Officials at Astra Bank will be holding another Shred Fest event, on Saturday, March 30th.
“As everyone is aware, identity theft is a critical issue today,” said Astra Bank’s Bryan Armendariz. “One of our top priorities at Astra Bank is doing all we can to ensure the highest security for our customers’ financial accounts, and we don’t think that security should stop at our front doors. The Shred Fest is a way we can help our customers and everyone else protect themselves.”
“Each year, nearly every household accumulates a great deal of personal financial and health documents, all of which need to be disposed of in a secure manner,” Armendariz continued. “To help people decide which of their documents to destroy, we’ve developed a ’What and When to Shred‘ schedule.”
Armendarez said Astra Bank recommends the following guidelines for deciding what documents to shred and when to shred them:
• Bank Statements – Shred after the account is reconciled.
• Credit Card Statements – Keep one tax year’s worth.
• Monthly Bills – Shred anything older than one year
• Tax Records – Keep the last seven years
“These guidelines are only a general recommendation. An individual’s circumstances may dictate they keep certain records longer. Astra Bank suggests a person use their own discretion when deciding what and when to destroy personal documents,” Armendariz said.
There is no charge for having documents destroyed at the Shred Fest. Any individual may bring up to three bags or containers of personal documents to be destroyed. Staples and paper clips do not need to be removed prior to shredding. The actual document shredding at the Shred Fest is performed by an AAA-Certified shredding company. Anyone who wishes to view the destruction of their documents may do so.
The Shred Fest takes place at Astra Bank at the following times:
• Hays location, 1100 Fort Street, 8:00 – 10:00 am, March 30
• Plainville location, 113 W. Mill, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, March 30
“We hope everyone will help safeguard themselves from identity thieves by taking advantage of this free service,” Armendariz added.