Message from the Board Chairman—June 2024

On behalf of Tower's volunteer Board of Directors and Senior Management team, I want to thank those of you who came to the Annual Meeting on May 14. To view Tower's 2023 Annual Report, please visit our About Tower page.

For those of you who were unable to attend, there were several changes to your volunteer Board of Directors announced at the meeting.

First, regarding this year's Board of Directors' election, since we had four open positions on the Board and four nominees, it was an uncontested election. As Board Chair, I declare the nominees elected by acclimation, which is a form of election that does not require the use of ballots and saves our members the cost of a formal election process.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that both Jim Kalkbrenner and Harley Parkes will continue to serve on the Tower Board for additional three-year terms. Jim has served for the past 15 years (to include five years as Treasurer and the last two as Vice-Chair) and Harley has served for the past nine years.

Joining Tower's Board this year are Kaitlyn Schnieders and Jason Bailey. Kaitlyn has served the past two years as an Associate Board member and Jason has served for the past nine years as the Chairman of Tower's Supervisory Committee. I know both will continue to provide outstanding leadership to the Board and our membership, and I welcome them to their new roles.

I also welcome Nora Davis as our newest Associate Board member. Nora brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will serve our members and benefit Tower. I appreciate her joining the cast of volunteers that make up and support your Board of Directors and look forward to working with her.

Lastly, I would like to say "thank you" to both Tammy Lumsden and Ross Brinson for their dedicated service to the Tower Board. Tammy is stepping down this year after serving nine years and Ross is stepping down after serving six years to include the last three years as Board Secretary. Both are commended for their selfless volunteer service to Tower's Board and membership. Their wisdom, insight, passion, and expertise will be greatly missed and I wish them both the very best.

New Digital Banking experience coming soon

As part of our commitment to continually provide top-notch financial products and a smarter way forward for our members, next month we are enhancing our online banking services and mobile app with a refreshed design and helpful new features. Some of the enhanced features will include improved navigation so you can find what you need faster, real-time delivery of account alerts, improved card controls, and new financial tools so you can track spending, build your net worth, and make smart money moves. We will also launch our new mobile app at the same time, with improved browsing capabilities, and a more modern, streamlined appearance.

To ensure you receive communications about the upgrade, please make sure your mobile phone number and email address are up-to-date with us. Log in to Digital Banking, go to My Profile, and make any updates necessary. If you are not yet a Digital Banking user, now is the time to sign up so you don't miss out on any important credit union news.

Check washing fraud is on the rise

Unfortunately, fraud is on the rise and scammers are becoming more sophisticated. We all need to do our part in helping to keep our personal and financial information secure. I want to share with you an opportunity for all members to help with Tower's effort to reduce and prevent fraud.

Specifically, I am talking about "check washing." Check washing is a form of money laundering where a check is written and mailed only to be intercepted by scammers/fraudsters. Chemicals are used to "wash" the check by removing the ink and altering the payee and dollar amount. This scheme is both a national issue as well as an issue for Tower members. Many are stolen directly out of people's mailboxes, or the USPS blue boxes.

Check washing has resulted in losses of thousands of dollars for individual members. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent this. Use our Digital Banking to pay your bills online to avoid paper checks being sent through the mail or sitting in your mailbox. Also avoid stand-alone USPS mail boxes. One of the easiest ways is simply to use a black ink gel pen as the ink gel permeates the fibers of the paper and is nearly impossible for criminals to wash. Please partner with us to help you protect and retain your hard-earned money.

To help in the fight against fraud, Tower recently hosted a free Shred Day event at our Laurel branch to help members safely dispose of documents containing sensitive or personal information. Shredding documents instead of throwing them in the trash is a good way of helping to prevent fraud and identity theft.

In total, we shredded over 18,000 pounds of paper, filling two large recycling trucks! Thank you also to those who generously donated food at the event to help fight food insecurity in our community. We delivered six large bins of food to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.

For more helpful articles and tips about how you can protect yourself and your family against the latest scams, visit our Fraud & Security Center.

Share the gift of membership this summer

As the slower-paced, warmer days of summer approach, when you're at pool parties and neighborhood barbecues, I invite you to talk to your friends and family who are not yet Tower members about the benefits of membership. Let them know about the Tower Advantage (our members earn and save $69 million more!) and encourage them to join the Tower family. You can also put some cash in your own pocket with our member referral program. You and the person you refer can each get $100! For details, visit towerfcu.org/refer.

Tower is a Great Place to Work—six years in a row!

I always like to end my message on a positive note, and to that end, I am proud to announce that Tower has once again been recognized as a "Great Place to Work"—for the sixth year in a row! This award is especially meaningful, as it comes from our own employee team.

If you are looking to change jobs and want to join an exceptional team of employees, plus enjoy some of the best benefits in the industry, please see our open positions. For those of you who live locally, we are hosting an in-person Job Fair on July 2 at our Laurel Headquarters. Maybe there's a new opportunity for you or someone in your family at your credit union.

Arland White, Jr.
Board Chairman