Branson revealed on a blog today that Virgin Rocks is one of the brand names being considered after reports he felt the word “bank” had been too discredited.
He said Virgin was inclined to call the company Virgin Money rather than Virgin Bank for this reason.
Branson invited consumers to provide feedback and that he would be officially naming the bank when Virgin completed the acquisition in January.
Branson said: “Has the word bank been so discredited that a new name needs to emerge?
“At the moment we’re inclined to call the company Virgin Money rather than Virgin Bank. Personally I’m quite keen on Virgin Rocks!
“For some people who have banked loyally with Northern Rock for years they might actually want to keep banking with that brand. We might even consider having more than one brand and giving people that chance.”
Northern Rock was bought by Virgin Money for £747m on 17 November 2011. Completion of the deal is expected to be on 1 January 2012.
Virgin Money has since announced that Sir David Clementi will be chairman of the business and Jayne-Anne Gadhia will be its chief executive officer.
