Westminster Union Bank

Banks for Carroll County

Formed in 2000, Westminster Union Bank combined two highly regarded community banks, Westminster Bank and Trust Company of Carroll County and Union National Bank of Westminster. As Mercantile Bankshares had acquired Westminster Bank and Trust in 1972, two banks with deep roots in the community became Mercantile affiliates with this merger.

Union National Bank opened in 1816 as the Bank of Westminster. This was one of several repositories of gold and other valuables established in the countryside by Baltimore banks and merchants during and immediately after the War of 1812. As other antebellum banks, the Bank of Westminster issued its own notes. After the Civil War, the bank took on a charter as a national bank and took a new name, the Union National Bank of Westminster. With federal backing, the bank continued to issue currency.

Established in 1898, Westminster Deposit and Trust Company was among the first to offer trust services to the residents of Carroll County. As other trust companies, it managed investments for individuals and corporations. In so doing, the bank enriched not just its customers but the local businesses chosen for investment.

World War II represented a turning point. Both banks expanded their customer base and diversified their services, offering more home mortgages and installment loans. In 1951, Westminster Deposit and Trust Company extended its reach into Carroll County with its acquisition of Union Mills Savings Bank to form Westminster Trust Company.

As a Mercantile affiliate, Westminster Trust Company continued to grow. In 1979, Mercantile Bankshares acquired Woodbine National Bank and merged its operations into Westminster Trust. Two years later, the bank changed its name to Westminster Bank and Trust Company of Carroll County.