Editing Citizens Financial Group (section)

== Charter One Financial ==
[[Image:Charter One Bank Ypsilanti.JPG|thumb|Charter One Bank branch, downtown [[Ypsilanti, Michigan]]]]

In August 2004, Citizens Financial acquired [[Cleveland]]-based Charter One Financial, parent company of Charter One Bank, with branches in [[Illinois]], [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[upstate New York]], and [[Vermont]] for $10.5 billion.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/business/citizens-financial-acquires-charter-one.html| title=Citizens Financial Acquires Charter One| first=Jonathan D. | last=Glater| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=May 5, 2004}}</ref><ref name=completescharter>{{cite press release| url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040831005781/en/Citizens-Financial-Group-Completes-Charter-Acquisition-Transaction| title=Citizens Financial Group Completes Charter One Acquisition; Transaction Makes Citizens One of the Top U.S. Bank Holding Companies| publisher=Citizens Bank| via=[[Business Wire]]| date=August 31, 2004}}</ref> Because [[Citizens Republic Bancorp]] of [[Flint, Michigan]], already operated under the Citizens Bank name in most of Charter One's territory, Citizens Financial elected to keep the Charter One name in Charter One's Midwestern footprint. However, it re-branded the New York and Vermont branches as Citizens Bank. This purchase made Citizens Financial the 12th largest bank in the United States with over $131 billion in assets and 1,530 branches across 13 states.<ref name=completescharter/>

In early 2005, the Charter One name replaced the Citizens Bank banner on seven branches in [[Butler County, Pennsylvania]]. This rebranding resolved a 3½-year-old name dispute with [[Butler, Pennsylvania|Butler]]-based Citizens National Bank. By mid 2005, Citizens National and Citizens Financial agreed to a compromise. Citizens National Bank changed its name to [[NexTier Bank]], while the Citizens Financial Group branches reverted to the "Citizens Bank" name.<ref name=olsen>{{cite news| title=NexTier, Farmers & Merchants to merge, with $1B combined assets, by 1stQ 2014| url=http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3976904-74/nextier-bank-farmers#axzz3ACnFJSFy| last=Olsen| first=Thomas| date=May 7, 2013| work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]| access-date=August 12, 2014}}</ref>

A new corporate logo designed to show Citizens Bank's connection to the Royal Bank of Scotland debuted on April 26, 2005.

In July 2006, Citizens Bank eliminated the mortgage department in Michigan and terminated over 100 employees.

On September 1, 2007, the individual banks under Citizens Financial Group, excluding Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania, merged into RBS Citizens, N.A.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Connecticut Department of Banking| url=http://www.ct.gov/dob/cwp/view.asp?a=2228&q=296976 |title=Bank Mergers and Acquisitions| date=June 26, 2014}}</ref>

In November 2008, Charter One sold its network of 65 branches in Indiana to [[Old National Bank]] which rebranded them under the Old National Bank banner.<ref>{{cite press release| url=https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2008/11/25/388990/155395/en/Old-National-Bancorp-to-Acquire-Charter-One-s-Retail-Branch-Banking-Network-in-Indiana.html| title=Old National Bancorp to Acquire Charter One's Retail Branch Banking Network in Indiana| publisher=Old National Bank| via=[[GlobeNewswire]]| date=November 25, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://archive.courierpress.com/business/onb-acquiring-charter-one-branches-in-central-indiana-ep-447939301-324598831.html| title=ONB acquiring Charter One branches in Central Indiana | first=Bryan| last=Corbin| newspaper=[[Evansville Courier & Press]]| date=November 25, 2008}}</ref> The transaction closed in June 2010.

In 2014, Citizens sold 94 branches in metropolitan Chicago to [[U.S. Bancorp]].<ref>{{cite press release| url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140107006040/en/U.S.-Bancorp-Acquires-Chicago-Branch-Banking-Operations| title=U.S. Bancorp Acquires Chicago Branch Banking Operations of RBS Citizens Financial Group| publisher=US Bancorp| via=[[Business Wire]]| date=January 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release| url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140623005240/en/U.S.-Bank-Closes-Acquisition-Chicago-Area-Charter-Bank| title=U.S. Bank Closes on Acquisition of Chicago-Area Charter One Bank Franchise| publisher=US Bancorp| via=Business Wire| date=June 23, 2014}}</ref>

[[Citizens Republic Bancorp]] was founded in Flint, Michigan, in 1871 and merged with Republic Bank in 2006.  In 2007, Citizens Republic prevailed in a case to prevent Citizens Financial from using the similar name in Michigan and Ohio.<ref>{{cite news| title=Judge blocks use of bank's 'Citizens' name| url=https://thefinancialbrand.com/311/judge-blocks-use-of-banks-citizens-name/| last=Pitcher| first=Jeffrey| journal=The Financial Brand| date=December 17, 2007| access-date=February 7, 2018}}</ref> [[FirstMerit Bank]] acquired Citizens Republic in 2013 and rebranded all branches as FirstMerit until 2016 when [[Huntington Bancshares]] acquired FirstMerit.<ref>{{cite press release| url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firstmerit-completes-acquisition-of-citizens-republic-bancorp-202750891.html| title=FirstMerit Completes Acquisition of Citizens Republic Bancorp| publisher=FirstMerit Bank| via=PRNewswire| date=April 12, 2013}}</ref>  With conflicting names no longer an issue, Citizens Bank announced June 30, 2014, that Charter One branches in Michigan and Ohio would be rebranded as Citizens Bank. The name change officially took place on April 27, 2015, bringing to an end the name Charter One in [[Cleveland]]; the city in which it was founded.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/06/charter_one_is_changing_name_t.html| title=Charter One is changing name to Citizens Bank next year| first=Teresa Dixon | last=Murray| newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]| location=Cleveland| date=June 30, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150427/FREE/150429858/charter-one-name-change-to-citizens-bank-goes-into-effect| title=Charter One name change to Citizens Bank goes into effect| newspaper=[[Crain Communications|Crain's Cleveland Business]]| date=April 27, 2015}}</ref>