Blogs

Article | 5 min |
Good health and well-being aren’t things we only want for our physical bodies; we also want them for our bank accounts. There’s no better time to start building financial wellness than the present. Here are some actionable steps to begin your journey to greater gains. Financial wellness means being financially secure enough to meet all your needs and cover emergency expenses. It also means being confident in achieving long-term financial goals, such as buying property or saving for retirement. While your earnings play a significant role in achieving financial wellness, other decisive factors...
Article | 5 min |
If you get an SMS message supposedly from your bank about a fraud alert, be wary. The scheme tries to scare you into believing the scammers are representatives of your bank. An automated SMS message will appear on your phone, claiming to be a fraud alert from a banking institution. It’ll then ask if you recently made an instant payment in the thousands of dollars. How it happens: Scammers will first research your online history to learn your past addresses, Social Security numbers, the last four digits of your bank accounts or any other identifiable information about you. You will receive a...
Article | 3 min |
Home improvement projects can be sizable undertakings. Whether trying to sell or just looking to spruce things up, the financial commitment can get as steep as the project itself. Have you considered using your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) to tackle your next home improvement project? Your HELOC is a revolving loan with an open credit line from which you can make withdrawals. You only pay interest on the funds you borrow, with variable rates typically starting around the prime rate plus 2%. Think of your HELOC as a super-low-interest credit card. HELOC Pros Lower interest rates and...
Article | 5 min |
Protect your most important valuables We all have things that we want to keep safe. While we all hope that our homes are an ideal place for that, sometimes it’s a good idea to keep important items in another location. That’s where safe deposit boxes come in handy. What Are Safe Deposit Boxes? We work to keep the money of our accountholders safe, but certain locations offer the opportunity for you to rent a safe deposit box. You can ask a Personal Banker for more information about where your institution offers space for your valuables. While many things in our lives are digital, these storage...
Article | 4 min |
Does a Home’s Value Go Up With a Bathroom Renovation? Deciding what home improvement projects to invest in can be tricky. You don’t want to pour money into a renovation or remodel that won’t pay off when you go to sell. If you’re eager to increase your home’s value, consider starting in a small, but essential part of your home — your bathroom. On average, homeowners spend just over $27,000 on a mid-range bathroom renovation project, and over $82,000 on an upscale bathroom renovation project. At resale, mid-range renovations recoup 58.9% of their costs, while upscale renovations recoup 53.5%...