8009. State Bank (Boston, MA)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Run Only
Bank Type
state
Start Date
January 13, 1838
Location
Boston, Massachusetts (42.358, -71.060)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
f895660a

Response Measures

None

Description

Articles describe an attempted run on the State Bank of Boston (retaliatory action by seven discredited banks) in the context of the Commonwealth Bank's failure and broader Boston banking panic. No suspension or closure of the State Bank is reported; measures included Suffolk Bank refusing the offer and an association meeting to sustain banks and accept bills.

Events (1)

1. January 13, 1838 Run
Cause
Local Banks
Cause Details
Seven discredited banks, retaliating after the State Bank refused certain bank notes, offered specie through Suffolk to force the State Bank and attempted a run.
Measures
Suffolk Bank refused the offered specie exchange; Association of Boston Banks held meetings and voted to receive bills of associated banks and increase specie ratios to stabilize the situation.
Newspaper Excerpt
As soon as this notice was up, the seven discredited banks consulted together and endeavored to make a run on the State Bank.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (2)

Article from Morning Herald, January 15, 1838

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Article Text

MONEY MARKET. Sunday, Jan. 14--1, P. M. A sensation was produced in Wall street yesterday by accounts received from Boston, of the failure or rather the inability to pay its balances in current bank bills, of one of the government banks in that city, the Commonwealth's Bank, and the consequent run and trouble among the other banks of the same place, almost bordering on panic and revulsion. It.soon became noised abro d in Wall street and great alarm was caused to the holders of all eastern bills, which, in consequence, were crowded upon the points of redemption in Wallstreet in large amounts. A letter received this morning by one of the mest respectable brokers in Wall street, gives the following particulars BOSTON, Jan. 13, 1938. We wrote you yesterday, just as the mail was closing, that the Conamonwealth's Bank had failed -we believe that the other banks would not sustain it. We understand that they owe government $400,000; they have the largest circulation of any bank in Boston as we advised you sometime ago. It is probably in a very bad state. There was a good deal of excitement yesterday. The Fulton, Hancock and Commercial banks were run upon. The Fulton we understand has obtained a loan from the other banks sufficient to take up all their circulation. The Hancock is endeavoring to obtain assistance from the other backs-the Commercial has reduced their circulation very much of late and may get along without assistance. P. S. The other banks have just decided to sustain the Hancock Fulton, &c. so that they all go en again except the Commonwealth. The failure of the Commonwealth Bank is no doubt a very bad one. It was the great "Pet Bank." Its failure can very clearly be traced to the government deposites-which deposites were all leaned to speculators of the party-3 persons, (directors) one of them to nearly the amount of their capital. In addition to these facts, coming from an undoubted source, and therefore reliable, we learn from other quarters, that the consternation and panic caused among the banks in Boston, was increased. by their own statements, developing their own condition, and the probability that the legislature now in session there, would overhaul them with great severity. The Boston and other eastern banks are composed, as with us, of two classes-the class chartered before the present locofoce party got into power at Washington-and that subsequently. The old banks throughout New England and in Boston, are generally conducted on the old principles of prudence -short loans-business paper-the new regime are managed to prop up bubbles in lands, town lots, and other speculations. Nearly half the assets of the Commonwealth Bank are paper on East Boston lots. Two years ago, the legislature of Massachusetts permitted the banks to issue post notes. By the exercise of this power, the new class of banks enlarged their circulation, which could not be contracted when the recent revulsion came. In consequence, there has been great heartburnings and dissatisfaction among the Bosten banks, and particularly since the Bank Convention of this city recommended a curtailment of loans. A large portion of the banks refused to curtail, while the sound basks insisted on such a policy. In this state of things, we learn that the State Bank of Boston put up a notice last week, refusing to receive on deposite or in payments, the notes of seven other banks, including the Commonwealth. The following are the seven and their condition by the last statement :-


Article from Morning Herald, January 15, 1838

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Article Text

As soon as this notice was up, the seven discredited banks con- sulted together and endeavored to make a run on the State Bank. They offered $50,000 in specie to the Suffolk Bank, for the same amount of notes in State Bank paper. This was done in retaliation, and for the purpose of putting the State Bank un- der the penalty of 24 per cent, for refusing to pay specie. The Suffolk Bank refused-the excitement increased-the whole Association of Boston Banks was near coming to pieces. To prevent this a secret conclave was held, and it was determined to discredit, guillotine the Commonwealth's Bank alone, in or- der to save the others. Accordingly, after a long and violent debate among themselves, in which the seven banks, and sever- al others were censured for their expansions, the following no- tice was yesterday morning announced in the Boston papers of the 18th inst:- # BY AUTHORITY Of the Board of Commissioners of the associated Banks in Boston. At a meeting of the Board, thirty Banks being represented, held last evening to receive a report from the Standing Com- mittee on the present state of the Bank circulation, the Com- mittee made such a communication, as clearly showed that the bills of all the associated Banks (excepting the Common- wealth Bank, which has been stricken from the roll of the As- sociation) ought to be received hereafter in payment and on deposites by the Banks throughout this Commonwealth, as heretofore, and without a dissenting voice, it was Voted, That each of the Associate Banks will henceforth re- ceive in good faith the bills of all the Banks belonging to the Association, without discrimination. And it was also unanimously Resolved, That the vote adopted by the Standing Committee at its meeting on Wednesday last, requesting that the specie of such of the Associated Banks as is in a smaller proportion to their circulation than one to four, "should be increased to at least twenty-five per cent. upon its circulation, and that the process of increase should be commenced forthwith," be ap- proved by this Board. T. DROWN, Clerk. Thus stands the volcano at the last dates, but this catastrophe is only begun-not ended. The revulsion which began in March last is going on its course. Banks are composed of in- dividuals-and individuals are subject to all the influences of the times. The general suspension of specie payments only delays the final catastrophe that a large portion of the banks must undergo. It is our firm belief that the return to specie payments cannot be effected in eight years, without closing at least one third of the small banks throughout the country. The failure of the Commonwealth Bank of Boston is only the first explosion. In Albany, here, and elsewhere, the same process is going on as we have just witnessed in Boston. It is affirmed that all the Albany Banks have resumed specie payments. Be it so, but our monetary system can never be remedied till a large State Bank of $30,000,000 capital be organized, as indicated by Mr. Ogden of this city, in the legislature. The following is a statement of the other Boston Banks taken from the November Report.