Founded July 23, 1885 at Lampasas Springs, the Texas Bankers Association (TBA) promoted legislative and regulatory changes for banking, specifically the repeal of the state constitutional restriction against state banks. The organization also supported the gold standard, the coinage of free silver, and aid for capital formations to encourage economic development. In 1904, Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment permitting Texas to establish a dual system of state and national banks. By the following year, TBA membership had reached 630. The organization established headquarters in Austin and began publishing the Texas Bankers Record in 1911. In the early 20th century, the organization promoted national currency control and was instrumental in the selection of Dallas as the location of the Reserve Regional Bank. The rise in bank robbery in the 1920s led to TBA’s establishment of the controversial Dead Bank Robber Reward Program in 1926, discontinued almost 40 years later, which offered a cash reward for killing someone in the act of robbing a bank.
Source:
Gatton, Harry. “ Texas Bankers Association .” Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed March 3, 2011.
From the guide to the Texas Bankers Association, Records 84-157; 94-011., 1927-1985, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)
