Choosing a financial advisor Whether you have already filed your taxes or are preparing to file, taxes, finances and overall financial health are always on our mind. While some people will make most of their financial decisions on their own, once they start accumulating more than they need for the simple necessities, many will seek …
Build your banker into a trusted entrepreneurial adviser. by Lesly Bailey Creating a connection with bankers is more than just crunching the numbers, according to banking professionals in the region who detail how entrepreneurs can launch and maintain productive relationships that endure throughout the years and economic changes. Michael Schneider, Northwest Indiana market president at …
Choose carefully when deciding on a lending source. In today’s world, small business owners have increasing demands put on their time from customers, employees and suppliers. Because of this, they are constantly in search of ways to be efficient with their time to accomplish more each workday. One way that business owners save time and …
Loyalty program benefits financial institutions, merchants, members. by Phil Britt Financial institutions and local retailers and restaurants alike find themselves competing with much larger national companies for customers. For the local financial institutions, the need to attract and retain customers has never been more critical. The largest banks in the country control half of the …
High-touch meets high-tech–personalization with less human interaction is keying into customer needs. by Phil Britt Over the past few years, banks have added mobile banking, enabling customers to deposit checks by taking pictures of them with smartphones. Banks have also extended their online banking offerings, so that customers can have more convenience to bank when …
The Fed is expected to make a move soon; what will the impact be? by Phil Britt The Federal Reserve is expected by many economic experts to hike interest rates as soon as September and perhaps again in December. The Fed took a pass on increasing the Federal funds rate at its June meeting, with …
Mobile payment technologies nearly ready for prime time. by Phil Britt Consumers enter 2015 with a new payment option at some retailers–a mobile wallet that enables users to pay with their phone rather than swiping a credit or debit card, writing a check or using cash–but this alternate payment method is still in its very …
Protecting your business from cybercrime and scams. by Shari Held Target. Home Depot. UPS. JP Morgan Chase. They’ve all made the headlines lately–and not in a good way. They’ve been hacked! And confidential information was compromised. “The threat is very real, and pretty much a weekly occurrence,” says Tanya Buerger, senior vice president and chief …
Card issuers pushing new system to fight credit card fraud. by Phil Britt Payment card issuers will be forcing merchants to take a more proactive stance against payment fraud by requiring that point of sale (POS) systems be able to meet so-called EMV standards, including the ability to accept chip-based cards, by Oct. 1, 2015. …
With loans and advice, Accion Chicago helps borrowers succeed. by Shari Held This year Accion Chicago, a non-profit microlender affiliated with Accion International, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. And the thousands of underserved, aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners the lender has helped over the years are celebrating right along with Accion. That includes clients …
