Spring Bank’s website has changed to springbankwi.bank to provide a higher level of security for our customers

Many of you may have questions about the domain name such as:
 

What is a ‘.bank’ domain?

You’ve likely searched online for a government, educational, or non-profit website and noticed .gov, .edu, or .org in the address, extensions that identify the organizations' unique characteristics. The .bank domain is similar in that it readily tells you the website you've found is a bank. Unlike a .com extension that anyone can purchase, a .bank in a website URL or an email address is only available from verified banks.

How does the .bank domain improve security?

To obtain the .bank extension, banks across the U.S. must complete a verification and authentication process run by fTLD Registry Services LLC, an affiliate of the American Bankers Association. The fTLD organization manages the .bank domains and re-verifies bank eligibility annually. Having a .bank domain means hackers can’t create lookalike addresses to phish for personal information and steal identities, a practice that's easier to accomplish with a .com extension.
 

When you see .bank in an email address from your community bank, you'll know the communication is authentic.

What are the requirements for the .bank domain?

Qualifying for the .bank extension means fulfilling security requirements such as:

• Email authentication is a technology designed to prevent the use of forged emails to capture personal information. The authentication software like Sender ID, or DomainKeys Identified Mail confirms the sender's identity. When verification of identity isn't possible, emails are blocked, or recipients receive notice that the sender's identity is unauthenticated.
• Encrypted connections transform information into coded messages that hide transferred data from third parties.
• Domain name system security confirms that you connect with your community bank's website and not a fraudulent site.
• The enhanced security helps to protect customers, staff, and vendors from cyber-attacks. The fTLD continually monitors banks’ compliance with security requirements.

Why doesn’t every bank have a .bank domain?

Moving from .com to .bank for website and email communications isn’t required; it’s a business decision each bank makes based on resources and priorities. Spring Bank decided to invest in additional security to give our customers a quick way to confirm our emails and website are authentic.

What does the .bank domain mean for customers?

Spring Bank staff email addresses will end with the .bank extension. Over the next few months you will notice emails related to online banking, bill pay and other services transitioning to a .bank extension. Please contact us 262-754-5555 if you have any questions.