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Alerts

Identity Theft Awareness Week starts today

Identity theft is one of the most-reported problems to the FTC every year. So, chances are, it’s affected you or someone you know. That’s why the FTC and its partners dedicate a week to raising awareness and organizing events to help everyone protect and recover from identity theft.

Sharing resources and talking about identity theft year-round can make a big difference. To get involved in Identity Theft Awareness Week (IDTAW) 2026:

Identity Theft Awareness Week 2026 events

Monday, January 26, 11 a.m. ET or on demand

  • Podcast: The Fraudian Slip: Identity Theft Awareness Week. Kick off Identity Theft Awareness Week with the FTC’s Division of Consumer Response & Operations on the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast to discuss all things identity theft. Listen on the ITRC’s website any time after 11 a.m. ET.

Monday, January 26, 1 p.m. ET

  • Webinar: Protecting Your Veterans Benefits and Avoiding Identity Theft. Identity thieves target military servicemembers, veterans, and their families in specific ways — often going after your hard-earned benefits. Join representatives from the FTC and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss how to help protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft. Find webinar details.

Tuesday, January 27, 1 p.m. ET or on demand

  • Facebook Live: Understanding and Avoiding Identity Theft. Representatives from AARP and the FTC discuss the latest identity theft trends and steps to take to help protect yourself and those around you. Details to join or on demand.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:30 p.m. ET

  • Webinar: Help your library patrons protect themselves and recover from identity theft. Identity theft can happen to anyone. Every year, it’s one of the top problems reported to the FTC. Join the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services and experts from the FTC to learn about free tools to help your patrons spot, avoid, and recover from identity theft. Find webinar details.

Wednesday, January 28, 2 p.m. ET

  • Webinar: Identity theft affects people of all ages. Join representatives from the FTC and the Identity Theft Resource Center to learn what to do if your data has been compromised in a breach and how to help protect yourself and the older adults in your life, where to get one-on-one guidance, and how to help others in your community protect themselves from identity theft. Find webinar details.

We look forward to seeing you at these free events!

The End of the Penny

The End of the Penny: What It Means for You and Your Business

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has officially ended production of the penny, marking a historic shift in American currency. While the penny remains legal tender, banks—including CLB The Community Bank—can no longer order new pennies from the Federal Reserve. This change is already impacting retailers, banks, and consumers across the country.

 

Is there a penny shortage? Why are retailers saying they don’t have enough?

It’s not a shortage in the traditional sense—there are plenty of pennies out there. But circulation is slowing down. Many people stash pennies in jars or drawers, and without new ones being minted, banks and retailers are relying solely on recycled coins. This has created localized supply issues, especially in areas where coin terminals have been shut down.

 

What are coin terminals, and why do they matter?

Coin terminals are facilities operated by the Federal Reserve, or by private sector entities under contract to them, where banks deposit excess coins and withdraw coins they need. There are about 165 terminals nationwide, acting as local clearinghouses. Recently, the Fed began closing terminals that fall below inventory thresholds—more than 60 have already ceased all penny transactions. These closures make it harder for banks to access or deposit pennies, compounding the circulation issue.

 

Why Is Penny Production Ending?

The decision stems from rising production costs. According to the U.S. Mint’s 2024 Annual Report (PDF), producing and distributing a single penny costs 3.69 cents, nearly four times its face value. This resulted in an $85 million loss for the U.S. Mint in 2024 alone.

President Trump directed the Treasury to halt penny production in early 2025. The final order for penny blanks was placed in May 2025, and the last shipments to Federal Reserve coin distribution centers occurred in August. As inventories deplete, banks are unable to fulfill new penny orders.

What is the banking industry doing about this?

Banks are:

  1. Monitoring coin circulation closely.
  2. Working with the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department, and other stakeholders to manage supply.
  3. Supporting customers through operational adjustments.
  4. Advocating for policy changes, including asking the Fed to reverse its decision to stop accepting penny deposits at closed terminals.

What This Means for CLB The Community Bank Customers

  1. We will continue to provide pennies while our current supply lasts. As supplies diminish, we will begin rounding transactions to the nearest nickel.
  2. We are no longer able to order pennies from the Federal Reserve or U.S. Treasury.
  3. Retailers and businesses may begin rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel as pennies become unavailable.

 

Tips for Consumers: Making the Most of Your Pennies

Even though new pennies are no longer being produced, existing ones are still legal tender. Here are some smart ways to use them:

  1. Cash Them In – bring your coins to your local CLB The Community Bank branch (customers and non-customers)
  2. Start Rounding – when paying with cash, expect totals to be rounded to the nearest five cents.
  3. Consider Digital Payments – card and mobile payments remain exact and unaffected by rounding. This is a great time to explore digital options, especially those offered with CLB The Community Bank features.

 

How Retailers Are Adapting

Retailers across the country are already implementing strategies to manage the shortage. Here are some strategies to consider implementing immediately:

  1. Consider rounding cash transactions such as rounding to the nearest nickel.
  2. Review current supply and modify procedures for handling coin inventory and shortage.
  3. Provide training to your staff to help explain change to customers.
  4. Promote and even incentivize electronic payment options.

Looking Ahead

CLB The Community Bank is committed to supporting our customers through this transition. We’ll continue to monitor updates from the Federal Reserve and Treasury and share guidance as it becomes available.

 

For more information, explore these resources:

 

Richmond Fed: Economic Brief on Penny Phase-Out

National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS): Retailers Start to See Penny Shortages

USA Today: What to Do With Your Pennies

 

Department of the Treasury FAQ: https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/penny-production-cessation-faqs

Beware of Bank-Related Scams

Release Date
March 15, 2023

In light of recent bank failures, CISA warns consumers to beware of potential scams requesting your money or sensitive personal information. Exercise caution in handling emails with bank-related subject lines, attachments, or links. In addition, be wary of social media pleas, texts, or door-to-door solicitations relating to any failed bank.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the “Receiver” of failed banks, would never contact you asking for personal details, such as bank account information, credit and debit card numbers, social security numbers, or passwords.

To avoid becoming victims of scams, consumers should review the following resources and take preventative measures:

September 21, 2017

Dear Valued Customers:

Recently, Equifax, one of the three national consumer credit reporting agencies, announced a major data breach. This breach affects approximately 143 million Americans. This is what we know according to Equifax: the data breach occurred May – July 2017, and the information stolen includes consumers’ personally identifiable information, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and, in some cases, driver’s license numbers. Approximately 209,000 credit card numbers and dispute documents with personally identifiable information for approximately 182,000 consumers were also stolen. There is no evidence of unauthorized access to consumers’ credit reporting databases.

To be clear, CLB The Community Bank was not compromised and your information was not stolen from our bank. However, CLB The Community Bank takes the security of our customer information very seriously, and we are providing you with the information we know about this massive breach and the steps you can take to protect your personally identifiable information if you so desire. Following this unprecedented breach, we are also asking our customers to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity in your CLB The Community Bank accounts to CLB The Community Bank by calling 318-339-8571 or visiting our website at www.clbbank.com.

Equifax has established a website that informs consumers if they may be affected by the breach, provides additional information on the breach, and offers complimentary identity theft protection and credit file monitoring. This information is available at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. To protect your identity and personal information, CLB The Community Bank strongly encourages our customers to take the actions noted below.

  • Review your account statements to spot any suspicious transactions. You can also monitor your account activity via our mobile app or online at any time at www.catlabank.com.
  • If you spot any suspicious transactions, please contact us immediately at 1-318-339-8571.
  • Consider if you should place an initial fraud alert on your credit report (see https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert).

 

        Experian ®                    TransUnion®                     Equifax®

     P.O. Box 9554                    P.O. Box 2000             P.O. Box 740241

   Allen, TX 75013               Chester, PA 19016        Atlanta, GA 30374                        

     888-397-3742                   800-680-7289                  866-349-5191

www.experian.com     www.transunion.com     www.equifax.com

  • You should also contact the credit reporting agencies to notify them of any suspected fraud or identity theft.

If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, contact your local law enforcement office and/or your state attorney general. Finally, you may also want to consider reviewing information about recovering from identity theft, which is available from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.identitytheft.gov/ or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC also offers general information to protect your online presence at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/privacy-identity-online-security.

Equifax has established a dedicated toll-free number to answer questions you may have about the Equifax data breach and its effect on your personally identifiable information. You may call them at 866-447-7559.

 

Sincerely,

James White

President & CEO

CLB The Community Bank

 

 

To: CLB The Community Bank Customers

Subject: Phishing Attempts

We have had reports of individuals calling customers claiming to be from CLB The Community Bank and requesting their card information, PIN, and security code. They state that there has been fraudulent activity on the customer’s card and that they need your card information to assist you. If you receive a call please DO NOT give out any information to anyone.

We at CLB The Community Bank would never call and ask you for that information over the phone. Never give out your PIN to anyone. We would never have a need for your PIN. If you have any questions please give us a call here at the bank or visit our Security Page at http://www.clbbank.com/index.cfm/id-theft we will be more than happy to help.

 

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