Business Briefs

First Hawaiian to close only in-store branch

First Hawaiian Bank will be closing its lone in-store branch.

The state’s largest bank said Tuesday it has sent letters to customers notifying them that the 265-square-foot branch that opened in November 2007 in the Kapa­hulu Safeway will be closing Feb. 1.

First Hawaiian said it decided not to renew its lease, but noted that customers will be near a full-service branch about a quarter-mile away at 433 Kapa­hulu Ave., across the street from the Waikiki-Kapa­hulu Public Library. That branch’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Customers also will still be able to access their accounts 24/7 through FHB Online, FHB Mobile Banking and at the bank’s 300 ATMs.

Branches open on Saturday near Kapa­hulu include Kahala, University, Manoa and Makiki.

The closure will leave First Hawaiian with 57 branches statewide.

‘Last Resort’ ratings sink to season low

ABC’s pre-TV season favorite, the canceled Hawaii-based political thriller "Last Resort," recorded a season-low audience Jan. 17: 5 million viewers for its penultimate episode, according to Nielsen ratings released by the network.

The show that critics loved in September will air its final episode Thursday.

Last week, "Last Resort" barely registered with the key demo­graphic audience, adults 18-49. It drew 1 percent of the total viewing audience and 3 percent of those watching TV at the time, according to ABC.

Delta clings to $7 million profit in quarter

MINNEAPOLIS » Delta Air Lines Inc. said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit was nearly wiped out by superstorm Sandy and special charges. The storm forced airlines to cancel more than 20,000 flights. The impact was bigger at Delta because Sandy also slowed down operations at its new oil refinery near Philadelphia.

Delta’s goal in restarting the refinery was to maximize jet fuel production and reduce its fuel bill. But Sandy slowed the refinery’s restart. The refinery lost $63 million for the quarter and added 7 cents per gallon to the price of Delta’s jet fuel. Delta said it expects the refinery to be profitable in the current quarter.

Delta said Sandy cut $100 million from its fourth-quarter profit. It recorded another $231 million in special items. What was left was net income for the quarter of $7 million, or a penny per share. During the same period last year Delta earned $425 million, or 51 cents per share.

Revenue rose 2 percent to $8.6 billion.

Japan pledges new economic stimulus

WASHINGTON » Taking a page from the Federal Reserve’s stimulus playbook, Japan’s central bank on Tuesday set a 2 percent inflation target and made an "open-ended" pledge to buy a potentially unlimited amount of government bonds to bolster its long-sluggish economy.

While the Fed’s focus has been on bringing down America’s stubbornly high unemployment rate, the Bank of Japan’s new inflation target — double its previously stated goal of 1 percent — is aimed at intensifying its long battle against deflation and economic stagnation.

Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, saw negative growth in the third quarter of last year amid flagging exports and weak private spending, and is most likely to report further contraction for the fourth quarter — technically putting it in recession.

ON THE MOVE

Central Pacific Bank has named Shaun Mitsui vice president and private banking officer. He was previously vice president and branch manager at Bank of Hawaii and has more than 10 years’ experience in the banking industry. He also serves as a board member for Kaneohe Business Group, YMCA Mililani and the Hono­lulu Japa­nese Chamber of Commerce.

Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel employees have nominated the following employees for this year’s awards: Felicidad Agcaoili as front desk person of the year; Le Chen, engineer of the year; Abe Bonilla, housekeeper of the year; Lyle Pagatpa­tan, manager of the year; and Steven Hufana, food and beverage person of the year.

The National Association of Home Builders has named Michael Fairall as the 2012 Certified Green Professional of the Year. Fairall is the founder of MOKU­LOA High Performance Builder in Kailua.