 The Continental Bank was founded
in Alhambra in 1972. Tim Siu was the sole signatory on the successful
application for the bank charter. He was the only Chinese on the founding
board. Tim persuaded the Continental Bank board to support the subsequent
applications of Far East National Bank and Trust Savings for their charters.
This is a little known instance of how one person influenced a mostly white
organization to support the development of Chinese American financial
institutions. Continental was later sold to Tokai Bank, a Japanese-owned group,
and Dr. Siu served on that board for a period of time. After another merger,
the former Continental Bank location is now owned by Bank of the West.
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