Amadeo Pietro Giannini, also known as Amadeo Peter Giannini or A. P. Giannini was an American banker who founded the Bank of Italy, which eventually became Bank of America. Giannini is credited as the inventor of many modern banking practices. Most notably, Giannini was one of the first bankers to offer banking services to middle-class Americans, mainly Italian immigrants, rather than only the upper class. He also pioneered the holding company structure and established one of the first modern trans-national institutions.
Amadeo Giannini (1927)
1973 U.S. postage stamp featuring Giannini
Mosaic mural (1963) tells the story of A. P. Giannini's life. Designed by Louis Macouillard & constructed by Alfonso Pardiñas, located in San Mateo, California.
Bank of America (1904-1998)
Bank of America, formerly known as the Bank of Italy, was founded in San Francisco, California, United States, on October 17, 1904, by Amadeo Pietro Giannini. By 1945, it had grown by a branch banking strategy to become the world's largest commercial bank with 493 branches in California and assets totaling $5 billion.
A U.S. National Bank Note issued by the Bank of Italy in 1927
A marker at the Bank of Italy building at 550 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. This building was the headquarters of the Bank of Italy from 1908 to 1921, which later became Bank of America
