The introduction: the interdependence between the architecture and history In my opinion, numerous constructions reflect the march of history. The appearance and various external features of the buildings can provide the viewers with interesting details concerning the events the constructions experienced . For instance, the architecture of numerous banks reflects the atmosphere of the times it was built in, and allows to trace back the history of the construction. Those banks, which appeared in the 19 th century, were made of strong materials to protect the building from robbery. The architecture instilled confidence into the clients of the bank. The customers were sure that their capital investments were out of danger. The thesis statement “To understand the evolution of bank design, it is also necessary to grasp the fundamentals of America’s banking and financial history, which go hand-in-hand with the creation of bank architecture” (Belfoure 2005, p. 1). The body: the Lloyds Bank building in Wolverhampton & Northern Rock So, the fist image, which represents the Lloyds Bank building in Wolverhampton, leaves an impression that the building was constructed at the end of the 19 th century. Generally, it is the architecture of the building, which causes such guesswork. As far as I know banking is an integral part of the history of the West Midlands, UK. It is placed “at the eastern end of Queen Square at the junction of Dudley Street” ( The History of Wolverhampton. The City and Its People 2005, p. 1). The street the bank is located on seems to be not only a commercial, but also a cultural center of the city. I suppose that the policy of the bank is based on competitive approach and changes of the external environment. Looking at the image, one may affirm that the employees of the bank think about facilities modernization, and try to improve operational efficiencies of the organization they work in. In other words, innovation in organizational functions is one of the key aims managers want to achieve. As far as the bank is an important commercial center of the city, I suppose that the U.K. government provides it with financial support. “Lloyds is the largest U.K. retail bank and has comfortably the largest branch network, with about 3,000 outlets. Lloyds states that it serves over 30 million customers” ( RatingsDirect on the Global Credit Portal 2011, p. 4). That allows me to make a conclusion that the bank tends to satisfy customers’ needs to increase income growth. The architecture of the building reminds me of a castle. Most of the people know that the reputation of various organizations depends upon numerous factors, including the age of the building. For this reason, those constructions, which appeared more than a century ago are considered to be more reliable. So, enterprise risk management of the bank is considered to be appropriate. ‘Lloyds’ recent moves to consolidate ERM will further strengthen its risk management and senior management’s oversight’ ( RatingsDirect on the Global Credit Portal 2011, p. 4). The second picture is a branch of Northern Rock. The bank is quite famous. “Northern Rock was a “building society”—that is, a mutually owned savings and mortgage bank—until its decision to go public and float its shares on the stock market in 1997” (Shin 2009, p. 103). The architecture of the bank seems