Happy National Financial Literacy Month!

April, like any month of the year, is the perfect time to take a look at your spending habits and build better behaviors to hit your long-term savings goals. But what makes this month especially ideal is that it’s National Financial Literacy Month!

Below, find a handful of quick and easy-to-do tips to get on the right financial track.

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A Checking Account Comparison Worth Your Time Contrary to popular belief, not every checking account is the same. That’s why First Bank has five options to ensure there’s one to fit your specific needs. Review our checking account comparison below to find your perfect match. Find Your Best Fit: Compare our Five Checking Account Options With First Bank, you can access your accounts anytime and anywhere with our free online and mobile banking. All our accounts also provide you with free eStatements (or paper statements). Check out the list below or view this handy checking account comparison chart. Everywhere Checking Free MasterCard® debit card Free online and mobile banking* provides you with 24/7 access to your money You can easily view and track debit card purchases at any time. Need to deposit a check or transfer funds? With just a few clicks on your mobile device, you’re done. Free online bill pay means no more writing checks or navigating various websites. Reduce your carbon footprint with free eStatements that are easily managed without the paper weight. Instant alerts means you’re constantly in touch with your account’s activity and management. Easily set your notification preferences for email, text message or phone call. Everywhere Plus Think about all the perks you would gain with Everywhere Checking, plus being able to earn interest. Everywhere Premium All the benefits of Everywhere Plus No First Bank transaction fees on out-of-network ATM withdrawals* Free member checks, or a 50% discount on alternate designs Four free official checks per statement cycle Campus Checking For students under the age of 25 Besides free online and mobile banking, we also provide you with free online bill pay and free eStatements No minimum balance or monthly maintenance fees Get 8 out-of-network ATM withdrawals with no First Bank transaction fees each month. Senior Checking If you are 55 and older, this may be the account for you. Besides free online and mobile banking, we also provide you with free online bill pay and free eStatements. Free member checks or 50% off other designs Visit First Bank Today If you found this comparison helpful and would like to learn more about how to open a checking account with us, visit one of our numerous locations today. We also offer a variety of checking 3 min read

First Bank Celebrates Anne Stoneham During Women’s History Month Anne Stoneham serves as First Bank’s Senior Director of Human Resources, leading Compensation & Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Training & Talent Development, and Internal Communications. Although her path from college to the workforce was anything but linear, she has been fortunate enough to work in the business/banking industry for 39 years. In her senior year, Stoneham realized that she did not want to pursue a career in her major. Upon graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, she worked at a bank until figuring out what her next steps were. Before this, Anne never even considered banking or business as a career choice, but there she found her love for helping her customers and teammates find the right solutions. She found career direction about a year and a half later when she was offered a position in the training department. There she was able to utilize her strengths, helping her to excel in her field and setting her up for many years of future growth and success. Anne has been fortunate enough to have a number of smart, strong, and capable women in all facets of her life that have been role models, showing her how to be authentic to who she is and how to navigate an industry dominated by men. Having strong admiration for her aunt and grandmother, Stoneham stated, “They were such great examples of grace and strength. I learned a lot from just growing up around them.” Her mother was also a vast influence on her growing up. As a student graduating from high school at the age of 15, Anne’s mother was a model of perseverance for her, always encouraging her to go the extra mile. Professionally, Anne gives gratitude to two leaders in her life; one who thought strategically and sparked Stoneham’s interest in leadership and the other who showed her how to be a true advocate, valued her opinion, and taught her how to preserve in the workplace. Anne stated, “Role models are all around us if we are just willing to be open and take the gifts that each individual can give us, because you can learn something from everyone.” When thinking about her role as a woman in leadership, Anne thinks that the greatest 4 min read

Mature woman at home looking at the bills and taxes and trying to calculate and pay them.

Ways to protect yourself against check fraud Check fraud is on the rise. Here’s what you can do. These days fraud is everywhere, and fraudster methods are always evolving. A growing number of methods are targeting your checkbook. Did you know that checks are now one of the least secure forms of payment? Criminals are combining old-school methods of theft with readily available technology to steal checks, impersonate account holders, and sell to the black market. Arm yourself with the knowledge to protect your identity and checking account. How is check fraud committed? Lifting ink: Lifting ink from a check, or “check washing”, can be done using chemicals as readily available as nail polish remover. Criminals can remove your intended payee’s information and replace it with theirs while also increasing the dollar amount. They then deposit the fraudulent check into their account. Targeting mailboxes: Once mail is stolen from a residential mailbox or a USPS blue box, criminals sift in search of checks that can be washed and forged. The frequency of mail theft is directly correlated to the spike in check fraud. Selling check images on the dark web: There is a growing network of darknets and encrypted communication platforms that criminals use to sell check images. Criminals can use the personal information from your check and your banking information to commit identity theft scams. Consider these check-writing alternatives and services. If you can, try to avoid placing checks in the mail. First Bank offers a number of alternative options for mailing checks like BillPay, Zelle, External Transfer services, and more. Bill Pay: This free service lets you avoid the hassle of writing checks or visiting multiple websites to stay on top of your payments. See how convenient it is to manage your payments from one place. External Transfers: For those who support their kids in college or if you’re constantly writing checks between your First Bank account and one at another bank, First Bank’s External Transfer option makes it quick and easy to securely transfer funds. If you own both accounts, learn how to set up a transfer here. Zelle®1 : In your First Bank mobile app, you have access to Zelle®, a fast, safe, and easy method to send money directly from your bank 4 min read

Best Personal Loan Rates in North Carolina If you live in North Carolina and are looking for a personal loan, your local First Bank can help. We have over 100 locations in North Carolina that offer highly competitive personal loan rates. We make choosing a personal loan easy with flexible terms and personalized service. Personal Loans from First Bank Just as personal loan rates can vary, so can the options associated with the loan. First Bank is proud to offer a variety of personal loan options with competitive rates, such as: Personal line of credit Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) Personal credit card with rewards Auto loan Boat loans Learn more about First Bank’s personal loan options. How are Personal Loan Rates Determined? As you shop around for the best personal loan rates in North Carolina, you might begin to wonder why the rates can vary from one place to the next. So what gives? As illustrated by Loan.com, there are four primary factors that affect personal loan rates. In North Carolina, there are scores of First Bank locations that offer personal loans so your options are plentiful. Here are three things that affect personal loan rates. Credit score. Simply put, the better your credit score, the better personal loan rate you are likely to get. Loan options. There are a number of different types of personal loans and each come with their own factors of interest rates. National prime rate. Set by the Federal Reserve to control the supply of money in the economy, this rate can have a direct affect on your personal loan rate. The best way to find the most competitive personal loan rates with some of the most flexible loan options is to simply locate your nearest First Bank and speak to one of our friendly loan representatives. Loans subject to credit approval. 2 min read

Happy National Financial Literacy Month!

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