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American Savings Bank Invests More Than $4.3 Million in Hawaiʻi Community Lending

    American Savings Bank Invests More Than $4.3 Million in Hawaiʻi Community Lending

    Investment supports homeownership for native Hawaiians on Hawaiian home lands

    American Savings Bank (ASB) partnered with Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) today to announce the bank’s $4.3 million investment in homeownership opportunities for native Hawaiians eligible to reside on Hawaiian home lands.

    HCL, a nonprofit community development financial institution, will use $4M of ASB’s investment to offer interim construction loans requiring no down payment to native Hawaiians across the state. ASB’s investment comes at a time when the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), under the leadership of new director Kali Watson, plans to spend $600 million in state funds for housing.

    In addition to the investment, ASB will provide a $365,000 grant to HCL to support operations of the construction loan fund. ASB leveraged a 2.6x match from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines under the Member Impact Fund, a $15 million initiative aimed to increase resources for affordable housing in Hawai‘i and other states and territories.

    “We mahalo ASB for their commitment to housing Hawaiians,” said HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath. “This $4.3 million is just the beginning. It represents a down payment on what we believe will grow into the largest investment of private capital into housing Hawaiian home land beneficiaries since the creation of the trust lands more than 100 years ago.”

    According to Gilbreath, nearly 800 native Hawaiians with paper leases under DHHL’s Undivided Interest Lessee Program are unable to build homes due to lack of affordable construction financing and infrastructure. With DHHL’s plan to use part of the $600 million allocation from the State for critical infrastructure needs, ASB’s investment in HCL will give native Hawaiians new capability to construct and own a home in Hawai‘i.

    “We are committed to building on our efforts to expand access to affordable homeownership,” said Ann Teranishi, president and CEO at ASB. “It is our obligation and privilege to give back to the communities we serve. We are proud to partner with Hawai‘i Community Lending to create positive change for Hawai‘i.”

    “This type of partnership does not happen overnight,” Gilbreath said. “It requires us to be upfront and clear with one another about our intentions. As we move forward, ASB and HCL continue to have many conversations about how to best support the community. I feel confident that we can provide interim construction loans to Hawaiian families who deserve them, and over time develop a larger, more extensive partnership that always puts community at the forefront.”

    Native Hawaiian families in need of a construction loan on Hawaiian home lands are encouraged to sign up for HCL’s interest list so they can apply for a loan once funding becomes available. To join the interest list, call HCL at (808) 587-7656 or visit HawaiiCommunityLending.com/buy-a-home to complete the contact form.


    About Hawaii Community Lending

    Hawai‘i Community Lending (HCL) is the premier nonprofit mortgage lender for native Hawaiians statewide. Founded in 2002 as a program of Hawaiian Community Assets, HCL is a trusted community partner with the expertise to identify ready homebuyers and provide them with downpayment assistance, construction financing, and affordable mortgages. HCL’s mission is to help solve the state’s housing crisis by making homeownership opportunities available to Hawaiian families—supporting them through financial education, low-interest loans and individualized plans for success. For homeowners who are facing foreclosure, HCL provides solutions to help them keep their homes. For more information, visit www.HawaiiCommunityLending.com

    About American Savings Bank

    American Savings Bank (ASB) has been serving Hawai‘i’s businesses and communities since 1925 and provides a full range of financial products and services, including business and consumer banking, home loans, insurance and investments. ASB is one of Hawai‘i’s leading financial institutions, with online banking services and branch locations throughout the state. ASB provides Hawai‘i’s consumers and businesses with more extended weekday and weekend hours than other similarly sized local banks, as well as convenient in-store locations. ASB matches its exceptional customer experience with an employee experience that has garnered local and national awards. For nearly a century, ASB has helped to build strong communities through its Seeds of Service program and donations to Hawai‘i’s nonprofits and community organizations. For more information, visit https://www.asbhawaii.com/ or follow American Savings Bank on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

    About Chanel Josiah

    Chanel was born and raised on Oʻahu and now resides on Kaua’i with her husband and seven children. As a 5th-generation Hawaiian Home Lands lessee and homeowner, she has firsthand knowledge of the challenges families face in accessing housing, financial opportunities and resources both on and off homesteads. Her lived experiences and professional expertise inspire her passion for supporting others and strengthen her commitment to helping local and native Hawaiian families secure and sustain homes on their ancestral ‘āina, building lasting stability for themselves and generations to come.

    Chanel also serves as the Board President of Pa‘a Lima, a nonprofit organization that offers support services and education to address houselessness, mental health challenges, financial literacy, and income instability. The organization is committed to breaking generational cycles and changing lives, with a special emphasis on supporting youth aging out of foster care.

    As Operations Director, Chanel oversees marketing, community engagement, technical assistance, and operations. A key aspect of her role is connecting directly with communities to understand their needs and challenges. Drawing on her personal and professional experiences, Chanel approaches these challenges holistically, blending diverse perspectives to create innovative strategies that drive meaningful and lasting change for the communities she serves. “I’m grateful to be able to share our organization’s moʻomeheu (culture), moʻolelo (story) and kaunu (passion) with communities across Hawaiʻi, partners and investors who believe in the work we do.”

    Chanel is inspired by her keiki, motivating her dedication to ensuring they can build their futures here in Hawai’i. She is also inspired by her tūtū kāne, Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox. “He was a fearless kānaka ‘ōiwi champion who encompassed the spirit of aloha ‘āina – the love of his land, and home just as we do now.” Outside of work, Chanel enjoys reading, practicing hula, and spending time at the beach with her ʻohana.

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    About Aikū’ē Kalima

    Aikū’ē Kalima, former Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Manager for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, joins Hawaiʻi Community Lending as its lending director.
    Kalima comes to HCL with more than 25 years of experience in community development and mortgage lending. In his new position, Kalima will direct HCL’s consumer, construction, mortgage and small business lending.
    “As a native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary, I understand the financial needs for economic development and quality housing for kānaka is great,” said Kalima, who led OHA’s deployment of $9.8 million in loans to 286 native Hawaiians statewide over the last five years. “For over 25 years, I have worked tirelessly at the grassroots level, educating kānaka on the skills necessary to achieve the dream of homeownership and providing resources to achieve financial sustainability. I plan to continue serving the lāhui empowering ‘ohana and communities as the lending director for Hawai‘i Community Lending.”
    Kalima takes the reins of HCL’s $16-million revolving loan fund and will oversee a team of seven staff members statewide. “HCL is honored to have Aikū’ē join us in our mission to help tackle our housing crisis by funding native Hawaiian and local families to build, buy and save homes from foreclosure,” said HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath. “He has proven leadership in both the public and private sectors and has the passion to get families on the land through homeownership.”

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    About Sean

    Sean Perez loves hearing about the great things Hawai‘i Community Lending is doing for the Hawaiian community. And now as HCL’s new director of finance, he is excited to be part of the team making it happen.

    “I enjoy hearing the success stories of new homes that we will soon be building and finding for these families,” he says. “HCL’s mission resonates well with me and my passion to help others and assist our community.”

    To this end, Sean will manage HCL’s finances, accounting, compliance, and information technology matters; working with HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath and supervising three division managers. He comes to HCL with over eight years of experience in financial management in the nonprofit and private, for-profit sectors having worked in the legal, social service, health, and telecommunications industries as well as with the US Attorney’s Office of Guam and CNMI. In his previous job as director of operations for the Hawai‘i State Bar Association where he was responsible for directing the organization’s finances, Sean grew his experience in nonprofit financial management and gained extensive background in accounting, grants management, IT and human resources. These skills, in conjunction with his drive to work with the Hawai‘i community through nonprofit assistance, led Sean to HCL.

    Currently living in Honolulu, Sean was born in Tamuning, Guam. When he was 10 years old, he moved to Oxnard, Calif., where he attended school and eventually community college. The Air Force Reserves beckoned him after graduation, leading him to serve three and a half years as an aircrew flight equipment technician at March Air Reserve Base. After his military service, Sean returned to his childhood home of Guam, where he went to college to obtain a degree in finance and economics, and then to pursue an MBA.

    On O‘ahu, Sean enjoys family life with his fiancée and toddler son; fishing and surfing in his time off. “I look forward to accomplishing great things with HCL and creating new success stories,” he says.

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    About Nikki

    Nikki Hollern is a mother of five, born and raised in Upcountry Maui, but she spent the last 15 years in the beautiful town of Lahaina. Lahaina stole her heart, with the people and the town being unlike any other. After the fire, her family had to relocate to Kahului.

    Her heart remains in Lahaina, and her goal is to help this amazing community get back to where they belong. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the HCL ‘ohana, helping navigate this incredibly hard time and hopefully serving as a guiding light to assist the community in returning home and coming back even stronger.

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