With the recent opening of our Clive location in the Greater Des Moines area, we have some new staff members to introduce as part of the Lincoln Savings Bank family. We are so thankful to have these employees on board as we begin our banking experience in the Greater Des Moines area.

Jean C. Diaz, Vice President, Retail Manager- Jean will be responsible for the management and operations of our Clive retail bank location. He will also be essential to the growth and expansion of LSB in the Des Moines Market. Jean was most recently employed at Liberty Bank FSB as Vice President, Retail Market Manager. He has 9 years of banking experience and is a graduate of Iowa State University.

Ryan Freed, Assistant Vice President/Portfolio Manager- Ryan is a 2009 graduate of Iowa State University and has 3 years of experience in the finance industry. Ryan is moving to the Clive location after training and working at the Reinbeck LSB for the past 3 years.

Marie Kimmes, Customer Service Associate- Marie will make sure every customer entering our doors has a great experience! Marie was previously employed with Liberty Bank where she was a teller for two years in both Urbandale and Coralville.

Scott Jarvis, Vice President of Commercial Banking- Scott’s new role will include working with business (commercial) customers to provide banking solutions that improves efficiencies, reduces cost, and allows the company focus on working on their company.  Scott has 12 years of experience in the financial industry most recently working for West Bank (West Des Moines). Scott is also to Founder and President of Greater Des Moines Integrity Network (GDMIN) Leading and presenting discussions on “Networking and reciprocity” to the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Young Professionals of Iowa, West Des Moines Chamber, Pleasant Hill Chamber, and Urbandale Chamber.

Lindsey Lallensack, Client Service Associate- Lindsey has over 4 years of experience in the banking industry, most recently working for Liberty Bank.

Mark Van Landschoot, Senior VP of Commercial Lending- Mark has over 20 years of experience in the Banking industry, most recently working for Bank Iowa in their Commercial Lending department.

They will be joining the existing Clive Mortgage department, including;

Ed Allen, Mortgage Department Manager- Ed has over 15 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Top Flite Financial as a Loan Officer.

David Bell, Mortgage Banker- David has over 10 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Heartland Mortgage as a Loan Officer.

Eric Bokker, Mortgage Banker- Eric has over 9 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for West Star Mortgage as a Mortgage Banker.

Jenny Greene, Mortgage Banker- Jenny has over 12 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Heartland Mortgage Group as a Mortgage Loan Officer.

Keri Hanzlick, Mortgage Banker- Keri has over 7 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Heartland Mortgage Group as a Mortgage Loan Officer.

Ned Jusufovic, Mortgage Banker- Ned has over 16 years of experience in banking and finance, and he was most recently employed by West Star Mortgage before coming to LSB.

Erik Torgerson, Mortgage Banker- David has over 13 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Fidelity Bank as a Loan Officer.

Barb Wosmansky, Mortgage Banker- Barb has over 11 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working for Heartland Mortgage as a Senior Loan Originator.

Kevin Wosmansky, VP of Mortgage Banking- Kevin has over 13 years of experience in the Mortgage industry, most recently working as a Division Vice President at Heartland Mortgage Group.

Nancy Dunhanm, Mortgage Loan Coordinator- Nancy has over 2 years of experience in the financial industry most recently working for US Bank Home Mortgage.

Mary Nickel, Mortgage Pre-Processor- In Mary’s new position she works closely with the loan officer, processors and vendors on a daily basis. She was previously employed by Liberty Bank in the same position and has 30+ years in retail banking or mortgage.

Again, we are so thankful to have these wonderful people as Lincoln Savings Bank employees and look forward to seeing them help our Clive location grow and blossom into the finest financial institution in the Greater Des Moines area.

We are proud to announce the recent opening of a new Lincoln Savings Bank branch in Clive, a part of the Greater Des Moines area, on January 8. This is a very big and exciting move for us, and is a great addition to the mortgage lending services that we’ve offered in the Des Moines area for a little over a year. With the opening of a full-service banking location, we are now able to provide all our premier personal and business banking and mortgage services to the area. The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for January 22.

Lincoln Savings Bank in Clive, Iowa.

The contact information for the Clive branch is as follows:

LINCOLN SAVINGS BANK
LSB MORTGAGE
13523 University Avenue
Clive, IA 50325
Phone: (515) 222-0123
Toll Free: (855) 863-6573
Fax: (515) 249-3375

This branch will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The new location also includes our mortgage division that opened in Clive in 2011, and was previously located just down the street at 12345 University.

In other Des Moines area news, our Adel office recently reopened after undergoing a remodeling project. The remodel began in August, and was done in anticipation of approval for the opening of yet another new bank location in Adel, adding to the mortgage and insurance services already offered there.  We are excited to announce that we have received approval for the new Lincoln Savings Bank branch, and will be opening on Monday, January 21^st, offering a full array of bank products and services!

Both of these exciting announcements from the Greater Des Moines area further showcase Lincoln Savings Bank’s desire to continue growing into new markets and provide quality banking, loan, insurance and other services to communities in Iowa.

Ca$h Back is just one of the many benefits of banking with LSB!

In our last post, we explained the benefits of the Ca$h Back program from Lincoln Savings Bank. It is flexible and has very few limitations on how you can use your debit card to earn a little money back on your purchases.

We also wanted to mention that it will soon be easier to track your progress towards earning Ca$h Back with LSB.  Coming soon is an online portal that will allow customers to see how much Ca$h Back reward they have earned year-to-date.  This takes the guesswork out of wondering how much Ca$h Back reward has been accumulated throughout the year.  Look for additional announcements about when the portal will be available in the near future!

But how does the Ca$h Back program from Lincoln Savings Bank compare to other local banks’ rewards programs? Let’s take a look.

Competitor #1- offers a cash back reward based on spending with a CheckCard at select retailers. Offers are posted in a customer’s online banking transaction history to redeem with their CheckCard at participating retailers. Any cash back earned is then deposited directly into the account.

Cons- the amount of reward is unknown and variable, and only applies to certain purchases at participating retailers.  The reward is only revealed when an offer is redeemed, so it’s difficult to gauge whether there will even be a benefit for customers. It also manipulates customer behavior by forcing them to shop at certain retailers for a select list of goods.

Competitor #2- pays 2.00% APY on checking account balances up to $25,000 and refunds ATM fees. To qualify, you must 1) receive an electronic statement, 2) have a minimum of 10 check card transactions post and clear (excludes ATM and PIN-based transactions), 3) have at least one direct deposit, automatic debit from a third party or bill payment transaction post and clear.

Cons- a large amount of requirements makes customers jump through hoops to qualify, and if they miss just one, they do not get the promotional rate or ATM refund for that billing cycle.

LSB doesn’t charge our customers to use our ATMs, and as part of the Privileged Status network our customers can use any ATM without penalty in the network. While this competitor charges $3 for a printed statement, LSB doesn’t charge for statements, and we offer e-statements as a free service.

Competitor #3- pays up to 2.02% APY on balances up to $25,000. To qualify, you must 1) have two automatic transfers per month (ACH Direct Deposit or ACH Payment), 2) a minimum of 12 check card purchases per month (using signature or PIN, excludes ATM transactions) with a minimum of $10 per transaction, 3) receive monthly e-statements, and 4) sign in to online banking once a month

Cons- again, a large number of qualifications to meet sets customers up for failure.  Missing just one qualifying requirement excludes customers from earning the promotional rate on their account balances. 

With LSB’s Ca$h Back program, there is only one qualifying requirement: all purchases made with the LSB debit card must be made as ‘credit’ transactions.  That means when you are paying at the pump for gas or buying groceries, you simply select the ‘credit’ option rather than ‘debit’.

You can shop wherever you want for whatever you want, and you will soon be able to monitor your progress with our online portal.

When it comes to cash back programs in the area, no one can beat the flexibility or benefit of Lincoln Savings Bank’s Ca$h Back program.

If you are like most people, you may feel a little twinge every time you slide your card at a cash register when making a purchase. After all, you work hard for our money, and want to keep as much of it as you can!  What if you could replace that minor feeling of discomfort you get every time you spend money knowing you will get a little of it back? With the CA$H BACK program from Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB), you can make a little money every time you spend some, and it is incredibly easy!

You only need to have a checking account with LSB and get an LSB debit card that is attached to the account. Then, make all of your everyday purchases as Visa®-authorized transactions (select the CREDIT option or request your card be run as CREDIT).  It’s that easy!

From there, you will earn up to 1% CA$H BACK* on all Visa®-authorized purchases you make with your LSB debit card! The amount you accrue over the course of the year is then deposited into your account in January of the following year. For example, last year LSB paid back $171,957 to customers, which was deposited into their accounts on January 1, 2013.

Not only will you be giving your account a boost, but it will come right after the holiday season when a little extra cash may be really helpful! To begin earning CA$H BACK for your everyday purchases, contact your nearest LSB branch location or APPLY ONLINE today!

*Only signature-based Visa authorized purchases will qualify for credit. ATM transactions and purchases made with your PIN number do not qualify. The tiers for percentage cash back are the following:

·          The first $4,999 will earn a 0% annual percentage yield

·          $5,000-$9,999 will earn .25% annual percentage yield

·          $10,000 and over will earn 1.00% annual percentage yield.

LSB Foundation gives back to the communities we serve.

Since our founding over 100 years ago, Lincoln Savings Bank has been dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve in order to help them grow. Our philanthropic philosophy is an integral part of our company culture, and it has allowed us to help out a variety of organizations and programs committed to helping better the lives of others in our communities.

The LSB Foundation, established in 2005, is our way of reaching out to community groups and providing charitable donations to help them provide programs or services. In 2012, donations to the LSB Foundation totaled over $97,000.  Over $104,000 total gifts or grants were made from the LSB Foundation in 2012 to various groups and organizations, including:

•          Dollars for Scholars- $1,000 was given to the local Dollars for Scholars chapter for each city/town where we have a banking location; $13,000 total in 2012.
•          Large recurring donations ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 per year to several organizations: Covenant Foundation, Allen HealthFoundation, Crayon Corner Learning Center, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, GrundyCounty Hospital, River Hills School, Waverly Health Care Center, Cedar ValleyGrowth Fund, Ankeny Kiwanis Club, Waterloo Community Schools Foundation, Toledo Community Theater Guild, YWCA Capital campaign.
•          One-time donations of $1,000 or more to several other organizations: Hawkeye Chapter American Red Cross, Junior Achievement ofEastern Iowa, Allison Park Board, Iowa College Foundation, Aplington Recreation Complex, Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa, Polk County Housing Trust Fund, TheSocial Entrepreneurs of Grinnell, Sprout Preschool, The Job Foundation, Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Garwin Lions Club, Variety the Children’sCharity, YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters Des Moines area, First Children’sFinance, Big brothers Big Sisters Northeast Iowa, North Star Community Services.
•          Many other one-time donations to organizations like House of Hope, Allison Amvets, Back to School Project, Marble Rock Community Fire Dept, Tama County Humane Society, Operation Threshold, just to name a few.

We also encourage our employees to make charitable donations through the LSB Foundation. Of the $97,000 donated to the LSB Foundation in 2012, our employees and directors contributed over $12,000.

Charitable giving through the LSB Foundation is just another way we work to give back to and better the communities we serve and live in.