Standard Bank Blog

Columbus Day first became a national holiday in 1937 to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. After a 2 month journey from Spain Columbus first landed in the Bahamas. He set up Spain's first colony with his 39 men before returning to report his findings. It took him 3 trips to realize these were not the lands he had set out to find. His journey to find a western route to China and India had actually run him into a new world, The Americas.

The first celebration of Columbus Day was in 1792 to celebrate the landing's 300th

Gas keeps going up and up.  This is cutting into your budget for saving, vacation, or other special projects.  There are creative solutions to help reduce the increases in gas spending.

#1 Reduce Driving - Obviously you have to drive but try to reduce your mileage by lumping all your trips into one.  Ride your bike or walk to errands that are nearby.  Public Transportation, especially in and around the city, will take you everywhere.  Carpooling is another strategy to reduce your gasoline costs.

#2 Do not be a lead foot - We all love driving fast but if you want to save gas do not do it!  Go the speed limit, coast when you can and avoid slamming on the brakes too.  Excessive acceleration and braking are not green ways to drive, be smooth and consistent; when on the highway use cruise control to modulate your speed and avoid traffic wherever possible.

#3 Use your tech - Most of us have smart phones or have access to a computer.  Use these tools to map out your route to eliminate excess mileage and avoid traffic.  These tools can also be used to find the lower cost gas stations.  You can also skip the trip to the store by ordering online and finding sites with free shipping!

#4 Empty your car - 100 pounds of stuff in the trunk equates to a 1-2 percent reduction in fuel economy.  Clean cars are more enjoyable and deter theft so get that extra weight out and while you are at it be sure your tires are filled properly as well.

#5 Find the cheap gas - Get to know the stations that are consistently cheaper.  Avoid being stuck buying at the expensive station by letting your tank run dry.  Gas cards can help by providing rewards or incentives on gas purchases, but do your research first. 

• The store deposits your check in their bank
• The store's bank passes the check on to The Fed with a payment request
• The Fed takes the information from your check to identify your bank
• Your bank is presented the check and payment request for approval
• Upon approval, The Fed settles the check by processing the transfer of funds from your account to the stores account
• The check is now cashed

As we mentioned electronic payments are now very popular.  The steps are similar to above, but instead of having to transport each check to Cleveland for processing, which is usually done by airplane, checks are imaged and then electronically processed.  Check 21 is a large part of this which enhanced the usage of electronic check imaging.  This speeds up processing and makes for more efficient handling of your payments.  Checks have truly taken a step into the 21st century!

• Maintaining the nation's monetary policy – stabilize employment, prices, and rates
• Regulating banking institutions – assure the safety of consumer’s money
• Providing financial services – processing checks, electronic payments, and distributing money to consumer banks
• Conducting research – staying informed on the economy in the US and abroad
• Educating consumers – publishing information about banking through print, website, seminars, and speeches

Shamrocks are one of the popular symbols of St. Patrick's Day; a holiday that started out as a celebration of Saint Patrick and has evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture.  Chicago takes its St. Patrick's Day celebrations very seriously.  The parade has been running since 1843, one of the longest in the USA.

President's Day is our National Holiday celebrating The Presidents of The United States of America.  In celebration here are some fun facts about our past and current presidents courtesy of Dan 3.0.

So Valentine's Day is right around the corner and your wallet has not recovered from Christmas yet?  Times are tough and making the other half happy on holidays can be even tougher!  There is a lot of pressure to show up with flowers, candy, and reservations to the finest French restaurant in town, but we all know that is just Hollywood putting stereotypes into our heads for the perfect Valentine's Day...

* When was paper money first printed in the U.S.?