Texas Battered Women Food Pantry raffle winner, Sherry Lynn Ross, is presented her new generator by Location President Joan Vining and organization representatives Bonnie Jordan (our own Gay Smith’s mother), Gloria and Keith Newquist. The money received from the raffle benefited Texas Battered Women Food Pantry.
Picture can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-Bank/96728445839
Monday, April 16, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Austin Bank STAR of the MONTH
"Austin Bank employees have always been and always will be our greatest strength," said Jeff Austin III, Austin Bank Vice Chairman. The Austin Bank STAR of the MONTH program recognizes employees for their outstanding performance. Individuals are nominated by their peers for portraying these characteristics:
High standards of ethics and morals
Positive attitude
Pride in their job
Demonstrates teamwork
Lives Austin Bank Core Values (Honesty, Service, Employees, Community, Confidentiality)
Dedicated, Loyal, Committed
Involved in the community
For 2012, the following employees have been recognized:
· January – Estefany Aranda
· February – Kelly Tunnell
· March – Lynnette Gibbons
· April – Joan Vining
High standards of ethics and morals
Positive attitude
Pride in their job
Demonstrates teamwork
Lives Austin Bank Core Values (Honesty, Service, Employees, Community, Confidentiality)
Dedicated, Loyal, Committed
Involved in the community
For 2012, the following employees have been recognized:
· January – Estefany Aranda
· February – Kelly Tunnell
· March – Lynnette Gibbons
· April – Joan Vining
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Austin Bank Promotes Kilgore Employees!
Jeff Austin III, Vice Chairman of the Board, recently announced the promotion of Austin Bank employees, Patrick Brown, Amanda Atkins and Julie Taylor.
The promotions were approved at the March 13, 2012 Board of Directors meeting at the Austin Bank corporate office in Jacksonville.
“Each of these employees is a true professional who is dedicated to giving our customers exceptional service,” said Austin. “We are proud to have them as members of the Austin Bank team.”
Patrick Brown, Assistant Vice President, a lender at Austin Bank Kilgore with 28 years banking experience, previously worked as a credit analyst before transferring to his current position. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama.
Very involved in the Kilgore community, Brown serves as the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and was named 2011 Rotarian of the Year for the Kilgore Rotary Club. A recipient of the 2010 Austin Bank Community Involvement award, he was recognized for his work with Junior Achievement. Brown and wife, Kathy, have two daughters, Britney and Briley, and one son, Michael Searcy.
Amanda Atkins, Vice President, supervises the Kilgore office with 13 years of banking experience. Atkins joined Austin Bank in 2008. She is a graduate of Hallsville High School and attended Kilgore College.
Atkins volunteers for Junior Achievement, the Denim & Diamonds Committee, Hallsville Western Days Committee, and is a Leadership Kilgore graduate. A long-time resident of Hallsville, Atkins gives back to both her Kilgore and Hallsville communities. Atkins and husband, Lee Jr., have two daughters, Sadie and Maddi.
Julie Taylor, Vice President, a community lender at Austin Bank Kilgore with 13 years of banking experience, joined Austin Bank in 2008. Taylor is a graduate of Kilgore High School and attended Sam Houston State University.
Taylor is a member of the Forest Home Baptist Church and Beta Gamma Psi Sorority. Owner of the Heart to Heart Treasures boutique in downtown Kilgore, Taylor and husband, Rusty, have two children, son, Kade, and daughter, Gracie.
Please join Austin Bank in congratulating Patrick Brown,
Amanda Atkins, and Julie Taylor!
The promotions were approved at the March 13, 2012 Board of Directors meeting at the Austin Bank corporate office in Jacksonville.
“Each of these employees is a true professional who is dedicated to giving our customers exceptional service,” said Austin. “We are proud to have them as members of the Austin Bank team.”
Patrick Brown, Assistant Vice President, a lender at Austin Bank Kilgore with 28 years banking experience, previously worked as a credit analyst before transferring to his current position. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama.
Very involved in the Kilgore community, Brown serves as the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and was named 2011 Rotarian of the Year for the Kilgore Rotary Club. A recipient of the 2010 Austin Bank Community Involvement award, he was recognized for his work with Junior Achievement. Brown and wife, Kathy, have two daughters, Britney and Briley, and one son, Michael Searcy.
Amanda Atkins, Vice President, supervises the Kilgore office with 13 years of banking experience. Atkins joined Austin Bank in 2008. She is a graduate of Hallsville High School and attended Kilgore College.
Atkins volunteers for Junior Achievement, the Denim & Diamonds Committee, Hallsville Western Days Committee, and is a Leadership Kilgore graduate. A long-time resident of Hallsville, Atkins gives back to both her Kilgore and Hallsville communities. Atkins and husband, Lee Jr., have two daughters, Sadie and Maddi.
Julie Taylor, Vice President, a community lender at Austin Bank Kilgore with 13 years of banking experience, joined Austin Bank in 2008. Taylor is a graduate of Kilgore High School and attended Sam Houston State University.
Taylor is a member of the Forest Home Baptist Church and Beta Gamma Psi Sorority. Owner of the Heart to Heart Treasures boutique in downtown Kilgore, Taylor and husband, Rusty, have two children, son, Kade, and daughter, Gracie.
Please join Austin Bank in congratulating Patrick Brown,
Amanda Atkins, and Julie Taylor!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Upshur County Literacy Spelling Bee
On March 29, 2012, Ashley Cook, Robin Cook, and Kimberly Ledbetter represented Austin Bank at the Upshur County Literacy Spelling Bee. With seven local businesses competing for the title of champion, Austin Bank Gilmer’s participants came out victorious. Congratulations ladies for representing Austin Bank and finishing in first place!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
2011 Community Involvement Award Winner!
Each year Austin Bank recognizes four employees and one director for their service to the community. Please join us in congratulating one of our 2011 Community Involvement Award winners Donna Bobo!
On behalf of Austin Bank, Donna Bobo presented a $500 check to Zonta International where she serves as Board Secretary.
On behalf of Austin Bank, Donna Bobo presented a $500 check to Zonta International where she serves as Board Secretary.
Monday, March 26, 2012
2012 STAR of the MONTH Award Recipients
Congratulations to our March 2012 STAR of the MONTH, Lynette Gibbons!
Lynnette Gibbons is said to be a loving spirit with a constant smile. She consistently portrays grace and professionalism to her customers and staff at the Longview Loop office. She is a shining example of the saying, “never meets a stranger.”
Lynnette joined Austin Bank in 2009 and is currently serving as Retail Office Manag...er of our Longview Loop location. In addition to providing excellent service to the customers of Longview, Lynnette enjoys giving special treatment to her staff by sharing culinary skills at the office.
“Lynnette has been a breath of fresh air at the Loop location. She always goes the extra mile for the customer and she does not do it because it is her job, but because it is second nature to her.” – Gay Higdon, SVP / Retail Market Manager
Congratulations to our February 2012 STAR of the MONTH, Kelly Tunnell!
Retail Market Manager, Kelly Tunnell, is a strong and reliable resource within the company. Joining Austin Bank in 1997, she has proven herself to be a person of knowledge and competence.
During her tenure, Kelly has worked as a Teller, CSR, Customer Service Manager and Retail office Manager. She helps develop and teach CSR S...chool, IRA School, and currently is responsible for the bank’s IRA portfolio.
‘’The staff in each branch has deep respect for her knowledge and many of her former customers still call Kelly for various needs. She shines everyday in taking care of the things that the rest of us do not see. There are many reasons she is as Austin Bank Star!’’ – Lisa McCoy, SVP / Retail Market Manager
Lynnette Gibbons is said to be a loving spirit with a constant smile. She consistently portrays grace and professionalism to her customers and staff at the Longview Loop office. She is a shining example of the saying, “never meets a stranger.”
Lynnette joined Austin Bank in 2009 and is currently serving as Retail Office Manag...er of our Longview Loop location. In addition to providing excellent service to the customers of Longview, Lynnette enjoys giving special treatment to her staff by sharing culinary skills at the office.
“Lynnette has been a breath of fresh air at the Loop location. She always goes the extra mile for the customer and she does not do it because it is her job, but because it is second nature to her.” – Gay Higdon, SVP / Retail Market Manager
Congratulations to our February 2012 STAR of the MONTH, Kelly Tunnell!
Retail Market Manager, Kelly Tunnell, is a strong and reliable resource within the company. Joining Austin Bank in 1997, she has proven herself to be a person of knowledge and competence.
During her tenure, Kelly has worked as a Teller, CSR, Customer Service Manager and Retail office Manager. She helps develop and teach CSR S...chool, IRA School, and currently is responsible for the bank’s IRA portfolio.
‘’The staff in each branch has deep respect for her knowledge and many of her former customers still call Kelly for various needs. She shines everyday in taking care of the things that the rest of us do not see. There are many reasons she is as Austin Bank Star!’’ – Lisa McCoy, SVP / Retail Market Manager
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Why Wall Street and Main Street Watch the Employment Situation
With elections right around the corner, there is no better time than now to assess the current status of our economy.
The following article is brought to you by Austin Bank Financial Services.
Even though the economy began to grow again in June 2009, jobs were painfully slow to follow. Employment started showing signs of improvement in the second half of 2011, exceeding the expectations of economic forecasters.
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 200,000 in December 2011, marking the sixth straight month that the economy added at least 100,000 jobs.1 In addition, the unemployment rate fell four months in a row, reaching 8.5% in December 2011.2
Employment report data may offer some insight into current economic conditions and potential future trends. In response, markets can rise when a report is viewed as encouraging, especially when the data is better than expected, and they may fall when a key statistic is perceived as disappointing.
Investors, economists, the business media, and the general public all tend to keep a close eye on the following government reports, because statistical changes sometimes mark turning points in the state of the nation’s labor market and the health of the economy.
Windows to the Workforce
The monthly Employment Situation Report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the first Friday of each month has two components. Information collected from the “establishment survey” is used to estimate the number of jobs created or lost during the month, and to track such nonfarm payroll data as hourly earnings, the average number of hours worked per week, and private-sector employment. Statistical methods are also used to calculate the current unemployment rate from data captured by the “household survey.”
TheUnemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report is issued each Thursday by the Department of Labor. It details the number of people who file for unemployment benefits nationwide for the first time during the previous week, and also provides a four-week moving average intended to smooth out volatility that can result from seasonal factors or unusual events.
Weekly initial jobless claims below 400,000 generally indicate that labor market conditions are improving. In mid-January 2012, initial jobless claims fell sharply to 352,000 (the lowest level in nearly four years) from 402,000 claims in the previous week.3
Many economists believe that more than 125,000 jobs need to be added each month just to keep up with population growth.4
What Took So Long?
A variety of factors, such as the sovereign debt crisis, the threat of recession in Europe, uncertain tax and regulatory policies in the United States, and weak consumer demand for goods and services, may have caused companies to take a “wait and see” approach regarding staffing needs.
Businesses were also offered incentives that may have resulted in the substitution of capital spending for labor. Temporary tax breaks allowed companies to write off 100% of 2011 investments in the first year, and historically low interest rates made it inexpensive to borrow capital for improvements. From the point at which the economy started recovering in 2009 to the end of 2011, business spending on equipment and software surged 31%, whereas private-sector jobs grew only 1.4%.5
The Year in Review
On the whole, the labor market strengthened in 2011. About 1.6 million jobs were added to the economy last year, compared with 940,000 in 2010.6 The unemployment rate fell from 9.1% in January 2011 to 8.5% in December.7 Job growth also became broader based by the end of the year as it spread to more industries, some of which tend to pay higher wages.8
Unfortunately, the unemployment rate remains well above historic norms, and more than six million jobs are needed to return to pre-recession levels reached in 2008.9–10
Year-end data suggesting that the job market may be headed in the right direction was also reflected in the larger economy. Economists estimate that gross domestic product grew at a 3.0% annual rate in the final three months of 2011, which was much higher than the 1.8% growth rate reported in the third quarter.11
Recent trends may be encouraging, but it’s still unclear whether the employment picture will continue to improve in the coming months. A number of factors could affect economic growth for better or worse in 2012, which is why it may not be wise to read too much into any report, regardless of how newsworthy it seems.
1, 6, 11) Associated Press, January 19, 2012
2) CNNMoney, January 6, 2012
3, 9) The Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2012
4, 10) The Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2012
5) The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2012
7) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012
8) Associated Press, January 6, 2012
The information in this article is not intended as tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Emerald. Copyright © 2012 Emerald Connect, Inc.
The following article is brought to you by Austin Bank Financial Services.
Even though the economy began to grow again in June 2009, jobs were painfully slow to follow. Employment started showing signs of improvement in the second half of 2011, exceeding the expectations of economic forecasters.
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 200,000 in December 2011, marking the sixth straight month that the economy added at least 100,000 jobs.1 In addition, the unemployment rate fell four months in a row, reaching 8.5% in December 2011.2
Employment report data may offer some insight into current economic conditions and potential future trends. In response, markets can rise when a report is viewed as encouraging, especially when the data is better than expected, and they may fall when a key statistic is perceived as disappointing.
Investors, economists, the business media, and the general public all tend to keep a close eye on the following government reports, because statistical changes sometimes mark turning points in the state of the nation’s labor market and the health of the economy.
Windows to the Workforce
The monthly Employment Situation Report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the first Friday of each month has two components. Information collected from the “establishment survey” is used to estimate the number of jobs created or lost during the month, and to track such nonfarm payroll data as hourly earnings, the average number of hours worked per week, and private-sector employment. Statistical methods are also used to calculate the current unemployment rate from data captured by the “household survey.”
TheUnemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report is issued each Thursday by the Department of Labor. It details the number of people who file for unemployment benefits nationwide for the first time during the previous week, and also provides a four-week moving average intended to smooth out volatility that can result from seasonal factors or unusual events.
Weekly initial jobless claims below 400,000 generally indicate that labor market conditions are improving. In mid-January 2012, initial jobless claims fell sharply to 352,000 (the lowest level in nearly four years) from 402,000 claims in the previous week.3
Many economists believe that more than 125,000 jobs need to be added each month just to keep up with population growth.4
What Took So Long?
A variety of factors, such as the sovereign debt crisis, the threat of recession in Europe, uncertain tax and regulatory policies in the United States, and weak consumer demand for goods and services, may have caused companies to take a “wait and see” approach regarding staffing needs.
Businesses were also offered incentives that may have resulted in the substitution of capital spending for labor. Temporary tax breaks allowed companies to write off 100% of 2011 investments in the first year, and historically low interest rates made it inexpensive to borrow capital for improvements. From the point at which the economy started recovering in 2009 to the end of 2011, business spending on equipment and software surged 31%, whereas private-sector jobs grew only 1.4%.5
The Year in Review
On the whole, the labor market strengthened in 2011. About 1.6 million jobs were added to the economy last year, compared with 940,000 in 2010.6 The unemployment rate fell from 9.1% in January 2011 to 8.5% in December.7 Job growth also became broader based by the end of the year as it spread to more industries, some of which tend to pay higher wages.8
Unfortunately, the unemployment rate remains well above historic norms, and more than six million jobs are needed to return to pre-recession levels reached in 2008.9–10
Year-end data suggesting that the job market may be headed in the right direction was also reflected in the larger economy. Economists estimate that gross domestic product grew at a 3.0% annual rate in the final three months of 2011, which was much higher than the 1.8% growth rate reported in the third quarter.11
Recent trends may be encouraging, but it’s still unclear whether the employment picture will continue to improve in the coming months. A number of factors could affect economic growth for better or worse in 2012, which is why it may not be wise to read too much into any report, regardless of how newsworthy it seems.
1, 6, 11) Associated Press, January 19, 2012
2) CNNMoney, January 6, 2012
3, 9) The Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2012
4, 10) The Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2012
5) The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2012
7) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012
8) Associated Press, January 6, 2012
The information in this article is not intended as tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Emerald. Copyright © 2012 Emerald Connect, Inc.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Did you know that at the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize? On January 16th, the nation will take time to honor his memory and his dream during Martin Luther King Jr. Day. His actual birthday is January 15, but we celebrate his accomplishments on the third Monday of each January.
In observance, Austin Bank will be closed Monday, January 16. Please use one of our many convenient ATMs during this time.
In observance, Austin Bank will be closed Monday, January 16. Please use one of our many convenient ATMs during this time.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the Austin Family who is celebrating 103 years of service in the Texas banking industry.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Year's Resolutions
How are your resolutions coming? If your goal was a large one, you'll have a greater chance of success if you break it down into smaller steps that are more easily achieved.
Example...saving money. You can set aside just 10 dollars a week and accrue 250 dollars plus interest by the end of the year.
Example...saving money. You can set aside just 10 dollars a week and accrue 250 dollars plus interest by the end of the year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
