JAN - FEB

Enough is Enough:
2009 Alabama Is Getting Fit
According to the Center of Disease Control’s latest research, Alabama currently ranks as the
second-most obese state in the nation, next only to Mississippi. Last year, the Alabama state
government decided “enough was enough” and created a
controversial new policy to incite wellness, that would raise
insurance costs for all state workers medically deemed to
be obese. Now that the new year has arrived, workers for
the state of Alabama will be screened for wellness, and will
have one year to get into shape, lest their insurance rates
be heightened by $25 per month. RN Deborah Unger of
the state’s Employee Insurance Board has said, “As long
as you are aware and are doing something to correct it,
there won’t be a fee.” Right or wrong, this controversial
approach brings home a valid issue that is typically remem-
bered on New Year’s Day and forgotten by Ground Hog
Day: Finally Getting Fit. However, weight loss alone is not
Roger Hollon
The BankNote

enough to avoid serious health risk; high cholesterol can Ashland Branch Manager
also be a threat, silently lurking underneath the surface.
FirstState Bank’s own Roger Hollon, Steve Foster, and Ken Vaughan have all had a skirmish of
FIRSTSTATE BANK NEWSLETTER

their own to fight with heart problems. Ashland Branch Manager Roger Hollon in particular has
taken his battle literally “to heart”, and his testimony of survival draws comparison to the Tim
McGraw hit, “Live Like You Were Dying”. Just like the song’s opening line, he recounts that he
was in his early forties when unexpectedly awakened by cardiac arrest. Roger laments that, “We
take our health for granted. It never occurred to me that I might have a heart attack, and one of
my first thoughts was „Why me?‟. There was a reason though…I needed to get my priorities
straight, and during my down-time I got clear on what was truly important. I want to be a good
husband and father, and I thank the Lord every morning for another opportunity to do that.”
Roger goes on to reflect, “I have always been the world‟s worst about going to the doctor for any-
thing, but now I have seen the results of that. My advice is to get regular check-ups. A lot of
these problems can be avoided if detected beforehand. It‟s not worth throwing your life away on a
premature, needless end.”
Steven Young of Clay Co’s Health & Wellness Center is grateful for celebratory stories like those
of Roger Hollon, but is disheartened by others’ accounts of what “might have been”. As in most
health centers, Steven sees a surge of new memberships in January and a correlating exodus in
March, as willpower gives way to willfulness. “We live in a „hurry up‟ society that demands instant
results”, Steven observes. “To beat this mentality, the key is to have a partner to keep you en-
couraged. People don‟t get out of shape overnight, so why should the road back be any quicker?”
Feb 6th is Heart Association Day and the public has been instructed to “Wear red and Think red”
in awareness of Red Friday. The timing of this event is not by accident. In the spirit of “stick-to-it-
iveness”, many of us at FirstState have committed to go beyond a one-day remembrance and
finally get fit by joining a facility like the Wellness Center. As Steven Young has reminded us,
repetition is fed by encouragement, so we would like to invite Clay & Randolph counties to join
FSB in our resolution for wellness. At the very least, we ask that you encourage us at FirstState
Bank as we undergo this battle of the will, so that we can do our part to strengthen not only our
own health, but that of our families, our community, and ultimately, our home-state of Alabama.
From the White House to Your House...

On Dec 4, 2008, the President’s Advisory Council on

Financial Literacy issued a press release urging Ameri-
cans to become more fluent in financial awareness in
order to protect themselves through an unstable econ-
omy. FirstState Bank is a strong proponent of sharing
financial knowledge, and will continue to do so in the
months to come. Please consider the suggestions
covered below as a united effort to assist consumers in
building their financial literacy, and self-protection.

Keep Your Identity Under Lock & Key...

STEPS TO SELF-PROTECTION: If you are concerned that your identity

may have been compromised, contact
1) Never give out financial information. any of the three major credit bureaus:
2) Report missing checks immediately.
3) Report suspicious calls to your bank. WWW.EQUIFAX.COM
4) Closely guard all PINs and receipts.
5) Shred any financial solicitations. WWW.EXPERIAN.COM
6) Put outgoing mail in a safe place.
7) Contact creditors if bills stop arriving. WWW.TRANSUNION.COM

FDIC...

As mentioned in our Oct 2008 issue, as the dust settles on the economic
The Federal Deposit Insurance Cor- landscape. Look for the FDIC logo
poration will continue to insure depos- (as pictured to the left) to be promi-
its for $250,000 per depositor, but nently displayed at all financial insti-
may chose to amend this limit after tutions that are covered in order to
Dec 31, 2009. The FDIC created this stay in compliance, as is the practice
stopgap to assist consumers at all FirstState Bank offices.

Protect Your Credit Score...

In the Age of Information, there are no secrets

on unpaid bills. Failure to pay on time or al-
lowing credit card balances to snowball causes
your credit rating to fall. With today’s added
scrutiny, your credit report is your financial
lifeline. Keep it clean and up to date. For fur-
ther guidance on effective tools to managing
your credit, also consider controlyourcredit.gov
and annualcreditreport.com for assistance.

Page 2 T HE B A N K N O T E
Mumbo Jumbo...
FirstState Bank prides itself on breaking down the “mumbo jumbo” of banking
terminology in order to clear the air on how we are looking out for customer
security. In our last issue, The BankNote highlighted some of the “whirlwind”
topics currently being covered in the national news, and how those terms re-
late to your accounts here at FirstState. This issue will continue that discus-
sion with a focus on different types of Savings Accounts available at FirstState.
Automated Savings...
If you have ever wished that you had
an assistant in your life to help you
save money, FirstState Bank may
have just the little helper you need:
Automated Savings. This useful
feature is available through any of
our checking accounts, and transfers
a preset amount of money from your
checking account into your savings
account automatically. In the case
of a Christmas Club account, the
grand total saved will payout back to
you in early November. Savings
CDs & IRAs...
“Compact Discs” may be the trendy
definition, but not for long. CDs of
course represent a “Certificate of
Deposit”, and they are becoming a
handy way for consumers to fight back
against an unstable economy. As Line-
ville CSR Susan Kimball Brown ex-
plains, the main advantage of having a
CD is that owners receive interest pay-
ments from their deposit with a rela-
tively short-term investment. Once a
CD matures, the owner has the option
to continue the current investment, or to
apply their funds elsewhere.
This kind of flexibility has become at-
tractive in recent months, as customers
want to keep their money earning inter-
est for them, while retaining the free-
dom to redirect it if the economy makes
a sudden shift. FirstState offers CDs
available for as little as 7 days, to as
much as 5 years, with the most popular
option being our 13-month special.
With most of our CDs, owners choose
how often they receive their interest
payments, which can create a useful
schedule of extra income. In summary,
JAN - FEB
2009
Time Deposits: more time = more cash
CDs help you now by: quick interest
payments back to you
CDs help you later by: short-term
commitment with adjustable options
If you have money that you are sure you
would like to leave untouched for a long
period of time, then the best way to get
the strongest return is from an IRA.
accounts are useful for “rainy
day” emergencies, future pur-
chases, and of course for recov-
ering from all your Christmas-
shopping expenses. With Auto-
mated Savings in action, custom-
ers have a tool to carry out the
decisions they have already de-
termined need to be done. Come
see our representatives today
and let us help you keep more of
your money under your control.
These Individual Retirement
Accounts pack the greatest punch
because as money is being saved,
they may also create a tax write-off
for their owners. Stiff penalties for
early withdrawals do apply though,
so IRAs are best-suited to custom-
ers who can set money aside indefi-
nitely. IRAs are a tremendous
advantage later in life, as owners
create their own source of retire-
ment income, sometimes transferred
from 401Ks.
IRAs help you now by: creating
tax write-offs (pay less in taxes)
IRAs help you later by: greater
payout at retirement
Because IRA’s are tied to earned
income, the tax implications are very
detailed. If you are thinking about
an IRA, Susan’s advice is to, “Visit
your tax advisor first to clarify your
tax and legal status. Then come
talk to our Customer Service Reps
at FSB and let us guide you to the
best return on your investment .”
Page 3
In The Spotlight...
Fifteen years ago, Crystal Browning came to FirstState Bank
through Clay County High School’s Co-op program. Since
that time she has not only made a career for herself, but has
also become known as one of Ashland’s speediest tellers
and warmest personas. In 1994, Crystal was a high school
senior in a late night job, who didn’t have much time left over
for studying. Through our partnership with the Clay County
HS Co-op, she soon found a better fit as a Data Processor
at FSB. Although nervous at first of making a disastrous
mistake, Crystal excelled, and in 1995, was quickly pro-
moted to full- time Teller. Since that time she has dedicated
herself to delighting our customers in the drive-thru by
warming their hearts as she cashes their checks.

A gifted motivator, Crystal encourages new hires to take

heart in the fact that there is no such thing as an uncorrect-
able mistake. Her message of hope is evident in her service
style, and summed up best in her own words, “Every individ-
ual yearns to feel important, wanted, and loved. Most of the
"It doesn’t take much time all it takes to make others feel that way is a warm smile
and small, kind conversation. It doesn’t take much to be
to be genuinely nice" genuinely nice. It’s not only good business ethics, but it’s
also personally rewarding to make someone else feel good.”
...words to live by from Crystal Browning To our great benefit, Crystal states that she has felt led to
remain in her current role indefinitely.

Community Life…
This issue’s story comes straight from the kitchen of
one of our area’s most admired cooks, Mrs. Carolyn
Colquett. To keep us warm on cold winter days, she
recommends this timeless recipe for chicken soup:

4 Chicken Breasts
4 cans Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 rib Celery, chopped
2 lbs. Carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups Egg Noodles, uncooked
1/2 teaspoon Salt Simmer chicken in broth till done. Shred chicken. Heat oil, add
celery & carrots. Sauté till tender. Add broth, noodles, salt, pep-
1/2 teaspoon Pepper per. Simmer till noodles are done. Stir in chicken. Serves 4-6.

If you have a digital picture of life in our community that you would like to share in a future issue of The BankNote, please email it to:
Vaughn.Samuels@FirstStateDirect.com. Submissions are not guaranteed to be published and stories may require editing.

Lineville Office Ashland Office Wedowee Office

P.O. Box 547 P.O. Box 518 P.O. Box 264
Lineville, AL 36266 Ashland, AL 36251 Wedowee, AL 36278
(256)396-2187 (256)354-2145 (256)357-0440