Sandy Neck Lighthouse at Barnstable Harbor by Richard Bielen

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has announced the winners of its 10th Annual #MyCapeCod Photo Contest.

The annual contest offers amateur photographers, age 13 and older, the opportunity to enter a photo that reflects what they think makes Cape Cod a wonderful place to visit, live or work. Photos are judged on originality, creativity, concept and photographic quality in four seasonal categories – #mycapecod Winter, #mycapecod Spring, #mycapecod Summer and #mycapecod Fall.

The grand prize winner of the 2022 contest is Richard Bielen, whose photo is of Sandy Neck Lighthouse and Barnstable Harbor. Bielen will receive a $200 VISA Gift Card and his winning photo will be featured on the front cover of the bank’s 2023 Community Calendar.

Additional winners, along with photo titles and the towns where they were taken, include:

First Place – photos featured in 2023 Community Calendar and a $100 VISA gift card:

• Summer category – Lauren Colon, Crimson Moons (Falmouth)
• Spring category – Amy Homa, Art Cottages in the P-town Dunes (Provincetown)
• Fall category – Paul Leidenfrost, Cranberry Harvest (Yarmouth)
• Winter category – Erin Duffy, Not a Creature was Stirring (Yarmouth)

Second Place – photos featured in the 2023 Community Calendar and a $50 VISA gift card:

• Summer category – John Flanagan, Aerial Art (Chatham)
• Spring category – Elizabeth Johnson, April Sunset at Duck Harbor (Wellfleet)
• Fall category – Kevin Gallagher, That Fall Moment (Yarmouth Port)
• Winter category – George T. Slone, Arboreal Harmony (Yarmouth Port)

Runner Up – photos featured in 2023 Community Calendar:

• Summer category – Katelyn Eppler, Mill Pond (Chatham)
• Spring category – Jay Canale, Sunset over Herring Cove (Provincetown)
• Fall category – Marilyn Harquail, Fall Folly (Yarmouth Port)
• Winter category – Amie Medeiros, Warm Winter Glow (Yarmouth)

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has announced the promotion of six client relationship experts in recognition of individual performance and successes within the organization.

“Our client focused personnel represent the front-line of the bank and have the important role of interacting with The Coop’s clients and small business customers on a daily basis,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “I congratulate this dynamic, talented and dedicated group of employees on their well-deserved promotions. It is a pleasure to reward their exceptional professionalism, expertise and community commitment with advancement to new positions within the organization.”

The promotions include:

• Glenn FitzGerald, Small Business Relationship Manager: Glenn, of Plymouth, joined The Coop in 2019 as a Branch Manager – Small Business Specialist in the Yarmouth Port branch, and quickly became a trusted and valued advisor to local clients. He was also instrumental in assisting business clients with the PPP loan process during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Glenn previously held senior positions at State Street Corporation and Fidelity Investments.
• Sarah Duffany, Branch Manager – Small Business Specialist for the Falmouth branches: Sarah, of Wareham, joined The Coop in 2016 as a Universal Banker and was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager in 2019. She has completed the Massachusetts Bankers Association Branch Manager Certification Series and currently serves as an Ambassador for the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce and is a Director for the Bands for Badges organization. She also received the Cape & Plymouth Business 40 Under 40 in 2022.
• Gina Kirksey, Branch Manager – Small Business Specialist for the Yarmouth Port branch: Gina, of Yarmouth, joined The Coop earlier this year as manager of the Marstons Mills branch. An accomplished financial services professional with more than 25 years of banking and retail management experience, Gina previously held management positions at Santander Bank and Bank of America. She is active in community affairs and has volunteered with nonprofit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, United Way and Make-a-Wish Foundation.
• Kim Kvietok, Branch Manager – Small Business Specialist for the East Dennis branch: Kim, of South Dennis, joined The Coop in 2005 and has been promoted several times to positions of increasing responsibility, most recently to Assistant Branch Manager in 2016. She is active in the Dennis Chamber of Commerce, participates in several local charity events and is currently in the process of establishing a women’s business group.
• Jenn Deutsch, Assistant Branch Manager for the East Dennis branch: Jenn, of Dennis, joined The Coop in 2018 and has held the positions of Teller, Senior Teller, Universal Banker and Floating Supervisor. She is committed to providing exceptional service to clients and branch teams, is an active community volunteer and currently serves as a Director of the Dennis Chamber of Commerce.
• Crissy Smith, Assistant Branch Manager for the Falmouth branches: Crissy, of Mashpee, joined the Coop as a Floating Supervisor in 2016 and was promoted to Floating Supervisor Team Leader in 2021. During her tenure, Crissy has supported clients at each of the bank’s nine branch locations.

This time of the year we always see an increase in both Debit/Credit Card Fraud and Social Engineering Scams.  Here at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, we have a number of tools and resources you can use to be on guard for Fraud attempts and how to spot Scams.

When it comes to keeping watch over your accounts and the transactions debiting and crediting your accounts, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has a number of useful tool to help you.  Online Banking and Mobile Banking are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  When enrolled in these products, you may set up various notification and alerts that will inform you of various types of activity.  With our Mobile Applications, you can even turn on or off your Debit Card if you suspect fraudulent activity.  Visit https://staging.thecooperativebankofcapecod.com/manage-my-cards/ for more information.

Are you using Zelle?  It’s a fabulous tool to instantly transfer money to people that are well known to you. What happens when you’re unsure about using Zelle to pay someone you don’t know?  If you don’t know the person, or aren’t sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an online bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle for these types of transactions.  We have an entire Frequently Asked Questions page about Zelle on our website, you may access it here https://staging.thecooperativebankofcapecod.com/zelle-faqs/

A scam does not have to be elaborate to fool someone.  Scammers have a vast toolbox they can pull from to use tried and true scams from years gone by to more elaborate scams using today’s most advanced technology.  Whether the scam is old or new, these scams usually have warning signs that should help you spot them.

Scammers usually pretend to be contacting you from a legitimate organization.  It is very easy for a scammer to manipulate the phone number you see displayed in the caller id on your telephone.

Always authenticate who you are speaking to and learn the Warning signs of a scam:

• Pressure for you to act immediately
• You are in trouble with the government (IRS, Local Sheriff, etc.)
• You have won a prize
• Scammers will manipulate the method they want you to pay them
  • Such as gift cards
  • Or, they may send you a check and ask for you to send money back; however, the check they sent you turns out to be fake

How you can avoid Scams:

• Authenticate who you are really dealing with outside of the initial contact. For instance, if the caller claims to be from the IRS, get off the call, look up the phone number for the IRS, then call the IRS office directly.
• As a rule of thumb, NEVER give out personal or financial information for a request you were not expecting or you did not initiate.
• Slow down, think, and then respond. You should not feel pressured into acting immediately.
• Get a second opinion! Stop and ask someone you trust.

For more information, please visit one of the following resources:

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod’s website security page:

https://staging.thecooperativebankofcapecod.com/resources/your-security/

The Federal Trade Commission (Identity Theft and Online Security)

https://consumer.ftc.gov/identity-theft-and-online-security

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has been named one of the “Best Banks to Work For” by American Banker magazine for the third consecutive year.

The “Best Banks to Work For” is an annual survey and awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the industry’s best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback.

“To be recognized again for workplace excellence by American Banker is a profound and humbling honor,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “It is particularly gratifying that this outstanding designation was significantly based upon an independent survey of all The Coop’s employees. In 2023, we look forward to evolving The Coop into an even better place to work.”

American Banker recognized 90 banks across the U.S. that have less than $3 billion in assets.

Determining the “Best Banks to Work For” involves a two-step process. The first step involves an evaluation of participating companies’ workplace policies, practices, and demographics. In the second step, employee surveys are conducted to directly assess the experiences and attitudes of individual employees with respect to their workplace. The combined scores determine the top banks and the final ranking. Full results of this year’s program are available at https://www.americanbanker.com/list/best-banks-to-work-for and in the November issue of American Banker magazine.

Empowering employees to strike an appropriate work-life balance is of utmost importance to bank leadership and played a significant role in The Coop’s award designation.

The Coop offers a “work where it works” program that provides hybrid work arrangements for many bank roles, to allow for flexibility and work/life balance. Family members are often invited to corporate events, and the bank helps to pay for childcare, offers flexible time off so employees can attend important family events and provides an extensive wellness program that supports an employee’s overall well-being.

Additionally, The Coop has multiple recognition programs that acknowledge exceptional customer service and collaboration, is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, and encourages volunteerism in the communities it serves.

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has partnered with SCORE Cape Cod & The Islands to host a free online workshop titled “Cybersecurity – How to Identify Your Weaknesses Before a Cybercriminal Does” on Wednesday, October 19 at 9 a.m.

Since 2004, October has been declared Cybersecurity Awareness Month by the President of the United States and Congress.

Paul Forni, The Coop’s Information Security and Red Flag Officer, will provide workshop participants with invaluable insight regarding best practices to secure computing environments and how to avoid becoming the victim of a cybercriminal.

“The threat of cybercriminals and online fraud continues to increase and it is crucial that consumers and businesses be aware of warning signs, techniques and technology to prevent costly and disruptive attacks,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “The Coop is proud to present this important cybersecurity workshop with SCORE Cape Cod & The Islands, which offers vital mentorship to entrepreneurs, businesses and nonprofits throughout the region.”

Additional information and registration for the workshop can be found here.