Author: Bank of North Dakota

Managing employee passwords is a struggle for most businesses in the U.S. and worldwide. It is costly maintaining healthy password security, but not having it can be enormously costly. According to the recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, over 70% of employees reuse passwords at work. The report finds a staggering “81% of hacking-related breaches leveraged either Read More

When going to websites on the Internet, most of us don’t think much about it or what it’s doing in the background. However, there are a lot of nefarious things that can be happening and sometimes all it takes is for you to land on a page, even for a split second for something bad Read More

There’s malware out there that is so severe, the FBI is warning everyone, at home and at the office, to reboot their internet routers in hopes of flushing some of it out. The Bureau released a statement that, VPNFilter “is able to render small office and home routers inoperable. The malware also collects information passing through the Read More

In 2011, Apple released virtual pal Siri, a novel idea for iPhone owners. A simple “Hey Siri” opened a world of information for its owners simply by asking questions. Shortly after, Siri was joined by other virtual assistants, Alexa and Cortana for the Android set. Although, Siri became a virtual star first and was immediately Read More

Bank of North Dakota’s vision statement, “Bank of North Dakota is an agile partner that creates financial solutions to current and emerging economic needs,” drives our economic development and diversification efforts daily. We accomplish this through strong vision and collaboration with state agencies, local economic development groups and financial institutions. Read the report here.

Higher education, whether one, two, four or more years beyond high school, is about achieving more. An educated workforce is an essential element to Bank of North Dakota’s mission “To promote agriculture, commerce and industry in North Dakota.” College SAVE, college planning and student loans to pay for college and refinance afterward offer a cradle-to-career Read More

BISMARCK – The state-owned Bank of North Dakota recorded its 14th consecutive year of record profits in 2017, with $145.3 million in net earnings, the Bank reported today in its annual report to the state Industrial Commission. Total assets decreased slightly from $7.3 billion in 2016 to $7.0 billion. BND ended the year with capital Read More

That deadline is looming. You know the one. The tax return filing deadline is just around the corner. This year, it’s Tuesday, April 17 and don’t think for a second that the cybercriminals out there are not very aware of this date. In fact, the IRS is warning taxpayers once again to be on the Read More

Bad things happen to good consumers and 2017 was a banner year for cybercrime here and abroad. The 2017 Norton Security Report found that of the $172 billion that was stolen from consumers globally–$19.4 billion of that was from consumers in the U.S. The average victim lost $142 and 20 hours of their time trying Read More

You’ve got questions, and BND’s Staci and Amanda have answers – college-related ones. Check out their series “Ask Staci and Amanda” live every Tuesday, typically at 2:30 p.m., on BND’s Facebook page. They, along with featured guests, discuss a variety of higher education and career-related topics. Join the conversation and post your questions in the Read More

A recent report released by ThreatMetrix, Cybercrime Report 2017: A Year in Review, provides an eye-popping account of cybercrime and fraud worldwide. The fear of having one’s credit or banking cards physically stolen is rapidly shifting to having that information stolen online and for good reason. The report finds that from 2015 to 2017, cyberattacks increased by 100%. Read More

Bismarck – Bank of North Dakota (BND) is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019 and is asking the public for assistance. Historical artifacts from the Bank such as letters, memorabilia and promotional items are being accepted. In addition, the Bank is seeking stories from farm families who were assisted by the Bank during Read More

SMS text phishing, or smishing, is on the rise for us all. Smishing has been around for a while, and is gaining in popularity for cyberthieves. Texts are being sent to smartphones asking recipients to go to a link or respond with personal information. Most often, these texts contain a great sense of urgency to Read More

It is important, both personally and financially, to stay up to date on recent security and fraud news. Bank of North Dakota offers a free service to help you do that. The article below from Stickley on Security gives shocking statistics on phishing sites created monthly and the cost of scams annually. Read the article Read More

College SAVE continues to find unique ways to reach the residents of North Dakota. More than 25 car dealers across the state are promoting College SAVE during September through a new partnership with the North Dakota Automobile Dealers Association. For any new car purchased at a participating auto dealer, Bank of North Dakota (BND) will contribute Read More

Cybercriminals exploited vulnerabilities and gained access to Equifax files from mid-May through July 2017, potentially impacting 143 million U.S. consumers. This incident exposed Social Security numbers, birthdates, names, addresses, credit card numbers and other personal information. In response, Equifax has taken many steps including dedicating a website to provide resources and updates on the incident. They Read More

This is a busy time if you are heading to college this fall. Making the final arrangements to pay for college should be one of the top items on your to-do list. This guide will help you start and complete the process. Step 1: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is Read More

Each and every adult who is a leader was once a kid. No kidding, right? But, it should make you, today’s teen, stop and think about what you are doing to be a leader as you become an adult. Entrepreneur magazine recently published an interesting article on the 22 qualities that make a great leader. Read More

The category “What to know about paying for college” may not appear on your favorite game show, but for students and their parents, the following are important facts to know. How would you score in this round? Clue: This is the first step in determining if you qualify for federal grants and student loans. Answer: Read More

Since 1941, the residents of Dunn, Mercer and Oliver counties have relied on Hazen Memorial Hospital Association – DBA (doing business as) Sakakawea Medical Center (SMC) – for quality care. This community-owned, not-for-profit organization has endured healthcare changes and all profits are reinvested back into the community’s healthcare needs. One of the most recent investments Read More

Access to natural gas can reduce heating costs and bring vibrancy and growth to a community, but it takes an investment to get access. That’s why Rugby Job Development Authority (JDA) is conducting a feasibility study to gauge the community’s “interest and willingness to connect to natural gas” before further investment. The results of the Read More

As a business owner, you know how important it is to take care of your employees. Bank of North Dakota has a no-cost option available that sends a clear signal to them that you care about their financial well-being. Bank of North Dakota offers presentations on its programs on-site at businesses to assist people with Read More

During the 2015 Legislative Session, the North Dakota Legislature added three new loan programs to BND’s offerings. These programs are designed to help meet various infrastructure needs in the state. The Medical PACE Program provides an interest buydown to help finance critical access hospital medical expansion or improvement projects in communities of less than 20,000 Read More

Bank of North Dakota is making even more money available through College SAVE grants to North Dakota residents who want to start saving for a child’s college education! BND has doubled the grant amount of the Children FIRST program to $200. The Children FIRST grant is available to every newborn in North Dakota, regardless of Read More