History of Our 传奇国际娱乐登录
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co. is one of the world's oldest, largest and best-known financial institutions.
The firm is built on the foundation of more than 1,200 predecessor institutions that have come together through the years to form today's company.
We trace our roots to 1799 in New York City, and our many well-known heritage firms include J.P. Morgan & Co., The 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank, Bank One, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co., Chemical Bank, The First National Bank of Chicago, National Bank of Detroit, The Bear Stearns Companies Inc., Robert Fleming Holdings, Cazenove Group and the business acquired in the Washington Mutual transaction. Each of these firms, in its time, was closely tied to innovations in finance and the growth of the U.S. and global economies.
Explore Our History
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1799-1850s
1860s-1910s
1915-1940s
1950s-1970s
1980s-1990s
2000s-Present
The Early Years of State Banking

1799
The Manhattan Company is founded
The Manhattan Company, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录's earliest predecessor institution, is chartered by the New York State legislature to supply "pure and wholesome" drinking water to the city's growing population. Among its founders are Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
A provision in the charter allows The Manhattan Company to use its surplus capital for banking operations. Within five months, The Bank of The Manhattan Company opens for business, becoming the second commercial bank in New York City after Hamilton’s Bank of New York. With his banking monopoly broken, Hamilton severs his association with the water company.
1804
The Hamilton – Burr duel
Manhattan Company founder Aaron Burr challenges his personal and political adversary, Alexander Hamilton, to a duel. The two men meet at dawn on July 11th in Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. Hamilton is mortally wounded and dies the next morning.
The pistols selected by Hamilton for the duel were owned by his brother-in-law, John B. Church. In 1930 The Bank of The Manhattan Company purchases them from one of Church's descendants.


1807
First philanthropic endeavor
The Manhattan Company grants New York City’s volunteer fire companies free access to its network of water pipes to fight fires, contributing to the community’s public safety.
1812
The New York Manufacturing Company is incorporated
The New York Manufacturing Company, the earliest predecessor in Manufacturers Hanover’s family tree, is created to produce tools and parts for the textile industry. The company’s charter permits it to conduct a banking operation, similar to The Manhattan Company's example, and it establishes Phenix Bank in 1817.


1817
The Bank of The Manhattan Company funds the Erie Canal
The Bank of The Manhattan Company is a key lender for the construction of the Erie Canal, which opens in 1825 linking the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. Later in the century the bank provides funds to support interest payments on Erie Canal bonds and to enlarge and modernize the canal.
1823
The New York Chemical Manufacturing Company opens
New York City merchants organize the New York Chemical Manufacturing Company to produce chemicals, medicines, paints and dyes. The company's charter prohibits banking activities but a year later the company secures an amendment enabling it to establish a banking subsidiary called The Chemical Bank.


1839
Bank of Commerce opens
The Bank of Commerce opens in New York City. This institution, which merges with the Guaranty Trust Company of New York in 1929, is the earliest predecessor on the J.P. Morgan family tree.
1853
The New York Clearing House brings efficiency to banking
The New York Clearing House is organized, with several JPMC predecessors as charter members, to systematize the daily settling of checks drawn on other local banks. Previously, messengers went from bank to bank to trade checks for cash, a time-consuming and risky process. Centralized clearing greatly reduces the number of transactions and risk among member banks. More than $20 million is cleared on its first day of operation.


1853
Abraham Lincoln becomes a customer
Springfield Marine and Fire Insurance Company opens in 1851 to insure shipping vessels and goods, but it also provides a variety of banking services. Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln opens a bank account there two years later with an initial deposit of $310. Lincoln keeps his account in Springfield through his presidential years until his assassination. The firm later evolves into Marine Corporation, a Bank One predecessor.
1854
Junius Morgan begins business in London
Junius S. Morgan, patriarch of the Morgan banking family, moves to London and joins the private banking firm George Peabody & Co. It becomes the leading marketer of American securities in England and Europe, raising capital for the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858 among other important deals. The firm is restyled J. S. Morgan & Co. in 1864 and continues as a critical connection in the J.P. Morgan international banking network through the end of the century.


1857
The Panic of 1857
A financial panic causes 18 New York City banks to close on a single day and ushers in a severe economic depression. Most banks suspend “specie payments” but Chemical Bank continues to redeem banknotes in gold coin, helping to stabilize the financial markets and earning it the nickname “Old Bullion.”
National Banks and the Age of Industry

1862-1864
The Legal Tender Act and National Banking Acts
New banking laws passed during the Civil War authorize the U.S. government to create a uniform national currency, ease borrowing to pay its war expenses, and set up a new system of nationally chartered banks.
The Legal Tender Act of 1862 provides for a standard national currency, nicknamed "greenbacks" for the elaborate design printed on the back of the notes. Because the notes are unsecured by gold deposits, the value of greenbacks fluctuates widely.
The National Bank Act of 1863 creates a new system of national banks operating under a uniform regulatory framework alongside the older state-chartered banks. The act empowers national banks to issue money in amounts secured by U.S. government bonds purchased and held in reserve by the banks. The 1863 law is strengthened by a second National Bank Act passed the following year.
1863
First National Bank of Chicago, eighth in the nation
The First National Bank of Chicago opens for business, becoming the eighth nationally chartered bank under the new National Banking Act. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Bank continues to operate under this charter #8 to this day.


1863
Guaranty Trust Company’s origins
The New York Guaranty and Indemnity Company is founded in New York. This institution, which evolves into Guaranty Trust Company of New York, later merges with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1959.
1868
Origins of Bank One
F.C. Sessions and Company is founded in Columbus, Ohio. This is Bank One's earliest predecessor in Columbus, its hometown base.


1868
Drexel, Harjes & Co. opens in Paris
In 1868, Anthony Drexel establishes Drexel, Harjes & Co. in Paris, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录’s earliest predecessor in France. Three years later, J. Pierpont Morgan partners with Drexel to open Drexel, Morgan & Co. in New York, later renamed J.P. Morgan & Co.
1871
Drexel, Morgan & Co. is founded
J. Pierpont Morgan partners with Philadelphia banker Anthony Drexel to form Drexel, Morgan & Co., a private merchant banking house in New York City. Pierpont builds his reputation as a leader in railroad investments, the largest and most dynamic American industry in the years after the Civil War. The firm is rechristened J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1895 with Pierpont as the head of all four affiliated partnerships in New York, Philadelphia, London and Paris.


1871
Fire devastates Chicago
When the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago in 1871, the First National Bank of Chicago's new "fireproof" building at the corner of State and Washington Streets is almost completely destroyed. The safes and vaults withstand the flames, however, leaving money, securities and valuable papers intact.
1877
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Bank begins business
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National Bank is founded by John Thompson, a noted New York City banker and financial publisher. Thompson names the new bank in honor of his friend, Salmon P. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录, Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln and architect of the National Banking System.


1879
J.P. Morgan and railroad finance
Drexel, Morgan & Co. sells William H. Vanderbilt's shares of New York Central Railroad stock. At 250,000 shares it is, at the time, the largest block of stock ever publicly offered. The deal establishes J. Pierpont Morgan’s reputation as an expert railroad financier and mobilizer of capital. The next year, Morgan finances the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad underwriting the sale of $40 million in bonds, at the time "the largest transaction in railroad bonds ever made in the United States."
Through the end of the century, Morgan wields enormous power in the American railroad industry, reorganizing failing lines, orchestrating mergers, restructuring debt, eliminating competition and cutting costs to return the companies to profitability – a process dubbed “Morganization” by the press.
1882
Investing in electricity
The Drexel, Morgan & Co. building at 23 Wall Street is the first office building in New York City to draw power from the Edison Electric Illuminating Company's newly built electric generating station. Thomas Edison personally turns on the building's lights.


1882
First Chicago caters to women customers
First National Bank of Chicago establishes a women's banking department, one of the first in the United States to provide specifically designed accommodations for women customers. Over the next several decades, other banks provide distinct sections with separate entrances, writing desks and lounges to provide greater comfort to female clients.
1883
The Brooklyn Bridge opens
The Brooklyn Trust Company, a Manufacturers Hanover predecessor, is responsible for most of the nearly $15 million needed to finance the bridge’s construction. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world at that time.


1886
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York Harbor
William L. Strong, founder of one of Chemical Bank's forerunners, is active in the fundraising campaign for the construction of the pedestal for the mammoth statue, a gift from France. Another Chemical Bank predecessor, Liberty National Bank (founded in 1891), later uses the statue as its logo.
1889
The Great Seattle Fire and founding of Washington Mutual
Washington National Building Loan and Investment Association is founded after a fire destroys much of Seattle's core. The following year it makes the first monthly installment home loan on the Pacific Coast, lending $700 to a customer to build a house. The firm makes 2,000 similar loans, helping to rebuild 250 blocks of housing in the city.


1892
General Electric Company is organized
Drexel, Morgan & Co. finances the consolidation of Thomas Edison’s electric companies with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric Company, one of the most important industrial combinations of the late 19th century.
1895
A technological innovation
First National Bank of Chicago is the first Chicago bank to acquire the newly invented Burroughs Registering Accountant – an adding machine. Manufactured by the American Arithmometer Company, later renamed Burroughs Adding Machine Co., the crank-operated machines printed entries and totals on a paper tape.


1895
Morgan shores up the U.S. Treasury gold reserves
In the years following the Panic of 1893, gold drains from the United States Treasury, causing a crisis in the nation’s currency, banking and international trade. J. Pierpont Morgan organizes a private sale of government bonds to European buyers to replenish the nation’s gold supply and restore public confidence, setting the stage for an economic recovery.
1901
United States Steel is organized
J.P. Morgan & Co. organizes the buyout of industrialist Andrew Carnegie and combines some 15 companies to create United States Steel, the world's first billion-dollar corporation.


1904
Morgan finances the Panama Canal
J. P. Morgan & Co. helps finance the Panama Canal, arranging for the transfer of $40 million for the U.S. government to buy land rights from the failed French endeavor that had begun construction of the canal in 1881. The purchase is the largest real estate transaction in history up to that time.
1907
The Panic of 1907
J. Pierpont Morgan again takes charge during an economic crisis. As the stock market collapses, credit dries up, and banks and brokerages fail, Morgan marshals the major New York banks to supply liquidity to desperate markets, including purchasing $30 million of New York City bonds to avoid the city’s default. For two weeks, Morgan holds the group together until public confidence in the banks is restored. The crisis points to the need for a central bank and leads to the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913.


1911
Financing the Houston Ship Channel
The 50-mile channel, linking land-locked Houston, Texas with Galveston Bay, is financed by bonds purchased by Texas Commerce predecessor, Union National Bank, and other local banks. Houston developer and banker Jesse H. Jones plays a significant role in marketing the bond issue. Completed in 1914, the channel is today one of the busiest waterways in the United States.
1913
J. Pierpont Morgan dies
J. Pierpont Morgan dies while traveling in Rome on March 31, 1913. His son, J.P. (Jack) Morgan, Jr. becomes J.P. Morgan & Co.'s senior partner. The New York Stock Exchange closes until noon on the day of his funeral, an honor generally reserved for heads of state.


1914
A new Morgan home rises on Wall Street
Construction begins in 1912 on a new J.P. Morgan & Co. headquarters at the firm’s historic site at 23 Wall Street. Completed the year after J. Pierpont Morgan’s death, the four-story neoclassical-style building embodies the firm’s characteristically discreet business style. The Morgan name is deliberately left off the building’s façade; the entrance doors bear only the street address “23.”
World Wars, Depression and International Expansion

1915
Support for the Allies
During World War I, J.P. Morgan & Co. arranges the largest foreign loan in Wall Street history – a $500 million bond issue to support the English and French governments – and acts as purchasing agent for the Allies, facilitating the purchase of over $3 billion worth of war materiel and other goods needed by the Allies.
Other JPMC predecessor banks support the war effort by providing critical banking services in war-torn Europe. After America’s entry into the conflict, banks sell war bonds and many of their employees serve in the armed forces or volunteer with the Red Cross.
1920
Post-war international expansion
After the war banks diversify and expand into new global markets. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National Bank and Guaranty Trust Company set up affiliates to do securities underwriting and open new branches in Europe, Asia and Latin America. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National merges with Equitable Trust Company in 1930, combining their extensive overseas branch networks and making 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 the world’s largest bank.


1923
Washington Mutual School Savings Program
Washington Mutual Savings Bank launches the School Savings Program, one of the first to teach children the value of saving money. On the first School Bank Day nearly 17,000 schoolchildren make deposits. The program runs until the 1970s, introducing several hundred thousand children to banking.
1924
Japan earthquake loan
Following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake that devastated Tokyo and the city of Yokohama, J.P. Morgan & Co. leads a $150 million loan, part of an ambitious reconstruction plan. It is the first dollar loan to Japan and, at the time, the largest long term foreign loan ever placed in the American market. Three years later, Jack Morgan is decorated with a medal by the emperor of Japan for the firm’s financial help following the earthquake.


1924
Pioneering women in banking
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National Bank hires Mary Vail Andress as an assistant cashier. She becomes the first female officer at a major New York City bank’s main office. Although women first entered the banking profession through clerical positions in the late nineteenth century, a number of pioneering women like Andress paved the way for others to achieve a range of positions within the financial sector.
1927
Guaranty Trust Company invents the ADR
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) represent shares of stock in a foreign company and trade on U.S. stock markets in dollars, simplifying investing in non-U.S. securities and opening access to American capital. In 1927 Guaranty Trust offers the first ADR for sale for U.K. retailer Selfridges Stores.


1929
The 1929 stock market crash and its impact on banking
On October 29, 1929, after a decade of speculation and rising prices, the stock market collapses ushering in the Great Depression. The effect on the banking system is devastating as credit tightens and lenders call in margin loans that were used to speculate in the market. Depositors, worried that their bank might fail, rush to withdraw their savings. Over the next three years, such bank runs become more and more common. Unable to raise new funds from the Federal Reserve System, hundreds of banks fail throughout the nation.
1931
Houston banks rescued
Jesse H. Jones, president of Houston’s National Bank of Commerce, organizes a group of top bankers and corporate leaders to bail out two failing Houston banks, Public National and Houston National, forestalling the collapse of the city's more stable banking institutions. Due to Jones’ leadership, no Houston banks fail during the Depression.


1933
National Bank of Detroit opens
The National Bank of Detroit, forerunner of NBD Bancorp, opens in Detroit amidst a nationwide financial collapse. As depositors lose confidence in banks’ solvency, the federal government declares a bank holiday – closing all banks to give the financial system time to stabilize. After Detroit’s two major banks fail, Michigan is virtually without banking services for six weeks. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation and General Motors capitalize a new National Bank of Detroit, which opens 562 new accounts on its first day in business.
1940
J.P. Morgan goes public
J.P. Morgan & Co., a private partnership since its inception, incorporates and sells shares to the public, becoming J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated. J.P. (Jack) Morgan, Jr., the firm's senior partner, becomes the new corporation's first chairman.


1941
Our first drive-in
National Bank of Detroit is the first JPMC heritage bank to open a drive-in banking window. The idea was pioneered by a Vernon, California bank in 1937, but does not become a widespread service for retail consumers until the late 1940s.
1941-1945
Service during World War II
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry in the war, our predecessor banks support the war effort abroad and at home. Thousands of bank employees serve overseas in the military, while at-home employees participate in blood drives and prepare packages of food, clothing and supplies for troops stationed abroad. Our predecessors play an important role in buying and promoting Treasury securities, sponsoring drives and selling war bonds at branches.


1947
Post-war expansion
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National Bank establishes a branch in Japan and the first post-war U.S. bank branch in Germany.
A new wave of post-war expansion engulfs the global economy in the years following the end of World War II. By establishing new branches, representative offices and correspondent bank relationships abroad, our predecessors begin providing a wide range of international customer services, such as travelers’ checks. Corporate clients can now more easily obtain trade financing, bills of exchange and commercial letters of credit.
Bank Consolidation and Innovation

1950s-1960s
Bank consolidation in New York City
Post-war banking in America is marked by two trends: consolidation of banks through mergers and the growth of branch banking, reversing the pattern of small, single-office banking that had existed for more than a century. Branch banking had been viewed as monopolistic, but by the 1950s, the public wanted more convenient, local banking and a broader choice of services that could be provided by larger banks. All four of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录’s New York City heritage firms – Chemical Bank, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank, Morgan Guaranty Trust and Manufacturers Hanover Trust – are formed in this period of consolidation.
1955
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank is created
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National Bank merges with The Bank of The Manhattan Company to form 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank. The new institution combines 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 National’s strength in international, corporate, and correspondent banking with The Bank of The Manhattan Company's network of branches and retail banking expertise.


1958
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 launches the first credit card in New York
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan introduces the 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Charge Plan, the first New York City bank to offer a retail credit account. The card is soon renamed Uni-Card and in 1972 joins the national BankAmericard System, the precursor to Visa.
1959
Morgan Guaranty is organized
J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated merges with Guaranty Trust Company of New York forming Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York.
After rebuffing merger overtures from Guaranty Trust Company, then four times the size of Morgan with almost all of America's top 100 companies as clients, having watched its competitors grow rapidly through mergers, which diminished its own assets by comparison, Morgan agrees to merge but with the name Morgan Guaranty Trust Company. The combination creates one of the world’s largest trust operations.


1960
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan introduces the Octagon logo
The design firm Chermayeff & Geismar is selected to design a new logo to reflect 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank’s increasing global presence. The new octagon symbol is intended to be a simple yet powerful form, embodying a feeling of motion centered around a square. The Octagon is one of the earliest abstract corporate logos and continues to be a significant element in the 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 brand architecture.
1960
You Have a Friend at 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
Around the same time it unveils its octagon logo, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 also unveils a new advertising campaign. The “You Have a Friend at 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录” campaign runs from January 1960 through 1975 and becomes one of the first to feature the bank’s new logo. Coining one of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录’s most memorable slogans, the advertisements reinforce the notion of friendly service no matter which 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 branch you visit, domestic or international.


1961
Electronic data processing comes to banking
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan, First National Bank of Chicago and National Bank of Detroit each install computer equipment for the electronic processing of checks. Only two years after 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank installs one of the first computers in New York, an IBM 650 Data Processing System, the bank builds an automated check-processing center. Using new technology to read magnetic ink characters printed on checks, the system processes more than a million checks a day in its first year.
1961
Manufacturers Hanover gets its start
Manufacturers Trust Company and The Hanover Bank merge, forming Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, then the third largest banking institution in New York City.


1966
Credit cards go national
City National Bank & Trust Company in Columbus, Ohio, (Bank One’s main predecessor) establishes a national credit card program, becoming the first bank outside of California to introduce the BankAmericard, the precursor to Visa. In 1969, Manufacturers Hanover and Chemical Bank are among the founding issuers of the Master Charge Plan, today’s Master Card.
1968
Euroclear is founded
Morgan Guaranty in Brussels launches Euroclear, a system that provides for the orderly settlement of transactions in Eurobonds, a new form of international security. Ownership is spun-off to its users in 1972 and in 2000 Euroclear Bank is launched to perform the operating and banking roles previously carried out by Morgan Guaranty.


1969
The ATM era begins
Chemical Bank installs the nation’s first cash dispensing machine – the precursor to the ATM – in a Rockville Center branch on Long Island, inaugurating 24-hour banking in the New York metropolitan area. In 1970 Bank One forerunner City National Bank installs ATMs in its branches, making Columbus, Ohio, a major test market for the machines. Technological improvements to the ATM and added functionality, such as making deposits and transfers, are rolled out beginning in 1971.
1969
Bank holding companies set the stage for growth
Morgan Guaranty, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan, Manufacturers Hanover, Chemical, and First National Bank of Chicago all reorganize to form holding companies, corporate entities that own the capital stock of their lead banks. Holding companies permit greater flexibility to raise capital and expand geographically and functionally. The Marine Corporation in Wisconsin, a Bank One predecessor, is the first bank holding company in the U.S., founded in 1958.


1973
Opening doors to Russia and China
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan establishes a representative office in Moscow, the first U.S. bank to have a business presence there since the 1920s. Connections with mainland China are reinvigorated the same year when 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan becomes the first American correspondent of the Bank of China since the 1949 revolution.
1974
Rockefeller establishes the 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank Archives
In 1974, David Rockefeller, chairman of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank, establishes the 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank Archives in an effort to preserve the legacy of his firm. With each successive merger, the archive continues to grow, adding to its collection the documents and artifacts of the newly-merged banks. Today, the 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Historical Collection is one of the largest private business collections in the country and documents the heritage of the firm’s over 1,200 predecessor institutions.


1978
A gift to the Smithsonian
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank donates the Money Museum, the bank's famed collection of money from around the world, to the Smithsonian Institution. The collection contains 75,000 specimens of coins, paper currency and transactional objects from all time periods since the introduction of monetary systems. The gift to the Smithsonian’s national numismatic collection is intended to make these objects more accessible to the public.
Interstate Banking Meets the Computer Age

1980
At home banking develops
Bank One tests an early version of home banking called Channel 2000. Bank customers can view their bank balances on a television screen, pay bills and shift money between accounts. The service works over regular telephone lines. In 1983 Chemical Bank introduces Pronto, the first full-fledged online banking service, and in 1985 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank introduces Spectrum, a home banking service offering three tiers of service: core banking, financial planning, and investing.
1985
Expanding beyond markets: the age of interstate banking
The Supreme Court rules that regional interstate banking zones are constitutional, marking an important step toward the development of full interstate banking today. Up to this time, bank holding companies were prohibited from acquiring banks across state lines. As a result, our New York heritage firms begin expanding beyond the New York City market, while all three Midwest heritage firms – Banc One in Ohio, First Chicago in Illinois, and NBD in Michigan – merge with large bank holding companies in other states before merging with one another in the 1990s.


1985
Networked ATMs is NYCE
The New York Cash Exchange (NYCE), the first automatic teller network in the New York metropolitan area, gives customers access to more than 800 ATMs in 650 locations in the tri-state area. Chemical and Manufacturers Hanover are among the original founders. Within a year, affiliation with other ATM networks increases NYCE user access to more than 18,000 ATMs across the U.S.
1989
Reversing Glass-Steagall
In a relaxation of the Glass-Steagall banking laws separating commercial and investment bank activities, the U.S. Federal Reserve grants J.P. Morgan & Co. the right to underwrite and deal in corporate debt securities. One year later Morgan is granted equity underwriting powers, becoming the first U.S. bank holding company to provide clients with a full range of securities services since the 1930s.


1991
Chemical and Manufacturers Hanover merge
Chemical Banking Corporation merges with Manufacturers Hanover Corporation, reported in the press as a "merger of equals." The new firm is named Chemical Banking Corporation and is the second-largest banking institution in the U.S. behind Citicorp.
1995
First Chicago merges with NBD
First Chicago Corporation merges with NBD Bancorp. The new firm, First Chicago NBD, is the largest banking company in the Midwest and the seventh largest bank holding company in the U.S.


1995
Online Banking and the Internet
Chemical launches Online Banking which allows customers to consolidate all of their accounts and access them from their home computers. Two years later, NBD Bank, Bank One and 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 each introduce online banking services. First Chicago NBD introduces a free Internet bank in 1998.
1996
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan merges with Chemical
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Corporation merges into Chemical Banking Corporation in one of the largest consolidations in U.S. banking history. At the time it is the largest bank holding company in the United States.


1998
Banc One merges with First Chicago NBD
Banc One Corporation merges with First Chicago NBD. The new firm, retaining the name Bank One Corporation, chooses Chicago as its headquarters and becomes the fourth largest bank in the U.S. and the world's largest Visa credit card issuer.
1998
J.P. Morgan serves as advisor in Exxon-Mobil merger
As exclusive advisor to Exxon in its merger with Mobil, J.P. Morgan helps create the world’s third largest quoted company and its largest energy company.

The Rise of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co.

2000
J.P. Morgan merges with 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan
J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated merges with The 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Corporation. The new firm is named J.P. Morgan 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co.
2004
J.P. Morgan 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 merges with Bank One
J.P. Morgan 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co. merges with Bank One Corporation. The new firm, with its corporate headquarters based in New York and its retail division based in Chicago, retains the name 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co.


2007
Going Green
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 opens its first environmentally friendly branch in Denver.
2008
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co. acquires Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual
Collapse of the housing and mortgage markets leads to a severe worldwide financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 helps stabilize the markets by acquiring the failing investment firm Bear Stearns Companies Inc. and Seattle-based savings and loan company, Washington Mutual.



2010
J.P. Morgan Cazenove
J.P. Morgan acquires full ownership of the firm's U.K. joint venture, J.P. Morgan Cazenove, with origins dating to 1823.
2010
Mobile Banking
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 rolls out innovative mobile banking features to help customers manage their accounts, pay bills and transfer money on mobile phones and tablets.


2010
Financing a new GM
J.P. Morgan leads General Motors in its historic initial public offering (IPO), serving as joint bookrunner and co-representative of the underwriters in the $23.1 billion sale, the world’s largest IPO at the time.
2011
Support for Veterans
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co. joins the 100,000 Jobs Mission, which brings together companies committed to hiring U.S. military veterans and military spouses.


2013
Women on the Move
The firm launches its Women on the Move initiative designed to help women at all levels in the company overcome challenges they face in the workplace and grow their careers.
2013
New Skills at Work
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 launches a five-year, $250-million initiative to help people build in-demand work skills, adapt and succeed in an ever changing world of work. Building on its original investment, the firm expands the program in 2018 with a new five-year $350-million commitment.


2014
Financing Detroit
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co. pledges $100 million over five years to support, accelerate and scale some of the most innovative efforts underway to transform Detroit’s economy.
2015
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Pay, express checkout
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 announces 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Pay, a better payment experience for in-store, in-app and online purchases.


2016
New Skills for Youth
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 announces a $75 million global initiative to address the economic opportunity crisis facing young people. The initiative, called New Skills for Youth, aims to provide young adults with skills to help them in their job searches.
2018
A new HQ
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 announces plans to replace its headquarters building at 270 Park Avenue with a new resource efficient skyscraper. The new world-class office tower, will house all NYC midtown employees.


2018
AdvancingCities launches
AdvancingCities is a $500 million, five-year initiative to invest in solutions that bolster the long-term viability of the world's cities and communities that have not benefited from economic growth.
2019
Advancing Black Pathways
Advancing Black Pathways combines 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录's business and philanthropic resources to focus on wealth, education, and careers to accelerate economic opportunities for black people.

[gentle guitar melody]
-Elizabeth: With a rich history
tracing back over 200 years,
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 has preserved a
unique collection of artifacts
and records that help tell
the story of our firm.
In our collection are
two legendary pistols
that changed the
course of history.
How did these artifacts
impact a young nation
and forever change the lives
of two famous statesmen
and how did they come to
be part of our collection?
These pistols, made
in 1797 are linked to
Alexander Hamilton
and Aaron Burr.
Hamilton and Burr were
highly accomplished men who
contributed much to the early
growth of the United States.
Hamilton was a Founding Father
and Secretary of the Treasury.
Burr was a
Revolutionary War hero
and Vice President
of the United States.
They were both lawyers,
traveled in the same circles
and were both instrumental
in founding 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录's
earliest predecessor, the
Manhattan Company in 1799.
But working together
was the exception.
Hamilton and Burr's personal and
political differences fueled
an animosity that played out in
public as early as the 1790s.
Aaron Burr ran for
president in 1800.
He tied with Thomas Jefferson
but lost the re-vote,
thanks in part to Hamilton,
-who had been campaigning
heavily against him.
Hamilton: "As for Burr, there
was nothing in his favor.
He is bankrupt beyond redemption
-except by the plunder
of his country.
His public principles have
no other spring or aim
than his own aggrandizement."
-Elizabeth: As was the law back
then, Burr was instead appointed
vice president, a concession
he wasn't happy about.
Four years later, he ran for
New York governor, but lost.
He learned afterward
that Hamilton
had again been slandering him.
-A scorned Burr did what men of
distinction often did back then;
he challenged
Hamilton to a duel.
Burr: "You have invited the
course I am about to pursue
and now by your silence
impose it upon me.
Elizabeth: Hard to imagine now,
but in early America,
the practice of a duel,
or prearranged fight,
was a respected means
of settling a score.
There were even
rules and guidelines
about what could and
could not transpire.
The goal was to defend what
the law would not defend,
a man's honor.
-On July 11, 1804,
Hamilton and Burr met
in Weehawken, New Jersey.
-Hamilton carried with
him a set of pistols
owned by his
brother-in-law John Church.
As the challenged man, it was
his right to select the guns.
Hamilton fired his
shot in the air.
Burr aimed directly at Hamilton
and mortally wounded him.
The two men returned by
boat to New York City
where Hamilton died
the following morning.
Burr, the Vice President
-was indicted for
murder in both states.
The charges were dropped,
-but his political
career was destroyed.
The pistols survived
and in 1930,
the Bank of the
Manhattan Company,
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录's
earliest predecessor,
purchased them from
the Church family.
Years later, in the 1970s, long
hidden details were revealed.
Both pistols were equipped
with a hidden mechanism
called a hair trigger,
which, if engaged,
would allow its user to
fire faster than normal.
Hamilton, who
procured the pistols,
would have likely known
about this feature
and it could have
given him an advantage.
So, how did he lose?
-We'll never know for sure,
but we're proud to preserve
these two pieces
of American history
and explore their role in
a pivotal 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 in time.
[laid back acoustic music]
-Virginia: From New York
to Mumbai to Tokyo,
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录's footprints
spans worldwide.
Famed American banker,
J. Pierpont Morgan,
is the namesake and one of
the founders of our firm.
But it was his father,
Junius's, move to London
that first put the Morgan
name on the international map
and created a special
relationship between the firm
and the city of London
that continues today.
The story begins in the 1850's.
-Junius Morgan was a successful
New England merchant,
but he was ready for
something bigger.
London was calling.
-London, at the time, was the
capital of the vastly wealthy
British empire and the epicenter
of international finance.
In 1854, Junius
accepted an invitation
to join American banker,
George Peabody, in London.
Junius eventually took
over Peabody's firm
which he renamed J.S.
Morgan & Company.
It oversaw several
landmark transactions
and became the most
prominent American-owned
merchant bank in London.
-The firm raised capital
for the first transatlantic
cable project in 1858,
revolutionizing communications
between Europe and
the United States.
Sending a message
could take 10 days --
the time it took to physically
post a letter by ship.
With cable, it was
a matter of minutes.
This and later communication
advancements would allow people
on both sides of the Atlantic
to share accurate information
about the availability
and pricing of goods.
In time, trade
flourished, money flowed,
and banks gained ever
greater importance.
In 1870, J.S. Morgan &
Company arranged a much needed
10 million pound loan
to the French government
during the Franco-Prussian war.
-Few other banks were willing
to take the financial risk,
but France repaid
ahead of schedule.
This propelled J.S. Morgan
further up the ranks
of international finance
and greatly enhanced
its reputation in
London and beyond.
Around the same time,
London-based Junius
introduced his son,
J. Pierpont Morgan,
to Philadelphia
banker, Anthony Drexel.
Together, they founded the
wildly successful New York-based
private bank, Drexel,
Morgan & Company,
which Pierpont later
renamed J.P.Morgan.
Though they operated
separate firms,
Junius and Pierpont worked
in tandem between New York
and London building a
special transatlantic
relationship between
the two cities.
Raising money in both the
United States and Europe,
their combined
efforts helped finance
a number of
international industries.
Most notably, the
American railroad.
As track after track was laid
and dollar after dollar made,
the Morgan name gained even
more prominence internationally.
After Pierpont's death
in 1913, his son, Jack,
took over J.P.Morgan just
before the start of World War I.
It was Jack who provided a
$500 million loan in 1915
to American allies,
Britain and France --
the largest at the time
in Wall Street history.
Jack received personal
letters of thanks
from the prime minister and
King of England for his efforts.
Prime Minister: I wish to express, on behalf of
-His Majesty's
government, our warmest
and most sincere thanks for
the invaluable assistance
you have rendered to this
country during the war.
Virginia: The British
connections
were more than just business.
-Jack developed a warm
relationship with
the royal family, hosting
them aboard his yacht
and at his lodge in
Scotland every summer.
Throughout the 20th century,
the firm's ties to London
deepened as it became more
physically present in the city.
In 1959, J.P.Morgan
& Co merged with
the Guaranteed Trust
Company of New York,
the oldest U.S. bank in London.
-This expanded the bank's
presence throughout the city.
In 2010, the firm
acquired the successful
British investment
bank, Cazenove.
Soon after, it chose London
as its European headquarters
opening in England's financial
center, Canary Wharf.
For over 150 years, London
has, and will continue to be,
a city at the core of the
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 identity.
[gentle acoustic music]
-Elizabeth: 1914 saw
the start of a war
like no one had
ever seen before.
Sparked by the assassination of
-Archduke Franz Ferdinand
of Austria-Hungary,
World War I tore nation
after nation apart.
It was unprecedented in scale.
-It demanded vast numbers
of people and resources
and was incredibly expensive.
It was known as a total war because it affected
every facet of society, including banking.
How did a series of bold moves by banks and their employees
help the Allied cause?
-In 1915, U.S. allies
Britain and France
were in dire financial straits.
To help them, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Co arranged a much-needed
-$500 million loan
to the two nations.
At the time, it was the
largest foreign loan
in Wall Street history.
The firm also acted as a purchasing agent for the Allies,
-helping to secure
almost $3 billion worth
of desperately needed
munitions and raw materials.
As fighting waged
across continents,
tensions in the Unites States were mounting.
-After nearly three years
of declared neutrality,
in April 1917,
U.S. Congress declared war.
[patriotic music and cheers]
-Singer: ♪ Over there,
over there... ♪
Elizabeth:
The transition was swift
and 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
predecessor banks
were quick to respond
at home and overseas.
Banks organized
Liberty Loan drives
imploring patriotic citizens to
lend money to the government
for the war effort.
These war bonds gave many Americans their first taste
-of investing in
financial securities.
Many bank executives
also stepped in
to lead various
wartime committees
like the Red Cross and the
Council of National Defense.
Banks were equally supportive
on the front lines.
Guaranty Trust Company raised
money for an ambulance
and sent an armored mobile bank to service soldiers in France.
Thousands of bank employees enlisted to fight in the war
-and sent home dramatic
tales from the field
that made their way
into bank newsletters.
Soldier: "Our battalion
has had two gas attacks
and several Boche raids."
-Soldier 2: "We saw shrapnel
from the defense guns.
It was bursting
high in the air."
Soldier 3: "The mines
upset and ruined the tanks.
It was a masterly defense,
-one of the best military
feats of the war."
Elizabeth: Women stepped in
to fill vacant jobs
as tellers, clerks
and loan officers.
In addition to
their bank duties,
these women were instrumental in fundraising and relief work.
Partnering with the Red Cross, they knitted socks and sweaters
and packaged surgical dressings for soldiers overseas.
In November 1918, World War I came to an end.
-Many 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
predecessor banks
advocated for the
rehiring of veterans
and erected memorials
to honor bank employees
who had given their
lives for their country.
Though international banking played an unprecedented role
during the war, it was the banks' dedicated men and women,
-working at home and
fighting overseas,
who battled tyranny and enabled democracy to prevail for all.
[gentle acoustic music]
(gentle acoustic music)
-Steven: Technology has
revolutionized how bankers
and consumers handle
money in amounts ranging
from the single penny
to billions of dollars.
Early banks, including
those that would become part
of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录, added up
dollars and cents by hand,
a time consuming task that
left a lot of room for error.
Over the years, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
-and its predecessors
pioneered technologies
that saved money and
dramatically increased the speed
at which bank work
could be accomplished.
Around the turn of the 20th
century, even simple advances
improved the employee
and customer experience.
The hand cranked adding machine
-of the 1890s did the
work of two people.
The direct dial phone
eliminated the need
for a switchboard, while the
electric coin counting machine
tallied with accuracy and was up
-to five times faster
than counting by hand.
In the 1920s, check processing,
-the backbone of
personal banking,
was greatly improved
with the Recordak.
Bank employees used the machine
-to process large volumes
of checks entering the bank
by photographing them,
saving hours of work a day,
and guarding against forgery.
-But it was the introduction
of the electronic computer
in the 1950s that
revolutionized banking,
propelling the industry forward
at an unprecedented pace.
Computers quickly
became a staple
in back offices
across the country,
and many of our
predecessor banks built
entire data processing centers
devoted to the new technology.
-In 1959, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank
installed an IBM 650 computer,
which enabled the
staff to process
transactions at lightning speed.
-A few years later, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
Manhattan opened its
New York Automated
Check Processing Center,
one of the largest in the world.
-Relying on new computer
technology, employees
processed checks using
a high speed sorter
that could read
magnetic ink characters.
Within the first year,
it was processing
over a million checks per day.
-As computerization spread
across the country,
so too did the bank credit card,
-which transformed
America's shopping habits.
Now, instead of opening
individual charge accounts
with each store, bank
clients could use one card
for their purchases
at any store.
In 1969, Chemical Bank unveiled
-its cash machine, the
precursor to the ATM.
The ATM, the Automated
Teller Machine,
made banking on the go possible
with the swipe of a card.
ATMs appeared in malls,
airports and overseas,
making it possible to get cash
-and perform transactions
24 hours a day.
The trend for banking
whenever, wherever
and however you'd
like continued.
With Bank One's
Channel 2000, an early
home computer banking
program launched in 1980,
customers could bank without
ever leaving the house.
The internet brought banking
at home into the 21st century,
allowing customers to complete
transactions securely online
through personal computers,
while mobile apps
like 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Pay meant
banking could be done
with the swipe of a
finger on a phone,
tablet or watch from
anywhere in the world.
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 has
come a long way,
from bankers computing
numbers by hand
to a global team of
technologists working hard
to keep us ahead of the curve.
-Behind the scenes, the firm is
developing new technologies,
deploying artificial
intelligence
and working in the cloud to
advance the financial landscape.
This culture of innovation
-is helping employees
work smarter,
and customers bank
better, every day.
(gentle acoustic music)
-Steven: Technology has
revolutionized how bankers
and consumers handle
money in amounts ranging
from the single penny
to billions of dollars.
Early banks, including
those that would become part
of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录, added up
dollars and cents by hand,
a time consuming task that
left a lot of room for error.
Over the years, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
-and its predecessors
pioneered technologies
that saved money and
dramatically increased the speed
at which bank work
could be accomplished.
Around the turn of the 20th
century, even simple advances
improved the employee
and customer experience.
The hand cranked adding machine
-of the 1890s did the
work of two people.
The direct dial phone
eliminated the need
for a switchboard, while the
electric coin counting machine
tallied with accuracy and was up
-to five times faster
than counting by hand.
In the 1920s, check processing,
-the backbone of
personal banking,
was greatly improved
with the Recordak.
Bank employees used the machine
-to process large volumes
of checks entering the bank
by photographing them,
saving hours of work a day,
and guarding against forgery.
-But it was the introduction
of the electronic computer
in the 1950s that
revolutionized banking,
propelling the industry forward
at an unprecedented pace.
Computers quickly
became a staple
in back offices
across the country,
and many of our
predecessor banks built
entire data processing centers
devoted to the new technology.
-In 1959, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan Bank
installed an IBM 650 computer,
which enabled the
staff to process
transactions at lightning speed.
-A few years later, 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录
Manhattan opened its
New York Automated
Check Processing Center,
one of the largest in the world.
-Relying on new computer
technology, employees
processed checks using
a high speed sorter
that could read
magnetic ink characters.
Within the first year,
it was processing
over a million checks per day.
-As computerization spread
across the country,
so too did the bank credit card,
-which transformed
America's shopping habits.
Now, instead of opening
individual charge accounts
with each store, bank
clients could use one card
for their purchases
at any store.
In 1969, Chemical Bank unveiled
-its cash machine, the
precursor to the ATM.
The ATM, the Automated
Teller Machine,
made banking on the go possible
with the swipe of a card.
ATMs appeared in malls,
airports and overseas,
making it possible to get cash
-and perform transactions
24 hours a day.
The trend for banking
whenever, wherever
and however you'd
like continued.
With Bank One's
Channel 2000, an early
home computer banking
program launched in 1980,
customers could bank without
ever leaving the house.
The internet brought banking
at home into the 21st century,
allowing customers to complete
transactions securely online
through personal computers,
while mobile apps
like 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Pay meant
banking could be done
with the swipe of a
finger on a phone,
tablet or watch from
anywhere in the world.
传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 has
come a long way,
from bankers computing
numbers by hand
to a global team of
technologists working hard
to keep us ahead of the curve.
-Behind the scenes, the firm is
developing new technologies,
deploying artificial
intelligence
and working in the cloud to
advance the financial landscape.
This culture of innovation
-is helping employees
work smarter,
and customers bank
better, every day.
[gently guitar instrumental]
-Nancy: Did you know
that the core values
and business principles
of 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 today
were established
over 150 years ago
by three generations
of Morgan men?
The story begins
with Junius Morgan,
a New England businessman who
established the Morgan name
in the world's financial markets
-while working as a merchant
banker in London in the 1800s.
With Junius' guidance, his
son, J. Pierpont Morgan,
entered the banking business.
-In 1871, Pierpont joined
forces with Anthony Drexel,
a prominent
Philadelphia-based banker,
and established a new merchant
bank in New York City.
The Drexel-Morgan partnership
initially operated
as an American agent for
Junius' European firm.
It didn't take long,
though, for it to become
the preeminent private
bank in the US.
Under Pierpont's
leadership the firm,
later renamed J.P.
Morgan and Company,
was largely responsible for
financing and organizing
the railroads, steel,
and utility companies
that established
the United States
as a modern industrial power.
-Pierpont also played
a critical role
in times of financial crises,
-stemming international
panics in both 1893 and 1907.
He became known for his
integrity and judgment,
the same standards
by which he measured
his colleagues and clients.
-In a statement to the Senate
Banking Committee in 1912,
Pierpont noted that, 'the
first thing is character,'
before money or anything else'.
-After Pierpont's death
in 1913, his son,
J.P. Morgan Jr,
better known as Jack,
took over as senior
partner of the firm.
Jack left his own
mark on J.P.Morgan
through a series
of landmark deals,
leading the firm
for three decades.
Like his father, Jack
embodied the same values
of honesty and
integrity, stating that,
'the idea of doing only
first class business,
and that in a first class way,
has been before our minds.'
And this concept is the
way we do business today.
In 1940, J.P.Morgan reorganized
from a private partnership
to a public company, with
Jack as its first chairman.
Over the next 60 years,
the firm remained
an innovative leader in
the financial industry,
and in 2000, merged
with 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 Manhattan
to form 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录.
(gentle guitar music)
-Rachel: From colonial America
to the pioneer West,
paper currency fueled
the growth of the nation.
Everything from building
cities and towns
to facilitating the exchange
of goods and services
depended on an accepted
means of payment.
But you might be
surprised to learn that
the US government didn't issue
money in the early 1800s.
Instead banks printed
their own bank notes.
Many banks worked with
specialized firms,
like the American
Bank Note Company,
to assist in the design and
printing of these notes.
The notes were
exceptionally beautiful,
with elaborate ornamentation
depicting portraits
of public figures, scenes
from everyday life,
and allegorical images.
-With little
government regulation
and no standard template,
-the size, shape, and color
of bank notes varied widely.
Every note was a work
of five or more artists,
each a specialist in
portraiture, landscapes,
lettering, or borders.
-Such division of labor
was a form of security
to hinder counterfeiting.
-The designs were
engraved on metal plates,
a process which
could take an artist
several months to complete.
-Notes were printed on
hand-operated presses,
creating four notes from
a single printing plate.
Sometimes, single
note plates were made,
like those for our predecessor,
the Waterbury Bank.
As America's market economy
extended nationwide, bank notes
began drifting farther from
their issuing institutions.
With more than 1,500 banks
in operation by 1860,
and more than 7,000 different
notes in circulation,
counterfeiting had
become a serious problem.
The resulting chaos was a
paradise for counterfeiters,
like Jim the Penman, who became
-one of the most notorious
forgers in the country.
To combat this, counterfeit
detectors were published
which included signatures
from authentic bank notes
to help bankers identify
fraudulent bills.
They were hugely popular
and boasted a circulation
of more than 100,000 by 1855.
-As the ability to
judge the veracity
of bank notes deteriorated,
-the US government
recognized the need
for a more stable
form of currency.
In 1862, the federal government
-began printing its
own paper money,
marking an historic shift
-in the young nation's
monetary system.
[gentle guitar music]
-Nancy: Did you know
that the US dollar
didn't always look
the way it does today?
American banks used to
print their own paper money.
And because there was
no standard template,
the look of these notes varied
widely from bank to bank.
With 1,500 banks, including many
-传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 predecessors
issuing their own money,
the system was chaotic
and in need of change.
In 1862, to address
this situation
and also to finance
the Civil War,
Salmon P. 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录, the US
Secretary of the Treasury
and one of our firm's namesakes,
-helped to create the
Legal Tender Act.
This gave the US
government the ability
to establish a uniform
national currency.
Unlike the notes still
printed by banks,
the government printed
their bills on both sides
using green ink on the back
to prevent counterfeits.
These notes were
nicknamed greenbacks
and became the primary
currency of the Union.
Salmon 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 even had his image
-on the first series of $1
greenbacks printed in 1862.
And 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 owns
-the very first bill
of that series.
Unfortunately, these
greenbacks didn't solve
the country's currency problem
-because they were backed
only by government credit
and banks continued to
issue their own notes,
backed by gold and silver.
-To improve the system
and standardize
the look and feel of bank notes,
a uniform template was adopted
and the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing
in Washington DC
took over the job
of printing all notes
issued by banks.
Proofreaders, generally women,
-were hired to examine the
notes for inconsistencies.
It took until the 1930s to
fully replace bank notes
with Federal Reserve notes,
-the national currency
in use today.
(gentle guitar melody)
-Nancy: What was
J. Pierpont Morgan's role
in stopping the Panic of 1907
-and how did it shape
the US economy?
In the fall of 1907, the
world is on the verge
of economic collapse.
-US and international
markets had been
wildly unsettled for months.
-Six months earlier, the American
stock market had crashed
despite record
corporate earnings.
And stocks also plummeted on
several foreign exchanges.
When stock prices plunged
again in the summer,
the estimated loss
was $1 billion.
Surprising as it may seem,
the US had no central bank
to deal with the financial
crisis and no money in reserve.
As panic increased, customers
rushed to their banks
to withdraw whatever
money remained.
People sat overnight in
camp chairs, bringing food
and waiting for the banks
to open in the morning.
Some even earned up to $10 a
day holding places in line.
Banks took
unconventional measures
to deal with the crisis.
Tellers slowly counted out money to limit withdrawals,
-and some banks prominently
displayed piles of cash
in order to reassure
worried customers.
To stem the panic, it
was critical that someone
with influence and insight
come to the rescue.
And the person who stepped
in, was J. Pierpont Morgan.
At the time, Morgan's firm,
-传奇国际娱乐传奇国际娱乐登录 & Company,
was the country's
preeminent private bank.
-More importantly,
Morgan had experience
with similar financial
crises, having rescued
the US Treasury during
the Panic of 1893.
He'd become the
lender of last resort.
So in October 1907,
the semi-retired Morgan
called together New
York's leading bankers
to his library on
East 36th Street
in Midtown Manhattan.
For two weeks, he led a team
-raising capital for
the failing markets,
contributing large
sums of his own money,
and functioning as the country's
de facto central bank.
Although the actual panic
lasted only a few weeks,
its aftermath brought
on an economic decline
that destroyed banks
and other businesses
and created mass unemployment.
-Financial experts
consider Morgan's
impressive handling of the panic
as the work of a bold financier
who clearly understood
the big picture
and took decisive action.
-In 1908, Congress
passed a currency act
allowing banks to form
reserve associations
that could issue
money temporarily,
in economic emergencies.
-And in 1913, shortly
after Morgan's death,
the US established its
much-needed central bank,
the Federal Reserve.