The story
Central Pacific Bank was founded by Japanese American nisei (second generation) veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, and Military Intelligence Service, including future senator Daniel Inouye, in response to social inequities immigrant families faced after WWII.
To strengthen the project’s prospects, the group reached out to issei (first generation) business leaders, which brought them into contact with the Sumitomo Bank, a bank from Japan that had operated in Hawaii prior to WWII. They then raised $1 million in capital through grassroots efforts across the islands, and this, along with managerial assistance from Sumitomo, allowed CPB to obtain its charter on January 29,1954 and officially open for business on February 15, 1954. The opening of the bank brought with it more acceptance of the Japanese and other ethnic communities not only at other financial institutions, but also in Hawaii’s society and economy at large.
By the time Hawaii became a state in 1959, the bank operated five branches including its downtown headquarters. Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, CPB continued to focus on modernization and automation, growing its total assets from $6.3 million in 1954 to $410.9 million in 1979.
In 1981, construction started on a new corporate headquarters building in downtown Honolulu. It was completed in 1982, and in February 1983, CPB relocated its corporate headquarters to this new location. Technological improvements during this time period include the expansion of available ATMs in 1990 when CPB joined the ATM Plus network and the introduction of phone banking services in 1992.
In January 2020, CPB launched its RISE2020 program, with the goal of updating the main branch with an indoor-outdoor lanai, co-working spaces, and a new retail space.
During the global pandemic beginning in 2020, the bank created an online portal for Paycheck Protection Program applications, resulting in the highest market share of PPP loans dispersed by any bank in any state in the U.S.
In 2021, CPB launched Shaka Checking, Hawaii’s first all-digital checking account and became the first Hawaii bank to offer a live chat feature with customer service representatives.
In 2025, CPB donated its former Operations Center located on School Street to the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Community Services (DCS). The total donation was valued at more than $1.6 million.
From Wikipedia’s article on Central Pacific Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7