Bank of New York

The Bank of New York was a global financial services company established in 1784 by the American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. It existed until its merger with the Mellon Financial Corporation on July 2, 2007. The company now continues under the new name of The Bank of New York Mellon or BNY Mellon.

History

The Bank of New York was founded on June 9, 1784, making it the oldest bank in the United States. Alexander Hamilton wrote the new bank's constitution, and became the individual most actively involved in the organization of The Bank of New York, guiding it through its early stages. The bank opened for business at the Walton House in Lower Manhattan only a few months after the departure of British troops from American soil. It opened with a capitalization of $500,000. William Seton, future father-in-law of Saint Elizabeth Seton, was named director in 1786.

To commemorate its 225th anniversary, BNY Mellon created a 5 part video series entitled "Looking Forward : The 225th Anniversary of The Bank of New York Mellon" which was narrated by historian Richard Brookhiser and recaps the company’s history from its founding in 1784. The segments are entitled:

The Bank of New York Mellon

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, commonly referred to as BNY Mellon, is an American multinational banking and financial services corporation formed on July 1, 2007, as a result of the merger of The Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation.

The company has US$385.303 billion in total assets, employs 50,300 staff as of December 2014 worldwide and operates in six primary financial services sectors including advisory services, asset management, asset servicing, broker-dealer, issuance services, treasury services and wealth management.

Its predecessor, the The Bank of New York, was the oldest banking corporation in the United States, and the 20th oldest bank in the world, having been established on June 9, 1784 by Alexander Hamilton.

History

Bank of New York

The Bank of New York was founded by Alexander Hamilton on June 9, 1784, in the old Walton Mansion in New York City. Due to local politics, it wasn't able to procure a charter until 1791. The President of the new bank was former Major General Alexander McDougall and the Cashier was William Winston Seaton.