
What was the first incorporated bank in Los Angeles
The first incorporated bank in Los Angeles was The Farmers and Merchants Bank (F&M) founded by John G. Downey and Isaias W. Hellman in 1871. John G. Downey was the seventh governor of California and the first man from Southern California to be elected as governor.
He was an Irish-American politician. Isaias W. Hellman, on the other hand, was a German-Jewish banker, real estate speculator and a successful merchant. He is also the founding father of the University of Southern California. The Farmers and Merchants Bank is a historic lending institution located in downtown Los Angeles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers_and_Merchants_Bank_of_Los_Angeles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Downey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaias_W._Hellman

