Loan Program Offered
SALISBURY – Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services (SNHS), a local nonprofit serving community members through partnerships to increase home ownership and cultivate sustainable neighborhoods in Salisbury and surrounding areas, is pleased to announce the availability of closing cost loans for residents of Worcester and Somerset counties.
“We launched the closing cost loan program in our neighboring counties in 2020,” said Jane Hoy, assistant director, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services. “This loan offering can help people manage the up-front cost of buying a home. It is a challenging time for first time home buyers right now because inventory is low, and demand is high which drives prices up. We want to help people get over the “closing cost hurdle” and keep moving towards home ownership.”
The maximum loan amount is $15,000. Income restrictions are based on the area median income. Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services will match the lender’s interest rate for the loan.
Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services also provides homebuyer education and credit restoration services to residents of Worcester and Somerset counties. Free homebuyer education classes are offered quarterly and eHome America online courses are offered for $100. Coupons for the online course are available to offset the cost.
The course walks people through each step of the home buying process, prepares them for home ownership expenses, provides financial management information, resources, and post purchase tips.
Credit restoration counseling is offered to customers who are not ready to purchase a home because of credit or budgeting issues and those who are delinquent on existing mortgages. It includes instruction on how to read a credit report and address any credit challenges to help repair a poor credit score.
Counselors can pull three-tier credit reports to better assess specific credit needs. A report for an individual is $32 and $50 for couples.
For more information about Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services, visit salisburynhs.org or call 410.543.4626.
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Airport Expansion
BERLIN – Ocean Aviation Flight Academy, a world-class flight training institution on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, today announced it is expanding to Delaware.
Ocean Aviation opened a new flight training facility at Delaware Coastal Airport near Georgetown, Delaware (GED) on Oct. 1, 2022.
“This has been a work in progress over the last five months,” said Michael Freed, Ocean Aviation founder and president. “The expansion allows us to better serve new and existing students in Sussex County and surrounding areas farther north and west of our main campus in Ocean City, Maryland. The facility includes new offices and a corporate aircraft hangar to accommodate up to seven training aircraft.”
In June, Ocean Aviation signed a long-term lease agreement after submitting the winning proposal to Sussex County officials to base a flight school/training academy at Delaware Coastal Airport, a general aviation facility serving a mix of corporate and small private aircraft in southern Delaware. County and company officials said the partnership will allow for expanded flight training opportunities for the flying public, while giving Ocean Aviation the chance to expand its footprint in the growing Delmarva market.
“Sussex County is excited to welcome Ocean Aviation as our newest aviation service provider here at Delaware Coastal Airport,” Airport Manager Bob Bryant said. “Along with plans to extend the main runway, adding hangar space, and making numerous other improvements, attracting a top-tier pilot and flight training school has long been on our list of top priorities for growing this airport. Bringing Ocean Aviation onboard checks one of the boxes on that list, and we believe their presence will enhance the airport and all it has to offer the flying public here in southern Delaware.”
For more information about Ocean Aviation, visit flyoceanaviation.com or call 302-515-1177.
Ocean Aviation is a full-service pilot and flight training academy based in Ocean City, Md., winner of the AOPA Top Flight School Award in 2019 and recognized in 2022 as a Top Hawk Cessna Pilot Center. Founded in 2007, Ocean Aviation is an appointed Cessna Pilot Center and FAA-approved Flight Academy providing training to aviators at two campuses in Maryland and Delaware.
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Campaign Launched
BERLIN – Today Taylor Bank joined the American Bankers Association and banks across the nation to promote an industry-wide campaign educating consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams.
The FTC estimates that consumers lost $5.8 billion to phishing and other fraud in 2021, an increase of more than 70% compared to 2020. To combat phishing, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign uses attention-grabbing humor and other engaging content to empower consumers to identify bogus bank communications asking for sensitive information like their passwords and social security numbers.
“We are proud to partner with the ABA to promote this important awareness campaign,” said Ray Thompson, president and CEO of Taylor Bank. “Fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated, and our goal is to help empower our customers and community with the knowledge they need to protect their data.”
“Phishing attempts are at an all-time high and scammers are targeting consumers from every direction—by text, phone and email,” said Paul Benda, senior vice president, operational risk and cybersecurity at ABA. “Education and awareness are key to helping consumers spot a scam, and with help from participating banks like Taylor Bank, we’re able to reach bank customers across the country so they can stay one step ahead of the scammers.”
Taylor Bank, along with more than 1,000 banks from across the U.S. and ABA, are kicking off this year’s updated campaign on Oct. 3 to mark the beginning of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Taylor Bank will share eye-catching and engaging short videos and consumer tips on social media and in bank branches designed to highlight common phishing schemes. Because cybersecurity education and fraud awareness can often be dull and forgettable to many consumers, the campaign is designed to be bright and bold with a bit of comedy.
“Do you prefer boxers or briefs? Do you believe in aliens?!,” one of the campaign’s animated GIFs asks social media users. “Banks would never ask you these questions. Here’s another question a real bank would never ask: We’ve spotted some unusual activity on your account, can you please verify your username and password?”
The campaign’s short videos offer similarly ridiculous scenarios like wallpapering a room with cash, roasting marshmallows over a cash fire and recycling cash on garbage day. Consumers are directed to BanksNeverAskThat.com where they will find an interactive game, videos, phishing red flags, tips and FAQs.
For more information about phishing scams and how to stop fraudsters in their tracks, visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com.