Cubs and Pirates

Man oh man, how could the Brewers outscore the Pirates 36 to 1 and then get swept by the Cubs! At home! It was funny seeing Cubs fans walking from their cars to the Park last Sunday carrying brooms. Until too much beer is consumed, everyone gets along pretty well. But then, there are those who can ruin an otherwise great day because of their over imbibing.

Bank Ranking

I suppose many of you saw the article in last Sunday's "State Journal" regarding the ranking of banks. I have always been unimpressed with the importance of these rankings. They are all built on ratios with those doing the ranking having no knowledge of what lies behind the numbers.

Watch for Fraud on Your Accounts

We are seeing increasing fraud being perpretated on our clients' accounts. You can reduce the incidence of this problem by:

1. Be sure to check every account statement you receive and report any errors or fraud right away.

2. Be careful of who you disclose your social security number to. Never give out personal information to any source you are not familiar with.

3. Don't open attachments or click on any link unless you are certain of the source.

4. Beware of pop up windows.

5. Use a good anti-virus software.

6. Be cautious of online coupon offers, especially if they ask for account numbers, social security number, or any other personal information.

7. Do not respond to requests from your bank or any banking regulator via e-mail in which personal information is requested.

Election Results

A less than 10% voter turnout in yesterday's election is disappointing. I feel two of our most important rights and responsibilities is the right to vote and the right to a trial by jury.

Did you vote?

Weather & Politics

Amazing how this weather affects peoples' moods. Everything tends to become more positive.

Keep an eye on the proposed legislation in Washington that appears to cure every economic ill. Senator Dodd's committee is proposing a financial reform package. Our country needs meaningful financial regulatory reform that protects America's taxpayers and our financial system. Our nation's nearly 8,000 community banks never participated in the risky practices that led to this economic crisis and are clearly the one part of the financial system that truly works.

We can no longer tolerate a system where a handful of institutions have the ability to put our entire country at risk. The only way to truly safeguard our financial future is to end the too-big-to-fail and enforce rules on the unregulated financial players.