Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › California › Bank of the West
What happened to Bank of the West?
Bank of the West in San Francisco, CA (earlier called The First National Bank of San Jose) merged into BMO Harris Bank National Association of Chicago, IL on Feb 2, 2023. That bank is now called 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.
- 1874The First National Bank of San Jose opens in San Francisco, CA
- Jan 2, 1979renamed Bank of the West
- Feb 2, 2023MERGEDBank of the West 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 Bank of the West
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows Bank of the West 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 Bank of the West. 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 Bank of the West 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
797 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 502 are still open as of June 30, 2026. Showing 40.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 140 Sunset DrSan Ramon, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 915 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100Los Angeles, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 295 Bush StSan Francisco, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 4400 Macarthur Blvd, Ste 100Newport Beach, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 300 S Grand AveLos Angeles, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 701 B StSan Diego, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 77 N Almaden AveSan Jose, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 500 Capitol Mall, Ste 100Sacramento, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 496 Long Beach BlvdLong Beach, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 621 17th St, Ste 103Denver, CO | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1191 2nd Ave, Ste 120Seattle, WA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 15165 Ventura BlvdSherman Oaks, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 2110 W Shaw AveFresno, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 9401 Wilshire BlvdBeverly Hills, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 2001 BroadwayOakland, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 303 Roma Ave NwAlbuquerque, NM | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 810 Sw BroadwayPortland, OR | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 7062 N 1st StFresno, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1651 Response RdSacramento, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 13220 California St, Ste 100Omaha, NE | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 142 E 200 SSalt Lake City, UT | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 8135 Se Division StPortland, OR | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 2301 S Mooney BlvdVisalia, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 505 Montgomery StSan Francisco, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 3300 Jefferson StNapa, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 300 E Colorado Blvd, Ste 140Pasadena, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 7225 N Oracle RdTucson, AZ | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 4540 Balfour RdBrentwood, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1551 Pacific AveSanta Cruz, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 5555 N Pershing AveStockton, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 9140 W Emerald St, Ste 100Boise, ID | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 2484 2nd StLivermore, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 3081 Mckee RdSan Jose, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 908 Blossom Hill RdSan Jose, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 10230 Paramount BlvdDowney, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 700 Ne State Route 291Lees Summit, MO | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 3396 Castro Valley BlvdCastro Valley, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1300 Oliver RdFairfield, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 5120 Mowry AveFremont, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
| 1969 Diamond BlvdConcord, CA | OpenBMO Bank National Association |
Banks folded into Bank of the West
14 banks merged directly into this charter; counting the banks those had absorbed earlier, 241 charters end up inside it.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Commercial Federal Bank, a Federal Savings BankOmaha, NE | Dec 3, 2005 |
| Union Safe Deposit BankStockton, CA | Feb 8, 2005 |
| Community First National BankFargo, ND | Dec 3, 2004 |
| United California BankLos Angeles, CA | Apr 1, 2002 |
| First Security Bank of New Mexico, National AssociationAlbuquerque, NM | Feb 16, 2001 |
| SierraWest BankTruckee, CA | Jul 1, 1999 |
| Pacific One BankPortland, OR | Nov 1, 1998 |
| Northbay Savings Bank, FSBPetaluma, CA | Apr 29, 1996 |
| Atlantic Financial Federal Savings BankSan Francisco, CA | Apr 10, 1992 |
| Central BankSan Francisco, CA | May 21, 1990 |
| Bank of Los Gatos, National AssociationLos Gatos, CA | Jul 23, 1987 |
| French Bank of CaliforniaSan Francisco, CA | Mar 18, 1980 |
| Hayward National BankHayward, CA | Jul 31, 1974 |
| Commercial National Bank of San LeandroSan Leandro, CA | May 1, 1972 |
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 3514 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.