The story
The bank was established in 1982. Originally it was founded to serve the Korean American community in Los Angeles.
The bank was founded by George S. Chey, who served as Chairman of the Board for 10 years after its startup.
In 1987, the Hanmi Bank conducted its IPO and is listed on Nasdaq.
The bank bought the First Global Bank and the Pacific Union Bank and the Chun Ha Insurance Agency. In 2001, the company listed on Nasdaq. Subsequently, the bank expanded to include insurance and wealth management services.
In 2014, it acquired United Central Bank.
In 2015, it dropped its bid to acquire the larger BBCN Bancorp, paving the way for BBCN to merge with another Koreatown rival, Wilshire Bancorp, as Bank of Hope.
From Wikipedia’s article on Hanmi Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6