BOSTON -- FleetBoston Financial Corp., the last of the major New England-based banks, has ended its role as "Boston's bank," after a career of service that spanned over two centuries.

Fleet opened its doors on July 5, 1784 when it was first known as the Massachusetts Bank. It was the first federally chartered bank in the United States, and considered by stockholders as one of the most important banks in the country, according to Fleet Bank's historical records.

Among the bank's founders were James Bowdoin, the bank's first president, and William Phillips, the key petitioner of the bank. The Manufacturing House -- located at the present day Park Street Church -- was the original home of this multicultural bank, whose currency consisted mostly of Mexican silver dollars.

The Massachusetts Bank is given credit for spawning the China trade in 1786, when it financed the journey of an American ship, and for establishing the bank's continued presence in Latin America, when it sailed to Argentina in 1791.

In 1864, the Massachusetts Bank was renamed the Massachusetts National Bank and had it's focus on expansion. The bank merged with First National Bank of Boston in 1903 and then with Old Colony Trust Company in 1929. Finally, in 1999, BankBoston -- formed by a merger between Bank of Boston and BayBank -- combined with Fleet Financial Corp. to form today's FleetBank.

In four years, Fleet grew into the seventh largest financial holding company in the United States, with more than $190 billion in assets, 47,700 employees, 20 million customers, 3,400 ATM's and 170 branches in more than 20 countries and territories.

Fleet's impact on the community is inescapable. The company has long been an avid supporter of entertainment and the arts in Boston, sponsoring various projects throughout the city. The bank is a co-sponsor of the FleetBoston celebrity series which, among other things, funds a wide range of artistic performances both onstage and in classrooms in the city.

In 1994, The Fleet Boston Pavilion was formed to showcase world-class acts for audiences of all musical genres, including the best from pop to country to jazz and rhythm and blues. A year later in 1995, the Boston Garden -- home to Boston's Celtics and Bruins for more than 70 years -- was remodeled and renamed the FleetCenter.