The American Samoa government says Utah-based Zions Bank will be handling the government's payroll services when Bank of Hawaii departs the territory.
The treasurer Falema'o Dr. Phil Pili has told a news conference with Zions executives that the bank will also be offering other services, such as payroll cards, in an effort to bridge the technological gap facing the government.
He says this will resolve a issue of concern since ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank is not able to handle the government payroll and other banking services at present.
"Zion is offering a feature here where they don't need to register, they don't need to open an account. They will issue a card and that card can be used to purchase goods and services locally. I think you can go off-island and use the same card, you can use an ATM machine and so forth."
Falema'o Dr. Phil Pili is hopeful that Zion's payroll service will be in place within 30 days.
