Stay up to date on all things Union Bank and elsewhere

UB Offices Closed on Labor Day
8.30.10
Union Bank offices will be closed on September 6, 2010, in observance of Labor Day. Have a great holiday weekend!

Tailgate Party a Big Hit!
8.30.10
Thanks for joining us at our tailgate party Friday, August 27, before the Lakewood/Hastings football game at Lakewood High School. Over 300 hot dogs were served and everyone was prepared for a great game of high school football. We'll see you at the game again next year!

Community Appreciation Day August 21
8.6.10
Thanks for joining us at a fun-filled Community Appreciation Day on August 21. A great time was had by all. Lake Odessa, we appreciate you and your families!

New Phishing E-mail Circulating
7.2.10
There is a new phishing e-mail currently circulating that claims to be from the FDIC and that your bank has failed. This e-mail is not from the FDIC and has no connection to Union Bank. DO NOT click on the link in this e-mail as it could lead you to a bogus website that will attempt to steal personal information or download malicious software. Simply delete the e-mail.

The text of the e-mail reads as follows:

Subject: you need to check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage

You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account.
Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets.

You need to visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage…

New Regulation Will Make Changes to Your Bounce Protection Service
6.1.10
Bounce Protection was designed to provide our account holders with peace of mind in case of an emergency. For many of our account holders, this is a valued safety net offering flexibility and protection from the potential embarrassment of insufficient funds and the associated merchant fees. However, because of a change in government regulations, the automatic Bounce Protection service you currently have on your account, covering everyday debit card purchases and ATM transactions, will be discontinued as of August 15th. If you want to keep this service available to you in case of emergency, you will need to specifically request that it be continued on your account. More information about this change and your choices will be forthcoming.

e-Statements Now Available Through Net Express
5.21.10
As you know, we’ve been busy this spring upgrading and consolidating our electronic banking services. The latest changes have brought electronic statements right into the Net Express portal. Now you can enjoy the same security and efficiency of our old e-statements, with even more convenience. You have only one user name and password to remember and all of your account information available in one place.

Each month, you will receive an e-mail telling you your statement is available to view. You then will have the option of either logging in directly from the e-mail, or logging into the Net Express website to view your statement and all of your account information.

To begin receiving e-statements through Net Express, simply log into your Net Express account and click on the new tab titled “e-Docs.” That will take you directly to the enrollment screen. Follow the very simple instructions and you will be all set in seconds.

Help Us Go Greener!
5.11.10
Union Bank has enhanced the processing of transactions conducted at the teller line in an effort to become more economically friendly while offering more benefits to our customers.

How does this change affect Union Bank customers?
Your loan/deposit transactions will now be scanned at the teller window; transactions will immediately post to your account and will be available to view through Net Express.

This new feature reduces the use of paper documents used in a transaction. Customers’ deposit/loan documents will be replaced with virtual documents. These document images will appear differently on the monthly statements.

Benefits for customers:
• Transaction will post to accounts immediately
• Transactions will be available to be viewed on Net Express faster.
• You can also view your statements online through Union Bank’s e-Statement program. Please ask a teller or customer service representative how to sign up for e-Statements today!

Easter Egg Hunt in Lake Odessa
4.5.10
Wow! Over 400 kids hopped on out to Lake Odessa for some Easter fun at the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3. They enjoyed a huge Easter egg hunt with lots of prizes. Four lucky kids won new bicycles, one of which was sponsored by Union Bank. It was a great time for the whole family!

Database Conversion is Complete
2.22.10
Thank you for your patience this month as we converted our database and upgraded our online banking services. We are happy to report the conversion process went very smoothly! We hope you enjoy the improvements to our systems.

Dahms Honored by Lakewood Chamber
1.25.10
Union Bank Executive Vice President Suzanne Dahms was honored recently by the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce with their 2009 Community Leadership Award.

The award is given to an individual who has exhibited strong involvement with the Chamber and a high degree of community interaction. Suzanne has displayed significant involvement in the betterment of the Lakewood business community by exhibiting the highest levels of honesty and integrity in all of her community activities. She is involved in Chamber projects & community events, consistently shows selfless initiative, motivation and above all, leadership in action.

Congratulations Suzanne!

UB Customers Receiving Fraudulent E-mail
1.4.10
We have received notification that some of our customers have received an email this morning with the following information in it. This is an email scam and does not have anything to do with the Net Express upgrades that will be taking place later this month. If you received the email, delete it immediately and do not click on the link that was included on the email.

Union Bank will never send you an email with a link to update information. If you ever receive such an email or have any questions concerning the validity of any email from Union Bank, please contact us immediately at 616-374-3278.


“Dear Customer.

Because we care about your security, we are contacting you to informed you that your online banking access has upgraded new security measure against online fraudulent activities. We Advise you to fill your online Access Agreement and complete this process.

Due to this we advice you to go through Union Bank security measure by following the link below, http://www.ubmich.com/

Please do not respond by e-mail to this message. E-mail replies to this message are routed to an unmonitored mailbox.”

Hand in Hand...Together We Can!
1.1.10
Our holiday community food drive was a big success! Union Bank customers and employees donated over 1,200 non-perishable food items to local food banks. Thanks for helping us do our best to help our communities and make the holiday season a little brighter for those in need.

Food collected was donated to these charities:
Lake Odessa: Manna’s Market of Woodland and Lakewood Community Council Services
Freeport: Love, Inc. of Hastings
Hastings: Eagle’s Choice Mission
Mulliken: Mulliken Methodist Church Food Bank
Pewamo: First Christian Food Bank in Muir
Westphalia: Clinton County Food Bank

Thanks for Joining Us on the Holley Trolley
12.11.09
Over 90 people braved the cold and joined us on the Holley Trolley December 10 on a trip to Freeport and our Freeport branch. Our guests enjoyed a tour of the Freeport Historical Society and then headed to the branch for refreshments and cookies. Everyone had a great time. Thanks again!

Required Disclosure Regarding Regulation GG
12.1.09
New government regulations (Reg GG) require that all financial institutions provide notification to our business customers that they must comply with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act. This notice is available to all business customers and is not a direct reflection on any specific account activity. It does not affect any non-business accounts at all.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (Reg GG) prohibits Union Bank from processing restricted transactions through any of our business accounts or relationships. These restricted transactions include transmittal of any credit, funds or proceeds that any person in the business of betting or wagering knowingly accepts, in connection with the participation of another person in unlawful Internet gambling. It includes credit or the proceeds or the extension of credit (including through credit cards); electronic fund transfers; or a check, draft or similar instrument that is drawn on or payable at or through any financial institution.

For additional information on Reg GG please visit the Federal Reserve website at www.federalreserve.gov.

Lloyd Cunningham Elected Chairman
11.9.09
Union Financial Corporation is pleased to announce that Lloyd Cunningham has been elected Chairman of the Board.

As Chief Executive Officer of Specialty Industries of Sunfield since 1989, Mr. Cunningham is an accomplished business leader. He manages overall operations of the company, which is primarily involved in the feed, grain and flour milling industries. He also farms 350 acres in the Lake Odessa area. Lloyd has been an active member of the UFC Board since 1996. He has served on several committees and is very knowledgeable about the operations of Union Bank and about the banking industry in general.

Lloyd lives with Diane, his wife of 37 years, in Lake Odessa. They have two children and four grandchildren.

The change in leadership was made in preparation for the future retirement of previous Chairman Bill Bulling in 2010. Mr. Bulling is approaching mandatory retirement age and wishes to spend more time traveling with his family, so he has passed the torch to Mr. Cunningham. Mr. Bulling joined the board in 1983 and assumed the chairmanship in 2002.

“The bank greatly appreciates Mr. Bulling’s guidance and wisdom during his chairmanship and we thank him for his leadership over these many years,” said Union Bank President and CEO Cortney Collison. “We also look forward to continued success under Mr. Cunningham’s leadership in the years to come.”

Fraudulent E-mails Claiming to Be From the FDIC
10.27.09
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has become aware of e-mails appearing to be sent from the FDIC that are asking recipients to download and open a “personal FDIC insurance file” to check their deposit insurance coverage. These e-mails are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the e-mails and disrupt the transmission.

Currently, the subject line of the fraudulent e-mails includes the wording “check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage.” The e-mails state: “You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets.”

The e-mails ask recipients to “visit the official FDIC website” by clicking on a hyperlink provided, which appears to be related to the FDIC and directs recipients to a fraudulent Web site. The Web site includes hyperlinks that appear to open forms. However, it is believed that clicking on the hyperlinks will cause an unknown executable file to be downloaded. While the FDIC is working with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to determine the exact effects of the executable file, recipients should consider the intent of the software as a malicious attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to online banking services or to conduct identity theft. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the Web site or download the executable files provided on the Web site.

Hastings Art Hop
9.28.09
Thanks for joining us at the Hastings Office Sept. 25 for the Hastings Art Hop. Over 50 people enjoyed the fantastic works of local artist Lindsey Johnson and chatted with UB staff. The Art Hop is a great community event that Union Bank is proud to host and support.

Class Act Bowling
9.15.09
We had so much fun bowling this month, let's do it again! We'll meet at the Lakeview Lanes in Lake Odessa, October 15 at 12:30 p.m. Lunch, bowling and fellowship all included for the low cost of $3.50. See you there!

Drive In Movie Night a Success
8.10.09
Over 300 moviegoers braved rainy weather to join us at the Barry County Expo Center on August 7 for a drive in movie. UB staff handed out Frisbees, candy and slushies to the many children in attendance. Frisbees were flying everywhere!

All proceeds from the event were donated to the Barry Community Foundation’s Next Generation Fund. UB offers many thanks to the volunteers from the Foundation and Muzic on the Run who presented the movie despite inclement weather.

Looking forward to next year!