It is where Ruth's Chris does her banking

SARASOTA, Fla. — Upon learning about the existence of the "Fifth Third Bank" this weekend, I decided to look into the matter.

The name, of course, reminds me Joe Lieberman's proud declaration that his presidential campaign had "Joementum" by finishing third in the race for third place in the 2004 New Hampshire primary (thus fifth place overall).

Interestingly, the topic of the unusual name is not listed as one of bank's most frequently asked questions. In any case, it's pretty simple: In 1908, the Fifth National Bank and the Third National Bank merged and became the Fifth Third Bank.

Comments

Tom Clancy said…
I find this nowhere near as bad as Ruth's Chris'. However, I do have major reservations about doing business with a bank that has a dentist on site.
January 10, 2007
Anonymous said…
a la Wikipedia:

The chain was founded by Ruth Fertel, a single mother of two, in 1965, after she bought the existing Chris Steak House in New Orleans. In buying the restaurant, Fertel had to agree that the restaurant keep the "Chris" name for a specified period of time. After the original location sustained a kitchen fire, she relocated the restaurant about 1/2 mile (1 km) to the west on Broad Street and renamed the rebuilt establishment "Ruth's Chris" (under her purchase agreement, the name Chris Steak House could not be used at any other location, and she did not want to lose customers already familiar with the Chris name)
January 10, 2007
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