this deal on his own and then went to the Bank's Board of Directors for approval, but they failed to formally adopt a resolution on the matter. The appeal court found that the Bank was properly established and that Hungerford's deal was not a defense to being on the hook for guaranteeing payment, i.e., Wood had to pay up. Hungerford continued on as cashier for the bank. In 1828, fellow dry goods merchant, Loveland Paddock purchased a large number of shares in the Jefferson County Bank and joined the Board of Directors. In February 1837, an aggrieved director of the Jefferson County Bank filed a complaint with the New York Assembly that other bank directors showed favoritism by "knowingly, indirectly, [giving] more than 250 shares to one person in violation of the law increasing said capital of bank." In their defense, the accused bank directors claimed that the legislative committee running the investigation had familial connections to those making accusations and that the committee was holding secret sessions in which biased witnesses were examined. As bank president, Orville Hungerford stayed behind the scenes while others were the public face of the counterattack. It was a wise decision because Orville was subpoenaed to testify about the stock distribution. According to one contemporary source, this complaint to the Assembly was really a power play to oust him from his position. In the end, Hungerford subtly beat back his opponents by having his allies present letters as part of the record that focused on the unfairness of the proceedings. Hungerford continued on as bank president. The Watertown Directory for 1840 lists only two banks, both located along Washington Street: The Jefferson County Bank capitalized at $200,000 and the Bank of Watertown capitalized at $100,000. The Watertown Directory for 1840 also showed Orville Hungerford as president of the Jefferson County Bank along with his nephew Orville Velora Brainard as his cashier and his other nephew Solon Dexter Hungerford as his teller. Interestingly, the individual page for Orville Hungerford in the Watertown Directory for 1840 lists his occupation as "merchant". On December 19, 1845, Orville Hungerford testified as a witness in the federal criminal case United States vs. Caleb J. McNulty, stating the following: "I was president of Jefferson county Bank when elected to Congress, and resigned before I came here." In late 1847, Orville Hungerford, who resumed his presidency of the Jefferson County Bank