Finding Aids

Founded in 1861, the Artisans Savings Bank of Wilmington, Delaware assisted working people to save and make money available for home mortgages. This collection primarily consists of their financial records.

The Bank of Delaware was a statewide financial services company that was organized on June 1, 1795. It received its original charter on February 9, 1796, becoming the first bank in and of the State of Delaware. In 1865 it received a national charter under the National Banking Act and was renamed the National Bank of Delaware at Wilmington. It operated under this name until its 1930 failure and subsequent acquisition by the Security Trust Company. The name "Bank of Delaware" was revived by the successor company in 1958. The Bank of Delaware's holding company was merged into PNC Financial Corp. in 1989. The Bank of Delaware collection consists of minute books, stock certificate books, letter books, journals, and ledgers of the Bank of Delaware and nine of its predecessor, merged, and acquired financial institutions.

The Institute for Financial Literacy (IFL) is a nonprofit organization that promotes financial education and counseling for adults and children and has historically provided financial counseling, programs, and services. Founded in 2002, it sets the National Standards for Adult Financial Literacy Education, hosts the Annual Conference on Financial Education, presents the Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Awards, and administers financial certifications. This collection consists of the organization’s administrative files, records pertaining to the management and distribution of the EIFLE Awards, and a portion of the Library of Personal Finance. The records document its administrative activities from its founding through 2014. It presents a valuable resource to anyone researching the development and evolution of financial literacy education in the United States from the 1970s through the 2010s.

The Wilmington Savings Fund Society was established in 1831 as a "safe depository for the earnings of working people" which also promoted the opportunity for homebuilding and lending money for home mortgages. Their records consist primarily of minutes and account books.