Tips for Saving Money Over the Holidays

1. Budget Ahead of Time

Most of us have resigned to going for broke when it comes to the holiday season. We often overlook just how many people we need to buy for, just how much food we need buy, and all the parties we need to attend. Try budgeting first to see how much you have available to spend and remember all the small details that add up. We tend to miss minor expenses like postage for Christmas cards, ingredients for cookie exchanges, home décor, travel expenses, etc. Most importantly, set a realistic budget. Don’t make it too tight.

Community Banks Ahead of Curve in FDIC’s Q3 Profile

The FDIC recently released its latest Quarterly Banking Profile for Q3 with positive results. The results include all FDIC-insured institutions. The profile is described by the FDIC as a “report card on industry status and performance.” The report looks at balance, loan performance, quarterly income, annual income, ratios by asset size, loans to small businesses and small farms, and ratios for community and non-community banks.

Welcome Jon to the Team

Please join us in welcoming Jon to our support team as the newest Support Engineer!

Protecting Yourself Against Online Shopping Scams

Fraud is not something new to us. The growth of technology has caused an influx of varying scams. Most people are aware of identity theft and the precautions to take. First-party fraud is also on the rise, with people intentionally fabricating all or part of their identity to avoid paying for products or services or to receive reduced rates.¹ With online shopping at large and the holiday season upon us, we want to talk about online shopping scams we’ve been seeing lately that we might be more likely to fall for.

Celebrating Past Traditions While Moving Toward the Future

Amidst the digital age, we continue to search for traditional banking’s place in the financial industry. Community banks, naturally, have less resources and smaller staff than larger competitors, but their small size offers agility and flexibility. To compete in today’s technology-dominated market, community banks must stay strong in these offerings in order to keep their edge.

Consumer Sentiment Stays Strong in 2019

Consumer sentiment is the measure of how optimistic consumers feel about their finances and the state of the economy. There are two major reporters of consumer sentiment: The Consumer Confidence Index by the Conference Board and the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index by the University of Michigan. These are both conducted by household survey and report monthly.

What Customers Need from Their Banks

The Banking Administration Institute (BAI) conducted interviews with customers of lending institutions, hoping to gain insights on digital lending. These clients were from small and middle-market businesses and, as the BAI’s efforts found, they were more than willing to talk—in fact, they gave straight and direct comments. Turns out they were eager to talk about their banking experiences!

Are Women Being Left Behind in Tech?

In December 2019, The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville hosted a distinguished lecture by Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code (a non-profit that offers learning opportunities in computer science skills and helps girls in grades 6-12 build confidence, create career pathways, and have a support system). Saujani is an advocate for education and gender equality in the workplace, specifically tech fields.

Why Community Financial Institutions and Fintechs Are a Great Match

It’s long been known that the traditional banking system just doesn’t work for the lifestyle of today’s consumers. Fintechs have noticed these problems and created digital solutions to almost all banking needs but there is still a lot of hesitation for community financial institutions to partner with these companies—but why?

How Can I Stay Productive During The Holidays?

How do we describe the holiday season? Magical, wonderful, exciting, warm… busy, stressful, distracting. If we’re being completely honest, the holidays make it really hard to stay focus and remain productive among the crammed schedules and extra time off. Aside from the hustle and bustle of family plans and travel, you’re likely finding your schedule filled holiday parties, charity drives, and many other events the season brings.