First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Billings, Montana, operating as the parent organization for First Interstate Bank. The bank traces its origins to 1968 as a single bank in Sheridan, Wyoming, and incorporated in Montana in 1971. The institution operates nearly 300 branches across a 10-state footprint that includes Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. [1]
Design and History
The First Interstate name and logo have a complex ownership history that directly shaped the bank’s identity. The original First Interstate Bancorp, based in Los Angeles, was acquired by Wells Fargo & Co. in 1996. However, the Billings-based First Interstate BancSystem had been operating under a franchise agreement with the Los Angeles company since 1984, when it was known as Commerce Bancshares. When Wells Fargo acquired First Interstate Bancorp, the Montana organization successfully negotiated to retain the well-known First Interstate name and logo. [2]
Under the franchise arrangement, First Interstate BancSystem held an exclusive, nontransferable license to use the “First Interstate” name and logo in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and other states. [3] In January 2017, the company paid an undisclosed amount of cash to Wells Fargo for all trademarks associated with the name, including goodwill and domain names, giving First Interstate BancSystem sole ownership of its corporate brand. [4]
The current logo features a fanciful representation of the letters “Fi” combined with the words “First Interstate Bank.” A trademark filing for the mark describes it as lined for the colors red and orange. [5]
In 2019, the bank underwent a brand refresh led by Portland-based agency Grady Britton. The project began with the CEO’s directive that the bank “needed to be relevant,” and resulted in new brand standards, a brand platform and refreshed assets for the 50-plus-year-old regional bank. [6]
In 2026, TDA Boulder was named agency of record for First Interstate Bank after a competitive review, with a remit that included a strategic brand overhaul and an identity refresh. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The trademark registration for the “Fi” mark indicates the design is lined for red and orange, establishing these as the brand’s signature colors. [5] The orange color has been part of the First Interstate identity since at least 1990, when the Los Angeles Times noted that First Interstate agreed to forgo its “familiar orange-colored sign” in favor of gold leaf at its Los Angeles headquarters tower. [7]
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