123 Years and Going Strong!

Central National Bank is celebrating its 123rd birthday this month – yes, that’s correct: 123 YEARS.  When this bank was founded, the car hadn’t even been invented yet!  Times have certainly changed since 1884, but Central National Bank has stood the test of time as a strong, successful bank throughout its storied history. 

The bank was founded by Sumner Pierce in October of 1884 in Junction City.  Originally chartered as a state bank, “Central Kansas Bank” was elevated to a more prestigious national bank just six years later in 1890.   

Central National Bank’s long history of strength and consistency is rare in the banking industry today.  In an era where bank acquisitions and name changes are commonplace, Central National Bank has kept the same name for more than a century!  Central National Bank is a family and employee-owned business, and our team of bankers across Kansas and Nebraska take pride in building their communities by providing excellent financial services and by donating their time and energy to community projects.

Happy 123rd birthday, Central National Bank!  Now we just need to get enough people together to blow out all of these candles…

–Sara Munson

Green Machine

On September 19^th Central National Bank hosted its 5^th Advisory Board Roundtable Forum.  The topic was “Going Green”.  Guest presenters were Sarah Hill-Nelson, secretary/treasurer of Bowersock Mill & Power Co. in Lawrence and a representative of The Bonneville Environmental Foundation out of Portland, Oregon as well as the director of Zephyr Energy of Lawrence and Scott Zaremba, president of Zarco Earth-Friendly-Fuels and Zarco 66 stores of Lawrence. 

Bowersock operates a Hydroelectric-power plant along the Kansas River in Lawrence and has been providing energy for Lawrence since the early 1900’s.  The Hill family has been involved in the plant for much of its rich history.  The Bonneville Environmental Foundation is focused on the reparation of damaged watersheds across the country and establishing new renewable energy generation.  Zephyr Energy is the local vehicle for buying green tags to offset you or your businesses energy usage and to support the use of renewable energy generation.

The Zaremba family has been in the fuel business in Lawrence for the past 40 years.  Scott Zaremba is in the process of opening the first retail Bio-fuels station in the state of Kansas at 9^th & Iowa Street in Lawrence.  The station will be open later this fall and Scott informed us that many cars are already compatible to run on E-85 grade fuel.  A list of vehicles that are equipped for this use can be founds on the Zarco 66 web site (www.zarco66.com).

Central National Bank of Lawrence is proud to announce that a three-year commitment to invest in green tags to offset 25% of the energy usage in its six Lawrence bank branch locations.  CNB is the first and only bank in Lawrence to make this commitment and we do this consistent with the mission of our bank, which is focused on “…making our customers and the communities we serve successful.”  An investment in renewable energy is an important investment in the future of Lawrence and the state of Kansas. 

Additionally, CNB is proud to be the financing source for Zarco Earth-Friendly-Fuels and their new Biofuel station in Lawrence.  The leadership and commitment by the Zaremba family in taking such an important step to begin to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to make a positive impact on the environment is truly a landmark step in Kansas.

As Scott Zaremba stated in his presentation, “to create change one must take action.”  Central National Bank is very pleased to play a small role in supporting these great community leaders and helping promote issues that truly do make our community and customers successful.

 

Blog by Brad Chindamo

Music for Life

There’s an interesting phenomenon going on in the NE region of Central National Bank.  The bank is injecting itself into the local music scene.  CNB has partnered with over 20 local artists to help spread the enjoyment of local music.  You can find more details about how the program works at www.centralnational.com/musicforlife. 

I’m fortunate enough to be involved on both sides of this project.  I’m an employee of the bank and I’m in a local band.  While my band is not performing on Friday, we do have songs available for our new deposit customers (my Risky Shift Phenomenon plug).  This project is designed to give local musicians an affordable way to get their name and, more importantly, their music out to the public… period.  That is why I’m such an advocate of this venture. 

CNB has a unique opportunity in Lawrence to appeal to a younger generation.  With so much great local music in Lawrence, this project targets not only the young “Gen Y’’ crowd, but it’s sure to transcend to all generations.  I’ve noticed that banks tend to offer similar products and services, so it’s important that banks find ways to distinguish themselves.  All banks tend to take pride in providing high levels of customer service, but getting involved with the local music scene further separates CNB from the pack.

The inaugural event is being held at the Granada on Friday, September 28th.  There will be four local bands performing from 8:30-12:00.  And to top it off, Lazer 105.9’s Chris Merrill will be hosting the event.  I hope to see you all at the event and encourage you to keep tabs on the progress of Music for Life.

Author - Tim Mock

Online Bill Pay, One Stop Bill Payment

When I ask customers if they would like to try online bill pay some say they already pay their bills online, but they go through their providers’ websites. “Same thing right?”

Well not quite!  You are paying your bills online, but you are doing it the hard way.  Online bill pay from a bank gives you one stop shop to pay all your bills at the same time, instead of going to numerous websites to pay each bill individually. You enter in the name of the payee you want to pay, how much, and when.  Just log in and take care of everything all at once.

You can process payments online to anyone, even if they do not have their own online payment system set up. The payments are processed on whatever day you choose.  Some larger companies accept payments electronically aka ACH (Automated Clearing House) while others still require a check to be mailed.  Either way this is a fast, convenient way to pay your bills. Anyone with a mailbox can get a payment from online bill pay!

At Central National Bank you can test drive bill pay for up to six months to see if you like the convenience. So forget the stamps, envelopes, and going to several websites to pay your bills! 

Recipe Corner

I am proud to present the first installment of Central National Bank’s recipe corner! Where we are proud to present our favorite recipes with all our blog fans and friends.

 The debut recipe is one of my all time favorites Cookie Salad! It is always a hit and despite the name it is more of a dessert

 You can’t mess this one up and it is always a rave at potlucks. And one tip I have is right after you make it for yourself pass the instructions along to a friend with the extra of your buttermilk. If you are like me, I had no use for the rest of my buttermilk and didn’t want it to go bad, you’ve got about a week and a half before that happens.

Enjoy! And look for more recipes to come!

Ingredients

• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 12 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 (11.5 ounce) package fudge stripe cookies

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the pudding mix and the buttermilk. Fold in the whipped topping. Mix in the pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges. Chill until ready to serve. Crush cookies and mix in just before serving. You can also freeze it and make a frozen treat out of it for hot summer days.

Easy Auto Loans

Everyone knows how much easier (and sometimes a lot more complicated) life has become since the advent of the Internet.  This is obviously no exception to financial institutions, and they continue to make it easier and easier every day.

I have grown up with Online Banking.  Back before I had bills, all I needed to do was check my balance every once in a while.  When I started getting real bills, it was always difficult to convince myself to sit down and write out my checks and mail them off.  The ease of point-and-click Online Bill Pay solved that problem.

Now it’s time to get serious and purchase a new car.  Did you know that we can accept applications for auto, debt consolidation, personal, and even mortgages through the internet?  It’s quick – no need to write it out by hand and no need to mail it to the bank.  Most of the time you will receive response e-mail within 2 hours and can close the loan any time and at any branch that day!  Even though you are filling out a form, there is additional space for comments and questions, just as if you were sitting at your personal banker’s desk.  You can also fill out the application 24 hours a day making it convenient and fast.  Auto loan applications are accepted whether you are ready to purchase a vehicle today or if you are just getting started and want to know how much spending power you have.   Now there is no reason to put it off any longer!  To view more information, click here.

And as always there are lenders here to help both in the bank and on-line.

Biweekly Mortgages

Do you wish you could pay off your home mortgage loan more quickly than with a traditional 30-year fixed rate loan, significantly reducing the amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan?  Well bi-golly, a Biweekly Mortgage may be right for you.

Biweekly Mortgage payments are made every two weeks, resulting in 26 (sometimes 27) payments per year.  As a result of the number and frequency of payments, you can pay off the loan faster than with a traditional 30-year, fixed rate, monthly payment mortgage.  For example, a loan that ordinarily would take 30 years to amortize fully could be paid off after just 23 years of biweekly payments depending on the interest rate of the loan. A Biweekly Mortgage may also save you interest expenses over the life of the loan.  For example, a $150,000.00 loan at 7 percent rate paid monthly over 30 years will cost a borrower approximately $53,000 more in interest over the life of the loan than a Biweekly Mortgage for the same loan amount and interest rate.

I’m not sure about you, but an extra $53K might come in handy someday.

Gimme a little credit!

I admit when I left home and went to college, I was not the most financially savvy high-school graduate. Now at the ripe old age of 27 I wish I knew then what I know now, at least when it comes to my credit report.

I’m still not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to apply for seven credit cards in one day to get free one-size-fits-all t-shirts that sat in the back of my closet until finally making their way to the trash. Mind you, I never actually used any of those credit cards, so my credit report was safe, right? Wrong.

Why didn’t somebody tell me that was a sure-fire way to lower my credit score instantly? Maybe because I didn’t even know what a credit score was or why it was important.

Oh, and don’t get me started on student loans. You mean I actually have to pay those back someday? With interest? And who ever thought it was a good idea to offer me more loan money than I needed for tuition? Yet I gladly accepted it.

Well, I’m a little bit older and a little bit wiser, especially after I had the opportunity to attend a financial literacy seminar offered by my bank. Now I plan to make it my goal to spare the young and credit-naive the pain of learning from bad experiences. I recently had the honor of coaching a group of young adults who are enthusiastic about building a strong credit history for themselves. Maybe I can live vicariously through them as I watch them avoid the mistakes I wish I didn’t make!

Two Simple Ways to Make Your Life Easier

Are you a Central Online Banking user?  Do you have a CNB Debit Card?  If so, here are two tips that will make your life easier when you use these products:

 Central Online Banking

Do you find it hard to remember the 12-digit user id that you’re given when you first sign up?  You may not realize it, but you CAN change this user id to something that is simpler to remember!  Simply sign into Central Online Banking, then click on Options.  You’ll see a field called “Personal ID”.  Type in what you want your new user id to be and click Submit.  Now, you can forget your old 12-digit user id and log in with the one that you just created!  Note that your password will remain the same.

 Central National Bank Debit Cards

We all know how important it is to keep your debit card’s PIN number in a safe, secure place (preferrably your brain!).  But you may have trouble remembering the PIN that you were originally issued.  Some people even write their PIN numbers on the back of their card to remember it (big no-no!).  Did you know that you can change your PIN number?  That’s right, simply visit one of Central National Bank’s 70+ ATMs across Kansas and change your PIN.  To do this, first swipe your card and then go to Other.  Next, go to Change Personal ID Number.  From this menu option, you can change your PIN to whatever you like!

We hope these two tips will help make your life a little easier! 

It’s not easy being green…

So ever since I read a “Green” issue of a favorite magazine I’ve been trying to be conscious about what I could be doing to help the Earth. I know I take a lot of things for granted but after reading about how many forests are cut down to make toilet paper I was depressed! It seems like everything I do thru the day has a harmful side effect on the world, so what is one to do who wants to help?

At first I started freaking out thinking I’m going to walk everywhere and never buy a piece of plastic again. That lasted all of five minutes before I decided I needed to drive to the store for some sandwich baggies because I was fresh out. L Hmmm this was going to be tougher than I thought.

Made a quick note to self: Self- be more realistic and change small things constantly until your lifestyle changes.

My change for this week is to get some bills and my bank statements e-mailed to me (uses less paper), and make a recycle pile for my junk mail. I’ve only been collecting my junk mail for a few days and have already filled a shoebox!

Plus almost anything I can think of has a recycled version. Its nuts, I’m a knitter and there is even recycled yarn, or bamboo yarn that is made from a renewable source. I had no idea that the acrylic yarn I was using to make mittens is more from an oil Derek than a Ewe! I encourage you to change something small and make yourself a little greener! The World appreciates our efforts! J  

Check out this link but make sure you are sitting down!

http://www.myfootprint.org/