wild cat bank

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.

One of the various terms applied at the West to some of the irresponsible banks of the country. A bank in Michigan had a large vignette on its notes representing a panther, which animal is familiarly called there a Wild cat. This bank failed, having a large amount of its notes in circulation, which notes were afterwards denominated Wild cat money, and the banks issuing them, Wild cat Banks. Other banks were compelled to stop payment soon after, in consequence of the want of confidence in them; and the term became general in Michigan, to denote banking institutions of an unsound character. The term Blue-pup money had a similar origin, as distinguished from Red Dog, which see.


We had to sell some of our land to pay taxes on the rest--and then took our pay in Wild-cat money, that turned to waste paper before we could get it off our hands.--Mrs. Clavers's Forest Life, Vol. I. p. 91.

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