Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOPE) (the “Company”), the holding company of Bank of Hope (the “Bank”), today announced that Steven S. Koh will be retiring from his position as Honorary Chairman and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank effective December 31, 2025.
“On behalf of the Board, I thank Chairman Koh for his years of service and dedication,” said Kevin S. Kim, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Chairman Koh was instrumental in creation of the first and only Korean American regional bank in the United States and the Board thanks him for his continued leadership and insight during his 40 years of service not only at the Company and the Bank, but also with its legacy entity Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Wilshire Bank.”
“It has been an honor for me to have served on the boards of Hope Bancorp and Wilshire Bancorp and I am grateful for the opportunity,” said Koh. “I have long been planning my retirement and I am confident that I leave the Company in good hands, with a bright future.”
Steven S. Koh, 80, served as Honorary Chairman of the Hope Bancorp Board since July 6, 2017. He also served as the first Chairman of Hope Bancorp, beginning on July 29, 2016, following the merger of BBCN Bancorp, Inc. and Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and the merger of their respective subsidiaries, BBCN Bank and Wilshire Bank, which created Hope Bancorp and Bank of Hope. Since 1986, he first served as a director, and eventually Chairman, of Wilshire Bank and Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. He is highly regarded for his active involvement in community affairs, including the Overseas Korean Traders Association and numerous philanthropic activities for the Korean American community and other communities. He also serves as a life trustee of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. After retirement from the Hope Bancorp Board, he plans to devote more of his time and effort to philanthropy.
About Hope Bancorp, Inc.
Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOPE) is the holding company of Bank of Hope, the only regional Korean American bank in the United States, with $18.55 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2025. With the addition of Territorial Savings, a division of Bank of Hope, effective April 2, 2025, the Company became the largest regional bank catering to multicultural customers across the continental United States and Hawaii. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Bank provides a full suite of commercial, corporate and consumer loans, deposit and fee-based products and services, including commercial and commercial real estate lending, SBA lending, residential mortgage and other consumer lending; treasury management services, foreign currency exchange solutions, interest rate derivative products, and international trade financing, among others. The Bank operates 46 full-service branches in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Alabama and Georgia under the Bank of Hope banner, and 29 branches in Hawaii under the Territorial Savings banner. The Bank also operates SBA loan production offices, commercial loan production offices, and residential mortgage loan production offices throughout the United States, and a representative office in Seoul, South Korea. Bank of Hope is a California-chartered bank, and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. Bank of Hope is an Equal Opportunity Lender. For additional information, please go to www.bankofhope.com for Bank of Hope and www.tsbhawaii.bank for Territorial Savings, a division of Bank of Hope. By including the foregoing website address links, the Company does not intend to and shall not be deemed to incorporate by reference any material contained or accessible therein.
