The story
Founded in 1856 by Warren Newton (former contractor for the Erie and Chenango canals), Isaac Newton (Warren's brother), and James H. Smith (NBT Bank's first President), NBT Bank was first a state-chartered bank called the Bank of Norwich. The bank's first board meeting was held on March 3, 1856 at the law office of Warren and Isaac Newton. The bank opened for business on July 15, 1856 in a storefront on South Main Street.
On June 28, 1865, the bank received a national charter (which it holds to this day) and changed its name to the National Bank of Norwich. In 1918, NBT Bank was one of the first national banks in New York State to apply for and receive trust powers under a Federal Reserve Act and established a Trust Department. In 1925, NBT Bank changed its name a second time to better reflect its expanded services. Over the years, the area served by NBT Bank expanded and in 1989 the bank changed its name for the third time to The National Bank and Trust Company without "of Norwich." In 1995, the bank changed its name for the fourth time to NBT Bank, N.A. (The "N.A." stands for "National Association" and is used primarily in formal or legal contexts.) At the same time, NBT Bank introduced its current logo featuring a blue star and red lettering.
In 2016, NBT Bank celebrated its 160th year in business and published an updated history of the bank to commemorate this milestone.
From Wikipedia’s article on NBT Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6