First Hawaiian Bank will be closing its Gualo Rai branch in mid-June, leaving the CNMI with the sole FHB branch in Oleai—a decision that FHB’s corporate office said wasn’t an easy one.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our Gualo Rai branch,” said FHB vice president and public relations manager Lindsay Chambers in an email to Saipan Tribune. “This decision was not made lightly and took into account multiple factors, including evolving banking trends and the ways we could improve our overall banking experience.”
Chambers confirmed that the Gualo Rai branch’s last day of operations is June 14. a Friday, at 4pm.
“We welcome our customers who banked at Gualo Rai to visit our nearby [Oleai]branch to continue their service Monday-Friday between 9am and 4pm,” she said.
During the transition, Chambers said, they will be actively supporting their Gualo Rai staff.
“To our valued customers on Saipan, we appreciate your understanding during this period of change and want to reassure you of our dedication to serving your banking needs. Please visit our branches or call (888) 844-444 with any inquiries, we are here to serve you,” she added.
Ed Untalan, FHB executive vice president and region manager, broke the sad news of the Gualo Rai branch’s closing in a letter to customers dated March 7.
“In line with our continuing efforts to streamline and improve our customer service delivery, we will be closing our First Hawaiian Bank Gualo Rai Branch and ATMs at the Gualo Rai Commercial Center located at Chalan Pale Arnold Road, at the end of business day on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 4pm. All your banking transactions will be handled at our nearby Oleai Branch located at the Oleai Center, Beach Road, San Jose after June 14, 2024,” his letter stated.
He acknowledged that closing the branch would be inconvenient to some FHB customers.
“As this change may create a disruption on your normal banking routines, we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause, but rest assured that we are doing our best to minimize the impact of this change. There will be no changes made to your existing accounts and all of your deposit and loan account numbers will remain the same and you may continue using your existing checks and deposit slips. We also encourage you to utilize our on-site and off-site ATMs, and our convenient online and mobile banking services. In order to enhance your banking experience, please ask your banker about other alternative convenient banking solutions such as direct deposit, auto pay, auto transfer and debit cards,” the letter added.
Anyone with questions or those who need additional information may call (670) 235-3090.
This comes more than eight years after Bank of Hawaii closed its Puerto Rico and Chalan Kanoa locations and consolidated it into one branch at thr Springs Plaza in February 2016.
Businessman Boy Ching said the closure of the FHB Gualo Rai branch is a sign of the times.
“It’s evidence of a diminishing population and shrinking economy. … The [Oleai] branch will definitely be crowded now as it will absorb Gualo Rai branch clients and so will be the parking area,” he said.
Ching said he’s been a longtime customer of FHB as he first opened an account there when it was still called Union Bank. He owns, among other businesses, a jewelry shop and a barbershop on Saipan.
Edward Dela Cruz Jr., Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting member, said the development is unfortunate.
“Having two branches really helped out the customers. Now only having one branch will really be tough for everyone to divert to Beach Road, especially during the ongoing construction. …I hope they didn’t let go of the employees.”
Dexter Tenorio, a sales representative for Genesis Saipan Wholesale, said FHB being condensed into one branch would definitely be a hardship for customers, especially to those who have been used to the accessibility and ease of service at the Gualo Rai branch.
Eunae Jang worries how the merging of branches would affect customer service.
“FHB is one of the big banks on Saipan, and if it were given one branch, it would be a waste of waiting time and it would be crowded with people working. And their biggest problem, not just us, is their employees. A lot of people will lose their jobs,” she said.