The Alaska daily empire., 1916-12-23
Local Institution Grows to Such Extent that Cap itaIization is
 Doubled
PROSPERITY IS SHOWN
Greater Juneau District Is Responsible for Bank Broadening Its
 Finances

The stockholders and officers of the B. NJ. Behrends Bank have in- creased the capitalization of that institution from $5O,OOO to S100,- 900, and the surplus, which was established at S2O.OOO in 1914, has been increased to $25.OOO. Presi- dent B. NJ. Behrends says the in- crease was made on account of the increased volume of business. The bank had outgrown its old capitali- zation, and conservative banking principles are served by the in- crease.
 The B. NJ. Behrends Bank is the oldest and largest banking institu- tion in Alaska. and its history and development has been the history and development of Juneau, and Southeastern Alaska.
 Began Banking Early
 B. NJ. Behrends began q banking business in connection with his gen. eral store as early as 1890. In the beginning he conducted it for the accommodation of the customers of his store. Gradually, as the busi- ness grew, he saw the wisdom of separating the banking from the merchandise branch of his business, and in 1891 he established the B. NJ. Behrends Bank. At that time and for many years it was con- ducted as a private bank, and it's growth was due to the reputation of Mir. Behrends, himself, as care ful business man and man of the highest character and integrity.
 Start Was Modest
 When the bank was first estab- lished as an independent institution, the deposits were only $1O,OOO. The growth for the first six years the years before the Klondike rush-was slow, but seady. At the beginning of the great northward in 1897 the deposits had grown to $47,OOO-a gain of about $6,OOO a year They trebled, how ever, in the year that followed, and in 1898 they reached total of $122, ,OOO.
 Growth Becomes Rapid
 From 1898 for 15 years the growth was normal, but more rapid than it had been before the Klon- dike discovery. By 1903 the de- posits had reached s160,O0O; they were S2O6,OOO in 1907 and $415,- 900 in 1911.
 Juneau Stars New Life
 That year-1911-saw the start of the newer Juneau. The Juneau district changed from a pros pectors dream into a capitalists reality, and the city, and with it the B. M. Behrends Bank, entered into what has proved steady and growth.
 The B. M Behrends Bank was incorporated under the Territorial banking laws enacted in 1913 on May 1, 1914. The capital stock was placed at $50 ,OOO, and a surplus fund of S20,OOO was carried. At that time the deposits of the bank had grown to SS79,39S.7S. more than double the amount they were three years before. In the less than three years that have elapsed since the incorporation of the bank, they have almost doubled again. The last official statement of the bank, issued November s, 1916, the de- posits were shown to be $1,430,- 46S.21, and they are still growing.
 Increase Capital Necessary
 To carry this increasing business, the surplus fund was increased from time to time. It was finally decid- ed that the best rules for conser- vative banking required an increase of the capital stock, and this has been done. The capital is now double the amount it was, and the surplus has been fixed at $25,O0O, making a total of s125,OOO in capi- tai and surplus.