Fort Wayne National Bank

1865 – acquired 1998

Founded: The name dates to 1865, when the Fort Wayne branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana adapted itself to the National Banking Act and took the title of the Fort Wayne National Bank, with Stephen B. Bond — Allen Hamilton's former cashier — as president (Griswold).

What it did: Commercial banking. Through the twentieth century it was the city's home-grown bank: headquartered 1923–1970 in the building at 110 West Berry Street (afterwards the STAR Building), absorbing smaller area banks as it grew — among them the First Citizens State Bank of Monroeville in 1966, converted to its Monroeville office.

Course: In 1970 the bank opened its new 26-story headquarters on West Berry Street (opened for business 11 May 1970), then the tallest building in Fort Wayne; it is today's PNC Center. The holding company, Fort Wayne National Corporation, reached $3.3 billion in assets by 1997.

Fate: National City Corporation of Cleveland agreed in January 1998 to acquire Fort Wayne National Corporation for about $800 million in stock; the acquisition was completed in March 1998, ending 133 years of local ownership. National City was itself acquired by PNC Financial Services in 2008, and the Fort Wayne bank's branches and tower passed to PNC.

Sources:

1. B. J. Griswold, The Pictorial History of Fort Wayne, Vol. I (1917), part 52 — the 1865 conversion and Bond's presidency.
2. Federal Reserve, Changes in Status of Banks and Branches, October 1966 (FRASER) — Monroeville absorption.
3. Fort Wayne National Corporation, Form 8-K, 23 January 1998 (SEC) — merger agreement with National City.
4. National City Corporation, Wikipedia summary of the acquisition (completed March 1998; $800 million).
5. ACGSI Allen County timeline, 1970s — the bank building's opening, 11 May 1970.