First National Bank of Omaha

Two immigrant brothers from Ohio, Herman Kountze and Augustus Kountze, founded the bank as Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857. It traded primarily in gold dust and bison hides. The bank received national charter #209 in 1863 and began doing business as First National Bank of Omaha. It brought in additional investors, including Edward Creighton, who served as president.

In 1953, under the leadership of John Lauritzen, First National Bank became the first bank in the region and the fifth in the nation to issue credit cards.

In 1968, due to an investment in real estate not permitted under a straight banking charter, the bank reorganized as a subsidiary of the bank holding company, First National of Nebraska, Inc.

In 1971, employees started moving into the 22-story First National Center. Attached to a 420-room hotel and a 550-stall parking garage, it became one of the most modern buildings in the region, providing economic development in downtown Omaha.

In 1987, Bruce Lauritzen was named president of the bank.

In 2000, First National Bank designated two parcels of green space for the city of Omaha. They are the current sites of two sculpture parks called "Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness" and "Pioneer Courage". Working in tandem, the two sculptures join to make one of the largest bronze sculptures in the world.

In 2002, First National Bank completed construction on the First National Bank Tower, the tallest building between Chicago and Denver.

From 2006 to 2009, Rajive Johri was president of the bank.

Notable office locations of FNBO include:

First National Business Park

First National Center

First National Bank Tower

Controversies and legal issues

Deceptive marketing of credit card add-on products

In August 2016, First National Bank of Omaha was disciplined for numerous deceptive marketing and unfair billing practices regarding credit card add-on products such as credit monitoring, identity theft monitoring, and debt relief products and services that they did not receive. The bank was ordered to provide $27.75 million in relief to roughly 257,000 consumers and a $4.5 million civil money penalty to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as a $3 million civil money penalty to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Interest rate lawsuit (1978)

In February 1969, Fred Fisher, a resident of Iowa, received an unsolicited BankAmericard from First National Bank Omaha charging an 18% interest rate, despite a legal maximum rate of 9% in Iowa. Fisher filed a suit against FNBO in 1971, which he won, albeit the case was appealed. At the same time, Marquette Bank Minneapolis sued FNBO for charging customers in Minnesota interest rates that were higher than the 12% legal limit in that state. The case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which maintained that the National Bank Act takes precedence over usury statutes in individual states and permitted a national bank to charge interest at the rate allowed by the regulations of the state in which such bank is located. In the aftermath of the decision, states loosened their anti-usury laws, allowing state-chartered banks to compete more equally with national banks. Some states, such as South Dakota eliminated anti-usury laws and were able to attract large banks to move their credit card operations to that state.