National Bank

A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name.

All banks in the United States are chartered by either a state government or the federal government. Federally chartered banks, called national banks, are overseen by the Comptroller of the Currency of the US Department of the Treasury.

All national banks are members of the Federal Reserve System and deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The dual banking system of federal- and state-chartered banks can be traced to the National Banking Act of 1863. The act created the new federal bank system in an attempt to impose order on what had been a chaotic situation. State banks have survived, however, and the two banking systems co-exist.