Bank of the Orient first joined the San Francisco community in 1971 with the opening of its headquarters at 233 Sansome Street in the heart of the Financial District. It was the first Asian-American owned bank to be launched in California since World War II.

The Bank’s founder, Ernest Go, was born in the Philippines to a family of international bankers. Arriving in this country, he perceived that there was a critical need in the Bay Area that was not being addressed: banking services to support Asian-American owned small and medium sized businesses. By providing credit to these companies, it was the founder’s aim to generate employment opportunities for the surrounding community. Consequently, with the mission of serving the needs of this unique Asian-American small and medium business sector, Bank of the Orient opened its doors to the public on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, 1971.

As a newly established institution, the Bank was initially concerned with building up trust among its customers, many of whom understandably perceived they were taking a risk by banking with an institution with no track record. In order to cultivate trust and build confidence, Bank of the Orient staff regularly visited customers at their sites of business, providing better quality service and faster turnaround time than they would get with the big banks. This early experience, and the resulting practice, set the precedent for a Bank tradition of personalized service and relationship building.

Over the years, Bank of the Orient opened several more branches around the San Francisco Bay Area. Each new location was chosen for its proximity to a concentration of Asian-American residents and businesses, with the goal of improving the Bank's ability to serve that clientele. Its branch in San Francisco Chinatown opened its doors in 1972; San Francisco's Richmond District in 1975; and Oakland Chinatown in 1981. To support its international activity, the Bank established a branch in Xiamen, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Then, the Bank opened the San Francisco Sunset District Office in 1997. Reaching out to the Peninsula market, the Millbrae Office opened in 1999. Across the Pacific Ocean, Bank of the Orient acquired two new branches in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2000. Coming in early2002, the Bank will open our first Southern California office in the City of Industry.

Starting from its first year of business, Bank of the Orient has actively provided staff time, moral support, and financial assistance to a variety of community organizations, with an initial focus on those serving Asian-Americans. For example, the Bank was an early supporter of Chinese Hospital, and it provided a loan to On Lok Senior Health Services enabling it to purchase its first facility. Bank of the Orient has continued this practice of neighborhood involvement through the years, and as a result it is now a core Bank tradition. Our main areas of interest are groups that assist the elderly to lead active and independent lives (such as Self-Help for the Elderly); organizations that serve economically underprivileged youth (such as Chinatown Youth Center); and groups that build affordable housing for low-income families (such as Asian Neighborhood Design).

Bank of the Orient, unlike many other banks today, can boast of an unusual level of continuity among its staff. Moreover, it has been under continuous management since its founding. The resulting sense of loyalty among the Bank’s staff has enabled it, over time, to build unusually strong relationships with its customers. This kind of staff commitment translates into a high level of trust among its customers, who have observed and reaped the rewards of this continuity. For these reasons, Bank of the Orient prides itself on being a relationship bank.

One characteristic that sets Bank of the Orient apart from its competition is that its staff spend time with customers to provide not only product and service information, but also business and personal financial advice. In addition, the Bank makes a concerted effort to hire bilingual staff so that it may better serve customers who are more at ease speaking a language other than English. Bank of the Orient’s attitude toward its customers is, "Your success is our success."

One of Bank of the Orient’s underlying goals over the years has been to bring together the best of the traditions of Asia and America and to strengthen relations between the United States and Asia through trade. Because of its founding origins, the Bank does have a special understanding of and interest in the Asian-American communities in California. However, because of its international capabilities and outlook, the Bank’s clientele encompasses a broad range of customers, including many with an interest in Asia Pacific business and trade. First and foremost, Bank of the Orient strives to serve the Northern California community’s business and personal banking needs.

Since its beginning in 1971, with a staff of just one dozen, Bank of the Orient has grown to 175 employees and assets of $460 Million. In 2000, the Bank moved into the Hawaii market with the acquisition of assets from another institution. Down the road, the Bank hopes to serve families and businesses in other locations in Northern and Southern California. Ultimately, as it continues to focus on West Coast trade with Asia and the Pacific, Bank of the Orient has its sights set on serving businesses and communities throughout the Pacific Rim.

Recent advances in technology have revolutionized the way people bank today. Bank of the Orient is a firm believer in utilizing technology to streamline processes and improve efficiency, thereby improving service to its customers. In order to meet the needs of its increasingly sophisticated customer base, the Bank is constantly on the lookout for technologies that will support or improve its products. At the same time, the Bank remembers its community roots and actively strives to balance technological change with human understanding -- in other words, to practice Service Strengthened by Tradition. With this philosophy at its heart, Bank of the Orient looks forward to its next quarter century.

Review our Privacy Policy and Procedures and Customer Identification Program Questions about our products or services? Please feel free to contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-881-2686, or email us at money@bankorient.com.