New Regions Bank signs are coming to the Union Planters Bank locations in Chattanooga, signifying the area banks’ conversion over the April 21-24 weekend to Regions’ systems. With the Union Planters Conversion, Regions Bank now has eight locations in Greater Chattanooga and a total of 15 in southeast Tennessee.
A ribbon-cutting and unveiling of new signs and logo will take place April 22 at 9 a.m. at the Eastgate Regions Bank at 830 Eastgate Loop Road. The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is assisting with the ceremonies.
The bank systems conversion, the first since legacy Regions Financial Corp. and legacy Union Planters Corp. merged in July 2004, will take place over the weekend of April 23 and 24 and will include some 135 Union Planters branches located in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, north Alabama, south Kentucky and eastern and middle Tennessee.
The remaining Union Planters branches across Regions’ 15-state footprint in the South, Midwest and Texas are scheduled for conversion later in the year. Normal branch operating hours will remain the same except for Thursday, April 21, when the Union Planters Branches will close at 2 p.m.
“It is an exciting time for Regions associates and customers in Chattanooga,” said Kenny Dyer, Community President of Regions in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. “The Regions vision is to help our customers and communities realize their dreams by anticipating, understanding and meeting financial needs through responsive associates who have the ability to build effective solutions.”
“We are confident that all of us will benefit long-term from being part of one of the Top 15 financial services providers in the Unites States,” Linda Garner, Vice President and Area Sales Manager of Regions in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas, said. “We have new products and expanded lending capabilities and can draw the resources of strong mortgage, insurance and securities brokerage operations for our customers.”
To communicate the conversion and name change in the Chattanooga area, Regions will launch a major advertising and public relations campaign April 26, complete with new television, radio and newspaper ads. And the campaign will move forward on wheels: Long-haul trucks emblazoned with the new Regions signage will move on down the roads of Chattanooga for several days at some point during the next month, serving as rolling billboards to communicate the change and acquaint customers with the new Regions logo.
Part of the campaign also includes new product offerings throughout the Regions Bank system, starting with a special promotion on all new checking accounts. The promotion will include a free Regions Platinum Visa® CheckCard with the new Regions Rewards with Visa® Extras program, plus free RegionsNET® Online Banking with Bill Pay. In addition, there will be a new free business checking account that also includes the free Regions Visa® Business CheckCard with Regions Rewards and Visa Extras, plus RegionsNET Online Banking with Bill Pay.
“Besides expanding our network of locations, offering new and improved products to consumers in our market is one of the biggest benefits of this merger,” said Randy Shepard Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking for the East Tennessee Group. “We have many more enhancements coming in the near future and are excited to make our financial services more beneficial and more convenient.”
The free Regions Platinum Visa CheckCard offers customers a number of enhancements and services including: higher daily limits, emergency cash and card replacement, cardholder inquiry, lost/stolen card reporting and warranty manager, purchase security, fraud risk identification service and zero liability protection. And, when customers use the Regions Platinum Visa CheckCard, its companion Regions Rewards with Visa Extras program allows customers to earn points toward extras from more than 80 of America’s best-known companies – including the NFL, NASCAR and Starbucks – and enjoy discounts such as free shipping or a free night’s stay at some of their favorite merchants. All customers have to do to receive these extras is sign for their transactions each time they use their card.
“Consumers are not only looking for purchasing power, they want purchasing protection,” said Mr. Dyer. “We are pleased to be able to offer these great deals at the same time as our name change.”
About Regions Bank
A community-focused bank with local leadership, Regions Bank currently offers full-service commercial and retail banking from more than 800 offices and a 1,700-ATM network across 15 states throughout the South, Midwest and Texas. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the bank, a part of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF), draws on the resources of its parent company’s other affiliates, including Morgan Keegan, to ensure that both business and retail customers can avail themselves of a full range of financial products and services in the areas of mortgage banking, securities brokerage and insurance.