Financial Stability & Making Home Affordable
Our newly elected President Obama and his Administration have begun taking drastic steps to bring the nation's economy back to life. Among these programs is the
Making Home Affordable effort.
First Citizens State Bank is currently researching and staying abreast of the programs and options for our customers. There are many intricate details that comprise each part of these programs. As options
become available, we are training our staff to better serve you.
The following web sites contain a large quantity of information as well as some self-assessment tools that are available to help prepare and educate yourself. As a consumer, educating yourself on these programs
is a great practice. We ask that if you have questions, please do not hesitate to call, however we ask for your patience because more information and program details are coming each day.
Your Credit & You
Your credit report and history are one of the most important factors in your financial position. When you make loan requests, credit card applications, lease agreements, utility commitments, etc., the list goes on,
the company or person(s) to which you are applying for credit may inquire on your credit history which is provided in the form of a report. It is important that you know what your credit report contains and continue
to have an understanding of what your position is and will be. The following information is provided to help assist you in better understanding your credit, credit report and history.
- 1. What is a credit report?
- 2. What is a credit score?
- 3. What does my report say about me?
- 4. Where can I get a copy of my report?
- 5. What if I find a mistake or error?
- 6. What are the 3 Credit Bureaus?
Current Scams
The cardinal rule when it comes to scams is simple –
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
It is nearly impossible to detail all of the scams that are currently circulating. First Citizens State Bank takes an active approach in seeking out current scams and providing our customers with
a safe banking environment. At the present time, the biggest offender in scams are fake check crimes. We hope some of the information below will help you protect yourself from falling victim to
a scam.
- 1. What exactly is a fake check scam?
- 2. Where do they come from?
- 3. Who is responsible for the money?
- 4. Where can I get more information?
Customer Alerts
April 6, 2010
We have received a number of emails that claim to be from First Citizens State Bank and indicate access to your account has been restricted. Please know that this is a
malicious email, not sent by First Citizens State Bank and we ask that you delete it immediately. If you have clicked or followed the link in the email, please contact
us immediately. Thank you for being a valued customer of ours!
November 12, 2009
First Citizens State Bank has been notified of a phishing email circulating claiming to be from NACHA, which handles ACH and electronic payments. The email has a link requesting you to verify a rejected
transaction. Please do
NOT click the link as it is a malicious link and has the potential to harm your identity and/or computer. Thank you for being a First Citizens State Bank
Customer and a safe online user.
E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC – October 26, 2009
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.
The subject line of the e-mail states: "check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The e-mail tells recipients that, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets."
The e-mail then asks recipients to "visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage" (a fraudulent link is provided). It then instructs recipients to "download and open your personal FDIC Insurance File to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage."
This e-mail and associated Web site are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft.
The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT follow the link in the fraudulent e-mail.
October 12, 2009
First Citizens State Bank has been notified that some of our customers have been contacted regarding their account by unauthorized individuals. These scam artists are claiming that your account, particularly
your debit card, will be frozen unless account information is verified. This is considered a phishing scam and First Citizens State Bank takes all of these matters seriously.
Please remember, that a First Citizens State Bank employee will NEVER contact you and require or request personal information to "verify" or "unlock" your account. If you contact us
we will ask you for information to verify your identity as it pertains to your accounts and relationship with First Citizens State Bank.
If you think you have been contacted by these scammers or have been contacted have given out any information, please
contact us right away so that we may assist you with this matter.
