bside.org hello@bside.org DAWN BECK 505.492.8120 WE’LL ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF Partner with B:Side on your next SBA 504 or 7(a) project. Based in Philadelphia, the bank began operations in 1782, and was an immediate success, paying strong dividends to investors, and providing a critical line of credit to the fledgling Congress. The Bank of North America was the first commercial bank in the U.S. While it refashioned itself in the 1780s, it served as a model for the First Bank of the United States, which Alexander Hamilton founded in 1791 to help stabilize a nascent U.S. financial system beleaguered by heavy war debts. Hamilton believed in the power of the private banking model for maintaining discipline; when the Bank of the United States was opened, it marked the first IPO in American history. Private investors owned 80% of the Bank of the United States, with the government owning the remaining 20%. While the Bank of the United States charter lapsed, briefly at first and then permanently in 1836, it demonstrated to young leaders like Abraham Lincoln what a diverse, well-capitalized banking system could do to grow our economy. Throughout moments that followed — the Civil War, the growth of the United States as an industrial superpower, our victory in two world wars — banking was what helped propel America forward and into new stages of growth and development. Throughout our history, Americans have relied on banks of all sizes to provide the credit needed for individuals and businesses to thrive. Our financial ecosystem is unique in terms of the diversity of institutions that operate today — from small community banks, mutuals and minority depository institutions that serve niche markets, to midsize and regional banks, to the largest global financial institutions operating on multiple continents. Our country has thrived thanks to that interconnected network of financial institutions, and it’s helped create the opportunity for Americans from sea to shining sea to participate in the economy and pursue their dreams. And that’s an American tradition worth protecting and worth celebrating. Email Rob at nichols@aba.com. 9
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