As such, the bank was known for stability and was well established via its personal accounts base tied to New York branch locations as well as in having a number of large blue-chip corporate customers.

But by the late 1980s, Manufacturers Hanover had fallen in rank among American banks and was troubled by a number of bad loans, especially ones in Latin America.

[6] To begin with, Manufacturers Trust acquired a Manhattan presence with its acquisition of the West Side Bank of New York in 1918.

This was because, even at the height of the Great Depression, Hitz had been able to turn a profit at the New Yorker Hotel, which the Manufacturers Trust also held the mortgage for.

[15] One landmark branch that opened in 1954 at 510 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan is known as the Manufacturers Trust Company Building; built in the International Style, its spacious luminous feel, large glass facade, and the bank vault's visibility from the street were an immediate success with customers and even became a tourist attraction.

[17] The merger closed on September 8, 1961, a couple of days after the Fed assent, in an effort to forestall any possible action from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division.

[33] Manufacturers Hanover had a sense of internal loyalty, wherein layoffs were avoided and lifetime employment was fairly common.

[32] It also had a sense of loyalty towards its customers, with relationships formed over long associations and activities such as time spent together on golf courses.

[26] It grew within New York City as well, finding twice the amount of usable space in 1981 when it moved into new headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, having bought that building from the Union Carbide Corporation.

[39] In 1983, Manufacturers Hanover agreed to acquire the CIT Financial Corporation for some $1.5 billion, an amount that no bank holding company had ever spent on a single acquisition before.

[43] In the 1970s, Manufacturers Hanover ran a series of television commercials made by Young & Rubicam that used the tagline, "It's banking the way you want it to be" and that featured the actor and comedian Tim Conway as celebrity spokesperson.

[43] Another comedic talent on MHT commercials was the actor and game show personality Paul Lynde, with one spot featuring a concluding voiceover from the Twilight Zone writer and narrator Rod Serling.

[44] At the same time, a large Manufacturers Hanover billboard advertising "Super Checking" was a prominent feature of the newly renovated Yankee Stadium.

The billboard could be seen as Chris Chambliss hit the walk-off home run that won the 1976 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals.

[47] The bank was involved in sponsoring a number of different sports events,[48] many of which were arranged by bank executive Charles Henry McCabe, Jr.[49] These included the Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic professional golf tournament held during the 1980s at the Westchester Country Club north of New York City,[40] a stop on the PGA Tour that during its time with MHT as title sponsor featured winners such as Seve Ballesteros and Curtis Strange.

[49] The bank was a founding sponsor of the New York City Marathon,[50] and over the years held exclusive events there for their most moneyed clients.

[51] Moreover, it was the creator, in 1977, of the Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge running event,[50] which quickly grew in size and number of instances and locations and became highly effective in promoting name visibility.

[48] By 1988, there were eighteen Corporate Challenge events per year and some five thousand companies entering teams in them, with Manufacturers Hanover soliciting business from the best prospects among them.

[50] The stock price for Manufacturers Hanover began to fall precipitously during 1984, in large part because the bank was exposed on nearly $7 billion of loans to Central and South America, in particular to Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, and especially Argentina.

[30][32] A rumor in global financial markets that MHT was having trouble meeting its daily funding requirements proved false but nonetheless shook confidence in the bank.

[32] Beginning in 1985, McGillicuddy staged three years' worth of internal cost reductions, layoffs, and operational reorganizations, in an effort to stave off the need to be acquired or to receive a federal bailout.

[59] In addition, MHT had been trying to lower its exposure to real estate since the mid-1980s, but still in the new decade some $385 million of their $3.5 billion in commercial property loans were considered delinquent.

[60] Real estate figures who were struggling to repay their loans included Peter S. Kalikow, Donald J. Trump, and William Zeckendorf Jr.[60] The general economic environment for banks was also affected by the early 1990s recession.

[59] In corporate banking, Manufacturers Hanover was better established with larger, blue-chip companies, whereas Chemical was stronger with small- and medium-sized businesses.

[61] However, Thomas S. Johnson, who had been president of MHT for the previous eight years and had been viewed as the heir apparent to McGillicuddy, was a loser in the merger and departed.

[64] As of that day, the two bank holding companies had merged and Manufacturers Hanover no longer existed as an independent corporate establishment.

[67] The New York Times assessed on June 22th of 1992 that the code switchovers meant that "Quietly, ... the 180-year-old Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company ceased to exist as an independent bank.

[67] The final public vestige of the bank disappeared on April 5, 1993, when a branch on Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan had its Manufacturers Hanover logo replaced as part of a ceremonial event that featured a brass band.

[72] The Associated Press's coverage of the merger included an illustration of how the three decades of Manufacturers Hanover Trust's existence was part of the makeup the new financial giant.

The timeline that continues indicates, unless otherwise noted, the purchase of the named entity by Manufacturers Hanover Corporation or its immediate controlling predecessors.