July 13th, 2007

First American HomeOwnership Foundation

Contributes $25,000 to the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center

Honolulu, Hawaii — First American Foundation recently contributed $25,000 to the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center. The generous award from the Foundation has been designated toward the Center's efforts to increase homeownership on the island of Hawaii.

The First American Homeownership Foundation is a focused philanthropic effort by The First American Corporation to increase homeownership within America's under-served communities. The First American Corporation is the parent company of both First American Title Company, Inc. and Island Title Corporation providers of Escrow and Title Insurance services across the state of Hawaii. Joseph "Kepa" Dwight, President of First American Title Company, Inc. – Hawaii and Jason Chun, President of Island Title Corporation recently presented the award check on behalf of the Foundation to the Center's Board of Directors (see picture below).

The Hawaii HomeOwnership Center is a local nonprofit that provides families and individuals the education and the individualized counseling needed for them to achieve their homeownership goals. The Center was established in October of 2003 and has been instrumental in helping hundreds of families and individuals become homeowners over the last 3 years. The Center is currently helping over 1,300 member families prepare for homeownership.

"At First American, we believe that homeownership is the cornerstone of strong communities, and that increasing homeownership benefits everyone. Today, however, homeownership is not uniformly accessible, particularly in under-served communities where aspiring homeowners lack the information and resources needed to claim their part of the American Dream. Our goal is to work alongside established and trusted nonprofit organizations striving to put homeownership within reach for all Americans" said Kepa Dwight.

"We truly appreciate First American's commitment to reinvest back into the Hawaii community through their generous support," said Kendall J. Hirai, Executive Director of the Center.

The contribution from First American will help the Center to continue to expand its classes and one-on-one counseling throughout the island of Hawaii.