Fourth Financial Corporation

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Fourth Financial Corporation
company_
slogan =
fate = Acquired by Boatmen's Bancshare
successor = Boatmen's Bancshares (now Bank of America)
foundation = 1847
defunct = 1995
location = Wichita, Kansas
industry = Bank holding company
key_people =
products = Financial services
num_employees = 3,500
parent =
subsid = Bank IV Kansas, Bank IV Oklahoma

Fourth Financial Corporation was a Wichita, Kansas bank holding company that was the largest and one of the oldest banks in Kansas as well as a dominant bank in Oklahoma when it was bought by Boatmen's Bancshares for $1.2 billion in stock in 1995. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0D61E3EF935A1575BC0A963958260 Boatmen's to Buy Fourth Financial in $1.2 Billion Stock Deal - New York Times - August 26, 1995] ]

Fourth National Bank of Wichita was founded by George C. Strong in 1887.

It became Fourth Financial in 1968. In 1982 it began an aggressive expansion after state banking laws were relaxed allowing it to buy interest in other banks. It bought the maximum shares in five cities of more than 10,000 near colleges. In the strategy it became the biggest bank in the state in 1986 when it was allowed to totally take over its banks. It renamed its banks -- Bank IV. [ [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Fourth-Financial-Corporation-Company-History.html Profile in International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 11. St. James Press, 1995 (via fundinguniverse.com)] .]

Between 1985 and 1990 the bank under Jordan L. Haines and Ron Baldwin bought 24 banks -- one every 75 days topping off at one a month when it began acquiring troubled Savings and loan associations during the Savings and Loan Crisis in 1990. Among the S&L's purchased was Anchor Savings. [ [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Fourth-Financial-Corporation-Company-History.html Profile in International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 11. St. James Press, 1995 (via fundinguniverse.com)] .]

In 1990 just as it was approaching the limits it could control in Kansas, legislation permitted it to expand to other states and it began acquiring banks in Oklahoma under the Bank IV Oklahoma subsidiary. [ [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Fourth-Financial-Corporation-Company-History.html Profile in International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 11. St. James Press, 1995 (via fundinguniverse.com)] .]

Boatmens acquired it in 1995. At the time it had $8 billion in assets and offices in 80 locations. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0D61E3EF935A1575BC0A963958260 Boatmen's to Buy Fourth Financial in $1.2 Billion Stock Deal - New York Times - August 26, 1995] ]

References