Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › Virginia › Signet Bank
What happened to Signet Bank?
Signet Bank in Richmond, VA (earlier called The Bank of Virginia and 3 other names) merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC on Nov 29, 1997. After 2 more changes of hands, what was Signet 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.
- 1922The Bank of Virginia opens in Richmond, VA
- Dec 31, 1971renamed Bank of Virginia - Central
- Dec 31, 1975renamed Bank of Virginia
- Mar 29, 1987renamed Signet Bank-Virginia
- Nov 1, 1995renamed Signet Bank
- Nov 29, 1997MERGEDSignet Bank merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 11589 ends; its business continues under certificate 4885.
- Feb 26, 1998MERGEDFirst Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC merged into First Union National Bank of Charlotte, NC.FDIC certificate 4885 ends; its business continues under certificate 33869.
- Mar 20, 2010MERGEDFirst Union National Bank (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 Signet Bank
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows Signet Bank as lienholder, start with Wells Fargo 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 Wells Fargo Bank, National Association to search for the account under the name Signet 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 Wells Fargo Bank, National Association which branch now holds boxes from the Signet 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
261 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 49 are still open as of June 30, 2026. Showing 40.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 171 Jennifer RdAnnapolis, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 9230 Baltimore National PikeEllicott City, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2100 York RdTimonium, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 3107 BoulevardColonial Heights, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1700 Euclid AveBristol, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2012 E Joppa RdParkville, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 11234 York RdCockeysville, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 989 Fairmount AveTowson, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 11975 Reisterstown RdReisterstown, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 860 N Rolling RdCatonsville, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 750 Walker RdGreat Falls, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 4305 Mountain RdPasadena, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 582 Frederick RdCatonsville, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 110 Church Ave SwRoanoke, VA | OpenFirst-Citizens Bank & Trust Company |
| 205 Battlefield Blvd SChesapeake, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2575 John Milton DrHerndon, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1427 Liberty RdEldersburg, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 3360 S Crater RdPetersburg, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 215 Pennsylvania Ave SeWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2876 Dale BlvdDale City, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 701 E Market StLeesburg, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 81 S Airport DrHighland Springs, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 4820 Eastern AveBaltimore, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 10821 Ridgefield PkwyRichmond, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 6309 York RdBaltimore, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1623 Crofton CtrCrofton, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 7119 Forest Hill AveRichmond, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 425 S 15th AveHopewell, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 501 Washington AveChestertown, MD | OpenTruist Bank |
| 1 Newport DrForest Hill, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 721 N Hammonds Ferry RdLinthicum, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 6305 Richmond Hwy, Ste AAlexandria, VA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 5121 Roland AveBaltimore, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 930 Bay Ridge RdAnnapolis, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 685 W Main StDanville, VA | OpenFirst-Citizens Bank & Trust Company |
| 284 N Main StKilmarnock, VA | OpenAtlantic Union Bank |
| 1901 7th St NwWashington, DC | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 840 Mckinney BlvdColonial Beach, VA | OpenAtlantic Union Bank |
| 2320 Ashton StBaltimore, MD | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 15043 Northumberland HwyBurgess, VA | OpenAtlantic Union Bank |
Banks folded into Signet Bank
17 banks merged directly into this charter; counting the banks those had absorbed earlier, 34 charters end up inside it.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Signet Bank, National AssociationFalls Church, VA | Jun 1, 1996 |
| Signet Bank-MarylandBaltimore, MD | Nov 1, 1995 |
| Pioneer Federal Savings BankChester, VA | Sep 1, 1994 |
| Madison National Bank of VirginiaMclean, VA | May 10, 1991 |
| Citizens Trust BankPortsmouth, VA | Apr 1, 1985 |
| The Bank of MontrossMontross, VA | Oct 1, 1984 |
| The Bank of ViennaVienna, VA | Apr 30, 1983 |
| Bank of Virginia-Central ValleyAugusta County, VA | Nov 1, 1980 |
| Bank of Virginia-WiseSt. Paul, VA | Mar 31, 1980 |
| Bank of Virginia-WarrenFront Royal, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia-SouthwestRoanoke, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia - PotomacFairfax County, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia-LoudounDulles International Airport, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia-EasternNorfolk, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia - PetersburgPetersburg, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia-Eastern ShoreAccomack County, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
| Bank of Virginia-ShenandoahWinchester, VA | Dec 29, 1978 |
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 11589 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.