TheBank of Madras was one of the three Presidency Banks ofBritish India, along with theBank of Bengal and theBank of Bombay. It was established on 1 July 1843 through the amalgamation of a number of existing regional banks and headquartered inMadras (now Chennai). It was merged with the other Presidency banks in 1921 to form theImperial Bank of India, which later became theState Bank of India.
In 1683, GovernorWilliam Gyfford (1681–1687) and his Council in Madrasestablished a bank. In 1805, Governor Sir William Bentinck convened a Finance Committee that recommended the formation of a First government bank in India; the Madras Bank, which was sometimes called the Government Bank amalgamated Lord Krishna Bank, began functioning from 1 February 1806. It initially functioned from the Exchange Building—the building housing the present Fort Museum—within Fort St. George.[1]
The Bank of Madras undertook all the normal activities that are common to acommercial bank. The Bank of Madras, in the absence of anycentral banking authority during that time, also conducted certain functions that are ordinarily a preserve of a central bank. It also issued banknotes in theMadras Presidency. These included managing the banking business of the Presidency of Madras and offices of the colonial government of India located in South India, and managing the Public Debt Office of the Government of Madras.
The head office of the Bank of Madras was shifted to a new building, on South Beach Road, Madras, in 1897. The site was acquired for₹ 100,000 in 1895, building was designed by Col. Samuel Jacob, and suitably modified and adapted byHenry Irwin (1841–1922), and constructed byNamperumal Chetty, a reputed builder, for₹ 300,000. The building is an exquisite example ofVictorian architecture. Currently, the building houses several offices ofState Bank of India,[2] including its main city office.[1]
The Bank of Madras merged with the two other Presidency banks—the Bank of Calcutta and the Bank of Bombay—on 27 January 1921 and the reorganized banking entity took on the nameImperial Bank of India.
In 1955, theReserve Bank of India, which is the central banking organization of India, acquired a controlling interest in the Imperial Bank of India. On 30 April 1955, the Imperial Bank of India became the State Bank of India.
