Trustee's Room, 1949
The bank continued to grow through the mid 20th century. A subsidiary commercial bank, Society National Bank of Cleveland, was formed in 1955. Due to the costs of operating two separate institutions, the subsidiary eventually absorbed Society for Saving in 1958. Adopting a holding structure that same year, only recently allowed by the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, Society Corp. was formed. Society Corp quickly acquired a dozen community banks. The bank continued to expand regionally and overseas, most prominently merging with Centran Corp (1986) and Ameritrust (1992). In 1994, Society Corp. merged with KeyCorp, a bank of similar size, becoming the nation’s 11th largest bank. Because the KeyCorp brand was more recognizable, the merged companies opted to retain that name. | Source: Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection