What was the first bank formerly called?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

Financial institutions operating under designations like First Bank frequently trace their corporate lineage through localized foundational entities, such as original municipal savings associations, county trust funds, or historic charter names. When regional banks consolidate or adopt streamlined national brands, they frequently shed legacy titles that honored their original town or founding partners. Over decades of structural evolution, mergers, and holding company formations, these banks standardized their public identities under simplified monikers while preserving their foundational charter dates in their corporate archives.

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The financial services industry encompasses diverse institutional categories operating across distinct markets.

The Bank of North America, chartered by the Confederation Congress on December 31, 1781, and opening for commercial business in Philadelphia on January 7, 1782, is historically recognized as the oldest bank still in existence in terms of initial corp...

Because "First National Bank" is one of the most common names for financial institutions in the United States, many entities sharing this name have been bought out or merged over time.

Greenwich is famously associated with the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), serving as the globally recognized reference point for timekeeping and longitude.

Greenwich Merchant Bank is a financial services firm based in Lagos, Nigeria, which was established in 1992. The firm provides various financial services, including expertise in investment banking.

PNC continues to operate under its well-established historical brand name, PNC Bank, alongside its parent corporate identity, The PNC Financial Services Group.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A., established in 1472 in the Republic of Siena, is universally recognized as the oldest banking institution in the world with an unbroken chain of continuous operations.