Cathay Bank is a California state-chartered bank founded in 1962 in Los Angeles Chinatown by seven community members, making it the oldest operating American bank founded by Chinese Americans. [1] The bank is a subsidiary of Cathay General Bancorp (Nasdaq: CATY). [2]
Design and History
Cathay Bank’s current logo consists of a stylized letter “B” in red, surrounding the outline of the letter “C” in white, which in turn frames a red interior. [3] This CB monogram mark was filed as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on September 12, 2017, and registered on July 3, 2018. [4] A related wordmark trademark, “C B CATHAY BANK,” was filed the same day and features the same stylized “B” and “C” device in black and white, placed to the left of the words “CATHAY BANK.” [5]
Earlier trademark registrations show a different visual identity. A 1996 trademark application for the Chinese characters meaning “Cathay bank” was registered under serial number 75130076. [6] A separate “GB” trademark, registered under serial number 74443021, was also held by Cathay Bank. [7]
The bank’s brand color is documented as a red tone with the hex code #D22630, identified by Brandfetch as “Cardinal.” [8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The bank’s name “Cathay” is an English rendering of the Chinese name 國泰 (Guótài), which translates to “Cathay bank” in English. [6] The Chinese characters for the bank’s name have appeared on its branding, including on signage associated with the bank’s identity. [9]
Beyond the documented translation of the name, no official source provides a stated symbolic meaning for the current CB monogram or the bank’s red color. The bank’s own materials emphasize its founding purpose: providing the Chinese American community with access to the nation’s banking system. [1]
Typography and Design
The current Cathay Bank wordmark uses a straightforward sans-serif letterform for “CATHAY BANK,” as described in the trademark filing for the C B CATHAY BANK mark. [5] The CB monogram device is constructed from interlocking letterforms, with the “B” surrounding the outline of the “C.” [3] No specific typeface name or designer attribution has been publicly documented for the logo.
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