| 1782 | Bank of North America is chartered |
| 1791 | Bank of the United States is charted |
| 1811 | Bank of the United States’ charter is allowed to lapse |
| 1816 | Second Bank of the United States is chartered |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson vetoes re-chartering of Second Bank of the US; charter lapses in 1836 |
| 1837 | Free banking |
| 1863 | National Banking Act establishes national banks and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency |
| 1913 | Federal Reserve Act of 1913 creates Federal Reserve System |
| 1927 | McFadden Act and Douglas Amendments (1970) prohibited banks from branching across state lines and forced national banks to abide by local branching regulations. Prohibited interest on checkable deposits and puts a ceiling on interest on other deposits |
| 1930-1933 | 9000 banks fail |
| 1933 | Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall) creates Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and separates banking and securities industries. |
| 1956 | Bank Holding Company Act and Douglas Amendment (1970) clarified the status of bank holding companies. |
| 1980 | Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act approved NOW and ATS accounts nationwide, phased out interest rate ceilings on deposits, increased deposit insurance to $100,000 per account. |
| Early 80s | ATMs spread, not counted as a branch |
| 1982 | State bank holding companies allowed to purchase failing banks in other states. Regional banking developed. |
| 1987 | Non-bank Banks loophole closed (limited service banks) |
| 1994 | Riegle-Neal Act of 1994 removes federal prohibition of interstate branching |
| 1999 | Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act, 1999. Repealed Glass-Steagall separation of banking. |