Bank of the Orient for first-gen and Chinese American households

Overview

Bank of the Orient opened March 17, 1971 in San Francisco to serve Asian American households and small businesses that mainstream banks often overlooked. It is widely described as the first Asian American–owned bank established in California after World War II. Founder Ernest Go came from a Chinese Filipino banking family; the franchise remains privately held under Orient Bancorporation (FDIC certificate 20387). Call-report figures put assets around $1.2 billion and deposits near $1.0 billion as of early 2026. The brand angle is hands-on Bay Area Chinese American relationship banking plus Pacific Rim trade: a Xiamen branch since the mid-1990s and an international trade-finance desk for letters of credit and wires, not a coast-to-coast digital megabank.

Strengths

• First post–World War II Asian American–owned bank identity in California and deep SF Chinatown roots
• Neighborhood branches across San Francisco, Oakland, Millbrae, and Burlingame with multilingual staff
• Full-service Xiamen, China branch plus Pacific Rim trade finance (letters of credit, collections, wires)
• Commercial and real-estate lending oriented to immigrant-owned Bay Area shops and property

Footprint

Bay Area focus: Chinatown (Stockton Street), Richmond District, Sunset (Irving Street), Oakland Chinatown-area, Millbrae, and Burlingame. The former Financial District branch at 233 Sansome Street closed in December 2024. A Texas presence remains in Sugar Land. Hawaii branches were sold to Royal Business Bank in 2022. International: Xiamen, China. Not a nationwide digital bank. Confirm live hours on bankorient.com.

Services

• Consumer banking
• Small business
• Commercial / middle market
• Mortgages
• Trade finance
• International wires

Personal checking, savings, CDs, money markets, and IRAs; business banking; commercial and residential real-estate lending; and international trade finance (import/export letters of credit, documentary collections, domestic and international funds transfers). SWIFT for the U.S. bank is commonly listed as BOFOUS6L. Confirm fees and FX before wiring.

Best for

• China / Greater China corridor
• Immigrant-owned small business
• Language access and cultural fit
• Hands-on branch banking
• Cross-border and trade complexity

Best fit when you live or run a shop in San Francisco, Oakland, or the northern Peninsula and want a Chinese American community bank that still staffs Saturday hours at several branches and can talk China trade without routing you to a megabank Asia desk. The Xiamen branch is the rare differentiator at this asset size: useful for owners with counterparties in Fujian or who want a U.S. community bank that already operates onshore in China. Compared with Cathay (~$25B, nine states) and East West (~$80B+), Bank of the Orient is the smaller Bay Area specialist (~$1.2B). Compared with Shinhan America or Hope, the corridor story here is Greater China / Chinese American, not Korea.

Less ideal for: Households outside the Bay Area (and Sugar Land) who need branch density in New York, Southern California suburbs beyond a short drive, or a national app-first checking relationship with no China trade need.

Compelling offers

Checked against bank pages as of July 28, 2026. Bonuses, fee waivers, and rate specials change often. Confirm eligibility and end dates on the bank’s site before you plan around them.

• Special promotional CDs (through Aug 5, 2026)

  Limited-time CD rates effective July 6 through August 5, 2026 include a 13-month CD at 4.25% APY for balances of $200,000 or more (3.98% APY for $50,000–$199,999), a 9-month CD at 4.08% APY ($50,000+) or 3.75% APY ($10,000–$49,999), and a 6-month CD at 4.18% APY ($50,000+) or 3.90% APY ($10,000–$49,999).

  Minimum opening deposits apply. Early withdrawal penalties apply. Rates and tiers change; this window ends August 5, 2026. Confirm live APYs and disclosures at a branch or at (800) 881-2686 before funding.

  Listed window through August 5, 2026.

  Bank of the Orient Certificates of Deposit →

• Money Market Special: 3.65% APY on new money ($50,000+)

  A money-market special lists 3.65% APY for new-money deposits of $50,000 or more. The bank frames it as a flexible parked-cash option beside the CD promo.

  Money-market rates are variable and can change after opening. New-money and balance rules apply. Ask the branch what counts as new money and how long the special rate is intended to last.

  Bank of the Orient Certificates of Deposit / Money Market Special →

• Xiamen branch + Pacific Rim trade finance desk

  Bank of the Orient markets itself as a community bank of its size with a full-service China branch (Xiamen) and an international trade-finance group offering letters of credit, documentary collections, and international funds transfers with a worldwide correspondent network.

  Trade products require underwriting and documentation. Same-day service claims are bank marketing; cutoffs and correspondent banks still matter. Compare wire all-in cost against a remittance app for family support sends.

  Bank of the Orient International Trade Finance →

Next steps

• Immigrant-Owned Small Business Financing Basics

  Ownership maps, SBA and bank eligibility, personal guarantees, and backup capital for diaspora restaurants, agencies, clinics, and digital businesses when federal rules and family co-signing overlap.

• Send Money to China From the U.S.

  How the U.S.–China remittance corridor works, formal delivery paths, licensed provider types, and planning questions before you send to mainland family.

• Plan China Remittances in Your U.S. Household Budget

  Cap monthly sends to mainland family, coordinate siblings across time zones, and protect U.S. retirement while honoring cross-border obligations.

• Family Support Budget Calculator

  Map parent support, remittances, and sibling help against housing, debt, emergency savings, and retirement so family obligations stay visible in your monthly plan.

• Remittance Quote Worksheet

  Copy two provider disclosures side by side to compare total paid, amount delivered, effective exchange rate, funding method, and delivery time.

• Household dashboard

  Track family support beside U.S. bills and savings once the account is open.

• All planners

  Send corridors and inheritance scenarios when banking is only one piece of the file.

Related bank profiles

• Cathay Bank — The oldest operating U.S. bank founded by Chinese Americans. Chinatown roots, multistate branches, and Pacific Rim offices for Greater China households and businesses.
• East West Bank — The largest Asian American–owned bank by scale, built as a U.S.–Asia bridge for Chinese American communities and cross-border commercial clients.
• Preferred Bank — A Downtown LA commercial bank founded for Chinese American clients in 1991. Now a ~$7.7B middle-market lender that still leans on East Asia migration and trade desks in California, New York, and Houston.
• CTBC Bank USA — A Taiwan-parent FDIC bank for Taiwanese and Greater China diaspora households. About $5.4B with San Gabriel Valley depth, Bay Area and Flushing branches, and fee-waived wires into the CTBC Asia network.
• Shinhan Bank America — A Korea-parent FDIC bank for Korean American households and small businesses. Smaller than Hope or Hanmi, with bilingual branches in NY/NJ, California, Georgia, and Texas.

Related send corridors

• Send money to China from the U.S.