March/April 2014
Wisconsin Community Banker
33
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Recognizing that fraud never
sleeps, remember to document the
hours of operation that your fraud
service provider (internal or external)
is available. Weekends and holidays
are a favorite window of opportunity
for fraudsters.
The Human Element
Cardholder behavior also can help
limit exposure to data breaches. PULSE
recommends establishing an effective
communications program to keep
cardholders informed about emerging
threats. Use this opportunity to rein-
force many of the basics, such as your
policy regarding disclosure of account
information and Personal Identifica-
tion Number (PIN). Phishing attacks
often accompany breaches, so this can
be another topic to consider in terms of
cardholder education.
Financial institutions should be dil-
igent in their efforts in communicat-
ing with their customers about fraud.
Breaches appear to be a topic that we
will continue to fight at an industry
level, and educating your cardholders
is a valuable component in reducing
anxiety.
Finally, financial institutions need
to assess their fraud mitigation tools,
systems, and resources. PULSE offers
DebitProtect®, a sophisticated fraud
mitigation service that analyzes debit
card transactions, detects fraudulent
behavior, and can optionally block
suspected fraudulent activity at the
point of sale before a transaction is
approved. During the authorization
process, DebitProtect evaluates trans-
actions in milliseconds for registered
participants.
Fraud attacks are escalating and
becoming increasingly more sophis-
ticated. Financial institutions are
encouraged to seize this opportunity
to plan and prepare your organization
for practice.
PULSE is a Discover Financial
Services company and one of the
nation’s leading debit/ATM networks,
linking cardholders with more than
415,000 U.S. ATMs, as well as point-
of-sale terminals at retail locations
nationwide.
The
3rd annual Wisconsin Home oWnersHip conference
, hosted by
WHEDA, is a must attend for lenders, Realtors and other partners invested
in creating sustainable home ownership across Wisconsin.
This year’s two-day event will feature continuing education training courses
for loan officers and real estate professionals and renowned keynote
speakers
Terry Watson
and
Yoram Bauman
, along with
12 informative
breakout sessions
.
register at
/.
Wisconsin Housing and
Economic dEvElopmEnt autHority
800.334.6873
n
NMLS# 394409
Pink Ribbon Debit Card
Program Aids Cancer
Recovery
MADISON—Wisconsin Bank &
Trust (WB&T) has presented funds
generated through its Pink Ribbon
Debit Card program to Breast Can-
cer Recovery Foundation, Inc., a
Madison nonprofit. In 2013, WB&T’s
customers swiped their Pink Ribbon
Debit Cards 388,062 times for a total
contribution of $9,701.55.
Every time a customer uses a Pink
Ribbon Debit Card to make a pur-
chase, the bank contributes 2.5 cents
to the Breast Cancer Recovery Foun-
dation. Pink Ribbon Debit Cards are
free and available with all WB&T
personal checking accounts. There is
no cost to customers.
“Every swipe of a debit card helps
meet real needs in our commu-
nity,” said Lu Ann Bowman, WB&T
senior vice president and retail sales
manager.
Starion Financial
Donates Almost $1
Million
BISMARCK, N.D.—In 2013, Star-
ion Financial donated more than
$960,000 to charities and local orga-
nizations in the North Dakota and
Wisconsin communities it serves. As
part of this amount, the bank pledged
$100,000 to the Middleton Outreach
Ministry.
“We are proud to support so many
organizations that share our mission
to build a better community,” said
Craig Larson, CEO/president.
