Look up the bank in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and FDIC BankFind, then check BankFind’s Bank Charter Class and Primary Federal Regulator fields. Search by the bank’s exact legal name and location: a familiar brand may not be the legal name of the institution that holds the charter.
Look up the bank in official records
- Identify the legal institution. Note the full legal name and city and state. If you only know a brand or website, use the institution’s official disclosures to identify the bank behind it. A holding company, fintech partner, or brand is not necessarily the chartered bank.
- Search OCC records. Use the OCC Financial Institution Lists to check the active lists of national banks and federal savings associations. You can also search the OCC Financial Institution Search by name or charter number. The search covers specified OCC records, so if you do not find a bank there, check the active lists and BankFind rather than concluding that it is state chartered.
- Open the FDIC BankFind record. Search FDIC BankFind for the exact institution, confirm the name and location, and select “View Details.” Read the Bank Charter Class and Primary Federal Regulator fields. BankFind keeps these separate from identifiers such as the institution’s FDIC certificate number or OCC charter number.
- Check insurance separately. If you also want to know whether deposits are insured, inspect BankFind’s FDIC-insured status. A charter classification by itself does not establish deposit insurance.
Interpret the charter and regulator fields
A bank’s charter identifies the authority under which it was organized. Its primary federal regulator identifies the federal agency responsible for its primary oversight. State-chartered institutions also have a state banking regulator; “state chartered” does not mean “no federal oversight.” The OCC explains the regulator roles in its financial institution lists.
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| BankFind charter class | Primary federal oversight described by the OCC | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| National bank | OCC | OCC active list, or BankFind charter class and primary federal regulator |
| Federal savings association | OCC | OCC active list, or BankFind charter class and primary federal regulator |
| State-chartered bank that is not a Federal Reserve member | FDIC, as well as the state regulator | BankFind charter class and primary federal regulator |
| State-chartered bank that is a Federal Reserve member | Federal Reserve, as well as the state regulator | BankFind charter class and primary federal regulator |
| State-chartered savings association | FDIC, as well as the state regulator | BankFind charter class and primary federal regulator |
The OCC is the primary regulator of national banks chartered under the National Bank Act and federal savings associations chartered under the Home Owners’ Loan Act. A state-chartered bank’s federal regulator depends on its status and charter class, so use the regulator field instead of guessing from the institution’s name.
Why a bank’s name is not enough
“National” or “N.A.” in a legal name can be a clue to national-bank status, but verify the institution in official records. The OCC notes that federal savings associations are not required to include a charter identifier in their legal names, so a name-only search may miss one. Its community bank director workshop FAQ recommends BankFind for identifying a federal savings association.
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Confirm you have the right institution
- Match the record’s legal name and location against the bank you mean.
- Use identifiers in the official record to distinguish similarly named institutions; an OCC charter number and an FDIC certificate number identify different things.
- Do not use a parent company, app, or fintech partner’s name as proof of the bank’s charter.
- For a claim that needs to be current, note when you checked. Banks can change names, merge, or convert charters, and regulator records are updated over time.
Keep charter, oversight, and insurance distinct
These are related but separate questions: charter tells you whether the bank is national, federal savings, or state chartered; primary federal regulator identifies its federal oversight agency; and FDIC-insured status tells you whether its deposits are insured by the FDIC. The OCC’s unauthorized banking guidance also directs consumers to BankFind to confirm insurance.
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