First Lonestar Bank understands that the security of your account information is important to you. We also understand that our continued success as a financial institution relies on both our ability to offer banking services to you in a secure manner and your responsibility to keep any access codes, passwords, or PINs secure. To assist us in offering these Web-based banking services in a secure manner, we employ a number of measures, which are described below. These measures allow us, among other benefits, to properly authenticate your identity when you access these services and protect your information as it travels between your PC and First Lonestar Bank. With the proper safety measures in place, your online banking transactions remain safe and secure. The following measures have been taken to ensure your privacy, as well as some steps you can take.
Information Encoding
We use the latest encryption technology to ensure that your private information cannot be intercepted. Encryption is a way to rewrite something in code, which can be decoded later with the right "key." When you request information about your accounts, the request is sent encrypted to First Lonestar Bank. We decrypt your request and send the requested information back to you in an encrypted format. When you receive the information, it is decoded so that you can read it.
Personally Selected Account Names
First Lonestar Bank does not display your account numbers over the Internet. Instead, we ask you to choose a "pseudo" name for each of your accounts. Examples of the pseudo names would be vacation accounts, checking accounts, and savings accounts. You can change your "pseudo" account name under the "Options" section of our online banking service.
Unique ID And Personal Identification Number (PIN)
To access your accounts online, you must enter a unique User ID and PIN number. We strongly recommend that you choose a PIN that you can remember (without writing it down) but does not use information that can be easily guessed by someone. Avoid the use of birthdays, children's names, etc. Do not reveal your User ID or PIN to anyone.
Three Strikes and You're Out
If an unauthorized person attempts entry into an end user's account by trying to guess a Log-In ID, the bank will disable the password on the third incorrect attempt, thus invalidating the Log-In combination. If you accidentally activate this security feature by unintentionally mis-keying a password three times, you would need to call the Bank to reestablish the password for that account. For example, a common mistake made by the end user is having the CAPS-LOCK on while keying in a password.
A timeout feature is used to protect you further. This feature will automatically log you out of your current financial service session after a 15-minute inactivity period on our site.
Email Communications
Please remember that e-mail is not secure against interception, and you should be cautious when sending e-mail with personal information. If your information is very sensitive or includes personal or confidential information such as your bank account, charge card or Social Security number, you may want to contact us by postal mail or telephone. For a secure email connection, utilize our Contact Us option.
How You Can Protect Your Internet Security
While First Lonestar Bank works to protect your banking privacy, you will also play an important role in protecting your accounts. There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that your First Lonestar Bank account information is protected, including:
- Keep your PIN to yourself
- Change your PIN frequently
Remain at your computer until your online banking transactions are completed, and log out. Log out of online banking prior to visiting other Internet sites.
If you notice suspicious or unusual activity on your online banking accounts, call the bank immediately.
