Often, the worst earthquake-related injuries happen when people are struck by falling debris. Moving around, trying to exit buildings and general panic could lead to a higher likelihood of injury. Remaining calm and following some simple guidelines can help reduce the potential for injury from these unpredictable events.

Each year in the United States, Americans across the southern and eastern coastal regions brace for the hurricane season. Hurricanes and tropical storms wreak havoc on the country, causing millions of dollars in damage annually. While you can’t prevent the storms from striking, you can prepare for storms and attempt to help minimize the damage to your business.

With each passing season, businesses face a new list of weather related hazards for which to prepare. The autumn brings rain and slippery leaves, winter blows through with ice and snow, and spring and summer spawn potentially dangerous thunderstorms. Many banks may plan for the wind, rain and tornadoes that can come along with the warm weather, but it is hail that tops wind and rain damage as the costliest product of a thunderstorm. In the United States alone, hail causes over one billion dollars in damage annually to vehicles, roofs, landscaping and crops.

Recent news and reports continue to emphasize the significant increase in foreclosure filings and repossessed properties.

With each passing season, community banks face weather-related hazards for which to prepare. After winter blows through with ice and snow, the spring spawns potentially dangerous storms. While the costliest product of a thunderstorm is hail, the most violent storm is a tornado. According to the NOAA, 2024 was marked by extremes across the U.S., including exceptional warmth, devastating severe weather and the second-highest number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters on record. As the seasons begin to change, community banks can take this opportunity to look at measures that could help protect people, buildings and property before a storm potentially causes damage.

Know your customer. Likely most everyone in banking has repeated this mantra time and time again. In today’s digital age of banking, it may seem impossible to truly know the customer, but it’s becoming as important as ever. Wire transfer fraud is an increasing trend in financial institutions and may continue to grow in the coming years. When hundreds of thousands of dollars can be transferred with just the click of the button, knowing your customer can help banks to be on the lookout for signs that may alert the institution to a potential fraud attempt.

After the recent economic downturn, the rate in which both residential and commercial properties are foreclosed accelerated. Recently, the focus has shifted from high residential foreclosures to a higher percentage of commercial retail spaces, office complexes, commercial housing and others. Foreclosed properties represent a unique challenge for financial institutions, many of which have never managed this aspect of their portfolios previously. A property that is idle—one that is not being used or has been shut down—is subject to an increased potential for vandalism, fire, water damage and break-ins.

Holiday parties are a great chance for employees and other guests to come together, reflect on the year’s accomplishments and bond as a team. The primary goal of any party is for guests to enjoy themselves, but careful planning is required to create an environment that ensures safety as well as fun. Due to their infrequent nature, the liability risks of company-sponsored parties are often overlooked.

A Russian hacker was recently charged by US authorities with creating GameOver Zeus, a botnet based on code from the Zeus family of Trojans. These malicious programs are designed to steal a company’s banking credentials and are responsible for losses of more than $100 million worldwide since 2011.

Financial Services is a broad industry category, but like all OneBeacon specialties, this business reflects a specific niche we know well, namely community banks.