Quarterly Newsletter – Oct 2026 - First Nebraska Credit Union

FROM THE PRESIDENT:

On September 15, our core processor experienced a hardware failure at a third-party data center. The incident required the restoration of data for our credit union, along with more than 100 other credit unions.

The Sharetec team worked around the clock to restore our systems, and we were able to resume core operations by Friday morning. We recognize that this has been a difficult and frustrating process for our team—and, most importantly, for you, our members.

We sincerely appreciate your patience, understanding, and encouragement throughout this disruption. We know how important reliable access to your accounts and financial information is, and we regret the inconvenience this outage has caused.

Our mobile and online banking systems remain operational, although some functionality continues to be degraded. We are working closely with Sharetec to stabilize these critical applications and restore full functionality as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your continued patience and for trusting us to serve you.

Five Cybersecurity Habits That Matter More Than Ever

Think Before You Click!
Fraud is rapidly rising, and no wonder – a scam can show up as a text from your bank, a phone call from someone who sounds exactly like a family member, or an email that looks like it came from your employer. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making those scams faster and more convincing, and criminals don’t need to be tech experts to take advantage of it.
The FBI received more than 1 million internet crime complaints in 2025, with losses exceeding $20 billion. That was a 26% increase in reported losses from 2024.
So, what can you actually do about it? Start with these five habits.

1. Turn on multifactor authentication

A password isn’t always enough. Multifactor authentication, or MFA, adds another layer of security by requiring a code, authentication app, fingerprint, or other verification before allowing access.

The 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that credential abuse accounted for 13% of breaches, while exploitation of software vulnerabilities had become the leading way attackers gained access.

Do this: Turn on MFA for your email, financial, banking, shopping, and social media accounts. Start with the accounts that would cause the most trouble if someone else gained access to them.

2. Slow down when something feels urgent

A sense of urgency is one of a scammer’s favorite tools. “Your account will be closed.” “You have an unpaid bill.” “I need you to send money right now.”

AI is making these messages harder to spot. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report documented 22,364 complaints involving AI-related information and more than $893 billion in reported losses. The FBI also reported that businesses lost more than $30 million to AI-related business email compromise scams.

Do This: Don’t click, reply, or send money simply because a message looks legitimate. Verify it independently. If someone asks for money or sensitive information, contact them using a phone number or website that you already know is legitimate.

And remember: a familiar voice isn’t proof of identity. Voice cloning can make a scammer sound like someone you know.

3. Give your passwords a fresh start

Using the same password everywhere is convenient, but it can also give criminals a shortcut into multiple accounts.

Use a different, strong password for each important account. Strong passwords often include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols and are not easily guessed. Avoid repeating letters or sequential characters like “abc” or “123” when creating a strong password.

Do this: If you haven’t changed or reused a password in a while, start with your email and financial accounts. Never share passwords or give your password to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.

4. Be thoughtful about what you put into AI tools

AI can help us write, research, summarize, and solve problems. But convenience can come with a privacy cost.

The 2026 DBIR found that 45% of employees were regular users of AI on corporate devices, up 15% from the previous year. The report also found that unauthorized “shadow AI” use had become a growing data-loss concern, with sensitive information (including source code and other structured data) being entered into unapproved AI services.

Do this: Before putting information into an AI tool, stop and consider whether it contains anything private, confidential, or sensitive. If it does, don’t upload it unless you know the tool is approved for that type of information.

5. Update your devices, and don’t ignore the warning signs

Those software update reminders may be annoying, but they’re important.

According to the 2026 DBIR, 31% of breaches began with exploitation of vulnerabilities, making it the leading initial access method. Even more concerning, organizations fully remediated only 26% of critical vulnerabilities tracked by CISA in 2025.

Do this: Install updates promptly and replace devices that no longer receive security updates. If you notice an unfamiliar transaction, compromised account, or suspicious activity, act quickly. Contact your financial institution, change affected passwords, and report suspected fraud.

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Helpful Resources

This article is shared by our partners at NXG Strategies.

Christmas Club Accounts

Now that it’s October, Members will be allowed to perform unlimited withdrawals (in person or phone transfer) from their Christmas Club Account.

Remaining account balances will automatically transfer to the Member’s Share Savings account on Friday, Nov. 13. Those funds can then be transferred from savings to checking via online/mobile banking. Members can also call in and request a check be mailed to them.

Summer Fun at the Local Car Shows

Duncan Aviation Car Show, Lincoln
We had a fantastic time at the Duncan Aviation Charity Car Show in August! We were proud to be part of the event and loved getting the chance to connect with the community. Thank you to everyone who came out, checked out the cars, and stopped by to say hello to Bob, the Bobblehead!

McMullen Ford Car Show, Council Bluffs
A huge thank you to everyone who came out to admire the amazing vehicles, connect with the community, and support a great cause at McMullen Ford in August. The event raised more than $14,000 for Operation 22 Til Freedom!

We’re grateful to have been part of such a fantastic event and appreciate everyone who stopped by to visit us and learn about Financing That Moves You.

Donations for Children’s Nebraska

Shred Event Raises $1,055 for Children’s Nebraska

person inside ITM box at halloween event

Shred event to support Children's Nebraska

Our shred event and donation drive for Credit Unions for Kids was a success! All of the $1,055.47 raised will go to Children’s Nebraska hospital to support local kids and families.

Thank you to the generous donors for dropping by our Bedford Branch to safely shred your documents.

Bowling Fundraiser

We sponsored a bowling fundraiser in July at Maplewood Lanes in Omaha, and raised $2,100 for Credit Unions for Kids! Money raised went to Children’s Nebraska to support the hospital.

Thanks to the teams who joined us to support CU4Kids: Liberty First Credit Union, Family Focus Federal Credit Union, Five Nines, Methodist Health System, Pando PEO, and the Nebraska Credit Union League.

Congrats to James, the winner of the 50/50 raffle, Jillian and Ian for best costume, Ben and Derek for Best Bowlers, plus the 20+ bowlers who got a prize for their first strike.

“Cup for Kids” Golf Tourney

We proudly sponsored a hole at the Cup for Kids Golf Tourney in August, which was organized by LincOne Federal Credit Union, at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Lincoln, NE. Our golf team, Toby, Nicco, Steve, and Ben had a great time playing!

What makes Credit Unions special, is that we love to get together and support a good cause! CU4Kids proceeds will go to Children’s Nebraska.

EVENTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Hillrise Elementary School, Elkhorn, NE

We had a great time visiting Hillrise Elementary School for their Ice Cream Social in September! We were proud to sponsor the event and help kick off the school year. We love supporting our local schools and the communities we call home.

Southeast Nebraska Community Action (SENCA)

We had the opportunity to help SENCA with their poverty simulation training September in Auburn, NE. The poverty simulation helped their staff understand the daily financial stress and difficult choices low-income people face. The simulation has several different scenarios with families who are struggling to meet their basic needs. Staff were assigned to a family and spent a “day in the life” of that family trying to make it through a month with different barriers and limited income.

If you have questions about services in Nebraska, to help with resources in food, shelter, utility assistance, aging, counseling, employment, children services, and much more, visit https://search.ne211.org.

Omaha Housing Authority

It was an honor to help sponsor the Omaha Housing Authority Back-to-School Bash & Community Resource Fair in August. They raised $38,930 in sponsorships and donations, gave away more than 1,000 pairs of new shoes and served 1,500+ children!

As one of the 40 community partners handing out goodies and information, we loved connecting with the community and its needs!

Employee Recognition

(July 2026) Happy 25-year anniversary, Denise B., our Vice President of Compliance!

(July 2026) Congrats to Stephanie M., Vice President of Human Resources, on her retirement, after 23 Years of Service.

What our members are saying

“Competitive rates on banking services with a staff that is always knowledgeable and family friendly when you call or walk in the door.”
– James M.

Closed for the Holidays

Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day
Monday, Oct. 12

Veterans Day
Wednesday, Nov. 11

Thanksgiving Holiday:
Thursday, Nov. 26 – Closed
Friday & Sat., Nov. 27 & 28 – Lobbies closed
Friday, Nov. 27 – Drive-thrus OPEN 8 am–6 pm
Sat., Nov. 28 – Drive-thrus OPEN OPEN 9 am–12:30 pm

Christmas Holiday:
Thursday, Dec. 24 – Lobbies closed
(Drive-thrus OPEN 9 am–12:30 pm)
Friday, Dec. 25 – Closed

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