Last week, Sony announced it may have lost up to 77 million people’s personal information, including their debit and credit cards. Confidentiality and information integrity is always important but here are some timely tips: What to do if you think your credit or debit card is stolen (Information provided from the State Department of Financial Institutions) Consumers have strong protection if unauthorized charges are made on their credit cards. Typically in the U.S., cardholders are protected from unauthorized transactions on their credit card accounts. Call the issuing bank or credit union right away. Act fast – the sooner you report the loss, the more likely you will limit your liability if someone uses your card without your permission. Once reported, you are not liable for any further charges

Good Monday Morning! Sir Smiley here with a quick thought for the day: Genuine beginnings begin with us, even when they are brought to our attention by external circumstances or opportunities! ~William Bridges TMC will be posting some great information this week on rates and fees- a continuing education of sorts! Until then, enjoy your new beginnings as we launch into this fresh new week of spring! Sir Smiley- OUT Sir SmileyMonday, April 18, 2011

In our first online poll, we asked how you handled the signature panel on the back of your credit cards and the results are in: SIGN YOUR CARD (they said to sign it) 30%? WRITE CID (I’m not giving the crooks my signature!) 40% SIGN & WRITE CID (It was a tight fit- but I made it) 17% LEAVE IT BLANK (Nobody checks it anyway) 13% So what is the ‘RIGHT’ answer? Technically speaking, Option #1 is the correct answer- let’s look at all 4 options: Cheri PerrySaturday, April 9, 2011

We process credit cards here at TMC and we are thankful when you choose to use your cards (it keeps us employed!). But we wanted to take a moment to encourage the proper use of those credit cards so that your financial future can be bright! Check out the article Smart Ways To Use Credit for some excellent tips on the wise use of credit cards! It is our pleasure to provide these valuable tips; if you have any other questions please feel free to give us a call! 1-888-249-9919 Sir Smiley- OUT SIr SmileySunday, March 27, 2011

Learning what ‘TO DO’ when opening a merchant account is valuable information. Thank you to all of the people who shared their feedback on the article a few days ago. Now- on to the TOP 5 THINGS NOT TO DO when opening a merchant account. It may seem like common sense but let’s get serious- we are all busy! Sometimes we choose to believe those smooth talking sales people and many times, we were right to believe. But there are times when we find out that we should have listened to that still, small voice that warned us to be careful. Click on the link above and make sure you and those people you care about are taking the right steps and avoiding the pitfalls of opening a

What a GREAT day here at TMC! Martha brought her new baby boy, Lyric- in for a visit. Now I am no expert on babies but WOW- he sure is a cutie! Mommy looks fantastic and so very happy. Congratulations Martha- we are so happy for you! Sir Smiley Sir SmileyTuesday, March 22, 2011