The West Bromwich Building Society has officially launched its new name – the West Brom – and a new brand identity.

The West Brom has also started a major investment programme to modernise its branch network over the next 18 months and its new purple and green logo is being incorporated across the board.

Chief executive Robert Sharpe said: “This radical change of image represents an exciting new era for the West Brom, with a revitalised brand and fully refurbished branch network that members, staff and local communities can be extremely proud of.

“Our new identity retains the symbol of the tree with its connotations of strength, resilience and growth, while in branches the emphasis is very much on making members feel welcome and valued.”

The first branch to showcase the West Brom’s new look in full is Handsworth in Birmingham. Now open after a three week refurbishment, the branch on Soho Road has also seen a number of service improvements introduced.

The society recently posted a pretax loss of £5.5 million for the six months leading up to the end of September, compared to an £11.7 million loss for the corresponding half-year in 2009.