Royal Bank of Scotland drops RBS branding

The Royal Bank of Scotland is ditching the RBS name from its branding in Scottish branches in an attempt to “reconnect with its heritage” in its home country and distance itself from its recent troubled past. 

RBS
RBS mark is to be replaced by Royal Bank of Scotland in branches north of the border.

Branches will do away with the RBS logo they have had for 11 years to become known as Royal Bank of Scotland again, the name that was originally used when the company was founded in 1727. 

The switch is part of a £175m makeover of its brand estate that has so far seen 14 of 290 branches in Scotland decked in tartan, tweed and heather imagery associated with the Scottish landscape.

A Royal Bank of Scotland spokeswoman says: “As part of the branch refurbs, we are reconnecting with our heritage and with the local communities, so our new signs will say Royal Bank of Scotland – which is the name the bank started with in 1727.  

”We’re not dropping the RBS name altogether, just writing it in full in the new branches.”

The UK Government bailed out RBS Group, which includes the NatWest as well as the Royal Bank of Scotland brand, in 2008 after its investment division racked up losses of more than £24bn.

The name change is part of a major effort across the group to rebuild trust. Measures introduced earlier this year include getting rid of “sweetener deals” to entice account switchers and incentivising based on service not sales value. 

The redesigned branches are ‘more customer friendly and digital friendly’ says the spokeswoman, and include WiFi and iPads for customers who want to do online banking in-store.

This story was first published on Design Week. 

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