GRBblog

We are pleased to congratulate The Village Bakery and Cafe, JoJo Bistro & Wine Bar, the Pittsford Farms Dairy & Bakery and ROC and Soul Fitness on their move to the Village of Webster on the northeast side of Main Street.

As the property owner of the largely retail space since 2014, GRB has been looking for the right mix of businesses for the stretch of shops, now known as North 43:  The Shops at Main Street.  It took time, but the wait has been worth it.  The renovated and reimagined space for these businesses (and others!) promises to be a great area for Webster residents to gather and enjoy a wide variety of delicious restaurants and other services.  North 43:  The Shops at Main Street is a great example of partnership, creativity and community.

We congratulate Charlie Fitzsimmons, owner of The Village Bakery and Cafe and JoJo Bistro and Wine Bar and visionary for this project, as well as the other businesses that will be adding great new destinations to the village scene.  Look for additional updates and photos as this project progresses…and find out details about the development in a recent Democrat & Chronicle article.

It has been widely reported that more than 143 million Americans may have had their personal information compromised in a breach reported by consumer credit reporting bureau Equifax.

Find out if you have been impacted

Because of Equifax’s role as a credit repository, nearly anyone could be at risk.  We recommend using the website established by Equifax to determine whether you may have been effected www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. Click on the “Potential Impact” button and follow the instructions for entering your last name and the last six digits of your social security number.  Equifax will notify you of your status.

Tips for protecting yourself

• If you have been impacted, Equifax is offering a free year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring. There are also other services available for identity theft protection and credit monitoring that you may also want to consider.
• Don’t forget to check the social security numbers of all members of your family who may have a credit history on file.
• Keep monitoring your accounts for any suspicious activity and notifiy us immediately if you see something unfamiliar.
• You may also want to add new alerts or tighten the parameters of the alerts on your accounts for added protection.

You can learn more directly from Equifax at https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/. You can also learn more by visiting the Federal Trade Commission’s web page on the breach at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-data-breach-what-do. To learn more about how to protect yourself after a breach, visit https://www.identitytheft.gov/Info-Lost-or-Stolen.

Identity theft is a serious issue and we encourage all of our customers to take extra care at this time – and every day.  Please see our Security Resources page for more information.

Although GRB is usually focused on helping those in the Rochester region, it’s impossible to ignore the misery that those in Houston and surrounding areas are feeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  Like many here in our area, GRB is ready to help.

We have already placed a donation with the local chapter of the American Red Cross earmarked for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and our mortgage team is donating $25 on every application taken in the month of September to the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

We know that many of our friends and associates in the community are also helping out.  The Weather Channel has a list of recognized organizations that are currently assisting with relief efforts.  We also want to pass along a cautious reminder about responding to email requests for donations.  This week, the FTC issued an alert warning consumers to be on the lookout for scams and Krebs on Security reports that hundreds of new Web sites using “hurricane” and “harvey” have been registered in the last few days.

We know the recovery effort in Texas and the Gulf Coast will be long and difficult.  Today, we keep those who are struggling in our thoughts, say thank you for what we have, and take stock in being part of a community that reaches out to help those in need, wherever they are.

If you’ve ever thought about owning a franchise, now is your chance to hear about the opportunities and challenges from successful franchise owners in a number of industries.  This event features a panel discussion with representatives from Allstate Insurance, Wendy’s, Jan-Pro and McDonald’s.  Sponsored by the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce and facilitated by John Adams of FranNet, the session promises to offer an inside look at the ins and outs of franchise ownership.  Tickets are $10 for chamber members, $30 for non-members.  Students with a valid ID are FREE.  Join us:

“Business Success Stories:  The Franchise”
Date:  Sept. 12, 2017
Time: Registration, 8 a.m., panel discussion and Q.&A., 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Location:  Held at GRB’s Winton Road offices at 1850 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY 14618

Click for registration information.

Please join the GRB team in congratulating Jewel Allred and Courtney Ferenchak on their recent promotions.

• Jewel was promoted from Underwriter to Senior Underwriter. Jewel joined GRB in 2014 as a Mortgage Processor and transitioned to the Underwriting department a year later.  She earned her Direct Endorsement (DE) certification in April 2016.
• Courtney was promoted to Collateral & Documentation Team Leader.  After joining GRB in June 2012, Courtney quickly became a go-to resource on the Collateral & Documentation team and was promoted to a Senior Specialist in January 2014.

As GRB continues to grow, we are pleased to have new opportunities for our team members to learn new skills and take on new challenges.

Thank you to Jewel and Courtney for all your hard work and best of luck in your new roles!

The University of Rochester has expanded their map for the University Home Ownership Incentive Program to include several new neighborhoods. This program aims to increase the number of full-time and part-time U of R faculty living in and around the University’s River Campus and Medical Center. Up to $9,000 worth of funding may be available and already more than 350 homes have been purchased through the University Home Ownership Incentive Program since it was launched in 2008. The map provided on the GRB Home Mortgage page allows you to search a specific street address to determine if the property qualifies. The map previously included parts of the 19^th Ward and the South Wedge and now includes the Upper Mount Hope area, Marketview Heights, EMMA neighborhoods and many more.

To get started, call the U of R Benefits Office at 585.275.0476 to verify your eligibility for the loan. Once you’ve received the go-ahead, you need to complete a grant application from the City of Rochester and discuss mortgage options with us here at Genesee Regional Bank before putting in a purchase offer for any property. You can call us at 585.427.9200 or send us an email. Happy house hunting Rochester!

We are pleased to announce that both GRB Business BillPay and GRB BillPay for consumers have completed the upgrade process and now include a number of new features.

Every effort was made to transfer all scheduled payments and recurring payments to the new solution, but we encourage all customers to verify their accounts as soon as possible.

Business BillPay Users

• Dual Control for additional security
• Bank-to-Bank Transfers for added payment convenience
• Pay-a-Person options for paying individuals electronically or with a paper check
• Expedited Payment options (added fee)
• Optional payroll module
• Quick Guide and FAQ documents are available at http://bit.ly/NewBillPayFeatures

Individual BillPay Users

• Enhanced Person-to-Person (P2P) payments with three options for making a payment to an individual
• eBill support to automatically bring your bills into BillPay for faster, easier payment processing
• Expedited Payment options (added fee)
• Quick Guide and FAQ documents are available at http://bit.ly/GRBBillPay

If you have questions or concerns, contact us at 585-249-1540.

GRB is pleased to announce it will be hosting two mortgage education sessions for military veterans at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 20 at the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC), 459 South Avenue, Rochester, NY  14620.

GRB Mortgage’s Senior Vice President, Residential Mortgage Mike Pulver will provide information on the Rochester real estate market, low- and no-downpayment mortgage options, grant programs, credit, and other financing options.

You do not need to be working with the VOC to attend these sessions, all veterans are welcome!  No need to RSVP, just mark your calendar and come see us to take the first step toward home ownership!

It’s not just the temperature that’s rising this summer…

According to the online real estate database Zillow, the market temperature for the city of Rochester is hot! Continuing a trend from 2016, housing inventory in the Rochester area is low and those looking to buy homes are dealing with increased competition. Increased demands in combination with rising interest rates are causing higher housing prices. So what is a prospective homebuyer to do?