Honolulu banker Walter Dods will step down as chairman of BancWest Corp., the parent of First Hawaiian Bank, at the end of the year.

Dods was a driving force behind First Hawaiian's 1997 merger with California-based Bank of the West to create BancWest Corp. Dods will remain as a director of BancWest and continue to serve as chairman of First Hawaiian.

BancWest is the parent company of both Bank of the West and First Hawaiian and is owned by BNP Paribas.

Dods retired as BancWest's CEO in 2005. As head of First Hawaiian he was instrumental in helping First Hawaiian overtake Bank of Hawaii as the state's largest bank. First Hawaiian has assets of $12.5 billion and deposits of $9 billion.

BancWest CEO Don McGrath will become chairman of BancWest. McGrath is stepping down as CEO of Bank of the West at the end of the year. Michael Shepherd, 52, will become CEO of Bank of the West.

Dods remains active on the local business scene. He is part of an investment firm that in August bought Mid Pac Petroleum LLC, a Hawai'i-based petroleum marketer and the licensee of the Union 76 brand.