Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Territorial Bank of American Samoa chief executive officer, Drew Roberts attened his first cabinet meeting last week, and this was also the first time that a top executive of the government-owned bank has attended these meetings, since TBAS first opened its doors more than 2 years ago.

With Roberts in attendance, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga spoke briefly about TBAS, saying, “no one ever believed in our government to bring a new bank down.” He said the local business community had tried, but they never came through.

“We try our best. Myself and Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga never had any experience in doing [banking],” Lolo said. “But we asked God to show us the way.”

He went on to say, “We do have some friends in Washington, and one of those people, we have this morning, is Drew Roberts, and some of our friends in Congress. They were the people who showed us how to do it.”

“This is one of the major accomplishments of this administration,” Lolo said, adding that “without the support” of people like Steve Watson — the governor’s chief legal counsel; the late Falema’o Pili — who was ASG Treasurer at the time of his passing; Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, the governor’s executive assistant, “and people like yourself who contributed in making sense of what we were doing….eventually we were able to bring down a bank that is now serving our people.”

“We thank God for showing us the way to do it. Without you, without your support, we would've never been able to accomplish those things,” he continued, noting that without this achievement, local residents would be standing in long lines at ANZ Bank.

In a joking statement, which resulted in laughter from the crowd, Lolo told cabinet members to stop going to Roberts for a loan and then not paying it back. He then told Roberts that if any cabinet member gets a loan, “make sure they pay.”

He commended cabinet members for their continued hard work, saying, “Let the critics continue to criticize, but our job and your job is to serve the public and work together for the betterment of American Samoa."

The TBAS board of directors announced in August 2018, the appointment of Roberts to the CEO post, while then CEO and president, Phil Ware is assigned to pursue and analyze unique opportunities for the bank.

Roberts, who was previously based in Utah, has been involved as the lead consultant to the bank since 2013. He has extensive experience in banking and will add a great deal to the overall effectiveness of the bank, according to the board.

[photo: FS]