Disconnection moratorium to end May 31

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission is ending the moratorium on utility disconnections for nonpayment on May 31.

Hawaiian Electric said they will not be disconnecting customers starting on June 1 but the company urged those with a past-due balance to set up a payment plan that can stretch installments over many months.

While the end of the moratorium will not trigger immediate disconnections, customers who have set up a payment arrangement are not subject to Hawaiian Electric’s disconnection process and late fees are waived while on a payment plan. A new 18-month plan is now available for residential customers. Customers can go to hawaiianelectric.com/pay ment arrangement to see plan options and submit a request.

Residential and smaller commercial customers behind on payments who do not make contact with Hawaiian Electric could have their balance automatically enrolled in a 12-month payment plan starting in July to avoid disconnection. Those customers will receive a notice with their bill when the payment plan starts that explains how the arrangement works.

Bills for customers on payment plans — auto-enrolled or by customer request — will include the current charges, plus the installment amount. The installment amount will differ for each customer. For instance, If the customer’s past-due amount is small, the installment amount will also be a small fraction of the bill. However, if a customer has not made any payment toward their account over this past year, the total monthly bill could more than double.

Territorial Savings resumes buyback program

Territorial Savings Bank’s holding company said Wednesday its board has adopted a 10th stock repurchase program after temporarily suspending buybacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this repurchase program, the company may buy back up to $5 million of the company’s outstanding shares.

“We are excited to announce this repurchase program as the pandemic reaches a new stage and Hawaii progresses with reopening to visitors and residents,” Territorial Bancorp Inc. Chairman and CEO Allan Kitawaga said in a statement. “We view this small step as an affirmation of our confidence as we move through the pandemic.”

The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased through block trades in the open market or private transactions.

Vacations Hawaii to resume Vegas charters

Vacations Hawaii plans to resume its charter flights to Las Vegas on Sept 3, just in time for Labor Day.

Prospective passengers can call 591-4777 or book online at BoydVacationsHawaii.com.