15501. Borough Bank (New York, NY)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Run → Suspension → Closure
Bank Type
state
Start Date
October 25, 1907
Location
New York, New York (40.714, -74.006)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
a14caa31

Response Measures

Full suspension

Other: Multiple closings/reopenings: initial 1907 suspension (panic of 1907), reopening 1908, final suspension/closure April 1910.

Description

Articles report a crowd/panic and rumors around the Borough Bank when it suspended payments in early April 1910 (Spanish paper 1910-04-08). A summary piece (The Evening World, 1910-12-29) lists Borough Bank as having first closed Oct 25, 1907, reopened Apr 14, 1908, and finally closed Apr 7, 1910. Thus the April 1910 suspension led to permanent closure. OCR corrected dates taken from article text.

Events (3)

1. October 25, 1907 Other
Newspaper Excerpt
First Closing. Oct. 25, 1907. ... Reopened. Apr. 14, 1908. ... Finally Closed. Apr. 7, 1910.
Source
newspapers
2. April 7, 1910 Suspension
Cause
Rumor Or Misinformation
Cause Details
Reported suspension of payments amid circulating rumors and ensuing panic around the bank; cited as suspended in early April 1910.
Newspaper Excerpt
Ha suspendido sus pagos el Borough Bank
Source
newspapers
3. April 8, 1910 Run
Cause
Rumor Or Misinformation
Cause Details
Circulating rumors of inevitable failures sparked panic and a crowd surrounding the bank building.
Measures
Not specified in articles.
Newspaper Excerpt
Los rumores circulantes respecto á inevitables quiebras... La multitud rodea anciosa el edificio del banco.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (2)

Article from Boletín Mercantil De Puerto Rico, April 8, 1910

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Article Text

Otro banco en suspensión de pagos OTRA VEZ LA CRISIS EN AMERICA Nueva York, viernes.-Ha suspendido sus pagos el Borough Bank que tiene un capital en depósito de 17 millones seiscientos mil dollars. El escándalo que esta noticia produce en el mundo de los megocios es estupendo. Los rumores circulantes respecto á inevitables quiebras ruidosísimas, van sembrando el pánico bursátil. La multitud rodea anciosa el edificio del banco.


Article from The Evening World, December 29, 1910

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Article Text

# DOUBLE FAILURE OF FIVE BANKS BLAMED ON STATE Depositors Ask Why Banking Department Allowed Doors to Reopen. NOT CHENEY'S DOING. Cause of Crippled Institutions Was Pleaded Before Clark Williams. Since the closing last Tuesday of the Northern Bank, a reorganization of the old Hamilton Bank, which went down in the panic of 1907, there has been considerable talk in the financial district as to why the State Banking Department ever permitted the institution to reopen its doors. Thousands of citizens were attracted by the bold advertising methods of Joseph G. Robin in getting new accounts. These new depositors did not know of the bank's inheritance of bad securities from the Thomas-Heinze-Morse regime, and they now blame the Banking Department. Nor are the depositors of the Northern Bank alone in their plight. Four other institutions that failed in 1907 were permitted to resume business upon what subsequently proved to be an altogether unsatisfactory financial basis. The Five Which Failed Twice. The five banks which have been forced to fall twice are as follows: | | First Closing. | Reopened. | Finally Closed. | | :---------------------------- | :------------- | :-------- | :------------- | | Hamilton Bank (Northern Bank) | Oct. 24, 1907. | Jan. 20, 1908. | Dec. 27, 1910. | | Williamsburg Trust Company | Oct. 25, 1907. | June 7, 1908. | Dec. 14, 1910. | | Mechanics and Traders' Bank (Union Bank) | Oct. 25, 1907. | Aug. 17, 1908. | Apr. 5, 1910. | | Borough Bank | Oct. 25, 1907. | Apr. 14, 1908. | Apr. 7, 1910. | | Jenkins Trust Company (Lafayette Trust Company | Oct. 25, 1907. | Apr. 15, 1908. | Nov. 30, 1909. | These five institutions did not get permission to reopen from the present head of the Banking Department, Orion H. Cheney, but from his predecessor, Clark Williams, now State Comptroller. Many Depositors Got Out. Mr. Williams permitted these banks to resume after hearing the cause of each institution pleaded by able lawyers hired by the principal directors, and strongly seconded by petitions from the then depositors. But many of these early depositors after the resumption withdrew their money, and the brunt of the second closing appears to have fallen upon an entirely new class of depositors, who now blame the Banking Department for permitting the failed banks to reopen.