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.
 

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.

You can learn more about common financial frauds and how to protect yourself go to www.fdic.gov/consumernews and/or check out “Don’t Be an Online Victim” at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/guard. You can also go to www.mymoney.gov/scams.shtml and check out the scams and fraud section.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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!
 

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.   
 

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.
 

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!
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.

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.
 

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.
 

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.

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!
 

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.
 

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!
 

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.
 

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.

Note: We also have Account Comparisons for our Savings Accounts and Business Accounts.
 

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.
 

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.)
 

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!
 

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.