We are all hearing the same news these days in regards to the spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus both internationally and in the United States. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to all those impacted so far.
The good news, as of the date of this letter, remains that cases in the US and abroad are in no way near the levels that were seen in China last month. The further good news is that there are a lot of precautionary measures being taken across the country to combat or slow the spread of the virus.
For our part, we want to inform you of the various measures we are taking to help protect you - and our employees - and how we are doing our part to try to prevent the spread of this infection.
Firstly, we have increased our cleaning protocols intensely; in addition to our normal daily cleaning, we have added wipe-downs of all commonly touched surfaces with disinfectant on a regular basis.
Each teller, reception, and personal banking station has hand sanitizer available for use and staff have been further instructed to wipe down the common surfaces after each customer interaction.
We have asked staff, to the extent possible, to practice social distancing in interactions with customers and vendors; and we have reminded everyone to continue to practice good hygiene as the primary means to avoid infection.
We have cancelled all business-related conferences and/or travel; and have asked staff to work from home or use sick leave if they feel ill.
Like most Federally insured financial institutions, we have had a pandemic plan in place since 2007; our senior management has met to review the plan and the measures that will need to be put into place should the pandemic escalate. Our plan is to remain open to serve your needs throughout any crisis.
What You, Our Customer, Can Do To Help
Although we love seeing you come in to our offices, we encourage all our customers during this time to utilize any of our various non-personal channels to conduct business:
ATMs: We are a member of Star SF – a surcharge free network. To find an ATM near you that does not impose a service charge go to https://www.star.com/locator or you can also find an ATM through our website or mobile app at www.amebank.com.
Drive-Thru Banking: Our drive-thrus feature commercial drawers and full-service transactional capabilities. Deposits, withdrawals, official checks, notary services, and while this situation persists, account closure can all be handled through our drive-thru.
Internet and Mobile Banking: If you haven’t yet gotten access to internet banking or downloaded our mobile app, you can do so at www.amebank.com. Through our electronic banking platforms you can view your accounts, transfer between accounts, retrieve your statements, transfer money to other banks and people (P2P); pay bills online, and even deposit checks remotely (Phone app only). Best of all it is absolutely free!
Telephone Banking: Check your account history and transfer between accounts at 800.811.4171.
For Our Auto Loan Customers: For the next 30 days, we are waiving fees related to making one-time online payments (go to www.amebank.com); and if you need to make a payment by phone, that fee is being reduce from $12 to $5 over the next 30 days as well (call 847-742-7400).
Thank you and let’s all stay healthy together!