Nearly two years after the Palisades fire displaced tens of thousands of residents, shuttered businesses and disrupted everyday services across Pacific Palisades, another piece of the community’s commercial infrastructure has returned.
City National Bank has reopened its Palisades Village branch on Sunset Boulevard, restoring full-service, in-person banking to a community where residents and business owners continue to navigate insurance claims, rebuilding costs, financing needs and the longer-term economic consequences of the January 2025 wildfire.
The branch had operated in Pacific Palisades for more than a decade before being displaced by the fire.
Its reopening comes as the community continues the transition from disaster response to rebuilding, with the return of businesses and essential services serving as visible markers of recovery.
“Within the immediate vicinity of the Palisades Recovery Coalition on Sunset Boulevard, we now have four major banks,” said Maryam Zar, CEO of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce and founder and president of the Palisades Recovery Coalition. “That tells financial institutions believe in the future of Pacific Palisades, and they’re investing in our comeback. But that confidence must translate into capital, resources and real recovery solutions for fire survivors who, nearly two years after the devastation, are still struggling to return home.”
For residents confronting the financial realities of rebuilding, the return of face-to-face banking carries particular significance. Homeowners continue to work through insurance settlements, mortgages and reconstruction financing, while local businesses face challenges involving capital, disrupted revenue and the pace at which customers and residents return.
“Reopening our branch doors means welcoming back the neighbors, partners and business owners we’ve had the privilege of serving for years,” said Lindsay Dunn, executive vice president and head of Personal & Business Banking at City National. “Many of our clients lost homes or businesses in the fires. We’re here to help them navigate their financial needs as the community continues to rebuild and recover. Having a local branch open again means they can sit down with us face-to-face when they need us most.”
The 1,423-square-foot branch includes two private consultation rooms for personal banking and mortgage consultations, an ATM and three service desks. City National said the renovated location will also incorporate local artwork and decorative elements reflecting the character and resilience of the Palisades community.
“We never stopped serving our Palisades clients, we just couldn’t do it physically from here,” said branch manager Evelyn Peera. “Now that we’re back on Sunset Boulevard, someone who needs to refinance a mortgage, apply for a business loan or just sit down with a banker can walk in and do that.”
In the aftermath of the Southern California wildfires, City National and its parent company, Royal Bank of Canada, committed a combined $3 million to relief efforts. According to the bank, that support helped provide more than 2 million meals and essential-supply kits, temporary housing for more than 5,000 households and rental assistance for more than 3,500 households.
City National also offered qualifying clients affected by the fires a three-year mortgage and home-equity-line-of-credit forbearance period to help families manage financially during the rebuilding process.
For Zar, the presence of financial institutions is only one piece of what will be required for a sustained recovery. “Residents remain determined to rebuild and businesses are fighting to come back,” Zar said. “This community has every reason to achieve a historic recovery, but what we need now are the systems, financing and institutional commitments to match that determination.”
Zar also argued that the recovery should address broader questions about preparedness and public safety. “This was a devastating and, in my view, preventable fire, made possible by years of inadequate attention to public safety and preparedness,” Zar said. “We owe this community more than a return to normal. We owe it a recovery worthy of its resilience and its future.”
The reopening is another incremental sign of normalcy returning to Pacific Palisades, even as reconstruction of homes, businesses and community infrastructure remains a multiyear undertaking. City National is marking the reopening with activities at the branch throughout October. The Palisades Village location at 15273 W. Sunset Blvd. is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with its ATM available around the clock.