Privacy and Security

What is privacy?

The term privacy is used in connection with how organizations gather, manage, share, and safeguard customer information.

What do I need to know about the privacy standards?

Our Privacy Policy describes the steps we take to protect your privacy. By reviewing our Privacy Policy you will understand that we do collect information, why we collect the information, and how we use it to benefit you.

What kind of information does the bank collect?

The information we collect depends on the type of accounts you have with us. We will require nonpublic information (such as name, address, Social Security number, assets, IP address and income), and may also ask for information about your credit history, assets, debts and employment information. We also maintain transaction information (such as your creditworthiness or payment history) generated by the use of your accounts.

Why does the bank share my personal or nonpublic information internally?

Information about you helps us provide quality products and services that will benefit you. It also allows us to know our customers better which could help in the prevention of fraudulent activity on your accounts.

How does the bank protect the security of customer information?

We continually enhance our security tools and processes to protect customer information. Our website, customer information, and account data is protected by several state-of-the-art safety features including firewalls, data encryption and customer authentication techniques.

What does the bank do to help make my Internet access secure?

We take protecting your personal information very seriously. We use encryption technology such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to transmit your information online. Our commitment and understanding is demonstrated in our Privacy Policy and Security Statement.

Why am I being asked to answer security questions when I log in?

We require you to provide answers to security questions to help identify you in certain situations. There are a few reasons why you are asked to answer security questions when logging into your account.

  1. You are a new user and need to enroll your account online for the first time.
  2. You are manually deleting your cookies.
  3. You have your computer security software on a very high setting that deletes 'first party' cookies. Most security software deletes only 'third party' cookies, but the setting can be changed to include 'first party'.
  4. You are using a different browser or computer each time you go to the website.

How do I avoid answering the security questions every time I log in?

Depending on the situation, you can:

  1. When manually deleting cookies, be careful not to delete our cookie.
  2. Change the setting on your computer security software to delete only third party cookies, or add our cookie to the safe cookie list.
  3. Log in to our website from browsers that you have already set up with our cookie.

Am I able to change my security questions online?

Yes, you may change your security questions online via the "Manage Security Profile" link or the "Profile" tab.

What is a personal image and message?

Upon enrolling your account you will choose a fraud-preventive Personal Image and Message. There are hundreds of images and messages to choose from. If you would like to change the personal message from what is provided with the image, that option is also available. The Personal Image and Message can be changed at any time using the "Manage Security Profile" link in the Login section.

Look for this image and message each time you log in! A fraudulent site will not have access to this information, so it will be missing in the log in process. Beware of broken links where your personal message should be. If you get a broken link, type our web address directly into your browser address line and try again.

How secure is the website?

  • With our website, customer information and account data is protected by several state-of-the-art safety features such as: firewalls, data encryption and customer authentication techniques.
  • Our system is designed to limit online account access to those possessing the user ID and password associated with your account(s).
  • We will not send any account information to your computer unless your unique User ID and Password are entered correctly.
  • Your secure session will automatically terminate if you do not conduct transactions for 10 minutes. If this happens, you will have to log on again to access your accounts.

What can I do to protect my accounts and personal information while I am banking online?

  • It is essential that you do not reveal your User ID and Password to anyone! We also recommend that you do not use easily verifiable information such as birth dates, social security numbers and addresses when selecting your Password and User ID.
  • Frequently change your Password. You can easily change your Password online within the Profile tab.
  • Completely sign off after each online session. For security purposes, the website will automatically sign you off after 10 minutes of inactivity.

What are your password security requirements?

It is important to create a password that is secure yet easy to remember. For more secure passwords, avoid using common words, family names or birth dates. The use of varied characters such as numbers, capital letters and lower case letters will increase the strength of your password.

Passwords must be an 8-20 letter and number combination containing upper and lower case letters with no special characters or spaces.

Our Password Strength Meter assists you in creating a more secure password for your online account. As you type, the Password Strength Meter will display the strength level of your password: Weak, Moderate or Strong. Your password must meet the Moderate or Strong level to be accepted for online account access.

What if I think someone may know my User ID or Password?

You can change your User ID or Password online in the Login section. We suggest that you change your Password frequently for added security.

What is encryption?

Encryption is the encoding of a file in order to protect its contents. This entails a word or a group of words essentially written in a secret code language - a language that is useless to anyone but you and the website - to protect that message from unwanted viewing or tampering. The term encryption is a computer-age extension of the term cryptic, which means something being hidden or mysterious.

How do I know if my banking session is encrypted?

You can determine when encryption is being used on the site by looking at the following icons on your browser. You can also verify that you are in a secured site when you see https:// in the address line. Microsoft Internet Explorer displays the lock icon in the lower right corner of your browser. Mozilla Firefox displays the lock icon in the lower left corner. Apple Safari displays the lock icon in the upper right corner of the title bar.

 

Browser

Encrypted

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Mozilla Firefox

Apple Safari

 

With Mozilla Firefox, you can double click on the lock icon to obtain more security information about the site you are viewing.

What is a browser cookie?

A browser cookie is a fingerprint of your device that is used to identify you when you return to a website.

In order to log in to our website you will need to have cookies turned on in your browser, or accept the cookie if your browser prompts you. The security cookie will work with any browser that can accept standard cookies, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

Does the website use cookies to gather information about me or my computer?

No. The cookie is used to help identify you at login, but does not gather information about your computer or look at any information on your computer.

Only our website can read our cookie. It is used only at login, and is not used to track your activities on the Internet.

Our cookie contains only an encrypted numeric identifier with some anti-tamper content, and does not track any of the information on the web pages or any transactions you do. The cookie is unaware of the transaction, its type, amount and does not store any personal information about you.

Can I remove cookies from my computer?

Yes. Most security software will allow you to remove cookies. Note that after you delete our cookie, if you log in from the same browser again, you will be prompted to answer a security question.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a fraudulent email scam conducted by thieves or hackers with the intent of collecting account numbers, personal identification numbers (PIN), Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information from you. Phishing emails typically resemble an email from a familiar company and may have a similar Internet address to that company in the text. However, Phishing emails direct you to click on a link which takes you to a fraudulent website or pop-up window where any information entered is collected for criminal purposes (generally identity or monetary theft). These Phishing emails typically contain statements suggesting that your account may be closed if immediate action is not taken. Do not be intimidated by these threats.

What can I do to protect myself against phishing?

Be careful when responding to email messages that appear to be from us. Clicking a link in one of these emails can expose your computer to viruses and spyware, even if you do not supply the sensitive information thieves want. If you receive a suspicious email purporting to be from us, Contact us.