The .BANK Domain is Coming to Casey State Bank!

On March 29, 2023, Casey State Bank will change its domain from caseystatebank.com to CaseyState.Bank. What’s the difference, though? Why change? Well, believe it or not, changing a website’s domain name makes more of a difference than just what people must type in to get to the website. What are the benefits of having a .BANK domain rather than a .com domain?

The concept of a .BANK domain first appeared and launched in 2015. Since then, thousands of banks have changed their domains to take advantage of its benefits. In the financial industry, the .BANK domain is known for helping banks stand out as reputable. This type of domain is reserved exclusively for banks. The names must be registered with an fTLD-approved registrar to obtain a. BANK domain. Any institution that wants to get one must submit a verification application. 

To qualify, organizations must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

1. The applicant must apply on behalf of a retail bank, savings association, national retail bank, or parent company. The institution’s status as such must be easily verifiable. Only allowing these types of organizations to obtain a .BANK domain ensures that anyone who has it is more secure and not a scam.
2. The applicant must then fill out registrant documentation. This documentation will include information regarding the applicant’s full legal name, the name of the organization, the organization’s address, the organization’s phone number, the organization’s email address, proof of the applicant’s and the organization’s identity, and an assigned regulatory ID for whom it applies. 
3. The organization and applicant must comply with all both state and federal laws. 
4. The organization may not use a proxy or private domain name registration service in a .BANK by registrants. 

Additionally, the applying organization must meet security requirements set by fTLD that other operators of commercially available gTLDs do not otherwise mandate. 

 These security requirements include:

1. The organization must have verification that the name corresponds to its legal name or brand(s). They must have proof of meeting all eligibility requirements. The organization employee acting as a representative to apply for the domain name must be authorized to complete these verification steps. 
2. The server host must have a name that falls within the .BANK domain zone. You can find a list of the qualifications for a server hostname to fall within the .BANK domain zone online. 
3. The organization applying must have verifiable proof of digital identity certification. 
4. The organization must have a transport layer security implementation. 
5. The organization must publish DNS as a text record. 

Why use a .BANK domain?

The main benefit of using a .BANK domain over a .com one is a more secure online banking and communication space. Additionally, customers and employees communicating with a bank can more easily and quickly recognize that the email address or website link they are looking at is legitimate and not a spoof site or scam. Essentially, a .BANK domain functions as a virtual stamp of trustworthiness.

 A .BANK domain name is significantly more secure than a .com domain name, since anyone applying for it must meet so many requirements. They also help protect from security threats that cause over 90% of breaches, malware, ransomware, BEC, identity theft, and more. 

We’re excited that Casey State Bank is making the move to a .BANK domain, and you should be, too! Reach out and start a conversation with us to learn more about how this change will benefit you and everyone in our community.