LaSalle Bank donates to police, fire agencies

FLINT - LaSalle Bank gave a total of $500 to Flint police and fire officials as part of a statewide donation.

Flint Fire Chief Richard Dicks and interim Police Chief Gary Hagler each got checks for $250 Monday to use toward improvements in their departments, said Pamela K. Summerville, branch manager of LaSalle branch in downtown Flint, 503 S. Saginaw St.

LaSalle (formerly Standard Federal Bank) has 11 Genesee County branches and each branch will give $500 to local police and fire departments.

Statewide, the bank is giving $73,000, Summerville said.

"This is one way that we can show our support for the men and women who work so hard to protect our communities," stated LaSalle Bank Senior Vice President Chuck Smith in a news release.

LaSalle Bank Midwest N.A. is based in Troy, with $41 billion in assets and $20.8 billion in deposits.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.