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Coastal launches mobile banking, texting
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SAVANNAH — The Coastal Bank, a locally owned and operated community bank headquartered in Savannah, recently launched new mobile banking and text message banking services.
With the addition of these secure mobile banking tools, The Coastal Bank’s business and consumer banking customers now enjoy an expanded range of options for “on-the-go” banking. Customers have the ability to perform money management tasks quickly and securely through their web-enabled smart phones or any WiFi connection.
The Coastal Bank has joined forces with Intuit Financial Services to provide mobile banking, allowing customers to check account balances, transfer money between accounts and pay bills securely from any web-enabled phone with a browser. Mobile banking is an extension of The Coastal Bank’s online banking service, which has been strategically optimized for smart phones.
“Our new mobile banking features reflect our ongoing commitment to offering the latest banking services to our customers,” said Jim LaHaise, executive vice president and chief banking officer at The Coastal Bank. “Our customers’ needs and expectations are changing. They want greater control over managing their finances, and they want to bank in a way that fits their lifestyle.”
In addition, The Coastal Bank now offers text message banking that provides customers with the ability to securely check balances and transactions anywhere via a simple text. 
Text message banking enables users to receive account notifications on their mobile phones or devices. This feature does not require an Internet connection.
Text message banking allows banking customers to access account balances and recent transaction history from their cell phones quickly, easily and securely. Once customers sign up for mobile banking at www.thecoastalbank.com and enroll one or more mobile phone numbers, they can start using text message banking features.
“Technology continues to transform the way our customers can manage their money,” LaHaise said. “Our mobile banking offerings are the latest addition to our robust menu of services. We’re delighted to provide our customers with a simple, secure way to bank that puts their account information at their fingertips 24/7.”
The Coastal Bank does not charge for mobile banking or text message banking, however, standard cell phone fees for Internet access or text messaging may apply.

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
GardenCityTerminal
The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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