In order to make your online service experience as secure as possible we are introducing new security features.  Most of the time your online experience will be the same as it was before, only now you will have an extra layer of security working behind-the-scenes to protect your account.  The new security may – very infrequently – prompt you to verify your identify before continuing.   This means you can now bank online with an even greater sense of confidence.

The new security features add a layer of protection to your online account by letting you know it’s really us, and letting us know it’s really you.

Letting you know it’s really us – Personalized Image and Name

1. You pick one of thousands of images, and then give the image a name to help identify it  to you. 
2. Every time you attempt to log into your bank account your image and name will appear before you enter your password.
3. Seeing your image and name will let you know that you are at your real online banking site and not a fake or fraudulent site.  This means it is safe to enter your password.
4. If the correct image and name do not appear, do not enter your password.

Remember: Once you have signed up, NEVER enter sensitive information such as your password without first seeing your personal security image and name.

Letting us know it’s really you – Security Questions

• You will be asked to set-up several security questions that only you should know the answers to.
• The security system will recognize the computers you normally use to access your online banking site.
• In the future, if you or someone else attempts to log in to your account from a new or unrecognized computer, you will need to answer some of your security questions before being allowed to continue.

You will be prompted to select your personal image and name and security questions very soon.  You do not need to do anything to initiate this process.  When you are prompted, please take a moment to set up your image, name and questions in order to add an additional layer of protection to your account.

Your answers should be something you can easily remember, yet not readily known by others. Try to avoid using answers that will change over time.  If you share account access with anyone else, you may want to establish your security questions together so that you both know the answers if you are ever prompted to provide additional information when logging in.  Enter your answers carefully as you will need to supply exactly the same answer if you are ever prompted with one of your security questions.

There is absolutely no cost associated with the new security system.  This is just part of our on-going commitment to providing you with the highest levels of security available.

Due to the new security feature, you do not enter your password until you see your personal security image and text.  To begin logging in simply enter your user name and click on log-in.  You will then see your personal image and text on the next screen where you can safely enter your password to gain access to your account.

You will only be prompted to answer some of your security questions when a particular activity or transaction appears to be unusual or uncharacteristic of your typical behavior.

Uncharacteristic or unusual behavior is anything that appears out-of-the-ordinary compared to how you normally would bank online and where you normally bank online. If the action being requested does not appear to be something you would normally do, we will ask you to answer your security questions to make sure it is really you and not an unauthorized user.

The security system takes into account factors such as the type of transactions you ordinarily perform, the computers you typically use to access your account, and the typical security settings for your computer.  Hundreds of factors such as these create a profile that is unique to you and allows us to make decisions about whether the person conducting a given activity or transaction within your account appears to be you.

No, you will only be asked for more information when unusual or uncharacteristic behavior is detected.  This will most likely be a very rare occurrence.

After you complete the set-up process, the new security system will work automatically.  That means you are being protected every moment — when you are online and more importantly when you are not.  Please note that for your protection, we will periodically ask you to update your questions and answers as well.

Yes. In fact, your personal information is safer than ever before because of the additional security enhancements. 

If your user id and password are stolen, the fraudster would have to be able to answer your security questions correctly before being able to access your account or complete a fraudulent transaction.  If the user is not able to provide this information, the activity would be blocked. This added layer of security helps us protect your online account at all times.  The personal image and name also help you to ensure that you are always logging in to our legitimate website, not a fraudulent one.

We only show you your personal security image and name if you log in from a recognized computer or after you have answered some of your security questions.  Therefore an unauthorized person will not have access to your image and the name you give it.  Remember: Once you have signed up, NEVER enter sensitive information such as your password without first seeing your personal security image and name.

It is great that you check your account frequently!  It is always a good idea to regularly monitor your account for any unusual activity (like payments you didn’t make).  This security service helps prevent those incidences from ever occurring, so when you check your account everything is exactly how it should be. 

Yes, you can both use the same computer to log-in to your individual accounts.  There is no limit to the number of people that can log-in to various websites from the same computer.  However, you should consider choosing security questions that only you will know the answer to.

Yes, you can both continue to log on to the account as usual.  However, you may want to establish your personal image and name, and security questions together so that you both know the answers if you are ever prompted to provide additional information when logging in.

Yes, you can change your personal security image and name or security questions at any time.  To make the change, go to the services tab after you log-in to your account.  Please note that for your protection, we will periodically request that you update the information as well.

This might happen in rare cases.  Before answering a challenge question or entering your password, make sure that you are going to our legitimate website.  The easiest way to ensure this is by typing our URL directly into your web browser.  Then, after you answer the security question, you should see your personal security image and name next to the password field.  If your personal security image and name are there, you can be confident that you are at our legitimate website and can enter your password.

Remember: Once you have signed up, NEVER enter sensitive information such as your password without first seeing your personal security image and name.

No.  Your personal image and name, and security questions and answers are separate from your regular password, which will not change.  To further safeguard your accounts, we do recommend that you change your password frequently.

We are glad to hear you use anti-virus software and a personal firewall.  Be sure that you keep both software programs up-to-date for the best possible protection against viruses, Trojans, and hackers.  These new security features protect against another kinds of threats such as a stolen user id and password.  It works with your other personal security programs, but it does not replace them.