I was visiting with a colleague after a networking meeting last week.  After conversing for a few minutes, I asked her, “What do you want from your bank?” She replied, “I want to get money every time I swipe my debit card.”

She went on to explain how she pretty much only uses her debit card and it would be great if she could get something in return for doing so.

In March of this year, CBS News posted a video and news article about how banks are cutting back on their debit card reward programs.  The reasons for the cut back include both a downward economy and the interchange regulation changes.

The conversation with my colleague jogged my memory of this article and got me thinking about MutualBank’s debit card reward program. Here is my colleague, living in a community where MutualBank resides and she’s banking with another institution that doesn’t give her what she wants. Am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with this picture?

I proceeded to tell her about MutualBank’s debit card reward program. MutualBank has offered a debit card reward program for over three years.  They've always appreciated their customers. But over the last year, MutualBank evaluated how they could express that appreciation in a way that would positively impact their customers.  They wanted to physically thank their customers for their loyalty to MutualBank. So what did they do? They expanded the debit card reward program to be a full scale reward program, solely based on loyalty. 

I shared with my colleague that not only does she get points for using her debit card, she also would get points for the balance in her accounts, balances on mortgages, auto loans and investments.  My colleague is a younger professional who does not yet have a mortgage.  The great thing about MutualBank's loyalty reward program is that they're here to grow with her. As she obtains new accounts at MutualBank, she gets bonus points.  And after she earns all of these points for all the different relationships she has with MutualBank, she can redeem the points for just about anything she wants.  She can redeem her points for gift cards, plane tickets, hotel stays, a new laptop, really, almost anything!

So…are debit card reward programs extinct? Nope. Not at MutualBank, at least. In fact, MutualBank’s debit card reward program is not only alive, but it’s an advance loyalty program designed to say one thing…

2011 marks Muncie's Habitat for Humanity 25th anniversary of serving families in our community with 'a place to call home'. 

In October of this year Muncie Habitat will build a home for its 100th family! Muncie Habitat is inviting the entire community to ‘Make a $10 Dollar Difference’ and support the funding of this house. In just one week (This week - September 12-17), Muncie Habitat and local media outlets are campaigning to raise $50,000 through $10 donations from 5,000 people in our community.

On Monday, September 12th, the 'traveling wall' made it's appearance at the Downtown Muncie office! 

MutualBank and Habitat for Humanity have been longtime partners. In fact, for their entire existence in this community, MutualBank has supported Habitat for Humanity. MutualBank has worked with many of Habitat’s partner families.  MutualBankers have donated both work time and personal time to help on worksites. Additionally, MutualBank has helped Habitat for Humanity secure grants for funding. 

So the question is...why? Why are we so involved? It's simple. 

"Homeownership makes a difference in the lives of families. A decent place to live is the foundation for a better life."

Habitat for Humanity has this statement on their website and it is the exact reason why we support Habitat for Humanity. We support home ownership and want to help people live better lives. So we'll do our part, it's your turn to do yours. If you'd like to support Habitat's efforts to build their 100th home, you can donate in three ways:

1. Habitat for Humanity's website
2. Any MutualBank location -in Delaware County
3. Any of the locations of the traveling wall
   1. Wednesday 9/14 - 3p-6p Dillman's Furniture
   2. Thursday 9/15 - 4p-7p Texas Roadhouse
   3. Friday 9/16 - 3p-6p Victory Honda
   4. Saturday 9/17 - 3p-5p Glass & More Factory

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday MutualBank. Happy birthday to you!

On September 7, 1889, the Mutual Home and Savings Association was formed. The purpose of Mutual Home over a century ago was very simple. The Association provided a safe place for saving money and a source of funds available to the community for the building and purchasing of homes.  122 years later, we still serve that purpose, but are better equipped to serve all of the needs of our customers of today.

As one of the oldest businesses in our markets, MutualBank has grown and prospered over the full course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, meeting the financial needs of its customers through times of war and peace as well as prosperity, recession and even depression. While on the surface this proves we are a bank that meets the needs of our customers; there is something greater that exists below the surface. There is a culture that unless part of the MutualBank family, you might not know exists. When you become part of the MutualBank family, you learn that this is much more than a job that earns a paycheck. You learn about the essence of MutualBank – heritage and personal responsibility.

Heritage. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines heritage as “something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor”. After 122 years in business, we realize there were many before us who paved the way and created a culture in helping our neighbors. Our entire organization was founded on the premise that it could help people improve their lives. One of my favorite stories over our history is of a time during the Great Depression. It is told as follows:

“Even a greater problem which people encountered during the 1930’s involved meeting their mortgage payments. Once again, however, Mutual Home fared reasonably well; but, unquestionably, people who were unemployed found it extremely difficult to make their mortgage payments. If a delinquency became too serious, the usual policy called for the property to be deeded back to Mutual Home, which, in turn renovated and rented it, sometimes to the original purchaser with an option to re-acquire it at a later date.” Walter Burt, who was a member of the board of directors at Mutual Home said of that time, “We just had to be flexible and patient and work out the best arrangements that were possible. In time, most people got back on their feet. Many repurchased and eventually paid off their loan.”

To understand the heritage of MutualBank automatically changes what we do from just “a job” to something personal. MutualBank is a mid-sized community bank. We have checking accounts, loans, and mobile banking just like other banks. So what makes MutualBank special? Our employees are dedicated and take personal responsibility to continue moving forward with our already established culture. If we take personal responsibility to provide the best service, do what is right and have compassion and respect for our customers, we believe our customers would not want to bank with anyone else but us.  

Obviously, we believe our duty and our role in the community is much more than providing financial services. We are people and a company seeking to help people, to help our neighbor. We’re just using banking as a platform to do so.  And that’s always been the case. We know, understand and consciously make decisions based on the fact that if it weren’t for our customers and our community, we wouldn’t be here. It is truly a tribute to our customers and our communities that we have been in business for 122 years. Our hope is that the partnership between MutualBank and the community has been mutually beneficial.

We thank you for taking a moment with us and celebrating the success and longevity of MutualBank.