Tag Archives: Bremen Banking Center

Heartbleed Bug Does Not Impact VCNB Online Banking

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In the news as of late, the Heartbleed Bug has caused concern to many of our customers. While it is important to learn about the many facets of this particular vulnerability, we want you to rest assured that The Vinton County National Bank is aware and monitoring the Heartbleed Bug as it pertains to customer information.

heartbleedPlease rest assured that our Online Banking Applications are not vulnerable to the Heartbleed Bug. However, it is recommended that you change your online banking password. Reason being, consumers have a tendency to use the same password among many websites, some of those susceptible to an attack.

To change your password, please log-in to your online banking and click the options tab. As a reminder, please do not ever change your password via a link in an email or give out your online banking credentials over the phone or via text message. It is the policy of VCNB to never solicit your online banking password, social security number or account numbers via telephone, text or email.

As a service to our customers, we strongly recommend you stay abreast of the situation with the Heartbleed Bug. Please change your passwords on those sites they feel have been effected. It is always a good rule of thumb to change your passwords frequently and to avoid using a password more than once.

Talk To Your Teens About Money

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Last week we talked about teaching young children about saving and managing money. It tends to be easy when they’re little because you can just tell a young child that saving money is important and that they must do it. But what about your teenagers? They are still kids but are nearing adulthood and all the financial decisions that come with it.

Here are five topics to start with!

Talk About Credit – Teach your kids the difference between good credit and bad credit. Talk to them about the difference between borrowing responsibly to buy a house and spending wildly with a credit card. They will soon be bombarded with offers for shiny new credit cards with enticing offers. Talk to them about how to use credit cards wisely – spend only what they can really afford, pay off the balance every month and pay on time.

Teach teens to use technology for banking, monitoring their credit score and even budgeting!

Teach teens to use technology for banking, monitoring their credit score and even budgeting!

Budgeting – Does your teen have an after school job or an allowance? Talk to them about how to budget those funds and plan for the future. Are they saving for college or for a new car? Are they blowing all their money on new music and fast food? Help them set up a budget for their money by identifying their expenses and savings needs. Then list their income and help them prioritize how to spend and save that income.

Daily Tasks – Involve your teens in household tasks that involve financial decision making. Teach them how to write a check and how to balance a checkbook. Show them around your online bank account, let them schedule your bills through Online Bill Pay and talk about the expensive damage caused by late payments. Take them grocery shopping and explain why you buy the cereal that’s on sale and why you typically buy ground beef instead of steak. Teach them the basic daily skills they will need to survive adulthood.

Pay Yourself First – Talk to them about saving money and why it’s important. Teach them to make it a priority to save a little bit from their allowance or their paycheck every single week. “Pay yourself first” is a powerful mantra that will make saving automatic. Just ten percent can add up quickly and can build a nice nest egg for emergencies, a down payment for a car or living expenses for their college years.

Credit Scores – Talk to your teens about the correlation between a credit score and spending habits. Talk to them about how their credit score will impact their borrowing ability in the future. Carrying an excessive credit card balance and paying bills late now and then may not seem like a big deal to a teenager. But these behaviors will affect their borrowing ability, determine future loan rates, affect their ability to rent an apartment or insure a car and ultimately affect the affordability of these things they need and want as adults. Reinforce the idea that paying bills on time, paying off credit cards every month and making good financial decisions will increase their credit score.

 

VCNB Releases Website Redesign

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Have you visited our website recently? VCNB recently unveiled some changes to www.vintoncountybank.com that we hope you will find useful.

“While our website was packed with good information, we wanted to update the website to have a more modern appearance and to make it easier to navigate,” said VCNB Marketing Specialist Justine Fyffe. “There are less pages on our new site. This will help users find the information they are looking for without having to navigate between multiple pages,” she said.

For example, the Personal Accounts page provides information on VCNB products including checking and savings accounts, personal loans, credit cards, gift cards and IRAs. Drop down boxes provide easy to read product comparisons. Many of these accounts can be opened online.

A chat button on the homepage allows any customer or potential customer to chat with bank representatives in our Customer Service, New Accounts and Loans Departments.

Other new features include a Learning Center which features training demos and links to helpful financial articles. “We also started a Kid’s Page that features our new mascot, Saver Squirrel. This page provides safe links to educational puzzles and activities for kids,” Fyffe explained.

A Google map link to all VCNB branch and ATM locations makes it easy to find our 13 banking centers. Links to the VCNB blog, Linkedin and Facebook accounts make it easy for customers to find and follow VCNB through their favorite social media.

“We are very excited about our website’s new look. We hope that customers will like the changes and that they find the website easy to navigate,” Fyffe said.

Check out the new look at www.vintoncountybank.com and be sure to comment here and tell us what you think!

 

 

 

Teaching Kids To Save

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Each year VCNB offices participate in Teach Children To Save, a nationwide effort to, well, to teach children to save money. Staff members go into classrooms in local communities to talk with youngsters about why it is important to save money and the difference between needs and wants. We think it is important to give kids practical tips that will help them become money smart adults.

Would you like to teach your kids good spending and saving habits? Here are a few tips!

Piggy bank - whiteFeed the Piggy – Little kids like to get money and they think it’s fun to drop change into a piggy bank. Periodically help them count the contents of the bank so they can see how much their savings have grown.

Needs Versus Wants – Teaching kids the difference between needs and wants will help them make wise decisions today and in the future.

Set Savings Goals – If your child wants a new video game, offer to pay half if they can save the rest of the money. Having a goal in mind, especially if it is something they really want, will help them stay on track.

Make Saving Easy – If your child receives an allowance, break it down so saving is easy. If they receive $5 and the rule is they must save a dollar a week, give it to them in dollar denominations so there is no excuse for not dropping the dollar in the bank. It may even be fun to help them count their savings every week and talk about how good it feels to save.

Open an Account – Regardless of their age, open a savings account for your child. When they have birthday money or when their piggy bank gets full, you can bring them to the bank to deposit funds, have their passbook stamped and watch their account grow. At VCNB, we have savings accounts for minors that require no minimum balance to open. We also have coin counters at several locations to help adding up all that change easy.

Teach in Every Day Life – Embrace opportunities to talk with your kids about money and spending and how things work. If you pay for a restaurant meal with a credit card, explain how credit cards work and why you are using one. When you swipe your VCNB debit card at the grocery, talk with them about how your debit card is tied directly to your checking account and that a swipe is the same as handing over cash. Teach them to comparison shop at the store and how to understand the unit price listed on the store shelf. These are skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

Lead by Example – Talk with your kids about your savings goals for retirement or even how you are saving a few dollars each paycheck for the family vacation this year. Your kids will follow your lead so find ways to be a good role model

 

 

 

Shareholders Convene For Annual Meeting

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Shareholders attending the annual meeting of Community Bancshares, Inc. on Tuesday, April 1 learned that their investment yielded a total return of 8.58 % in 2013. Approximately 135 shareholders attended the dinner meeting held at the Eagles Events Center.

Chairman Thomas D. Will welcomed shareholders and their guests, informing them that 2013 was a strong year and discussing the need to keep up with the needs and demands of customers to insure continued growth. “We will continue to add new products our customers demand and, if we’re going to attract the younger generation, we need a strong internet channel,” he said. “If there’s a better way to deliver services to our customers we want to know about it,” Will explained.

He then turned the gavel over to CBI Secretary/Treasurer Ben Crow. Mr. Crow informed shareholders that total assets grew 1.9 % in 2013 to $750.8 million. Net income rose 3.1 % to $6,790,458, and the book value of CBI stocks is $68.33 per share, an increase of 6.4%.

Vinton County National Bank President, Ronald Collins presented the state of the bank and outlined goals for the coming year.He credited Head of Lending Mark Erslan and his staff for making 2013 a successful year and discussed the release of a new logo meant to unify the bank’s 13 locations. “We spent a lot of time branding our individual hometown branches. Now we need to tie them together,” he explained. Collins went on to inform shareholders that 2014 objectives include actively pursuing acquisitions, improving market share in our current branch network and expanding online banking.

Erslan went on to present achievement awards to several Loan Officers and New Account Representatives for their outstanding job performance in 2013. He recognized them individually, informing shareholders of their length of service with the bank and why they are each an asset to the organization. Retail Accounts Vice President Monica Delong gave a brief presentation on Online Banking and the various products and services the bank currently offers.

Perhaps the most memorable moment came when former VCNB President Steve Hunter presented a gift to longtime board member Esther Crownover. Mrs. Crownover recently retired after 30 years of service, helping the bank grow exponentially over her tenure.

Many people know Crownover for her involvement in the local timber industry and for her love of race horses but she has also been a valued member of the board throughout the bank’s growth.

Crownover joined the VCNB board in January 1984 and the CBI Board in March of that year.  “The growth of the bank was just amazing over the years. Incredible, really,” she said.

Among other things, she has been involved in the board’s Audit Committee since 1984. She noted how much the audit report has changed and how complicated it has become compared to when she started.

About board service, Crownover noted “It’s been a good relationship.Everyone has been good to work with and to see the amazing progress the bank has made has been interesting.”

 

35 Ways To Save Some Dollars

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While it’s tempting to look for big ways to save money, don’t discount the small things you can do to save a few dollars that will ultimately add up to big dollars. Here are 35 small things you can do, simple behavior changes, that can help you stretch your hard earned cash a little further.

Little changes can save big money over time!

Little changes can save big money over time!

1.  Pay bills on time to avoid late fees and interest charges.2.  Mom was right. Turn off the lights when no one is using the room.

3.   Swap sugary drinks for water. It’s free and it’s good for you!

4.  Use Billpay at VCNB! This service is free to online banking customers as long as you use it at least once a month. You just schedule your payment and we take care of the rest. There’s no stamp to buy or envelope to lick, making it convenient and easy to use

5.  Skip the drive thru and make your coffee at home. Along those lines, carry a reusable water bottle when you travel. It will save you money and help the environment.

6.  Sign up for rewards programs at stores you frequent. Grocers and pharmacies will often give you coupons for discounts or even free merchandise.

7.  Try the store brands of your favorite foods. Often times, the packaging looks different and the price is higher but the contents are the same as the name brand.

8.  Share music, books and movies with a friend. It’s a great way to introduce each other to new artists.

9.  Remember it’s usually cheaper to cook for your family than to pick up fast food. Stock your freezer with some convenience meals for those nights you’re tempted to order takeout.

10.  Cancel memberships and subscriptions that you don’t use. There’s no sense paying for a magazine that you don’t read or a gym membership if you never go.

11.  Skip the vending machine and try bringing snacks from home.

12.  Jazz up leftovers to avoid wasting food.  There are a lot of websites and blogs dedicated to cooking and some to reinventing leftovers. See number 16 another great idea for leftovers!

13.  Improve gas mileage by airing up your tires. Experts say that for every two PSI that all of your tires are below the recommended level, you lose one percent on your gas mileage.

14.  Try your hand at Meatless Monday. There are tons of great casseroles and soups that are delicious and inexpensive to make because they don’t use meat.

15.  Plug your electronic devices into a surge protector.  All those cords for your TV, DVD player and gaming devices have to plug in somewhere. Many people don’t realize that they continue to use power even when turned off so be sure to flip the switch when they aren’t in use.

16.  Pack your lunch and save a bundle every month. By bringing leftovers or a sandwich from home, you can eat a healthier lunch and save money. If you typically spend just $5 a day on lunch, at five days a week for four weeks, you can save $100 a month!

17.  Close the blinds or drapes during the day to keep light and heat from coming in during the summer. The extra heat will make your air conditioner work harder in the summer. On the other hand, open them up to let in sunshine to help with winter heating.

18.  When conditions are appropriate, use cruise control to regulate your speed and improve your gas mileage.

19.  Another great way to save on gas is to combine errands into one trip.  If some stops are close together, park your car and walk a bit. Since walking is good for your health there’s an added benefit!

20.  Going to the movies? Check out the matinee instead of the evening show. Ticket prices at some theaters are significantly cheaper earlier in the day and theaters are less crowded.

21.  Kick your vices to the curb. Whether it’s smoking or a daily run to the ice cream shop, these habits can be expensive and bad for your health.

22.  Do you shop when you’re bored? Why not play a game with your kids, take a walk or check out a community event instead?

23.  Check out your local library for all sorts of free resources. You might be surprised to find so many new release books and movies as well as magazines, free events and things for the kids to enjoy.

24.  Ask your physician to consider prescribing generic drugs. Generic drugs can cost several hundred dollars less to purchase annually than brand-name drugs.

25.  Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater just a few degrees to save a lot of dollars each year.

26.  Plan ahead for holidays. Buying cards, wrapping paper and gift bags after Christmas can save you 50 to 75 percent on these needed items. But you can also find cupcake wrappers, cards and decorations deeply discounted after every holiday throughout the year.

27.  Repair (or work around) before you pitch. Don’t toss out that blouse because it needs a button or that vase because it has a chip in the side. Learn to sew that button back on and how to turn the vase so no one sees the flaw!

28.  Buy produce that’s in season. It will taste better and save you dollars. If you find a great deal on berries, buy extra to freeze for later and enjoy the flavor of the season for less.

29.  Make sure that your drapes and furniture don’t block heating and cooling vents.

30.  Unplug your cell phone charger when it isn’t in use.

31.  Leave the thermostat alone. If you’re cold, put on a sweater or get up and move around.

32.  Open the windows! If the outside temperature is moderate, open the windows and let the breeze and sunshine in. It will save on your electric bill and help to air out your home.

33.  Carpool to work. Make friends with a coworker in your neighborhood and take turns driving. You will save wear and tear on your vehicle and on fuel. Plus you will have company along the way!

34.   Have a spill that’s not too messy? Use a dish towel instead of a paper towel. The expense of disposable products adds up quickly.

35.  Plan your week. Don’t wake up every day wondering what your kid will take for lunch. Create a meal plan and shop for it and prepare meals and pack leftovers into your lunch the night before. Also remember to plan for what tomorrow will bring. If your daughter has soccer practice, pack some snacks so you don’t have to swing into the drive thru.

Do you have other tips for saving money in your everyday life? We would love to hear them! Post a comment below and remember also to subscribe so you never miss a post from VCNB.

Checking My Way: Flexible and Easy

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Have you heard about our Checking May Way account? We really like the flexibility and options this account provides!

With Checking My Way, there is no minimum balance required and there are no fees for electronic statements. If you would like to have a paper statement mailed to you each month, the cost is $3 per month without check images and $5 per month with check images.

Checking My WayThe account comes with a standard debit card but for a $5 fee that can be upgraded to a vanity debit card.

Free Online Banking, Bill Pay and Mobile Banking will help you to stay connect on the go and from anywhere you have internet access. Plus, Account Alerts can help you stay in the know about what’s happening with your account with various kinds of transactions.

Another great feature is Mobile Deposit which is available with our Touch Banking app. This allows Checking My Way customers to deposit a check by taking a picture of it with their mobile phone.

This is a terrific account for people of all ages and for anyone looking for an account that allows them choice in features. Are you ready to sign up? Click here to open your account online today! We also welcome you into our 13 branches to sit down with a New Accounts Representative and receive the personal service you deserve.

Cost Cutting Tuesday: Television

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Television.  It’s an amazing invention that brings the world into your living room with just a click of the remote. It can take you on an African safari, give you a front row seat at Carnegie Hall and take you to midcourt of your favorite basketball game. It’s entertaining and a terrific time killer.

It’s also a budget buster if you allow it to be.

Fortunately, there are some opportunities to trim costs in this department.

TV Remote ControlBuy an antenna – If you don’t watch a lot of TV and are happy with local channels, a simple HDTV antenna could be the solution. They are inexpensive and a great option for those who just want the basics.

Cut back on channels – How many channels do you really watch? Take a look at your package and consider cutting back. Basic packages typically include the most popular channels so you may not miss anything. If you actually watch those premium channels and see value in having them, there are other options.

Watch for deals – Satellite and cable companies tend to run a lot of promotions to attract new customers. However, these promotions are sometimes available to existing customers too. Check out their website and watch the mail for coupons and offers. If that doesn’t work, call customer service and ask if there are any deals available.

Shop around – Consider your options. Is there another cable provider in your town? Have you considered satellite TV? Often times, these companies offer better packages for your needs, discounted introductory rates or other promotions to attract new customers.

Go online – Many shows can be streamed online for free or for a monthly subscription. If you have reliable internet, using these online resources may be the way to go.

Bundle Up – Bundling your TV service with phone and internet may save you a few bucks without sacrificing the amount of channels you have to choose from. Ask your provider if this is an option.

Digital Media Players  –  Using the power of the internet, these set top box-like devices allow you to stream live content or watch programming on-demand at your convenience. Roku, Google Chromecast, and AppleTV are popular choices, but did you know that your gaming system may serve as a streaming device as well? Smart TVs are an option and are becoming more the ‘norm.’ The most popular channels tend carry a minimal monthly fee in the range of $5-$10, but there is also an abundance of free content. Purchasing a few must-have channels in addition to the free programming could allow you to cancel your cable or satellite subscription altogether!

Trimming just $10 a month can save you $120 a year and $25 would add up to $300 in a year.  It’s tough to remember sometimes but the little things really do add up in a big way.