Metropolitan State Bank (Chicago, IL)

Episode Information

Episode UID
2027071480
Episode Type
Run Only
Bank Type
state
Bank ID
202707 routing
Routing Number
2-0270
Start Date
April 11, 1923
Location
Chicago, Illinois (41.850, -87.650)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini (chosen from majority vote of a three-model LLM ensemble)
Short Digest
332bdfc2e500fe57

Response Measures

None

Description

Articles give two possible triggers (political plot claim and burglar-alarm test rumor).

Events (1)
1. April 11, 1923 Run
Cause
Rumor Or Misinformation
Cause Details
Alarm test set off burglar alarm and police response sparked rumor of robbery; bank officials also blamed political plotting.
Random Run
Yes
Random Run Snippet
Alarm test set off; rumor police answered bank had been robbed
Measures
Special police guard deployed; payouts reported (~$250,000 paid out; reserves remained in vaults).
Newspaper Excerpt
A run on the Metropolitan State bank resulted in a special guard of police being ordered out last night to keep the crowds of alarmed depositors around the bank in order.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (2)
1. April 11, 1923 San Antonio Light San Antonio, TX
Article from San Antonio Light, April 11, 1923

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Article Text

RUN ON CHICAGO BANK "Poliites" Blamed for Rush; Institution Believed Sound. Chicago, April 11.-A run on the Metropolitan State bank resulted in a special guard of police being ordered out last night to keep the crowds of alarmed depositors around the bank in order. Officials of the bank declared that the run was "caused by politics." Long lines began to form before the entrance this afternoon and by 9 o'clock last night more than $250,000 had been paid out and a reserve of $500,000 was waiting in the vaults, according to bank officials. Dr. S. A. Brenza. brother of the president of the bank, asserted that politics was behind the run. He said he had been a candidate in the last aldermanic election and that he believed the run was a plot of his political foes. Walter S. Corby of the state banking examiner's office declared that there was no occasion for the run. "The bank is sound and in excellent condition," he declared.

2. April 20, 1923 The Dolores Star Dolores, CO
Article from The Dolores Star, April 20, 1923

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Article Text

Burglar Alarm Causes Run on Bank Chicago.-A run on the Metropolitan State Bank, at Twenty-second and South Leavitt streets, resulted in a special guard of police being ordered out to keep the crowds of alarmed depositors around the bank in order. John B. Brenza, president of the bank, said he believed the run was the result of the installation of a burglar alarm system. In the installation work, it was necessary to set off the alarm to test it. Mr. Brenza said that he believed that when the police answered the alarm the rumor spread that the bank had been robbed.