1962

F. Chow Chan

F. Chow Chan was Cathay Bank's founder and first chairman of the board. Chan, born April 1910, helped organized the first Chinese-American bank in southern California. He attended Canton Christian College and immigrated to the U.S. in 1933. He studied business at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. When looking for a place to conduct his financial business, he had to travel outside the Chinese community. He tried to obtain a loan in the 1960s and was denied. This incident spurred him to organize a group of investors and charter a bank in Chinatown. Chan was active in the business community and with civic groups. He died in Los Angeles in 2001.

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