Nov - Dec

2009
‘Tis the Season:
Together In Harmony
FirstState Bank agrees
that there is just some-
thing different in the Ala-
bama air when the
month of December rolls
around, and as such, we
are decking our lobbies
to the fullest with boughs
of holly. Here in our
community, traditions of
The BankNote

seasons past are rekin- Linda Rochester Clay County Women’s Chorus
dled in everyday life
when the sounds of De-
FIRSTSTATE BANK NEWSLETTER

cember begin to play.

As children anticipate
the Holiday perks, adults
join in the parade and
find themselves hum-
ming along with treas-
ured memories of their
own childhood. To bring
this spirit of celebration
to the fullest, our com-
munity is coming alive
with music of the season
from the Clay County
Arts League Women’s
Chorus. Organized by
Linda Rochester, this
talented group of 15 la-
dies will be singing a
variety of seasonal mu-
sic on Dec 13 at 6:00pm
at the First Methodist
Church of Ashland.
Linda herself has
dedicated the rest of her The Women’s Chorus
life to bringing people sings in 4-Part harmony
together, and finds there and will be joined this year
is no better example of by a Youth Choir covering
harmony than that of all age groups, with an em-
choral music. “Singing- phasis on Sight-Reading
in-parts is a dying art, and 2-Part harmony. Linda
partly because it is so states that the program for
difficult to perform. As the event will feature both
we strive to harmonize traditional and international
our voices, we become a songs. As she puts it,
symbol to our audience “Music you have probably
of what is possible when heard, but definitely
we come together as haven’t overheard”.
one”. Linda goes on to
say that, “Our commu-
nity can accomplish so
much when we are will-
ing to work together in
h a r m o n y . ” Clay County Arts League
Smart Banking...
While most of us consider the holiday
season to be a time of gift-giving &
goodwill, scammers see it as a great
opportunity to take advantage of the
unprepared. One such scam that has
hit our area more frequently in recent
years is that of fraudulent cashier’s
checks. The Independent Commu-
nity Bankers Association (ICBA) re-
cently made the comment that,
“Fraudsters are capitalizing on the
mass availability of inexpensive copi-
ers to create doctored copies of
genuine or phony cashier’s checks.”
These checks find their way to unsus-
pecting consumers who are then
duped into losing their money. FSB
concurs with ICBA’s advice never to
accept a cashier’s check if it is:
A) For more than the item’s purchase
price. Scammers often invent rea-
sons to explain why they are spend-
ing more than the purchase amount.
B) From a party other than the buyer,
or on someone else’s behalf.
C) From “friends” hard on their luck.
D) From parties offering a quick, easy
way to make money. If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.
Moving to FSB as Easy as 1-2-3...
In most businesses, dissatisfied cus-
tomers do not return; however in the
world of banking, this is not always
the case. A recent poll has shown
that what keeps unhappy customers
staying put is the inconvenience in-
volved in changing banks; from time
constraints, to different account num-
bers, to juggling cash flow. FirstState
wants this process to be as simple as
possible for our new customers, so to
that end, we have created some help-
ful hints to cut through the chaos.
The 1st STEP is to open the new
account, and to do this, FSB requires
a valid adult ID, social security num-
ber, and proof of physical address.
Checking or Savings accounts re-
quire an initial minimum deposit.
(If you already have a Savings ac-
count at another bank, those funds
can be a convenient source for estab-
lishing your new balance at FSB.)
Page 2
A second scam that is gaining atten-
tion is that of computer viruses that
target online customers. These
scams are often highlighted in news
stories and then quickly abandoned
without any mention of safety precau-
tions that banks might have in place
to protect their customers. At First-
State Bank, we chose our Internet
Banking Service Provider very care-
fully after researching this very con-
cern. After scrutinizing their record,
process, and reliability, we concluded
that they are the most capable and
qualified provider to secure our site
against infiltration. Furthermore, we
also require them to supply us with
their audit reports. Our I.T. Depart-
ment then strives to confirm their
security is compliant with regulatory
requirements. By going to such ex-
treme measures, we believe that we
are giving our customers the utmost
protection from predators. We also
urge online consumers to invest in
their own anti-virus software that per-
forms outside the bank’s sphere of
influence, and to shred any docu-
ments that are no longer needed.
The 2nd STEP is to make a list of
all your bills that would be
affected by the change. Organize
all of your account numbers &
phone numbers onto one list, and
then call any creditors that would
need to know about the change.
(Direct Deposits are usually the
most time-consuming so if you will
be calling Social Security, our re-
search has found Tue-Wed-Thu to
be the best days to call.) Once you
have finished monitoring your old
account for all remaining debits to
clear, the 3rd STEP is simply to
close that old account, and bring
your balance over to FSB. The se-
cret to making a successful switch is
keeping your checkbook perfectly
balanced throughout the process. If
you have questions that we can
answer, please feel free to call our
CSRs to get your switch started.
T HE B A N K N O T E
Read The BankNote on Email...

Our BankNote newsletter is now available on email! Now you can be instantly
connected to each issue’s release, including sound clips of highlights from the
FirstState Game of the Week. The BankNote is released every two months
and is available wherever you have email access. If you would like to receive
FirstState Bank’s newsletter by way of email, please send a brief email stating
so to: Vaughn.Samuels@FirstStateDirect.com. We will then put your email
address on our distribution list and start getting The BankNote into your inbox!

Balancing Your Checkbook...

THE OLD WAY THE NEW WAY

Verify your current balance. Enroll at FirstStateDirect.com and

watch the computer do it for you.
Document every debit & credit on
your check register.
For joint accounts, include other
owner’s debits & credits.
Remember to include any
charges to your Debit Card.
Remember to include ATM cash
withdrawals.
Subtract all debits.
Add all credits.
Arrive at accurate new balance.

Christmas shopping has ATM withdrawals, Debit Card usage, and Online purchases shifting into full gear, so with all this
traffic moving from one account, bank customers can use a hand in keeping track of it all! FSB recommends trying Internet
Banking. Balancing Your Checkbook is just one of its many advantages but it is by far one of the easiest benefits you will
ever receive. To balance your As soon as a check clears, it is re-
checkbook manually, you depend flected on your screen. Debit Cards
heavily on other sources to be accu- are even easier to track because
rate. The only way to know if a their charges are visible on the same
check has cleared is to personally business day that they happen. This
check your balance and do the math way, joint account holders can in-
to figure out why your balance has stantly see the activity on their ac-
changed. For multiple owners on count, rather than having to wait for
the same account, the situation com- a convenient moment to ask. Out-
pounds even further. And in the standing debits still have to clear, but
modern world of Debit Cards & once they do, IB is like having ac-
ATMs, it isn’t just your checks that cess to the same screen the bank
factor in—-everything must be ac- would have on your account. Bal-
counted for to get it right! With Inter- When cash is floating, ancing Your Checkbook is just one
net Banking, this pain-staking chore of the ways that Internet Banking
is a thing of the past. When you log Internet Banking can simplify your life. For more in-
into your account, you instantly see formation on Bill Reminder, Bill Pay,
your current balance and ALL the keeps you grounded and IB Customer Service, check out
transactions that led to that number. our Jan/Feb issue of the BankNote.

N O V - DE C 20 0 9 Page 3
In The Spotlight...
Whether you are
visiting Scott for a Master’s Clay in Concert - Oct 3, 2009
new account or
listening to one of
his concerts, the
first word that will
come to mind is
TALENT. Scott
joined our Ashland
branch as a CSR
in Sept of 2008,
and has been
brightening the
"Building customer relationships lobby ever since
with his winsome
will make you a successful banker" personality and
staunch reputation
...words to live by from Scott Brand as an upstanding
member of the
local community.

In addition to his work with new accounts at the bank, Scott Brand is also an accomplished musician who sings and plays piano
with local Southern Gospel sensation, The Master’s Clay. Along with Sharon Morgan and Shotgun Giddens, this trio gives 30 to
40 electrifying performances between the months of March & October. Scott relays that the success of the group is founded upon
having established a solid reputation that listeners have come to trust. “That sense of reputation carries over directly to banking”,
says Scott, “where customers are looking for a place where they can entrust their most valued commodity—--their money”. Firmly
founded in such matters of trust, Scott greets every customer by name and cheerfully lives out his motto, “I never meet a stranger.”

Community Life...
At the tender age of 4, restored this 3-Bdrm structure
Ellen Sewell lost 4 fingers into a fascinating getaway
in a lawnmower accident, that overflows with heritage
but that did not stop her and meaning. From historical
from becoming one of themes of Victorian tradition
Ashland’s finest artisans. to present day remem-
Like many homeowners, brances, this house warms its
Ellen has found value in guests with room after room
the craft of Lodging, and of creative expressions.
has refurbished the former While some artists are only as
Workman House into a good as their tools, Ellen’s
work of art for family gath- work testifies they need only
erings. More than a bed & the touch of a master’s hand.
breakfast, Ellen’s vision is
a place of seclusion for
visitors in need of privacy
& comfort. Having burned
to the ground in Feb 2008,
Ellen has personally 40955 Hwy 77

If you have a digital picture of life in our community that you would like to share in a future issue of The BankNote, please email it to:
Vaughn.Samuels@FirstStateDirect.com. Submissions are not guaranteed to be published and stories may require editing.

Lineville Office Ashland Office Wedowee Office

P.O. Box 547 P.O. Box 518 P.O. Box 264
Lineville, AL 36266 Ashland, AL 36251 Wedowee, AL 36278
(256)396-2187 (256)354-2145 (256)357-0440
www.FirstStateDirect.com