The story
On September 16, 1893, during the Panic of 1893, fifteen men formed the Savings and Loan Association of Topeka, including "bankers, insurance agents, attorneys, railroad employees, the president of a dry goods store, the Topeka City School Superintendent and a physician." Their first office was located above a Rock Island Railroad ticket office.
In July 1899, the organization's name changed to the Capitol Building and Loan Association. In 1926, Henry Bubb was hired as a clerk. In 1938, the organization underwent another name change, becoming the Capitol Federal Savings and Loan Association. They also adopted a federal charter, with deposits insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. The association's board of directors named Bubb the association's president in 1941.
In 1943, Capitol Federal was named the largest federally insured association in Kansas. Its assets reached $100 million in 1958 (equivalent to $1.1 billion in 2025). John C. Dicus joined Capitol Federal in March 1959. On December 9, 1961, Capitol Federal opened a new headquarters location in Topeka, complete with a fallout shelter as a civil defense measure during the Cold War. In 1975, Capitol Federal became the second savings and loan institution to offer its customers account access outside of its buildings. Two years later, in 1977, its assets reached $1 billion (equivalent to $5.3 billion in 2025).
Bubb died in 1989, leading to John C. Dicus being named chairman. In October 1996, John B. Dicus was elected president, with John C. Dicus remaining chairman and CEO. On March 31, 1999, Capitol Federal finished a plan to convert from a mutual savings association to a stock savings bank, becoming known as Capitol Federal Savings Bank. As part of this plan, the Capitol Federal Foundation was also established. Capitol Federal introduced its online portal, True Blue Online, in 2001.
In January 2009, John C. Dicus reached 50 years of employment with Capitol Federal, the board's mandatory retirement age. He retired as chairman, leading to John B. Dicus's election as chairman, president, and CEO.
In 2014, the headquarters of the University of Kansas School of Business was announced to be renamed Capitol Federal Hall after Capitol Federal donated $20 million through its foundation to the school. This decision faced some criticism, with many people opposing the growing trend of corporate names on school buildings.
Capitol Federal was named one of the Forbes Top 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies in 2014. In 2015, Capitol Federal upgraded its debit cards to include EMV chips and Apple Pay support. Capitol Federal acquired Capital City Bank on August 31, 2018, finishing its integration into Capitol Federal on April 12, 2019.
As of July 2024, Capitol Federal has 46 traditional branches and 5 in-store locations, totaling 51 locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia’s article on Capitol Federal Savings Bank, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7