Suburban Bancorp, Inc.

Suburban Bancorp, Inc. was a publicly traded multibank holding company headquartered in suburban Chicago. It was founded by Gerald F. Fitzgerald, father of former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald, and majority owned by the Fitzgerald family. Bank of Montreal acquired Suburban Bancorp, Inc. by merger in 1994. Harris Bankmont, Inc., an American subsidiary of Bank of Montreal, merged with Suburban Bankcorp to expand the Harris Bank presence in the Chicago area. The all-stock deal was valued at $246 million.

History

Gerald F. Fitzgerald started the network of banks that became Suburban Bancorp in 1961 when he acquired two institutions in the Chicago suburbs, Lake Villa Trust and Savings Bank and the Palatine National Bank. He founded five Chicago area banks ''de novo'' and purchased many others, ultimately assembling 13 banks with 30 locations in Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage and Kane County, Illinois. Most carried the ''Suburban'' name and all carried a maple leaf logo. At the time, Illinois did not allow branch banking and Fitzgerald was positioning his separately chartered banks for the eventual liberalization of branching restrictions.  

In 1982, Illinois changed its laws to allow a single holding company to own multiple banks. This change enabled Fitzgerald to bring all of his family-controlled banks under the umbrella of Suburban Bancorp, Inc., one of Illinois's first multibank holding companies. Suburban Bancorp, Inc. went public in 1986 and listed its shares on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SUBBA.

Suburban Bancorp., Inc. banks  advertised their safety and soundness and were renowned for their prudential approach to banking, reflecting Fitzgerald's belief that a bank should maintain superior liquidity at all times.

Leadership

Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Founder, Chairman (1962-1994), and President (1961-1990)

Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Jr., President (1990-1994)

James G Fitzgerald, Director and Treasurer (1981-1994)

Thomas Fitzgerald, Director and Corporate Secretary (1981-1994)

Legacy

All four of Gerald F. Fitzgerald's sons went on to own and manage other banks, including former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald, who founded Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. in 2007.

References

External links

Gerald F. Fitzgerald Suburban Bancorp Records
a
the Newberry Library

{{Bank of Montreal

1961 establishments in Illinois
1994 disestablishments in Illinois
Holding companies established in 1961
Holding companies disestablished in 1994
American companies established in 1961
American companies disestablished in 1994
Companies based in Illinois
Holding companies of the United States