'No Nazi link' to bank eagle move
Barclays has had an eagle logo since 1728
Barclays has denied it removed an eagle emblem from the front of one of its offices in Dorset because of concerns that it has possible Nazi connotations.
Contractors took down the sign, thought to have been at Barclays House in Poole for at least 30 years, on Sunday.
Some national newspapers said the bank - currently trying to buy Netherlands group ABN Amro - "feared its eagle might offend Dutch customers".
Barclays said it removed the sign because it is moving to new offices.
We will continue to use the eagle in UK branches
Barclays Bank
A spokesman for the bank said: "The logo has been taken down purely because it is a very old version of our eagle.
"We are moving out of the building, which is a back office, in stages to another site by 2010.
"Our corporate logo is Barclays and the eagle.
"If we were to merge - and this is by no means certain - it would be known as Barclays, with the shield of ABN Amro.
"We will continue to use the eagle in UK branches.
Barclays' 65bn euro (£44bn; $86bn) offer for ABN Amro is on the table until 4 October, when the ABN Amro shareholders will vote, he added.
The latest branding
The bank's link to the eagle dates back to 1728, 205 years before the Nazis came to power in 1933.
ABN Amro's shareholders will vote on the takeover in October
An eagle has also been used in German coats of arms for more than 800 years.
Earlier, The Times had reported a source close to the UK bank saying: "It is rather a Teutonic-looking eagle and has unfortunate connotations."
Barclays first adopted the eagle symbol after moving to 54 Lombard Street in the City of London in 1728.
It was last given a more modern makeover in 1999.
In May, Barclays announced it was cutting 1,100 workers over the next three years from its offices in Poole, as part of an "efficiency drive".
It currently employs about 1,900 people at the site it is now moving from and which handles back-office functions such as payment processing and IT support.
The bank's new offices in the town - being built at a site at the West Quay Road - will sport the latest branding, a regional spokeswoman added.
How far will the PC brigade go !!
Barclays has had an eagle logo since 1728
Barclays has denied it removed an eagle emblem from the front of one of its offices in Dorset because of concerns that it has possible Nazi connotations.
Contractors took down the sign, thought to have been at Barclays House in Poole for at least 30 years, on Sunday.
Some national newspapers said the bank - currently trying to buy Netherlands group ABN Amro - "feared its eagle might offend Dutch customers".
Barclays said it removed the sign because it is moving to new offices.
We will continue to use the eagle in UK branches
Barclays Bank
A spokesman for the bank said: "The logo has been taken down purely because it is a very old version of our eagle.
"We are moving out of the building, which is a back office, in stages to another site by 2010.
"Our corporate logo is Barclays and the eagle.
"If we were to merge - and this is by no means certain - it would be known as Barclays, with the shield of ABN Amro.
"We will continue to use the eagle in UK branches.
Barclays' 65bn euro (£44bn; $86bn) offer for ABN Amro is on the table until 4 October, when the ABN Amro shareholders will vote, he added.
The latest branding
The bank's link to the eagle dates back to 1728, 205 years before the Nazis came to power in 1933.
ABN Amro's shareholders will vote on the takeover in October
An eagle has also been used in German coats of arms for more than 800 years.
Earlier, The Times had reported a source close to the UK bank saying: "It is rather a Teutonic-looking eagle and has unfortunate connotations."
Barclays first adopted the eagle symbol after moving to 54 Lombard Street in the City of London in 1728.
It was last given a more modern makeover in 1999.
In May, Barclays announced it was cutting 1,100 workers over the next three years from its offices in Poole, as part of an "efficiency drive".
It currently employs about 1,900 people at the site it is now moving from and which handles back-office functions such as payment processing and IT support.
The bank's new offices in the town - being built at a site at the West Quay Road - will sport the latest branding, a regional spokeswoman added.
How far will the PC brigade go !!
