Reliabank Offers iHELP Student Loans

iHELP is an affordable student loan program sponsored and funded by local independent community banks such as Reliabank.

iHELP student loans are the easiest and most affordable way to cover your child's cost of education. It is designed for the "gap" between the cost of education and the amount you can borrow under the federal programs. The iHELP® program provides private student loans designed to supplement, but not replace scholarships, grants and other financial aid including Federal Student Loans currently offered on college campuses.

iHELP's online pre-approval process allows a student and family to quickly and easily determine if they will qualify for a private student loan.

• The pre-approval response is free and immediate
• The pre-approval can be used at any iHELP eligible school
• It's easy! 

Plus, on iHELP's pre-approval site the student will find a link to apply for one of their $1,000 College Challenge Scholarships.

Visit iHELPloan.com to learn more. Offer expires August 31.

Our VISA Goes Where You Go

Reliabank VISA® Card - A Great Value Right Here At Home

We focus on the needs of our customers and our community. That's why we provide you with the quality service you deserve and expect. So, carry a little bit of home with you, wherever you go.

 

What do you need from a credit card? Low rates? Travel benefits and other incentives?

 

Did you know Reliabank offers Visa® Credit Cards for personal use?
Our credit cards offer the following features:

• The perfect card for all of your purchasing needs.
• Our VISA® Platinum or ScoreCard VISA® gives you the ability to buy needed items now
• 0% APR introductory rate for the first six billing cycles after the account is opened
• Worldwide acceptance
• No Annual Fee
• Obtain Cash at over 700,000 ATM's worldwide
• $1,000,000 Travel Accident Insurance coverage
• Auto Rental Insurance

View your account online at http://www.mycardstatement.com/

 

Visa® ScoreCard earns you 1 point for every $1 in qualifying purchases. Visit http://www.scorecardrewards.com/ for your reward options.

Stop by any Reliabank location for more details or apply online. It's easy! Click here for application

 

 

NOTICE: Reliabank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information or graphics of websites linked to Reliabank.com.

 

Planning Ahead Can Help You Keep Your Money Safe

It's the kickoff of summer, and with many Americans planning to hit the road or the skies for their much-anticipated summer vacation, Reliabank and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) want consumers to have the information they need before they leave home to keep their money safe.


“Whether your summer vacation takes you to the other side of the globe or just to the nearest beach, it’s always important to protect your money while you travel,” said Jeff Gerhart, ICBA chairman and chairman of Bank of Newman Grove, Neb. “Relationship-focused community bankers can work one-on-one with their customers to prepare them for all kinds of emergencies, from a lost wallet to identity theft.”

Financial professionals agree that the safest and most convenient way to travel with your money is to take a small amount of cash with you. It’s also a good idea to carry a debit, credit or ATM card. These cards are convenient while traveling because they are easy to carry, easy to use and often offer the lowest fees and the best exchange rates. Reliabank's debit card and credit card are both free to customers. As a member of the MoneyPass network, our customers can use their debit cards to withdraw cash free of charge at MoneyPass ATM's nationwide.

However, travelers still need to plan ahead to be prepared. To help, Reliabank offers these tips to consumers about what they need to take care of before they take off:

• Let us know when and where you will be traveling to avoid account holds or transaction rejections when out-of-the-ordinary transactions are presented for processing or posted.

• If you're traveling overseas, keep in mind that ATMs in many countries only accept four-digit personal identification numbers (PINs) and some countries have keyboards with numbers only, while others do not acknowledge zeros. Ask us if you should create a new PIN for your account before you take your trip.

• Carry a back-up card that you keep in a separate place. Families or couples may get even greater back-up coverage if each person takes a different card.

• Make copies of all the cards you’ll be carrying. Be sure to copy the front and back of the card. Take a copy with you and give a copy to someone you trust back home. Be sure to also include the security code for the card and the customer service phone number.

• Set up transaction alerts for credit and debit cards. This will allow you to be informed much faster of any transactions that occur on your cards and shut down fraudulent activity.

• Bring a list of emergency phone numbers, but remember, 800 numbers can only be used in the United States and Canada.
• Many credit cards provide travel accident insurance and traveler’s assistance. Ask us what special services are available through your card.

• Check your balance before you leave. Know the limits on how much you can withdraw. Save all your receipts.

• Thoroughly check any ATMs that you use; fraudsters are increasingly altering the facades of ATMs in an effort to capture card data. Ensure the card reader does not look tampered with and pull on it to ensure it’s not a layover.

“Remember, in the event that something unfortunate does happen, community bankers are always just a phone call away, ready and able to help their customers,” said Gerhart.

For more information about what to do if you your card is lost or stolen or if you need additional help, visit http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/travel_with_visa.html or http://www.mastercard.us/support/lost-card.html.

To learn more about ICBA, visit http://www.icba.org/. To find a community bank or download our free community bank locator mobile apps for your iPhone, Android or BlackBerry, visit http://www.banklocally.org/.

Wild Month at Reliabank

It has most definitely been a wild and crazy month here at Reliabank!

Poker Alice Band plays to a crowd during our 15th Anniversary party

Kids gathered around Reliabank's Duck Pond during Rodeo Days festivities

On June 14th we held our 15th Anniversary party in Watertown during the Thursday Night Light event. Our employees served up sirloin sandwiches to over 500 people and The Poker Alice Band played for everyone's entertainment. A beautiful evening was icing on the cake!

We then moved on to celebrate Rodeo Days in Estelline, Jamboree Days in Hartford, and Tea Pot Days in Tea this past weekend. Great turnouts at all these community events and we thank everyone that attended the parades and stopped by our booths to check us out.

Today we gear up for our annual Hot Dog Days in Hayti where our employees will be grilling out and serving up some fun! If you're in the area, come join us at the fire hall from 11am-1pm. Tomorrow we fire up the grill in Hazel from 11am-1pm. Stop by so we can say "Hello!"

Saturday tops off the busy month of June with our Super Eagles Kids Club Zoo Day. We'll see many of our little super savers enjoying pizza and touring the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown. A great day for family!

And don't forget our summer SMART BANK SMART PHONE promotion where you could win one of seven smartphones! Click Here to Learn More!

Win With Reliabank!

Looking for a high interest checking account with no minimum balance? Then you will want to check out our Smart Bank Smart Phone summer promotion!

It's simple. Open an Ultimate Checking account between June 6 - August 15 and your name will automatically go in a drawing for one of seven SMARTPHONES! Click Here for details.

A free checking account with no minimum balance, no monthly service charge, and several other features to make your banking better - our Ultimate Checking offers you the highest interest rate around on checking plus FREE ATM/CheckCard (1), FREE ONLINE banking, FREE Bill Pay and eMobile Banking, FREE withdrawals at any MoneyPass® ATM, and convenient account access at thousands of ATMs.

Stop in at any Reliabank location today and open your new Ultimate Checking account for your chance to WIN!



(1) Fees may apply at non-Reliabank ATM's. Parent/guardian co-sign required for those under age. Promotion
offer good June 6-August 15, 2012. Smartphone prize given in form of $250 credit to phone store. No purchase necessary. Stop in at any Reliabank location for an entry form. See bank for more details.

What's Happening?

School is out, families are planning gatherings,
and here at Reliabank we are celebrating Summer!

June 1 - 99 Days of Summer with KXLG radio in Watertown. Reliabank is the $5,000 cash sponsor of this event. So put your sticker on your car, get ticketed, and you could be in the running for $$$ on September 6. 

June 8 - Kicking off our Smart Bank * Smart Phone promotion! Watch & listen for more details coming soon!

June 14 - Thursday Night Live, uptown Watertown. Join us from 6pm-9pm as we celebrate our 15th anniversary as YOUR community bank in Watertown! Poker Alice Band will be perfoming so bring a lawn chair and enjoy the evening.

June 15/16 - Estelline Rodeo Days, Tea Teapot Days, Hartford Jamboree Days. Reliabank will be out and about celebrating with our local towns!

June 21 - It's that time again! Join us at the Hayti Fire Hall from 11am-1pm for our annual HOT DOG DAY cookout. Enjoy grilled hot dogs, salad and beverages while visiting with friends

June 22 - It's that time again! Join us at the Hazel Community Center from 11am-1pm for our annual HOT DOG DAY cookout. Enjoy grilled hot dogs, potato salad and beverages while visiting with friends

June 23 - Kids Day at the Zoo in Watertown. All our little Super Eagles Club members are invited to join us for a pizza party and stroll through the Zoo. Contact Lisa at 873.2261 for more details or to sign up.

July 4 - Happy Independence Day! All our Reliabank locations will be closed in observance and so that our employees may enjoy the day with family and friends.

Your Wallet Contains a Wealth of Information

Consider this: Your wallet is stolen. You immediately call your bank and credit card company to report the problem, close old accounts and open new ones. You even remember to call the Social Security Administration to notify them that you had your Social Security card in your wallet. At the end of the day, you feel fairly confident that the incident is behind you.

But weeks later you receive past-due notices on bills for merchandise you never purchased, and a few months later your application for an auto loan gets rejected because someone has used your name and Social Security number to open new accounts and run up thousands of dollars in debt. The good news: Your actual liability for these unauthorized purchases is limited by law or industry standards. The bad news: It’s likely that you’ll spend many frustrating hours trying to clear your name and straighten out your credit history.

Here are safety tips from FDIC Consumer News that can greatly reduce the chances of becoming a victim.

Limit the amount of confidential information in your wallet. Only carry the identification, checks, credit cards or debit/ATM cards you really need. The rest, including bank account numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs), passwords, and most importantly, Social Security cards, are best kept elsewhere in a safe place. Likewise, don’t pre-print your Social Security number or driver’s license number on your checks, because either one could help a thief apply for a loan, credit card or bank account in your name.

Keep good backup information about your bank and credit card accounts, just in case your wallet is lost or stolen. You'll want account numbers and phone numbers that can be used to report your losses or request new cards. "Some people make copies of the front and back of all the cards or important notes in their wallet to help jog their memory," said FDIC Regional Ombudsman Janet Kincaid. Keep these in a safe place such as a safe deposit box.

Review your credit card bills and your checking account statements as soon as they arrive. Make sure that no fraudulent activity is taking place.

Periodically request your credit reports. Look for signs that someone may have obtained loans or tried to commit other fraud in your name. By federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228 to order your free credit reports.

Experts often suggest that, to maximize your monitoring capability, you spread out your requests and receive a report from each of the three credit reporting agencies at separate times rather than all at once.

An addtional step to take is to have ID TheftSmart Protection. Reliabank offers this service free to primary Ultimate Checking holders, and also available to all other signers for $2/month per person. If your identity is ever stolen, ID TheftSmart Protection provides full-service restoration, which means experienced, licensed investigators do the bulk of the work on your behalf. And, since one, dedicated investigator is assigned to your case, you won't have to explain your situation over and over again, saving you much hassle, time and money. He or she will take care of the majority of paperwork and hours of legwork required to reclaim your identity to pre–theft status and regain your financial standing—including areas most people don't even think of as being affected by identity theft. Contact any Reliabank location for more details.

To learn more about avoiding identity theft, including steps you can take if your wallet has been lost or stolen, visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft. We also encourage you to visit our Online Education Center to learn more.