SouthStar Bank, Author at SouthStar Bank, S.S.B.

by SouthStar BankSeptember 23, 2020

SouthStar Bank 100th Anniversary Events

We invite you to join us in celebrating our 100th Anniversary. It’s our anniversary and we are celebrating! In honor of this momentous occasion, we will be hosting mini celebrations throughout October ending on October 21st in Moulton. We would not be where we are today without our terrific customers, so we invite you to join us in celebrating. All events are free and open to everyone. Check out the event details below to find the branch party nearest you: Oct. 1: Brazoria | Hot Dogs, 11am-1pm Oct. 2: Leander | Breakfast, 8:30am-10:30am Oct. 5: Round Rock | Coffee & Tea, 8am-11am Oct. 6: Georgetown | BBQ & Ice Cream, 11am-1pm Oct. 7: Steiner Ranch | Cookies, 8am-5pm Oct. 8: Bee Cave | Cookies, 8am-5pm Oct. 9: Southwest Austin | Cookies & Ice Cream, 3pm-5pm Oct. 13: Hearne | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm Oct. 14: Franklin | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm Oct. 15: Bremond | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm Oct. 15: Harker Heights | Family Movie Night, 5:30pm-8:30pm Oct. 16: Calvert | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm Oct. 19: Gonzales | Cookies, 2:30pm-4:30pm Oct. 20: Shiner | Cookies, 9am-3pm Oct. 21: Moulton | BBQ, Live Music, & Door Prizes, 5pm-7pm

Employee Spotlight

by SouthStar BankSeptember 21, 2020

Employee Spotlight – Elise Giles

Elise Giles, Senior Vice President & Specialty CRE Director| SouthStar Bank Steiner Ranch Elise Giles is a Senior Vice President and the Managing Director for Specialty CRE, which stands for Commercial Real Estate. She has been with SouthStar Bank for over four years and is located at the Steiner Ranch Branch. One of Elise’s biggest accomplishments in her 34-year career is obtaining her CCIM Designation which she received in October 2019. The Southwest Texas alum earned the designation, which is like a CPA designation for commercial real estate. Elise’s natural connecting and problem-solving skills have allowed her success in the industry. She loves using her skills to create deals and make long lasting relationships with clients, builders, developers, and bankers. One of her favorite things now is sharing her knowledge with the next generation of professionals working their way up the ranks. Outside of work, Elise is involved in multiple organizations in her community. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Board of Commercial Real Estate Women and Designation Promotion Chair for CCIM Central Texas. Outside of her professional organizations, Elise is a member of Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church and their Chancel Choir. Elise volunteers with her church’s Flower Ministry where they create individual arrangements to give to those in hospitals, retirement homes, and that are home ill. She also supports Dress for Success which supports under privileged women in the Austin area with interview skills, resume writing, and business attire. Elise is enjoys spending time with her husband and her three grown children. Elise has many hobbies including gardening, hiking, traveling, and power boating around Lake Travis. Over the next year, Elise will be helping her son and future daughter in law plan their wedding to be held in Austin in 2021! Her dream vacation would be to visit Australia and New Zealand. A secret talent of Elise’s is her singing ability. She was a voice performance major on scholarship in college and has performed as a soloist in many choirs including the Houston Symphony Chorus. NMLS#1493386

Bank News, Event

by SouthStar BankSeptember 16, 2020

SouthStar Bank Then & Now: 1970

A look back on the Banking Industry 50 years ago. The Bank celebrated its Golden 50th Anniversary in October of 1970. Since the 25th anniversary, the Bank had made renovations to the building and W.H. Pundt took over as Bank President. Hallmark moments in 1970 banking included: September 2, 1970 marked the one-year anniversary of the first atm opening. Congress chartered the Federal Loan Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac) to provide capital to finance U.S. Housing. Automated Clearing House InterBank Payment System, a private company, was created to clear checks. The Bank Holding Company Amendments (BHCA) of 1970 were passed, requiring the Federal Reserve Board’s approval for the establishment of a bank holding company. Today, SouthStar Bank continues to evolve and expand with the renovation of our Moulton Headquarters. We will celebrate our 100th Anniversary where it all began on October 21, 5:00-7:00PM. 100 S. Main St. Moulton, TX

Bank News, Event

by SouthStar BankSeptember 15, 2020

SouthStar Bank 100th Anniversary Book Drive Results

Thank you to everyone who donated to our book drive! Over the past 100 years SouthStar Bank has built a tradition of community service, supporting past generations and the generations to come. In honor of its 100th anniversary, SouthStar Bank continued this tradition by hosting a bank-wide book drive. Each branch partnered with local elementary schools to collect new books for their libraries. With the goal of donating 100 books in honor of its 100 years, SouthStar Bank kicked off the drive by donating 500 books. Many of the books, such as “Bunny Money” and “The Lemonade War,” provided a fun way to introduce financial education to elementary students. The book drive was met with overwhelming support from the community. Total donations exceeded 8,200 books. “What better way to celebrate than getting the community involved! We are fortunate to be a part of such a generous network who shares in our commitment to local youth.” said SouthStar Bank President David Kapavik. “Kids are our future, and it’s our goal to support their education and growth.” With this goal in mind, SouthStar Bank is continuing the celebration by offering $100 scholarship bonuses to each new youth savings account opened through September 30.

Employee Spotlight

by SouthStar BankSeptember 14, 2020

Employee Spotlight – Laura Desselle

Laura Desselle, Loan Operations Processor| SouthStar Bank Calvert Laura is a Loan Operations Processor at our Calvert location. Although she is new to the banking industry, Laura still enjoys helping clients find a financial solution to make their dreams a reality. A career highlight for Laura was helping her customers acquire PPP loans during such an unpredictable time. Outside of work, Laura loves to spend time with her four kids. Together they enjoy kicking the soccer ball around, hiking, watching movies, and playing board games. In her community, Laura currently serves as Cheer Coordinator for the Franklin Youth Football & Cheer League. A fun fact about Laura is that she was raised in an Agrarian Christian Community. Due to her upbringing, Laura can sew, knit, crochet, cross stich, weave, create wood and leather work, make pottery, play the piano nominally, and speak Hebrew.

Bank News, Event

by SouthStar BankAugust 26, 2020

SouthStar Bank Then & Now: 1945

A look back on the Banking Industry 75 years ago. In 1945, The Farmers and Merchants Bank of Moulton (now SouthStar Bank) celebrated its 25th anniversary. During this time, the Bank moved into the old First State Bank of Moulton building. Elo C. Fehrenkamp also took over as Bank President during this year. By 1945, the Banking Industry had been largely affected by World War II: Large-scale war financing by the federal government led to the rise of Banking assets. The largest single operation performed by the Federal Reserve Banks was handling war savings bonds. U.S. government securities account for 57% of total banking assets. Today, SouthStar Bank continues to serve the people that make our communities shine. We invite you to join in our 100 year celebration in Moulton on October 21, 3:30-6:30PM.

Employee News

by SouthStar BankAugust 20, 2020

Welcome Amber Minnick

Amber Minnick, Commercial Loan Closing Coordinator II | SouthStar Bank Steiner Ranch Branch Amber Minnick joins SouthStar Bank as Commercial Loan Closing Coordinator II at the Steiner Ranch Branch. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, Amber has spent the last eight years working in the banking industry. After spending time in financial analysis, loan management, and credit analysis, Amber is excited to specialize in commercial loans. Amber enjoys spending time on the water or outdoors with her dog, Maggie. She is a certified yoga instructor, and her biggest personal achievement is that she finished a half marathon. Welcome Amber!

Employee Spotlight

by SouthStar BankAugust 17, 2020

Employee Spotlight – Kristy Hollis

Kristy Hollis, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager| SouthStar Bank Round Rock Kristy Hollis joined the SouthStar Bank Round Rock team in 2019. After 18 years in banking, Kristy values the opportunity to build a rapport with her customers and help them achieve their banking goals. Over her career, Kristy has experienced many professional accomplishments, but her biggest achievement is seeing team members that she leads excel in their personal careers. Kristy’s favorite pastime is spending time with her husband and daughter. Whether their time is spent cooking, kicking the soccer ball, or playing board games, time spent together is well spent. As a mom, Kristy is involved in every activity her daughter does. Whether it is assisting with soccer or reading books to local elementary students, Kristy is there. Cruising is one of Kristy’s favorite ways to spend a family vacation. She has been on 16 cruises in her lifetime and has plans to go on many more. Being out on the water and experiencing new places with her family makes the trips even more special. Her idea of a dream retreat is to be on a huge cruise ship surrounded by beautiful crystal-clear blue water.

Bank News, Important Notice

by SouthStar BankAugust 10, 2020

How is my IRA affected by the CARES Act?

Learn about recent IRA changes Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, several provisions were made to help those financially or medically affected through these tough times. Although the CARES Act impacted more than individual retirement accounts (IRAs), the impact on IRAs is significant. IRA owners and beneficiaries of a deceased IRA owner should be aware of these changes in relation to their unique goals and circumstances. THE 2020 REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION (RMD) HAS BEEN WAIVED IRA owners and IRA beneficiaries are not required to take a distribution. The RMD provision is applicable to any Traditional IRA, including Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers (SIMPLE) IRAs. If an IRA owner turned age 70.5 in 2019 and postponed his/her RMD after 2019 (until the required beginning date of April 1, 2020), the RMD is eligible to be waived. THE RMD ROLLOVER DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO AUGUST 31, 2020 If you have already taken your 2020 RMD, you may have the opportunity to return funds as a rollover contribution. This is also applicable to surviving spouse beneficiaries. Non-spouse surviving beneficiaries may rollover only the RMD death distribution amount received in 2020 back into the same IRA. AUTOMATIC WITHDRAWALS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR REVISIONS If you previously set up an annual RMD to be automatically withdrawn, you may contact your banker to revise the schedule. In most cases, including existing SouthStar Bank IRA Accounts, if you do not request an adjustment, it will be assumed that you intend the 2020 RMD to take place even though it is not required by law. It is recommended that you consult a tax professional regarding your intentions when adjusting planned disbursements. If you have questions regarding your SouthStar Bank IRA account, we’re here to help. Please reach out by emailing contact.us@southstarbank.com or contacting your nearest SouthStar Bank branch.

Employee News

by SouthStar BankAugust 6, 2020

Welcome Courtney Schweitzer

Courtney Schweitzer, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Georgetown Branch Courtney Schweitzer is joining the SouthStar Bank team as a Personal Banker at our Georgetown location. She has two years of industry experience and is excited to bring her outside perspective and knowledge to the job. A fun fact about Courtney is that her favorite travel destination is Colorado. Welcome Courtney!