JUST ASK ANCHOR
We're happy to offer an interactive feature on our website - Just Ask Anchor. With Just Ask Anchor, you can rely on an expert from AnchorBank to provide financial insight on FDIC insurance, home loans, AnchorBank products and services or other financial topics that impact you.
All you have to do is submit your question and our AnchorBank expert will respond personally via e-mail within just a few days. Other people may be asking the same questions that you are, so some of the most frequent questions and answers will be posted on the site anonymously.
Our featured expert is Assistant Vice President of TeleBranchTM, Kris Glunn:
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Kris Glunn is assistant vice president of AnchorBank’s telephone banking service, TeleBranch™. With TeleBranch, customers can deposit funds, check their balance, transfer funds and more just by calling 1-800-25 ANCHOR (252-6246).
Kris began her career at AnchorBank 19 years ago as a customer service associate and later became the branch supervisor of our Capitol Square branch. TeleBranch was introduced to AnchorBank in 1996 and Kris became the call center’s manager.
Today, Kris is responsible for overseeing the growth and development of the call center, including both telephone service and the service delivered to our retail online banking base. When you Just Ask Anchor, Kris will collaborate with a team of other AnchorBank experts to help answer your question in a timely manner.
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At AnchorBank, we believe you should be able to ask your questions and get the answers from someone you trust. Here are some questions I have recently answered through Just Ask Anchor. Feel free to submit your own in the fields below and I’ll get back to you shortly.
I am interested in consolidating some of my bills so I can avoid using my credit card. Does AnchorBank offer any loans for debt consolidation?
Yes, with flexible financing options AnchorBank can help find the best loan and payment plan for you. Our AnchorLine™ Unsecured Line of Credit of $5,000 to $10,000 gives you access to additional funds, conveniently and confidentially. Affordable monthly payments are 3% of your outstanding monthly balance or $100, whichever is greater. You also don't need to be a homeowner to apply for this loan.
Another option is our AnchorBank Unsecured Personal Loan. This loan has a $1,000 minimum and a five-year maximum term and is not secured by collateral. For loans under $2,000, rates are slightly higher. See our rates table for more information. To open a loan, stop by your local AnchorBank branch or apply online. Use this online map to find the AnchorBank nearest you.
I received an e-mail notifying me that my online account statement is ready and I should log in to my account to view the statement. I am new to online banking, is this a scam e-mail or did it really originate from AnchorBank?
Thank you for being vigilant about the security of your financial information. Phishing is a form of fraud where e-mails look official, but are designed to fool the recipients into divulging personal authentication data such as account usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, etc. At AnchorBank, we take these fraudulent attempts seriously and assure you that we will not request your account number or other sensitive information through an e-mail.
With this said, the message you received is an authentic e-mail from AnchorBank notifying you that your monthly account statement is ready to be viewed online. When you enroll in e-statements, AnchorBank will send a message to the e-mail address you provided when your statement becomes available to view online. You can update the e-mail address we have on file at any time by accessing the ‘User Services’ tab within the Online Banking service.
To view your e-statement, sign in to your AnchorBank online banking account, click on the ‘Accounts’ tab and choose the ‘statement’ link beside the account whose statement you’d like to view.
If you still believe you received this message in error, feel free to contact our TeleBranch at 1-800-25 ANCHOR (252-6246) and choose #8 for help with personal online banking.
If you receive an e-mail that you believe to be a phishing attempt again, feel free to contact us or report the suspicious activity to the FTC and send the actual spam to uce@ftc.gov. Here is a link from our website with more information about phishing.
Can I make a deposit from an external financial institution into an AnchorBank customer’s account?
There are a couple options available to you if you want to deposit funds into an AnchorBank customer’s account. Your first option is to find out if your current financial institution allows for external online transfers. If they do, this would be your simplest option.
If they do not allow for online transfers to external banking institutions, you could sign up for online bill payment with your bank. Most banks offer a bill pay service so you can pay your bills online and set up different “payees” for your monthly payments. When you are prompted to choose where to pay your bill, you can set the AnchorBank customer up as a “payee” and transfer funds that way.
A third option, is to wire the funds from your bank to AnchorBank. A $10 fee would be charged to the recipient of the funds, and possibly an additional outgoing wire fee. Because of these charges, this is not the preferred method, but it is still an option available to you.
If you have specific questions about these options, or how to process the transfer, you may want to contact your financial institution to see what they suggest. AnchorBank will be able to accommodate the transfer of funds, but the initial request would need to begin with your bank.
I am interested in opening an IRA with AnchorBank. What are the age restrictions to open one, and are IRAs tied to the stock market?
Through Anchor Investment Services (AIS), a division of AnchorBank, you can open a Roth or traditional IRA. Anyone who is younger than 70 ½ and is/has earned income, can open an IRA.
IRAs are not only dependent upon the stock market. When you open an IRA, you choose where to invest so that your IRA can grow over time; this includes stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more. Like any investment, you can determine the level of risk that you are comfortable with and tailor your IRA to your needs.
Our financial consultants from AIS can help you through this entire process and answer any questions you have. To locate a financial consultant nearest you, visit our website and choose your city. You can call or check that you are interested in “Retirement Strategies,” or any other areas of interest.
In the meantime, feel free to visit our online Financial Answer Center for information on IRAs, the advantages and disadvantages, how to set one up, when to make contributions, and much more.
Where can I find information on savings bonds and how can I redeem a savings bond that I currently have?
To get information about the rates of savings bonds and how to redeem them, visit http://www.savingsbond.gov.
For information on a specific savings bond you own, click on the Enter button on the green ‘Individuals’ box, continue by clicking on the link for Price your savings bonds and then Savings Bonds Calculator. This page should help you find out what your bonds are worth. The calculator includes the current interest rate, next accrual date, final maturity date, year-to-date interest earned and more.
To just look up the current rates on a specific type of savings bond, go to the same beginning website and click Enter on the ‘Individuals’ category. The far left side of the screen should have various options in green. Choose the type of bond you are interested in, i.e. E/EE or I Savings Bonds.
Thank you again for contacting us. We hope this information helps you learn more about your current savings bonds. If you are interested in purchasing a savings bond, feel free to visit your local AnchorBank anytime.
