online-banking

Have you ever wanted a fast, easy, and convenient way to take full advantage of FDIC insurance on deposits exceeding $250,000? Look no further!  SouthStar Bank offers an easy and convenient way to keep your funds FDIC insured via our CDARS program up to $50 million per customer. What is CDARS? CDARS is an acronym for the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service. In short, CDARS allows a business to invest in Certificates of Deposit held by many FDIC-insured banking institutions, including SouthStar Bank. Who has custody of my funds? Funds placed through CDARS can only be deposited in FDIC-insured banks. SouthStar Bank would act as custodian for your CDARS deposits.  CDARS network members swap deposits on a dollar-for-dollar basis, ensuring that the same amount of funds placed through the network are returned to SouthStar Bank. This means that your original deposit amount can remain at the bank and be used by you. Which will locally support the growth of the communities we live, work and volunteer. CDARS is one of the safest options for investors who want to protect their investments while continuing to earn interest rates only possible with CDs. Investing in the program can be a wise alternative to U.S. Treasuries. Similar to Treasuries, CDARS is also backed by the U.S. government. You may be worried about how the FDIC feels about such programs. Fortunately, the FDIC acknowledges the deposit placement service and has even encouraged it at times. The CDARS program has been thoroughly tested, and the service is recognized by both FDIC regulations and state statutes. What are the benefits of CDARS? CDARS allows you to make a single deposit and have those funds automatically distributed to enough financial institutions to achieve full FDIC coverage. During the setup process, you will get to decide which financial institutions your funds will be deposited into. Remember that while your CDs may be held by financial institutions nationwide, your funds can still be used locally.  Just like standard CDs, your CDs in the CDARS program come with a range of maturities. You can choose from maturities ranging from one month up to five years. Second, there are no hidden fees in the CDARS program, including annual, transaction, or subscription fees. The rate you agreed on is the rate you will receive.  The last benefit of the program is no ongoing collateralization. This eliminated the need to track changing collat4eral values routinely. What are the drawbacks of CDRS? Before investing in CDARS, you should be aware of the drawbacks. CDARS investments have restricted liquidity, meaning that your invested funds are all locked in CDs until they mature. If you need to access the funds before maturity, you will have to pay a penalty. If you think CDARS is right for you and your business, contact your local SouthStar Bank branch today or open a new Certificate of Deposit online!

Zelle® is a fast, safe and easy way to send and receive money with people you trust, like your babysitter, your fellow PTA mom, your son’s soccer coach, or your coworker. Whether you just enrolled with Zelle® or have been an active user for a while, there are a few tips you should always keep in mind to ensure you are being safe when sending money. Only send money to people you know and trust Money moves fast with Zelle®, directly from bank account to bank account within minutes*. So, it’s important you know and trust the people you’re sending money to. Why? Because you can’t cancel a payment once it’s been sent, if the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. And if you send money to someone you don’t know for a product or service you might not receive (like paying for something in advance), you may not get your money back. Keep in mind that sending money with Zelle® is similar to handing someone cash. Beware of payment scams One example of a payment scam is buying event ticket sat a price that seems too good to be true from a stranger and never receiving them. If the seller asks you to use Zelle® to purchase the tickets, you should refuse unless the seller is a person you personally know. Also, keep in mind that no one from SouthStar Bank will ask you to send them money with Zelle® as a test or to send money to avoid a fraud event. Neither SouthStar Bank nor Zelle® offers a protection program for authorized payments made with Zelle®. So, if you aren’t sure you will get what you paid for, you should use another payment method with purchase protection, such as a credit card. Treat Zelle® like cash Did your friend change phone numbers recently? It’s easy for people to change their phone number or email address. When in doubt, contact your friend to verify the email or U.S. mobile number they used to enroll with Zelle® before you hit “Send.” Another good check point for ensuring you’re paying the right person is to confirm the first name that is displayed for enrolled emails and U.S. mobile numbers. If a person has already enrolled a U.S. mobile number or email address with Zelle®, you can’t cancel the transaction, so it’s important you get it right the first time. If you’d like more information on safely using peer-to-peer payments, check out these articles from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Helpful Tips for Using Mobile Payments Services and Avoiding Risky Mistakes Tips on Using Peer-to-Peer Payment Systems and Apps How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure Online *U.S. checking or savings account required to use Zelle®. Transactions between enrolled users typically occur in minutes. Zelle and the Zelle-related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC, and are used herein under license.