Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › Iowa › Brenton Bank, National Association
What happened to Brenton Bank, National Association?
Brenton Bank, National Association in Des Moines, IA (earlier called National Bank of Des Moines and 1 other name) merged into Brenton Bank of Des Moines, IA on Sep 30, 1995. After 2 more changes of hands, what was Brenton Bank, National Association 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.
- 1955National Bank of Des Moines opens in Des Moines, IA
- Jun 1, 1978renamed Brenton National Bank of Des Moines
- Jul 31, 1991renamed Brenton Bank, National Association
- Sep 30, 1995MERGEDBrenton Bank, National Association merged into Brenton Bank of Des Moines, IA.FDIC certificate 17481 ends; its business continues under certificate 20740.
- Mar 24, 2001MERGEDBrenton Bank of Des Moines, IA merged into Wells Fargo Bank Iowa, National Association of Des Moines, IA.FDIC certificate 20740 ends; its business continues under certificate 4448.
- Feb 20, 2004MERGEDWells Fargo Bank Iowa, National Association of Des Moines, IA merged into Wells Fargo Bank, National Association of Sioux Falls, SD.FDIC certificate 4448 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 Brenton Bank, National Association
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows Brenton Bank, National Association 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 Brenton Bank, National Association. 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 Brenton Bank, National Association 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
9 offices filed under this charter in some year from 1994 on. 3 are still open as of June 30, 2026.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 5880 Merle Hay RdJohnston, IA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 13631 University AveClive, IA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 2840 Ingersoll AveDes Moines, IA | OpenWells Fargo Bank, National Association |
| 1987 Broadway StreetIowa City, IA | No longer reported |
| 2805 Beaver AvenueDes Moines, IA | No longer reported |
| 4729 Southwest Ninth StreetDes Moines, IA | No longer reported |
| 7031 Douglas AvenueUrbandale, IA | No longer reported |
| 10101 University AvenueClive, IA | No longer reported |
| 4303 Fleur DriveDes Moines, IA | No longer reported |
Banks folded into Brenton Bank, National Association
3 banks merged directly into this charter.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| Brenton Bank and Trust CompanyUrbandale, IA | Jul 31, 1991 |
| Brenton National Bank of South Des MoinesDes Moines, IA | Jul 1, 1983 |
| Northwest Brenton National BankDes Moines, IA | Jan 1, 1983 |
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 17481 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.