Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › New Jersey › City Federal Savings Bank
What happened to City Federal Savings Bank?
City Federal Savings Bank in Elizabeth, NJ (earlier called City Federal Savings and Loan Association) failed, and City Savings Bank, F.S.B. of Elizabeth, NJ took it over on Dec 8, 1989. After 4 more changes of hands, what was City Federal Savings Bank 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.
- 1910City Federal Savings and Loan Association opens in Elizabeth, NJ
- Jan 31, 1986renamed City Federal Savings Bank
- Dec 8, 1989FAILEDCity Federal Savings Bank failed, and City Savings Bank, F.S.B. of Elizabeth, NJ took it over.FDIC certificate 28406 ends; its business continues under certificate 32851.
- Sep 21, 1990MERGEDCity Savings Bank, F.S.B. of Elizabeth, NJ merged into City Savings, FSB of Elizabeth, NJ.FDIC certificate 32851 ends; its business continues under certificate 33150.
- Jan 11, 1991RESOLVEDCity Savings, FSB of Elizabeth, NJ was closed in a federal resolution, and its business passed to First Fidelity Bank, National Association, New Jersey of Newark, NJ.FDIC certificate 33150 ends; its business continues under certificate 6385.
- Jan 11, 1994MERGEDFirst Fidelity Bank, National Association, New Jersey of Newark, NJ merged into First Fidelity Bank, National Association of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 6385 ends; its business continues under certificate 33869.
- Mar 20, 2010MERGEDFirst Fidelity Bank, National Association (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 City Federal Savings Bank
A lien that was never released
City Federal Savings Bank failed on Dec 8, 1989, handled by the Resolution Trust Corporation, the agency that closed failed savings institutions from 1989 to 1995. The FDIC's lien-release page covers failed banks and savings and loans placed in FDIC receivership; it does not say how releases work for resolutions this old.
Call FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 (8am–4pm Central, weekdays) and ask whether the FDIC holds this institution's receivership. Ask Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as well: the chain above leads there. The FDIC's own instructions are at FDIC, Obtaining a Lien Release.
An old account, passbook or CD
When a healthy bank assumes a failed bank's deposits, insured depositors become its customers right away (here, City Savings Bank, F.S.B.). Start with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and ask them to search under the name City Federal Savings Bank.
This failure is older than the current federal rule on unclaimed deposits (mid-1993), so different rules apply. Search FDIC unclaimed funds search, search the unclaimed-property program of the state of the owner's last known address on the bank's records, and ask FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 what applies to this institution.
A safe deposit box
The FDIC says that when a healthy bank assumes a failed bank's deposits, the branches usually reopen the next business day with box access. Today, ask Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. A box abandoned for years may have been 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.
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 ▾
Banks folded into City Federal Savings Bank
4 banks merged directly into this charter.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Home Federal Savings and Loan AssociationPalm Beach, FL | Jul 31, 1983 |
| First Savings and Loan AssociationNew Brunswick, NJ | Jan 31, 1982 |
| Boca Raton Federal Savings and Loan AssociationBoca Raton, FL | Jan 1, 1982 |
| Mohawk Savings and Loan AssociationNewark, NJ | Dec 31, 1981 |
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 28406 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.