Bankoh cards offers free FICO scores

Bank of Hawaii has introduced complimentary FICO Scores for its consumer credit cards in partnership with Barclaycard US. FICO Scores are the credit score most lenders use to determine a person’s credit risk.

The bank said it is the first financial institution in the state to offer this benefit as well as a new travel alert feature that eliminates the need to make a phone call to advise the credit card company of upcoming travel plans and usage of the card outside the cardmember’s home area. The alert can now be handled online. In addition, the recently launched Hawaiian Airlines/Bank of Hawaii branded card is the first chip card offered by a Hawaii bank which helps authenticate credit transactions thereby protecting account information, which is encrypted on the chip.

Fee-simple sales planned for Kapolei land

An affiliate of James Campbell Co. has sold 123 acres in Kapo­lei zoned for industrial use to a joint venture that plans to subdivide the property for fee-simple sale.

Honolulu-based developer Avalon Development Co. LLC partnered with Chicago-based real estate investment firm Walton Street Capital LLC to purchase the site formerly called West Kalaeloa Business Park and now known as Kapo­lei Business Park West. A purchase price was not disclosed.

Avalon said the property will be subdivided into 48 lots mostly between one and seven acres. The subdivision plan is expected to be done by the end of the year.

The purchase follows an acquisition by Avalon and Walton last month of a neighboring 54-acre site zoned for industrial use that the companies plan to subdivide and sell as a second phase of Kapo­lei Business Park.

Hawaiian Air passenger traffic up in April

Hawaiian Airlines’ passenger traffic edged up 1.7 percent in April from the year-earlier period.

The state’s largest carrier transported 785,254 people last month compared with 772,346 in the year-earlier period. It filled 76.4 percent of its seats, down 1.1 percentage points from 77.5 percent a year ago.

Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported one mile, fell 2.5 percent to 1.02 million from 1.05 million. Available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, declined 1.1 percent to 1.34 million from 1.35 million.

Hawaii company sells Canadian properties

Oil and gas properties in Canada have been sold by Hono­lulu-based Barnwell Industries Inc. for roughly $13 million, the company said Tuesday.

The most recent sale, netting roughly $6 million, was conducted by the company’s Barnwell of Canada Ltd. subsidiary and is the latest of multiple transactions.The oil and gas exploration and land investment company also announced the recent sale of other oil and gas properties in various Canadian provinces for more than $7 million.

"These transactions reflect strategic sales by the company of what were primarily mature, non-operated oil and gas properties," said Chairman and CEO Morton H. Kinzler in a statement. "The company plans to utilize these funds to invest in oil and gas acquisition and drilling opportunities, reduce debt and other corporate opportunities."

State’s hospital care among nation’s worst

Hawaii ranks among the bottom 10 states in the U.S. for patient safety, according to a new study. The CareChex study, rating the quality of U.S. hospital care, reviewed care in each state according to 12 patient safety indicators.

The highest-ranked state offering the best patient care and safety is Dela­ware, while the worst-ranked on the list is the District of Columbia. Out of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia (No. 51), Hawaii ranks 42nd.

Office Depot to close down 400 stores

BOCA RATON, Fla. » Office Depot is planning to close at least 400 U.S. stores, as its merger with OfficeMax resulted in an overlap of retail locations that can be consolidated.

The office supply retailer had 1,900 stores in the U.S. at the end of the first quarter, so the plans call for closing about 21 percent of them. Office Depot and OfficeMax Inc. completed their $1.2 billion deal in November.

ON THE MOVE

The First Insurance Co. of Hawaii board of directors has elected Isaac Kosasa as vice president of claims. He has worked for FICOH since 1989 as a senior adjuster, technical specialist, senior technical specialist, manager and assistant vice president of litigation in 2010. Prior to FICOH, Kosasa served in claims roles with American International Adjustment Co., Fireman’s Fund and Commercial Union Insurance.

Ki Concepts, a Hono­lulu-based landscape architecture, site planning and urban design firm, has announced Bernice Fielding as its director of proj­ect and design services. Her experience includes owning a landscape design company, managing estate gardens and serving as executive director of a botanical garden, director of horticulture for a landscape architecture firm and proj­ect manager for Ulu Garden, Hawaii’s first educational sustainable garden.