Pacific Capital Bank has ditched its name and is consolidating its five separately branded banks under the name Santa Barbara Bank & Trust N.A.
The bank's parent company, Pacific Capital Bancorp in Santa Barbara, Calif., company said last week that the name change is part of an overall plan to simplify its brand strategy. Though the company has just single bank charter, it has historically retained the names of banks it acquires to preserve their local identities.
Santa Barbara Bank & Trust had been the bank's legal name until 2002 and remains one of the bank's five brands. The others are First Bank of San Luis Obispo, First National Bank of Central California, South Valley National Bank and San Benito Bank. $5.9 billion-asset Pacific Capital Bancorp has already changed the bank unit's name back to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and said that the others will assume that name in July.
The company operates 47 branches along California's central coast.
