The General Manager of the ASG bank has extensive experience in the banking industry and in fact was President of Celtic Bank in Utah.
He is Mr. Phil Ware who according to Bloomberg Business News has worked in the banking business in Utah since 1971.
He has been with Celtic Bank since it was formed in 2001 and helped originate its charter.
Celtic Bank Corporation, which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah according to Bloomberg News provides business and real estate lending solutions.
It offers small business administration loans/business loans, residential real estate loans, equipment financing, construction and development loans, and savings/CDs.
Mr. Ware has been directly involved in operations management at small, regional, and large financial institution and was actively involved in all aspects of bank operations including Community Reinvestment Act, credit policy, and compliance.
When asked where the GM position was advertised, Utu Abe Malae, who chairs the Board of Directors for the Territorial Bank of American Samoa, says the Board left it to bank consultants to locate the best candidate, and the bank invited him to American Samoa.
While he was in the territory Mr. Ware, asked people what they thought of the idea of ASG owning a bank and their views of the only other commercial bank in the territory.
After being given the person’s views he would introduce himself as the GM for the government bank and that he was trying to gauge the community’s reaction about the venture.
He said this was helpful so he knows what he needs to work on when he begins his new job.
Utu says they are hoping to open TBAS in early September.
The government bank will take up the space currently occupied by the Bank of Hawaii on the first floor of the Centennial Building.
BOH is now preparing to move out of the building and relocate to its Tafuna branch which has been closed for about two years.
