Central Pacific branch returning to Kailua Daiei

Central Pacific Bank, which consolidated nine overlapping branches in February 2005 after acquiring City Bank, said yesterday it has returned to one site it had shuttered, at the Daiei store in Kailua.

Central Pacific, which plans a grand opening for the Kailua Daiei branch on Saturday, also announced plans to open a Pearl City branch in the fourth quarter, to give the bank a presence in four locations in that region.

The two are the first branch openings announced since the merger was completed in September 2004, when Central Pacific said it was closing all of City Bank's six neighbor island locations and two City Bank locations downtown, as well as the Central Pacific Daiei site. At the time, Central Pacific said it would open a new branch for every duplicative branch that was closed.

Two other Central Pacific branches that have opened since then -- in Wailuku, Maui, and a relocated branch in Kapolei -- were announced when the merger was completed.