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It is hard not to be concerned when you come across headlines like, “Global Banking Crisis” and not worry about your financial assets and bank.

When it comes to protecting our customers and their financial assets, Home State Bank doesn’t cut any corners. Our customers are always at the forefront of our business decisions, ensuring we never put them or our bank in any risky situations.

And rest assured, you won’t need to worry about headlines...

Tax time is upon us, a sign that phishing season has begun.

The IRS states that scams may differ in themes, but generally, they have two traits:

Criminals continue to make aggressive...

You’ve likely heard of an escrow account, especially if you have a home mortgage. But if you don’t have a home mortgage, or you don’t quite fully understand your current escrow, we’ve put together the following to help you better understand the ins and outs of it.

What is a mortgage escrow account?

When you own a home, you're responsible for additional home-related expenses like property taxes and insurance. Escrow accounts help you plan...

You’ve likely seen the FDIC logo and heard of it but what is it actually and how does it work?

FDIC stands for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The FDIC is an independent agency of the U.S. government that protects depositors (that’s you) against loss if an FDIC-insured bank should fail or close. While it is not common, it can happen. Understanding how FDIC insurance works is important.

It’s an added security for your money should something happen to...

Cyber attackers are opportunistic, and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, you can expect to see an increase in threats related to socially engineered relationships.

Virtual lunch dates, wine tastings, and chat rooms have created an easy way to put ourselves into a space where we cannot truly see the person on the other end of the keyboard. In addition, many people now use online dating applications and social networking sites to meet people with common interests.

In...

Hello again! Here is part two of our Who’s Who in the Mortgage Process! If you missed our first post, you can check it out here!

You’ve got the ‘major players’ down, but there are still more people who are important in the mortgage process for you to know.

Shortly after you have met with your Mortgage Loan Officer and decided which loan was best for you, you’ll hear from the Loan Processor. A loan processor will request and gather all of the necessary...

Thinking Outside the Box

As shippers forecast another record year of holiday deliveries, scammers are ramping up their efforts to take advantage.

As the holiday's approach and deliveries adorn your porch, remain diligent in protecting yourself against package delivery scams. It’s become all too common to receive a text message from a contact alleged to be a carrier that says they were unable to deliver a package. The message might claim the package is from a friend...

Want to buy a home, but have no idea Who’s Who in the Mortgage Process? Don’t fret. A lot of people are in the same boat as you!

Let’s start with the basics.

Houses are expensive and unless you have an abundance of cash, you’re going to need a bank and a Mortgage Loan Officer. Sometimes referred to as the acronym MLO, a mortgage loan officer represents the bank and their loan programs. You’ll talk with them and share enough information...

It's hard to imagine light at the end of the tunnel when you are stuck in a bad place financially. I was in a place in my life where money didn't have meaning. You spent it the way you needed to and if you didn't have it, you charged it. When medical bills would roll in, I would toss them to the side because they were at the bottom of my priority list. They were turned over to collections time and time again, dropping my credit score more and more each time. 

Now,...

When it comes to texting scams, the key is knowing how to respond - and when not to.

Scammers are always trying to find a way into your life. Just when anti-spam technology started to limit the number of robocalls we get (cut down by almost half over the past year), fraudsters started sneaking into our phones through another window — our text messages.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently reported that consumer complaints about unwanted texts...