After years of visiting seniors, Nancy Kaye will retire
After almost 30 years, Nancy Kaye will retire from North Shore Bank on December 30.
“I just turned 75, and I’m thinking, How much more can you do?” says the teller, who works out of Jackson Park, but spends most of her time helping customers Wednesdays and Fridays at two local senior living facilities, Wesley Park and Wilson Commons. “I’ve got things I want to do while I’m still healthy. It just came to me that this is the right time. Thirty years is a long time. And I started my first job when I was 15, so I’ve really been working for 60 years.”
Read more about Nancy’s long and deeply appreciated service at North Shore Bank.
Volunteers needed to sort through archives
As you know, North Shore Bank celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. We are looking for volunteers to join the Centennial Archive Committee to go through old articles and photographs in preparation for the big event.
Interested? To volunteer or for more information, get in touch with HR specialist Morgan Stark. •••
Corporate teams unlock creativity, decorate doors
The winning doors, from left: Facilities/Mailroom, horseshoe entrance, and branch entrance.
Last week, the departments at Corporate could participate in a door-decorating contest for the winter holidays. Employees got to vote for their favorites, and winners were announced last Thursday.
The CSC door and Auditing/BSA.
Commercial/Consumer Loan Administration, the Call Center, and Accounting.
The Facilities/Mailroom door on the lower level took first prize, winning those teams a pizza lunch. Second prize — a bagel breakfast — went to the decorators of the horseshoe entrance door on the 2nd Floor. And the Brookfield Square branch team took third, earning themselves some handcrafted ice cream from local shop Scratch.
Loan Servicing and Collections, Video Tellers, and HR.
Loan Administration – Underwriting, Information Systems, and Commercial Credit and Marketing.
As you can see, the door designs all featured a lot of creativity. Many thanks to everybody who took part and helped with the decorating, as well as all who voted. •••
Blindfolded employees show tree-trimming skills
From left: Mortgage servicing team leader Sara Coppersmith goes to work, observed by senior loan funding rep Dana Durocher. Senior consumer credit adjustor Lisa Starbuck shows off her finished tree. And compliance manager VP Kristen Gagliano gets to it.
Corporate employees tried their hands — but not their eyes — at trimming a Christmas tree blindfolded last Wednesday, as part of the Corporate holiday party.
Hosted by staff auditors Megan Butler and Jessica Dalba, this was one of four games at the party. Players were given ten ornaments, six candy canes, four bows, tinsel, a tree skirt, and a Seymour tree-topper, and had 90 seconds to get as many decorations as they could onto the tree without being able to see anything.
Cash flow coordinator Denise Dionisio, Megan Butler, and BSA/AML lead Stephanie Hallgren with the tree.
As with other donations from last week’s holiday activities, proceeds from the participants went to Milwaukee nonprofit Kathy’s House.
“It was so fun to watch them and to see each person’s strategies!” Jessica said. “I’m not sure how many employees took part, but we did have a constant line all day.” •••
Shorewood Winterfest offers lots of holiday fun
Izzy and other kids meeting Santa at Winterfest.
Shannon, Izzy, and Audrey with the newly lit tree.
Shorewood area branch manager Shannon Weber, daughter Izzy, and teller Audrey Elliott came out for this year’s tree-lighting ceremony at Winterfest on Saturday, December 3. The free annual holiday event features fun activities for families including a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus and cookie decorating, as well as food and drink specials at local eateries.
“Izzy was so excited to see Santa again and shared all the things she was hopeful for this year,” Shannon said. She also got to visit with sisters Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen movies.
“This year’s event was even more amazing than previous years’ — it’s amazing to see how much more it has grown, Shannon said. “It was great, and I was so happy to be able to catch up with so many people in the community and to share this experience with Izzy.” •••
Liedel steps in, helps customer purchase first home
Northside teller Lexi Lawler takes the customer’s first mortgage payment.
Susan and her client, Mauro.
Mortgage loan originator Susan Liedel made one customer’s 2022 a whole lot better by helping him buy his first home.
“He was referred to me by a Realtor because the lender he was dealing with was not communicating and there were issues with the appraisal — just lots of concerns,” Susan said. “I took the application on October 11, and we closed on October 31.”
She added: “We were able to stack grants, so he received $16,000 in grants that are forgivable. He’s a great guy. He came in to make his first payment early, and even paid down on his principal. Love it!” The customer made a point of asking Susan to take a photo of him making that first payment, and wanted one with her too. Excellent work, Susan! •••
Phishing scams employ variety of wire-fraud techniques
North Shore Bank’s CrimeBusters for November 2022 are: Brookfield Square area manager Maria Baumer, Sussex area manager Mark Fairfield, customer assistance rep Kat Grunert, Jackson Park universal banker Stephanie Hernandez, customer care specialist DJ Hostettler, customer assistance rep Charlotte Knight, checking services rep Renee Machado, Brookfield Square teller supervisor Carmen Maurer, Sturgeon Bay East teller supervisor Tara Neuville, Brookfield Capitol personal banker Shannon Quinn, and Green Bay West assistant branch manager Hali Thompson.
Security Saves: This Month’s Highlights
A CUSTOMER CAME INTO THE BRANCH and needed to send a wire. When the banker asked some questions, the customer would not give any details and insisted the wire needed to be sent right away. The banker reviewed the customer’s account history and saw there was a large transfer from her line of credit to her checking. The branch was able to uncover that the customer was a victim of an Amazon email scam. The customer had called the phone number provided in a fraudulent email and given the scammer access to her PC and online banking. The fraudster then made the transfer between the customer’s accounts, but told her they’d credited her too much money — and that if the customer did not wire the money back, the fraudster would lose their job. The scammer also told the customer not to talk to her bank about what had happened and to not provide any details about the wire.
ANOTHER BANKER RECEIVED AN EMAIL from a known business customer asking for a wire to be sent for a closing. The banker noticed in the email chain that the email address for the title company looked different, so she tried to contact the closing agent at the phone number in the email. The phone number went to a suspicious voicemail box that did not belong to that closing agent. The banker called our business customer and alerted him of our concerns. It was discovered that the closing agent’s email had been compromised and that the wire instructions were not for the title company.
Security says: When a customer is sending a wire, whether it’s from a personal or business account, it’s essential that the information be verified over the phone at a known number for the recipient. This is especially important with wires for real estate closings. Email compromises can happen to anyone, so we need to make sure the information provided is correct.
Phishing on the Rise
Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in North Shore Bank customers receiving phishing emails. These emails appear to be from legitimate companies, including businesses our customers may have relationships with, such as Geek Squad, PayPal, and Amazon. The email usually refers to an auto-renewal of a subscription or a recent charge to the customer’s credit or debit card on file. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency by saying that if the charge is in error, the customer needs to call the phone number provided right away. Once the customer calls the number, the fraudster tries to manipulate their way into getting the customer’s personal or account information or even access to their cell phone or computer. No matter what, the end result is usually the same: The scammer convinces the customer to either buy gift cards, send money through a wire, or provide their debit card number.
Here are some links about the methods fraudsters use to get what they want and what to watch out for:
FTC: How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
WGAL: How to avoid remote access scams
Banks Never Ask That! Learn the red flags of phishing
As always, trust your instincts! If something feels off, contact Security immediately for guidance on how to proceed.
Started by former security officer Peggy Theisen in 2013, the CrimeBuster Awards recognize bank employees who identify security risks and take action to protect North Shore Bank and our customers. •••
Need stocking stuffers? No fee on gift cards this month
Reminder: If you or your customers are having trouble with last-minute holiday shopping, North Shore Bank gift cards are available with no purchase fee through December 31. Accepted anywhere that takes Mastercard, the cards can be customized with exactly the amount you want to give. Grab a few at any branch, and remind your friends and family about them too! •••
Can you share any savings tips?
Last call! The Marketing department wants to know what advice you’d give our customers about saving money! 2023 is about to begin, and people will be making their New Year’s resolutions, so we’re looking for savings tips to be included in a North Shore Bank blog post next month — and we’d love it you could help!
Tips can focus on reducing spending or increasing savings. We want to hear your best ones (whether you work at a branch or not). Please send tips to shorelines@northshorebank.com (or use the submissions form). Deadline is tomorrow, Friday, December 16. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! •••
Service Anniversaries for December 2022
The following employees celebrate a milestone anniversary with North Shore Bank this month.
30 years
Kristin Hoch, Deposit Operations Supervisor
25 years
Anne Kagerah, Branch Manager, Pewaukee — read more here!
10 years
Beth Wianecki, Branch Operations Support Manager
Leave a comment to congratulate them!
New Hires for December 15
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.
Westgate personal banker Jeshon Alexander is from Milwaukee and previously worked as an assistant branch manager at Mariner Finance. “I am a big Grey’s Anatomy fan and have watched several seasons multiple times. I even made a trip to Seattle in summer of 2020, and visited the house where the show is set,” he says. “Besides that, I am also a big Bucks and Packers fan.”
Online/mobile banking representative Faye Morrow is a lifelong Milwaukee-area resident. She has lived in Elm Grove for 22 years. She previously worked at BMO Harris Bank as vice president of sales performance reporting, managing the bank’s U.S. footprint of sales performance data and administering retail incentive plans for over 5,000 employees. “I am a lifelong weekend athlete — currently an avid daily walker, and I love to play golf as often as I’m able,” she says. “And I’m so happy to be here!” •••
There’s still time to see lots of holiday lights
What’s going on with you? If you or someone in your family has a special event — a concert, show, sporting or charity event, or another important moment — send the details to shorelines@northshorebank.com. We’ll include information about select events to let your colleagues know about all the cool stuff happening with the North Shore Bank team.
Looking for more to do? Here are suggestions from the bank’s event calendar:
Candy Cane Lane in West Allis is now open through Christmas Day. The annual neighborhood holiday-lights display raises money to help the MACC Fund fight children’s cancer. Santa Claus will be there every night through December 23. Check out candycanelanewi.com for more information, including a calendar of appearances from other local groups.
For Wild Lights, the Milwaukee County Zoo transforms into an illuminated world with millions of sparkling lights and glowing animal displays, today and throughout the month of December. Stroll on a tranquil yet festive one-mile path through the zoo’s very own snow globe to see a variety of shimmering large-scale animal displays. The event will not run on December 24 or 25. Tickets can be purchased here. •••