The Ohio State Bank Launches Kasasa Cash Back and Kasasa Tunes

MARION, OH, April 08, 2011 (Press-News.org) The Ohio State Bank asks consumers, "Do you Kasasa?" as it becomes the first financial institution headquartered in Marion to launch the country's most innovative financial products.

Kasasa is a new brand of free checking and savings accounts that pays consumers to use their account with what interests them most—cash back or digital downloads from iTunes or Amazon.com. These accounts, combined with the personal service that only community financial institutions can deliver, are offering residents a better checking account option than the mega bank experience.

"Consumers deserve to wake up to happier days of banking and leave behind the nightmare of mega bank fees and mistreatment. We are pleased to be the first bank headquartered in Marion to offer these unique products," said Shawn Keller, President and CEO at The Ohio State Bank. "Kasasa delivers what research shows people really want but believe they can't have—great financial products with the personal service of a community based financial institution."

The Ohio State Bank is offering two Kasasa financial products, including Kasasa Cash Back and Kasasa Tunes . All Kasasa products are free accounts, with no monthly fees, free online banking, nationwide ATM fee refunds, and no minimum balance is required to get the rewards.

• Kasasa Cash Back - A free checking account that rewards account holders with major cash back on everyday debit card purchases, without points or category restrictions like the big guys. The cash back amount is based on how much you spend on each debit card transaction as well as your average daily balance.
• Kasasa Tunes - A free checking account that rewards consumers with digital downloads from Amazon.com or iTunes every month.

To receive the Kasasa account benefits, account holders are asked to meet easy monthly qualifications, including receiving an e-statement, making a minimum number of debit card purchases, and making an electronic transaction (such as direct deposit or automatic bill pay)...things they probably already do anyway. If an account holder does not meet the qualifications in a given month, The Ohio State Bank will alert the individual, who will be eligible the following month for the benefits.

"Extensive research has shown us that consumers would prefer to do business with community financial institutions, but feel they would lose access to products," continued Keller. "Kasasa is opening people's eyes to a new banking model where no sacrifices are necessary. It's a win-win because account holders get innovative products and personalized service."

In 2009, Kasasa was piloted in six other markets across the U.S. In just the first two months of offering Kasasa, participating community financial institutions reported growth rates upwards of 150% on new account openings and 372% in deposits at institutions focused on deposit growth.

Kasasa is being introduced with an aggressive, highly engaging marketing campaign. It comes to life through a fresh mix of eye-popping advertising, the likes of which exceed the typical mega bank's high-budget programs. The ads feature America's top slam poets http://www.kasasa.com/news-and-media/advertising riffing lyrical threads around the theme of "Do you Kasasa?"

Kasasa is distributed to The Ohio State Bank from BancVue, the leading provider of innovative products, dynamic marketing, and data-driven consulting solutions to community financial institutions nationwide to help them win the war against the megabanks.

For more information on Kasasa accounts, consumers can visit http://www.theohiostatebank.com or http://www.Kasasa.com/ohiostatebank.

Do you Kasasa?
Kasasa is the first national brand of the most innovative checking accounts available today. The accounts, offered exclusively by the finest community financial institutions, are designed to be the first and only accounts that actually take an interest in their account holders by paying them to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, cash back, automatic savings, or digital downloads from iTunes . Kasasa, developed and distributed by BancVue, marries innovative banking products with the personal touch of community financial institutions. For more information, visit http://www.kasasa.com.

CONTACT:
Katie Weathers
404-791-8245
kweathers@csg-pr.com