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Charter One Becomes Citizens BankCharter One is now Citizens Bank. The name change, first announced last year, is part of parent company Citizens Financial Group's broader strategy to unify brands across its 11-state footprint. The company until today had operated as Charter One in Michigan and Ohio. "As we enter a new era for our company in Michigan with the name Citizens Bank, a name that has been central to our heritage since our founding in 1871, we are as committed as ever to providing our customers in Michigan with the best possible banking experience to help them bank better," said Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Financial Group. "We are excited by the opportunity to continue serving our customers and growing in Michigan as we pursue our goal of becoming a top-performing regional bank." "This is a very exciting day for all of our colleagues here in Michigan," said Rick Hampson, Michigan president of Citizens Bank. "With our new signs now up, we are spending the day thanking our customers for their business and also doing what we can to help local families in need. Our name is changing, but everything else stays the same - our colleagues, our commitment to delivering the same customer experience and the same dedication and support of local communities that have been the hallmarks of our business here since 2004." Citizens began notifying customers of the name change last year. New Citizens signs were unveiled at more than 100 branches across southeast Michigan and at the bank's corporate office today The name change will not affect existing customers, who will retain their account numbers and their Charter One-branded checks, credit cards and debit cards. All online and mobile banking passwords will also remain the same. "Brand Opening" Festivities To celebrate the "brand opening" of the Citizens name in the Detroit area, the company is hosting several celebrations across the region today, including:
"We welcome the opportunity to help celebrate Charter One's name change to Citizens Bank," said Brandon Barrow, consumer affairs manager, Michigan Kroger. "The Great Grocery Giveaway will help many families stretch their food budgets while the contribution to the Gleaners will provide food for thousands in the local community." New Marketing Campaign Citizens Bank today also introduced a new marketing campaign called "Ask a Citizen" featuring the personal lives and financial expertise of real Citizens Bank colleagues, including several colleagues in Michigan. "Consumers today are looking for help planning to pay for college, to pay off their debt, to retire and to meet other financial goals, and they prefer to get this help from someone they know and trust," said Brad Conner, Vice Chairman and Head of Consumer Banking, who was in the Midwest for today's festivities. "Our customers come to us every day to tap into our expertise in these areas. We are very proud of the results that our colleagues are delivering for our customers and very excited to feature some of these 'real-life citizens' in our new campaign." The campaign, which underscores the shared life experiences and the relationships of trust between Citizens bankers and their customers, focuses on some of the core challenges consumers face today - saving for retirement, paying for college, paying down debt and managing a household budget that allows for unexpected expenses. The campaign will be supported by radio, television, digital and outdoor advertising in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts starting this week. To learn more about Citizens Bank, customers can call the 24/7 customer contact center at 1-800-922-9999, Like the bank on Facebook, follow the bank on Twitter or visit the Citizens Bank website. About Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation's oldest and largest financial institutions, with $136.5 billion in assets as of March 31, 2015. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens helps its retail customers "bank better" with mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,200 Citizens Bank branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Citizens also provides mortgage lending, auto lending, student lending and commercial banking services in select markets nationwide. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest hedging, leasing and asset finance, specialty finance and trade finance. Citizens operates through its subsidiaries Citizens Bank, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. Additional information about Citizens and its full line of products and services can be found at www.citizensbank.com.
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