Credit Management
Credit Management
Get Your Free Credit Report
The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you FREE access to your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Although there are many TV ads, email offers, and online search results that may tout “free” credit reports, there is only one authorized source for a truly free credit report. (Source: United States Federal Trade Commission, ftc.gov)
AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source for the free annual credit report that is yours by law
It provides access to all the information in your credit file
It also maintains a record of everyone who has checked your credit report (lenders, insurance providers, etc.)
It’s a great way to identify areas of improvement, discover errors, and detect fraud
This report does not include your credit score
For more information or to request your free report, visit AnnualCreditReport.com
Why does credit matter?
There are a variety of reasons your credit history may be checked – applying for a loan, opening an account with your electric company, renting an apartment, applying for a job, and more! The purpose of checking your credit history is to gain an understanding of your behavior, including your financial behavior. You can learn more about credit by visiting Experian.com. A few things you’ll learn on this website are:
The four elements of a credit report: identification, account history, public records (bankruptcy filings, court records of tax liens) and inquiries
Find out what to do if you have not established a credit history
Have a cosigner or authorized user added to the account
Apply for a secured credit card, which requires users to put up cash as collateral
How various life events impact your credit
Marriage or Divorce
Renting or Leasing
Making a Large Purchase
Financing a New Business
How to prevent fraud and identity theft
Improve your credit!
No matter what your credit score currently is, there is always room for improvement. Although the necessary steps for improving your credit are easy, it does take time. So the sooner you start, the better off you will be! For more information visit smartcreditmatters.com, a website created by our NVB credit card provider. A few things you will learn on this site are:
How credit scores are calculated
Why non-credit companies look at your score
How to improve your credit score
Show creditors you are responsible by paying your bills on time, every time
Building credit happens by using credit (wisely)
Never max out your cards
Pay more than just the minimum due on your card
Wait to apply for additional cards if you’ve recently opened one
Errors & fraud happen – catch it early by monitoring your credit report
What to do if your identity (personal information) is stolen
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here for Certificate of Deposit
Nodaway Valley Bank’s Look at the Last 150 Years
Nodaway Valley Bank’s Look at the Last 150 Years
Although the actual date is not until December, Nodaway Valley Bank will be celebrating the 150th anniversary throughout 2018. On December 4, 1868, Maryville’s first bank, known as the George S. Baker & Co., Bankers, opened its doors for business on the site of the present bank on the southwest corner of Maryville’s town square at 3rd & Main Streets.
In 1873, James B. Prather, J. C. Waterman and Theodore L. Robinson acquired controlling interest in the bank and changed the name to Nodaway Valley Bank. Mr. Robinson was placed in charge of day to day operations, and a member of Robinson family has been at the helm since then, with Chairman of the Board James G. Robinson representing the fifth generation.
Theodore L. Robinson was an 11 year old orphan living with his grandparents when they moved to Buchanan County in 1844. Because his grandfather was unable to work their farm, young Robinson went to work at the Mansion House in St. Joseph where his industriousness caught the attention of one of the borders, pioneer merchant John Curd, who offered young Robinson a job in his dry goods store and the opportunity to attend school.
After his plans to cash in on the Gold Rush failed, Robinson reentered employment with Curd who sent him to Maryville in 1857 to set up and manage a general store. Robinson eventually bought the store and opened a lumber yard. He sold both business in order to buy an interest in the bank.
During the for the first 26 years of its existence, Nodaway Valley Bank operated as a private bank until applying for a state banking charter in 1894, now the fifth oldest bank charter in the State of Missouri. The bank joined the newly formed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1934.
Although it was a relatively small bank for many years, Nodaway Valley Bank was progressively managed, being one of the first bank in the area to employ an agricultural advisor. The bank is one of the largest agricultural lenders in the region with eight experienced agricultural lenders, several of whom farm as well.
Nodaway Valley Bank has weathered several economic downturns over the course of 150 years. According to Chairman Emeritus Theodore G. Robinson, the bank experienced growth during more recent agricultural downturns. Instead of acquiring troubled competing banks, Nodaway Valley Bank picked up dislocated customers from those banks which were unable to continue lending.
“Nodaway Valley Bank has always focused on customer relationships,” Robinson said, “and in some cases, we would have never otherwise had the opportunity to acquire that business. It has allowed us to grow with our customers.”
As a unit bank, state banking regulations prohibited Nodaway Valley Bank from expanding beyond Nodaway County until 1990, when the bank opened a branch in Savannah, followed expansion into the St. Joseph market in 1995, when the bank built a new 9,300 square foot building at the North Belt and Cook Road.
In addition to providing an opportunity to diversify its loan portfolio, the bank’s resources increased 63%, growing from $215 million to $350 million in five years.
In response to customers having to take more financial responsibility for their retirement, Nodaway Valley Investment Services was formed in 2002 to provide comprehensive financial planning and brokerage services. In 2003, the bank completed construction of a new facility at Riverside Road & Mitchell Avenue and acquired the Heritage Bank of St. Joseph, creating the largest privately owned and managed bank in northwest Missouri with assets in excess of $541 million.
In 2006, the bank completed construction of two new facilities in Savannah and at Belt and Faraon in St. Joseph. In 2007, the Exchange Bank of Mound City was acquired, providing nine full service locations in four communities. The bank’s resources topped $853 million at the end of 2017.
As part of its 150th anniversary, the bank introduced a new logo, and a revised website formatted for mobile banking and a media campaign.
“We’re going to have some fun with some of the things that have happened over 150 years,” commented Chairman Robinson, “such as how many suckers we’ve given away and some strange loan requests that might have popped up.”
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here for Operating Line Of Credit
Protect Your Identity
Protect Your Identity
Help! I think my identity has been stolen!
Place a fraud alert with the credit reporting bureaus
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Click here to view a copy of the FTC’s Taking Charge checklist to learn what to do if you suspect identity theft
Visit ftc.gov/idtheft to access the FTC’s Identity Theft Resources website
Avoid ID Theft: Deter, Detect, Defend.
The Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) provides useful information about various aspects of identity theft on their web site such as:
What identity theft means & how it can occur
How to find out if your identity was stolen
What to do if your identity is stolen
How to protect yourself from identity theft
How to file a complaint with the FTC
Visit the FTC’s Website to learn more.
Protect Your Identity
Identity theft can cause more headache than you may realize. In fact, it can make it hard for you to put utilities in your name, get a job, rent an apartment, and more! It’s never too late to change your habits to protect yourself from identity theft. Learn more at consumer.gov, a website sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission.
Keep your financial records, Social Security and Medicare cards in a safe place
Shred papers and solicitations that have your account number, personal, or medical information listed
Take mail out of your mailbox as soon as you can
Only give your Social Security Number if you must, ask if you can use another kind of identification
Never give your financial or personal information to someone who calls or emails you
Watch your bills and account statements for transactions that were not done by you
Some other good resources related to Fraud and ID Theft
Visit Mastercard for more information.
IC3 partners with the FBI and NW3C (National White Collar Crime Center) to allow online complaint/investigation
www.ic3.gov
AARP Scam/Fraud page also has lots of helpful resources
AARP Scam-Fraud Page
Mastercard provides U.S. cardholders with services to help detect and resolve identity theft at no extra cost.
Visit Mastercard for more information
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here to inquire about at Nodaway Valley Bank.
Nodaway Valley Bank | Celebrating 150 Years
After a century and a half, Nodaway Valley Bank has become a household name in Northwest Missouri. Known by customers for mutual respect, fairness, and exemplary customer service, NVB has withstood the test of time by living up to the founder’s motto of “Safety & Dependability.”
Before the Wright brothers first flight, the first man on the moon, and the first pair of blue jeans, the bank was established as George S. Baker and Company. The original location opened its doors at the current Maryville location in 1868.
The bank would soon become known as Nodaway Valley Bank, when bought by James B. Prather and Theodore L. Robison in 1873. To this day, the Robison family continues to lead this progressive financial institution.
Nodaway Valley Bank—the original hometown bank—has survived many ups and downs. Through the Great Depression, two World Wars, floods and droughts, believing that what is good for their customer and what is good for the bank is one in the same. As we celebrate this milestone, we look to the future with hope and confidence.
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of Northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here for Where to find Line Of Credit
Money Basics
Develop a Budget
Creating a budget doesn’t have to be hard and it has many benefits! It’s an easy way to pinpoint areas where you can reduce spending and it can help build a habit of saving. Plus you can use your budget to set financial goals – whether that means building an emergency fund, saving up for a large purchase, putting money away each month for retirement, or many other goals. For an in depth look at budgeting and managing money, consider visiting the Federal Trade Commission for more information (search: Money Matters). In the meantime, here are a few easy steps to develop a budget:
Write down your total monthly take-home pay
List your monthly expenses
Include fixed expenses such as loans, Internet access, and phone bills
Include variable expenses such as gas, groceries, and electric bills
Include occasional expenses such as gifts and entertainment
At the end of the month, subtract those expenses from your total pay
Identify areas that have room to reduce spending
Use this information to set a monthly budget that includes saving
Any excess funds at the end of the money can be put into your savings, emergency, or slush fund
Each month review your progress and tweak as needed
Protect Against Accidental Overdrafts
Preventing fees incurred by overdrawing your account begins with knowing where your money is, whether you participate in our Overdraft Privilege program or not. It is important to keep track of your balance every time you write a check, swipe your debit card, or authorize an automatic withdrawal. Simply looking at your checking account balance may not reflect all of your “outstanding” items. This is because when you write a check, funds are not withdrawn from your account until the person/business deposits or cashes the check. Even when you use your debit card, funds may not be withdrawn from your account immediately if the business waits to process all transactions once a week. So how do you know where your money is if you have outstanding transactions?
Set up a Overdraft Sweep
When you set up an Overdraft Sweep with your account, money will automatically “sweep” or be transferred from a specified account to cover the overdraft for a fee of $10 from the credited account. A great example of this is to set up money to transfer from your savings account into your checking account in increments of $50. If you use your debit card to accidentally overdraw your checking account by $15, your “sweep” will automatically transfer $50 out of savings and into your checking account. This will bring your checking account positive by $25 after the $10 overdraft sweep fee is charged and save you from being charged an insufficient item (NSF) fee.
Monitor your accounts & transfer funds by 6:00 p.m. CST
We offer a variety of ways to monitor your accounts 24/7. Online Banking, Mobile Banking, and Telebank all provide you the ability to check your balance and transfer funds anytime, anywhere. If you see your checking account is overdrawn, simply bring your account positive by completing an EXPRESS TRANSFER by 6:00 p.m. CST on the same day the account went overdrawn.
Keep a checkbook register with you at all times.
Every time you use your debit card or write a check, notate the amount in your checkbook register and subtract it from the balance. Why is this so important? Because it takes time for transactions to be presented to the bank and subtracted from your bank balance. A check may take days to be received through the mail or may sit on the recipients desk for a week before being taken to the bank. Debit card transactions can take a few days to show up on your bank account balance if the store only sends transactions to their processor once a week.
Use a Reconciliation Sheet
This is an easy way to identify debit card or check transactions that are outstanding. To download a “paper and pencil” Reconciliation Sheet, Click here. To download a Reconciliation excel spreadsheet, Click here. Start by writing down the ending balance of your last statement (or use the most recent balance from your online banking). Now is the time to pull out your trusty checkbook register! If your bank account balance is different than your checkbook register balance, simply compare the two, marking off each transaction in your checkbook register that is showing on your bank account statement or online banking. Then use the Reconciliation Sheet to notate the transactions in your checkbook register that have not been marked off. If your books still do not add up after completing the Reconciliation Sheet, contact our Customer Support Center for help!
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here to Home Loans
Protect Against Scams
Text Scams
Watch for text messages that appear to be from a bank or other financial institution. You do not have to be a customer for the scam to work. The text will ask you to verify your account by either following a link or calling a phone number. The intent is for you to provide some type of personal information that can be stolen, such as a debit/ATM card PIN. For more information, visit the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Stopper website bbb.org, where you will learn things like:
Ignore instructions to text “STOP” or “NO” which confirms that your number is valid and active
Forward the text to your cell phone carrier to block future texts from that number
Call the bank or financial institution to verify the text is real
Wire Scams
Wire scams can include a variety of ploys to entice you to send money through a wire (this is the same as sending actual cash to a person). Wiring money is like giving cash, once it’s sent you cannot get it back. To protect yourself from falling prey to a wire scam, NEVER wire money to someone you don't know, even if they claim the money is for a friend or relative that you do know. Learn more from the Federal Trade Commission by visiting consumer.gov.
Scams may lead you to believe a variety of stories:
You won the lottery but have to pay taxes first
You inherited money but have to pay fees to receive the money
A family member who is in trouble and needs you to send money
You receive a check from the wrong amount and need to send the extra funds back
If you believe you have fallen prey to a wire scam
Call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Notify the FTC online at ftccomplaintassistant.gov
A bank with family values! We have been locally owned and managed since 1868. NVB has been serving the needs of northwest Missouri’s citizens for a century and a half. Click Here to inquire about Personal Loans
