Ken Shivers Brings a Familiar Face and 26 Years of Experience to This New Position

Beecher, Illinois (June 2010)—First Community Bank and Trust is pleased to announce the addition of Ken Shivers as Vice President of Business Development. Although he is new to the bank, he is no stranger to the community. Ken has resided in Peotone since 1960, with the exception of his college years and six-year stint in central Illinois. He will be located in the Peotone Financial Center on Wilmington Road.

As Vice President of Business Development, Ken will be responsible for building and maintaining strong ties with the bank’s commercial customers.  He is able to offer customers the unique advantage of not only many years of banking experience, but also an extensive knowledge of the local business community. “I believe First Community Bank and Trust should be to Peotone what it is to Beecher – the first name in local banking. Knowing our customers, greeting them by name, being responsive to their needs – these are all basic practices that are too often overlooked by the bigger banks. Combining this human touch with high tech products and services enables us to offer the best of both worlds to our customers, which is very powerful,” Ken states.

Ken is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and the Graduate School of Banking. He currently lives in Peotone with his wife, Sue.

Established in 1916, First Community Bank and Trust has been serving Beecher, IL, Peotone, IL and the surrounding communities for over 93 years.

Chicago, IL (May 18, 2010) - Gutierrez: Bank loan rules threaten real estate market.

Follow link for entire article:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/2284094,guiterrez-bank-loans-real-estate-051710.article

 

Washington, D.C. (May 17, 2010)—Greg Ohlendorf, president and CEO of First Community Bank and Trust, Beecher, Ill., on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), today said that our country needs to return to a more balanced regulatory environment that promotes lending, economic recovery and bank safety and soundness.

“Community banks support commercial lending and local economic activity not supported by Wall Street,” Ohlendorf said during a field hearing before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in Chicago, Ill. “Even during these challenging times, our nation’s nearly 8,000 community banks remain committed to serving their local small business and commercial real estate customers.  However, the banking agencies have moved the regulatory pendulum too far in the direction of overregulation at the expense of lending.  We need a balanced regulatory environment that promotes lending, economic recovery and bank safety and soundness.”  
 
The Illinois community banker said that his bank and other community banks all over the country are facing challenges that can hinder their ability to make small business and commercial real estate loans, including lack of loan demand from qualified borrowers.  “Many of our best small business and commercial real estate customers cite their uncertainly about recovery as their key reason for not seeking additional credit,” he said.  

Ohlendorf offered various solutions, including a proposal to amortize loan losses over 10 years for regulatory capital purposes.  He said that this proposal was successfully used during the agricultural crisis in the 1980s and is a reasonable lifeline for banks suffering from commercial-real-estate loan losses.  He also said that he supports the administration’s proposed $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund.  “A properly designed program will encourage additional small-business lending, fuel job creation and help create economic stability,” he said.  
 
Finally, Ohlendorf said ICBA recommends including the entire amount of the loan and lease allowance as part of a bank’s risk-based capital.  He said this would help 45 percent of Illinois banks.
 
To view Ohlendorf’s full testimony, visit www.icba.org.

About ICBA

The Independent Community Bankers of America, the nation’s voice for community banks, represents nearly 5,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types throughout the United States and is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and the communities and customers we serve. For more information, visit www.icba.org.

Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2010)—Greg Ohlendorf, President & CEO of First Community Bank and Trust participated in two days of congressional visits as part of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) Washington Policy Summit, which was held April 26-28 in the nation’s capital. “Personal contact with lawmakers is the most effective way for First Community Bank and Trust to educate them about the issues facing community banks, our customers and our local community, which we so proudly serve each and every day,” said Ohlendorf.  “It’s vital for Beecher, Peotone, and all the communities we serve to have our voice heard in Washington during such a historic time for our industry.”

“Bringing ICBA member community bankers to Washington to talk one-on-one with their representatives is key to ensuring the community bank perspective is heard loud and clear, especially now while financial regulatory reform legislation is being debated in the Senate,” said Jim MacPhee, ICBA chairman and CEO of Kalamazoo County State Bank in Schoolcraft, Mich., and a participant in the event. “The community bankers who attended ICBA’s Washington Policy Summit made a real impact here in Washington during such a critical time for Main Street.” 

Each year, the ICBA Washington Policy Summit brings community bankers from across the country to Washington to meet with their federal legislators and discuss a wide range of legislative issues that affect community banking.  This year, the nearly 1,000 attendees heard from Senate Banking Committee ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and other key policymakers, in addition to advocating for fair and meaningful financial regulatory reform that ends too-big-to-fail and levels the competitive playing field between Wall Street and Main Street.

For additional information about the ICBA Washington Policy Summit and ICBA’s policy priorities, visit www.icba.org.

About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America, the nation’s voice for community banks, represents nearly 5,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types throughout the United States and is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and the communities and customers we serve. For more information, visit www.icba.org.

Planning Ahead Can Help You Keep Your Money Safe
With summer just a few weeks away, and industry experts predicting travel will pick up this year, both domestically and internationally, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and the nation’s nearly 8,000 community banks don’t want consumers to leave home without the information they need to keep their money safe.
“Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than losing your wallet or running out of funds,” said Jim MacPhee, ICBA chairman and CEO of Kalamazoo County State Bank in Schoolcraft, Mich. “Community banks can help customers be better prepared for travel emergencies.”
Financial professionals agree that the safest and most convenient way to take money with you when you travel is to bring a small amount of cash and carry a debit, credit or ATM card. Cards are easy to carry, easy to use and often have the lowest fees and the best exchange rates.
But travelers still need to plan ahead. ICBA offers these tips on what you need to take care of before you take off:

1. Let your community bank know when and where you will be traveling so that you will avoid any potential for fraud alerts when out-of-the-ordinary transactions are posted.
2. Call or stop by your community bank to find out what ATM or debit card fees you may be subject to in this country and abroad.
3. 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 your community bank if you should create a new PIN for your account before you take your trip.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Bring a list of emergency phone numbers, but remember, 800 numbers can only be used in the United States and Canada. Be sure to get a number for your bank that you can call if you’re out of the country.
7. Many credit cards provide travel accident insurance and traveler’s assistance. Ask your community bank what special services are available through your card.
8. Check your balance before you leave. Know the limits on how much you can withdraw. Save all your receipts.

“Whether your destination is overseas or closer to home, it really is better to be safe than sorry. And your community bank can help you make sure that you’re safe,” MacPhee said.

Washington, D.C. (March 9, 2010)—As part of the 12th annual National Consumer Protection Week (March 7-13), the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and its nearly 5,000 members are cautioning the public and businesses alike to be on the lookout for fraudulent cashier’s checks. Once considered the safest of checks to accept, cashier’s checks are now being used by con artists in a variety of scams.  

“Fraudulent checks have grown in popularity due to the Internet and the increased availability of copiers and printers that produce quality-looking checks.  Even though the problem continues to grow, you don’t need to be a victim,” said R. Michael Menzies, ICBA chairman and president and CEO of Easton Bank and Trust Co., Easton, Md. “Our customers can protect themselves by keeping an eye out for a few key warning signs that indicate something just isn’t right. And if you have any questions, if it sounds too good to be true, or if you’re just not sure, the person to ask is your community banker who can help you spot a scam.”
 
ICBA wants consumers to know these key warning signs.  You should never take a cashier’s check if:

• The check is for more than the purchase price;
• The check is from a party other than the buyer or on behalf of someone else;
• The check is from “friends” hard on their luck; or,
• The check is from parties offering a quick, easy way to make extra money.
  

You can also take these precautions to discourage con artists:

• Request a wire transfer rather than a cashier’s check;  
• Ask your bank to send the cashier’s check for collection, rather than directly depositing the check into an account;
• Meet the buyer at the buyer’s bank to obtain direct payment;
• Accept only cashier's checks drawn on a local bank or a bank with a local branch;
• Keep a copy of the cashier’s check for quick reference.
  

“In addition to these precautions, your community bank can also protect you in a number of ways,” said Menzies. “Your community bank may place a longer hold on deposited cashier’s checks when there is reason to suspect fraud. This may seem like an inconvenience, but the bank is really looking out for the best interest of its customer. The customer, not the bank, bears the burden of any losses resulting from deposited checks. If the check were found to be counterfeit, the inconvenience would have been well worth the wait.”
 
National Consumer Protection Week is a coordinated consumer education campaign to encourage individuals across the country to know and take advantage of their rights. Go to http://consumer.gov/ncpw/ to learn more. And for more information about community banks visit www.ICBA.org .

 
For more information download the brochure "How to Avoid Being Victimized.” Additional resources, including ICBA’s comprehensive fraud toolkit, are available by visiting www.icba.org/goto/fraud.

About ICBA

The Independent Community Bankers of America, the nation’s voice for community banks, represents nearly 5,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types throughout the United States and is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and the communities and customers we serve. For more information, visit www.icba.org.

Washington, D.C. (February 2010)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and FIRST COMMUNITY BANK AND TRUST are proud to add their voices to the nearly 1,000 organizations nationwide that are encouraging Americans to save as part of America Saves Week, Feb. 21-28.

“Saving is key to financial stability and independence,” said R. Michael Menzies, ICBA chairman and president and CEO of Easton Bank and Trust Co., Easton, Md. “But studies show most Americans aren’t saving enough. And this recent economic crisis has shown us how important it is to have a cushion to help you weather the unexpected. Now more than ever, people need to develop good saving habits. By participating in America Saves Week, ICBA and our nearly 5,000 member community banks are hoping to encourage community bank customers to make savings a part of their everyday lives.”

Community banks not only offer personalized customer service tailored to individual needs, they also offer savings products and services at rates that are comparable to or often better than larger institutions.
“Fortunately, it’s never too late to start saving,” Greg Ohlendorf, President and CEO of First Community Bank and Trust said. “We can help you create a savings plan so that you can reach your financial goals.”
The most common community bank services and products include savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs). In addition, many employers offer automatic payroll deduction, one of the best ways to start and keep saving.

America Saves Week is a nationwide campaign in which a broad coalition of nonprofit, corporate, and government organizations help individuals and families save and build wealth. Through information, advice, and encouragement, America Saves assists those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for a home, save for an education, or save for retirement. Learn more about why saving is so important and how to get started on building a nest egg at www.icba.org and www.americasavesweek.org.

Established in 1916, First Community Bank and Trust has been serving Beecher, IL, Peotone, IL and the surrounding communities for over 93 years. Their commitment to providing the best banking products and services is matched only by their outstanding customer service.