AARP BankSafe: Protection Against Financial Exploitation

The AARP BankSafe Initiative

The BankSafe Initiative helps the financial industry better meet consumers’ financial needs and safeguard their assets. The initiative focuses on four key areas:

Preventing financial exploitation
Empowering family caregivers
Helping those with dementia
Making banking tools and environments easier to access

With the average victim losing $120,000, prevention of financial exploitation is critical to AARP’s mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. BankSafe meets this need by conducting research into consumer insights, facilitating partnerships between the aging network and the financial industry, and developing the innovative BankSafe training platform to help financial professionals identify and stop suspected exploitation.

The Scope of Elder Financial Exploitation: What It Costs Victims

AARP BankSafe Financial Exploitation Training

graphic illustration of a bank note with scam and fraud icons text says banksafe-trained staff have already stopped more than $200 million from being stolen from older adults.

Awards

AARP’s BankSafe Initiative has been recognized both nationally and internationally as a leading resource for the financial industry in the fight against financial exploitation. Our resources are proven to help frontline staff prevent and report exploitation and people are talking about it.

Learnx Live Platinum Award

The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television. Each year, the awards are given to some of the most respected agencies in the world and showcase the best of the best in production across all screens. AARP BankSafe was recognized for its innovation in video production and quality.

The Davey Awards acknowledge big ideas within small budgets. Sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, the prestigious Davey recognizes creativity and innovation in video production.

AARP BankSafe has received two Gold Awards in Excellence in Learning from the Brandon Hall Group for the “Best Results of a Learning Program” category

The Banking Technology, Women in Technology Awards recognize outstanding, innovative women making a positive impact within their organization and on the wider banking and financial services industry. Jilenne Gunther, National Director for AARP’s BankSafe Initiative was recognized as a leader in the way she uses interactive technology and real-world experiences in BankSafe’s training approaches. This combined with her collaboration with financial industry partners to combat financial exploitation head-on gave her this prestigious recognition as an industry leader.

The Association Women Technology Impact Award is given to an individual who has pioneered the use of technology in a way that has a substantial impact on members and moves their association forward. The Director of BankSafe, Jilenne Gunther won this award by creating a free, interactive training platform designed to empower bank, credit union and investment firm employees to stop financial exploitation from occurring before it happens.

The Learning Award is the ultimate accolade given to any enterprise providing learning services to external partners. As a finalist, AARP BankSafe has demonstrated consistent high-quality, innovative strategies in recognizing and preventing financial exploitation in older Americans.

brandon hall group gold award

The Horizon Interactive Award is recognized as one of the most prestigious web design awards available and AARP BankSafe was honored with a Silver for its excellence in interactivity and site design.

A Free, Award-Winning Training, Endorsed by the Financial Industry

"The BankSafe training is a game changer. It's taking training new employees to a whole new level. It's flexible and provides the accountability that a bank wants and the modern training that employees have come to expect."

— Linda Navarro, President and CEO, Oregon Bankers Association

"As the CEO of a small credit union, it's really important that we're here to protect our members, and that's what's great about BankSafe. Our members come to us because they trust us, and now we have the training to show them we know what we're talking about."

— Linda White, CEO, Upward Credit Union

BankSafe graphic

New Course and Research Addressing Gift Card Fraud

AARP has launched a brand new course available to all U.S. retailers to prevent gift card and money-wiring fraud. Learn more about this growing concern and email us at BankSafe@aarp.org to sign up for the free course today!

What Every Financial Institution Should Know

Learn what the 50+ want out of financial institutions and ways to protect consumers from exploitation

Access BankSafe Guides and Resources

Get tip sheets, checklists and other resources for financial institutions, employees and consumers

The Impact of AARP BankSafe

Researchers from Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology studied the impact of training bank and credit union staff to spot and prevent financial exploitation. The research shows significant benefits to consumers and financial institutions when frontline employees take the AARP BankSafe training rather than other forms of training, including:

A 133% increase in knowledge regarding exploitation
Four times greater employee confidence in recognizing, preventing, and reporting cases of financial exploitation
BankSafe trained employees saved 16x more money from exploitation

Banksafe trained employee graphic

Full Report – AARP BankSafe™: The Impact of Training Financial Professionals to Prevent Financial Exploitation

Summary – AARP BankSafe™: The Impact of Training Financial Professionals to Prevent Financial Exploitation

Apply for the AARP BankSafe Trained Seal

As part of the BankSafe program, banks, credit unions and investment firms can apply to have AARP verify that at least 80% of their frontline staff successfully passed the BankSafe training and confirm that they have a financial-exploitation escalation reporting policy. Qualifying banks, credit unions, and investment firms in good standing can apply to receive a seal from AARP, good for one year, recognizing their commitment to fighting exploitation. Learn how to earn the BankSafe trained seal.

2023 AARP BankSafe Verified Organizations

1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union

Abacus Federal Savings Bank

Abacus Wealth Factors LLC

ACPE Federal Credit Union

Affinity Credit Union

All In Federal Credit Union

Allegacy Federal Credit Union

American Commerce Bank, N.A.

America's Credit Union

AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union

Anderson Griggs Investments

Approach Financial Inc

Aspire Community Federal Credit Union

Availa Bank

BAC Community Bank

Bank of Eastern Oregon

Bank of Springfield

BASF Federal Credit Union

Bay Port State Bank

Bay Vanguard Bank

Bellwether Community Credit Union

Better Banks

Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union

Cape Cod Five

CASE Credit Union

Chase Bank

Chelsea State Bank

Chief Financial Federal Credit Union

Cincinnati Federal

Citizens Bank

Commercial National Bank of Brady

Community West Credit Union

Conscious Impact Financial Planning

COPOCO Community Credit Union

Copper Basin FCU

Cornerstone Bank

Dedham Savings

Department of Commerce FCU

Downshift Financial

East Cambridge Savings Bank

Eastern Michigan Bank

Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley

Embers Credit Union

Enrichment Federal Credit Union

Farmers and Merchants National Bank

Fidelity Federal Savings and Loan

Firelands Federal Credit Union

First Bank Chicago

First Bank of Wyoming, a Division of Glacier Bank

First Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Grand Meadow

First National Bank and Trust Phillipsburg Kansas

First State Bank a Division of Glacier Bank

Freedom Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Financial Planning Solutions LLC

Friend Bank

Georgia Banking Company

Glacier Hills Credit Union

Granite Credit Union

Great Erie Federal Credit Union

Greenville Federal Credit Union

Harris County Federal Credit Union

Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union

Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union

Heartland State Bank

Hilltop Bank

Holy Rosary Credit Union

Homefield Credit Union

Horicon Bank

Howland Capital Management

HTG Investment Advisors Inc

IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union

Illinois State Credit Union

Intandem Credit Union

KEB Hana Bank USA

Kennebunk Savings Bank

KJH Financial Services

Kopka Financial LLC

KS StateBank

Main Street Bank

Mallard Financial Partners Inc

Marquette Community Federal CU

Marquette Savings Bank

Members First Credit Union

MembersOwn Credit Union

Meridian Trust Federal Credit Union

Midwest Bank

Montana Credit Union

Natco Credit Union

NBT Bank

Nebraska Energy Federal Credit Union

Nevada Bank & Trust

New Cumberland Federal Credit Union

North Star Community Credit Union

Northeast Bank

Northstar Financial Planning LLC

Onomea Federal Credit Union

Ozarks Federal Savings and Loan Association

Parkside Credit Union

Peoples Credit Union

People’s Bank of Commerce

Pinal County Federal Credit Union

Piscataqua Savings Bank

Rayne Building & Loan Association

Retirement Council Inc

Rewey Asset Management

River Valley Credit Union

Romney Federal Credit Union

RTD Financial

Scenic Community Credit Union

Security Bank - Illinois

Share Advantage Credit Union

Southwest Montana Community Federal Credit Union

Spectra Federal Credit Union

Squam Lakes Financial Advisors LLC

State Street Bank

Sturdy Savings Bank

Synergy Wealthcare Solutions LLC

The Peoples Bank - Marion

The Village Bank

Tongass Federal Credit Union

Tower Federal Credit Union

Triangle Federal Credit Union

Tri-County Bank

United Bay Community Credit Union

United Midwest Savings Bank

United Savings Credit Union

Upward Credit Union

Vantage West Credit Union

Waymaker Financial Planning

Western New York Federal Credit Union

Wexford Community Credit Union

XML Financial Group

Zing Credit Union

Zuraw Financial Advisors

a a r p bank safe seal 2023

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