Umpqua now largest community bank on West Coast

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Umpqua Bank is now the largest community bank on the West Coast, with assets soaring over $22 billion. During 2014, parent company Umpqua Holdings generated a profit of $147 million, up 51 percent from 2013's $97.6 million. Yet Umpqua missed analysts' per-share earnings target in the fourth quarter, causing shares to falter Thursday when the news broke. Umpqua topped its previous highs in assets, deposits and loans, but it was the 27-cent-per-share income figure investors homed in on after Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast 30 cents per share. Umpqua's assets and deposits grew 1 percent to $22.6 billion and $16.9 billion, while loans edged up to $15.3 billion. Umpqua, which operates 17 offices in Jackson County following its assimilation of Sterling Savings last year, saw its shares decline 3.2 percent to $15.44.