Safety

Back to school means the start of a lot of learning. Take time now to help your student learn an important financial lesson by choosing the right bank account.

For teens, a part-time job can be a rite of passage. It introduces them to the working world and gives them their first practical experience as an employee, along with their first steady stream of income. That means it’s also time to open a bank account if they don’t already have one.

Choosing where... Read More

How to Protect Yourself

Mobile devices  provide convenience and have become something many of us rely upon daily. Cybercriminals have also seized upon this convenience as a way to commit fraud. Consider the following tips to protect your devices.

Criminals never take a vacation. When planning a vacation, pack these cybersecurity tips for safe travels:

Whether it is Venmo, PayPal or Apple Pay, peer-to-peer payment apps have quickly risen in popularity over the last few years. While they create convenience for consumers, they also create a new target for fraudsters. And because payment apps do not have the same consumer protection as bank accounts, such as FDIC insurance, money stolen through a payment app cannot be recovered.

There are many precautions consumers can take to protect their payment app accounts from fraud, but using one... Read More

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people all over the world have been anxiously awaiting the development of a vaccine that could protect them from the coronavirus. While the announcement that the vaccine is being distributed throughout the U.S. gives cybercriminals the opportunity to create scams, we're providing the following tips to help consumers avoid becoming a victim.

COVID-19 vaccine scams could come through phishing emails that offer to sell a vaccine or other type of treatment.... Read More

Online shopping has become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as people try to protect themselves through social distancing. With Cyber Monday on the horizon, watch out for phishing and other identity theft scams this holiday shopping season.

Being alert to the social engineering tricks commonly used by cybercriminals is the most effective way to protect yourself from becoming a victim of cybercrime. Following is a list of do's and don'ts to help you spot email phishing... Read More

Beginning Monday, November 16, 2020, all offices of Iowa State Bank will restrict access to their lobbies with appointments only, due to increasing coronavirus concerns. Masks are strongly recommended. For an appointment with a loan officer or for special transactions, including safe deposit box access, contact our offices at:

Drive-up lanes in Ruthven and... Read More

Are Electronic Signatures Safe to Use?

In today’s world, you’ve probably been asked to use an electronic signature for a job application, a car loan or even a home loan. New technology often yields new questions about safety and security. Here are some basics about electronic signatures to help you feel more comfortable with their usage:

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Kossuth County is partnering with Iowa State Bank to offer a webinar, “Online Financial Safety”, on Thursday, April 9, 2020. The webinar will be hosted via WebEx, and will begin at 12:00 noon.

The webinar will help participants to better protect their finances from fraud, by teaching how to instill good security practices for one’s home and financial life. “American’s have lost billions of dollars in recent... Read More

Gift cards can be a thoughtful and generous gift. Consumers spend more than $130 billion on gift cards per year, according to CEB TowerGroup. With that much money involved, these products make for a popular target for fraudsters -- especially during the holidays. Iowa State Bank wants to make sure consumers know how to spot such scams so they don't become a victim.

While community banks encourage consumers to shop their local businesses first, however sometimes a gift card is... Read More