YWCA Women of Achievement Receive Support from Liberty Bank as Luncheon Sponsor
Liberty Bank was proud to be among the sponsors and guests in attendance at the Kitsap YWCA Women of Achievement Luncheon April 21, 2015 at the Kitsap Conference Center. This event honors the people, services, and programs of the YWCA in Kitsap County, which is dedicated to ensuring the personal safety, rights, welfare, and dignity of those who experience domestic abuse while building partnerships and increasing community awareness to create positive social change. “Domestic violence prevention and awareness and the empowerment of women is everyone’s business,” stated Liberty Bank President & CEO, Rick Darrow. “We’re pleased to show our support for healthier families and communities in the region, and to be present to honor those who work in partnership with the YWCA.” For more info on the YWCA’s programs, see www.ywcakitsap.org.
Liberty Bank’s Rhonda Morris is named April 2015 Indie Banker of the Month by Independent Banker Magazine
“Regulators have made it clear that ‘risk management’ is the new buzz word.” — Rhonda Morris, Liberty Bank
Under the headline “Risk Management Maven,” Liberty Bank’s own Rhonda Morris takes her stance as Independent Banker Magazine’s Indie Banker of the Month in the April, 2015 of this leading industry publication. To quote the feature article written by Kelly Pike:
With curiosity and good cheer, Rhonda Morris promotes safety and efficiency through risk management. If Rhonda Morris had a catchphrase, it might be: “Have we risk assessed that?”
As senior vice president and risk management officer for Liberty Bank in Poulsbo, Washington, Morris lives and breathes risk. She oversees risk assessment for IT, network systems, vendor management, privacy, interest rates, credit, compliance, physical security and disaster recovery—in addition to responsibilities in human resources, operations and IT.
Overall, it’s her job to help the $71 million-asset community bank assess its various risks and work within its risk appetite.
“Risk slips out into the conversation no matter what we are talking about,” Morris says of the role enterprise risk management plays in Liberty Bank’s daily operations and culture. “Risk is a key component in everything we do. Knowing what our risk appetite is from the board level and working with that framework” is a vital component of Morris’s leadership role.
“The two years Morris has been with Liberty Bank have been a crash course in IT and vendor management, plus the compliance requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. A member of the Washington Bankers Association education committee for the past 10 years, she says education and training is a high priority for her and the bank’s board and employees. But she tries to keep it fun when she can, even hiring someone to teach employees how to use a fire extinguisher by putting out an actual fire. “There’s nothing like hands-on experience,” she quips.
Since Morris often can’t ask a colleague when she has a high-level question, she relies on tight networks of peers at other community banks for help. She founded and still leads an operations group with 23 Washington community banks. She’s also a member of an IT peer group and an audit and compliance peer group.
“They are invaluable,” she says of the confidential feedback she gets on vendors, compliance and other issues.
“I don’t manage the bank’s risk alone,” she says. “Our board and senior management team help set the culture, and we work together to successfully execute and manage risk throughout the bank.”
Photo and select article text reprinted with permission of Independent Banker
Jennifer Carrier is 2015 Graduate of WBA Retail Banking Management Program
Liberty Bank AVP and Branch Manager Jennifer Carrier is a proud 2015 graduate of the Washington Bankers Association Retail Banking Management Development Program.
Completion of the six-month rigorous program required students to complete monthly assignments, review their results with a mentor, and work collaboratively in study groups with their classmates from difference banks to prepare themselves for each class session. The objective of the program was not only peer participation, but developing a deeper and clearer understanding of what it takes to be successful in the highly competitive world of retail banking. “The program was challenging and engaging, and time spent with bankers working in other communities was also enriching,” says Carrier, who brings more than 14 years of bank operations experience to Liberty Bank. She joined the bank in January of 2010, and in 2013, Jennifer was honored in the Forty under 40 Program by the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal. “Continuing education is a vital part of the business culture at Liberty Bank, as we all work together to bring the best knowledge to our banking team, our clients, and to the communities we serve.”
Be Wary of Fraudulent IRS Phone Calls and Emails
Who’s Calling?
Few phone calls warrant as much seriousness among taxpayers as a call from the IRS – which makes the recent rise in fraudulent calls and emails from contacts claiming to be the IRS especially worrisome. Victims have already lost more than $1 million to this scam. Read more…
Report Phishing
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels… Read more.
July Results, August Supply Drive
De Novo Bank Sees Remarkable Growth Even Through Crisis
Liberty Bank was established in June of 2009 — not an easy task given the economy and regulatory environment at the time. Read more.
May NK Fishline Results
April NK Fishline Results
“Heartbleed – OpenSSL” SECURITY THREAT
OVERVIEW:
On April 7, 2014, security researchers announced a recently-discovered vulnerability called Heart Bleed. By exploiting this vulnerability, attackers could access sensitive data, compromising the security of the server and its users. A flaw was discovered in “OpenSSL” – a commonly used internet security technology. OpenSSL is used by many websites for encrypting personal data, communications and transactions. This security flaw was recently exploited by a software bug called “Heartbleed.” Experts believe that Heartbleed has the capability to acquire user ID’s, passwords and other personal information from websites using OpenSSL. It is not yet known who’s personal information may have been compromised or how much information was stolen.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Liberty Bank has never used OpenSSL technology on our website. Your personal information at Liberty Bank was not compromised by Heartbleed. We have also confirmed that each of our Internet service partners, which help provide Online Banking and Cash Management, also do not use OpenSSL technology.
HOW THIS MAY AFFECT YOU:
If you are like many people who use the same User ID’s and/or Passwords to access multiple internet websites, this information may have been compromised on another site using OpenSSL technology. And if your information was stolen, it could potentially be used to access safe internet websites where the stolen information could provide correct authentication.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
If you have used your Liberty Bank Password as a password for any other internet website, you should change your Liberty Bank password now. You can easily change your Liberty Bank password by going to our home page at libertybanknw.com. Simply log into Online Banking using your current password, click on”My Settings” and update your password. For Cash Management users, click on “Administration” and under “My Profile” you can update your password.
SECURE PASSWORDS:
Surveys indicate that a staggering number of internet users, choose simple passwords like: “PASSWORD” or “12345.” Many others use easily discovered information, such as pet names, anniversary or birth dates. Experts recommend that secure passwords be a minimum of 8 characters long (some websites require even more), and that the strongest passwords use a complex combination of Letters, Numbers and Symbols.
If you have any questions, or need help changing your password, please call us at (360) 779-4567.