In 1978, eight determined women in Denver, Colorado, broke financial barriers by creating a bank made for them—a world where women no longer needed a man’s permission to manage their own money. Before then, U.S. women couldn’t get credit cards or loans without a male co-signer, trapped in a system that denied them independence. Carol Green, Judi Wagner, LaRae Orullian, Gail Schoettler, Wendy Davis, Joy Burns, Beverly Martinez, and Edna Mosely each invested $1,000—not just to open accounts, but to open the Women’s Bank. On July 14, 1978, this bold institution launched with a mission to financially empower women, ending the era of being viewed as risks simply for being single, divorced, or widowed. Opening day drew crowds around the block, with over $1 million deposited. They didn’t wait for permission or a seat at the table—they built their own and invited every woman to claim her power. Their courage laid the foundation for millions of women to hold not just accounts, but control.
