What do you have when you take away the 'bank' and its 'branches'?

• Position: Marketing News - Brief Article

Some traditional banks are finding the name "bank" a little limiting, according to recent news reports. These new-thinking financial institutions are dropping the "b" word from their title because they think that it, among other things, restricts their ability to sell insurance and equities.

Some recent examples:

* The Chicago-based institution, Harris Bank, with 190 branches, now calls itself simply "Harris."

* Bank One, Chicago, which has 1,900 branches in 14 states, is now called "Chase" (after its new owner, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., New York).

* Citibank, New York, calls itself "Citi"...