Republic National Bank/Republic NB & TC, Dallas, TX (Charter 12186)
Republic National Bank/Republic NB & TC, Dallas, TX (Chartered 1922 - Failed (Merger) 1988)
Town History
Dallas is the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County in the U.S. state of Texas with portions extending into Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. With a 2020 census population of 1,304,379, it is the ninth most-populous city in the U.S. and the third-largest in Texas after Houston and San Antonio. In 1880 the population was 10,358, increasing to 269,475 by 1930.
Located in the North Texas region, the city of Dallas is the main core of the largest metropolitan area in the southern United States and the largest inland metropolitan area in the U.S. that lacks any navigable link to the sea. The cities of Dallas and nearby Fort Worth were initially developed due to the construction of major railroad lines through the area allowing access to cotton, cattle and later oil in North and East Texas. The construction of the Interstate Highway System reinforced Dallas's prominence as a transportation hub, with four major interstate highways converging in the city and a fifth interstate loop around it. Dallas then developed as a strong industrial and financial center and a major inland port, due to the convergence of major railroad lines, interstate highways and the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in the world.
Dallas had 28 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 27 of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized April 20, 1922
- Chartered April 29, 1922
- Conversion of The Guaranty Bank & Trust Co., Dallas
- 2: Assumed 12736 by consolidation December 28, 1929 (North Texas National Bank, Dallas, TX)
- 2: Assumed its circulation
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Failed. Merged with government financial assistance into NCNB Texas National Bank in Dallas, TX July 29, 1988
- The 36-story Republic National Bank building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The Guaranty Bank and Trust Company opened for business February 14, 1920.
On April 12, 1922, the Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Dallas, a state bank with deposits of about $8,000,000, applied for a national charter. W.O. Connor, president, expected that formalities would be completed in time to open as The Republic National Bank of Dallas by May 1st with an increase of the capital stock to $1,000,000. Officers of the Guaranty Bank and Trust Co. were Tom M. Dees, chairman of the board; W.O. Connor, president; F.F. Florence, first vice president; William Z. Hayes, active vice president; Frank E. Austin, vice president; Eugene Debognry, vice president; and Rupert Eldridge, cashier. Mr. Dees was the organizer of the Guaranty Bank and Trust Company and the infamous Hog Creek Oil Company, and active president of Texas Western Developing Company.
In 1925 Republic National Bank was ready to open its doors in the Davis Building (later The Drakestone), a 20-story high-rise in downtown Dallas. On February 15, 1926, Republic National Bank held its first open house.
In September 1929, The First National Bank of Waco united with the Republic National Bank and Trust Company. In making this connection, the Directors of the Waco bank believed they had given depositors greater security, increased access to facilities as well as better investment opportunities for its stockholders. The officers were W.O. Connor, chairman of the board; Leslie Waggener, executive vice president; F.F. Florence, president; Wirt Davis, vice chairman of the Board, and Frank E. Austin, Wm. Z. Hayes, Jno. E. Owens, John R. Haven, J.M. Hadra, and Eugene DeBogory, vice presidents; Rupert Eldridge, vice president and cashier; R.F. Nicholson, comptroller; R.G. Storey, Trust Officer; James M. Cumby, Robin Williams, R.J. MacBean, M.A. Knight, assistant vice presidents; Raymond J. Raphael, auditor; H.V. Smith, H.M. Russell, Jr., J.B. Griffith, Hays E. Bassett, W.O. Anderson, L.S. Dupree, and T.J. Moroney, assistant cashiers.
On Monday, October 14, 1929, the merger of the North Texas National Bank with the Republic National Bank and Trust Company became effective. The business of the merged banks would be carried out in the quarters of the Republic National Bank and Trust Company. All officers of the Republic National remained the same. Everett S. Owens became chairman of the Executive Committee and Charles S. Mitchell vice president and a member of the committee. All other officers of the North Texas National continued with their present titles. The combined institution had Capital, Surplus and Profits $6,500,000, Deposits of greater than $50,000,000, and Resources greater than $60,000,000. Affiliated banks of the Republic National were the First National Bank of Waco, Liberty State Bank, Dallas, and Oak Cliff Bank and Trust Co., Dallas.
By 1948 Republic National had grown to become the largest bank in Texas. The bank failed in 1988, during the savings and loan crisis. It was acquired by NCNB Corporation in 1988. As a result of a series of mergers over the next two decades, most of what was once First Republic Bank Corporation became part of Bank of America.
On Wednesday, April 29, 1987, the Federal Reserve Board unanimously approved the merger of two Dallas bank-holding companies, clearing the way for shareholder votes on the proposed $544-million acquisition of InterFirst Corp. by RepublicBank Corp. The merger would form the nation's 12th largest banking organization and the largest headquartered in the Southwest. A new Dallas-based company called First Republic Bank Corp with $35 billion in total assets would result from the merger. The Fed noted the weakened condition of the Texas economy and said the deal represented the best available alternative to address InterFirst's financial difficulties. The Fed required that RepublicBank issue $175 million in new preferred stock and convertible subordinated notes to boost its capital. The amount was $50 million greater than originally proposed when the merger was announced on December 16th.[1]
On Friday, July 29, 1988, the FDIC pledged $4 billion for NCNB Corp. of Charlotte, North Carolina to take over First RepubicBank Corp. of Dallas in potentially the largest federal bank rescue ever. NCNB agreed to pay between $210 and $240 million to acquire a 20% stake in what would be called NCNB Texas National Bank. For five years it would have an exclusive option to purchase the 80% of the bank owned by the FDIC. FDIC Chairman L. William Seidman said Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot had promised to support NCNB's share of the investment, but he doubted the Perot's help would be needed. The First RepublicBank deal rivaled the 1984 rescue of Continental Illinois Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago, the largest bailout to date that resulted in FDIC's initial outlay of $4.5 billion, although it expected to recover all but $1.7 billion. Seidman said all of First RepublicBank's 41 subsidiary banks would remain open and would open on Monday, August 1st with their new name. While the deal was finalized, the FDIC took control of the banks under a bridge bank arrangement, a new legal device that was being used for only the second time. NCNB would manage the banks on the FDIC's behalf under bridge bank rules, the Comptroller of the Currency having first to declare the banks owned by the holding company insolvent. NCNB was chosen from among five bidders because it offered the least costly alternative the FDIC believed viable. The next nearest bid would have cost the FDIC nearly $1 billion more. Published reports named the other bidders as Wells Fargo & Co. of San Francisco, Citicorp of New York, an investment group headed by First RepublicBank's management, and another investment group that included former Texas Senator John Tower.[2]
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Republic National Bank of Dallas, TX
2: Republic National Bank and Trust Company of (7/18/1928), Dallas, TX
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $20,423,120 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1922 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 2,512,883 notes (879,268 large size and 1,633,615 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1: 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1 - 106278 1: 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 82474 2: 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1 - 19422 2: 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 11643 2: 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 113374 2: 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 58928 2: 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 17860 2: 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 292832 2: 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 159191 2: 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 35455 2: 1929 Type 2 50 1 - 3170 2: 1929 Type 2 100 1 - 1995
For more information on overprints for small size national bank notes, see Chapter G03, Encyclopedia of U.S. National Bank Notes Series of 1929 National Bank Note Overprints by Peter Huntoon and James A. Simek
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1922 - 1935):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Assistant Cashier or Vice President bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Texas Bank Note History
- General information on Dallas (Wikipedia)
- General information on Dallas County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Texas (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Dallas, TX, on Wikipedia
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- Clark, Frank, "Varieties of Small National Bank Notes of Republic National Bank and Trust Company," Paper Money, No. 218, pp 98-105.
- Republic Center accessed May 18, 2023.
- The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, Thu., Apr. 13, 1922.
- Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX, Fri., June 2, 1922.
- The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, Tue., May 25, 1926.
- Waco Tribune-Herald, Waco, TX, Sun., Sep. 29, 1929.
- The Waco News-Tribune, Waco, TX, Mon., Oct. 14, 1929.