Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › Illinois › The Merchants National Bank of Aurora
What happened to The Merchants National Bank of Aurora?
The Merchants National Bank of Aurora in Aurora, IL merged into Old Kent Bank of Grand Rapids, MI on Feb 12, 2000. After 1 more change of hands, what was The Merchants National Bank of Aurora is today part of Fifth Third Bank, National Association (Cincinnati, OH).
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.
- 1888The Merchants National Bank of Aurora opens in Aurora, IL
- Feb 12, 2000MERGEDThe Merchants National Bank of Aurora merged into Old Kent Bank of Grand Rapids, MI.FDIC certificate 3602 ends; its business continues under certificate 993.
- Sep 30, 2009MERGEDOld Kent Bank (by then renamed Fifth Third Bank) of Grand Rapids, MI merged into Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati, OH.FDIC certificate 993 ends; its business continues under certificate 6672.
- TodayOPEN
Fifth Third Bank, National AssociationMain office Cincinnati, OH · FDIC certificate 6672 · 1,513 offices in 15 states on June 30, 2026Every Fifth Third Bank, National Association office → Website on file with the FDIC: www.53.com
If you still have something from The Merchants National Bank of Aurora
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows The Merchants National Bank of Aurora as lienholder, start with Fifth Third 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 Fifth Third Bank, National Association to search for the account under the name The Merchants National Bank of Aurora. 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 Fifth Third Bank, National Association which branch now holds boxes from the The Merchants National Bank of Aurora 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
14 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 7 are still open as of June 30, 2026.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 1600 E Main StSt. Charles, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 1851 W Galena BlvdAurora, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 34 S BroadwayAurora, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 1776 S Randall RdGeneva, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 1 Merchants PlzOswego, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 2998 Ogden AveAurora, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 205 E Downer PlAurora, IL | OpenFifth Third Bank, National Association |
| 101 West Lincoln StreetHinckley, IL | No longer reported |
| Route 31Mooseheart, IL | No longer reported |
| 1525 West Main StreetSt. Charles, IL | No longer reported |
| 629 West State StreetGeneva, IL | No longer reported |
| 80 North Dugan RoadSugar Grove, IL | No longer reported |
| 55 South Constitution DriveAurora, IL | No longer reported |
| 2255 West Sullivan RoadAurora, IL | No longer reported |
Banks folded into The Merchants National Bank of Aurora
4 banks merged directly into this charter.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Hinckley State BankHinckley, IL | Dec 14, 1998 |
| Fox Valley BankSt. Charles, IL | Dec 14, 1998 |
| First American Bank of AuroraAurora, IL | May 13, 1990 |
| Bank of Boulder HillMontgomery, IL | Dec 1, 1986 |
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 3602 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.