Bank of Hawaii has announced that it is closing its two branches in American Samoa in the first quarter 2013.
Bank of Hawaii has been operating in American Samoa since 1969 and currently employs 30 people.
The vice president and district manager for American Samoa, Hobbs Lowson, says the decision was not made lightly.
He says in 2000, they made the strategic decision to centralize their footprint back to their core Hawaii and Guam markets.
But he says they opted to also keep a presence in American Samoa, where they felt they could deliver the appropriate level of service.
However, he says it's become increasingly difficult to maintain that strategy in American Samoa due to its geographic isolation from our other markets.
He says customers will have ample time to close or transfer accounts.
He adds the Bank is working with local government officials and ANZ Bank in American Samoa to help ensure customers' banking needs continue to be met.