Dear Valued Customer

I want to personally inform you of what First Community Bank and Trust is doing to protect our customers and staff from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and what we are doing to minimize our staff’s exposure to infection. Additionally, I want to share some thoughts about how you can help.

The health and well-being of our customers, employees, and the communities we serve are our top priorities. This is why starting Thursday, March 19th, all First Community Bank and Trust lobbies will be closed to the public until further notice. Drive-up windows will be open during normal banking hours. ATMs will remain open 24/7. Lobby access will be available by appointment only. First Community Bank and Trust employees will still be available via phone and email to assist our customers.

We will continue disinfectant practices and minimize contact thereby limiting the spread of the virus. There are several steps we have taken to do this. We are providing our staff with disinfectants to wipe handles, teller areas, drive through canisters, ATM screens and keyboards throughout the day. We have asked our staff to wash their hands whenever they enter the building and throughout the day. If we meet a customer by appointment, we will greet them with a wave and a smile.

To reduce interpersonal contact, we are asking some of our staff to work from home. We have systems in place that enable them to securely connect electronically and telephonically from a computer at home. This will have the added benefit of assisting them in dealing with school closings and quarantines while still being able to complete their banking tasks. It will protect the Bank from having an entire department becoming quarantined should one individual become exposed or present symptoms. Meanwhile, our personnel will be selectively distributed between our two branches in Beecher and Peotone.

We ask that you help us by using our electronic banking services such as First eBanc Mobile, Mobile Deposit, First ePay, and our drive-ups and ATMs. Avoiding direct personal contact protects you and us and together will help flatten the infection curve. If you need assistance setting any of these services up, please contact us at (708) 946-2246 or (708) 258-0530.

Many of our clients, both individually and commercially, will be impacted through lost hours and lost sales. We recognize this and stand by to help you. Should you need assistance with your loans, contact your loan officer so we can fashion a solution that bridges the next 30-90 days. Our assistance will be determined by each specific circumstance; our goal is to provide cash flow relief as needed and appropriate.

I have also asked our employees to minimize contact with others during their personal time and postpone weekend gatherings or unnecessary outings if possible. We all are best served by reducing the virus’ transfer rate and staying healthy. We invite you to join us in this effort by making similar adjustments to your family’s daily routine.

Finally, amid the chaos that these changes bring, bad guys will seize the opportunity to attempt to fraud the unsuspecting. Monitor your accounts carefully and be suspicious of any unexpected emails or calls that ask for your account numbers, passwords or other personal information. Call us immediately if you find anything amiss with your accounts.

We will give updates as needed if this or anything else changes over the days ahead. Follow us on Facebook for the quickest way to receive updates.

Thank you for your understanding during this stressful time. Please stay healthy.

Greg M. Ohlendorf
President and CEO