These independent banks were originally established in immigrant communities to remit money back to China but later moved to cater to the people of their adopted countries.
These overseas Chinese banks contributed to a large extent to the development of the countries and communities in which they were located.
Therefore, most overseas Chinese banks in the United States adopted a different strategy than their Southeast Asian counterparts by serving a particular segment of the market.
A few of the banks would later expand to the national level but most remain at the community level, tailoring to the specific needs of the local overseas Chinese, such as helping them to remit money back to China, to provide finance for import and export businesses, and real estate.
These banks are independently and privately owned, and cater to the Chinese and Asian populations of their respective countries.