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Robinhood Drops “Checking & Savings” BrandingRobinhood Drops “Checking & Savings” Branding

What’s in a name? Apparently some unwanted attention.

Samuel Steinberger, Senior Technology Editor

December 18, 2018

1 Min Read
Robinhood apps

Citing “some confusion,” Robinhood will call its brokerage feature “Cash Management” instead of “Checking & Savings.” That’s the message from Robinhood co-founders and co-CEOs Baiju Bhatt and Vlad Tenev after last week’s announcement of “Checking & Savings,” an attention-grabbing brokerage feature that’s since been rebranded. 

The no-fee trading platform is betting that the 3 percent returns on cash offered by the feature will still be just as sweet for investors, no matter what it’s called. The company founders said they were “revamping” how the product was marketed and they stated that they “take clear communication very seriously.”

Requests for clarification on the reasoning behind the revamp weren’t immediately returned, so it’s unclear if the company was contacted by regulators. Over the last few weeks the firm has angered some users with delayed dividend payments and an options trading outage. Stephen Harbeck, SIPC president and CEO, told CNBC on Friday that he had contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission over concerns with the new brokerage product. 

Robinhood had a waitlist of more than 750,000 signups at last check.

 

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About the Author

Samuel Steinberger

Senior Technology Editor, WealthManagement.com

Samuel Steinberger is Senior Technology Editor for Informa Connect’s WealthManagement.com. In his role, Mr. Steinberger provides the publication’s wealth and financial technology coverage. 

Mr. Steinberger’s editorial insight and familiarity with technology accelerates Informa’s growth within the financial advisor and wealth management communities, providing in-depth news for advisors and financial professionals. 

Before joining Informa Connect, Mr. Steinberger produced documentaries with former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien at Soledad O’Brien Productions (formerly Starfish Media Group). He specialized in research, shooting and editing, as well as finding distinct voices to explain topics like mental health, poverty and racial divide. 

Prior to joining Soledad O’Brien Productions, Mr. Steinberger managed multi-departmental technology projects for global legal technology leader Transperfect Legal Solutions. After obtaining his graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University, he completed his transition from technology management to media. 

Mr. Steinberger is an award-winning journalist, author and researcher who has written, edited and reported for a number of publications, including The New York Times, Financial PlanningAmerican Banker and PBS. He is founder of beverages publication Give Me Weird Drinks

Mr. Steinberger’s technology analysis and insight has been featured in several books on virtual and augmented reality. Mr. Steinberger has received awards and recognition for his reporting and research, including the American Business Media's prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award for editorial excellence.

Follow on Twitter: @slsteinberger