CHASE Bank has confirmed that all of its 4,700 branches will temporarily close for just 24 hours.
It’s happening in just a fortnight’s time – in a move that will be applauded by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chase Bank will close down for just 24 hours for an annual holiday[/caption]
President Donald Trump vowed in May 2025 that he will bring Columbus Day ‘back from the ashes’[/caption]
Chase Bank will shut down all of its sites across the United States for another major holiday.
Its 4,700 branches will close their doors to customers for just 24 hours to mark Columbus Day on Monday October 13.
That date is also designated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in some states and cities.
Columbus Day is observed on the second Monday in October each year – meaning a three-day weekend for many.
It is a national holiday, which means that most banks will be closed to give employees the whole day off.
Many non-essential government offices are also set to close for the day.
The day is one of 11 official federal holidays marked annually in the States.
Federal workers will get a paid day off, and it also means there will be no mail delivery on October 13.
Schools typically remain open, as do most businesses.
WHICH BANKS WILL CLOSE?
The only major bank chain remaining open is TD Bank.
Aside from Chase, most other major banks will grind to a halt for 24 hours on the October 13 federal holiday, including:
- Bank of America
- Capital One Bank
- Citibank
- PNC Bank
- Santander Bank
- Wells Fargo
ARE THERE MORE FEDERAL HOLIDAYS?
According to the holidays 2025 schedule provided by the Federal Reserve Bank System, the next federal holiday is Veterans Day on November 11.
That’s followed by Thanksgiving Day on November 27, and Christmas Day on December 25.
HOW DO I ACCESS MY ACCOUNT?
Not all banks will be closed to mark Columbus Day.
It’s best to call ahead or check online to double-check your local branch’s opening hours on October 13.
Otherwise, it’s a case of preparing ahead for the day of closure.
Some customer service call centers will be open on Columbus Day, said Go Banking Rates.
It advised bank customers to call their branch before the holiday to find out if – and when – they will be able to access accounts via phone.
Don’t forget, too, that the day before Columbus Day this year falls on a Sunday – when most banks will be closed.
So it might be wise to do any urgent banking business on the previous Friday or Saturday.
Explorer Christopher Columbus – a controversial figure beloved to some, but repulsive to others[/caption]
Also, if you’re lucky, branches operating inside grocery stores or retail locations might be open if they normally have Sunday hours.
However, you can still use ATM machines to withdraw cash or deposit money into your account on October 13.
AARP advised that digital banking remains open “regardless of what America is celebrating that day.
“You can make routine transactions via your bank’s or credit union’s website or app.
“If you have an online account, you can: check account balances; pay bills; move money between accounts; deposit checks.”
But, any other bank account requests that require visiting your bank will have to be completed after the holiday.
WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?
In May 2025, Donald Trump announced that he would not recognize Indigenous Peoples Day, and would instead bring Columbus Day “back from the ashes” to celebrate an “icon.”
It is the U.S. federal holiday commemorating Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ landing in the so-called “New World” on October 12, 1492.
His arrival in the Americas is a huge symbol of Italian heritage, notes InterExchange.
However, many people in the US also recognize Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day in October.
Indeed, Native Americans have been lobbying local and federal governments for decades to replace celebrations of Columbus with a holiday that recognizes the contributions of Indigenous peoples.
Just five years ago, for example, The U.S. Sun was reporting on the toppling of Christopher Columbus statues around the country as America tried to reckon with racial inequality.
Democrat Joe Biden was the first president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day, issuing a proclamation in 2021.
But Biden did not establish Indigenous Peoples Day as a federal holiday, nor did he remove Columbus Day as one.
InterExchange explained, “Columbus and his men mistreated the natives, and used slavery and violence to get what they wanted.
“They also forced natives to convert to Christianity and introduced a number of diseases to the native people living there.
“These new illnesses would end up wiping out entire communities, so many Americans argue that Columbus should not be celebrated for bringing disease and destruction to the Americas.”
Christopher Columbus is known for launching European exploration in the Americas, which led to an increase in the trade of food and other resources around the world[/caption]
Statues of Columbus have been toppled in the US as his infamous background involved enslaving Indigenous people and imposing harsh punishments[/caption]
Back in 1937, Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day, October 12, a national holiday.
This was largely because of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, a
Catholic fraternal and charitable organization.
This holiday was moved to the second Tuesday in October in 1971.
What is the history of Columbus Day?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus set off with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, in search of Asia.
The Italian-born sailor landed first in The Bahamas, making him the first European to step foot on American soil.
On the return from his first trip, he brought back several natives, or Indigenous people, to Spain, securing their enslavement.
Although slavery already existed, historians believe he created the beginning of a global enterprise that lasted approximately 400 years.
Columbus found himself in the Americas on his third trip from Spain.
He believed he had landed in Asia, but eventually realized he had discovered another continent entirely.
It wasn’t until the 300-year anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas that New York’s Columbian Order held the first celebration.
The people celebrated Columbus’s faith and his nationality by holding Catholic ceremonies and Italian parades.
Columbus Day became more well-known in 1892 when then-President Benjamin Harrison, issued a proclamation that said: “On [the anniversary] let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”
Colorado was the first state to make Columbus Day a holiday in 1901, and New York followed shortly after, naming it a holiday in 1909.
However, it wasn’t until 1937 that President Franklin D Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a national holiday every year and was celebrated on October 12.
The date was later changed in 1971 to the second Monday of October.
