4 Feb 2015

Call for unity on American Samoa bank plan

4:52 pm on 4 February 2015

The group that has been trying to set up a commercial bank in American Samoa has offered to merge its proposal with the government's.

The chairman of the American Samoa Community Bank's board, Avamua Dave Haleck, has told the governor Lolo Moliga they both have the same aim.

But he says the government's plans for a charter bank will make their community bank unviable.

He says a charter bank would become a competitor of the community bank particularly with both prospective businesses planning to use the premises being vacated by the Bank of Hawaii.

Avamua says the charter would also most likely handle all the government's banking business.

He says joining forces would ensure they accomplish the same goal.