The troubled bank Dexia had such problems with its image that when word spread that it was seeking a new name, one of the most popular suggestions from members of the public was Toxia. Last week, the bank announced its new name: Belfius.

“My son thought the name came from a Harry Potter film,” joked one commentator on Twitter. “Belfius? Wasn’t he the bass player in Dexia’s Midnight Runners?” quipped another. A common thread was dairy products: “There’s something about it that reminds me of a pot of yogurt,” someone tweeted. “Toxia with active Belfius for an improved intestinal transit,” said another.

The name-change cost the bank €35 million, not only for the fees to Ghent-based communications consultancy Remarkable, but also for the replacement of everything from neon signs to headed notepaper. “The ‘Bel’ stands for Belgium; the ‘fi’ stands for finance, and the ‘us’ refers to the English word” explained CEO Jos Clijsters. The ending “fius” also has an echo of “fides” – the Latin for “faithful”.

The new name will begin being introduced next month and should be on the front of all the bank’s branches from June. One change was immediate, though: the footballers of Club Brugge, sponsored by the bank, had the Dexia logo on their jerseys changed to the Belfius logo last weekend.