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Yesterday's Traditions.
Tomorrow's Vision.
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19 Convenient Locations
Phone: 1.888.759.2266
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Volume 2 - Issue 4
August 2020
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Greetings!
I hope you and your families are healthy and safe!
I’m happy to report that your FKCB family continues to weather the COVID-19 storm and thanks to our employees’ dedication, we have been able to safely
re-open all of our branch lobbies. If you have visited us in person, I’m sure you have noticed the changes.
We continue to follow the PA Dept. of Health guidelines, including the mandate for employees and customers to wear masks, and we practice social distancing. Did you ever think it would be mandated for customers to wear masks when entering a bank building? These certainly are different and challenging times. We mounted plexi-glass “sneeze shields” in the teller and customer service areas, installed floor distance markers, and provided educational posters in customer service areas. Hand sanitizer is available throughout the facilities. The safety of our customers and employees remains our number one concern.
As you may recall from our previous newsletter, FKCB historically prepares and
regularly updates a full Business Continuity and Pandemic Plan (“BCP”). This plan
is reviewed, tested, and approved annually, and more often when necessary. We
recently completed a thorough review of our Pandemic Plan. We updated the Plan based on what we learned, and continue to learn, from the COVID-19 pandemic experience.
We created an internal library of Federal, State, and PA Dept. of Health guidelines,
FKCB documentation, loan modification and stimulus check information, and SBA
PPP loan application and forgiveness requirements. We do all of this so we
remain prepared to offer you the customer service experience you are accustomed
to receiving and expect.
Our business model is flexible and it has changed in several ways since mid-March. Our online account openings increased significantly since February. Our volume of Mobile Remote Deposits continues to increase and reached an all-time high of more than $450,000 in 1,100 transactions for the month of June alone. Customers continue to enroll in e-statements and our online banking enrollments continue to grow on a monthly basis as customers are increasingly utilizing technology to conduct their banking.
Although we have instituted numerous procedural changes, we remain true to our mission to be your financial provider of choice, while supporting the communities in which we serve. For example, through June 30, 2020 we provided in excess of $31 million in SBA Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) loans. In many cases, these loans were crucial to the survival of local businesses.
While we have navigated a wide variety of challenges over the past few months, we have also moved forward with some important initiatives.
Please join me in congratulating Jonathan Littlewood for his promotion to VP, Chief Lending Officer. Jon has been with us for more than 12 years, serving the Columbia/Montour county region as a Commercial Loan Officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for managing the commercial, residential, and consumer lending teams, as well as loan operations. Though just recently promoted, Jon has already embraced his new position and we are confident that he will succeed as our Chief Lending Officer.
Also, please join me in welcoming a new member to our family. Jeff Gilbert comes to us with more than 34 years of experience in banking and financial services. He will be serving the Pocono and Lehigh Valley areas, helping customers with their investment decisions. We are very happy to have him join us. Welcome Jeff!
Thank you all for your continued support of First Keystone Community Bank. I wish you continued safety and health and I hope to see you soon!
Warmest Regards,
Elaine A. Woodland
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WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE
JONATHAN LITTLEWOOD
has been promoted to
Vice President, Chief Lending Officer
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“Congratulations to Jonathan for his promotion to Chief Lending Officer,” stated Elaine A. Woodland, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to recognize him for his dedication and service to the Bank and our customers, and we are confident he will succeed in his new role.”
Jonathan has over 16 years of banking experience, with an expertise in commerical and business lending.
He received his bachelor's degree in Business Management from Gettysburg College and earned his Master's Degree in Applied Project Management from Villanova University. Jonathan has completed Pennsylvania Bankers Association School of Banking, Advanced School of Banking,
PA Bankers School of Commercial Lending, and RMA School of Commercial Lending. He is currently enrolled in Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
Jonathan is a very active member of the community as a board member of the Rural Enterprise Development Corporation (RBI, Inc.), a member of the Low Interest Loan Committee for the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Vice President of the Board for the Bloomsburg YMCA, as well as a member of the Bloomsburg Elks Lodge No.436. Jonathan is also a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.
Jonathan calls Bloomsburg his home where he lives with his wife Carrie and their two children, Colin and Arden.
"I would thank the Board of Directors and Elaine Woodland for having the confidence in me to do the job. I look forward to bringing my enthusiasm, perspective, and experience to the dedicated team and staff at First Keystone Community Bank. Together, we will continue to build upon First Keystone Community Bank’s successful history focused on bringing a great banking experience to the communities we serve." Jonathan
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WORKING FROM HOME?
WONDERING IF YOU CAN CLAIM A
HOME OFFICE DEDUCTION FROM
YOUR TAXES NEXT YEAR?
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The home office deduction allows qualifying taxpayers to
may be wondering if they can claim a home office deduction when they file their 2020 tax return next year.
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The home office deduction Form 8829 is available to both homeowners and renters.
- There are certain expenses taxpayers can deduct. They include mortgage interest, insurance, utilities, repairs, maintenance, depreciation and rent.
- Taxpayers must meet specific requirements to claim home expenses as a deduction. Even then, the deductible amount of these types of expenses may be limited.
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The term "home" for purposes of this deduction:
- Includes a house, apartment, condominium, mobile home, boat or similar property.
- Also includes structures on the property. These are places like an unattached garage, studio, barn or greenhouse.
- Doesn't include any part of the taxpayer's property used exclusively as a hotel, motel, inn or similar business.
- There are two basic requirements for the taxpayer's home to qualify a deduction:
- There must be exclusive use of a portion of the home for conducting business on a regular basis. For example, a taxpayer who uses an extra room to run their business can take a home office deduction only for that extra room so long as it is used both regularly and exclusively in the business.
- The home must be the taxpayer's principal place of business. A taxpayer can also meet this requirement if administrative or management activities are conducted at the home and there is no other location to perform these duties. Therefore, someone who conducts business outside of their home but also uses their home to conduct business may still qualify for a home office deduction.
- Expenses that relate to a separate structure not attached to the home will qualify for a home office deduction. It will qualify only if the structure is used exclusively and regularly for business.
- Taxpayers who qualify may choose one of two methods to calculate their home office expense deduction:
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The simplified option has a rate of $5 a square foot for business use of the home. The maximum size for this option is 300 square feet. The maximum deduction under this method is $1,500.
- When using the regular method, deductions for a home office are based on the percentage of the home devoted to business use. Taxpayers who use a whole room or part of a room for conducting their business need to figure out the percentage of the home used for business activities to deduct indirect expenses. Direct expenses are deducted in full.
- Consult a tax adviser for further information regarding the deductibility of home office expenses.
For more information from the IRS you can visit their website:
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Learn More About Our Key Deposit Solutions:
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BEST CYBERSECURITY PRACTICES
FOR REMOTE WORKERS AGAINST CORONAVIRUS SCAMS
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Cybercriminals are seizing on coronavirus fears by using online scams to extract internet users’ personal and financial information.
These scams – sent through email, texts or social media – claim to provide coronavirus awareness, sell virus prevention products
and/or may ask for donations to a charity. They can often appear to be from a legitimate organization or individual, including
a business partner or friend.
According to the National Cyber Security Alliance ("NCSA") during
times of national hardship, such as the coronavirus outbreak, bad
actors increase their fraudulent activities. As such, they urge
everyone to be extra vigilant against online scams, including phishing
and malware, that are more prevalent in times like these.
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NCSA offers these tips to avoid being a
victim of these scams:
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Don’t reveal personal or financial information in an email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email.
Pay attention to the website’s URL. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain
(e.g., .com versus .net).
If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. Contact the company using information provided on an account statement, not information provided in an email. Check out the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) to learn about known phishing attacks and/or report phishing.
Keep a clean machine. Keep all software on internet-connected devices – including PCs, smartphones and tablets – up to date to reduce risk of infection from malware. Additionally, as more employees are working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak, NCSA urges companies to establish security policies and guidelines for remote workers and train them on these policies and the company’s expectations. Companies should also have a clear process for reporting any IT issues for remote workers so they know who to turn to for support.
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NCSA recommends the following tips for employees working remotely on how they can stay safe online when using company devices:
Connect to a secure network and use a company-issued Virtual Private Network to access any work accounts. Home routers should be updated to the most current software and secured with a lengthy, unique passphrase. Employees should not be connecting to public WiFi to access work accounts unless using a VPN.
Separate your network so your company devices are on their own WiFi network, and your personal devices are on their own.
Keep devices with you at all times or stored in a secure location when not in use. Set auto log-out if you walk away from your computer and forget to log out.
Limit access to the device you use for work. Only the approved user should use the device (family and friends should not use a work-issued device)
Regardless of where you are, NCSA urges all internet users to stay safer and more secure online by updating software on all devices (including antivirus and firewalls) backing up data, enabling multi-factor authentication and having strong, lengthy passphrases for each online account.
For more information and tips on how to stay safe online,
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FIRST KEYSTONE COMMUNITY BANK
SPONSORS THE SECOND ANNUAL
2020 BLOOMSBURG FAIR QUEEN
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The 2019 Fair Queen Nicolette Cusate
crowned Bryndil and 2020 Alternate Queen,
Mackenzie Lee Fish, of Orangeville.
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Congratulations
Bryndil Lei Kemler
of Nescopeck,
The 2020 Bloomsburg Fair Queen.
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Bryndil's responsibilities as Fair Queen include raising awareness of the education, local agriculture, and entertainment that the Bloomsburg Fair provides to the region. |
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Bryndil is a graduate of Central
Columbia High School, and is attending Penn Tech with a major in Surveying Technology. She hopes to become a Licensed Land Surveyor and would like to have a career that would allow her to see a project from survey all the way through its environmental impact. Her interests lie with preserving and harvesting resources in a safe and efficient manner. She has attended the PA School for Excellence in the Agriculture Sciences, and has been a member of both FFA and 4-H. She has held many local and state FFA offices and received many academic honors.
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STOP GLASSES FROM FOGGING UP WHEN YOU WEAR A MASK. |
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It's a pesky problem: As soon as you strap on your cloth face mask and head out the door, your glasses fog up.
But there are two simple ways to fix that using household items, and they'll only take a minute or two. All you need is a bar of soap or shaving cream.
Your specs fog up because the mask directs your breath upward instead of in front of you, which is good for preventing disease transmission but bad for anyone with less-than-stellar eyesight.
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Soap or shaving cream act like a cloak that reduces surface tension on
the lenses. This magic mix allows the water molecules from your breath to distribute evenly, rather than cluster on your lens in a way that makes it
difficult to see.
1.Always wash your hands with soap and water first.
2.Immediately before wearing a face mask, rub a bar of soap or shaving cream to both sides of you lenses and rub it in.
3.Let the glasses sit for a while before buffing off the residue with a soft, dry cloth.
Now the lenses should not mist up when the face mask is worn.
Enjoy your clear specs, and go on your way!
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Looking for a new job can be a daunting project, and frequently involves the exchange of personal information with complete strangers, which is why job seekers
are an enticing target for cyber criminals. As you
look for a new job, use this tip sheet to help you be extra vigilant so your application materials and personal information don’t end up in the wrong hands.
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PLEASE HELP US WELCOME
Jeff Gilbert,
Financial Consultant, Infinex Investments, Inc.
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Jeff is servicing the Pocono and Lehigh Valley Areas bringing over
34 years of experience in the financial services industry working directly
with business owners and individuals.
Jeff was born and raised in the Poconos and has been active
in serving the community through his involvement with the
Elks Lodge No. 319, Masons J. Simpson Africa Lodge No. 628
and the Rotary Club of the Poconos.
In his free time, Jeff enjoys golfing, reading, music, theatre and
being an active member of his church.
"I am very excited to be part of a bank committed to serving the
Northeast Community and feel very blessed to be working alongside
a great group of people." Jeff
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Autumn is just around the corner and arguably the favorite
season for many. The days might be getting shorter and winter
might be just around the corner, but autumn is full of pleasantly warm days with crisp air, sunshine, beautiful fall foliage, and tons of
delicious pumpkin spice treats. But even if you're a big fan of autumn, you probably don't know everything there is to know about the season.
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Here are a few facts you may not have
known about this time of year.
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A Date For Your Diary - September 24, 2303.
The autumn equinox falls on either the 22 or 23 of September, but not always. Because the Gregorian calendar is not in perfect symmetry with the Earth's orbit, the autumn equinox will occasionally fall on September 24. This last happened in 1931 and will next happen in 2303.
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Persephone's Return.
In Greek mythology, autumn began when Persephone was abducted by Hades to be the Queen of the Underworld. In distress Persephone's mother, Demeter (the goddess of the harvest), caused all the crops on Earth to die until her daughter was allowed to return, marking spring.
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Autumn Used To Be Called “Harvest.”
In 12th- and 13th-century Middle English,
fall was called "haerfest," which was the act
of taking in crops. Eventually, it was known as
"harvest" because the full moon closest to
the autumn equinox is known as a harvest moon.
Before cities electrified, the bright night of
the harvest moon was essential for farmers
harvesting their late-year crops.
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Leaves Don't Really Change Colors.
The gorgeous red, orange, and yellow pigments in fall foliage are actually there all year, just under the surface. Sunlight helps fuel plant cells containing a chemical called chlorophyll, which gives leaves their vivid green color while working to turn light into energy. When sunlight diminishes in fall, chlorophyll breaks down, letting the plant’s hidden red, yellow, and orange hues shine.
Fall Colors Depend On How Much Sugar Is In The Leaves.
Fall leaf colors are caused by certain pigments in the leaves, and different kinds of
trees produce different pigments. When you notice leaves that are purple and red, that's
caused by the "anthocyanins" pigment, which is only produced in the fall when
sugars are trapped in the leaves. Lots of dry weather and sunlight will lead to more
sugars in the leaves, meaning the leaves will be brighter red. Freezing, meanwhile,
stops the process of making red pigments.
Leaves Fall Because Of A Hormone.
You now know why leaves change color, but do you know why they fall off trees? As
boosts the growth of a cell between the stem and the leaf. As that happens, the leaf
is basically forced to fall off the stem. Even if this didn't happen, leaves would fall
off the trees in the winter as they would freeze and die.
It's The Best Time To See The Aurora Borealis.
Autumn also signals another colorful spectacle apart from the tree leaves. The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, tends to be visible this time of year. This is because geomagnetic storms are about twice as likely to occur during the fall thanks to cool evening weather.
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Autumn is good for
the economy.
At least, in foliage-blessed states like New Hampshire and Vermont. “Leaf peeping,” the slang term for fall leaf tourism, is reportedly a $3 billion dollar business in New England, where millions of out-of-state visitors flock to take in the changing colors. In most parts of the region, peak foliage spectating comes around mid-October. If you would like a prediction of when the leaves change color in other parts of the country, you can visit the farmers almanac website.
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It's The Best Time For Apples.
Between apple cider, apple pie, and every other apple dessert out there, apples are a big sell during the fall. Washington state, which is known for apples, is expected to harvest 137.3 million boxes of apples for the 2020 season.
You Need A Lot of Apples to Make Apple Cider.
Apple cider is nearly as popular as pumpkin spice during the fall. But keeping up with the demand for fresh cider requires a whole lot of apples—just one gallon of apple cider requires 36 apples.
Ancient People Wore Halloween Costumes To Scare Off Ghosts.
Halloween is a large part of autumn. The concept of wearing masks and costumes hails from ancient Celtic tradition. The Celts believed ghosts roamed on Halloween, and people wore disguises to hide from the spirits.
More Pumpkins, Please!
Pumpkins, perhaps the most iconic image of autumn, are grown on six of the seven continents (not Antarctica). Their name comes from the Greek word pepon, roughly meaning “large melon.” The word traded hands from French (pompon) to British (pumpion) before colonial Americans dubbed it pumpkin. The top producers of pumpkins include China, India, Ukraine, the United States, Egypt, and Mexico. And, fun fact, the top pumpkin-producing U.S. state is Illinois.
The Irish Used To Carve Turnips And Potatoes.
Much like Halloween costumes, Jack-o'-lanterns started out as a way for people to scare off evil spirits around Halloween. Back in the day, the Irish carved the faces into turnips, beets, or potatoes instead of pumpkins.
ENJOY THE FALL SEASON!
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19 CONVENIENT BANKING
LOCATIONS FOR YOU!
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111 W. Front Street | Berwick, PA 18603 | Toll Free: (888) 759-2266
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