Bank of Athens

There have been two Greek banks with the name Bank of Athens, both headquartered in Athens, Greece. The first was founded in 1893 and operated in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean until the National Bank of Greece acquired it in 1953. The name disappeared a few years thereafter. The second Bank of Athens was founded in 1993 and merged into Eurobank Ergasias in 1999. In addition, numerous banks in the United States of America had Bank of Athens in their name.

First Bank of Athens (1894–1962)

In 1893 Ep. Empeirikos, Al. Lambrinoudis, A. Kallergis, M. Iordanopoulos, and N. Triantafyllidis founded the Bank of Athens with Greek, French, and English capital, and it apparently commenced operating in 1894.^[1] A key figure in the early bank was Jean (John) Pesmatzoglou, an Alexandrian private banker who merged his bank with Bank of Athens, became chairman in 1896, and formed an alliance with Banque de l'Union parisienne in 1904.^[2] Pesmatzoglou's bank became Bank of Athens's branch in Alexandria, Egypt, where there was a large community of Greeks. In 1895 the Bank established branches in London, Constantinople, Smyrna, and Khartoum in the Sudan. It established a second branch in the UK, at Manchester, in 1902.

In 1906, Bank of Athens acquired Industrial Credit Bank (Τράπεζα Επαγγελματικής Πίστεως; est. 1873 in Athens). It had opened a branch in Istanbul in 1905 and this transferred to Bank of Athens. Bank of Athens may also have had a branch in Smyrna.^[3] By 1910 Bank of Athens bank had added branches in Crete at Chania, Candia, and Rethymno, and Trebizond and Samsoun in the Ottoman Empire.^[4]

In 1921 Bank of Athens opened a representative office in New York, that it later converted to an agency. By 1922, the Bank of Athens had branches throughout Greece, as well as in Limassol and Nicosia in Cyprus, Alexandria, Cairo, and Port Said in Egypt, Galata, Stamboul and Pera in Constantinople, Adrianopolis in "the former Turkey in Europe", and London and Manchester in England.^[5] However, the next year, after the end of the Greco-Turkish War, the government of Turkey seized the Bank of Athens's branch in Constantinople. It is not clear whether the Bank of Athens had already closed its other branches in Constantinople, or the one in Adrianopolis, which had reverted to Turkish control, or whether the government seized these too.

In 1926, Bank of Athens converted its NY agency to a subsidiary, Bank of Athens Trust Company.

In 1930 National Bank of Greece and Bank of Athens combined their activities in Egypt into a joint subsidiary, Banque Nationale de Grèce et d’Athénes. (In 1960, Egypt nationalized the remaining foreign banks in the country; National Bank of Egypt took over Banque Nationale de Grèce et d’Athénes, together with a number of other banks.) The 1930s also saw the Bank of Athens operating branches in Korçë and Durrës in Albania. However, with the onset of World War II, Greece came under Axis control. During the Axis Occupation of Greece, Dresdner Bank assumed oversight of Bank of Athens.

After the war, in 1947 the Bank of Athens founded the South African Bank of Athens to serve Hellenes residing in South Africa. This bank continues to operate as a subsidiary of National Bank of Greece.^[6]

Then in 1953, Bank of Athens merged with National Bank of Greece to form the National Bank of Greece and Athens. Later the name reverted to the National Bank of Greece. The two banks merged their NY subsidiaries to form Atlantic Bank of New York.

View of what was once the banking hall of the Salonika branch of the Bank of Athens

Since 1962 NBG has used the former headquarters of the Bank of Athens at Stadiou Street as its main public office. NBG then closed the banking facilities at its headquarters on Aiolou Street. The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki now occupies the Bank of Athens's former building in Salonika.

Second Bank of Athens (1992–1999)

In 1992 National Bank of Greece owned 75% of the Credit Bank of Professionals (Τράπεζα Επαγγελματικής Πίστεως), founded in 1906, when it sold 67% to Hanwha Bank (with Rabobank). The Bank was renamed to Bank of Athens. In 1998, Eurobank Ergasias, a member of the Latsis Group, bought 58% of the Bank of Athens' common stock from Hanwha Bank and 51% of its preference shares from the National Bank of Greece. The next year EFG Eurobank Ergasias absorbed Bank of Athens, and also Bank of Crete.

United States banks with Bank of Athens in their name

In addition to these two banks (and their subsidiaries), several banks in the United States of America have Bank of Athens in their name.

The The First National Bank Of Athens, Alabama, held Charter #6146.
Bank of Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. A bank by this name opened in 1856. A more recent bank by this name is a subsidiary of Georgia Bank & Trust, which in turn is a subsidiary of Synovus, the former SunTrust Bank. This Bank of Athens may have been the result of the merger between First Bank of Athens, First National Bank of Athens.
The First National Bank of Athens, of Athens County, Ohio, received charter number 233 in 1864. It continued operating until 1917.
First National Bank of Athens, Pennsylvania, in 1863 received the first national bank charter.
The First National Bank of Athens, Texas, was absorbed by Franklin Bank Corp in 2005. At the time, First National Bank of Athens had four branches and some US$218million in assets. The Federal Deposit Insurance Company closed Franklin Bank Corp. in 2008; Prosperity Bank of El Campo, Texas, acquired the liabilities of Franklin Bank Corp.
First National Bank of Athens, Tennessee.

The First National Bank of Athens FDIC 2114/1866 arrived in Europe from USA and was merged with a small British private bank-Gunners Bishop Bank of...The Bank of Athens operated as British bank in the City of London- Fenchurch street EC 3 .The Bank have had privilege to be representative bank for Greek country since 1860 year.With Act of the British Parliament dated 1906 year concerning born of World Trade Center in the City of London regulated legal statute of the industrial and National State Banks invited in Great Britain, which statute was regulated by this Act.The Bank of Athens had been received Statute as British Bank after the British Parliament invited industrial banks from all over the World in City of London and given to them formal statute as British Banks,when was established the World Trade Center in the City of London/GB.Via same year the Bank of Athens was absorbed by the International Credit Industry banque de Grece- Banque D Áthenes-France her international banque branch for Europe FDIC 2114/1866.See/British Banking Almanac since 1935 year-for the Bank of Athens see international banque-Banque D Athenes/.The Bank of Athens/Banque D'Áthenes FDIC 2114/1866 was registered in Inland Revenue Office as London Bankers via -1908 year,and operated with British Government Business.The Bank of Athens operated as international Banque D Áthenes,since 1906 year. Banque D Athenes was merged with Banque Nationale de Grece -France via 1930 year,under the name Banque Nationale de Grece and D Áthenes-France.

Since 1932 year the international Banque D Áthenes moved her Branches and Head office in London-Fenchurch str.EC-3.The Banque opened branch in Constantinople-Karakkoy since 1906, when the Banque D'Athenes worked with French Treasury-Basel-II with Bourse de Paris/Constantinople!The Bank of Athens FDIC 2114/1866 was merged with her international Branch for Greece-National Bank of Greece-1841. It was on 27.02.1953 with Decision of the Kingdom of Greece.The Gunners Bishop Bank -The last small private bank, which had been given the British statute for the Bank of Athens FDIC 2114/1866 was merged with the Barclays Bank PLC-Lombard str.London/UK,when were formed the Big Fives Banks in UK.Via 1956 year the First National Bank of Athens FDIC 2114/1866 arrived in USA at home!Via 14.11.2002 desisted from the Board of the Governors of the National Bank of Greece-Central Branch -Banque Nationale de Grece-Greece,was merged with her French Branch in France- Banque Nationale de Grece and D Áthenes-France merged before that with the Banque D Áthens via 1930 year. After 5 years the name was Banque Nationale de Grece-France only. This Merged was wrote via 2002 year in ASE. See messages /ASE/Greece for: 2002 and 2003 year. In Fact it was Banque D Áthenes-international credit industry banque de grece of the Bank of Athens FDIC 2114/1866 year.All of mentioned from me banks and banques were American original Banks-National Assosiation/USA!This is a part of the true!

References

↑ Gelina Harlaftis, 1996, A History of Greek Owned Shipping; The Making of an International Tramp Fleet, 1830 to the Present Day, (Routledge), p.133.
↑ Phillip L. Cottrell, 2008, "A Survey of European Investment in Turkey, 1859-1914; Banks and the Finance of the State and Railway Construction", in Philip A. Cottrell ed., and Iain L. Fraser and Monika Pohl Fraser, co-eds., East Meets West - Banking, Commerce and Investment in the Ottoman Empire, (Ashgate, for the European Association for Bank History).
↑ Necla Geyikdagi, V. (2011) Foreign Investment in the Ottoman Empire: International Trade and Relations 1854-1914, (I.B.Tauris); p.103.
↑ United States Bureau of Manufactures, United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce (1854-1903), Monthly Consular and Trade Reports, January 1910, no. 352, p. 189.
↑ International Banking Directory, 1922
↑ South African Bank of Athens

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