Bank of Hawaii recognized with retail merchants of Hawaii’s “Non-Retail Community Team of the Year” Award | News, Sports, Jobs

KAHULUI – The Bank of Hawaii was recently recognized as the “Non-Retail Community Team of the Year” by the Retail Merchants of Hawai’i at its annual Ho’okela Awards Luncheon.

The award celebrates the exceptional efforts and contributions of a company serving the community, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic and beyond.

“The pandemic instantly changed how we think about ongoing support for our employees, customers and community,” said Chairman, President and CEO Peter Ho. “Our response was led by our COVID-19 Planning Committee, and involved hundreds of teammates across the bank to demonstrate our commitment–from instituting health and safety protocols for employees and customers to providing essential services for agencies and organizations aiding in our state’s recovery to supporting businesses through processing PPP loans at breakneck speed. I’m incredibly proud of what Bank of Hawaii accomplished during that time, and I continue to be inspired by Bank of Hawaii teammates and their continued level of dedication to give of their time, talents and donations, during any challenging time.”

For over 127 years, Bank of Hawaii continues its longstanding legacy of giving back to the community. In 2023, the bank demonstrated its ongoing annual support as well as philanthropic efforts toward disaster relief by providing $100,000 to Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, raising $603,124 through the bank’s annual employee Live Kokua Giving Campaign for Aloha United Way, focusing on nonprofits supporting communities affected by natural disasters, donating $3 million from Bank of Hawaii, its foundation, employees and retirees to the community.

The Bank of Hawaii has also contributed by addressing community needs during the pandemic that resulted in a $3 million donation to the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Hawai’i Resilience Fund to address health and safety, food and nourishment, and economic recovery efforts.

Bank of Hawaii supported its customers and business clients through the pandemic by expediting SBA’s Payroll Protection Program loans, offering six months of mortgage forbearance and loan extensions, offering an online small-dollar loan program for people in need of emergency funding, waiving ATM surcharge fees and early withdrawal fees on CDs.