BUSINESS BRIEFS
Bankoh starts new Internet service
Advertiser Staff
Bank of Hawaii is launching today a new Internet service to provide residential loan customers access to information on their mortgages.
Through the bank's Mortgage Account Management Center, customers will be able to view their mortgage loan summary, posted transactions, taxes and interest paid year-to-date, escrow account information, and amortization schedule based on their original loan balance. Customers also will be able to print year-end statements and IRS Substitute Form 1098 for income tax returns.
The free service will be available through the bank's Web site, www.boh.com.
ACCOUNTANTS ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP
The Association of Government Accountants of Hawai'i has established a $50,000 endowment scholarship fund at the University of Hawai'i Shidler College of Business.
The scholarship was established to assist students pursuing an accounting or auditing career. The initial gift of $25,000 was matched by Shidler's matching funds.
GAS PURCHASES EARN REWARDS
AAA Visa Signature credit card users will receive double WorldPoints Rewards on all gasoline purchases, AAA Hawaii has announced.
The credit card has no annual fee and cardholders earn one point for every dollar spent. Points can be redeemed for cash, airline tickets, hotel rooms and other goods and services.
AAA said the new double-point program is being launched to help ease the pain of record-high gas prices.
SEARCH ENGINE FOR VACATION RENTALS
A British Columbia-based software development company has debuted www.HawaiiGaga.com, which it claims is the first Web search engine that's designed specifically for Hawaii vacation rentals.
The new site was created by the Canadian-based firm Pretorius & McGrath Ltd., which says its search engine indexes virtually every Hawai'i vacation home and condo.
GENERAL GROWTH TO RELEASE RESULTS
General Growth Properties Inc., the owner of Ala Moana and Ward centers, will discuss its second-quarter performance during a conference call broadcast over the Internet on July 31 at 3 a.m. Hawai'i time.
The Chicago-based company said it will release its results the day before the call, which will be available through General Growth's Web site at www.ggp.com. The call will also be available in a download format after it ends. General Growth is one of the largest U.S. Real Estate Investment Trusts.
CAR RENTAL OFFERS VIRTUAL TOUR GUIDE
Advantage Rent A Car said it will introduce this week a virtual "tour guide" option for people renting cars at its Maui and Honolulu locations. The company said it is partnering with Tourism Radio International for the service and uses GPS technology to deliver audio describing for travelers about the surrounding area, road safety and points of interest.
The service is available through a device that plugs into a cigarette lighter and broadcasts through the car's radio. Advantage said the service will be available for $9.99 a day. Besides alerting motorists to area landmarks and highlights as they approach them, the service also covers information specific to the area where the vehicle is along with radio shows featuring information such as local cooking and music.
