Anne Keeler and Lindsay King Named to F&M Board

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Photo of board member, Anne Keeler Lindsay King

 

F&M Bank is excited to announce the appointment of Anne Keeler (pictured left) to the F&M Bank Board of Directors and Lindsay King (pictured right) to the F&M Bank Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Board.

Anne Keeler is the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer at Bridgewater College. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech and Master of Science in Accounting from James Madison University. Prior to her arrival at Bridgewater College, Anne was responsible for the performance of an eight-member specialty finance group in her position as agribusiness sales manager at a financial institution. Ms. Keeler is also a Director of the Rockingham Group and currently serves as the Audit Committee Chair of that board. She is a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Lindsay King is a Marketing Lecturer at James Madison University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Virginia Tech, a Master of Business Administration from James Madison University and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at James Madison University’s School of Strategic Leadership Studies. Professionally, Ms. King is interested in Leadership Studies including leader/employee health and well-being as related to organizational productivity.

With the appointment of Anne Keeler and Lindsay King, impressive and unique skill sets are added to the Boards. We congratulate and welcome both Anne and Lindsay to the F&M family.

Jean Estep Retires After 66 Years of Service

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Please, join F&M Bank in celebrating Jean Estep on her retirement effective December 31, 2019.

Jean joined F&M Bank in 1953 as a teller and worked her way through the ranks. In 1973 she was promoted to Assistant Cashier, Assistant Vice President in 1975, Vice President in 1978, and in 2008 she transitioned into an operations role within the bank’s customer support center.

Dedicating a career to one organization in today’s business environment is a feat worth celebrating alone, but 66 years of dedicated service to the same institution is remarkable! Jean Estep set the bar extremely high for employees of F&M Bank, and she is an inspiration to all.

Congratulations, Jean, on an extraordinary career!

Pictured above, Jean Estep poses with the F&M Bank Board of Directors.

F&M Bank to Participate in Scholarship Program

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During March, Virginia high school seniors will have the opportunity to spend the day shadowing bankers at F&M Bank as part of Bank Day, a statewide effort sponsored by the Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) Education Foundation and the VBA Emerging Bank Leaders. The purpose of the day is to expose students to the banking industry and provide an opportunity for the students to learn about banking, financial services and the vital role F&M Bank plays in its community.

The third Tuesday in March was declared Bank Day by the Virginia General Assembly in 1991 and F&M Bank is proud to host students for this important program.  From their experience, participating students will write an essay for the chance to win a scholarship. Six regional scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded, and from those six winners an overall statewide winner will be chosen. The statewide winner will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship – $7,500 in total. There will also be six honorable mention scholarships of $1,000 each. In all, twelve students will receive scholarships totaling $26,000.

During their visit, students will visit with various bank departments; learn about the banking process, the importance of good credit, the profile of a qualified borrower, appropriate etiquette during a job interview, how F&M Bank is involved in the community and more!

“Bank Day is one of the best short-term, hands-on experiences that a classroom teacher can offer their students—the opportunity to go inside the bank vault, to watch customer/bank officer interaction, to learn about the many services that banks offer, and to start the networking that often leads to part-time and summer jobs, scholarships, and a start on a career path in the financial world,” said Bruce Whitehurst, president & CEO of the Virginia Bankers Association.

F&M Bank will offer three different locations/dates for bank day shadowing:

  • March 12th –  F&M Bank Timberville, 205 S Main Street
  • March 17th – F&M Bank Harrisonburg, 80 Cross Keys Road
  • March 19th – F&M Bank Staunton, 30 Gosnell Crossing

Sign up for the program.

For more information, please contact Kelsey Dean, Marketing Specialist, at kwdean@fmbankva.com or 540-217-6410.

Tax Season Is Also Theft Season

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Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen personal information, including your Social Security Number, to file a tax return claiming your refund. According to the IRS, reversing the damage caused by tax related identity theft can be a frustrating and complex process for victims. In addition, scammers will use tax season as an opportunity to commit fraud, pretending to be the IRS, and asking consumers for cash, or asking consumers to convert cash to gift cards which is an easy way to transmit cash without the possibility of detection when the card is used. Protecting your identity is critical year-round but especially important during the busy tax season.

It’s important to protect yourself and prevent instances of tax related crimes. Give yourself a fighting chance and learn the best way to stay protected from the devastating effects of tax-related identity theft.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), some examples of scams this tax season are:

Robocalls – Scammers use computers to dial thousands of phone numbers, pretending they’re calling from the IRS, hoping to find victims who respond to their threatening statements. These criminals claim you owe taxes and demand that you pay immediately, usually with a gift card or prepaid debit card. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers via phone.

IRS Imposters – These are the scammers who send out emails, pretending they are from the IRS. The imposters may use part of your real identity to convince you that their claim is valid. They will tell you that you owe taxes and demand that you pay up or face prosecution. Or they will ask you to verify that you have paid your taxes, asking for personal information and bank account numbers to obtain data that can be used later to commit identity theft.

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.

Refund Thieves – Criminals will gather or purchase your stolen personal information, create a bogus tax return and file the return with the IRS, claiming your refund. When you then file your legitimate return by mail, the IRS will send you a notice or letter saying that more than one return was filed for you. If you try to e-file, the IRS will reject your tax return as a duplicate filing. In either case, you are left with the difficult task of convincing the IRS that it wasn’t you that filed the return and received the refund the first time.

If tax fraud or any other identity theft strikes you are not alone. F&M Bank is here to help. Identity Theft Protection services are provided free with our Cash Back and Cash Rewards checking accounts, or options are available for purchase.