Summer 2008 Newsletter
- The American Dream - owning your home - is alive and well in WNY
- Smiling Faces
- Services offered by banks are expanding
- Direct Deposit is key to getting checks quickly and safely
- Holland-Aurora Construction and the Iron Kettle are Bank of Holland’s choices for Small Business of the Year award
- 13th Annual Tulip Festival Run/Walk
- Events Calendar
The American Dream - owning your home - is alive and well in WNY
With the subprime lending crisis at the forefront of
the news you may think that buying a home is not such
a good idea after all. Not so! Owning your home is still
one of the best investments you can make, especially in
Western New York.
Take a look at the roller coaster ride the stock market
has been on lately and compare it with local real estate.
Year by year houses in this area experience a slow but
continual increase in value. We don’t see huge leaps
and bounds like the ones in Florida and California, but
it is turning out that -- like the tortoise and the hare --
slow and steady wins the race.
Owning a home is like
having a ready-made savings
account. As you pay on the
principle each month, you are
building equity in addition
to what you are gaining in
market value. When you sell
a home you can generally
take up to $250,000 per person
or $500,000 per couple as a
capital gain without having to
pay federal income tax on it.
The interest you pay
on your mortgage is also
tax deductable each year,
reducing your federal income taxes. And -- provided
you don’t take an adjustable mortgage -- you know
what your monthly payment is going to be for as long
as you stay in the house. Rents, on the other hand, can
increase.
A lot of families enjoy the stability that home
ownership brings. They build lasting relationships in
their neighborhoods, and children get continuity in
their education. You can also decorate and renovate
your home to suit your tastes and needs.
As a banker, I know many of us got into our business
because we want to help people live the dream of
homeownership. We want to help people bring their
vision of having a safe, secure place to live – a place to
call their own.
We can help families chart a course to their first home,
or help them roll up their sleeves for loan-anticipated
improvements or an addition.
We think that home ownership is one of the best
investments people can make and that living the
American Dream still exists in Western New York.
Mark L. Luderman
President/CEO
Smiling Faces
Timothy is fairly new to the Bank of Holland -- he’s been with us since November 07 -- but
he’s not new to our philosophy of knowing
our customers. “I like the location and the
people at the Bank. I’ve always preferred living and working in a a small town,” says Timothy. “And thanks to the Bank of Holland I now have that opportunity.”
Timothy lives in Niagara Falls, NY, and has a daughter and a son; Julia and Christopher. In his spare time he fishes, plays pool and a little
golf. He served in the U.S. Army for 7 years,
during which time he lived in Baumholder,
Germany and then in Daytona Beach, Florida
after returning from the service. Just long
enough to decide Western New York was home!
Services offered by banks are expanding
Consumers tend to think that all banks do is give loans and keep
money in a vault. In fact, that is a very small part of the services
offered by today’s banks. Since the Internet and the technology for
online banking have been developed, banks have been expanding
their services considerably.
“Banks have always been the home for safe deposit boxes and
services like notarizing documents,” said Marie Jo Brehm, Vice
President, Senior Operations Officer. “Now we offer online banking,
bill paying, and telephone banking.”
With online banking it’s become much easier to make sure
you don’t get overdrawn. You can check your balance online,
transfer funds between accounts, check on recent activity and reorder
checks.
“If you look at your accounts regularly you can protect yourself
from fraudulent charges and from incurring fees for nonsufficient
funds,” Brehm said. “It’s like having ‘just-in-time’ inventory -- only
it’s a ‘just-in-time’ accounting of your finances.”
Direct deposit means that your paychecks and other income get
into your account as quickly as possible and automatic bill pay means
a bill will never be paid late because someone forgot to pay it.
“Why not pay your regular monthly bills automatically? You’ll
never have any late fees or penalties, and if you’re away on vacation
you don’t have to worry about your bills,” Brehm said. “It makes life
a lot less stressful.”
Additionally, like other banks, the Bank of Holland offers savings
accounts geared for children. Having a bank account is a great way
for youngsters to learn about keeping their finances organized --
which as all adults know is the key to good financial management.
Direct Deposit is key to getting checks quickly and safely
by Betty Jane Whitaker, New Accounts Clerk, Holland
Are you wondering why your neighbors have already received
their economic stimulus checks and you haven’t? Well, it could
be because they have their Federal income tax returns directly
deposited into their bank accounts. Just one more reason to have
a bank account – and to use direct deposit!
The benefits of direct deposit include:
- You will never have a check get lost in the mail or stolen.
- Payments will come quickly and on time – even if you are out of town, sick or unable to get to the bank.
- You and your money will be safe.
Holland-Aurora Construction and the Iron Kettle are Bank of Holland’s choices for Small Business of the Year award
Holland-Aurora Construction, Inc. of Holland, and the Iron
Kettle Restaurant of East Aurora, were honored as the Bank of
Holland’s Small Businesses of the Year 2008 at the Small Business
Administration (SBA) Luncheon held in May. Bob Roth and Steve
Whittenrich, owners of Holland Construction, were on hand at the
Buffalo Convention Center to receive their award, but in typical
small-business owner tradition, Tara Martin, owner and operator of
the Iron Kettle, had to miss the ceremony due to short staffing.
“The Iron Kettle has a long history of excellent food at reasonable
prices and Tara, who has worked in the restaurant business since she
began her career, has continued that tradition,” said Mark George,
Vice President/Senior Loan Officer, who, along with Peter Ertl,
Assistant Vice President East Aurora branch, attended the luncheon
to present the winners with their commemorative plaques.
Holland-Aurora Construction focuses on underground utility
line installation and repair, working as sub-contractors for National
Fuel Gas.
“Bob and Steve
run a very solid
business,” George
said. “The Bank
of Holland is
honored to have
both of these
fine businesses
as clients. We
appreciate their
choosing us for
their business
banking needs.”
13th Annual Tulip Festival Run/Walk
This was the 13th year for the Annual Tulip Festival 5K Run/Walk, sponsored
by the Bank of Holland. This year $2,700 was raised to benefit the Holland
Kiwanis. Featured in our photograph is Larry Johnson, Kiwanis member
accepting the check from Sarah Bastine, teller at our Holland Branch.
Lynn McCabe and Linda Moore co-chaired with the help of all bank
employees. A special thanks to all the sponsors who helped to make it a very
successful event.
The first runner in, who deserves special congratulations, was Logan Drummer
with a time of 18:30 in the 15-19 year-old category. Each first-place winner in the
seven categories received a trophy and a $100 savings bond. Everyone is to be
congratulated for a great day!
| Category | Women | Men | Walkers |
| Under age 14 | 1st Rebecca Simich | 1st Nathan Smith | 1st Alesha Allen |
| 2nd Ashley Szczecinski | 2nd Craig Kaiser | 2nd Dominic Allen |
|
| 15 - 19 | 1st Paige Pelton | 1st Logan Drummer | |
| 2nd Kim Dziulko | 2nd Collin Tuttle | ||
| 20 - 29 | 1st Nicole Demme | 1st Josh Sullivan | |
| 2nd Lisa Slebioda | 2nd Joseph Stover | ||
| 30 - 39 | 1st Beth Eisensmith | 1st Paul Steffanhagen | |
| 2nd Sandy Anderson | 2nd Phil Tripi | ||
| 40 - 49 | 1st Darlene Schweikert | 1st Anthony Adinolfe | |
| 2nd April Pfarner | 2nd Jim Egan | ||
| 50 - 59 | 1st Nancy Abriatis | 1st Jeff Davis | |
| 2nd Kathy Melling | 2nd Ronn Hess | ||
| 60+ | 1st Kathleen Kreis | 1st Jeff Miller | |
| 2nd Jim Suttell | |||
Events Calendar
- Hawk Creek Wildlife and Renaissance Festival
July 19-20, 2008 • Hawk Creek Wildlife Center - East Aurora Street Festival & Sidewalk Sale
July 26, 2008 • 9am-4pm • East Aurora - Arcade Fabulous 50s Festival
July 25-26, 2008 • Arcade Village Park