudolph I. Estrada as Lead Director, effective July 2013.

“Mr. Estrada is a highly experienced director and well suited for this role,” said Dominic Ng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of East West. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with Rudy and all of our board members in upholding high corporate governance standards and delivering long-term value to our shareholders.”

“I am pleased and honored to be elected as Lead Director and serve in this important governance role for one of the best performing banks in the nation,” said Estrada. “East West Bank’s long-standing reputation for sound corporate governance and ethical business practices is a strategic asset in building strong and productive business and community partnerships.”

Mr. Estrada has been a director of East West Bancorp and East West Bank since 2005. He currently serves as Chairman of the Risk Oversight Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards of East West Bancorp and East West Bank. Further, he serves as Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Council of East West Bank, focused on developing strategic networks of new business. Mr. Estrada has over 35 years of banking and business experience and is a former Presidential appointee serving as Commissioner on the White House Commission on Small Business. He also served as the Los Angeles District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mr. Estrada is President and Chief Executive Officer of Estradagy Business Advisors, a business and banking advisory group, and serves as a professor in the School of Business and Economics with State University Channel Islands. He also serves on the boards of several corporate and non-profit organizations.

About East West

East West Bancorp is a publicly owned company with $23.1 billion in assets and is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “EWBC”. The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, East West Bank, is one of the largest independent banks headquartered in California. East West is a premier bank focused exclusively on the United States and Greater China markets and operates over 120 locations worldwide, including in the United States markets of California, , , , and . In Greater China, East West’s presence includes a full service branch in and representative offices in , and . Through a wholly-owned subsidiary bank, East West’s presence in Greater China also includes full service branches in and and a representative office in . For more information on East West Bancorp, visit the Company's website at www.eastwestbank.com.