No one wants to ever have to deal with financial fraud. It can involve a debit card that’s being used for transactions the holder didn’t authorize, a scammer who convinces someone to hand over their financial information, or a website that looks legitimate but is truly just a mechanism for t… More >>How Local Bank Arms Its Customers with the Tools to Fight Financial Fraud

It’s been nearly 150 years since Edgar County Bank first opened its doors to serve the citizens and businesses of Central Illinois. A lot has changed since then, including the name of that same financial institution, which is now known as Prospect Bank. But one thing has remained the same—a … More >>‘Wise’ Solutions Help Local Bank Continue to Serve the Financial Needs of Central Illinois

The prospect of saving for the future can be an intimidating one, which is why some people avoid it altogether. The idea of taking money out of a weekly paycheck and setting it aside, the inconceivability of the dollar figures needed at the finish line, the span of time involved—indeed, when… More >>Take the Intimidation Factor Out of Saving for the Future, With Help From Your Local Bank

Central Illinois is farm country—more specifically, grain farming country. More >>Local Bank Helps Farmers Find Opportunity Amongst Uncertainty

In Illinois and around the country, the number of workers choosing high deductible health insurance plans has been on the rise. And at first glance, it’s easy to understand why—those plans take less money out of an employee’s paycheck in the form of a premium, leaving the worker to pay more … More >>Save For Medical Costs, And Your Future, With a Health Savings Account

In agricultural America, it’s a rite of passage: the farm being handed down from one generation to the next. And when younger farmers take control of their family’s farm, the biggest challenges typically aren’t found in planting and harvesting, tasks they’ve often been involved with for deca… More >>For a Young Farmer, Local Bank Offers Access to Capital — And So Much More

The client was a hog farmer who saw the value of his livestock drop significantly in March of 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic struck, prompting lockdowns and the closure of restaurants from coast to coast. Together with his financial partner Prospect Bank, an innovative plan was hatched:… More >>Local Bank Speaks the Language of Farmers With Financial Products Suited for Their Specific Needs

They’ve helped a school district lease new buses, a village acquire a backhoe, and various municipalities repair roads, finish public construction projects, or manage the infrastructure vital to the citizens they serve. Providing loans and other banking products to communities is at the very… More >>With MuniWise, Municipalities Have Help Reaching Their Financial Goals

The numbers can be hard to ignore. With mortgage interest rates hovering around historic lows, it’s only natural for homeowners to look at their current loan terms and think about making a change. That prompts a natural question: is it time to refinance? More >>Your Guide to the Refi: For Some Homeowners, Refinancing Can Mean Real Savings

There are so many questions to answer, so many papers requiring a signature, and so many dollar signs. For first-time homebuyers, the process of securing a mortgage can be an intimidating one--not just because it’s a step toward the largest purchase of their lives, but also because it involv… More >>How to Ease the Fear Factor in First-Time Home-Buying? Start With a Community Bank

They’ve used it to pay for college tuition or medical expenses, to cover a big-ticket purchase, or just to have a financial safety net in place. And over the past year when many have been hesitant to travel, lots of people in Central Illinois and elsewhere have used the equity in their homes… More >>What’s a HELOC? For Homeowners, It Turns Equity Into Spending Power

Did you know that if you spend all day in the sun, you should have used your whole bottle of sunscreen by the end of the day? Most people do not apply enough sunscreen to keep them safe. More >>How to Prevent the Harmful Effects of Sun Exposure on your Skin

Choosing the right college is a tough decision. Here are 6 tips designed to make it a little easier.  More >>Time to Make the Big Decision: 6 Tips to Help You Do It

New graduates who understand their skillset, interests and values can better identify ways to merge them with their degree and chosen profession. More >>Life After College: Career Services that Matter

Open lines of communication between parents and college students can improve everyone’s chances of a successful transition. More >>How to Make a Successful Transition to College

There are many free scholarship search engines, but students and parents should be leery of any that require you to pay.  More >>Paying for College: Advice on What to Expect and How to Afford It

Choosing a college is hard. Deciding how you see yourself fitting in on campus can help lead you to the right institution.  More >>Becoming Part of the College Community