Naming Archive
Name change wrap-up for fall 2008
Here are summaries of some of the more interesting name changes from around the financial industry in recent months. South Shore Cooperative Bank slims down to ‘S Bank’ The bank is shrinking its name from
Copperfin: Another Red Canoe
Canadian-based Lakewood and Kenora District credit unions are merging under the new name “Copperfin.” Last week, the members of both credit unions voted overwhelmingly in support of the merger. The new Copperfin website touts the
WaMu Seized, Deposits Go to JP Morgan
Breaking News – Thursday, September 25, 2008 The FDIC just seized all the assets of Washington-based thrift, WaMu, making it the largest bank failure in history. The FDIC quickly brokered a deal where WaMu’s roughly
Wrap up of recent financial name changes
Orange County Teachers becomes SchoolsFirst (April) “After years of research,” the nation’s largest credit union for school employees picks a new name that is more geographically representative and inclusive of all school employees, not just
Will the real ‘Vista Bank’ in Texas please step forward
Fight looms, confusion inevitable as two Texas banks now share ‘Vista’ name “We changed our name to soar above the crowd…to set ourselves apart.” – Security State Bank A new website for Security State Bank
The Top 50 Most Distinctive Credit Union Names
Names selected for this list were based on their uniqueness within the credit union industry. Other criteria included: Each reflects something phonetically interesting and/or thematically evocative. Each name is memorable, and lends itself to a
Ohio Bank Learns Hard Lesson About Trademark Law
For 120 years, people in Ohio knew their bank simply as “OV.” Not any more. The bank was forced to change names by one of their competitors. The ‘Ohio Valley National Bank’ was founded in
The ‘Community Credit Union’ fallacy
For many credit unions, expanding their charters is a common growth strategy. Often, a credit union’s first reflex after getting a community charter is to add the word “community” to its name. The reasoning goes
Vowels in, consonants out as bank renames
“’Folsom Bank of Commerce’ is too many consonants and too many syllables.” – Greg Patton, President Commerce Bank of Folsom Effective August 1, 2008, Commerce Bank of Folsom will be changing its name to Sierra
What Does The Word ‘Federal’ do for FCUs?
Federally chartered credit union have a few more options with their names than their state chartered counterparts. The huge number of federal banks and federal agencies using the word ‘Federal’ in their name creates a
Most Common Words in Credit Union Names
#1) Employees – 1,553 #2) Community – 526 #3) County – 323 #4) Schools – 279 #5) West – 214 #6) Teachers – 214 #7) City – 199 #8) Postal – 183 #9) First –
Banks, credit unions grapple with their monikers
“You don’t want a long, involved name, or a name that doesn’t readily come to mind when people are looking for you.” — Martin Connors Jr., CEO of Rollstone Bank A recent article in the
‘Servus’ chosen as name for Canada’s new super-CU
The mystery is over. The name of Canada’s 3rd largest credit union will be Servus. The credit union’s board chose the name because the Servus brand was created only 18 months ago, is recognized in
Judge orders trademark infringer to use ‘negative keywords’
Here’s an interesting ruling in a financial trademark dispute involving Orion Bancorp (the victor) and Orion Residential Finance. The judge ordered the guilty infringer to purchase “negative keywords” through Google and other online ad systems.
Two credit unions merge to create ‘Genisys’
‘Genisys’ comes from combining ‘General Motors’ and ‘Unisys,’ the credit unions’ two main employer groups. Two Michigan-based credit unions, USA and T&C Federal, expect to complete the largest credit union merger in the state’s history
RBC Bank And The Redundant Acronym
RBC Centura Bank recently announced it is dropping Centura from its name and is now RBC Bank. This name change brings into a focus an interesting naming phenomenon in the financial industry: redundant acronyms. Take
Merger creates naming hassles for TD
TD merger triggers lawsuit; landmark stadium needs renaming Renaming Boston’s Garden The merger between TD Banknorth and Commerce Bank means the name of ‘TD Banknorth Garden’ will probably have to change. “For sure the ‘Garden’
Two banks merge and become ‘StellarOne’
Virginia Financial Group and First National Bank just completed a merger. The two banks were similarly sized, and when there’s a merger of equals, one of three things happens: The two banks mashup their names,
Wauwatosa customers vote for ‘WaterStone’ name
The customers have spoken: ‘WaterStone’ it is. Back in February, Wauwatosa Savings invited its customers to help pick a new name for the bank. Customers had the until the end of the month to choose
What Will Canada’s 3rd Largest Credit Union Be Called?
Members of Alberta’s three largest credit unions have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a merger: + Servus [ 60 branches | 195,000 members | $4.75 billion | 900 employees ] + Community Savings [ 30
