12.30.09
Online Statements within Internet Banking
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations Officer)
We’ve just added a new feature to our popular Internet
Banking service. You can now add getting your bank statement
to the long list of things you can do through Internet
Banking. We’ve offered eStatements for quite some time now
and plan on continuing to do so, but for our Internet
Banking customer they’ll be able to get their statement
without having to keep up with another user name and
password.
If you are already getting eStatements but would like to get
your statements through Internet Banking instead or if
you’re still getting your statements in the mail; you can
sign up for Online Statements the next time you log into
Internet Banking. Once you log in just click on the Icon on
the top labeled “Products & Services”. This will take you to
a new page where you’ll see a section titled “CSI – PBK
Bank’s online statement partner”; this is where you’ll need
to go to sign up.
Signing up is a breeze. Just read the disclosure and accept
the disclosure if you agree to the terms, then check your
personal information and correct anything if necessary, and
then choose to sign up for online statements for a
particular account or choose to add it for all of your
checking and savings accounts. Then just wait for your next
statement cut date and you are set. You’ll get an email
letting you know when your statement is ready to be viewed.
There are some nice advantages to choosing Online
Statements:
It’s
the environmentally conscious choice;
You’ll
get your statements faster than paper copies;
You
won’t have to remember an additional user name and
password to get them;
It
will allow you to save all of your statements to your
computer (statements will stay available online for 90
days); and
It’s
FREE!
I personally can’t think of a reason not to sign up. If you
need a paper copy of the statement you can simply print it
out as needed.
So what are you waiting for log into Internet Banking now
and sign up for Online Statements!
12.18.09
Thank You & Happy Holidays from PBK Bank
By:
Bruce C Edgington (CEO)
It is hard to believe that another year is ending. The year
2009 brought us to our 103rd anniversary in
business. Over the course of these years we have
successfully provided our customers and friends with
the best in community banking. We are also proud of
the fact that we have created true lasting
partnerships with our customers and friends and
thank you for your continued loyalty.
PBK Bank has a record of safely and securely handling
customers' deposits with due care. Our conservative
philosophy of banking has been the foundation to our
growth and success, and continues to serve us well.
We focus on offering convenient products and
services to our customers while following prudent
lending practices. It is a core value of our company
and key ingredient of what makes us successful in
what we do.
Why do customers do business with us? We offer our customers
simply the best value. Period. We believe that no
one can compete with our unique combination of
products and customer service. Our Pretty Big Kids
Club and all it offers is one of best in the
country. This year we have added PBK Financial
Services to give you other options and financial
planning….
On behalf of the Board of Directors, PBK Bank staff, and
myself, we send you and your family our sincerest
wishes for another year filled with good health and
prosperity. We look forward to the coming year and
sincerely thank each of you for choosing PBK Bank
and ask you to tell your friends and neighbors about
PBK Bank!
12.11.09
One Size Fits All
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations Officer)
I’m sure I’m not alone in my Christmas shopping dilemma. We
all have those people that are just so hard to shop for.
They never want anything (at least not that they’ll tell
you) and if you give them cash they’ll just take it and
deposit it. That might be a sensible and financially
responsible decision, but you want to make sure they get
something specifically with your monetary gift.
Don’t worry we’ve got the solution and you won’t have to
worry about it not fitting and having to take it back. No it’s not our
great looking PBK Bank toboggans, but instead it’s our VISA gift cards!
This way they can get whatever their heart desires, assuming it cost
less than the amount you loaded on the card. You won’t have to worry
about is it the right size, color, or even if they’ll like it. Of course
they’ll love it, after all who doesn’t like the gift of money.
The gift cards will also force them to buy something and
when they do the card will be a reminder of your gift, the perfect gift.
So the next time you are by one of locations stop in and get your
Christmas shopping finished with some VISA gift cards.
12.04.09
Holiday Shopping Guide
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations Officer)
Last year the Federal Trade Commission published a
guide for holiday shopping and I thought now would
be a great time to take a second look at it with the
Holiday Shopping season in full swing, and yes it is
that time of year again.
Below is a list of tips you can use to get the most
out of your money this Christmas and any time for
that matter:
Shop around.
Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean it’s the
best price. Some sales may be for a limited time
only while others have items discounted
everyday.
Read sale ads carefully. With some sales items the quantities may be limited or not
available at all stores. You could call the
store before you go to check on availability.
Some stores offer this service online as well.
Consider your time and travel cost. By the time you drive to a bigger city to get that
great deal you may have spent more in
transportation cost than you saved. So be sure
and take that into account and shopping locally
might actually save you money in the long run.
Look for price-matching policies. Some shops will match or even beat competitor’s
prices; it never hurts to ask.
Go online.
There are a lot of great deals to be found
online. Be sure to keep in mind shipping and
time delay cost. Make sure that you are
purchasing from reputable site and don’t forget
to look around for promotional codes offering
discounts and perhaps even free shipping.
Carefully consider bargain offers that are based on purchases of additional merchandise.
Such as buy one get one free or free gift with
purchase; if you don’t want or need the item is
it really a good deal?
Clip coupons.
Coupons are great for saving money. Be sure to
check coupons for restrictions and expiration
dates. Some retailers will accept expired
coupons, and even coupons from their competitors
so be sure to check with the retailer before you
make your purchase.
Ask about sale adjustments. If you buy an item at regular price and it goes on
sale the next week, can you get a credit or
refund for the discounted amount?
Hopefully these tips will help you stay in budget
and keep you out of going in debt while you spread
some Christmas cheer.
11.27.09
Get Ready to Shop for Next Years Christmas
By: Lindsay Sallee
(Customer Service Representative / Teller)
Does Christmas always sneak up on you? Is it hard to come up
with extra money to do your Christmas shopping? PBK
Bank has made it a little easier on you. Instead of
it all hitting you at one time, why not start now
and save a little bit each week. You can open a
Christmas Club account. With this account, you can
elect $5, $10, or $20 to be transferred from your
checking account weekly. It is the perfect way to
make next years Christmas shopping a little easier.
If you elect to open a $5 Christmas club, at the end you will
have $250 plus interest. $10 you will have $500
plus interest, and $20 you will have $1,000 plus
interest. Interest is 3 percent and will be
credited after the last transfer. A check will be
issued to you in October.
The first transfer for the 2010 Christmas season will start
October 12. The transfer will come out of your
checking account every Monday unless it falls on a
holiday and then it will come out the Friday
before. It just so happens that this year’s first
transfer falls on a holiday, so it will actually
transfer Friday, October 9th. There will
be a total of 50 transfers and then a two week break
before it starts all over again. If you already
have a Christmas Club, you do not have to come in to
start a new one. It will automatically start again
unless you come in and close the account.
Do not worry if you do not get in before October 12 to start
your account. You can still open a Christmas Club a
few weeks after the start date. You will need to
deposit the amount that should have already been
transferred. For instance, if you have a $5 club
and you come in October 27th we would
have to have $15 to start the account because there
will have already been 3 transfers. You cannot make
any withdrawals on the club account, so it is not so
easy to put your hand in the cookie jar.
Come on in to see us at any location and get the head start
you need for the 2010 Christmas season. Thank you
for trusting PBK Bank with your financial needs.
11.20.09
Christmas Shopping in 2009
By: Brian Duncan
(Assistant Retail Banking Manager)
It’s mid November, and once again, the yuletide
season is just around the Salvation Army
bell-ringing corner. Now, I’m convinced that there
are still a few of us out there that get the warm
fuzzies over the Charlie Brown Christmas Specials.
The rest of us, possibly the more practically
minded, are already thinking about full parking
lots, long lines, and maxed out credit cards. Don’t
feel bad, that’s just reality!
Thankfully, the past year or so has taught us a few
life lessons. While the global recession fared no
better than his better known cousin, the Grinch, in
stopping Christmas from coming, it did make us
reevaluate how we measure worth. Rather than a
fixation on excessive indulgences, the economic
downturn has shifted our eye to toward things whose
value is not weighed by price. Granted, I like
opening presents as much as anyone. The
anticipation of tearing into the wrapping paper has
not dwindled with age, but truthfully, I don’t care
if the present came from Fifth Avenue or eBay.
Frankly, when it comes to many things I don’t even
care if it’s new or used. In five minutes, it’s
going to be used anyway!
Here’s the point, when you set out on your shopping
journey, unless you simply enjoy the bustle of a
packed shopping mall during the holiday season, you
can do most things from your own home. I’m an avid
internet shopper, not because I don’t like malls,
but because on the internet, you can find things
that you would not find anywhere else (and some
great deals, too). Here’s a good example: when I
was a kid, my mother would read my brothers and I
stories out of this old “Book of Christmas”
treasury. It was a large, red hardback book with
gold writing and a gold holly leaf embossed on the
cover. The book had a lot of sentimental attachment
to it, but somewhere along the way it got lost.
Having exhausted every outlet I could think of to
track down a copy of this book, I tried searching on
eBay for hardback Christmas treasuries. After a
brief search, I found, much to my delight, the book
that I had been searching for. I think that I paid
something like five dollars for the book and had
found the perfect gift for my mother. This is just
one of several occasions where my online creativity
surpassed my relentless perusal of the shopping
aisles.
In the end, it’s a more satisfying experience to
find something unique for someone that they didn’t
even know that they wanted (and bonus points for
finding something that’s been out of publication for
20 years). What’s better, oftentimes, this approach
often leads to deals that you can’t find at the
mall. Whatever your approach, don’t forget the real
meaning of the season: ‘tis better to give than to
receive, and while presents are great, it’s the time
with loved ones that sticks with us.
Merry Christmas and good hunting!
11.13.09
Vacation/Christmas Clubs
By: Brian Duncan
(Assistant Retail Banking Manager)
Hello, I want to talk to you today about what are probably
the most underutilized accounts that we offer
today. They are the Vacation and Christmas club
accounts which are accounts in which a specified
amount of money is deducted from your checking or
savings account each week and deposited into another
interest bearing account. It may be because people
only associate the account with their name and
therefore only think of the accounts as being useful
for Christmas presents and vacations. Well, they
are certainly great for either of those purposes,
but they have some far more practical uses than
that. In my opinion, everyone would benefit from
having a Christmas club or vacation club account (or
two). Even if you don’t buy Christmas presents or
take vacations, these accounts can be a great
benefit for you.
Either of these options are a great way to put money back
for a rainy day fund. Most people can easily spare
five to ten dollars out of their account each week
without even missing it. This is no more than a
single meal at a restaurant. However, if you
allowed this amount to be debited from your account
each Monday to be deposited into a club account, by
the end of the year you would have a substantial sum
of money put back ($250 for the five dollar debit or
$500 for the ten dollar debit). If you could spare
just twenty dollars a week, by the end of the year
you would have $1000 or if you want to go all out,
with a fifty dollar weekly deduction, in a years
time you will have accumulated $2,500! This is just
the money that you have put back and does not
include the interest that you will have earned on
top of that. This is a great way to save up a slush
fund so that when the car breaks down or the
refrigerator quits you don’t have to resort to the
credit card to get it fixed.
Another great use for a club account is as a vehicle to
begin saving for some future expense (besides
Christmas or a vacation). For example, if you were
to set up the club account at the twenty dollar
level, when you receive your check for $1,000 plus
interest, you could roll that money into a
certificate of deposit to begin earning even more
interest on it. This is a great way to begin
putting back for college, for a car, or for
retirement.
The bottom line is this, Vacation Club and Christmas Club
accounts are great ways to save money for a vacation
or for Christmas, but, they are also a great way to
put some money back for whatever life may throw at
you.
11.06.09
Is a club checking account right for
me?
By: Lindsay Sallee
(Customer Service Representative / Teller)
Not only does PBK Bank offer basic
checking accounts, we also offer club checking
accounts. We have three different club accounts
that offer free checks of one style, accidental
death/dismemberment insurance (the amount varies),
and personal internet and ID theft coverage. Who
couldn’t use the personal internet and ID theft
coverage in today’s world?
The first club account is the
Basic Club Reward Account. It takes $100 to
open and you have unlimited transactions with no
minimum balance fee. The amount of the accidental
death/dismemberment insurance for this account is
$10,000. The monthly club fee is $9. Just remember
you also receive free checks of one style and
personal internet and ID theft coverage.
The second club account is the
Double Club Reward Account. It also takes $100
to open and has unlimited transaction with no
minimum balance fees. The only difference is your
accidental death/dismemberment insurance increases
to $20,000 and the monthly fee is $10.
The last club account we offer is the
Family Club Reward Account. This account offers
the same as the other two except for the accidental
death/dismemberment. That changes to $20,000 and
for your spouse or dependent child you will have
$2,500 covered on them. The club fee increases to
$12.
Not bad for all the benefits you
receive for these accounts. For a reasonably low
monthly fee you receive free checks, accidental
death/dismemberment insurance and personal internet
and ID theft coverage.
If you have any more questions
regarding the club accounts please don’t hesitate to
call and speak to a customer service
representative. Or stop by any location and we will
be glad to assist you. Thank you for banking with
PBK Bank.
10.31.09
Need a low monthly
fee account?
By:
Lindsay Sallee (Customer Service
Representative / Teller)
If you are looking
for an account that doesn’t take a
lot to get started and has a low
monthly fee, you’re in luck. PBK
Bank offers three accounts that fit
your needs.
The first account is
a Student Reward Account.
You must be a student under 23 years
of age to open this account. If you
qualify for this account, all you
need is $50 to get it started.
There is a limit of 15 debits per
statement cycle. If you do more
than 15 debits per statement cycle
there will be a $1 charge per item
after the 15th item. ATM
transactions are not included in the
debit count. There are actually no
minimum balance fees until you turn
age 24 and even then as long as you
keep a balance of $300 or more,
there will still be no fee.
However, if your balance falls below
$300, there is a monthly fee of $8.
The next account with
low monthly fees is a Silver
Reward Account. It takes $100
to open the account. There are
unlimited transactions and you
receive a discount on safety deposit
box rentals. If you keep a balance
of $300 or more, you will have no
monthly fees. If your balance falls
between $150 and $299.99 there is a
$6 per month fee. If it falls below
$150 then your monthly fee would be
$10 per month.
The last account we
offer that has a low monthly fee is
called the Bronze Reward Account.
It only takes $50 to open. The
maintenance fee is $3 per statement
cycle. There is no minimum balance
fee. There is a limit of 20 checks
per statement cycle. If you write
over 20 checks you will receive an
excess item fee of $0.50 per item.
A customer service
representative will be glad to
assist you at any of our locations
if you decide one of these accounts
is right for you. Thank you for
choosing PBK Bank for your banking
needs.
10.23.09
Is a money market
account right for me?
By:
Lindsay Sallee (Customer Service
Representative / Teller)
PBK
Bank offers two different money
market accounts. One is for
personal use and the other is for a
business.
The
personal money market account can be
opened with $2,500 by an
individual. There is no minimum
balance fee if the balance stays
above $2,500. However, if the
balance falls below $2,500 any day
of the month, there is a monthly
charge of $15. You are allowed 6
withdrawals per statement cycle but
only 3 by check. If you write over
3 checks during the statement cycle,
there will be a charge of $5 per
item. The money market is interest
bearing with tiered rates and
interest is credited monthly. If
you have a money market account you
can receive discounts on consumer
and home equity loans. You will
also receive free cashiers checks.
The
business money market also can be
opened with an initial deposit of
$2,500 by a business. There is no
fee as long as the balance stays
above $2,500. As with the personal
money market if the balance falls
below $2,500 any day of the
statement cycle, there will be a
monthly fee of $15. Transfers made
in person, by mail or ATM at one of
our PBK Bank locations are
unlimited. Otherwise, there is a
limit of 6 withdrawals per statement
and only 3 may be made by check,
draft or debit card. If more than 3
checks, drafts, or debit card
purchases are made within a month,
there will be an excess item fee of
$5 per item. This account is also
interest bearing with tiered rates
and the interest will be credited
monthly.
If one
of these accounts interest you,
please stop by any one of our
locations and a customer service
representative will be glad to
assist you. Thank you choosing PBK
Bank for your banking needs.
10.09.09
Looking for a
checking account with no monthly fees?
By:
Lindsay Sallee (Customer Service
Representative / Teller)
Look no further! PBK Bank offers 3
different checking accounts that
have no monthly fees. Who in life
needs or wants to pay any fees that
are not necessary?
The first account we offer with no
monthly fees is the E-Account.
This account offers no minimum
balance fee and unlimited
transactions. With this account you
must receive your statements
electronically. Your first 50
checks are free but after that you
are responsible for purchasing
checks.
The next account we offer with no
monthly fees is the Freedom
Checking Account. This account
also offers no minimum balance fee
and unlimited transactions. You
would receive your statements
through regular mail or
electronically if you prefer. Also
with this account you would receive
your first 50 checks for free and
then it would be your responsibility
for purchasing them there after.
The last account offered with no
monthly fees is the Senior Reward
Account. You must be 50 years
of age or older to qualify for this
account. If I qualified for this
account, I would definitely sign up
for it. Not only does it not have
any monthly fees, it also provides
you with many other benefits. For
instance, you receive free checks of
one style. It is also an interest
bearing account with tiered rates
depending on the balance in your
account, and the interest is
credited monthly. There are no fees
for stop payments as well, and you
have unlimited transactions.
Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
If any of these interests you please
come see us at any one of our
branches and a customer service
representative will be glad to
assist you. If you are on a
different account and would like to
switch to one of the above mentioned
accounts, please drop by any branch
and tell a customer service
representative what account you are
interested in and we will be glad to
assist you. As always, thank you
for banking with PBK Bank.
10.02.09
Hey, is it just me
or is this ship sinking?
More on
Health Savings Accounts and how they
could be the life raft you need if the
Health Care System tanks
By:
Brian Duncan (Assistant Retail Banking
Manager)
I’m going to step out on a limb here
and say that I’m probably not the
only one worried about what’s going
on with our healthcare system. I
don’t pretend to have a solution to
that problem, sorry, maybe next
week. What we do have, however, is
a bit of an insurance policy or, a
lifeboat if you will, for those
trying to figure out how they will
be able to afford necessary
healthcare and medical treatment.
We have discussed Health Savings
Accounts on our blog page before,
but with current storm of health
reform controversy, it’s worth
taking another look.
For starters, what is a Health
Savings Account? A Health Savings
Account is a tax advantaged way of
putting a little bit back for future
medical expenses. But wait,
that’s what I have insurance for!
Well, that’s true, but just because
you contribute to social security
doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have
an IRA or a 401k too. Healthcare is
no different. You’re putting money
back to retire on, shouldn’t you
also put some back to ensure that
you’re alive and well enough to
enjoy it? We can’t rely on the
government and insurance companies
to provide for all of our medical
needs, they cannot afford to. It’s
merely prudent to look out for
yourself.
Can anyone open one?
Well actually, no, there are
restrictions. To qualify for a
Health Savings account, you must
have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP),
which generally offers low premiums
in exchange for a higher deductible.
You also, generally, cannot have
other insurance coverage, although
there are a few exceptions; ask us
about them.
What are the benefits of having a
Health Savings Account?
For one thing, contributions may be
tax deductible (unless they are made
by your employer), which is almost
like free money. Also,
contributions may reduce health care
premiums (which makes that money go
further), and both interest on the
assets as well as distributions may
be tax free if used for qualifying
medical expenses. These are just a
few examples.
Obviously, this is a highly
simplified overview, and you should
check with your tax advisor for tax
information or visit
www.irs.gov Publication 969 for
complete rules, but if you, like
many others, are concerned about the
future of healthcare, a Health
Savings Account is definitely worth
looking into.
9.24.09
Internet Banking
Changes
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
We've made two changes
to Internet Banking this week that you may have
noticed. We've changed things with your customer
number and password requirements in hopes to help
keep your financial information secure and to ease
some burden on you as well.
Some of you may have noticed that if you have been
using your social security number for your Customer
Number that you've been prompted to change your
customer number. The requirements are that the
Customer Number be between 6 - 20 characters long
and you must have at least two letters. Anything
beyond that is up to you. Here are a few examples of
Customer Numbers that would work: jdoe12, 365555jd,
and johndoe. With the increased availability of
Social Security Numbers these days this should add
to your protection. The Customer Number is NOT
case sensitive.
The
other change deals with the password requirements.
Your password must be 8 - 10 alphanumeric (a mix of
letters and numbers) characters with no leading or
trailing blanks. The password is also case
sensitive. This shouldn't effect too many people, as
most anywhere you go now days, this is the
requirement for passwords. This requirement has
strengthened your password and should give you added
security.
By
making this change we've also been able to push out
the amount of time you are required to change your
password. I've personally heard from many of you
asking us to make this change as the previous
requirement to change ever 45 days was just to
cumbersome. We've been able to double the amount of
time in between changes from 45 days to 90 days. So
you won't have to change your password but once a
quarter or four times a year.
If
you haven't already changed your Customer Number
and/or your password doesn't meet the new
requirements you will be prompted at your next
log-in attempt to change the items needed to meet
the new requirements. If you have any questions or
difficulties getting in please don't hesitate to
give us a call as we'll be more than glad to assist
you.
9.18.09
Tips on Protecting
Yourself from Financial Scams
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Last week we went over
several different financial scams that are popping
up. This week will cover things you can do to help
protect yourself. Here are some things you can do to
protect yourself from these financial scams.
Be cautious of
request to update or confirm your personal
information in response to an ad or unsolicited
calls or emails. Extreme caution should be used
on any unsolicited offers that require you to
send money or provide bank account or personal
information before receiving anything in return.
Research the
organizations offering a job, loan, deposit,
investment or other opportunity involving your
money or personal information.
When offers from
strangers involve a large deposit into your
account and instructions to send them money back
or to someone else, be sure to walk away. This
method is notorious with scams.
The old adage if
something seems too good to be true, then it
probably its, has lots of truth. These type of
offers from strangers or an unfamiliar company
usually are fraud.
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
On the TV, newspaper,
or online; no matter where you look you’re bound to
hear some kind of story related to identity theft.
Have you ever wondered how these criminals steal you
identity along with your good name?
Well as you might imagine there are numerous
different tactics used to accomplish this and many
of them involve some computer wizardry, but there
are other more low or no-tech methods as well. A low
tech method that is sometimes used is a simple phone
call where they try to lure information from you.
Sometimes we the consumer give out our information
freely, and that’s why it’s important to be careful
what you say and where you say it.
You should be vary
cautious of giving out your account number,
passwords, PIN numbers, social security number, etc
in public places where others could possibly
overhear you. A few weeks back lunch time rolled
around for me, yes I do enjoy a good lunch, I went
out to a local restaurant. I placed my order and I
was enjoying my food and the restaurant wasn’t busy
at the time as I had opted for a late lunch. I
couldn’t help but notice a gentleman on his cell
phone, who was talking with his bank just a few
booths down from me.
I wasn’t paying much
attention as I was pretty hungry by then but he was
rattling off all kinds of numbers. What numbers were
they, account numbers, social security numbers, PIN
numbers? I don’t know for sure. If someone wanted to
they probably could have got a landmine of
information right there at lunch.
It’s that easy to just
give a potential crook you sensitive information and
have your identity stolen, your credit cards maxed
out, and your bank account empted. That’s why it’s
so important that you protect your information and
be aware of where and how you give it out.
09.04.09
FDIC Insurance
By: Lindsay Sallee
(Customer Service Representative / Teller)
Just a reminder to all
our customers, you are insured up to $250,000 by the
FDIC until December 31, 2013. January 1, 2014 the
amount you are insured returns to the original
amount of $100,000. So you can rest your minds for
a few more years, but the $250,000 insurance is only
temporary and will return to $100,000 January 1,
2014. Thank you for choosing PBK Bank for you
banking needs and if you have any questions please
feel free to contact one of our customer service
representatives.
PBK Bank since 1906.
8.28.09
Alaskan Preview
By: Brian Duncan
(Assistant Retail Banking Manager)
One of the many perks of having a relationship with
PBK Bank is having an insiders track to our travel
club. Now, it’s not a prerequisite to bank with us
to travel with us; actually, we have earned a lot of
new banking business from people who found out about
what we offer while on one of our trips. However,
having a banking relationship does help to keep you
up on what’s going on with the club, and where we
are going to next (not to mention the other benefits
being a PBK customer).
Now, while there are few things in life that I enjoy
more than getting to take experience new places, the
truth is, the people truly make the trip. The bonds
that are formed along the way as we travel to new
places are something that can’t be conveyed in a
brochure or a blog entry. When we take a trip, we
really are “big kids” on an adventure, laughing,
exploring, sharing experiences, and generally just
cutting loose and having a good time. Those are the
memories that you keep.
One trip that I am particularly excited about for
2010 is our Alaskan Cruise that we are planning for
early June. We have done the Alaskan cruise before,
but it’s such a big hit that we always have more
requests for it. The cruise will start in Seattle,
and will include such sights as the inside passage,
Juneau, Glacier Bay, and much more. For your
benefit, we are hosting an Alaskan preview on
Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at 11:00 am at our
Danville office. One of the representatives from
“Trips”, the company we are going with, will be
giving the presentation, as well as answering any
questions. We have traveled with “Trips” before,
and they deliver much more than a trip; they deliver
an experience! I would encourage anyone who is
interested in finding out more about this adventure
to contact Mae or myself and get put on the list for
the preview, as space is limited. And as always, if
you have any questions, give us a call!
8.21.09
Have you applied for
your PBK Bank debit card yet?
By:
Lynda VonLinger (Security
Officer)
First off, what is a
debit card? Debit means "subtract."
When you use a debit card, you subtract money from
your own checking account. Debit cards work like
cash or a personal check. You use it in stores for
purchases. At check-out, the card reader
electronically contacts your bank and subtracts the
amount from your account. Some cards are
dual-purpose credit/debit cards. Before you swipe
the card through the reader, you select a "credit"
or "debit" button on the reader. If you select
"debit," you then enter your Personal Identification
Number (PIN). If you select "credit," you are given
a credit receipt to sign. "Credit" charges will
appear on your next charge account bill.
Using
your bank debit card has many advantages over
writing checks for your everyday purchases. If you
have never considered using a debit card here are
some of the advantages.
You
don't have to carry cash or a checkbook.
It
can be used at an ATM to get cash if needed.
Debit cards are more readily accepted than
checks, especially when you are traveling.
You
don't pay interest charges.
Saves money used to purchase checks.
The
convenience of using a debit card does require
responsibility on the cardholders part. Here are a
few tips:
A
debit card is like a blank check, so you need to
guard the card and the account number carefully
against loss or misuse. If your debit card is
lost or stolen, or if you think someone is using
it fraudulently, call your bank immediately.
Always record the amount of your debit card
purchases so not to overdraw your account.
·Protect your debit card by holding
on to your debit card receipts and check them
against your bank statement each month.
·Memorize your PIN but don't keep it
with your card. Never give your PIN to anyone.
See one of our CSR’s
today to join millions of people around the world
who are enjoying the convenience of using their
debit card.
8.14.09
What do you mean I
have to wait?
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
As some of you may have
heard there have been a lot of new regulations and
changes in the works that effect banks and various
other financial institutions. One new change has
been a revision to an existing regulation referred
to as Reg Z. Now I’m going to try to resist the
compliance person in me and keep this very general
and non-technical if I can.
This particular change
that I’m talking about today went into effect for
applications taken on or after July 30, 2009. The
general effect to you the customer is that if you
are getting a consumer purpose (non-business) loan,
which is secured by your residence, and it is a
closed-end loan (you got all your money up front and
you can’t make draws on it) then you won’t have a
quick close like you may have experienced in the
past.
The bank is still
required to give you some disclosures upfront and
the bank has 3 business days to do this. After those
early disclosures are given we must wait 7 business
days (for PBK that’s every day but Sunday and
Federal Holidays) before we can close your loan.
This wasn’t done by federal regulators just to delay
you getting your money but it was enacted with the
intent that you’d take that time to understand
exactly what you are getting into, plus it might
help prevent some potential buyer’s remorse.
There are more changes
from this updated such as when fees can be
collected, etc. but I wanted to be sure to point
this particular change out to our customers as it
may change the way you’ve been doing business in the
past. If you have questions feel free to contact any
of our loan officers or myself and we’ll be glad to
assist you in any way we can.
8.06.09
Happy Birthday
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Can you believe it?
The blog has turned one year old! We started the
blog with the idea of getting to communicate with
you, our customers, and hopefully supplying you with
some helpful information.
Whether that was
information on products and services that we offer,
or changes in the general landscape of banking with
new regulations that would affect your money, we’ve
posted something new each Friday, ice storm
excluded. We’ve covered a large range of topics from
increased FDIC Insurance limits to going green, from
getting your free credit report to keeping yourself
safe on your computer and identifying theft tips,
just to name a few. We hope that you’ve found at
least some of the posts informative. From the
number of visits the page and
RSS feed
gets, it looks like you have.
We would like to thank
you all for stopping by, and for making the blog
such a success! We are looking forward to seeing
what the next year holds in store for the blog, and
as always, if there is a particular subject you
would like to see covered just let us know!
7.31.09
Internet Banking
Features: Email Notifications
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Over the last few weeks
we’ve looked at a number of great Internet Banking
features and this week is no different. This week
I’m going to take a look at email notifications.
I’ve found these to be a great tool in keeping up
with my account even without having to log into
Internet Banking.
You can set email
notifications up with Bill Pay to let you know when
payments have been made (great reminder to actually
deduct the payment from your check register and a
nice security feature too), lets you know that an
automatic payment has been made for you (if you have
an auto payment set up), and when an electronic bill
has arrived.
You can also use the
email notifications to keep track of your balance in
your account. You can set and customize
notifications to let you know when your balance is
above or below a specified amount. You can also use
them to let you know when a Certificate of Deposit
is about to mature.
I’m personally not a
texter but if you are you can even set the email
notification to come to your cell phone as a text
message. Be sure to keep in mind whatever your
agreement is with your cell phone service provider
is on text messages.
Hopefully with this
series you’ve learned more about or even discovered
some new Internet Banking features that will help
make your life easier.
7.24.09
Internet Banking
Features: Enhanced Login Security
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Another feature of Internet Banking is something
that we call Enhanced Login Security. We take the
security of your information very seriously and this
is one way that can help ensure the safety of that
information.
The basic rundown of
Enhanced Login Security is that when you log into
Internet Banking on from a computer, Internet
Banking verifies who you are by the Customer Number
and Password along with looking for a cookie or file
that was previously placed on your computer by
Internet Banking. If that file is not located you
will be asked to answer your three challenge
questions to verify that you are the owner of that
Internet Banking account.
I know that this can
potentially be a bit frustrating if you are using
multiple computers but there is a fix for that. If
you have one computer already enrolled then you are
fine on that computer as long as you don’t clear out
your cookies. If you go to another computer, say
perhaps a work computer and you don’t want to have
to answer your questions each time you log in, you
can fix that issue. The first time you will have to
answer the three questions but once you get in, you
will need to go to User Options and then you will
see Enhanced Login Security from a list of options
at the top of the page. Just click it and follow the
prompts to add the extra security to that computer.
You can add it to an
unlimited number of computers. So after you have
both or all of your computers setup you will be able
to go to either one of them and log in without
having to answer your questions. Keep in mind that
if you clear out your cookies, the next time you log
into Internet Banking you will have to answer your
three Challenge Questions and then re-add the extra
security to that computer if you choose to do so.
Be sure to check back
next week to learn more about another great Internet
Banking feature.
7.17.09
Internet Banking
Features: Bill Pay
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Without question my
favorite feature of Internet Banking is Bill Pay. I
can’t express to you just how much I rely on this
feature and how much easier it has made my life. You
may be like I was initially and just wasn’t quite
sure I was ready to make the plunge into paying my
bills online. Well after paying a few bills you
couldn’t get me to switch back to the old way of
paying bills by check and licking stamps.
There is some time that
you will spend in setting up your payees in Bill Pay
but we are continuously working on making this
process even faster and easier. Honestly it’s not
that much work to set them up, just have your bill
handy and you are good to go. Once you get your
payees setup paying them could not be easier. It’s
like having your own electronic butler to pay your
bills.
There are many options
and features within Bill Pay. By using Bill Pay I
save a ton of time each month as it literally takes
me seconds to pay my bills. The best part is that I
don’t have worry about buy stamps, finding out how
much they are now, and licking them. Not having to
lick the stamps and envelopes should be enough by
it’s self.
I strongly encourage
you that if you are not taking advantage of this
great feature that you give it a try today. Once you
start you won’t go back.
Be
sure to check back next week for yet another great
Internet Banking feature.
7.10.09
Internet Banking
Features: Funds Transfer
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
One of the features of
Internet Banking that is used quite often is funds
transfer. This allows you to move money between your
accounts that you have with PBK Bank. If you can’t
get to the bank for whatever reason or just feel
like banking in the comfort of your home or even
after banking hours, you can move money between your
accounts using Internet Banking.
One very important note
with this feature is that you are required to sign a
form letting us know which accounts you want to be
able to transfer from and to and what kind of limit
on the transfer amount you want to set. If you’ve
not signed this form you will not be able to
transfer funds between accounts.
We have to have this to
set things up for you on the back end to ensure that
everything works properly. I know that in the past
I’ve really enjoyed this feature, as I’ve found it
hard at time getting to the teller line to move
money while I’m at work, so I just log onto Internet
Banking and with a few clicks I’ve moved the money
faster than I could have walked up the steps at work
to have it done.
Be sure to check back
next week to learn about another great Internet
Banking feature.
7.03.09
Internet Banking
Features: Account Activity
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
This month we are going
to take a look at the various features of Free
Internet Banking service. I’ve had several customers
call me up and ask what the cost of Internet Banking
and many are surprised to learn that there is not
cost for Internet Banking. There are several really
great and useful features that come along with this
free service.
The most used feature
of Internet Banking would have to be the account
activity feature. This allows you to view the
activity on your accounts. You can see what
deposits, checks, and other debits have come through
on your account. It also shows your current balance
at the bank (keep in mind it doesn’t reflect
outstanding items that have yet to hit your
account.)
You can also pull up an
image of the front and back of the checks that have
cleared your account as well. This is a great tool
to keep you up to date on your account activity. It
can help you with ensuring that there is no
unauthorized activity on your account and just the
general balance of your account and to see what has
cleared your account.
Be sure to check back
next Friday to find out more about another great
Internet Banking feature.
6.26.09
Going Green Part
IV
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
This is the last in the
series about going green. To quickly recap the
services and products we’ve covered so far that can
help you go green and bring along added convenience
are eStatements, Internet Banking, and Bill Pay. To
conclude the series we are going to take a look at
debit cards.
Some of you may be
thinking, a plastic card is going green, hummm. Well
yes, with that one plastic card you can eliminate
having to write numerous paper checks. So that one
plastic card could go towards saving some trees
which are great for us and the environment.
The debit cards are
very handy to have. You don’t have to carry you
entire checkbook with you or a bunch of cash, just
one little card that fits nicely in your wallet or
purse. You can even use your card at the ATM and for
online purchases. So that little card works hard for
both the environment and you.
I
hope this series has help you see some ways that
we’ve been working to help you go green and to get a
little added convenience to boot.
6.19.09
Going Green Part
III
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
So we’ve looked at
eStatements and Internet Banking and have found that
they can help us go green and give us some added
convenience. This week we are going to take a look
at another service the bank offers to it’s customers
than can do the same.
Bill Pay is a great way
of going green and best of all it’s FREE. If you’ve
ever used Bill Pay before there is no question that
it is convenient. How would like to be able to pay
all of your bills from start to finish in under 5
minuets? Well that can be done with Bill Pay. Plus
it will save you money from having to buy stamps to
mail out your payments.
Bill Pay is also good
for the environment since it can reduce the number
of paper checks you have to write, envelopes used to
mail your payments, and reduce the number of trips
you have to take to the post office for stamps and
to mail your payments out.
With Bill Pay it’s a
win-win, for both you and the environment!
6.12.09
Going Green Part
II
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Well last week we
talked about how eStatements could help you go green
and this week we're going to take a look at Internet
Banking.
What could be more
convenient than your banking information when you
want it wherever you want it? Well that’s what you
get with Internet Banking and best of all it’s a
FREE service that is provided to all of our
customers. So needless to say the deal couldn’t get
much better than that.
Well not only is
Internet Banking a great deal and extremely
convenient, but it can also help you go green as
well. If you need to transfer some funds and you
have Internet Banking (and have filled out all the
proper forms to enable transfer capabilities) there
is no need to have to jump in your car and run down
to the bank to move the money. You can simply log
into Internet Banking in the comfort of your own
home and move the money yourself with a few simple
clicks. There is also another really big feature
within Internet Banking that can help you go green
but I’m going to save that one for next week.
6.05.09
Going Green Part I
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Going green, AKA being
environmentally friendly, has become increasingly
popular over the past few years. I think people in
general want to be green and help preserve what we
have but often times people are not willing to
sacrifice convenience to do so. We understand that
and that’s why we’ve made investments into products
and services that can allow our customers to go
green with increased convenience. In this series
we’ll cover four different ways that we can help you
go green while making your life more convenient.
One of the banks more
recent offerings has been eStatements. With
eStatements, you receive an email letting you know
that your statement is ready to be retrieved from a
secure website. This can cut down on the use of
paper not to mention reducing emissions from
vehicles in delivering your statement through the
mail. With eStatements you also get your statement
faster than you would get it through the mail.
Something that I’ve personally used this service for
is to keep all of my statements electronically
grouped by year, after all, the filing cabinet will
only hold so much.
You can find out more
information on our site about
eStatements, or feel free to call or come by any
of our offices. Don’t forget to tell us you want to
sign up for eStatements the next time your in!
5.29.09
The
Times, They Are A Changin'
By: Brian Duncan
(Assistant Retail Banking Manager)
For those that have
been keeping up with the recent developments in the
banking industry, amongst the other programs,
proposals, & provisions and you are aware of the
expansion of FDIC coverage from $100,000 to
$250,000, an attempt to bolster confidence in the
banking system. The original plan for the coverage
expansion was set to expire at the end of 2009.
While there are definitely signs that the economy is
on the mend, the decision was made to extend this
enhanced coverage until the end of 2013. On January
1, 2014, the FDIC limit will be restored to its
$100,000 limit per depositor for all account
categories except for IRAs and other certain
retirement accounts which will remain at $250,000
per depositor. This should help further ease
worries about the stability of the overall financial
system. And as always, if you have any questions
about FDIC coverage or anything else concerning the
soundness and stability of your financial
institution, please don’t hesitate to ask! We’re
here to help.
05.22.09
Did
You Know?
By: Lindsay Sallee
(Customer Service Representative / Teller)
Are you looking for an
easy way to compare accounts and see which one is
right for you? Well, here at PBK Bank, we have gone
an extra step to try and make that as easy as
possible.
While you are on our
website simply click on Banking Services,
then click on Checking Accounts, and finally
click on
Account Comparison Matrix. If everything is
working properly you should see a screen that has
our PBK Bank logo at the top with “Checking Accounts
Comparison Matrix” below it.
You will find in the
first row, the name of account we offer. In the
following rows you’ll be able to find and compare
details of limitations, benefits, and charges that
pertain to each account.
With all of this
information in front of you, it should make it
easier to actually see what account will benefit
your needs the best. It is a very useful tool and
if you still have questions, please feel free to
call one of our customer service representatives and
we will be glad to assist you further. As always,
we thank you for banking with PBK Bank.
By: Brian Duncan
(Assistant Retail Banking Manager)
It is a lot of
responsibility to raise a child. Aside from the
here & now aspect of keeping him/her fed & clothed
or keeping them from playing in the street, you have
to always keep your eye on their future. Similar to
navigating a ship, it’s not enough to keep the ship
from hitting the iceberg, you have to steer the ship
to its desired destination; in the case of children,
a responsible, well adjusted, and fulfilling
adulthood. One of the key components of this is a
good education.
There are several paths
to achieving a good education. Some students,
through diligent hard work, are fortunate enough to
attend college on scholarship or grant money. For
others, student loans provide a means for attaining
a higher education, of which the debt will be paid
upon completion. There is no substitute, however,
for preparation. Whatever your child’s age, there
is no better time than right now to begin preparing
for his or her future.
PBK Bank is proud to
now offer Coverdell Education Savings Accounts,
sometimes referred to as an Education IRA. They are
a tax advantaged way to begin saving for your
child’s future, and are available to be opened for
any child under the age of 18. Education IRA’s
function similarly to a traditional IRA, in terms of
contributions, but there are a few key
distinctions. While traditional IRA’s can be used
for education expenses, only Educational IRA’s are
tax free if the money is used for qualifying
educational expenses (please consult your tax
consultant on all tax implications). And, while
Education IRA’s are clearly a great way to pay for
college, they can also be used for expenses at
public, private, or religious elementary schools,
vocational schools, and other qualifying
postsecondary educational institutions. Obviously,
there is a bit more complexity to Education IRA’s.
This is just a brief overview & some
restrictions/exclusions apply. Please talk to your
tax advisor for details. For more information, go
to
IRS Publication 970, at
www.irs.gov, or stop by one of our offices.
5.08.09
Bill Pay: It's Free
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
Most things in life
aren’t for free but here is one that is! Bill Pay is
a free service offered by PBK Bank through its
Internet Banking. That’s right, it’s not a typo,
Bill Pay is FREE! You can pay virtually anyone
anywhere. That’s right you can pay your electric
bill, phone bill, car payment, and even the neighbor
kid who mows your lawn. Depending on who you are
paying we’ll either send them an electronic payment
or we’ll send a check to them at no additional cost
to you.
Bill Pay is much faster
than paying your bills by hand and time is money.
Not to mention, no more licking the stamps or
envelopes; that should be reason enough to give Bill
Pay a try. You will also save money by not having to
buy stamps and Bill Pay is statistically safer than
by paying your bills through the mail.
Trust me I was hesitant
at first myself. I wasn’t sure if I was quite ready
to pay my bills online; but after using it for a few
times I would not go back to the old way. I’ve
talked to a lot of our Bill Pay users and most if
not all have the same feelings. Once you try it you
won’t go back. Hey what do you have to lose; after
all it’s FREE!
(There is a charge
for the Expedited Funds portion of Bill Pay but it
is clearly labeled and the fees are also displayed.
Expedited Funds is an extra add on and not necessary
to use Bill Pay.)
5.01.09
Economy Down Turn Leads to Rise in Financial Scams
By:
Jonathan D. Goforth (Assistant Chief Operations
Officer)
As some of you have
noticed we’ve recently changed the look of Bill Pay.
It still functions as it always has with the
exception of moving back the cutoff time for Bill
Pay payments to 9:30 PM CT which gives you even more
time to edit and cancel payments.
The new landing page
and layout is designed to give you a better snap
shot of recent activity, simplified process of
adding a payee and simplified the bill paying
experience. We’ve also tried to consolidate the most
commonly used services to the landing page so
they’re easier to find and you’ve got everything at
your command.
There have also been
several improvements with onscreen assistance. If
you have e-bills that are due and not yet paid you
get a notification that will highlight this and
bring that to your attention. Other updates are that
you can search for a payee in your list and you can
also filter your list of payees that show.
We’ve also made some
pretty significant changes with new Bill Pay users
in mind. For new Bill Pay users our screens have
been simplified and better represent the benefits of
using Bill Pay. Such examples are that you can pay
both business and individuals and control when your
payment is sent. The first time you enter Bill Pay
it will also guide you through the steps to add
payees and how to pay them.
So if you’ve been
waiting to sign up for Bill Pay, don’t delay any
longer, now’s the time to sign up and start using
this FREE service!
4.24.09
Wireless Security
By:
Ian Naron (IT Department)
With all of the wireless devices we use today chances are
you either have or have used a wireless network
before. Some times these wireless networks are
referred to as WI-FI, which has become synonyms with
wireless internet. Don’t get me wrong I love a
the freedom WI-FI gives you but there are
things you should be doing to keep your wireless
networks at home safe along with your files and
information. Here are few tips from
onguardonline.gov on things you can do to
protect your wireless network. This list is no way
meant to be all inclusive.
1.
Most wireless routers have a mechanism called
identifier broadcasting. Turn it off so your
computer won't send a signal to any device in the
vicinity announcing its presence.
2.
You should turn off your wireless network when you
know you won't use it.
3.
Use encryption to scramble communications over the
network. WiFi Protected Access (WPA) is stronger
than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
4.
Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a
firewall. For ex: AVG, Norton, Macafee
5.
Change your router's pre-set password for
administration to something only you know. The
longer the password, the tougher it is to crack.
6.
Change the identifier on your router from the
default so a hacker can't use the manufacturer's
default identifier to try to access your network.
7.
Don't assume that public "hot spots" are secure. You
may want to assume that other people can access any
information you see or send over a public wireless
network.
8.
Only allow specific computers to access your
wireless network.
9. Be careful about the information you access or
send from a public wireless network.
This game is here to test your skills and IQ of
wireless internet securities and perhaps learn a
little more about it.