Pre-merger (1858-1908) On June 17, 1858, the
Bank of the Ohio Valley, founded by William W. Scarborough, opened in
Cincinnati, Ohio. On June 23, 1863, the Third National Bank was organized. On April 29, 1871, Third National Bank acquired Bank of the Ohio Valley. In 1888,
Queen City National Bank changed its name to Fifth National Bank.
Merger of Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank (1908) On June 1, 1908, Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank merged to become the Fifth-Third National Bank of Cincinnati; the hyphen was later dropped. The merger took place when
prohibitionist ideas were gaining popularity, and it is a legend that "Fifth Third" was better than "Third Fifth", which could have been construed as a reference to three
fifths of alcohol. The name went through several changesthe most recent being Fifth Third Union Trust Companyuntil March 24, 1969, when it was changed to Fifth Third Bank.
Post-merger In 1999, the bank acquired Emerald Financial for $204 million. In November 2008, the
United States Department of the Treasury invested $3.4 billion in the company as part of the
Troubled Asset Relief Program and in February 2011, the company repurchased the investment from the Treasury. In 2009, Fifth Third completed the
corporate spin-off of Fifth Third Processing Solutions, which was acquired by
Worldpay, Inc. in 2012. In May 2018, Fifth Third acquired
MB Financial in a $4.7 billion transaction. In May 2022, Fifth Third acquired Dividend Finance, a
San Franciscobased residential solar power lender. In May 2023, the bank acquired Rize Money. Also in May 2023, the bank acquired Big Data Healthcare. In 2025, Fifth Third was ranked as offering the best mobile banking app experience in a
J.D. Power survey.
Merger with Comerica On October6, 2025, Fifth Third announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire
Comerica Bank for $10.9billion. If approved by regulators, the all-stock deal is expected to close in March 2026; existing Fifth Third shareholders would own about 73% of the combined company, and existing Comerica shareholders would own about 27%. The combined entity would be the ninth-largest bank in the United States, and is reportedly expected to phase out the Comerica brand by 2027. In December 2025, ''Crain's Detroit Business'' reported that 30 Fifth Third locations, primarily in
Michigan, are expected to close in 2026 if the acquisition is completed. In October 2025, Fifth Third announced an agreement to purchase Comerica Bank for $10.9 billion, making it the largest U.S. bank deal of the year. This merger would combine both banks under the Fifth Third name, with nearly $300 billion in assets. On February 1, 2026, Fifth Third and Comerica Bank merged and created the ninth-largest U.S. Bank with about $294 billion in assets. Fifth Third will now operate in 17 of the 20 fastest-growing large markets in the country, including key regions in the Southeast, Texas and California, while solidifying its leadership in the Midwest, the company said in a news release. ==Lawsuits==