From the beginning, Amadeo P. Giannini was one of the little guys. He dropped out of school at 14 years old to work in his stepfather’s produce company, saving every dollar he earned and working his way up until he took over the business. Bit by bit, he sold pieces of it to employees, again saving every dollar he made. By age 31, he’d saved up enough to retire.

Upon retiring, Giannini received an invitation from Columbus Savings & Loan Society, a small bank in North Beach, a neighborhood in the Little Italy section of San Francisco. The bank was interested in investing his assets. Giannini accepted the invitation, but it wasn’t long until he discovered something that troubled him: his small bank wasn’t helping the little guy. He found that this wasn’t just the case for his bank—it was the case for every bank. No matter their size, banks loaned only to rich individuals or business owners.