East West Bank , the primary subsidiary of East West Bancorp, Inc., is the largest independent bank headquartered in Southern California, United States. It was founded in 1973 in Los Angeles to serve the Chinese American community in Southern California. It is a premier bank focused exclusively on the United States and Greater China markets with connections to many business, officials in China and operates over 120 locations in the U.S. and China, including in the markets of California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas and Washington. In Greater China, East West Bank’s presence includes full service branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shantou and Shenzhen, and representative offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Xiamen. Forbes magazine has recognized East West Bank as one of “America’s Best Banks” since 2010. In 2018, Forbes ranked East West Bank number five of “America’s 100 Best Banks.”