PTSB – new name and brand identity
PTSB – the new brand name for the bank with new visual identity
- Repositioning reflects PTSB’s ambitions as a full-service personal and
business bank and its focus on changing customer needs - The introduction of a new customer promise – Altogether More Human
- Largest rebrand in Ireland in 2023 – initial €5 million investment in
rebranding and modernisation programme
Following completion of the acquisition of substantial parts of the Ulster Bank Retail, SME and Asset
Finance businesses in the Republic of Ireland, Permanent TSB has announced a major overhaul of its brand
and business repositioning as a full-service, customer-focused personal and business bank.
The move is a major statement of intent, reflecting the much larger scale and business diversification of the
bank, its customer focus and growing ambitions for the coming decade. This is the first full rebranding and
repositioning of the bank since the launch of the Permanent TSB brand in 2002 following the merger of then
Irish Permanent and then TSB Bank.
The new brand and visual identity was launched to over 2300 PTSB staff at an event in the RDS today.
Key elements of the change include:
• A complete rebranding of the bank as PTSB – an acronym of the bank’s full name and current brand
(permanent tsb). The new brand name and visual identity will be phased in across the bank’s operations
starting from today and will soon feature across primary branch locations, websites and digital
platforms, customer communications and advertising materials. The new name and visual identity will
also feature prominently in the bank’s sponsorships, including the Olympic and Paralympic National
teams, The Late Late Show, The Ideal Homes Show and the Guaranteed Irish Awards.
• The introduction of a new customer promise – Altogether More Human – which emphasises PTSB’s
intentions as a full-service personal and business bank, to bring great technology and great people
together to meet customers’ changing needs and deliver a better banking experience.
• An initial investment of €5 million into customer research, the development and roll-out of a new visual
identity and customer promise and a national advertising campaign, with further investment planned to
modernise PTSB locations, including the Bank’s nationwide branch network, over the next 18 months.
Saturday, 14 October 2023
The rebrand builds on the bank’s €200 million investment in technology and digital capabilities to enhance
customer experience on its online banking platform and digital app, along with its more recent investment of
€25 million in support of the refurbishment of its 25 new branches opened earlier this year in communities
across the country. The bank has also invested significantly in its people, welcoming more than 330 new
staff from Ulster Bank, including Business Direct and Private Banking Teams, and increasing its front-line
and customer support staff by 150 over the past year.
The Bank has also invested in improving its customer experience and has put in place a number of
initiatives to further support customers, including the introduction of a host role in all 98 branches and the
establishment of a vulnerable customer support team, as well as partnering with O’Cualann Co-housing
Alliance to enable the development of social and affordable homes across the country. The Bank also
recently introduced ‘PTSB Protect’, a new feature to its banking app which will help prevent customers
falling victim to fraudulent scams.
The repositioning follows a comprehensive market review and assessment phase conducted over the past
18 months. This involved a customer research programme which explored what customers want and need
from their banking partner in the era of fintech, social media, automation and digital banking, and more
specifically their attitudes towards the bank itself.
Speaking at the brand re-launch, CEO of PTSB Eamonn Crowley said; “The last year has seen phenomenal change and growth at PTSB and our increased scale has completely changed our position in the Irish market. We wanted to reflect that change by undertaking a fundamental review of our ambition, how we can help and support our customers and stakeholders, and how we want to be perceived in the market over the coming years.
The change of brand name from Permanent TSB to PTSB and our customer promise of being ‘Altogether
More Human’ is the outward expression of the positive change already happening across the bank. It
represents our commitment to putting customer needs at the centre of how we plan, design and deliver for
them, whether that’s digitally, over the phone, in one of our 98 branches across Ireland or a combination of
all of these.
Our research has shown very clearly that customers want their bank to progress digitally but not at the
expense of human interaction. With branches right across the country, PTSB has always been committed
to putting the customer at the heart of our operations and to valuing the human touch in the banking
relationship with our customers. We have invested in and embraced technology to enhance the customer
experience but not at the expense of the human interactions that our customers expect.”
