20 for the Next 20: Greg Young, HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union
Young previously spent over 21 years in traditional banking before joining HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union in October 2019.
Greg Young
President & CEO, HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union
In October 2019, Greg Young started a new job as senior VP of lending at HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union, one of the state’s largest credit unions, with 14 branches. Six months later, as Hawai‘i was shutting down, he was promoted to chief lending officer.
“The quickness and severity of the pandemic’s impact was amazing,” says Young.
He says his team immediately deferred loans, issued grants to businesses, processed PPP loans and even set up Department of Health contact tracers in their events space at no cost. The arrangement lasted through 2021.
“That was a greater-good issue,” says Young. “We thought that if we can help play a role, however small, that’s what we needed to do.”
HawaiiUSA was in the red for months but ultimately posted $80.65 million in revenue in 2020 and cleared a profit, while Young’s team wrote a record $1 billion- plus in loans, driven by mortgages.
Two years after joining, in October 2021, he took over as president and CEO when Karl Yoneshige retired. It’s a new role in a world he says is very different from traditional banking, where Young spent over 21 years, including 12 with American Savings Bank.
“Banks are driven by shareholders. They’re publicly traded, and Wall Street is going to criticize them if they don’t make enough money,” he explains. “You really learn what banking is when it’s not driven by only profit.
“We focus on people who are underserved. A person shouldn’t have a lesser experience or worse technology because they don’t have the same assets as a rich person.” Among the tech improvements Young helped roll out was a simple platform for applying online for loans.
His service focus is evident in everything he does, from banking to fixing food for friends, says Davin Kazama, a real estate and solar investor who has worked with Young to secure loans. The two also have personal ties as ‘Iolani grads and parents. Young’s two daughters, ages 13 and 16, attend the school now.
“He’s a very humble, self-deprecating person, which belies the accomplished businessperson he is. He’s just a very secure person. When someone is that secure, accomplished and humble, they just want to solve problems and make things better for others,” says Kazama.
Young says he strives to lead by example, not by barking orders from above. “I’m going to be right there with you doing whatever we need to do to help our members out.”
