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FirstCity

American company
Also known as: FCFC, First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc., FirstCity Financial Corporation
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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in full:
FirstCity Financial Corporation
formerly:
First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc.

FirstCity (FCFC), American financial-services company founded in 1950 as the bank holding company First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc. Headquarters are in Waco, Texas.

First City Bancorporation provided managerial direction, financial resource coordination, and advisory services for its various subsidiary banks. Its major subsidiary was the First City National Bank of Houston, which was established in 1956 with the merger of First National Bank in Houston (established 1866) and City National Bank of Houston (established in 1928 under a different name). The nonbank subsidiaries were involved in finance: life insurance, credit insurance, health and accident insurance, and financial data processing. Because of its emphasis on lending to oil and real estate interests, the bank had begun to fail following the collapse of oil prices in 1986; it was saved from collapse by aid from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). However, First City Bancorporation continued to experience financial troubles, and in 1992 its banks were seized by federal regulators. In 1995 the bank reemerged as FirstCity Financial Corporation.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannette L. Nolen.