But the name frosted on the glass entrances of the octagonal skyscraper at 383 Madison Avenue is not that of JPMorgan Chase, with its familiar eight-sided logo. Instead, it is simply “J. P. Morgan,” written in a stately font reminiscent of the old J. P. Morgan & Company logo.
The move is part of an introduction of JPMorgan’s branding strategy, formally giving separate identities to the consumer and institutional businesses.
Its retail side, including its 3,152 branches in 17 states, will continue to use the Chase brand with its familiar octagon logo. But the institutional side, which encompasses the investment bank, Treasury and security services and asset management, will adopt the J. P. Morgan name, without the eight-sided symbol.
“We’re investing in the J. P. Morgan brand across our business,” Kristin Lemkau, a JPMorgan spokeswoman, said. “As part of that investment, we’re moving to a logo that more closely resembles the heritage J. P. Morgan logo.”
JPMorgan’s decision contrasts with those of its two biggest banking rivals. Both Citigroup and Bank of America use essentially the same brand for their institutional and retail businesses, with only small changes. But JPMorgan is attempting to consolidate and differentiate its institutional business under the J.P. Morgan name, one whose decades-long history is markedly different from that of Chase.
It is a reversal of a choice made after the 2000 merger of J. P. Morgan & Company and Chase Manhattan Bank, to place Chase’s symbol next to a new JPMorgan logo. That logo moved from a font with serifs to a sans-serif font similar to what Chase used.
But Ms. Lemkau said a recent survey by JPMorgan of its institutional clients found lingering confusion over the change.
So JPMorgan is adopting a new logo without the octagon for its institutional business, using a new font that is a thinner, more modern version of that used in the old J. P. Morgan logo. The firm will begin a formal introduction around Aug. 25, the start of the United States Open tennis tournament, which it sponsors.
Ms. Lemkau said the new logo on the Bear Stearns building signaled JPMorgan’s intent to make the building the new home of its investment banking operations, which are now housed in leased space at 277 Park Avenue.
