MECHANICS BANK
WALNUT CREEK, CA

Founded in 1905, Mechanics Bank provides personal banking, business banking, trust and estate services, brokerage and wealth management services throughout California. As a community bank, we invest in the same communities in which we live and work. and Macdonald Avenue, a small bank opened its doors in 1905. Soon after, that bank would take on a name based on its association with the workers of Richmond’s two largest employers at the time, Standard Oil and the Santa Fe Railroad. Under the leadership of local businessman and banker E.M. Downer, it would not only survive the Great Depression and two world wars, but it would also grow and prosper in step with the Bay Area, serving the needs of local businesses and families. Now, more than a century later, that bank – Mechanics Bank – continues the legacy of commitment based on one man’s principles of building lasting relationships, enriching local lives and local communities, driving local economic growth and exceeding client’s expectations every day. As the railroad station agent in Pinole, E.M. Downer had a safe at the station. The railroad workers trusted Mr. Downer with their paychecks. As a service, he would make the dangerous daylong trek to Martinez to cash their checks and return with gold they could spend. Through this service, Mr. Downer became a trusted financial partner to many. In 1905, he built upon that trust and opened the Bank of Pinole, and so began a tradition of serving local communities that has lasted more than 110 years, and continues to thrive today. In 1915, E.M. Downer took a controlling interest in The Mechanics Bank of Richmond, where under his leadership and care, Mechanics Bank would grow and expand throughout the East Bay, forever changing an ever greater number of local lives, local businesses and local communities. Taking care of clients means staying right in step with their needs. That’s why, in the 1920s under Mr. Downer’s leadership, Mechanics Bank pioneered personal loans. It’s also the reason why throughout the Great Depression, when some 9,000 U.S. banks failed, Mr. Downer was able to keep Mechanics Bank solvent, and working to assist the people of the community who had fallen on difficult times. The 1940s were a remarkable time of growth in our history, as Henry Kaiser brought his shipbuilding company to Richmond. In five short years, more than 700 Liberty Ships were built. As a service to the shipbuilders, bankers from Mechanics Bank would go down to the shipyards on Saturday mornings to cash workers’ paychecks as they came off their shifts. In 1945, as the shipyards shut down as fast as they had started up, tens of thousands of shipyard workers were left without jobs. Following in his father’s footsteps, E.M. Downer, Jr., who now led the bank, promised to work with many of the shipyard’s employees, helping them to avoid foreclosure on their homes. In late 2005, our Downtown Berkeley Office became the first bank in Alameda County to be Green Business Certified by meeting stringent guidelines in pollution prevention, solid waste reduction, energy conservation and water conservation. That practice was soon carried out as we updated all of our retail branches. Founded in 1905, Mechanics Bank provides personal banking, business banking, trust and estate services, brokerage and wealth management services throughout California. As a community bank, we invest in the same communities in which we live and work. and Macdonald Avenue, a small bank opened its doors in 1905. Soon after, that bank would take on a name based on its association with the workers of Richmond’s two largest employers at the time, Standard Oil and the Santa Fe Railroad. Under the leadership of local businessman and banker E.M. Downer, it would not only survive the Great Depression and two world wars, but it would also grow and prosper in step with the Bay Area, serving the needs of local businesses and families. Now, more than a century later, that bank – Mechanics Bank – continues the legacy of commitment based on one man’s principles of building lasting relationships, enriching local lives and local communities, driving local economic growth and exceeding client’s expectations every day. As the railroad station agent in Pinole, E.M. Downer had a safe at the station. The railroad workers trusted Mr. Downer with their paychecks. As a service, he would make the dangerous daylong trek to Martinez to cash their checks and return with gold they could spend. Through this service, Mr. Downer became a trusted financial partner to many. In 1905, he built upon that trust and opened the Bank of Pinole, and so began a tradition of serving local communities that has lasted more than 110 years, and continues to thrive today. In 1915, E.M. Downer took a controlling interest in The Mechanics Bank of Richmond, where under his leadership and care, Mechanics Bank would grow and expand throughout the East Bay, forever changing an ever greater number of local lives, local businesses and local communities. Taking care of clients means staying right in step with their needs. That’s why, in the 1920s under Mr. Downer’s leadership, Mechanics Bank pioneered personal loans. It’s also the reason why throughout the Great Depression, when some 9,000 U.S. banks failed, Mr. Downer was able to keep Mechanics Bank solvent, and working to assist the people of the community who had fallen on difficult times. The 1940s were a remarkable time of growth in our history, as Henry Kaiser brought his shipbuilding company to Richmond. In five short years, more than 700 Liberty Ships were built. As a service to the shipbuilders, bankers from Mechanics Bank would go down to the shipyards on Saturday mornings to cash workers’ paychecks as they came off their shifts. In 1945, as the shipyards shut down as fast as they had started up, tens of thousands of shipyard workers were left without jobs. Following in his father’s footsteps, E.M. Downer, Jr., who now led the bank, promised to work with many of the shipyard’s employees, helping them to avoid foreclosure on their homes.