In response to a story earlier this month about a ring of smugglers arrested in New Jersey for circulating counterfeit bills (among other things), Slate has a short article about Supernotes. Supernotes are, apparently, really good counterfeit bills produced on the same type of presses that real U.S. dollars are printed on. The article suggests that Supernotes are mainly circulated overseas and represent just a fraction of counterfiet bills in circulation, so there's probably no need to panic. But just in case, you can buy theSuperscan Counterfeit Detector , which claims to be able to "consistently detect the supernote."  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released its Summer Community Developments Newsletter today. This issue contains some good articles about HMDA, including information about recent HMDA revisions, new Residential Mortgage Lending guidelines, counseling technologies and non-traditional credit reports. Past issues of the newsletter have focused on reaching the unbanked, supporting small businesses and stimulating rural economies.

An archive of Community Development publications can be found in the Community Affairs section of the OCC's website.

Also at the OCC:

• Aug. 29-Sept. 12: Take the OCC.gov survey and help improve the OCC website.


• Aug. 4: John Dugan takes office as new Comptroller of the Currency.


• Aug. 2: CRA final rule increases asset-size threshold for small banks, creates a new category of intermediate small banks, and revises the definition of community development.

 

The script is done, and we have a team of animators hard at work putting together our first-ever ANIMATED training program. As we were putting the final touches on the script, the production house has been sending us mock-ups of what the program's "characters" will look like. I'm posting one here as a sneak-peak. This is "Female C" and, as you can see, she's quite stylish. She'll have 6 other outfits as well, all in the same color palette, so she can mix and match.

We're also gearing up to start producing the two new security programs. We're polishing the scripts right now, and we should be ready to start the casting process right after Labor Day. We're really busy around here, but we're all very excited to be able to introduce these new programs just in time for the Fall training season.

Click here to read more about our new programs.

What do you think employees want in return for their time at work?

• More money?
• More holidays?
• More help with personal problems?

In the book 301 Ways to have Fun at Work, the authors cite a study of 1000 employees and 100 supervisors. Both groups were asked to rank 10 workplace needs in order of preference.

Employees were asked to rank their own needs.
Supervisors were asked to rank what they thought employees wanted.

Here are the results: Ranking Needs in the Workplace

Need	Employees	Supervisors
Interesting work	#1	#5
Full appreciation for work done	2	8
Feeling ‘in on things’	3	10
Job security	4	2
Good wages	5	1
Promotion/Growth opportunities	6	3
Good working conditions	7	4
Personal loyalty to workers	8	6
Tactful disciplining	9	7
Sympathetic help w/personal problems	10	9

The top 3 are FREE: Interesting work, appreciation, inclusion

The top 3 needs don’t require bigger budgets—they simply require a little extra effort. Below are several easy, quick, no-cost activities you can put into action ASAP.

*Study: Dr. Kenneth Kovach, George Mason University
People Performance magazine, October, 1996

No-Cost Activities you can put in Action! Improve the environment at your bank with these easy, fun activities:

Scavenger Hunt $0
For your next meeting, new employee orientation or other training, add a Scavenger Hunt—where participants ‘hunt’ for information to share at the meeting or ‘hunt’ for answers to training questions.

Unique Hats & Costumes $0
Invite employees to decorate hats or costumes to wear to work on special days—not just on Halloween. Here are a few:

• April Fool’s Day
• Environmental Protection Day
• Cartoon Character Day
• Arbor Day
• Your own holiday
• Prom Party Day—at the same time as the local H.S. prom

Reality TV Cost: $0-$15
Incorporate reality TV into your training and meetings. Consider:

• Survivor Peoria: Outwit, Outlast, Outplay (your city)
• Joe Millionaire
• The Mole
• Star Search, American Idol

Good-Time Goodies Box Cost: $0-$15
At 1st Financial Training, in our meeting rooms and lunch rooms, we keep Good-Time Goodies Boxes filled with:

• Tinkertoys
• Nerf balls
• Squirt guns
• Slinkys
• Frisbees
• Yo Yos
• Executive desk toys

For a quick, on-the-spot reward or recognition, add small, inexpensive wrapped prizes like:

• Coupon for 2 movie tickets
• Coupon for a free car wash
• Coupon for a 2-hour lunch break
• A ‘leave early’ pass
• Coupon for a free lunch

Your options are unlimited and inexpensive.

Baby, Oh Baby Cost: $0-$15
There are tons of fun activities using baby pictures. Here’s one:
Collect baby pictures from employees and management. Give a prize for the person who correctly matches the most baby photos to their ‘owners.’

Classmates Cost: $0-$15
Along the same lines as above, use old high-school yearbook photos. Or how about old prom pictures?

Game Shows & Training Cost: $0-15
Use a game-show format for training or to start a meeting. Here are a few to get you thinking:

• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
• Jeopardy
• Wheel of Fortune
• Password
• And everybody’s favorite game: Bingo

We’ve conducted weekly stand-up staff meetings at 1st Financial Training for nearly 20 years. The meetings serve 2 purposes:

1. To share news & views:
In a fast-paced, ever-changing world, people and activities are constantly in motion. Holding a 15-minute meeting once a week is a good way to keep everyone up to to speed on what’s new, what’s changed and what’s next.

2. To save time:
Our meeting is held in a central location where there is no conference table and very few chairs. Staffers gather in the 1st Financial Rotunda—a busy cross-walk between various departments.

The simple act of people standing—rather than sitting—adds energy and urgency to the activity. Plus the meeting ends sooner rather than later. People aren’t as inclined to drag things out.

Do employees come to your training sessions tired, overworked, complaining or just generally in a bad mood? If not, you are lucky! Either way, here are tips to get your sessions started and employees prepared to participate.

The items below can be drawn on a flip chart for use with a large group or can be copied and distributed to teams and turned into a competition. And, after the first time you use these, challenge participants to create and bring brain-teasers like these to class!

See if you can figure these out!


Click here for Answers!

The FDIC's revised edition of "Your Insured Deposit" booklet is now available at no cost to insured financial institutions. This publication reflects the April 1, 1999 changes to the deposit insurance regulations on joint accounts and POD (payable-on-death) accounts. You can obtain the booklet from the FDIC in writing or by e-mail at the addresses below. The booklet can also be downloaded from the FDIC's web site.

Write to: FDIC Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, D.C. 20434

Fax: 202-416-2076

E-Mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov

Check this page often for timely updates on bank-related compliance issues.

You can increase sales, accounts—whatever you like—by adding the Smile Factor to the activity.

In his book, Wisdom Inc., author Seth Godin reports that the sales director of a large New York corporation hired a theater director to teach the company’s sales people to smile. Sales went up 15% within 3 months of the lessons.

Did You Know:
..women smile 8 times more than men?
And here’s food for thought: Women live 8 years longer, on average, than men. Hmmm...

...people like and trust you more when you smile?
A smile is the universal sign of openness and acceptance. Plus we like people who like us. When you smile, you’re signaling your approval and acceptance of another person.

...you can HEAR a smile?
A listener doesn’t have to see you to know you’re smiling. It’s conveyed in the tone of your voice. Haven’t you ‘heard’ a smile during a phone conversation?

...smiling makes you happier?
The facial muscles you move to smile send messages to your brain and can improve your emotional state of mind. Plus those same smile muscles give you an instant face-lift.

Miles of Smiles
The president of a nationwide airline said it best:

"We can train people on whatever it is they need to do. But the one thing we cannot change in people is inherent attitudes. We look for people who have a sense of humor—people who don’t take themselves too seriously."