When a child goes missing, minutes matter. Okaloosa residents now have a new method available to help ensure vital information can be placed quickly into the hands of law enforcement and media outlets.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris announced today that his agency, in partnership with Beach Community Bank, will be the first in our region to offer the SafeAssured Digital ID Kits. The kits allow parents and guardians to put a child’s identifying information and video on a mini-CD that is maintained by the family. The mini-CD will include a high quality digital photo, digital video showing mannerisms and gait, a full set of digital fingerprints, and a digital voice file, along with general personal information.

Sheriff Morris says having that kind of information ready for quick dissemination is critical to any effort to find a missing child and return him or her to their family safely. Beach Community Bank is sponsoring the first wave of SafeAssured ID kits for Okaloosa youngsters with a $10,000 donation.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Beach Community Bank will hold the event Saturday, September 6th, with appointments from 9 a.m. until noon, at the bank’s main office, 17 Southeast Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. Please call 850.244.9900 ext 255 or e-mail jennifert@beachcommunitybank.comto schedule your appointment. Future events will be announced through the media and published on the OCSO Website, www.sheriff-okaloosa.org under the Crime Prevention section.

For consumers who have wondered about the health of their banking institution, if their deposits are fully protected, or what happens if a bank fails, the latest FDIC Consumer News provides answers to common questions and other useful information so people can rest assured that their money is safe in an FDIC-insured account. Other articles in the Summer 2008 issue of the agency's quarterly consumer newsletter explain what to do if a home equity line of credit has been reduced or frozen, how to avoid phone and fax fraud, and options for saving the environment as bank customers save and borrow money.

The main feature is a collection of articles about how to "get a good night's sleep" with FDIC insurance. It also includes an "FDIC-Insured Depositor's Bill of Rights" that spells out the agency's promise to bank customers, plus information about a new advertising and education campaign to raise awareness about deposit insurance coverage limits. Among the key points for consumers to remember:

• If someone's deposits are within the FDIC's insurance limits, as is the case for most bank customers, those deposits are safe regardless of the financial condition of the bank.
• The FDIC's guarantee – that we will protect against the loss of insured deposits if an FDIC-insured bank or savings associations fails – is ironclad. As FDIC Chairman Sheila C. Bair said, since the creation of the FDIC 75 years ago, "no one has ever lost so much as a penny of FDIC-insured deposits – not a single penny," as a result of a bank failure.
• The FDIC protects deposit accounts – including checking and savings accounts, money market deposit accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) – up to the federal limits. But FDIC insurance doesn't protect against losses on non-deposit products – such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds – even if they were sold by insured banks.
• The basic insurance coverage is $100,000 per depositor per insured institution, but individuals may qualify for more than $100,000 in coverage at one insured bank if they own deposit accounts in different "ownership categories," such as single accounts, joint accounts, certain retirement accounts, and trust accounts.
• Consumers who have questions about their insurance coverage can call the FDIC toll-free (1-877-ASK-FDIC, which is 1-877-275-3342), read or print information online at www.fdic.gov, or send questions to the FDIC in an e-mail or letter.
• If a bank fails, the FDIC provides quick access to insured funds, usually on the first business day after the institution is closed. It is also possible to recover money over the FDIC's insurance limits, depending on how much the FDIC recovers by selling the bank's assets. In some cases, the FDIC is able to make an initial payment on the uninsured portion of deposits within a few days or weeks. Additional payments are made over the course of a year or two after the bank failure.

The Summer issue can be read or printed at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnsum08. To order up to two free copies, use the online form on that same Web page or call the Federal Citizen Information Center toll-free at 1-888-8- PUEBLO (1-888-878-3256) weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and ask for Department 87.

The goal of FDIC Consumer News is to deliver timely, reliable and innovative tips and information about financial matters, free of charge. Current and past issues of FDIC Consumer News, including previously published special editions, are online at www.fdic.gov/consumernews.

There also are two ways to subscribe to the quarterly FDIC Consumer News. To receive an e-mail about each new issue with links to stories, go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html. To receive the newsletter in the mail, free of charge, call the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-275-3342, send an e-mail to publicinfo@fdic.gov or write to the FDIC Public Information Center, 3501 North Fairfax Drive, Room E-1002, Arlington, VA 22226.

The FDIC encourages financial institutions, government agencies, consumer organizations, educators, the media and anyone else to help make the tips and information in FDIC Consumer News widely available. The publication may be reprinted in whole or in part without advance permission. Organizations also may link to or mention the FDIC Web site.

No, we don’t mean the sun and the surf, but a visit to Beach Community Bank’s newest addition, a branch in Navarre just west of Wal-Mart®. Just stop the branch and register to win a $1,000 Wal-Mart® gift card.

It is a part of the Grand Opening celebration of Navarre, the bank’s thirteenth branch across Northwest Florida. So register today, meet our bankers and experience our relaxed, friendly way of doing business.

Giveaway Details:

• One $1,000 Wal-Mart® gift card will be awarded.
• No purchase necessary.
• One entry per person.
• The drawing will be held July 31 at 5 p.m. Need not be present to win. The winner will be notified by the phone number given on the entry card. The card will be awarded within seven days of the winner being notified.
• Only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 years or older prior to July 31, 2008. Beach Community Bank employees and their immediate families are not eligi
• Winner is responsible for the reporting and payment of all applicable federal, state and local taxes on prize.

The Third Annual Clay Shoot Competition will be held Saturday, September 27, at Shoal River Sport Clays in Crestview. The shoot is limited to 72 shooters. The entry fee per shooter is $60 and includes orientation and safety guidelines, 100 rounds of shells and clays, on-course refreshments and lunch, as well as door prizes.

Registration begins at 7:00 a.m., orientation and instruction begins at 8:15 a.m., and the shoot begins at 8:30 a.m. The registration deadline is September 22. All proceeds benefit the OWC Raiders Housing Fund.

Click here for a registration form. For more information call 850.729.5357 or e-mail Chitwood@owc.edu.

Beach Community Bancshares, Inc. has named Joseph W. “Jody” Henderson Chairman of the Board of Directors. Beach Community Bancshares, Inc. is the parent company of Beach Community Bank. Henderson has been on the Board of Directors since the bank was founded in 2001. President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Hughes said, "I am very excited that Jody has been elected Chairman of the Board. Having previously served on the Bank's Directors Loan Committee, Audit Committee and Information Technology Committee, I am very happy that Jody has taken on this added responsibility and look forward to working with him."

Henderson is a partner at O'Sullivan Creel, LLP accounting firm, joining the firm in 1986 after graduating from the University of West Florida. Jody’s professional and civic affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, Trustee for Okaloosa Walton College and Past President of the Fort Walton Beach Rotary Club.

Headquartered in Fort Walton, Beach Community Bank has experienced tremendous growth within the local community, with 13 offices located across Northwest Florida. The bank has offices in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Mary Esther, Destin, Niceville and South Walton County, with a new office under construction in Crestview. The Bank has over $661 million in total assets and over $528 million in total deposits.