Editing ATB Financial (section)

===Changes in 1950s and 1960s===

During the [[1955 Alberta general election|1955 Alberta election]] the Treasury Branches came under scrutiny for allegations of preferential treatment for loans to members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), as well as preferential contracts awarded to firms indebted to the provincial government.{{sfn|Ascah|Anielski|2018|p=11}} The Treasury Branches provided significant loans to a handful of road construction companies, with the firm Sparling-Davis provided $4.5-million in loans, which was more than 20 per cent of the Treasury Branches overall loans.{{sfn|Ascah|Anielski|2018|p=12}}  Premier [[Ernest Manning]] reluctantly approved a Royal Commission to look into the lending practices of the Treasury Branches the day before the 1955 election, the commission was led by [[Hugh John Macdonald (Edmonton politician)|Hugh John Macdonald]] and [[James Mahaffy]].{{sfn|Ascah|Anielski|2018|p=11}} The commission was provided with narrow terms of reference and found there was no evidence of maladministration or wrongdoing by the government or the Treasury Branches.{{sfn|Ascah|Anielski|2018|p=12}} <ref>{{cite news |title=Commission Clears Alberta Government |work=[[Edmonton Journal]] |date=June 9, 1956 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|2397103867}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Drever |first1=Bill |title=Maladministration Charges Dismissed By Commission |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EzBkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6nsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6088%2C1773219 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=June 9, 1956 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mahaffy |first1=James C. |last2=Macdonald |first2=Hugh John |author1-link=James Mahaffy |author2-link=Hugh John Macdonald (Edmonton politician) |title=Report of the Alberta Royal Commission Appointed Under the Public Inquiries Act, Chapter 139, Revised Statutes of Alberta, 1942. |date=June 6, 1956 |location=Edmonton, Alta. |url=https://archive.org/details/reportofalbertar00maha |access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref> Prior to the formation of the commission the government responded to the allegations by introducing a bill in 1955 which prevented MLAs from borrowing from the Treasury Branches.<ref>{{cite news |title=Premier Says Findings Are 'Most Gratifying' |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EzBkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6nsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7200%2C1787956 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=June 9, 1956 |page=3}}</ref>

The 1967 Royal Commission on Banking and Finance led by Justice [[Dana Porter]] recommended that a deposit insurance scheme be implemented for Canadian banks. Subsequently, in 1969 the [[16th Alberta Legislature]] passed ''The Treasury Branch Deposits Guarantee Act'' which provided a provincial guarantee for the deposits of the Treasury Branches.{{sfn|Ascah|Anielski|2018|p=13}}