American Banker's Association

In 1875 three hundred and forty-nine bankers from across the United States came together to form the American Banker’s Association.

A key aspect of the ABA's charter was designed to, "control all actions looking to the detection, prosecution, and punishment of persons attempting to cause or causing loss, by crime, to any member of the Association."

The power of the collective soon made an impact. The American Banker’s Association membership soon surpassed the 3,000 mark and it was said during 1896-1897 the only successful robbery of a member bank was due to the bank failing to post the ABA sign.

The First National Bank of Winnemucca was a member of the ABA, but that didn’t stop the Wild Bunch from robbing the bank on September 19, 1900.

Along with the Union Pacific and Great Northern railroads, the American Banker’s Association contracted the Pinkertons to bring the Wild Bunch to justice, dead or alive.

By 1902 the Wild Bunch was all but over; it’s members dead, in jail, or, in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s case, left the country.

The American Banker’s Association is celebrating over a hundred and twenty-five years of operation.

External Link: The American Banker's Association

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