Security Note | Customer ID Policy

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Information About our Privacy Protection Policy

At Guaranty Savings Bank we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. We value your business and the trust you put in Guaranty Savings Bank. In order to offer you the financial products and services you seek, we collect, maintain, and use information about you on a routine basis. To help you better understand how your personal information is protected at Guaranty Savings, we are providing you with the following statement describing our practices and policies with respect to the privacy of customer information. At Guaranty Savings Bank:

• We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our current or former customers to any affiliate or nonaffiliated third party without your written authorization except as permitted or required by law.
   
• We may collect information volunteered by you during the application process, gathered from your transactions and experiences with us, and obtained from other authorized sources, such as credit bureaus. All information collected and stored by Guaranty Savings is used for specific business purposes, such as administering your account, complying with state/federal banking regulations, protecting against fraud, and developing a better understanding of your financial needs so that we may provide you with improved products and services.
   
• We understand that the protection of your nonpublic personal information is of the utmost importance. Guaranty Savings maintains strict procedures and policies to safeguard your privacy. We restrict employee access to customer information to only those who have a business reason to know such information, and we educate our employees about the importance of confidentiality and customer privacy.

Privacy – Security Note

Safe Online Banking
When you use the Internet to visit us, whether it’s to learn about rates, to review your account, or to transact other business, you are entering a secure area. Here are just a few of the safeguards we have in place to help ensure your personal security when visiting us online:

• Your Password – We’ll ask you to develop a secret password that only you will know. Only then will you be able to review personal information about your account.
• Our Privacy Policies – Our entire staff is dedicated to protecting the personal privacy of you, our customer. We have stringent privacy policies in place, and have instituted bank-wide measures to assure that they are strictly observed.
• Encryption Software – “encryption software” makes it possible to scramble a message between two parties (you and your bank), and this “scrambling” protects your account information so it can’t be intercepted and read by a third party.

Our policy regarding E-mail
We will not ask for account information via E-mail. If you do receive an E-mail purporting to be from Guaranty Savings Bank asking for confidential account information, please contact us immediately at (504) 457-6220 and tell us. We may request a photocopy of the E-mail, or we may ask you to forward it to an E-mail address that we give you.

Of course, if you initiate contact by sending us an E-mail with a question about Online Banking (the only subject for which we accept an E-mail), we may respond to your question by E-mail.

Online Security
Security Alerts:

Phishing
Pharming
Website spoofing
Spyware
ID Theft

Phishing is a fraudulent scheme of sending an E-mail to a user claiming that the sender is a legitimate company. Typically, the E-mail attempts to trick the user into giving private information, such as an account number, a social security number, or a credit or debit card number, by directing the user to another web site, where he is asked to complete a form to update his personal information. The Web site, however, is designed only to steal the user's personal information.
Since we do not initiate contact by E-mail, you will never receive from Guaranty Savings Bank an E-mail asking you to update your personal information with us. If you do receive such an E-mail, contact us immediately at (504) 457-6220. You can also report fraudulent E-mail to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by forwarding the E-mail to uce@ftc.gov.

Pharming refers to the misdirection of an individual to an illegal Web site. For example, if you receive an unsolicited e-mail from your bank asking you to click on the link to direct you to their website, this may be “pharming”. It will send you to a phony site and in turn get you to provide personal information.

Web-site spoofing- is a method of creating imitation Web sites that look similar, if not identical, to an actual site. Individuals who are the victims of phishing or pharming are usually misdirected to these websites. At these illegitimate sites is where the individuals will be asked for personal account information. This may lead to identity theft or fraud.

Spyware – a form of software that collects personal and confidential information about a person or organization without their proper knowledge or informed consent, and reports to a third party. Many firewall and anti-virus software packages do not protect computers from spyware.

Spyware can be installed through the following methods:

• Downloaded with other Internet downloads
• It is installed when a user simply visits a Web Site
• Automatically downloaded when users opens or views unsolicited e-mail messages

Prevention:

• Use caution when downloading software. Make sure it is from a trusted source.
• Maintain software patches
• Install and configure firewalls to monitor inbound and outbound traffic
• Scan all e-mail for SPAM
• Block pop-ups
• Keep anti-virus definitions current
• Ensure the URL address is correct
• Make Guaranty Savings Bank a Favorite (www.guarantysb.com)
• Never click on a link in an email. Open up your browser and type in the web-site address.
• Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you do not know.
• Be careful of executable (.exe) file attachments.
• Always logout or close your browser

Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft

Identity theft, or identity fraud, is a crime that can have substantial financial and emotional consequences. Take precautions with personal information; and if you become a victim, act immediately to minimize the damage.

Is identity theft just a problem for people who submit information online?
You can be a victim of identity theft even if you never use a computer. Malicious people may be able to obtain personal information (such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, account numbers, and addresses) by stealing your wallet, overhearing a phone conversation, rummaging through your trash (a practice known as dumpster diving), or picking up a receipt at a restaurant that has your account number on it. If a thief has enough information, he or she may be able to impersonate you to purchase items, open new accounts, or apply for loans. The internet has made it easier for thieves to obtain personal and financial data. Most companies and other institutions store information about their clients in databases; if a thief can access that database, he or she can obtain information about many people at once rather than focus on one person at a time. The internet has also made it easier for thieves to sell or trade the information, making it more difficult for law enforcement to identify and apprehend the criminals.

How are victims of online identity theft chosen?
Identity theft is usually a crime of opportunity, so you may be victimized simply because your information is available. Thieves may target customers of certain companies for a variety of reasons: a company database is easily accessible, the demographics of the customers are appealing, there is a market for specific information, etc. If your information is stored in a database that is compromised, you may become a victim of identity theft.

Are there ways to avoid being a victim?
Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that you will not be a victim of online identity theft. However, there are ways to minimize your risk:

* Do business with reputable companies - Before providing any personal or financial information, make sure that you are interacting with a reputable, established company. Some attackers may try to trick you by creating malicious web sites that appear to be legitimate, so you should verify the legitimacy before supplying any information

* Take advantage of security features - Passwords and other security features add layers of protection if used appropriately.

* Check privacy policies - Take precautions when providing information, and make sure to check published privacy policies to see how a company will use or distribute your information. Many companies allow customers to request that their information not be shared with other companies; you should be able to locate the details in your account literature or by contacting the company directly.

* Be careful what information you publicize - Attackers may be able to piece together information from a variety of sources. Avoid posting personal data in public forums.

* Use and maintain anti-virus software and a firewall - Protect yourself against viruses and Trojan horses that may steal or modify the data on your own computer and leave you vulnerable by using anti-virus software and a firewall. Make sure to keep your virus definitions up to date.

* Be aware of your account activity - Pay attention to your statements, and request copies of your credit reports from the main credit reporting companies on a yearly basis.

How do you know if your identity has been stolen?
Companies have different policies for notifying customers when they discover that someone has accessed a customer database. However, you should be aware of changes in your normal account activity. The following are examples of changes that could indicate that someone has accessed your information:
* unusual or unexplainable charges on your bills
* phone calls or bills for accounts, products, or services that you do not have
* failure to receive regular bills or mail
* new, strange accounts appearing on your credit report
* unexpected denial of your credit card

What can you do if you think, or know, that your identity has been stolen?
Recovering from identity theft can be a long, stressful, and potentially costly process. Many credit card companies have adopted policies that try to minimize the amount of money you are liable for, but the implications can extend beyond your existing accounts. To minimize the extent of the damage, take action as soon as possible:

* Contact companies, including banks, where you have accounts - Inform the companies where you have accounts that someone may be using your identity, and find out if there have been any unauthorized transactions. Close accounts so that future charges are denied. In addition to calling the company, send a letter so there is a record of the problem.

* Contact the main credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) - Check your credit report to see if there has been unexpected or unauthorized activity. Have a fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to prevent new accounts being opened without verification.

* File a report - File a report with the local police so there is an official record of the incident. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

* Consider other information that may be at risk - Depending what information was stolen, you may need to contact other agencies; for example, if a thief has access to your Social Security number, contact the Social Security Administration. You should also contact the Department of Motor Vehicles if your driver's license or car registration have been stolen.

Top of Page

Privacy – Customer ID Policy

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What this means for you: when you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We will also ask to see your driver's license and other identifying documents