8236. Pynchon National Bank (Springfield, MA)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Suspension → Closure
Bank Type
national
Bank ID
987
Charter Number
987
Start Date
June 24, 1901
Location
Springfield, Massachusetts (42.101, -72.590)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
a5e9c3a8

Response Measures

None

Receivership Details

Depositor recovery rate
100.0%
Date receivership started
1901-06-24
Date receivership terminated
1924-03-31
OCC cause of failure
Excessive lending
Share of assets assessed as good
44.3%
Share of assets assessed as doubtful
55.2%
Share of assets assessed as worthless
0.5%

Description

The Pynchon National was closed by direction of the Comptroller after an examiner's report of insolvency; a temporary receiver (Ellis B. Pepper) was appointed. No run is described in the articles; failure attributed to depreciation of securities (large holdings of American Writing Paper bonds) and excessive loans. Later reporting (July 26) states there was no chance for reorganization, indicating permanent closure/receivership.

Events (5)

1. April 7, 1865 Chartered
Source
historical_nic
2. June 24, 1901 Receivership
Source
historical_nic
3. June 24, 1901 Receivership
Newspaper Excerpt
The Pynchon National bank, of Springfield, Mass., has to-day been closed by direction of the comptroller of the currency upon a report from Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham ... Ellis B. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver and Examiner Cunningham will remain in charge of the bank pending the arrival of the receiver.
Source
newspapers
4. June 25, 1901 Suspension
Cause
Bank Specific Adverse Info
Cause Details
Depreciation of securities (heavy losses on American Writing Paper Company bonds) and excessive loans beyond financial responsibility.
Newspaper Excerpt
The Pynchon National bank did not open for the transaction of business today. Ellis P. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver.
Source
newspapers
5. July 26, 1901 Other
Newspaper Excerpt
Receiver Pepper says there is no chance for the reorganization of the Pynchon National bank of Springfield, Mass. ... The depositors will lose only a little, but an assessment will be made on the stock.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (11)

Article from The Daily Morning Journal and Courier, June 25, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

NATIONAL BANK CLOSED. The Pynchon of Springfield, Mass., is Insolvent. Washington, D. C., June 24. -The Pynchon National bank, of Springfield, Mass., has to-day been closed by direction of the comptroller of the currency upon a report from Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham, showing the bank to be insolvent. Ellis B. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver and Examiner Cunningham will remain in charge of the bank pending the arrival of the receiver. The failure of the bank is due to depreciation of securities and excessive loans to companies and individuals beyond their financial responsibility. It is not believed that the losses to depositors will be large. Springfield, Mass., June 24.-E. P. Chapin, president of the bank, said he could not understand why the authorities had closed the bank. He had received no intimation of anything of the kind. George R. Bond, the bank's cashier since 1889, had not heard the report of the bank's failure. H. C. Rowley, a director, said he lunched with Mr. Chapin and did not know a thing of the bank's reported failure.


Article from The Scranton Tribune, June 25, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

Springfield Bank Closed. By Exclusive Wire from The Associated Press. Washington, June 24.-The Pynchon National bank. of Springfield, Mass., has today been closed by direction of the comptroller of the currency upon a report from Bank Examiner Cunningham showing the bank to be insolvent. Ellis B. Pep. per has been appointed temporary receiver. The failure of the bank is due to deprecation of securities and excessive loans to companies and individuals beyond their financial responsibility. It is not believed that the losses to depositors will be large.


Article from The Times, June 25, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

DEPRECIATION OF SECURITIES. The Pynehon National of Springfield, Mass., Ordered Closed. The Pynchon National Bank of Springfield, Mass., was closed yesterday by direction of the Comptroller of the Currency upon a report from John B. Cunningham, bank examiner, showing the bank to be insolvent. B. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver, and Mr. Cunningham will remain in charge of the bank pending the arrival of the receiver. The following is a statement of the resources and liabilities of the bank as shown by a special report of its condition at the close of business June 10, 1901:


Article from Waterbury Democrat, June 25, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

SPRINGFIELD BANK FAILS. The Pynchon National in the Hands of a Receiver. Washington, June 25.-The Pynchon National bank of Springfield, Mass, has been closed by direction of the comptroller of the currency upon a report from Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham, showing the bank to be insolvent. Ellis B. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver and Examiner Cunningham will remain in charge of the bank pending the arrival of the receiver. The following is a statement of the resources and liabilities of the bank as shown by a special report of its condition at the close of business June 10, 1901: Capital stock, $200,000; surplus and undivided profits, $105,913; circulation, $106,500; due to trust companies and savings banks, $352,073; due to national banks, $40,674; due to reserve agents, $7,311; dividends unpaid, $12; deposits, $696,948; borrowed money, $333,553. Total liabilities, $1,842,988. Total resources, $1,842,988. The failure of the bank is due to the depression of securities and excessive loans to companies and individuals beyond their financial responsibility. It is not believed that the loss to depositors will be large. SURPRISE IN SPRINGFIELD. Springfield, Mass, June 25.-E. P. Chapin, president of the bank, said he could not understand why the authorities had closed the bank. He had received no report or intimation of anything of the kind; the news came as a thunderclap out of a clear sky. He had not heard of the E. B. Stebbins Manufacturing company's assignment, and said it could be connected in no way with the failure of the bank, since the company had done no business whatever with the bank. He had supposed that Examiner Cunningham had left the city at the conclusion of his examination Friday night. He said that nothing more than a constructive loss could be figured on the bonds of the American Writing Paper company held by the bank. There would be no actual loss. He was certain that no depositor would lose a cent. George R. Bond, cashier of the bank since 1889, had not heard the report of the bank's failure, and was as much at a loss to understand it as Mr Chapin had been. He was certain that no depositor would lose any money by the failure. The excessive loans mentioned in the news report were fully covered by securities, he said. He was confident that the writing paper bonds would return to their par value. The present depreciation in the stock he said was simply due to the depression of industrials, These bonds were taken by the bank at 95 and are now quoted at 721/2. In addition the bank holds some stock of the Writing Paper company, taken by it for debts. H. C. Rowley, one of the directors of the bank, was told the report of the bank's failure. He said he did not believe a word of it. He was down town at his place of business all the afternoon, and in fact took lunch with Mr Chapin at 1 o'clock and had anything like this been imminent he said he would certainly have been told of it.


Article from The Indianapolis Journal, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

Pynchon National Bank Closed. SPRINGFIELD, Mass., June 25.-The Pynchon National Bank did not open today for business. Ellis P. Pepper, temporary receiver, has not yet arrived and the bank is in charge of National Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham. Creditors express no anxiety. Arrangements have been made so that checks drawn on the Pynchon Bank will be paid by other banks in this city.


Article from The Butte Inter Mountain, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

Massachusetts Bank Fails. (By Associated Press.) Springfield, Mass., June 26.--The Pynchon National bank did not open for the transaction of business yesterday. Ellis P. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver.


Article from New-York Tribune, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

CAUSE OF PYNCHON BANK FAILURE. LOSS OF $180,000 ON AMERICAN WRITING PAPER BONDS AND OTHER SECURITIES. Springfield. Mass., June 25.-The officers of the Pynchon National Bank were on hand this morning. as usual, but the bank did not open for the transaction of business. Ellis B. Pepper, who was appointed temporary receiver by the Controller of the Currency yesterday, has not yet arrived, and the bank is in charge of the examiner, John B. Cunningham. The failure of the bank has caused little excitement. and creditors express no anxiety as to the outcome. The bank holds $600,000 worth of American Writing Paper Company bonds, which it bought at 95. The bank examiner regards these bonds as worth only 69, and figures that the bank has sustained a loss of $180,000. including shrinkage in other securities. Arrangements have been made so that checks drawn on the Pynchon Bank will be paid by other banks in this city.


Article from News and Citizen, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

plan to reclaim arid regions-Serious shoot ing results from strikers' attack on mines at Matteawan, W. Va-Large white duck mill to be built at Stevens Creek, Va., by North Carolina cotton manufacturers-Cotton Manufactur ers' Commission company at Charlotte N.C., starts in business of selling yarns direct to consumers--Fall River selling committee shows mills more consideration since the notice of the Seaconnet corporation to withdraw from that body --Forty-second infantry reaches San Francisco--There will be no foreign arbitration of the Alaskan boundary dispute-Cabinet sustains Secretary Gage in his action relative to Russian products-New York Times charges Senator Lodge with securing Wash burn's appointment as counsel to appraisers-A German missionary prediets another serious rising in China, but there is still nothing to sustain his view -Consul General Pierce says Kruger will visit America late this fall. SUNDAY, JUNE 23. Adelbert S. Hay, son of the secretary of state, found dead outside a New Haven hotel, having fallen from a window -James Lynch of Boston becomes violently insane and causes wild ex citement: 10 policemen subdue him after a hard fight-American trap shooting team defeats the Scotch team at Glas gow-Former Tax Coilector Willian H. Kelly of Warren, Mass., held on embezzlement charge-Various powers propose adding to the sum that China must make good-Earl Russell held for bigamy; he will be tried by the House of Lords-President McKinley to complete his trip in the northwest next year-Sweeping injunction against the striking machinists in Mil waukee-Grain bark Falkland strikes a Scilly island lighthouse and sinks -Former Senator Camden receive $300,000 a year for 50 years for mines --Engagement of Miss Sartoris and Mr. Balfour advertised as brokenDeath of Fannie Morant, a famous ac tress of a former generation-Senti mental ballads to be excluded from Catholic churches in St. Paul-British cabinet again grappling with the Nica ragua canal question-Mrs. Barker's charges against Keller may be investi gated by church-The British lose eight men killed and 66 captured a Waterkloof-Fatalities caused by Pat erson explosion and fire now placed at 17-Three lives lost by storm at Pitts burg; great damage to property-Sec crtary Hay sends a conciliatory note or tariff matters to Russia-Lightnin; causes death and destruction at Eas Woodstock, Conn-Taunton, Mass. church struck by lightning during wed ding ceremonies-Miss Genevieve Heckler wins the woman's metropoli tan gold championship-Americar derby at Chicago falls to Robert Wad dell, a 12 to 1 shot. MONDAY, JUNE 24. Six hundred lives believed to have been lost by floods in the Pocahontas coal fields in West Virginia-L. H Dickey and Charles Robinson run down in launch in Boston harbor and drowned -Non-union men attacked by strikers at Columbia, S. C., railroad shops, and roughly handled-Kansas Democrats refuse invitation to join "third party' -General Cailles and General Ca balles surrender in Luzon with their forces-Eight-hour day granted New York policemen--Colonel Sloan of New York Old Guard drowned by capsizing of yacht-N. Doyle, G. N. Ross and J.A. Boomer of Lewiston, Me., drowned by capsizing of boat-Superintenden Reis of Weymouth, Mass., water works accused of embezzling $1800; mucl greater amount said to be involved. TUESDAY, JUNE 25. Richard Freedman, 25, kills his sister 21, on a Boston street, and then kills himself; said to have been insaneWarrant charging forgery issued against Superintendent Reis of Wey mouth, Mass., water works-Loss o life by flood in West Virginia now es timated at from 60 to 75-Comptrolle closes Pynchon National bank of Spring field, Mass.: receiver placed in charge -Ninety-one cases of smallpox found in Massachusetts since the middle o May-Boston assessors have this yea found 171,628 poll names, or nearly 500 more than last year-Secretary Nick erson of the Masonic grand lodge o Massachusetts denies the statement tha Excelsior lodge (negro) is recognizedHawaiian volcano Kilauea shows re newed signs of activity-New Yor committee begins investigation of cit; accounts---Newburyport, Mass., cele brates 50th anniversary of incorporatio as a city-Philadelphia loan fails be cause the rate, 3 percent, is consid ered too low-Archbishop Ireiand say


Article from The Salt Lake Herald, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

Bank Closes Its Doors. Sprngfield, Mass., June 25.-The Pynchon National bank did not open for the transaction of business today. Ellis P. Pepper has been appointed temporary receiver. The failure of the bank has caused little excitement, and creditors express no anxiety as to the outcome. The bank holds $600,000 worth of American Writing Paper company bonds) which it bought at 95. National Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham regards these bonds as worth only 69 and figures that the bank has sustained a loss of $180,000, including shrínkage in other securities.


Article from The Saint Paul Globe, June 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

BANK DOORS DIDN'T OPEN. Pynchon National at Springfield, Mass., Has Suspended. SPRINGFIELD, Mass., June 25.-The officers of the Pynchon National bank were on hand this morning as usual, but the bank did not open for the transaction of business. Ellis P. Pepper, who was appointed temporary receiver by the comptroller of the currency yesterday, has not yet arrived, and the bank is in charge of National Bank Examiner John B. Cunningham. The failure of the bank has caused little excitement, and creditors express no anxiety as to the outcome.


Article from Vermont Phœnix, July 26, 1901

Click image to open full size in new tab

Article Text

Receiver Pepper says there is no chance for the reorganization of the Pynchon National bank of Springfield, Mass. The shrinkage of the bonds of the American Writing Paper company caused the failure of the bank, and all the book accounts were found correct and in order. The bank held nearly $600,000 of the Paper company's bonds. The depositors will lose only a little, but an assessment will be made on the stock.