Commercial banks chartered under federal law (12 U.S.C. §§ 21 to 216d). They have the words "National Association" or "N.A." in their official name.

National banks are chartered and primarily regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. They are also members of the Federal Reserve System, and their deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (see Practice Note, Understanding FDIC Deposit Insurance). The Federal Reserve Board and FDIC share secondary federal regulator responsibilities over national banks.

Because national banks are federally chartered, they are largely excluded from regulation and oversight by state banking agencies, and enjoy certain preemption rights over state law (see Practice Note, Federal Preemption Issues in Banking).

For more information on national banks, see Practice Note, US Banking Law: Overview: National Banks.