As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding next month, Fifth Third Bank (NYSE: FITB) is marking a milestone of its own. For 168 years, Fifth Third has helped Americans buy homes, start businesses, build communities and plan for what comes next — serving as a catalyst for economic growth through some of the most consequential chapters in the nation’s history.
On June 12, Fifth Third Chairman, CEO and President Tim Spence, alongside the company’s Board of Directors and senior management team, rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the transfer of Fifth Third’s publicly traded securities. The milestone moment celebrated Fifth Third’s transformation into the ninth-largest bank in the United States, with approximately $300 billion in assets following its merger with Comerica earlier this year.
“Banks are the infrastructure of the American Dream,” said Tim Spence, chairman, CEO and president of Fifth Third Bank. “Every milestone Americans celebrate — buying a first car, closing on a home, starting a business — runs through the financial system. Fifth Third has been part of that fabric since 1858. As America prepares to mark 250 years, we’re proud of the role this company has played across some of the most important chapters in our country’s history — and the innovations that helped shape how Americans interact with their money today.”
Perhaps the bank’s most iconic innovation came in 1977, when Fifth Third launched JEANIE® — the nation’s first shared online network of automated teller machines — right from its headquarters on Cincinnati’s Fountain Square. On launch day, customers lined up outside the building to try the new technology. The network processed one million transactions in its first six months, and within a year, 30 percent of customers were using their JEANIE cards. Today, Fifth Third’s AI-powered virtual assistant — also named Jeanie — handles 350,000 customer conversations a month.
The bank’s merger with Comerica, completed in February 2026, deepens this legacy of innovation. In 1971 — six years before JEANIE launched — both Fifth Third in Cincinnati and Detroit Bank & Trust, a Comerica predecessor, were independently developing their own cash-dispensing machines. Fifth Third called theirs Teller 24; Detroit Bank called theirs the Ultra/Matic 24. Two institutions, 300 miles apart, building the same future without knowing it. Today, they are one company — the ninth-largest bank in America, operating in 15 states and 17 of the 20 fastest-growing large metropolitan areas in the country.
The scope of what Fifth Third does has expanded enormously over 168 years, but the value the bank provides has not changed: expanding financial access for customers and businesses so they can achieve their milestones.
In just the last decade, Fifth Third has doubled in scale, doubled in profitability, and fundamentally changed its long-term growth profile. The bank delivered record revenue of $9 billion in 2025. Its commercial payments and wealth and asset management businesses each generate more than $1 billion in annual fee revenue, and Fifth Third processes approximately $25 trillion in payments volume annually — ranking fourth in real-time payments among all U.S. banks.
“The name on the door has been the same since 1908, but today’s Fifth Third is a very different bank,” Spence continued. “When we started, our business essentially stored money for people who had excess and lent money to people who had a shortfall. Today, we power daily commerce and meet the evolving needs of customers across our communities — from a sidewalk on Fountain Square to a conversation on your phone. Same name, different bank.”
Notable Fifth Third Firsts and Interesting Facts:
- 1863: During the Civil War, predecessor bank Third National opened under the National Bank Act of 1863 and was assigned one of the first 20 national bank charters as the United States built its modern financial system.
- 1908: Jacob G. Schmidlapp, founder and president of Union Savings Bank & Trust Co., established the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, the United States’ first private charitable fund dedicated solely to helping young women pursue higher education and careers.
- 1917: First in Cincinnati and nearly in the U.S. to establish a network of full-service branches through the affiliation of Fifth-Third National and Union Savings Bank & Trust Co.
- 1933: While more than 9,700 banks failed nationwide, Fifth Third Union Trust Co. survived the Great Depression and emerged stronger, acquiring three local banks between 1930 and 1933.
- 1943: During World War II, Fifth Third drove Hamilton County’s War Bond sales, supported by the bank’s then-president John J. Rowe and “Bondadiers” (employee volunteers). Rowe helped build a War Bond Pier on Fountain Square (the site of Fifth Third’s current headquarters). During the war, female employees handwrote names and addresses on more than 60,000 bonds. By the end of WWII, Fifth Third helped raise $69 million in bonds and supported ration banking to aid the war effort.
- 1948: One of the first financial institutions in the U.S. to establish a corporate foundation (The Fifth Third Foundation).
- 1954: First in the U.S. to establish branches in shopping malls in response to population migration to the nation’s suburbs.
- 1961–63: One of the first banks in the United States, and the first in Cincinnati, to convert manual accounting systems to computers (electronic data processing).
- 1977: First in the U.S. to introduce an online shared network of automated teller machines (JEANIE®). The network processed one million transactions in its first six months, with 30 percent of customers using their JEANIE card in the first year.
- 1980s: First in the U.S. to establish seven-day-a-week BankMart® locations in grocery stores.
- 2014: First bank in the U.S. to collaborate with NextJob, a nationwide reemployment solutions company, to offer a homeowner reemployment program providing job search assistance to mortgage borrowers in serious risk of default, fully paid for by Fifth Third Bank.
- 2017: First in the U.S. to launch a maternity concierge program for employees. First in the U.S. to create an app that helps customers pay down student loan debt.
- 2018: First bank in the world and first Fortune 500 company to achieve 100 percent renewable power through a single solar project, executing a Power Purchase Agreement in North Carolina with one of the largest solar projects in the United States.
- 2018: First bank to design a checking account for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program. Fifth Third has now been offering the product for eight years.
- 2021: One of the first national banks in the U.S. to offer an everyday banking solution that helps customers avoid and manage cash shortfalls, get paid early, pay others, and reach savings goals (Fifth Third Momentum® Banking).
- 2022: One of the first national banks in the U.S. to acquire a financing solution for solar energy (Dividend Finance).
- 2022: Fifth Third pioneered two-day early payments in 2021 and was one of the first banks to enable early payments for gig workers and many government and retirement benefits recipients in 2022.
- 2023: Fifth Third was one of the first banks to offer tax refunds up to five days early.
- 2024: Fifth Third was one of the first banks to enable digital direct deposit switching in its mobile app.
- 2025: First bank to offer free wills to all customers, through an exclusive partnership with Trust & Will.
- 2026: First large U.S. bank to implement a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, enabling secure, standardized access to APIs and documentation for AI-powered applications.
- 2026: Fifth Third opened its first financial centers in Fresno, CA, and Frisco, TX.
Read more about Fifth Third’s history and the story of how we got our name at https://www.53.com/content/fifth-third/en/personal-banking/about/museum.html.
About Fifth Third
Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Following the completion of its merger with Comerica in February 2026, Fifth Third is the ninth-largest bank in the United States, with approximately $294 billion in assets and operations spanning 15 states. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is to be the one bank people most value and trust.
Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FITB.” Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Deposit and credit products provided by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.
Category: Other
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260615506804/en/
Media gallery
