"Dear Mr. Ho,
I worked in the fifties for major Canadian national banks; I know how crucial a local bank is to a community, and that is why I read the letter of January 27, 2012, announcing the closing of the Kohala branch, with sadness. Surely you appreciate, a bank is more than a business; it is also a community support system. This is especially true with our local seniors, many of whom are either unable or afraid to use online banking services, for various reasons. Trying to educate them in using online services will not work; for most elderly, learning is no longer easy or even possible. What about those people who have no computer to begin with? I fear it includes the majority of our seniors.
Reading about you, I found the following, “Peter Ho puts helping people high on desires - Honolulu Advertiser (Mar 21, 2010)”. Mr. Ho, this is your God given chance to live up to your desires, and to demonstrate that your service priorities are still in the right place. Closing the Kohala branch would be contrary to helping people, in my opinion. I know that Bank of Hawaii has an excellent financial record; I refuse to believe that your bank would abandon our seniors/community, who contributed so much to make your bank successful for 90 years. Closing this historic branch would appear ungrateful, and totally devoid of the ‘Aloha Spirit.
Our business community will also suffer; which business owners have the time to travel to Waimea, to accomplish their basic banking needs? Yes, we are in an economic slowdown, but as sure as, the sun will rise tomorrow, so will the business climate in our community. Signs of increased tourist trade are everywhere. A community without at least one local full-service bank is doomed to stagnate. This plan to close our local bank appears very shortsighted, and ignores the potential of our community; it throws in the towel in defeat. The closing of this branch signals to us that your bank has given up on our community. This is not the bank I know, and learned to respect in the aftermath of our national banking disaster.
I appreciate that there are compelling short-term business reasons why your bank came to this decision. However, when looking at the long-term, this decision will prove to be wrong, not only in the business sense, but also in the human sense. Taking away a community banking support from a struggling community, trying to rebuild itself appears to be an apathetic and calculated action. There are ways to make this work for the benefit of the bank and the community. For example, this branch does not require three bank clerks, excluding the Manager, and yet this is what I saw January 30, 2012, while making my deposit. We, I am sure, are willing to wait a little longer in-line to get service, if that, and other cost savings, like opening three days a week only, help to keep this branch open.
Keeping this branch open, for the sake of the community, is priceless marketing for your bank. When prospective customers, learn about this, they will be confident to bring their business to your bank. I implore you to exercise your executive power and veto this planned closure of our branch.
Respectfully,
Frank J. Maier"
