Bank of Hope Opens 2nd Houston Branch; Gives Initial $25,000 Donation for Hurricane Harvey Relief

LOS ANGELES and HOUSTON, Sept. 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- During the midst of recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Bank of Hope (the "Bank"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hope Bancorp, Inc. HOPE (the "Company"), today announced the opening of its second full-service branch in the Houston market. Bank of Hope also announced the giving of an initial corporate donation of $25,000 to the Korean-American Association of Houston, a Houston-based non-profit organization focused on supporting the community.

Bank of Hope logo

"Over the past few days, we have all been intently watching news coverage of the devastating damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey," said Kevin S. Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Thankfully, we have confirmed the safety of all Bank of Hope employees in the region, and the opening of our second branch in Houston, as scheduled, underscores our commitment to this market. Like a good neighbor, we are doing what we can to support the community and the recovery process in the aftermath of the flooding. The initial donation will be supplemented with a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund being gathered by the directors and employees of Bank of Hope during the month of September to provide additional relief to those affected by the disaster. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in impacted communities, especially our customers, employees, families and friends."

In addition to the donations, Bank of Hope is waiving the following for its customers in the Houston area effective August 28, 2017 through September 30, 2017.

• Non-sufficient funds fees
• Incoming wire transfer fees to affected Bank of Hope customers
• Early CD withdrawal penalties not required by law for a withdrawal used in recovery
• Late fees for most loans and consumer products, subject to Bank approval

Bank of Hope's Houston-Spring Branch is located at 1338 Blalock Road, Houston, Texas 77055, and customers may reach branch representatives at 281-407-3355.

About Bank of Hope

A wholly owned subsidiary of Hope Bancorp, Inc., Bank of Hope is the first and only super regional Korean-American bank in the United States with $13.9 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2017.  Headquartered in Los Angeles and serving a multi-ethnic population of customers across the nation, Bank of Hope operates 64 full-service branches in California, Washington, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.  The Bank also operates SBA loan production offices in Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon and Annandale, Virginia; a commercial loan production office in Fremont, California; residential mortgage loan production offices in California; and a representative office in Seoul, Korea.  Bank of Hope specializes in core business banking products for small and medium-sized businesses, with an emphasis in commercial real estate and commercial lending, SBA lending and international trade financing.  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 bankofhope.com.

Contacts:

For Investors and Financial Media:
Angie Yang
SVP, Director of Investor Relations
& Corporate Communications
Hope Bancorp, Inc. and Bank of Hope
213-251-2219
angie.yang@bankofhope.com

For Korean Media:
In Young Park
FVP, Marketing Manager
Bank of Hope
213-251-2282
inyoung.park@bankofhope.com