As a result of a series of mergers over the next two decades, most of what was once First Republic is now part of Bank of America.
[1] When the company began servicing farm and ranch loans, it was required to establish a Texas subsidiary, Republic Trust and Savings Bank, to comply with regulations governing national banks at the time.
In the 1970s, toward the tail end of a lengthy period of expansion and acquisition, Republic acquired the Houston National Bank and held a substantial portfolio of loans to the real estate industry in Texas.
In March, the FDIC pumped $1 billion into First Republic and sought a buyer for the ailing bank.
The deal doubled NCNB's assets and vaulted it from the 17th-largest bank in the country to the 10th-largest in one stroke.