BANKING
Evans National trims its name
Evans National Bank is shortening its name, dropping the word “national” to better convey that it’s a local community bank rather than an outsider.
The Angola-based bank, a subsidiary of Evans Bancorp, will now call itself Evans Bank in all marketing materials and signs, beginning in August with a new branch in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village neighborhood.
The 88-year-old bank unveiled its new name, logo and tagline this week as part of a new rebranding effort, in the wake of its strategic expansion in recent years from its South Towns roots into the city of Buffalo and the northern suburbs.
“We knew it was the right time to re-examine our brand and how we speak to the marketplace,” said Evans President and CEO David J. Nasca, who took that post about a year ago.
The simpler name puts more emphasis on the “Evans” brand, which is recognized in both the southern and northern suburbs, especially among businesses, officials said. It also removes confusion consumers had over whether the bank was actually an out-of-town nationwide institution with just a few local offices, or whether it was trying to be something that it wasn’t.
Besides the shorter name, the logo also features a contemporary orange circle, marked by a lowercase white “e.” The tagline — “Experience. A Better Way” — targets the bank’s long history and personal service.
Legally, the bank still has its national charter and is still regulated by the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an arm of the U. S. Treasury Department that oversees national banks. That’s reflected in its full legal name, which is “Evans Bank, National Association.”
However, OCC rules allow the bank to drop “national association” for marketing purposes — essentially, a “doing business as” or D. B. A. name — though the full formal name will still appear in fine print and legal documents. The change does not affect the bank’s business.
The new brand and colors will appear for the first time on Aug. 1 on a couple of billboards near Elmwood, followed by the new office. Signs and colors at the bank’s 11 existing branches will be changed over time in coming months, although officials didn’t budget for the expense this year and aren’t sure yet how quickly they will act.
“We’re weighing our options and getting pricing,” said Kevin Brady, vice president of marketing.
Founded in 1920 in the Town of Evans, the bank focused on the southern suburbs for most of its history before branching into Amherst, Lancaster, Tonawanda and North Buffalo over the last few years. In early August, the new branch will open at 925 Elmwood Avenue, the bank’s second location in Buffalo. And Nasca wants to double the bank’s size to $1 billion in assets within five years, while adding as many as eight new branches.
Additionally, Brady said, the bank wants to unify its brand with its other subsidiaries that provide insurance, investments and leasing. Those units, which currently use the “ENB” name, will be called Evans Insurance, Evans Investment Services and Evans Leasing, starting this fall.
“We want to have the same look and feel for everything,” he said.
