The First National Bank of Barry Introduces Kasasa, a Striking Alternative to the Mega Bank Rollercoaster

Barry, IL -- (SBWire) -- 07/02/2011 --The First National Bank of Barry asks consumers, “Do you Kasasa?” as it becomes the newest financial institution in Illinois to launch the country’s most innovative financial products.

Kasasa® is a new brand of free checking and savings accounts that pays consumers to use their account with what interests them most. These accounts, combined with the personal service that only community financial institutions can deliver, are offering residents a better checking account option than the mega bank experience. Thousands of consumers around the country have already switched to Kasasa to gain access to exciting banking products and unbeatable personal service.

“Consumers deserve to wake up to happier days of banking and leave behind the nightmare of mega bank fees and mistreatment. We are pleased to be the newest bank in Illinois to offer these unique products” said Rick Shover, Senior Vice President at The First National Bank of Barry. “Kasasa delivers what research shows people really want but believe they can’t have—great financial products with the personal service of a community based financial institution.”

The First National Bank of Barry is now offering Kasasa Cash™ and Kasasa Saver™. All Kasasa products are free accounts, with no minimum balance to get the rewards, no monthly fees, online banking and nationwide ATM fee refunds.

• Kasasa Cash - A free checking account that pays high interest for every month the account holder qualifies.

• Kasasa Saver - A high interest saver account linked to a Kasasa Cash checking account. The high interest and ATM fee refunds earned in the Kasasa Cash account are automatically deposited into the Kasasa Saver account each month. The balance in the Kasasa Saver account also earns a high rate of interest.

To get the rewards, each monthly qualification cycle, account holders are asked to do a few simple things like receive an eStatement, access online banking, use a debit card a minimum number of times, and have an electronic transaction (such as direct deposit). If an account holder does not meet the qualifications in a given month, The First National Bank of Barry will alert the individual, who will be eligible the following month for the benefits.

“Extensive research has shown us that consumers would prefer to do business with community financial institutions, but feel they would lose access to products,” continued Shover. “Kasasa is opening people’s eyes to a new banking model where no sacrifices are necessary. It’s a win-win because account holders get innovative products and personalized service.”

In 2009, Kasasa was piloted in six other markets across the U.S. In just the first two months of offering Kasasa, participating community financial institutions reported growth rates upwards of 150% on new account openings and 372% in deposits at institutions focused on deposit growth.

Kasasa is being introduced with an aggressive, highly engaging marketing campaign. It comes to life through a fresh mix of eye-popping advertising, the likes of which exceed the typical mega bank’s high-budget programs. The ads feature America’s top slam poets www.kasasa.com/news-and-media/advertising riffing lyrical threads around the theme of “Do you Kasasa?”

Kasasa is distributed to The First National Bank of Barry from BancVue, the leading provider of innovative products, dynamic marketing, and data-driven consulting solutions to community financial institutions nationwide to help them win the war against the megabanks.

For more information on Kasasa accounts, consumers can visit http://www.fnbbarry.com or http://www.kasasa.com/FNBofBarry.

Do you Kasasa?
Kasasa® is the first national brand of the most innovative checking accounts available today. The accounts, offered exclusively by the finest community financial institutions, are designed to be the first and only accounts that actually take an interest in their account holders by paying them to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, cash back, automatic savings, money to donate to charity or digital downloads. Kasasa, developed and distributed by BancVue, marries innovative banking products with the personal touch of community financial institutions. For more information, visit http://www.kasasa.com.

CONTACT:
Katie Weathers
404-791-8245
kweathers@csg-pr.com