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Security/Privacy




How does Internet Banking security work?

State-of-the-art internet banking sites like this one are very secure. Let us give you an example to illustrate the extraordinary precautions we go through to protect your personal data.

Imagine sending a friend a letter. It's as simple as dropping it in a mailbox for the carrier to pick up and deliver.  Now imagine that before dropping it into the mailbox, you put the letter through a shredder that only you have the key to. And instead of one carrier coming to pick it up, the post office sends 100 carriers, each of whom take one shred of your letter. They all take a different route through all sorts of neighborhoods to your friend's house. Once there, your friend takes this pile of incomprehensible paper, puts it through a reverse shredder that only he has the key to, and out comes your letter, safe and sound. That's the equivalent of what happens when data is transmitted on this website. If we sent information through the traditional manner of one letter, one carrier, and one route, it would be easy for a criminal to find the truck carrying your letter and pick it out. So we use the 100-carrier method, otherwise known as RSA public-key cryptography. It's become a standard on the Internet wherever private or sensitive information is concerned. The government uses it, the financial industry uses it, and now, so can you.


What is a cookie?

A cookie is a piece of data passed to your browser. Internet Banking uses cookies inside the secure banking environment to keep track of your session data. Basically, it tells our system that you've already logged on as a valid user. Without this cookie data, you would have to log on every time you wanted to move to another banking screen. When you hit the logout button to leave the bank, the cookie data is flushed from your system. Newer browser versions have a feature that allows you to be notified when a cookie is being handed to your system. You can disable this option in the Internet Options/Protocols area.


To keep my banking information private, what recommendations do you have?

  • Use the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari or Chrome. These browsers are certified for use at our site.
  • Keep your password confidential. Change it frequently to ensure that no one else can guess it, and do not let anyone else use it.
  • Never walk away from your computer without exiting the system first. When you are finished with your banking, click the logout button located in the top or bottom navigational toolbars. Once you have ended your session, no further transactions can be processed until you sign on to the system again.

How can I tell if I have a secured connection to Internet Banking?

The visual indicators of a secured connection vary from browser to browser. Some versions use a key or lock icon (usually appearing in the bottom right corner of your screen or in the url address bar of your browser), and others display a message box indicating when you are beginning or ending transmission over a secure connection. Refer to your browser's help feature for more information.


Where can I find more information regarding consumer protection and the internet?

To learn more information about Consumer Protection information and the internet visit: the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at www.consumerfinance.gov




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