The Cole Taylor Bank story began in 1929 when the stock market crashed and many banks were forced to shut down. During that same year, L. Shirley Tark became a director of the Main State Bank (now the Cole Taylor Bank location at 1965 Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago). With Mr. Tark's guidance, the bank remained solvent during the depression; and in 1933, federal regulators asked Mr. Tark to take control of the bank's operations.

Following World War II, Sidney Taylor, Mr. Tark's son-in-law, joined the bank. In 1960, after he had worked in almost every phase of banking, Mr. Taylor became president of Main State Bank. At age 36, he was one of the youngest bank presidents in the country.

In 1969, Mr. Taylor and a business partner, Irwin Cole, purchased the bank from Mr. Tark. Under the leadership of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Cole, the bank thrived. When the two partners purchased the bank it had only one location and $65 million in assets. By 1985, the bank had grown to seven locations with combined assets of more than $1 billion.

In 1989, branch-banking legislation allowed for the conversion of freestanding banks to a single bank with multiple locations. As a result, Cole Taylor Bank became the first branch-banking network in Illinois history.

In recent years, Cole Taylor Bank has continued to flourish under the leadership of Bruce Taylor, Chairman and Mark A. Hoppe, President and CEO.

In October, 2002, Cole Taylor Bank's holding company, Taylor Capital Group (Nasdaq: TAYC), announced its initial public offering and is now a publicly traded company.

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