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Introduction The Beginnings Preston Martin F.Chow Chan Cathay Bank
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Los Angeles Chinese American
Banking Pioneers
Far East National Bank was founded in 1974 as the first federally chartered Asian American bank. The actual record is not readily available but from the joint recollection of early Board members, the principal founders were Henry Hwang, Robert Huang, Ross Esguerra, Philip Gilligan, Robert Rogers, and Hai C. Tan.

Far East National Bank focused on serving small businesses and professionals, of which an estimated 70% were Chinese Americans. Many of them are successful from rags to riches American dream stories. Some of the bank's customers included major corporations such as IBM, General Motors, and Rockwell as well as government agencies. Far East National Bank adopted a motto using its acronym: "FENB: Fast, Efficient, Nicest Bank." In 1996 its assets had grown to $500 million from $1.5 million when it opened for business. In 1997, it became a subsidiary of Taiwan's Bank Sinopac.

When Henry Hwang emigrated to the United States at age 21 in 1950 he was penniless and unable to speaking any English. He worked at a laundry while studying accounting at the University of Southern California before opening the first CPA firm owned by a Chinese immigrant in 1960. In 1974 when Far East National Bank opened its doors in Los Angeles, Henry Hwang served as its first President and Chief Executive Officer. Hwang said, "I figure it takes two basic ingredients to be a good banker: One, you have to be a very good public relations person, and two, you must know figures very well… When you possess these two assets, plus integrity, then you have got it…Treat people right, give them good service, and you do not have to worry about profit, it just comes like a waterfall."


From L to R, John W. Wong, CHSSC President, Robert Y. Huang, and Ross Esguerra, holding certificates of proclamation from Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Assemblyman Mike Eng, Councilman Ed Reyes, and Board of Equalization Vice Chair Judy Chu.

Robert Y. Huang, Ph.D., was a Founding Director of Far East National Bank and served as a Director until it merged with Bank SinoPac in 1997. He was born in the Phillippines and came to the United States as a student in 1949. He has enginnering degrees from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. He was President of Far East Capital Corporation, a subsidiary of Far East National Bank, and has been a Director of several small technology companies. He retired several years ago after a distinguished career in technical , management, and executive positions in electonics/aerospace engineering for TRW (now part of Northrop Grumman) and its subsidiaries. He served on the NASA Advisory Council and on the National Research Council.

Ross Esguerra was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Far East Natinal Bank from 1973 to 1984. He was born in Manila, Phillippines. He has been a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California since 1972 and the principal of Esguerra Asociates, providing consulting services for land development engineering and technology transfers.