PHOTO BY BARB BARRETT/The Luminary (Left to right): Touring Muncy Bank and Trust were Krissy Appleman, Emma Youngman, Sarah Ayers, Rosalia Failla, Olivia Wetherhold, Kim Wetherhold (Muncy Bank Administrator), Dave Mayer (VP Muncy Bank & Trust), Heather Zimmerman (Finance Teacher), Derek Sellers, and Noah Miller.

MUNCY – A hands on lesson in credit and finance as well as a broad scope of the banking industry gave ten students from Muncy High School a better understanding about the exchange of money. The forty minute tour given by Vice-President Dave Mayer took place on Monday, February 23 at Muncy Bank and Trust.

They saw accounting, reporting, clerical, and auditing divisions. They learned and discussed loans while visiting the loan department and were amazed at the number of administrative offices.

“We have 280 million outstanding loans,” Mayer told the finance students about Muncy Bank’s loan department. “There’s lots of activity here when applying and processing loans. It always takes several people.”

After touring the board room, a discussion on credit and loans took place. Seven of the students said they had bank accounts and many are saving for big ticket items like college and cars. Having good credit is essential when applying for a loan and the ability to pay it back. Starting with small items to build a good score will assist young students to get started. “Think about cell phones, electric bills, internet and cable bills. They all show on credit reports and impact the future,” Mayer advised.

There are 23 million in deposits. “A lot of transactions,” he added, “mostly in checking and savings accounts.”

When they arrived to the overdrafts and accounting division, Rhonda Gingery, VP of Deposit Operations told the students the bank has well over 14,00 different monitored accounts. “We have a good customer base.”

Next came the consumer protection department. Mayer explained to the attentive students how he began his career as a compliance officer. “Now it takes three employees to run the department.” Compliance FDIC regulations and a consumer protection board answer to the consumer. Fraud and money laundering is something to always be on the look out for, when it comes to managing bank accounts. “We have to be our own police department,” Mayer said. “The government wants us to pay more attention for illegal activity.” A few of the students admitted they use mobile banking. Mayer advised them to keep checking their accounts. “Internet banking allows us to see our accounts every day and provides good protection against identity theft. Protect and guard your information.”

Heather Zimmerman, Finance teacher for the students said they reviewed ATM practices and how to watch for “fake checks.”

The bank employs 83 with 8 departments, each having more than two employees, according to Kim Wetherhold, Community Office Administrator. This opens up opportunities for careers and Mayer eagerly discussed employer benefits and performance levels. Krissy Appleman remarked, “There’s a lot more going on here than I thought.”

Employees are also engaged in charity events, volunteer their time in community organizations, and have raised more than $200,000 in charitable donations.

“It’s a nice career here, and a great industry for helping people. We want our customers to stay here,” Mayer said at the end of the tour.