Vereinsbank wanted to be the first direct bank in Germany that offered close customer relationships, new technological capabilities, and convenience, so they changed their name to Advance Bank. By doing so, the name "Advance" portrays an image of being future oriented and highly developed. In 1997, after the merger of Vereinsbank and Hypo-Bank, Advance Bank was sold to Dresdner Bank. Taking into account of developing a brand name for the bank, locations of the bank were vital to continuing success in the banking industry. Advance Bank's main headquarter and call center are located in Munich, which is in the southern part of Germany. Wilhelmshaven, which is in the northern part of Germany, is another call center location. Along with quality and location of Advance Bank, security is a big issue to continuing success in the banking industry. A customer receives a personal identification number and a six-digit secret code generated by the computer to insure that hackers and call center agents will not be able to access the account. By offering a variety of banking services and investment advice through the telephone and the Internet, Advance Bank developed a banking system that surpassed the other banks in Germany. .
Advance Bank wanted to offer its customers not only direct banking, but also investment advice, by using the discount brokerage market. In order to achieve the marketing strategy, three different groups of customers were selected. These groups include the individual customer, the universal customer, and the private investor. The individual customer are customers who earns more than DM5,000 per month, owns or rents a house, lives in urban areas; which consist of 200,000 or more of the customer population, enjoys sports and culture, either an executive, freelancer, or self-employed, between the ages of 25-49, high mobility, and a high school graduate or higher qualification.
