Q: What online banking services do you offer?
A: We offer two packages: Personal Online banking, designed for personal and family use, and Commercial Cash Management (CMM), developed especially for businesses. We also offer BillPaying, a special service that enables you to make payments online to virtually any person, place or business with a mailing address. BillPaying is available as an add-on option to our Personal Banking package, and automatically included in our CMM package. E-Statements are also available as a free optional service to both packages.
Q: Why use online banking?
A: There are a number of great reasons. Perhaps the most important is that it provides you with 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week banking convenience, so you’re no longer dependent on visiting the bank during regular business hours to handle many types of transactions. Second, it’s flexible — you can bank from your home, your office, or virtually any computer with Internet access. Third, it saves time because you can transfer funds, pay bills, check balances and more with the click of a mouse. Fourth, it’s extremely economical. Finally, it’s safe, sure and secure. All in all, it’s simply a better, smarter, faster way to manage your money and your time!
Q: What equipment will I need?
A: You can access our online banking services from any computer (PC or Mac) that has Internet access and a web browser with 128-bit security, such as Netscape® Navigator 4.0 or higher or Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.
Q: Can I access my accounts from more than one computer?
A: Yes. With our Personal Banking package, you can use any computer with Internet access and a browser with 128-bit security. That means you can pay bills and access your accounts at home, at work, from a laptop — virtually anywhere!
Q: Which accounts can I access?
A: Just about all of your accounts at Central State Bank including checking, savings, money market, CDs, IRAs and loans. Three special product lines --- credit cards, trust accounts, and brokerage accounts --- are maintained through databases seperate from our main computer system. They can also be accessed individually. For your convenience, we’ve placed special navigation links to online banking pages of each of these three websites (Bancard Center for credit cards, Portfolio Review for trust accounts, and LPL Account View for brokerage accounts).
Q: Can I limit the access to my accounts?
A: Yes. With our Personal Banking package, you can limit access to “View Only,” “Deposit Only,” “View and Deposit,” and “Full Access” on an account-by-account basis. This applies to all accounts except your primary checking, which must be set to “Full Access” in order for the system to properly function. With the CMM package, access and rights are custom-tailored to meet the exact needs of your business. And with both packages, you can choose only those accounts that you’d like to make a part of your online banking service — just one account, some of them, or all of them.
Q: Can I add accounts and change access levels for accounts?
A: Yes. To add existing accounts or change the level of access for accounts that are already a part of your online banking service, simply pull up the online enrollment form. Indicate that you’re making a change to existing online services (rather than applying for new service), indicate the changes you’d like to make, then print, sign and date the form, and drop it off or mail it to any Central State Bank location and we’ll process your request. If you are using our Personal Online Banking package, access to any new accounts you open is automatically added for your convenience, provided you are the primary owner of the account and that you do not request otherwise at the time the account is opened. If you are using our Commercial Cash Management package, one of our business banking officers will be happy to assist you in adding new accounts or changing the level of access for existing accounts.
Q: Can a jointly-held account — for example, a joint checking account or a mortgage loan held in the name of multiple borrowers — be included in online banking services for two different users?
A: Yes, provided that both users are both owners of and/or authorized signors on the account. For example, if your college-age child has a checking account and you’re a joint owner, she or he can establish online banking services for that account. You can also include it in your online account grouping. Under such an arrangement, your child could conduct online banking with his or her account, but could not view or access your other accounts.
Q: How current is the online account information?
A: Under normal circumstances, account information will be updated almost immediately. In fact, when it comes to deposit accounts, it’s one of the things that makes our system better than many other “batch” type online banking services where transactions don’t appear until the next business day.
Q: What type of account activity will I be able to see?
A: All transactions including checks, in-office transactions, direct deposits, automatic payments, Central TeleBank transactions, BillPaying transactions, ATM transactions, and, of course, all online banking transactions.
Q: How much account history will I be able to view online?
A: The most recent 60 days worth of activity. It is important to note that online history for an account begins at the time online access is established. Thus, if you just signed up for online banking and your application was processed 10 days ago, you’ll only be able to view 10 days’ worth of account history. After 20 days, you’ll be able to view 20 days’ worth and so on, until you’ve been on the system for a full 60 days.
Q: Will I still get a statement for my accounts?
A: Yes, you’ll still receive the same periodic statements for your accounts. Statements will continue to include an itemized listing of all of your transactions, including those conducted via online banking.
Q: Can I view my statements online?
A: Yes, you can view statements for your checking account online and you can print them out, too. Data consists of the account information imprinted on the front side of your statements. It does not include any preprinted information on the front or back side of the paper stock that is used when we prepare your traditional hard-copy statements.
Q: Can I view my cancelled checks online?
A: Yes. You can view and print copies of your cancelled checks.
Q: How safe is online banking?
A: It is extremely safe and secure. We use a combination of the latest online banking technologies to protect data, including password-controlled entry, VeriSign® issued digital ID for the online server, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for data encryption, and multiple firewall protection. We routinely review the level of online banking activity of all customers and with prenotification, we deactivate service for dormant customers to minimize the potential for unauthorized access and fraudulent use. Additional protections and measures are in place that must remain undisclosed for obvious security reasons. We also utilized a great deal of care in selecting our strategic partners for online services: S1 Corporation® for Personal Online Banking and CMM, and CheckFree® for bill payment services. Both firms are widely-recognized leaders in the e-banking field.
Q: Do regulations or law provide any consumer protections for online banking use?
A: Yes. Regulation E, the enabling federal regulation of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, applies to online banking just as it does to other electronic banking services such as using one of our ATM cards or our ShazamChek® debit card. It limits consumer liability for unauthorized electronic transactions to $50 if they are reported in a timely manner and pursuant to the regulation.
Q: How much does online banking cost?
A: Personal Online Banking is free and includes a wide variety of online banking services. If you add the BillPaying option to any personal (non-business) checking account, it's free too, and you can make an unlimited number of transactions. The cost of Commercial Cash Management (CMM), our online banking service for businesses, is custom-quoted by one of our commercial banking officers based on the complexity of your needs and the anticipated volume and usage patterns of your account. The base charge for CMM automatically includes BillPaying with up to 50 free transactions per month. Any additional are just 35 cents each.
Q: Are there any additional charges?
A: The fees which would ordinarily apply to special services — for example, wire transfers or stop payment orders — are charged if you request or authorize them via online banking, just as they would if you visited the bank in person.
Q: Specifically, what types of services are included in each package?
A: They’re listed on the appropriate Online Banking pages of our website (Personal Online Banking, Commercial Cash Management, and BillPaying).
Q: What types of bills can be paid through the BillPaying service?
A: You can pay nearly any person, place or business in the United States that has a valid mailing address — utility companies, credit cards, even your paper carrier, babysitter or church. There are some very limited exceptions; for example, government regulations do not allow payments for alimony, maintenance, child support, taxes or other governmental fees or court-directed payments through online BillPaying.
Q: Am I required to sign up for BillPaying to make loan payments to Central State Bank?
A: No. They can be handled by an internal transfer between accounts using the services included in the Personal Banking and Business Banking packages.
Q: Can I make my Central State Bank VISA® or MasterCard® payment via internal transfer?
A: No. Because our credit card program is administered via a database separate from our bank’s main computer system, internal transfers cannot be used. However, payments can be made via the BillPaying system.
Q: How long does it take for bills to be paid using BillPaying?
A: It depends on the method used to transmit your payment. Electronic payments will be made within 2-3 business days of posting to your account. If a payee isn’t set up to accept electronic payments, the system will issue a paper check and payment will be made via mail and it’s recommended that you allow 5-8 business days from the date of posting for delivery. When you set up a payee using the BillPaying system, the Bill Payer screen will tell you whether or not it is equipped to receive electronic payments.
Q: What if I forget my password or mess it up and get locked out of the system?
A: The situation is understandable. For your protection, one of our system’s security measures is a “three strikes and you’re out” approach that locks out anyone who tries to gain access three times with an incorrect password. If you forgot your password or are locked out of the system, please call our Main Bank at (563) 263-3131 or (800) 292-1234 Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (excluding holidays) and ask for the Online Banking Department to have your password reset. You will be asked to provide additional personal information that will verify your identification. We will then either mail you a new temporary password or reset your password. You will then continue to have the ability to change your password online whenever you wish.
Q: I have more questions. Who do I contact?
A: You may call our Online Banking Department (see the numbers in the question/answer immediately above) during regular business hours, or you can e-mail us at ebanking@centralstate.com. We will be happy to assist you!
|
