17629. Citizens State Bank (Napoleon, OH)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Suspension → Closure
Bank Type
state
Start Date
December 16, 1908
Location
Napoleon, Ohio (41.392, -84.125)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
cafd4c01

Response Measures

None

Description

Multiple December 16–17, 1908 newspaper dispatches report the Citizens State Bank of Napoleon assigned to D. D. Donovan (assignment = receiver). Cause consistently given as overloans/poor loans tied to the failure of the Ohio German Fire Insurance Company. Articles describe public excitement and people withdrawing funds after the assignment notice was posted, but there is no clear, prior discrete bank run before the assignment; the event is a suspension/assignment leading to permanent closure/receivership.

Events (2)

1. December 16, 1908 Receivership
Newspaper Excerpt
The Citizens' State bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by poor loans and ... the Ohio German Insurance company's failure.
Source
newspapers
2. December 17, 1908 Other
Newspaper Excerpt
Men cried and women fainted in the streets of Napoleon when they found a notice of assignment posted on the doors of the Citizens' State bank... farmers drove in to draw money.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (11)

Article from Albuquerque Citizen, December 16, 1908

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Article Text

OHIO BANK ASSIGNS. Napoleon, Ohio, Dec. 16.-The Citizen's State bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by bad loans and it is also stated 2 that it was brought about by the Ohio German Insurance company's failure.


Article from Evening Times-Republican, December 16, 1908

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Article Text

CASHIER TO BLAME. Overloans Cause Failure of Large Bank at Napoleon, O. Napoleon, O., Dec. 16.-The Citizens' State Bank assigned last night. The failure is said to have been caused by overloans. The bank was capitalized at $71,000, and has an undivided surplus of $21,000. The deposits amount to $835,000. It is alleged that Cashier Groll made overloans to the president of the Ohio German Fire Insurance company, which recently failed, without the authority of the other bank officials,


Article from Deseret Evening News, December 16, 1908

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Article Text

OHIO BANK FAILS. Napoleon, Ohio, Dec. 16.-The Citizens state bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by poor loans and it is also stated that it was brought back by the Ohio German insurance companies failure.


Article from The Topeka State Journal, December 16, 1908

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Article Text

OHIO BANK FAILS. Poor Loans Force Citizens' State Bank of Napoleon to the Wall. Napoleon, O., Dec. 16.-The Citizens' State bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by poor loans and it is also stated that it was brought about by the Ohio German Insurance company's failure.


Article from The Salt Lake Herald, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

FAILURE IN OHIO. Napoleon, O., Dec. 16.-The Citizens' State bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to be due to over loans made by Cashier Groll to Judge Michael Donnelly, president of the Ohio German Fire Insurance company, and the assignment is also said to be the direct result of the recent failure of that insurance company. These loans to Donnelly, it is alleged, were made without the authority of the other officials of the bank. The Citizens' bank was considered strong, and as a result of the assignment great excitement prevails in Napoleon. The bank's deposits amount to $835,000.


Article from The Clarksburg Telegram, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

BANK ASSIGNS. NAPOLEON, O., Dec. 16-The citizens State bank assigned last night. The failure is said to have been brought about by the Ohio Gorman Insurance Company's failure. The bank is capitalized at $71,000 and has an undivided surplus of $20,000. The deposits amount to $835,000.


Article from The Daily Sentinel, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

ANOTHER BANK FAILS [Special to The Sentinel.] Napoleon, O., Dec. 17. The Citizens' State Bank has assigned to D. D. Donovan. The failure is said to be due to overloans made by Cashier Croll to Judge Michael Donnelly, president of the Ohio German Fire Insurance Company. and the assignment is also said to be the direct result of the recent failure of that insurance company. These loans to Donnelly, it is alleged, were made without the authority of the other officials of the bank. The Citizens' State Bank was considered strong and as a result of the assignment great excitement prevails in Napoleon. The bank deposits amounted to $835,000.


Article from The Weekly Herald, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

BIG OHIO BANK GOES TO THE WAL Excitement Great When Institution With Nearly Million in Deposits Fails Associated Press. Napoleon, Ohio, Dec. 16.-The Citizen's State bank assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by poor loans; and it is also stated that it was brought about by the Ohio German Insurance company's failure. The bank was considered strong, and as a result of the assignment great excitement prevails. The deposits amount to $835,000.


Article from Los Angeles Herald, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

CITIZENS STATE BANK OF NAPOLEON, OHIO, CLOSES NAPOLEON, Ohio, Dec. 16.-The Citizens State bank was assigned to D. D. Donovan last night. The failure is said to have been caused by poor loans and it is also stated that it was brought about by the Ohio German Insurance company's failure. The failure is said to be due to over-loans made by Cashier Groll to Judge Michael Donnelly, president of the Ohio German Fire Insurance company and the assignment is also said to be the direct result of the recent failure of the insurance company. These loans to Donnelly, it is alleged, were made without the authority of the other officials of the bank. The Citizens bank was considered strong, and as a result of the assignment great excitement prevails in Napoleon. The bank's deposits amount to $835,000.


Article from The Advocate, December 17, 1908

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Article Text

Ohio Bank Assigns I Napoleon, Ohio, Dec. 16.-The Citizens State Bank assigned last night. The failure is said to have been brought about by the Ohio German Insurance Company's failure.


Article from The Winchester News, December 18, 1908

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Article Text

Napoleon Bank Assigns. Napoleon, O., Dec. 17.-Men cried and women fainted in the streets of Napoleon when they found a notice of assignment posted on the doors of the Citizens' State bank. Dramatic scenes were enacted as the streets rapidly filled with residents of the town and farmers drove in to draw money with which to pay their taxes. D. D. Donovan was named assignee. President Miller of the bank is now confined in a hospital in a Minnesota town. Excessive loans to the Ohio German Fire Insurance company is assigned as the cause of the bank's failure.