Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › District of Columbia › First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.
What happened to First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.?
First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C. in Washington, DC (earlier called Public National Bank and 3 other names) merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC on Jul 31, 1997. After 2 more changes of hands, what was First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C. is today part of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (Sioux Falls, SD).
The chain, step by step
From the day it opened to the bank at the end of the chain today. Each step is one entry in the FDIC's record.
- 1963Public National Bank opens in Washington, DC
- Feb 1, 1975renamed Bank of Columbia, National Association
- Oct 15, 1981renamed National Bank of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
- Nov 1, 1986renamed Dominion Bank of Washington National Association
- Jul 22, 1993renamed First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.
- Jul 31, 1997MERGEDFirst Union National Bank of Washington, D.C. merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 18839 ends; its business continues under certificate 4885.
- Feb 26, 1998MERGEDFirst Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 4885 ends; its business continues under certificate 33869.
- Mar 20, 2010MERGEDFirst Union National Bank (by then renamed Wachovia Bank, National Association) of Charlotte, NC merged into Wells Fargo Bank, National Association of Sioux Falls, SD.FDIC certificate 33869 ends; its business continues under certificate 3511.
- TodayOPEN
Wells Fargo Bank, National AssociationMain office Sioux Falls, SD · FDIC certificate 3511 · 4,157 offices in 40 states on June 30, 2026Every Wells Fargo Bank, National Association office → Website on file with the FDIC: www.wellsfargo.com
If you still have something from First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C. as lienholder, start with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. In a merger the surviving bank takes over the other bank's loans, so it is the bank to ask for a recordable lien release; if the loan was sold along the way, it can tell you to whom.
The FDIC says it cannot process lien releases for banks that merged or were acquired without government assistance, which is what the record shows here.
Record the release with the same county office that recorded the original mortgage or deed of trust.
An old account, passbook or CD
Ask Wells Fargo Bank, National Association to search for the account under the name First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.. A passbook or certificate shows an account existed. It doesn't show the money is still there, and the OCC notes that federal rules require banks to keep most account records for five years.
Accounts nobody touches are eventually turned over to a state. The OCC puts the usual wait at three to five years with no activity, set by each state's law. Search the unclaimed-property program of the state of the owner's last known address on the bank's records, and any other state they lived in. It is free to search and to claim through a state's own site, and MissingMoney.com, an official site of the state administrators' association, searches most states at once.
A safe deposit box
Ask Wells Fargo Bank, National Association which branch now holds boxes from the First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C. office you used. The OCC says a box with no activity for three to five years (the period is set by state statute) is likely treated as dormant, and its contents may be turned over to the state's unclaimed-property program.
Box contents are not covered by FDIC insurance.
Not sure this is your bank?
Many banks shared a name. Match the city and the years above against your paperwork, or search again with the town.
Credit unions were never FDIC-insured and are not in this record; the NCUA credit union lookup covers those. Banks that closed before about 1970 are not in the FDIC's list either.
One caution: banks also sell single branches. If the office you used was sold to a different bank along the way, the account went with the branch, not with this chain. The office list below shows which bank each office reports under now.
This page is drawn from FDIC records and federal guidance. It is not legal advice, and BankBranches is not a bank or a government office. More detail: lien releases · old passbooks and CDs · safe deposit boxes · unclaimed money.
Where the guidance comes from ▾
Its offices in the FDIC deposit reports
45 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 14 are still open as of June 30, 2026. Showing 40.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 1350 New York Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2001 K St NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1001 Connecticut Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 5701 Connecticut Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 4841 Massachusetts Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 801 Pennsylvania Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 3700 Calvert St NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1300 Connecticut Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2901 M St NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2119 Bladensburg Rd NeWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 609 H St NeWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 444 N Capitol St NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 3200 Pennsylvania Ave SeWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 5100 Wisconsin Ave NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 600 Maryland Ave SwWashington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1301 Pennsylvania Ave NwWashington, DC | No longer reported |
| 5201 Macarthur Boulevard, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 4302 Connecticut Ave NwWashington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1310 G Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 502 23rd Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 5005 New Hampshire Avenue, NWashington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1919 M Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 2301 M Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 740 15th Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 2441 Good Hope Road, S.E.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 3216 Pennsylvania Avenue S EWashington, DC | No longer reported |
| 7824 Eastern Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1325 G Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 2008 and 2010 Rhode Island Avenue, N.E.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1123 15th Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1300 I Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1325 G Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 1899 L Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 20 Chevy Chase Circle, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 2021 K Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 320 Riggs Road, N.E.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 3301 New Mexico Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 417 Sixth Street, N.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
| 420 Fourth Street, S.W.Washington, DC | No longer reported |
Banks folded into First Union National Bank of Washington, D.C.
2 banks merged directly into this charter; counting the banks those had absorbed earlier, 3 charters end up inside it.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Home Federal Savings BankWashington, DC | Nov 1, 1994 |
| First American Bank, National AssociationWashington, DC | Jun 23, 1993 |
Source: FDIC BankFind institution and history records, read Nov 15, 2026. The FDIC's list covers banks that ended in about 1970 or later. Look up certificate 18839 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.