Ohana Pacific Bank appoints ex-chief justice to director post

Former Hawaii Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon, the first Korean-American to head a state supreme court in the United States, has been named a director at Ohana Pacific Bank.

His appointment, effective immediately, is a coup for the state’s smallest bank, which opened in June 2006 to cater primarily to the Korean community and small and midsize businesses.

"He elevates the stature and prominence of our board of directors," Ohana Pacific Chairman Donald Kim said in a statement Wednesday. "Additionally, he brings a wealth of contacts in the business and local communities and will provide us with an invaluable knowledge of our state of Hawaii."

Moon, the state’s fourth chief justice, served in Hawaii’s top judicial position for 17 years — the longest of any Hawaii chief justice — before retiring on Aug. 31, 2010, just days ahead of his 70th birthday. The state constitution requires that justices and judges retire at age 70. He was succeeded by Mark Recktenwald, who had been an associate justice on the Supreme Court.

"It is a great honor to be selected to this important position at Ohana Pacific Bank," Moon, 73, said in a statement.

Moon, who fills a vacancy, also sits on the boards of Mid-Pacific Institute, his alma mater Saint Louis School, Kick Start Karate and the Wahiawa United Church of Christ. The Wahiawa-born Moon is a third-generation Korean-American whose grandparents were among the first Korean immigrants to arrive in Hawaii in the early 1900s.

In August 2010, the $124.5 million Kapolei Judiciary Complex was renamed the Ronald T.Y. Moon Judiciary Complex and its courthouse the Ronald T.Y. Courthouse to recognize his more than 30 years of service.

Moon was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1990 by then-Gov. John Waihee and elevated to chief justice in 1993.

Ohana Pacific, which lost money its first five years, has been profitable since then and had $106.1 million in assets as of Sept. 30. It opened its second branch Tuesday inside Palama Market in Kalihi and will hold a grand opening there on Dec. 14 at 11:30 a.m. The bank’s corporate headquarters and main branch is at 1357 Kapiolani Blvd.