Bank Handlowy name change heralds wider tendency in banking sector

Bank Handlowy w Warszawie (BHW) changed its logo yesterday, marking the start of a serious wave of name-changing which is about to sweep across the banking sector. The new BHW logo is that of Citibank Handlowy, but the change in logo does not necessarily mean the name of the whole company will change. So far, all retail BHW outlets have used the Citibank logo, whereas the corporate ones operated under the name of BHW. Several other banks including BPH PBK, LG Petro Bank, Amerbank and possibly BIG BG are following suit, declaring they will also change their names next year. The change in LG Petrobank comes in wake of the withdrawal of the Korean investor from the firm and its takeover by Scandinavian Nordea. German DZ Bank controlled Amerbank, which has retained its name while it is being restructured, will also see its name changed to that of its owner. BPH PBK, the biggest bank in the whole HVB German group, will have the right to choose its new name itself, and said it will consider possible changes next year. All of the aforementioned banks refused to disclose details concerning the cost of these operations. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) J.K.