Hanmi Financial Corp. Announces Retirement of I Joon Ahn From Its Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hanmi Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:HAFC) ("Hanmi"), the holding company for Hanmi Bank (the "Bank"), today announced the retirement of board member I Joon Ahn, effective December 31, 2015.

Mr. Ahn was one of six founding members of Hanmi Bank. During his 33-year tenure with Hanmi, Mr. Ahn served in various capacities, including chairman of the board and board member. Having established his success earlier in his career in the garment industry, Mr. Ahn was instrumental in raising initial capital for the Bank. During his term as the chairman of the board, Mr. Ahn played a key role in negotiating the 1998 acquisition of First Global Savings and Loan, which resulted in Hanmi becoming the largest Korean American bank at that time.

Commenting on Mr. Ahn's pending retirement, Hanmi's Chairman, Joseph K. Rho, stated, "The board of directors extends its sincere appreciation to Mr. Ahn for his outstanding service to Hanmi. As an immigrant and successful entrepreneur, it was Mr. Ahn's vision to establish a bank to help the Korean American immigrant community achieve financial success in their new country. Over the following decades, Mr. Ahn's dedicated leadership and energy have had a profound impact on the success of Hanmi Bank, as well as countless Korean Americans who have come to share in the American Dream. I am honored to have served alongside Mr. Ahn and wish him well in his retirement."

About Hanmi Financial Corporation

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Hanmi Financial Corporation owns Hanmi Bank, which serves multi-ethnic communities through its network of 42 full-service branches and 6 loan production offices in California, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Washington and Georgia. Hanmi Bank specializes in real estate, commercial, SBA and trade finance lending to small and middle market businesses. Additional information is available at www.hanmi.com.

CONTACT: Ron Santarosa
         SEVP & Chief Financial Officer
         213-427-5636

         Christina C. Lee
         FVP & Senior Strategy Officer
         213-427-5631

         Lasse Glassen
         Investor Relations
         Addo Communications
         310-829-5400

Released November 16, 2015