TCF Financial history

In 1936, it was given a federal charter and renamed as Twin City Federal Savings and Loan Association.

1943: Twin City Federal ranks as the seventh largest S&L in the nation, with $20 million in assets

In the fall of 1959, Twin City Federal had surpassed in terms of total size its biggest competitor in the Minneapolis/St Paul savings market.

In 1960 Twin City Federal had about 26 percent of total assets held by the state's savings institutions.

In 1964, the bank changed its name to Chemical Bank Trust.

1972: Twin City Federal reaches $1 billion in assets.

In 1974, the bank changed its name to Chemical Bank.

William Cooper, named CEO in the spring of 1985, was charged with keeping the operation alive.

Seeking capital, Twin City Federal went public in 1986, under the name TCF Banking and Savings, F.A. (TCF Bank). Meanwhile, Cooper continued to clean house.

During 1987, TCF acquired approximately $300 million of insured deposits from an S&L in Illinois.

1988: TCF opens first supermarket branch location.

1989: TCF switches to a federal savings bank and begins trading on the NYSE.

Despite Cooper's moves, TCF's future was still in the balance in 1990.

In 1993, TCF acquired $960 million-in-assets Republic Capital Group, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 1995, TCF increased its Michigan presence by acquiring the Great Lakes National Bank.

TCF also ranked as the 16th largest issuer of Visa debit cards in the United States with 1.1 million cards in circulation--TCF had introduced the card that worked like a check to its Minnesota customers back in 1996.

But in 1997, Cooper led TCF's conversion from a thrift to a bank.

But as its earnings growth slowed in 1998, the stock nosedived.

Cooper displayed a bumper sticker that said, 'Your governor is smarter than my governor.'" In 1999, Cooper stepped down as party chairman, but he remained politically active, serving as finance chair.

"A small number times a large number equals a large number," Cooper told Crain's Chicago Business in 2000, citing the same strategy that had worked so well in the Twin Cities market.

As committed as ever to the concept of convenience, in 2001 TCF expanded Sunday hours to some of its traditional banking locations, a practice already in place in its supermarket sites. Its investment business was also expanded in 2001 with the introduction of a discount brokerage service.

In addition to Florida, TCF was looking toward the Southwest for start-up bank locations, particularly in areas in which there had been a recent merger or buyout of a community bank, according to a February 2002 American Banker article.

In 2004, the bank acquired of VGM Leasing, Inc.

In 2005, TCF Bank announced the sale of its Michigan headquarters building to Ann Arbor, Michigan real-estate company McKinley Associates, though part of the ground level remains a TCF Bank branch.

On November 6, 2006, TCF announced the sale of 10 branches in Battle Creek, Bay City, and Saginaw to Independent Bank.

In May 2010, the bank acquired O.A.K. Financial Corporation.

In 2011, TCF entered the indirect auto finance business with the acquisition of Gateway One Lending & Finance.

In October 2014, the bank acquired Northwestern Bank for $121 million in cash.

In April 2015, the bank acquired Monarch Community Bancorp for $27.2 million in stock.

In August 2016, the bank acquired Talmer Bancorp for $1.7 billion in cash and stock.

In 2017, David B. Ramaker, president and chief executive officer of the bank, retired and was succeeded by David T. Provost.