When Did Thai Farmers Bank Change Its Name To Kasikorn Bank?

[Michael W]

Was it a merger or something?

[Farma]

Was it a merger or something?

Thai Farmers is pronounced Kasikorn Thai in Thai and I assume the bank has just changed it's name to the Thai meaning. Maybe someone knows more about the name change.

[GuestHouse]

Kasikorn = Farmer (albeit a word not normally used)

So there's your answer to the question about the name change, they just put it back into Thai.

The change happened, to my recollection, around 97/98 when the bank overhauled it's whole marketting strategy.

[Mister Doom]

Kasikorn = Farmer (albeit a word not normally used)

So there's your answer to the question about the name change, they just put it back into Thai.

The change happened, to my recollection, around 97/98 when the bank overhauled it's whole marketting strategy.

I believe the branch in Cannon street in the City still has the name Thai Farmers Bank on it's signboard. I send money from the UK to Kassikorn all the time, and I always tell the UK Bank to send it to Thai Farmers, and it always arrives.

A bit like:

Tannakarn Krung Thep = Bangkok Bank

Thai Panit = Siam Commercial.

TIT

Edited April 1, 2006 by Mister Doom

[Plus]

They've changed to Kasikorn only a year or two ago. They said "Farmers" bank doesn't project a good image in the international arena. No one knows what Kasikorn means, it's neutral.

[lopburi3]

name change from THAI FARMERS BANK

PUBLIC COMPANY LTD. 8 April 2003)

http://www.bot.or.th/bothomepage/databank/...s/bankthaiE.htm

[GuestHouse]

No one knows what Kasikorn means, it's neutral.

The word Kasikorn is listed in my Thai dictionary ¡ÊÔ¡Ã- ¼Ùé·ÓäÃèä¶¹Ò (Kasikorn - Phu-Tam-Rai-Tai-Nar)

Literally - 'Person who works the Rai, ploughs the field'

" A farmer"

You'll need your view set to read Thai text to see the Thai Script

Edited April 1, 2006 by GuestHouse

[lopburi3]

I believe the poster means foreigners do not know what the word means; so the not so positive connotations of a bank run by farmers is not present in there thinking when they hear the name.

[mbkudu]

The name always made me think of a bank for farmers, not run by farmers. Kind of like Farmers Insurance in the US. It gives an image of helping out the salt of the earth with loans or insuring farm lands against disaster or crop failure in bad times. The image is probably far from reality nowadays, but I don't know.

Edited April 2, 2006 by mbkudu

[johnnyk]

The name always made me think of a bank for farmers, not run by farmers. Kind of like Farmers Insurance in the US. It gives an image of helping out the salt of the earth with loans or insuring farm lands against disaster or crop failure in bad times. The image is probably far from reality nowadays, but I don't know.

I think you're probably right. The bank has been in business for 80 years or more and may well have started out that way.

[Michael W]

The name always made me think of a bank for farmers, not run by farmers. Kind of like Farmers Insurance in the US. It gives an image of helping out the salt of the earth with loans or insuring farm lands against disaster or crop failure in bad times. The image is probably far from reality nowadays, but I don't know.

I think you're probably right. The bank has been in business for 80 years or more and may well have started out that way.

Right, the old name also always had positive connotations for me. Plus the fact that they, at least to me, seemed to have among the most branches, especially internationally, and I got the impression that in addition to the good reputation that being around for so long gave them, that they also were one of the few banks to come out relatively unscathed from the financial meltdown in the late 90's. Taken together, that's a lot to risk when changing branding. Except for the rice seedling logo, which also seems more de-emphasized, to the casual outside observer they're a different bank.

[lopburi3]

In case anyone wonders I was not putting down farmers or saying it was really run by farmers. But the words farmers and bank are probably even less appealing than the other heavy weight here which is military and bank. People expect banks to be banks and when the other words are added you limit your appeal.

Of course any bank that bases its advertising on scantly clad young ladies can't be all bad.

[steveromagnino]

In case anyone wonders I was not putting down farmers or saying it was really run by farmers. But the words farmers and bank are probably even less appealing than the other heavy weight here which is military and bank. People expect banks to be banks and when the other words are added you limit your appeal.

Of course any bank that bases its advertising on scantly clad young ladies can't be all bad.

Most of their Thai customers now seem to be Thai Chinese business men, who do not really like the idea of cruising around saying they have a Thai Farmer's Bank account no doubt; so hence the move to Kasikorn and K Bank. More catchy as well, since there is also Thai Military Bank and so on. Plus, they don't really do things for the farmers anymore; most of their banking seems to be retail and commercial stuff in BKK.

Now that means there is KTC, KCC, KBank and KTB though...hmmm...

Me do like dem KBank ladeez though :-)

[mbkudu]

What it all boils down to is that they are a good bank. Actually most banks in Thailand aren't that bad. The US has horrible banks, Bank of America being the worst.