What was the first black bank in Oklahoma?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

The historic first African-American-owned bank established in Oklahoma was the Boley Bank and Trust Company, founded in the thriving all-black municipality of Boley in 1905. Established during an era of profound segregation, the bank played a vital economic role in fostering independent Black enterprise, financing real estate ownership, and supporting local commerce within the prosperous self-governed town. Prominent community leaders and entrepreneurs organized the institution to ensure that African-American residents and business owners had access to secure capital, savings accounts, and commercial loans without facing the discriminatory barriers prevalent in mainstream financial institutions of the Jim Crow era.

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