BLOGS

Identity theft can happen to anyone, anytime. Rates of identity theft have increased substantially in recent years, with nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft in 2020, up from 650,000 cases in 2019, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

At First Merchants, your financial security is our top priority. With card controls available in the First Merchants mobile app, you have an added layer of protection over your debit card.

At First Merchants, we’re committed to making sure our customers can access their money through a range of convenient methods. For many customers, mobile payment tools like Apple Pay® and Samsung Pay® provide a faster and safer alternative to making payments by swiping your debit card or doling out cash.

Whether you’re paying the dog walker, collecting cash for a group gift or settling up with friends, most of us need to send and receive small payments all the time. And many Americans don’t regularly carry cash and checks.

Unless you’ve purchased or sold a home, you probably haven’t learned much about mortgage escrow. So you might ask yourself, what is an escrow account in a mortgage?