{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-6-6-1417","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 6, § 6-1417","heading":"Advertisement of confusingly similar names or shortened","body":"names - Use of former name of acquired institution or office -\n\nCommissioner's remedies - Injunctions - Nonconforming previous use\n\nor advertisement.\n\nA. It is unlawful and deemed a Class D1 felony offense for any\n\nbank or out-of-state bank having a confusingly similar name to\n\nadvertise its name in Oklahoma, including without limitation by\n\nmeans of outdoor signage, newspaper, radio, television, billboards,\n\nbulk mailings, and other solicitations to persons who are not\n\ncustomers of the bank, unless the advertising also conspicuously\n\nidentifies the city or town where that bank has its main office.\n\nThis subsection shall not apply to a bank's advertising through\n\nlocal media. Any person who violates the provisions of this\n\nsubsection shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment as\n\nprovided for in subsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21\n\nof the Oklahoma Statutes.\n\nB. It is unlawful and deemed a Class D1 felony offense for any\n\nbank having a full legal name which is not a confusingly similar\n\nname to use a shortened name for purposes of advertising within\n\nOklahoma, including without limitation on outdoor signage,\n\nnewspaper, radio, television, billboards, bulk mailings, and other\n\nsolicitations to persons who are not customers of the bank, if that\n\nshortened name would be a confusingly similar name and if such\n\nadvertising does not also conspicuously identify the city or town\n\nwhere that bank has its main office. This subsection shall not\n\napply to a bank's advertising through local media. Any person who\n\nviolates the provisions of this subsection shall, upon conviction,\n\nbe punished by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through\n\nF of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.\n\nC. It shall be unlawful and deemed a Class D1 felony offense\n\nfor any bank which acquires another bank or other financial\n\ninstitution for one or more of its offices or branches, by merger,\n\npurchase and assumption or otherwise, to continue to use the former\n\nname of the acquired institution or office, or similar name, for\n\nmore than six (6) months after the date of acquisition, either on\n\noutdoor signage or in other advertising, unless such name is the\n\nlegal name of the resulting bank. Nothing contained in this\n\nsubsection shall prohibit an acquiring bank from using a variation\n\nof the former name as a branch title if such variation is at all\n\ntimes used only in combination with the name of the acquiring bank,\n\nincluding the town or city where that bank has its main office, and\n\nthe word \"branch\" on any outdoor signage or in other advertising.\n\nAny person who violates the provisions of this subsection shall,\n\nupon conviction, be punished by imprisonment as provided for in\n\nsubsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma\n\nStatutes.\n\nD. It shall be unlawful and deemed a Class D1 felony offense\n\nfor any person which is not a bank to use or advertise a confusingly\n\nsimilar name within the State of Oklahoma. Any person who violates\n\nthe provisions of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be\n\npunished by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through F\n\nof Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.\n\nE. The Commissioner may issue an order in accordance with\n\nSection 204 of this title to any Oklahoma chartered bank or bank\n\nregistered pursuant to Section 104 of this title, ordering such bank\n\nto cease violating the provisions of this section. This remedy\n\nshall be in addition to and not exclusive of the remedy provided in\n\nsubsection F of this section.\n\nF. Whenever any bank or other person shall use or advertise a\n\nname in violation of this section, the district court from which\n\nlawful service is obtained shall, upon suit by the Commissioner or\n\nany injured person, issue an injunction restraining such use or\nnd not exclusive of the remedy provided in\n\nsubsection F of this section.\n\nF. Whenever any bank or other person shall use or advertise a\n\nname in violation of this section, the district court from which\n\nlawful service is obtained shall, upon suit by the Commissioner or\n\nany injured person, issue an injunction restraining such use or\n\nadvertisement. Provided, that the Commissioner shall be deemed to\n\nbe a necessary party to any suit brought pursuant to this section\n\nand any suit brought by the Commissioner pursuant to this section\n\nshall be properly brought as to both jurisdiction and venue, when\n\nbrought in a county where the office of the Commissioner is located.\n\nG. Advertisements which were in conformance with this section\n\nprior to April 29, 1991, but are not now in conformance with\n\nsubsections A and B of this section will not be considered to be in\n\nviolation of the law. This subsection shall not be interpreted to\n\nallow any bank to begin the advertisement of a confusingly similar\n\nname which it had not previously used or advertised prior to April\n\n29, 1991, but shall only serve to protect the advertisement of such\n\nnames as are in lawful use as of April 29, 1991.","path":["OK Code","Title 6"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os6.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"1dbff72d54378b13d3c6e38bd68bbad8078f16cc72f0817b2689647020cad8cf","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-6-6-1416","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-6-6-1418"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}