Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › California › SierraWest Bank
What happened to SierraWest Bank?
SierraWest Bank in Truckee, CA (earlier called Truckee River Bank) merged into Bank of the West of San Francisco, CA on Jul 1, 1999. After 1 more change of hands, what was SierraWest Bank is today part of BMO Bank National Association (Chicago, IL).
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.
- 1981Truckee River Bank opens in Truckee, CA
- Jun 3, 1996renamed SierraWest Bank
- Jul 1, 1999MERGEDSierraWest Bank merged into Bank of the West of San Francisco, CA.FDIC certificate 23323 ends; its business continues under certificate 3514.
- Feb 2, 2023MERGEDBank of the West of San Francisco, CA merged into BMO Harris Bank National Association of Chicago, IL.FDIC certificate 3514 ends; its business continues under certificate 16571.
- TodayOPEN
BMO Bank National AssociationMain office Chicago, IL · FDIC certificate 16571 · 988 offices in 23 states on June 30, 2026Every BMO Bank National Association office → Website on file with the FDIC: www.bmo.com
If you still have something from SierraWest Bank
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows SierraWest Bank as lienholder, start with BMO 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 BMO Bank National Association to search for the account under the name SierraWest Bank. 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 BMO Bank National Association which branch now holds boxes from the SierraWest Bank 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
22 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 12 are still open as of June 30, 2026.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 1651 Response RdSacramento, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1300 Oliver RdFairfield, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 4950 Kietzke LnReno, NV | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 330 Davis StVacaville, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 460 Brunswick RdGrass Valley, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1001 1st StBenicia, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 4300 Sonoma Blvd, Ste 300Vallejo, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 2976 N Carson StCarson City, NV | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 13422 Lincoln WayAuburn, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 11202 Donner Pass RdTruckee, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 150 W Lake BlvdTahoe City, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 200 Bear StreetKings Beach, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 736d Taylorville RoadGrass Valley, CA | No longer reported |
| 10069 Bridge StreetTruckee, CA | No longer reported |
| 303 Sacramento StreetVallejo, CA | No longer reported |
| 1011 Helen Power DriveVacaville, CA | No longer reported |
| 1100 Texas StreetFairfield, CA | No longer reported |
| 3443 Lake Tahoe BoulevardSouth Lake Tahoe, CA | No longer reported |
| 455 Capitol MallSacramento, CA | No longer reported |
| 2151 Salvio Street, Suite HConcord, CA | No longer reported |
| 3890 Highway 50South Lake Tahoe, CA | No longer reported |
| 555 South Auburn StreetColfax, CA | No longer reported |
Banks folded into SierraWest Bank
3 banks merged directly into this charter.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Continental Pacific BankVacaville, CA | Apr 16, 1998 |
| Mercantile BankSacramento, CA | Jun 30, 1997 |
| Sierrawest BankReno, NV | Oct 1, 1996 |
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 23323 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.