Opinion ID: 2977743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Citizens Banking Corp.

Text: CBC began operations in Flint, Michigan in 1871. CBC operates 155 bank branches in Michigan, and it is the largest bank headquartered in Michigan. Overall, it is the seventh largest bank in Michigan. CBC has over seventy branches in the nine-county area at issue.1 However, many of those branches were acquired recently. In late 2003, CBC expanded its presence in Oakland County. In 2006, CBC purchased Republic Bank (“Republic”). Republic had fifty to sixty banks in Michigan. CBC’s presence in Monroe and Livingston counties came through its acquisition of Republic. CBC rebranded those banks as Citizens Banks in 2007. Republic also had branches in Ohio, and CBC rebranded those branches as Citizens Banks as well. CBC also acquired and rebranded F&M Banks, which had branches in Wisconsin. Throughout its expansion, CBC was aware of other banks in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin that also used Citizens marks. Some of those banks competed in the same markets as CBC. CBC uses a red “weatherball” as its logo and a grey font for its name: . 1 The nine counties are Ingham, Jackson, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Saginaw, Shiawasee, Washtenaw, and Wayne. -2- No. 08-1773 Citizens Banking Corp. v. Citizens Fin. Group Though CBC has a strong presence in the Flint region, its internal documents suggest CBC is not as well known elsewhere in Michigan. In 2003, CBC considered changing its name. CBC’s market research suggested a name change, in part, because “[t]he name sounds like every other bank.” During the discussion, it was noted that Citizens was “a generic” name. Other market research found that “Citizens bank has no current brand equity in Oakland County” and that “[a]wareness of Citizens Bank [in Oakland County] is extremely low.” CBC noted that, in the Detroit area, it lacked “name and business recognition.” A CBC marketing vice-president wrote that “I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life and until I began working for Citizens Bank a year ago, I had NEVER heard of it.” Citizens also considered changing its name in 2006 as it acquired Republic. In recent years, CBC has spent $5 million in advertising and $15 million in capital expenditures in the nine-county area.