Citizens Bank gets new name

topey@sanduskyregister.comWhat's in a name?For Sandusky's bank, it's a new title designed to set it apart. First Citizens Banc Corp. and its banks The Citizens Banking Company have a new name, Civista Bank."We are still us. Still the same as when the bank formed Feb. 30, 1884," said James O. Miller, First Citizens Banc Corp.'s Chairman."We will stay with a strong community focus to serve all the needs of the people we serve," said Dennis Shaffer, president of The Citizens Bank, now Civista.The bank was not bought out, Miller said.The same management will remain in place and decisions will be made locally.The 130-year old financial institution made the decision to change its name in an attempt to differentiate itself and clarify which locations it operates.There are 316 different financial institutions with Citizens in their name in the United States alone, Miller said.That many can lead to confusion as the local institution continues to expand into other areas, such as Akron and Columbus.It became more urgent with The Citizens Bank Corp. purchasing a Dayton based bank with three locations known as The Citizens National Bank of Southwestern Ohio.The bank would have had to become The Citizens Banking Company and then undergo a third name change to Civista.This speed up timeline will allow the new location to jump to Civista.The name change does not affect customers. They can continue to use their checks until they run out. Debit cards will probably be reissued by the end of the year with new technology that uses a chip to help protect customer's bank accounts by making it more difficult for someone to commit fraud.Civista is created by combining the words for civic and vista. It is representative of the banks commitment to Sandusky. It is also a promise of looking forward to the future of the community and the bank.