What was the first bank chartered by the United States Congress under the Confederation?

The Bank of North America was the first bank chartered by the United States Congress under the Confederation.

Congress chartered the Bank of North America on May 26, 1781, during the Revolutionary War. The proposal came from Robert Morris, the Continental Congress's superintendent of finance, with ideas also associated with Alexander Hamilton. The bank opened in Philadelphia on January 7, 1782.

Its purpose included helping the revolutionary government manage finances and obtain credit. It served as the country's first de facto central bank and supported wartime financial operations, although its legal and institutional status changed over time.

The Bank of North America is often confused with the First Bank of the United States. Congress chartered that later institution in 1791 under the Constitution, during George Washington's presidency. The Bank of North America continued operating after its original congressional charter but was also reincorporated under Pennsylvania law.