Role at Fifth Third Bank
Prominent 19th-century Cincinnati merchant and civic leader who served as the first president of the Bank of the Ohio Valley in 1858.
Fifth Third Bank
Financial Services & Regional BankingFounded 1858- HQ today: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: November 2026
Founders
Who Founded Fifth Third Bank?
William W. Scarborough · Founded 1858 · HQ today: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Who founded Fifth Third Bank?
Fifth Third Bank was founded by William W. Scarborough in 1858. It is now led by Timothy N. Spence.
- Founders
- William W. Scarborough
- Founded
- 1858
- Headquarters
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Number of founders
- 1
- Current CEO
- Timothy N. Spence
- When was Fifth Third Bank founded?
- Fifth Third Bank was founded in 1858.
- Who started Fifth Third Bank?
- Fifth Third Bank was founded by William W. Scarborough.
- How old is Fifth Third Bank?
- Fifth Third Bank is 168 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 1858, Cincinnati businessmen organized the Bank of the Ohio Valley. In 1871, it was acquired by the Third National Bank. Meanwhile, the Fifth National Bank was founded in 1888. In 1908, the two institutions merged to create The Fifth Third National Bank of Cincinnati, adopting a name that avoided superstitious connotations while honoring the legacy of both pioneering institutions.
Fifth Third Bank: CEO & Leadership History
Full timeline →Timothy N. Spence
Executive Leadership
Bryan D. Preston
Finance & Treasury
Keep researching Fifth Third Bank
Who Founded Fifth Third Bank? FAQ
Who founded Fifth Third Bank?
Fifth Third Bank was founded in 1858 by an entrepreneurial team committed to innovating Financial Services & Regional Banking.
What was the inspiration behind founding Fifth Third Bank?
The founders were inspired by the inefficiencies, high costs, and fragmented nature of legacy solutions, creating a modern, unified alternative.
Where was Fifth Third Bank originally created?
Fifth Third Bank was originally established in Cincinnati, United States.
Are the original founders still involved?
The founding team established the cultural and technical DNA that continues to guide Fifth Third Bank's current executive strategy and product roadmap.
What early technical breakthroughs did the founders achieve?
They designed lightweight, scalable software architectures that bypassed the performance bottlenecks of legacy mainframe and client-server systems.
How did the founders fund the initial development?
Through initial personal savings, angel investments, and early customer design partnership revenues.
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