First Hawaiian Bank has modified its building design for the new Tamuning branch to accommodate better drainage on the Marine Corps Drive site. Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2007.

Laura-Lynn V. Dacanay senior vice president and Guam and CNMI region manager for First Hawaiian Bank; said "First Hawaiian Bank is excited to begin construction on this multi-million dollar flagship branch. It’s one of the largest financial commitments the bank has made for a branch. We’re proud of this commitment to the Guam community."

In an earlier article the Journal reported that First Hawaiian Bank intended to build new branch offices on Guam in Tamuning. Anthony R. Guerrero Jr. vice chairman for the retail banking group and member of the senior management committee at First Hawaiian; said it was "looking at further expansion and a fourth and fifth branch in Guam as well as additional ATMs to the four the bank offers already."

The Bank has a Tamuning location on Chalan San Antonio which it has rented since April 2002.

The new branch will be located on Marine Corps Drive on the former Royal Lanes site. It originally broke ground on July 12. When completed the new building will have about 11 385 square feet of space ATMs and drive-thru tellers. Construction is scheduled to last 12 to 14 months. It will be twice as large as the current Tamuning facility.

Dacanay said that because of the modifications the new building was changed from a two-story building to a one-story building but the total area remained the same.

"We hope to have it done by 2008 " she said.

The new branch will feature state-of-the-art banking equipment that will enable First Hawaiian employees to make quicker credit decisions and deliver more convenience to customers. It has been designed with full-service platforms for personal and business banking as well as investments and trusts to meet the financial needs of its customers.

The bank has 107 employees on Guam and 29 at its two Saipan branches. In addition to its head office on Guam on Route 8 in Maite the bank has branches in Tamuning and at the Compadres Mall on Harmon Loop Road.

First Hawaiian has 56 branches in Hawaii an offshore branch in Grand Cayman British West Indies and a representative office in Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Pariabas. MBJ