This past Monday, October 14, Indiana, Pa.-First Commonwealth Financial Corporation announced that it is changing the name of all 90 of its retail community banking offices, which are located in 18 counties in central and western Pennsylvania.
Central Bank of Bellwood, located on Old Route 220 & Stadium Drive, is one of the banking offices which will now operate as First Commonwealth.
Previously, First Commonwealth had operated the community offices as separate divisions with different names, such as Central Bank in Bellwood.
First Commonwealth will unveil new signs at 25 community banking locations, and expects to have new signs installed at all locations by November 30.
The decision by FCFC to bestow the First Commonwealth name on its 10 banking divisions and 90 bank community offices is one of the steps the company is taking to establish a strong, unified brand.
The First Commonwealth name change, along with a new logo and color scheme, is part of an overall marketing strategy that creates a unifying brand to better promote the full range of financial products offered by parent First Commonwealth Financial Corporation.
An aggressive marketing campaign, including ads in newspapers, on radio, TV and billboards, will help introduce consumers and business clients to the First Commonwealth brand and promote the company’s full range of financial products.
First Commonwealth Eastern Region President, Lynn Lovell explained, “We really unified our brand so that we could bring to the front our size and all the other products that we offer. We are a 4.6 billion dollar operation and this now will let our clients through central and western Pennsylvania see the one name and know they can enter that bank, do their business there, where before if we had United and Central Bank, they’re not sure if they could do it-it brings that all together.”
Lovell added, “It throws in our others too, which is our insurance company, trust company, financial management and the investment firm, which now operates under the First Commonwealth name as well.”
Many local residents in Bellwood-Antis and even Tyrone who do business might wonder if the new name will eliminate the previous Central Bank’s local respect that the people of the community have when doing business at the bank.
“That’s my job to do that,” explained Lovell. “I’m a regional president for the company and we will still have five regional presidents, so we’re not going to run this company out of Indiana. So, with me and the other presidents, by splitting it up and keeping up on what’s happening with our employees, we’re going to do our best to make sure it stays that way.”
First Commonwealth is making a commitment to be involved within the community.
Lovell added, “I don’t think you’re going to see any changes at all in that, but going into the next couple of years you’re going to see more involvement because we want to get out name out there as First Commonwealth, so that’s going to stay the same or improve.”
Nothing is going to change because of the name switch from Central Bank to First Commonwealth Bank. Over the last five years, it has operated with a different name, but all of it has been consolidated in the background.
There will be no changes in account numbers and no changes necessary on checks either. As customers order new checks through the next two to three years, the name change will be noticed on the vouchers.
“The only thing that is going to happen is a new ATM card will be issued because we’re going from the MAC to the STAR,” said Lovell. “STAR has purchased MAC, so we have to change those names but we held off until we were into the First Commonwealth. We will issue those cards, but nothing will change there-PIN number will remain the same and the card will look different, but there will be no other changes that the customer will have to face.”
All clients should receive new First Commonwealth ATM cards by December 1. The replacement cards can be used transaction free at all of First Commonwealth’s 88 ATM machines throughout the region.
There are many positive benefits from the new name change from an individual and corporate point of view.
Lovell stated, “Customers get the benefit of our total operations (the 98 branches). They can lock into any one of them and be able to identify them. The other one is, going back to the insurance companies, trust company, all of the financial management’s and the investments, now they can associate the First Commonwealth name and we have the opportunity to address that more to them.”
He added, “From an operations standpoint, the cost of service to them and everything like that, no, I can’t say that anything’s going to happen, but it won’t cost them anymore either because there’s not going to be any change.”
First Commonwealth also wants to keep the same staffing already in place at the previous Central Bank.
“I’m certainly hoping I can keep Community Financial Manager Cate Fraser with us, and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t,” said Lovell. “There’s absolutely nothing that will change because of this name change.”
Clients with questions about the name change can ask their local community office representatives, visit the company’s revised Web site (www.fcbanking.com) or speak to a representative via a toll-free telephone number: (800) 711-BANK (2265).
