Banks in the United States range from fewer than 10 years old to more than 200 years old, depending on when and where they were founded.

The oldest bank still operating in the United States is Bank of New York Mellon, founded in 1784. The second-oldest is Citi, which traces its roots to 1812. Most major banks you recognize today—Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America—were founded between the 1850s and 1920s, though many have grown through mergers with even older institutions. Smaller regional and community banks vary widely; some are decades old, others opened in the last five years.

A bank's age does not tell you whether it is safe or whether it will treat you fairly. What matters is whether it is FDIC-insured (which protects your deposits up to $250,000 per account type) and whether it has a track record you can verify through public complaint records and regulatory filings. A 200-year-old bank can fail; a five-year-old bank can be solid.

Key Takeaways

  • Bank of New York Mellon (1784) and Citi (1812) are the oldest continuously operating banks in the United States.
  • Most major national banks were founded between 1850 and 1920, though many grew larger through mergers with older institutions.
  • A bank's age does not predict its safety or customer service quality—FDIC insurance status and regulatory history matter more.
  • You can check a bank's founding date, ownership structure, and complaint history through the FDIC website and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Why People Ask About Bank Age

Readers often want to know a bank's age because they assume older means more stable or trustworthy. That assumption is partly historical—banks that survived the Great Depression, the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, and the 2008 financial crisis did prove their durability. But age alone is not a safety measure.

A newer bank can be well-capitalized and conservatively managed. An old bank can take excessive risks or fail to modernize its fraud prevention. The real question is not "How old is this bank?" but "Is this bank insured, regulated, and complaint-free enough for me to trust it with my money?"

How to Find Out When a Bank Was Founded

The fastest way is to visit the bank's official website and look for an "About Us" or "History" page. Most banks list their founding year prominently. If the website does not say, call the bank's customer service line and ask directly—they can tell you in one sentence.

You can also search the FDIC's Bank Find tool at banks.fdic.gov. Enter the bank's name, and the tool will show you its charter date, the state it is chartered in, and whether it is currently insured. This is the official record, not marketing copy.

What Bank Age Actually Tells You

A bank that has been operating for 100+ years has survived multiple economic cycles, wars, and regulatory overhauls. That is real evidence of institutional stability. But it does not mean the bank will not close your account, charge you unexpected fees, or handle a dispute poorly.

Newer banks—especially online-only banks founded in the last 10 years—often have lower fees and better digital tools because they were built for modern banking. They are also FDIC-insured if they hold a proper charter, which means your deposits are protected the same way they are at a 150-year-old bank.

How to Check a Bank's Safety and Track Record

Start with the FDIC. Go to banks.fdic.gov, search for the bank by name, and confirm it shows an "Active" status. If it does not appear in the FDIC database, it is not a legitimate deposit-taking bank.

Next, check the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint database at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Search the bank's name and read what customers have reported. Look for patterns—if hundreds of people report the same problem (unauthorized charges, refund delays, account closures without notice), that is a red flag regardless of the bank's age.

You can also search the bank's name plus "regulatory action" or "enforcement" to see whether the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), or state banking regulators have fined or sanctioned it. This information is public.

Mergers and Name Changes Complicate Bank Age

Many banks claim a founding date that includes institutions they merged with decades ago. Wells Fargo, for example, traces its history to 1852, but that date includes multiple mergers. Bank of America was founded in 1904 but absorbed NationsBank (1874) in 1998, so it sometimes claims 1874 as its founding year.

This matters because a merger does not mean the older bank's practices or culture survived. Wells Fargo's 2016 fake-accounts scandal showed that a 150-year-old institution could engage in systematic fraud. The age of the original bank did not prevent modern misconduct.

When you see a bank claiming an unusually old founding date, look at the merger history. The bank's current practices and regulatory record are what affect you, not the age of an institution it absorbed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an older bank safer than a newer bank?

Not necessarily. Safety depends on FDIC insurance, capital reserves, and regulatory oversight—all of which explore equally to old and new banks. A newer online bank can be safer than an older regional bank if it has better fraud prevention and lower complaint rates. Check the FDIC database and CFPB complaints, not the founding date.

What is the oldest bank in the world?

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena in Italy, founded in 1472, is often cited as the oldest bank still operating. In the United States, Bank of New York Mellon (1784) holds that title. Age does not affect how it serves you as a customer.

If a bank is very new, should I worry about it closing?

Only if it is not FDIC-insured. If it is insured and appears in the FDIC database as "Active," your deposits are protected up to $250,000 even if the bank fails. The FDIC will transfer your account to another bank or send you a check. Age has nothing to do with it.

Can I find out how many branches a bank had when it was founded?

Most banks started with one location. Historical information about branch counts is rarely public unless the bank publishes its own history. If you need to know a bank's current branch network, search its website or call customer service. Historical branch counts do not affect your account today.