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T

heBan

kNote

FIRSTSTATE

BANK

NEW

SLETTER

JUL - aug

2010

Giving Back To The GlobeOne Skill At A Time

When we hear the wordTechnology, most of us

think of the latest gadget to hitthe electronics market. Imag-ine for a moment that gadgetbeing a stove that wont killyou with smoke inhalation.Or a basket that will keepfood at temperatures fit forconsumption. Sound too ba-sic to be a new gadget? Notto Third World countries, ormore appropriately, TwoThirds World. If a map of theworld was laid out flat, itwould show that 2/3 of it isoccupied by impoverishednations that lack the ability to

provide basics like clean water, user-friendly stoves, and sanitation. Since founded in 1979by Ken & Sarah Corson, SIFAT (Servants In Faith And Technology) has trained communityleaders from 79 of these nations on how to provide for such basic human needs. Currently runby son Tom Corson, SIFAT is located in Randolph County just 4 miles off Hwy 48 and doesongoing work with locales in Equador, Bolivia, Uganda, Zambia, and Haiti. Embracing thefamous Josh McDowell quote, People wont care how much you know till they know howmuch you care, this NPO has a 3-Fold purpose to: 1) Train International Community Leadersin Basic Need Technologies, 2) Extend Intl Mission Trips abroad for on-site assistance, and3) Provide Cross-Cultural awareness skills here at home. In their primary purpose, SIFATreviews requests from potential applicants and then receives leaders here in AL that have the

strongest probability for impact. SIFAT then trains these lead-

ers in their greatest areas of need with skills they can bringimmediately back to their communities. These needs canrange from how to build a rope-suspension bridge, to how topurify water, or even how to extract nutrients from leaves in theabsence of edible vegetables. In their Intl Mission Trips, SI-FAT sends experts abroad to demonstrate skills firsthand inareas of dire need, most recently in the aftermath of Haitis Janearthquake where clean water was suddenly in short supply.

And thirdly in their Global Village program,SIFAT trains VBS students from the USAabout life conditions around the worldthrough hands-on training in tasks like build-ing bricks from clay/straw/water, or buildingan actual house as it would appear in Bolivia

or Nepal. With Hands-On Training andheartfelt compassion, SIFATs noble effortsbring hope for the future to the Nthdegree.

Randolph Co, ALAll SIFAT photos taken on-site here in

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Page 2

Fitness Fun Camp 2010...

THE BANKNOTE

In our Jan/Feb 2009 issue, The BankNoteran a story on fitness in Alabama, and one year later, our state still ranks second inthe nation in obesity. To combat this tendency, the Wellness Center recently put on a Fitness Fun Camp to our younger gen-eration on the benefits of an active lifestyle. Stephen Young and his staff raised awareness with a myriad of coached events,including swimming, aerobics, and upbeat playtime on waterslides. Countering the couch potato effect, the camp instilledgood habits for long-term fitness, and sent the message to, Put down the video games and learn to play hard, 60 min per day.

Going Mobile...

ing itself. Just as cars gave automatic mobility to the people of 1910, smart phones (mobile calls + mobile internet) haverevolutionized the world of 2010. And just as it was back then, people today are making sense out of what mobility will meanfor them, and are going mobile in ways never dreamed of before with ideas like Mobile Banking. Imagine checking your bal-ance while shopping for groceries..Transfers from Savings while cutting the grass.Paying your bills while sitting in a res-taurant. In short, it is simply easier to get things done when you arent chained to a chair in an office or a household. Prior to2007, internet access on a mobile phone was usually for the busiest execs whose schedule demanded such a luxury, and even

then, lacked speed and quality. Doused with the accelerant ofsocial media, the ease of todays smart phones has created atectonic shift in American society. Anything less than full ac-cess is now obsolete to most consumers, and inconceivable tothe average teenager (the workforce of tomorrow). And its not

just the Millennial generation en route; Gen X and Baby Boom-ers are going mobile too. Mobile Banking is determined not byage, but by preferred access to smart phone apps. If youhavent tried FSBs mobile services, see whats possible atFirstStateDirect.mobi, or with full access, FirstStateDirect.com.

On Jan 10, 1901, oil wasdiscovered in Texas, and asthe soon-to-be hailed BlackGold gushed from Spindle-top Field, the rest of thenation held its collectivebreath for how this new dis-covery might impact theirlives. While gasoline carswere already in production,they were entirely hand-built, slow to produce, and

anything but cost-effective.In 1908 however, HenryFord combined the well-spring of local oil with ablueprint for the auto-industry in his masterpiece,the Model T. By streamlin-

ing the assembly, Fordsmethod of Mass Productionmade the automobile a vi-able product for all Ameri-cans and in turn cementedthe groundwork for the na-tions new economy. By1910, the practicality of theautomobile had changed theway Americans thoughtabout the present, as wellas the future. Suddenly

t ravel was feasib le.Boundaries were being re-defined. Far was a con-cept losing clarity. In aword, they had gone mobile;and one hundred yearslater, history is again repeat-

In 1905 most Americans never traveled more than50 miles away from their home.

By 1910 Black Gold had changed everything.People were going mobile.

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JUL - AUG 2010 Page 3

HELOC: Home Equity Line Of Credit...

Mumbo Jumbo...

FirstState Bank believes in breaking down the mumbo jumbo of banking terminology inorder to clear the air on how we are looking out for customer security. In our May/June is-sue, The BankNote focused on the seven categories of FDIC Coverage, and broke downthe details of how this liaison protects your accounts here at FirstState Bank. Our currentissue will continue the ongoing discussion of Financial Literacy with a focus this time on aspecial type of loan: The HELOC (otherwise known as a Home Equity Line of Credit.)

Example: Imagine an owner-occupied home that is appraised for $100K, with $50K still owed on

the mortgage. 85% of the Appraised Value ($85K) minus the outstanding balance on the mortgage($50K) would leave $35K to be used toward a Home Equity loan:

$85,000 (85% of Appraised Value)

- $50,000 (Mortgage Balance)

= $35,000 (Available for HELOC)

(FSB is an Equal Housing Lender, and all loans are subject to approval.)

Literally defined, the dictionary termsEquity as, the amount a property isworth beyond what is owed on it.Taking the idea a step further, theGlossary of the Federal Reserve Boarddefines Equity as, the difference be-tween the fair market value of thehome and the outstanding balance ona mortgage, plus any outstandinghome equity loans. Practically speak-ing, a Home Equity Loan (HELOC) isessentially a Revolving Line of Creditthat uses your home as collateral. Ithas become one more option thathomeowners can consider, using thepower of their homes net worth to es-tablish new cash flow. One of thebenefits of a HELOC is the immediateaccess to loan proceeds, where spe-

cial checks can be written from it, just as would normally be done onyour checking account. With anowner-occupied home, FSB deter-mines the loans credit limit by takinga percentage of the homes ap-praised value, and subtracting thebalance still owed on the mortgage.The resulting difference would be-come the maximum amount avail-able to the borrower. At FirstStateBank, a HELOC has a term of 10years with an annual maintenancefee as well as a monthly payment,which is figured by multiplying theoutstanding balance by 1.5 %.Home Equity proceeds are also ableto be used as the borrower sees fit,for whatever purpose they decide.

Home Equity:

Using your Home as

Collateral for a HELOC

The hustle & bustle of modern life can sometimesleave homeowners surrounded by responsibilities,with clarity of options lost in the haze. If you areinterested in learning more about Home Equityloans, our FSB Loan Officers would be happy to sitdown with you and discuss the possibilities. AHELOC might be worth looking into, as a potentialway to get your house working for youagain, andhelp you back to where you belongon its porch!

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Community Life: Sunflowers

In The Spotlight: Brittany Anderson

Lin ev i l le Of f ice

P.O. Box 54 7

L inev i l le , AL 36 266

(256)396-2187

Ash lan d Of f i ce

P.O. Box 518

A sh l an d , A L 36 251

(256)354-2145

W e d o w e e O ff ic e

P.O. Box 26 4

W e d o w e e , A L 3 6 2 78

(256)357-0440

Just five years ago, Brittany Anderson graduatedfrom Mellow Valley Christian Academy and soonstarted work as a Piggly Wiggly cashier. She thencame to FirstState Bank in April of 2008, and hassince established herself as one of Linevilles fastest

Tellers. Working primarily at the Drive Thru, one ofthe things Brittany is known for is her tenaciousspeed, and in 2009 she completed 34,028 transac-tions (an impressive stat by industry standards).Speed can be overrated though if it is not accompa-nied by accuracy and integrity, of which Brittany iswell-aware. As she has said, Good customer ser-vice means giving the customer what they need, inthe most efficient manner possible, while upholdingcompany policy. Thats a lot of information to proc-ess quickly but Brittany gets it done every day. Inher own words, I get to see my regular customers,meet new faces, and be with my FirstState family.

If you have a digital picture of life in our community that you would like to share in a future issue of The BankNote, please email it to:Vaughn.Samuels@FirstStateDirect.com. Submissions are not guaranteed to be published and stories may require editing.

w w w . Fi r s t S t a t eD i rect . com

"Give customers what they need, as efficientlyas possible, while upholding company policies"

...Words to Live By from Brittany Anderson

The center of a Sunflower has hundreds offlorets that form interconnecting spirals.

Native to the American continents, the Sunflower in all of itsglory is the pride of the summer. When budding, its facefollows the sun from east to west using motor cells within itsstem, thereby earning its name. A great place to see a fullfield of Sunflowers is on Highway 9, just south of Delta, AL.

A Giant Sunflower has as many as 89 spiralsin one direction, and 144 in the other.