- Ratings agencies S&P Global and Fitch cut First Republic's credit rating to junk status.
- The bank is now considering various options, including a sale and boosting liquidity Bloomberg reported.
First Republic Bank is considering various options, including a sale, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The bank is expected to attract interest from larger lenders if it goes on sale, per Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based lender is also looking at options to boost liquidity, per the news outlet.
Ratings agencies S&P Global and Fitch had cut First Republic's credit rating to junk status earlier on Wednesday due to concerns that depositors could pull funds from the lender.
First Republic has been assuring customers of its liquidity since the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank — which in turn triggered concerns about the financial health of regional banks.
On Sunday, First Republic said it was getting $70 billion of additional funding from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase after its share price slumped sharply amid Silicon Valley Bank's implosion.
"We believe the risk of deposit outflows is elevated at First Republic Bank despite the actions of federal banking regulators and the bank actively increasing its borrowing availability to mitigate risk associated with the bank failures over the last week," wrote S&P Global Ratings analysts Nicholas Wetzel and Rian Pressman.
First Republic's share price closed 21.4% lower at $ 31.16 apiece on Wednesday. They are down 74% so far this year.
First Republic Bank did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
Watch: Why Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, and why it matters