On October 12, 2005, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), the regulators overseeing banks and credit unions, advised that Customer ID's and Passwords alone will no longer be acceptable as the sole means of achieving online (Internet Banking) security. Multifactor Authentication (MFA) was their recommended solution. Republic Bank's implementation of Multifactor Authentication will be called "Enhanced Login Security."

MFA requires online users to provide something additional beyond a Customer ID and Password to login to Internet Banking. This enhanced security means that even if a user has their password stolen in a phishing attack or by malicious software, the fraud perpetrator still cannot access online accounts because they do not possess the additional factors needed. This Enhanced Login Security provides all Republic Bank Internet Banking users with greater security and greater peace of mind.

How does Enhanced Login Security enrollment work?
The first time you log on to Internet Banking, you will be presented with a "Challenge Question" screen. The challenge question will assist you in the future if you forget your password and is also part of Enhanced Login Security. You must complete the information on this screen to continue.

Next, you will be presented with a screen inviting you to add Enhanced Login Security protection to your computer. To enroll, simply follow the screen prompts that follow.

Enhanced Login Security is transparent from this point forward. You login the same way you always have with your User ID and Password.

What is Enhanced Login Security?
Enhanced Login Security is a new online security feature that will provide you additional protection from fraud and identity theft. Enhanced Login Security helps prevent unauthorized access to your accounts and secure financial information.

Why do I need to use Enhanced Login Security?
Enhanced Login Security will allow us to recognize you as the true owner of your account by recognizing not only your User ID and Password but also your computer. If we don't recognize your computer, we will request additional information by using the challenge question. This will help to ensure authorized access.

How does Enhanced Login Security work?
You will need to register Enhanced Login Security to each computer that you use for online banking on a regular basis. This can be done easily from the Enhanced Login Security Options page. Whenever you login from a computer that you have registered for Enhanced Login Security, you will automatically have additional protection and notice no difference in the way you login. However if you login from a different computer than the one you have registered, you will be asked for additional information in order to login.

Please note that if you use multiple browsers within the same computer you will need to register Enhanced Login Security to each browser separately.

How do you recognize my computer?
When you register Enhanced Login Security to your computer, a secure cookie will be placed on your computer. A cookie is a message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users.

This secure cookie is unique and when used in combination with your login information, creates a unique way to identify you to the system. For every login attempt after you register Enhanced Login Security to a computer, this secure cookie is validated along with the login identification you normally enter. This secure cookie is only used by Republic Bank to validate your identity and does not contain any personal information.

What will be the benefit of having Enhanced Login Security?
Registering Enhanced Login Security for your computer allows us to recognize your computer along with your normal login information, which helps add additional protection from unauthorized access to your accounts. If someone were to get your login information and try to access your account from another computer, having Enhance Login Security will stop them from gaining access because they will be asked for information that only you know and would not have that information.

What will happen if I remove Enhanced Login Security from this computer?
If you want to remove Enhanced Login Security from a computer, the secure cookie will be removed from the computer you are currently logged into, and all future logins from this computer will require you to provide more information that only you will know. To remove Enhance Login Security from your computer, select the Enhanced Login Security Options page, click the button that says "Remove extra security from this computer," and then click the submit button.

Can I login from multiple computers and browsers?
Yes, you can login from as many different computers and browsers as you like. If you login from a computer that you haven't registered Enhanced Login Security to, you will be asked for additional information so that we can verify that it's really you. If you provide this information correctly, you will have the option to register Enhanced Login Security to that computer, and avoid being asked for this extra information again.

Please note that if you use multiple browsers within the same computer you will need to enroll each browser separately.

Can I still login to my account from anywhere?
Yes, this feature does not prevent you from logging into Internet Banking from any computer. If we do not recognize the computer that you are using, then we will simply ask for additional information that only you know before allowing you access.

What should I do if I do not want to use a computer that I have previously register for Enhanced Login Security?
If, for any reason, you no longer plan on using a particular computer to access your accounts and you have registered Enhanced Login Security to that computer, you should remove the Enhanced Login Security from that computer. This can be done by logging into Internet Banking from the computer that you wish to remove the Enhanced Login Security from and selecting the "remove extra security from this computer" option from the Enhanced Login Security options page. This will remove the secure cookie from that browser so that if an attempt to login to your account is made from that computer, extra information will be requested before access is granted.

Why do I keep getting asked for extra information when I login from a computer that I have already registered for Enhance Login Security?
This is probably happening because the secure cookie that was placed within your browser is getting deleted. This can happen if you delete cookies from your machine. This is a common method that Spyware blocker software uses to remove potentially risky items from your computer. These solutions typically remove ALL cookies as a precaution even though very few cookies are actually a security risk. In order to use this feature without being asked for additional information at each login, the secure cookie that we use to identify your computer must stay within your browser. We recommend that you do not delete these cookies if you do not want to be asked for additional information at each login.

I share my computer with someone that also uses Internet Banking. Can both of us still login from the same computer?
Yes. You can use the same computer to login to your individual accounts safely; you will not be able to access each other's information. This is because your secure cookie is linked to only your login information. There is no limit as to how many secure cookies can be installed on the same computer. Just remember to never share your User ID or Password with anyone.