Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › California › First National Bank of Central California
What happened to First National Bank of Central California?
First National Bank of Central California in Salinas, CA (earlier called First National Bank of Monterey County) merged into Pacific Capital Bank, National Association of Santa Barbara, CA on Mar 29, 2002. After 2 more changes of hands, what was First National Bank of Central California is today part of U.S. 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.
- 1984First National Bank of Monterey County opens in Salinas, CA
- Jun 22, 1991renamed First National Bank of Central California
- Mar 29, 2002MERGEDFirst National Bank of Central California merged into Pacific Capital Bank, National Association of Santa Barbara, CA.FDIC certificate 25185 ends; its business continues under certificate 18169.
- Dec 3, 2012MERGEDPacific Capital Bank, National Association (by then renamed Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, National Association) of Santa Barbara, CA merged into Union Bank, National Association of San Francisco, CA.FDIC certificate 18169 ends; its business continues under certificate 22826.
- May 26, 2023MERGEDUnion Bank, National Association (by then renamed MUFG Union Bank, National Association) of San Francisco, CA merged into U.S. Bank National Association of Cincinnati, OH.FDIC certificate 22826 ends; its business continues under certificate 6548.
- TodayOPEN
U.S. Bank National AssociationMain office Cincinnati, OH · FDIC certificate 6548 · 2,097 offices in 29 states on June 30, 2026Every U.S. Bank National Association office → Website on file with the FDIC: www.usbank.com
If you still have something from First National Bank of Central California
A lien that was never released
If a paid-off mortgage, home-equity line or car loan still shows First National Bank of Central California as lienholder, start with U.S. 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 U.S. Bank National Association to search for the account under the name First National Bank of Central California. 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 U.S. Bank National Association which branch now holds boxes from the First National Bank of Central California 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. 6 are still open as of June 30, 2026.
| Office | Now |
|---|---|
| 300 Tres Pinos RdHollister, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 495 Washington StMonterey, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 790 1st St, Unit AGilroy, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 655 Main StWatsonville, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 26380 Carmel Rancho LnCarmel, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 695 Front StSoledad, CA | OpenU.S. Bank National Association |
| 650 San Benito Street, Suite 150Hollister, CA | No longer reported |
| 301 Third StreetSan Juan Bautista, CA | No longer reported |
| 1001 South Main StreetSalinas, CA | No longer reported |
| 307 Main StreetSalinas, CA | No longer reported |
| 500 Tennant StationMorgan Hill, CA | No longer reported |
| 1730 Airline HighwayHollister, CA | No longer reported |
| 301 Third StreetSan Juan Bautista, CA | No longer reported |
| 17547 Vierra Canyon RoadSalinas, CA | No longer reported |
Banks folded into First National Bank of Central California
3 banks merged directly into this charter.
| Bank | Ended |
|---|---|
| San Benito BankHollister, CA | Aug 1, 2000 |
| South Valley National BankMorgan Hill, CA | Oct 14, 1998 |
| Pajaro Valley Bank, National AssociationWatsonville, CA | Jun 22, 1991 |
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 25185 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.