First Citizens Banc Corp in Sandusky, Ohio, is changing its name.
The $1.2 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that it will change its name, along with the name of its banking unit, to Civista Bank. First Citizens said it plans to start introducing the new name - which combines the words "civic" and "vista" - to customers next week; it expects to complete the holding company's name change during the second quarter.
Banking tools with the new name and logo will be phased in throughout the year. The company said it accelerated plans to change brands following its
"The bank's ownership hasn't changed," Dennis Shaffer, First Citizens' president, said in the release. "The bank is still owned and managed by the same local people you have come to know and trust. Our new name fulfills our strategic direction to set ourselves apart from other 'Citizens Banks' and eliminate additional confusion over the current use of both our Citizens Bank and Champaign Bank branch names."
