Customer Appreciation Dinner
-Bank of the West Thanks its Asian Customers-

On 10th of December, the 15th Pacific Rim Customer Appreciation Dinner took place in Pasadena. This event was sponsored by Bank of the West and was geared toward its Asian customers. About 400 people were invited to the event. At the party, President and CEO, Michael Shepherd mentioned, along with some other events from 2009, that they earned the highest score in customer satisfaction of JD Power and Associates. Executive Vice President of the Pacific Rim Division, Yukinori Nishio, explained that Bank of the West experienced a growth in core deposits despite the economic downturn. He also forecasted that the U.S. economy can expect a 2% increase for the year 2010.

Friends Without a Border LA Gala
-Supporting the Children of Cambodia-

Many celebrities, such as an actress Ann Hathaway and a musician, Robin Thicke, showed up at the red carpet. This charity event was sponsored by a charitable organization, Friends Without A Border, which founded the Angkor Hospital For Children in Cambodia. The founder of Friends Without A Border is Japanese photographer, Kenro Izu. Izu founded the organization in 1995 with the idea of saving children in poverty in Cambodia that he witnessed when he traveled to the country for a photo shoot. Today, about 400 children are being treated every day at the hospital.