Hope Bancorp, Inc., the holding company of Bank of Hope, announced the planned retirement of President and Chief Operating Officer of Bank of Hope David P. Malone effective Dec. 31. Malone will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors of the Hope Bancorp and Bank of Hope. The company also announced the promotion of Peter Koh to Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Bank of Hope effective January 1, 2022.

In connection with the retirement of Malone as President of the Bank, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Kevin S. Kim will re-assume the role of President of the Bank. Previously from July 29, 2016, Kim had served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Bank prior to the appointment of Malone as President of the Bank effective July 1, 2019.

“We thank David Malone for his leadership at Bank of Hope since 2017 and congratulate him on his decorated banking career over the past five decades,” said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Bancorp Kevin S. Kim. “I also congratulate Peter Koh on his promotion and look forward to working closely with him as we continue to build upon the strong heritage of Bank of Hope as one of the leading Asian American banks in the nation.”

Koh, 44, transitioned to Executive Vice President and Deputy Chief Operating Officer in April 2021 from Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, taking on broader responsibilities in the overall management of the Bank. Upon the merger of equals creating Bank of Hope on July 29, 2016, Koh was named Chief Credit Officer of Bank of Hope and was responsible for oversight of all credit administration functions, as well as the appraisal and special assets departments. Previously, he served in the same capacity for Wilshire Bank, a position he was promoted to in July 2014. He earned his B.A. from Columbia University in New York and M.B.A. from the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.

Hope Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company of Bank of Hope, with $17.8 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2021. 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.