BankNote Jan_Feb 2011
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JAN - FEB 2011 Scale Back Alabama: Time To Get Healthy Tired of being at the bot- tom of the pile? So are many other Alabamians who have decided to take their New Year’s Resolu- tions literally to heart, and participate in the statewide fitness challenge known as “Scale Back Alabama”. In a rude awakening, the latest national research T h e B a n k N o t e F I R S T S T A T E B A N K N E W S L E T T E R MEN WOMEN Japan 79.2 yrs 86.0 yrs France 77.4 yrs 84.4 yrs United States 75.6 yrs 80.8 yrs reveals that the United States spends more dollars on healthcare than any other na- tion, yet still has a worse average life expectancy. And when compared to Europe and Japan, the statistics compound the irony even further, as public smoking remains commonplace abroad while largely snuffed out he re at home. Obesity has indeed become the final battle in the war against poor health, and stems from a variety of poor eating habits combined with a lack of physical activity. Alabama is in particularly bad shape in this research, coming in just above Mississippi as most unfit in the na- tion. One stark contributor to t he fight is that Alabama residents consume 77 g allons of soft drinks per capita, per year. Having more sugar per ounce than any other food or beverage, soft dr inks alone are a major ski rmish in the battle of t he bulge. This year, the state of Alabama launched a counterattack of its own with “Scale Back Ala- bama”, and even has a following right here at Clay County’s Health & Wellness Cen- ter. This program encourages local residents to f orm accountability teams of four, who work together with the common goal of losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks. Steven Young & Ramona Giddens confirm that 288 of our area’s residents have weighed-in for the Scale Back initiative, and will finish their challenge in early April. Regardless of the outcome, the hope is that participants will build better health habits, from physi- cal workouts, to more nutritional diets. To learn more about the program, or how t o build better health habits, visit the si te at: ScaleBackAlabama.com/healthtips2011. STATE 50th Mississippi 49th Alabama 48th Tennessee International Life Expectanc ies Healthiest St ates, 2010
Transcript of BankNote Jan_Feb 2011
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JAN - FEB
2011
Scale Back Alabama:Time To Get Healthy
Tired of being at the bot-tom of the pile? So aremany other Alabamianswho have decided to taketheir New Year’s Resolu-tions literally to heart, andparticipate in the statewidefitness challenge knownas “Scale Back Alabama”.In a rude awakening, thelatest national research
T
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kNote
FIRSTSTATE BANK NEW
SLETTER
MEN WOMEN
Japan 79.2 yrs 86.0 yrs
France 77.4 yrs 84.4 yrs
United States 75.6 yrs 80.8 yrs
reveals that the United States spends more dollars on healthcare than any other na-tion, yet still has a worse average life expectancy. And when compared to Europeand Japan, the statistics compound the irony even further, as public smoking remainscommonplace abroad while largely snuffed out here at home. Obesity has indeedbecome the final battle in the war against poor health, and stems from a variety of
poor eating habits combined with a lack of physical activity. Alabama is in particularlybad shape in this research, coming in just above Mississippi as most unfit in the na-tion. One stark contributor to the fight is that Alabama residents consume 77 gallonsof soft drinks per capita, per year. Having more sugar per ounce than any other foodor beverage, soft drinks alone are a major skirmish in the battle of the bulge. Thisyear, the state of Alabama launched a counterattack of its own with “Scale Back Ala-bama”, and even has a following right here at Clay County’s Health & Wellness Cen-ter. This program encourages local residents to form accountability teams of four,who work together with the common goal of losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks. StevenYoung & Ramona Giddens confirm that 288 of our area’s residents have weighed-infor the Scale Back initiative, and will finish their challenge in early April. Regardlessof the outcome, the hope is that participants will build better health habits, from physi-cal workouts, to more nutritional diets. To learn more about the program, or how tobuild better health habits, visit the site at: ScaleBackAlabama.com/healthtips2011.
STATE50th Mississippi
49th Alabama
48th Tennessee
International Life Expectancies
Healthiest States, 2010
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Page 2
ICBA Tips For Good Credit...
THE BANKNOTE
TIPS TO GOOD CREDIT….straight from ICBA
Open a Savings Account and contribute to it regularly.
Develop & Follow a budget. Make sure to account for fixed, variable, and non-monthly expenses
such as insurance & taxes.
Pay all bills on time, even utilities, gym fees, and parking tickets.
Use debit and credit cards for convenience and safety, but not to overspend . Monitor the ac-tivity on your account and review statements carefully. Be sure you understand the terms and anyfees that may apply.
Avoid offers to open several different credit cards, and never use one credit card to make pay-ments on another.
Order a free copy of your credit report. Under federal law, you can get a free credit report fromeach of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling (877)322-8228. Read your report carefully and correct any errors.
Build an emergency fund equal to at least 6 months of regular living expenses. If the unexpectedhappens, you will still be able to pay budgeted expenses instead of falling behind.
Another topic on the list of New Year’sresolutions is that of building better credit,and to that end, ICBA has provided stepsto make the task more manageable. Asan ICBA member (Independent Commu- nity Bankers of America), FSB is proud toparticipate in spreading the news on howto improve one’s credit standing. Withoutgood credit habits, it becomes easy tolose track of finances where there is nostructure to keep it organized. In the Age
of Information, your credit report is yourfinancial lifeline; therefore, FSB concurswith ICBA’s Good Credit Tips, recentlyreleased to help customers maintain abetter grasp on their credit standing.
“A great resource to help you get started on the road to establishing good credit is to develop a relationship with your local community bank. We work with our customers every day and throughout their lifetimes to provide financial services and help them understand how to manage their finances.” ……..ICBA Chairman Jim MacPhee
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JAN - FEB 2011
“NOTIFY ME” ALERTS
FirstState’s Internet Banking can email you when :
Your account has become overdrawn.
A set check number clears your account.Your balance falls below a set dollar amount.
Your balance rises above a set dollar amount.
A deposit is made that is greater than a set dollar amount.
A transaction occurs that is greater than a set dollar amount.
Page 3
New Toys from Internet Banking...
Read The BankNote On Email...
In an ever-growing climate of ATMs, DirectDeposits, Debit Cards, and Online Pur-chases, today’s banking customers appre-ciate all the help they can find to keep bet-ter tabs on the flow of their finances.Much like Santa with a bag full of presents,FirstState’s Internet Banking has a bundleof toys that are sure to keep our customers
delighted. Notifications are IB’s way ofassisting customers as they strive to keeptrack of important deadlines and dollaramounts, by sending these remindersdirectly to the user at regular intervals.
Since no one knows your needs betterthan you do, the amounts in question areset entirely by you, the customer, thereby
making IB your own personal assistant!And for the most familiar inquiry of all, IB’snotifications can also be set to email yourcurrent account balance to you on a daily,weekly, or monthly basis; whichever optionyou prefer to select. Instead of having totake time out of your day to contact thebank for the updates you need, now thebank can come directly to your inbox.Get started today at FirstStateDirect.com!
Our BankNote newsletter is also available on email! Now you can be instantlyconnected to each issue’s release, full of the news & tidbits that FirstStateBank brings to our community. The BankNote is released every two monthsand is available wherever you have email access. If you would like to receiveFirstState Bank’s newsletter by way of email, please send a brief email statingso to: [email protected]. We will then put your email
address on our distribution list and start getting The BankNote into your inbox!
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Community Life: Always Be Prepared
"When you give the maximum you can
rest assured that you did your best."
...words to live by from Michaeline Giffone
In The Spotlight: Michaeline Giffone
Lin ev i l le Of f ice
P.O. Box 54 7
Linev i l le , AL 3626 6
(256)396-2187
A sh l an d O f fi ce
P.O. Box 518
A sh l an d , A L 36251
(256)354-2145
W edow ee Of f ice
P.O. Box 26 4
W ed ow ee, AL 36 278
(256 )357-0 44 0
As this winter has been fraught with record-setting snowfall across the country, our community has been forced to react withcontingency plans that far exceed the norm. While a winter wonderland makes for beautiful scenery (and a memorable WhiteChristmas), it also sheds a sobering light on how important it remains to blend horsepower with horse sense . As the electricitywent out and the cold set in, the age old wisdom of “always be prepared” sparked slowly back to mind as Plans B and Clit chimneys & space heaters throughout the area. Perhaps the most settling lesson of this icy season has been that a firm grip
on both the old and the new is the best way to face the unpredictability of the future (which will forever include the weather).
Although society is dependent upon technology, computerseventually depend upon a person in order to function, and atFSB that person is Michaeline Giffone. When she made themove from Nevada to Alabama in 2002, Michaeline (betterknown as Mickey) had no idea she would soon become FSB’s
Systems Admin, and eventually gain national recognition fromICBA (Independent Community Bankers of America). Mickeystarted as a Teller at our Lineville Branch in 2003, and just oneyear later became our new Systems Admin. In this role, Mickeykeeps all of the bank’s many programs running at peak perform-ance, so that service to our customers remains continuous. Asa first responder to computer issues, Michaeline has estab-lished a solid reputation with FSB employees as more than justa “fixer”, but as someone with exceptional integrity who genu-inely strives to find permanent solutions. Combined with hertechnical savvy, Mickey’s accommodating demeanor cutsthrough the chaos when problems arise, and has recentlycaught the eye of ICBA’s national magazine, IndependentBanker . In its current issue, Michaeline joins a select few com-
munity bankers being highlighted as Rising Stars, with detailsof how their efforts enhance their respective communities.FirstState Bank is elated to see a Behind-The-Scenes champlike Michaeline receive national attention, as well as educatethe public on how her role helps customers right here at home.
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: [email protected]. Submissions are not guaranteed to be published and stories may require editing.
w w w .FirstS ta teDire ct .com
