American Samoa wants to stall Bankoh exit

Bank of Hawaii still plans to close its only two branches in American Samoa next month despite a resolution Tuesday from that U.S. territory’s House of Representatives requesting that the bank postpone its exit.

The resolution, which is nonbinding, seeks a three-month delay to give customers time to make other arrangements. The resolution says that with only one other bank in the territory, "the abrupt departure and limited time frame given to the public to act has caused much concern and dismay due to the extreme difficulty in finding alternative banking."

Bankoh’s departure, which will come after more than 40 years in American Samoa, will leave Australia-based ANZ as the only remaining bank in the territory.

Bankoh Vice Chairman Wayne Hamano said Wednesday the bank is working closely with ANZ to ensure a smooth transition for Bankoh’s customers.

"Based on what we are experiencing, we believe the transition is proceeding well," Hamano said. "The amount of notice that we provided to the community was in excess of what is required and, we believe, allows ample time for customers to prepare and complete the necessary transfers."

Bankoh, which announced the branch closures on Nov. 30, said it will stop accepting loan applications and opening new accounts at its Tafuna and Utulei branches on Feb. 15. The bank said customers still will be able to use their accounts until March 15 when the branches will officially close for business.

Hawaii Gas CEO tapped for energy panel

Hawaii Gas CEO Jeffrey Kissel has been appointed to a national panel that advises the U.S. Secretary of Energy on matters relating to oil and gas.

Kissel was appointed to the National Petroleum Council by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and will serve through the end of 2013.

The NPC is a privately funded advisory committee chartered by the Secretary of Energy. It was established in 1946 at the request of President Harry S. Truman.

The council is made up of about 200 industry leaders selected and appointed by the Secretary of Energy.

Individual members serve without compensation as representatives of their industry or associated interests as a whole, not as representatives of their particular companies or affiliations.

"Representation on The National Petroleum Council provides Hawaii with an important forum to demonstrate how changes in the price and distribution patterns for oil and gas can impact economies in our region," Kissel said. "It’s an honor to be of service.

10 Hawaii restaurants among most romantic

Diners using online reservations and review service OpenTable.com have rated 10 Hawaii restaurants among the 100 most romantic in the U.S., giving Hawaii the second-highest ranking among the states.

Honolulu restaurants include La Mer at Halekulani; Michel’s at the Colony Surf, and Sarento’s Top of the ‘I.’

Hawaii island and Maui also have three each on the list including Brown’s Beach House-The Fairmont Orchid; Kamuela Provision Co. and ‘Ulu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge on the Kona side of the Big Island; and on Maui, Capische and Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante Maui in Wailea as well as Son’z Maui at Swan Court in the Hyatt Regency Maui in Lahaina.

Kauai’s sole listee is Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Poipu.

California led the states with 16 restaurants on the list; while Hawaii is followed by Florida, with eight.

The 2013 Diner’s Choice Awards were generated using more than 5 million reviews collected from verified users of OpenTable.com during the 2012 calendar year. To view the list, go to www.opentable.com/romantic

Financial literacy class offered to students

Hawaii high school students wanting or needing more knowledge about economics and financial literacy can consider enrolling in a summer program offered by the Hawaii Council on Economic Education.

The Summer Economics Academy will run from June 19 to July 18 at Maryknoll School.

The program involves two days of classroom lectures and two days touring local businesses each week, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is led by award-winning Maryknoll economics teacher Lance Suzuki.

This is the second year the nonprofit organization has offered the economics education program.

Tuition is $350. Partial and full scholarships are available. To participate, applicants must have at least a 2.0 GPA.

To apply, visit hcee.org. The deadline to apply is May 31.

ON THE MOVE

The Hawaii Food & Wine Festival has hired Aya Nishihara as development manager. She has nine years’ experience with Roy’s Restaurants, most recently as interactive marketing specialist for its Hawaii location, restaurant management positions at Hawaii Kai and group sales manager at Los Angeles.

HUGS has named its board of directors for 2013: Jason Higa, president; Franklin Tokioka, treasurer; Catha Lee Combs, secretary; and vice presidents Darrick J.M. Ching, Patrick Klein and JoAnn Lumsden.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has awarded Aloha Molokai a $7,566 grant, which helped fund the annual Alternative Energy Festival on Molokai earlier this month. The festival provided information on, and options for, reducing fossil fuel use.