Try A Debit Card
Be Safe — With Online Banking
ATM Safety Tips
Electronic Services: Safe And Convenient

Try A Debit Card
You'll like debit card convenience.

When using the card, purchases are electronically deducted from your checkbook. No need to carry bulky checkbooks — or write checks. Nor do you need identification. Debit cards are simple, safe — and free.

Check out these benefits:

• Fast, safe payment. Purchases are processed as quickly as if using a credit card — and faster than if writing a check or counting out cash. Debit cards also are safer than carrying cash. Want to make a purchase by phone? Just use your card.
• Widely accepted. Debit cards can be used anywhere you'd use a credit card. Visa merchants accept Visa Check Card; MasterCard merchants accept MasterMoney. Just look for the appropriate logo.
• Convenient for travel. Forget out-of-town check cashing problems. You can pay for travel expenses from your checking account. A debit card goes where you go.
• Easier than checks. The card replaces bulky checkbooks. Also use it at businesses that don't take checks. Any merchant who accepts Visa or MasterCard as payment will accept a debit card.
• Free cash back. Most merchants will let you get cash back when using your card. Just ask. This spares you a extra trip to an ATM - and helps you avoid ATM surcharges.
• 24-hour access to ATMs. Debit cards actually are two cards in one. Aside from debiting your checkbook, they provide 24-hour ATM convenience around the world.
• Better than credit cards. You don't run up bills you can't afford to pay later. Instead of charging small purchases — and then paying interest — you pay directly from checking.
• Easy record keeping. With every purchase, you get a receipt. Monthly statements are easy to understand, with all transactions listed in detail. Remember: Record each purchase and/or withdrawal. So you always know how much money you have available.

Try a debit card. You'll like it.
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Be Safe — With Online Banking
Bill-paying sites use encryption to scramble your data during transmission. Check the site's security policy to be sure or just look for the lock or key icon on the screen.

Worried about identify theft? Banking online actually may reduce your risk. Thieves usually pick up personal financial information from bills and credit card statements thrown in the garbage or left in the mailbox. So the more paper you eliminate, the less there is to hijack.

Suppose someone does tamper with your accounts. Most financial institutions cover any losses. Federal law also limits your liability to $50 if you report fraudulent activity within two days of discovering it.
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ATM Safety Tips
ATMs are as safe as personal tellers — and safer than night depositories.

At ATMs, you always get a receipt. Lost or stolen card? If you report it within two business days after realizing the loss, you're not responsible for more than $50 of unauthorized use. Wait longer, and you could be liable for more.

Here's how to further protect yourself:

Before transactions:

• Look for well-lighted, visible machines — preferably enclosed with locked doors or at drive-ups.
• Watch for suspicious-looking people.
• Fill out paperwork while in your car or still at home or office.
• Put deposits in envelopes and conceal in your purse or pocket.
• Memorize your PIN, or personal identification number. Don't write it down (even in disguise). Never give it to someone else.

During transactions:

• Block the keyboard with your body while entering your PIN. This prevents others from seeing — and stealing — your PIN.
• Shield the money you deposit or withdraw.
• Report any problems to your financial institution.

After transactions:

• Add deposits or subtract withdrawals in your check register and balance your account.
• Keep receipts until you reconcile them with your statement.

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Electronic Services: Safe And Convenient
You're careful with your checkbook, right? Take the same care with electronic services. If you're careful, you're safe.

Keeping you safe are Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). If you keep your PIN to yourself, you also keep your money. Always think of your PIN as self-protection. Memorize it. Put it in a safe place. And, don't ever, ever share it with others.

Lost or stolen debit or credit card? Report it immediately. If done quickly, your liability is limited.

Home banking and Bill Pay also are safe. Especially because of encryption. All information sent — whether from you to our processing center or from it to you — is scrambled during transmission. Also protecting you is a "firewall" at the host computer. Of course, you also have a PIN. If you keep it to yourself, you keep others out.

Be convenient; be safe!
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