As of November 13, 2007 for Home Financial Services (HFS), and December 19, 2007 for Visa Debit Card transactions, we have completed our system upgrades that enable our members to see and transact business in "real-time" mode. Previously, we were batching transactions and updating and/or posting to our system just a few times a day. Now, whenever you transfer money using your PC and HFS, your transfer actually posts to your accounts immediately. And, whenever you use your Visa Debit Card, your transaction may* hit your draft account immediately.

The "real-time" system works beautifully as long as the system is up and operating. But of course, there will be times when an interruption will occur. From time to time we will be bringing down our system for maintenance or data backups. You may experience a temporary interruption that could prohibit you from using certain HFS features, but, we believe the Visa Debit Card should work regardless.

Although we do not know what you may experience in every sitution, you should now have more control over your money. No longer should you need to wait over a weekend to transfer money or to view an up-to-date history of your transactions. However, more responsibility does fall on you to view your account for unauthorized transactions and to reconcile your check register.

* One new feature that you need to note: merchants may ask only for an authorization and wait several hours/days before actually charging your account. Therefore, you may experience a temporary "hold" or "pledge" placed on funds in your draft account until the charge is submitted and is posted. So, keep this change in mind and inquire into your account often to monitor all activity.