Dunson K. Cheng, Chairman, President and CEO of Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) , announced that on October 1, 2008, the Board of Directors of Cathay General Bancorp declared a 10.5 cents per share cash dividend, payable on October 21, 2008, to stockholders of record on October 14, 2008.

ABOUT CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP

Cathay General Bancorp is the holding company for Cathay Bank, a California state-chartered bank. Founded in 1962, Cathay Bank offers a wide range of financial services. Cathay Bank currently operates 31 branches in California, nine branches in New York State, one in Massachusetts, two in Texas, three in Washington State, three in Illinois, one in New Jersey, one in Hong Kong, and a representative office in Taipei and in Shanghai. Cathay Bank's website is found at http://www.cathaybank.com/.