The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Feb. 17, edition that Canada's seventh-largest bank, EQ Bank, is largely unknown to many Canadians. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe reports that chief executive officer Chadwick Westlake, however, says EQ Bank "will become a household name by the end of this year." Buying the PC Mastercard portfolio and PC Money accounts, while bringing on Loblaw and its PC Optimum loyalty program into a partnership, will put the EQB Inc. brand into thousands of grocery stores and ATMs across the country. Mr. Westlake says he knew when he stepped into the CEO role last August that he had to make the PC deal happen to raise the profile of a bank that 80 to 90 per cent of Canadians do not know. He says: "This was a top priority, because I truly believe this is the key to creating a scaled significant challenger for Canada. There's no deal like this." The deal expected to close this year. Mr. Westlake says digital-only banks plateau at a certain level, especially when Canadians are fairly complacent in their banking preferences. He adds: "It has held us back in some ways. I think it needs to be more real. ... People still like people."