County National Bank

Paper savings bonds will no longer be sold at financial institutions after December 31, 2011.  But they’re not going away – electronic savings bonds can be purchased online at www.treasurydirect.gov.

Existing paper bonds are still valid and will earn interest for 30 years from the issue date or until redeemed.  You can continue to cash savings bonds at the bank.  Learn more at www.treasurydirect.gov and you can also contact us at 888-322-1088 if you have any questions.

The FDIC issued a special alert on fraudulent e-mails that appear to be sent from the agency and contain an infected attachment. The bogus e-mails have addresses on the ‘From” line such as “no.reply@fdic.gov” or “notify84zma@fdic.gov”; inform recipients that their “account ACH and WIRE transaction have been temporarily suspended for security reasons”; and contain spelling and grammatical errors. The e-mails’ attachment — “FDIC_document.zip” — is likely to release malicious software if opened, the FDIC said.

If you’ve been thinking about refinancing your home loan, now is the time!

We can help you:

• Consolidate your debt
• Lower your interest rate
• Lower your payments
• Reduce the length of your loan

We offer a fast turnaround time.  Apply online today!

As more consumers turn to the Internet to do their shopping, so do the fraudsters with their scams.  County National Bank suggests that consumers follow some simple steps to protect themselves and their financial information while shopping online.

CNB offers the following tips:

• If you’re not sure, don’t share. Anyone can set up a website these days so be sure you’re familiar with the retailer’s site before you give them any of your financial information.
• Is the site secure? Look for the ‘s’ in https:// and a small padlock at the bottom of the screen before entering any payment information.
• Know the terms of your purchase. Is the product returnable and if so, who pays the shipping fees? How long will the product take to ship? What does shipping cost? Read the fine print. If it’s not clear or you don’t agree, make the purchase elsewhere.
• Print & Save. Be sure to print and save the transaction receipt, the order number, a customer service phone number, and any other information you can just in case there’s a problem with your order.
• Check the privacy policy. Find out what they’re doing with your information by reading the privacy policy. If it’s too complicated to read or they don’t have one, choose to do business with a more consumer friendly website.
• TMI. Don’t divulge too much information to anyone on the Internet. If a website is asking for your bank account number, social security number or driver’s license number, don’t share it.
• Know your rights. If you suspect you are a victim of fraud, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the Michigan Attorney General. Be sure to report it to the Better Business Bureau, too.

Did you know that the Falling Waters Trail is a major east-west component of the Jackson County Regional Trail plan, connecting Cascades, Ella Sharp, Lime Lake and Swains Lake parks in south-central Michigan’s Jackson County with the city of Jackson? The Trail has been dedicated as a Jackson County Park.

The Falling Waters Trail is a 10.5 mile linear non-motorized County Park based on the old Michigan Central railroad bed.  It runs between Weatherwax Drive and the Village of Concord, Michigan. This Trail connects Summit, Spring Arbor and Concord townships and crosses Lime Lake on an old causeway.  It connects at its east end to Jackson’s Inter City Trail which continues east three miles into downtown Jackson.  You will find bicycle lanes painted throughout the city for safe cycling.

Recently, two granite benches have been installed at the Weatherwax Road parking lot.  The seat backs of the benches are engraved with the names of those businesses and individuals that donated $1,000 or more to the development of the Falling Waters Trail.  In 2007, County National Bank donated $2,500 and is among those being recognized for their generous support.  CNB is proud to support this Jackson gem!  If you’d like more information about the Falling Waters Trail, visit www.fallingwatertrail.org.

CNB offers financial prenuptial tips

It’s the season of love, but before couples take the next step in their relationship, they should discuss their personal finances. CNB reminds customers that taking the next step is not only a marriage of hearts, but also a marriage of finances. It’s no secret that people can become blinded by love, but if you stick to a plan, your financial situation doesn’t have to be impaired.  An important component of any romantic relationship is a solid financial footing. CNB suggests that couples discuss the following:

1.      Be mine, or yours?  Will you and your spouse-to-be keep finances separated or combine them? Consider individual money styles and find a system that works for you.

2.      Love’s Cost.  Calculate costs and discuss how bills will be paid. Both may contribute to the bill payment, but who will physically write the check to pay the bills, monitor the investments and take care of the taxes. Consider setting a date every month to review and discuss finances.

3.      Sharing Credit.  It’s important that spouses are aware of the others’ credit situation.  Marrying a person with bad credit will not drag down your stellar record. However, your other half’s credit will be factored in when applying for joint financing. Knowing ahead of time will help you to plan more strategically.

4.      Cupid’s Arrow.  Couples should develop a plan to shoot down existing debt, starting with the balances that carry the highest interest rates. Whether or not the pair works as a team or alone, debt must be tackled.

5.      Sweet Savings. Saving as a couple fosters teamwork and is essential in times of financial hardship. Decide how much you want to save as a couple and do it automatically from your paychecks.

The Flex 40 CD is a 40-month certificate of deposit with flexibility!

Open a Flex 40 CD Account and if the rate goes up any time during the CD’s term, you can exercise your one-time option to raise your rate to the new rate for the remainder of the CD’s term.

Visit your local CNB office to open a Flex 40 CD today.

Robert E. Snow Receives “The Book of Golden Deeds”

The Exchange Club of Hillsdale honored former long-time CNB employee, Robert E. (Bob) Snow, at their thirty-first Book of Golden Deeds Awards Banquet on Wednesday, June 1^st.  The Book of Golden Deeds award recognizes dedicated volunteers who give endless hours of their time and talents toward making their communities better places to live. Bob Snow certainly fits that criteria and he is deserving of this special honor.

As part of the evening’s presentation, several guests honored Mr. Snow with stories of his work in the public and private sectors.  Bob began his accomplished career at County National Bank in 1973 as a teller and he retired in 2006 as Director of Branch Administration and Business Development.  His community service efforts include membership in several service organizations, terms as the Jonesville Village President, and he was instrumental in the planning and development of the Jonesville Veteran’s Memorial.

Congratulations to Bob Snow on receiving this distinguished award from the Exchange Club of Hillsdale.

The FDIC has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The e-mail appears to be sent from “alert@fdic.gov” and includes a subject line that states: “FDIC: Your business account.”

The e-mail is addressed to “Business Owners” and states “We have important information about your bank. Please click here to see information.” It then states, “This includes information on the acquiring bank (if applicable), how your accounts and loans are affected, and how vendors can file claims against the receivership.”

Comment: This e-mail and link are fraudulent and should be considered an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto your computers. You should not click on the link provided. Over the years, the FDIC has repeatedly said that it does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers or business account holders.

County National Bank was honored by the Michigan Bankers Association (MBA) for its financial literacy efforts. CNB received their 2011 Financial Literacy Award during their region’s MBA Group Meeting May 16, 2011 at Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton.

This award is given to banks making the greatest efforts to educate their community on financial literacy.

Each year the Michigan Bankers Association (MBA) collects financial literacy information from member banks that make a special effort to promote this important endeavor.  From the data received, winners from each MBA group are selected to receive the MBA Financial Literacy Award. Creativity, outreach and impact on the community were taken into consideration when being chosen for this award. County National Bank was honored and pleased to receive the MBA Group E (formally Group 9) Financial Literacy Award for 2010.  Of the six years this award has been presented, the bank has won five times.