Hope Bancorp in Los Angeles is bringing back one of its retired executives on an interim basis.
The $19.1 billion-asset company said that David Malone is returning to serve as interim chief financial officer. He will succeed Alex Ko, who resigned “to pursue other opportunities” but will serve as a consultant through March 31.
Hope said it has begun a formal search for a permanent CFO.
Malone retired as president and chief operating officer of Bank of Hope in December 2021. Before joining Hope, he was at Community Bank in Pasadena, Calif., serving in various roles including chairman, president and CEO.
“On behalf of the board, I thank Alex for his leadership and contributions to date and wish him success in his future endeavors,” Kevin Kim, Hope’s chairman, president and CEO, said in the release.
“I also thank Dave for stepping in during this transition period,” Kim added. “With his extensive executive management experience and in-depth knowledge of our bank, together with our strong … teams that we have in place, I am confident all CFO-related capabilities and responsibilities will be sustained for a smooth transition.”