Feb 10, 2019
Half of the 10 biggest bank mergers have resulted in name changes
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How unpopular are America's biggest banks? Here's a good indication: Fully half of the 10 biggest bank mergers in American history ended up with the acquirer giving up its name.
Driving the news: BB&T is changing its name, probably to something cheerful, "consumer-facing" and focus-grouped to within an inch of its life by a New York branding consultancy. I'm guessing there will be a rounded typeface.
- NationsBank changed its name to Bank of America, Travelers changed its name to Citigroup, Norwest changed its name to Wells Fargo, and Firstar changed its name to US Bancorp.
- Other banks, including GMAC Bank, changed their name just because they felt they really needed a rebrand. (It's now known as Ally Bank.)
Go deeper: BB&T and SunTrust's mega merger
