Bitter cold temperatures along with snow and ice could not keep progress from happening at Arvest Bank Springfield’s latest build site on Chestnut and National. More posts have gone up and much more concrete has been poured bringing customers closer to being able to enjoy Springfield’s third branch in the city and seventh branch in the region. Keep coming back to check out progress on Missouri’s first Arvest Bank to be built to LEED Certification Standards. 

Arvest Bank employees visited various area locations in Clarksville, Russellville and Paris yesterday, randomly paying for people’s lunches, grocery items, and much more!  It is all part of “Pay It Forward”.  Arvest believes in giving back to the community and they believe this is the least they can do during this time of year, especially in these economic times. Hopefully it will inspire others to do the same. 

The "pay it forward" concept was popularized with the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was later made into a movie.  Paying it forward is simply doing something nice for someone you don’t know, expecting nothing in return.  If a person wishes to pay you back, let them know that you would rather them pay it “forward” to someone else.  The idea is to consciously increase the goodness in the world.   "Our associates have had so much fun giving back and paying it forward today.  The reactions from people have been amazing and it is very rewarding to be a part of it,” said Aaron Sanders, Arvest Bank Branch Manager. 
 

The Walton Family Foundation brings good cheer this season to greater Kansas City.  Arvest Bank President, Mark Larrabee and retail loan manager/Hispanic banking officer, Joe Mendoza presented the check on behalf of the Walton Foundation on December 28th, 2009. El Centro’s mission is to address the needs and improve the lives of Kansas City, Kansas’s Hispanic residents. For over 30 years, El Centro has been empowering families through educational, social, and economic opportunities at “El Centro de Servicios para Hispanos.” El Centro provides services in 5 locations throughout Kansas City, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas. El Centro serves families of all backgrounds throughout Kansas City; however, the agency retains a particular expertise in addressing the needs of Latinos and Spanish-speaking immigrants.

Pictured below are Mark Larrabee- President of Arvest Bank GKC, Mary Lou Jaramillo- El Centro Commercial and Joe Mendoza- Arvest Hispanic Banking Officer.

About 78% of American households had at least one or more credit cards at the end of 2008 and the number continues to grow. While many families pay the balance off every month, others have been hit with difficulties which require using cards for everyday expenses. During those tough times, having a credit card is a great relief, but later it can be disheartening and overwhelming to open your credit card statement each month. Don't allow debt to get you down. By making a plan, and abiding by it, you can reduce those balances every month.

Make a budget- The first step to taking control of your money is finding your true cost of living. Make a list of all of your monthly expenses, including gas, groceries, and bills. The grand total of this list is what you need to survive from month to month. Of course expenses will fluctuate,
but having an average amount will give you a good idea of your overall financial situation. If you find that your expenses outweigh your income, it may be time to analyze areas to cut costs, or get another job.

Make a list of debts- Perhaps the scariest part of debt reduction is facing your debt. However, there is a great relief in knowing the facts rather than continuing to fear the unknown. Make a list of all outstanding debts, making a note of each minimum payment required.

Make a pay-off plan- From budgeting, you now know how much money you have left over each, and from listing your debts you know how much you owe. Based on these numbers, make a pay off plan. Most people focus on one debt at a time until it is paid off, either starting with the highest interest rate, or smallest balance. Do what works for you. Are you encouraged with each
payoff? Start with the smallest balance debt first. Are you concerned about those high-interest cards? Begin with those cards.

Tiffany is a special contributor to the Arvest Bank blog, providing her insight and opinions on personal and family finance issues. 
 

Many can expect to give or receive a gift card at some point during the gift giving season. With gift cards growing in popularity, Arvest Bank offers suggestions to ensure consumers get the most out of their gift card.   

Gift cards are a convenient and useful financial tool.  Like other financial products, consumers can get better mileage from gift cards if they’ve been educated on how to use them.

Arvest encourages our customers to use the following tips for a rewarding gift card experience:

1. Buy gift cards only from reputable sources. When buying the card or receiving a card, be sure to understand the terms and conditions, many cards come with hidden fees. 
2. Some gift cards expire, so check for an expiration date before you buy.
3. Find out if the gift card can be used anywhere, or just the store in which it was purchased.
4. Consumers that receive gift cards should plan to spend them within the first year and remember to keep them in a secure place. 

Arvest sells thousands of Visa Gift Cards during each holiday season and they make great gifts because they can be used anywhere.  If you are given an Arvest Visa Gift Card this year, here are some helpful tips to make using it easier:

1. Make sure to know the balance on the card before you shop.  You can do this by checking online or by calling 1-877-618-2648.
2. Go online to register your card.  This step makes it easier to make online purchases with the card and may be helpful in replacing the card if lost or stolen.
3. If making your purchase for an amount more than is stored on the card, ask the cashier to ring it as a split transaction. Tell them how much to apply to your card and how much you will pay with another method.
4. Arvest cards have no charges for balance inquiries or number of transactions, so don't hesitate to check your balance often.
5. Learn more about your card by reading the Arvest Gift Card FAQs.

 For additional holiday spending tips, visit the foundation’s Smart Holiday Spending Center here.
 

We are pleased to announce the five winners in the 'Tis the Season to Go Mobile contest.  These winners were randomly drawn from thousands of qualified entrants and met the minimum qualifications of being an active Arvest Mobile Banking user as of December 11, 2009.  Each winner receives a brand-new Kindle DX electronic reader, shipped to them just in time for Christmas:

• Jessaca M Hanson - Conway, AR
• Kasey J Anderson - Bartlesville, OK
• Kevin A Slane - Broken Arrow, OK
• Jimmie Lee Purdy Jr. - Broken Arrow, OK
• Angel J Quiroz - Springdale, AR

Arvest Mobile Banking is a free service that allows Arvest customers to access their accounts from any location using their mobile phone. Users download an application to their cellular device that communicates directly with the bank. Customers who subscribe to Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon wireless services can download the state-of-the-art mobile banking application which provides them with the opportunity to view and pay bills, check balances, transfer funds between accounts and review history via a mobile device just as they would using a home computer.

Thank you to all of our customers who have used Mobile Banking to keep a close eye on their accounts during the holiday shopping season!

Arvest Bank recently celebrated the official groundbreaking of their relocation site in Sallisaw.  The ceremony took place at 811 West Ruth. Arvest Bank intends to relocate the branch now located at 1101 East Cherokee Avenue to the new location upon its completion, estimated to be during August 2010. An ATM will remain at the old location at 1101 E Cherokee Avenue.

The new location will be a full-service branch including drive thru lanes with hours 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.  The facility will be approximately 4000 square feet and will employ 10-15 associates, including Sherryl Kimbrough, Branch Manager and Ronda Mooneyham, Assistant Manager.  Lending services will also be available.  Ted Sheets, who was recently promoted to Community Bank President of Eastern Oklahoma and Mena, AR, will also serve as the Commercial and Agri Lender.  Ted is a Senior Vice President and a 17 year Arvest associate who previously worked in the Siloam Springs market as Area Loan Manager.  

 “We are excited about this opportunity to better serve our customers with this convenient new location,” stated Sheets.  Although the old location will be missed, as it’s been in existence for many years, the new location will be more customer-friendly.  It will have better parking, more convenient drive-thru access, more office space for associates and a bigger lobby for customers.  

The Little Rock Habitat for Humanity home is complete, and a dedication ceremony was held on Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 pm.  Arvest associates, Habitat crew members, volunteers, and friends and relatives of the Jose Martinez family gathered around the home’s living room as they cut the ribbon and were handed the keys to their new home. 

We would like to thank the many volunteers who donated 2,350 hours of manpower to construct the home for the Martinez family.   They faced many obstacles during this build: beginning in the heat of the summer and suffering through one of the rainiest years on record, yet they finished on time and just in time for Christmas.

Along with the many volunteers, we would also like to thank Habitat for helping us achieve our goal of giving back to the communities we serve.  We are thrilled Jose Martinez and his family have a new home to bring in the new year!
 

To learn more about how you can become involved in Habitat for Humanity in your own community, click here.

The Martinez family poses for their first family photo in their new home.

The newest Little Rock Habitat Home reaches completion after months of hard work.

The Martinez family and Arvest associates cut the ribbon at the front door of the new house.

Mr. Martinez (homeowner), Pastor Marco Diaz (2nd Baptist Church on Colonel Glenn), Bill Plunkett (Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Pulaski County) and Larry Choate (CEO/Chairman of Arvest Bank, Central Arkansas)