High school students enrolled in the Nebraska NEST Financial Scholars online program made substantial gains in their overall financial knowledge in the 2014-15 school year, recording an impressive average knowledge gain of 61 percent, State Treasurer Don Stenberg reported recently.

The annual NEST on the Farm contest switched its focus from words to pictures in 2015, but the audience was the same - Nebraska kids. Five of the six winners were recognized Aug. 29 on the Family Fun Zone stage at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. The children, ranging in age from 3 to 11, were recognized for their photos of farm and ranch life in Nebraska. Each of the winners received a $1,000 NEST scholarship."The children's photos cause us all to stop and appreciate the rural life around us," Treasurer Stenberg said.

The State of Nebraska has entered into a new, five-year contract for payment card processing services for credit cards and debit cards with U.S. Bank. Treasurer Stenberg said that over the course of the contract, the state will save an estimated $550,000 in processing charges.

“The State of Nebraska expects to see greater volume under the new contract as Nebraskans continue to shift from using cash for these types of transactions to the use of credit and debit cards,” Stenberg said. In 2014 the state processed more than $154 million in credit and debit card transactions, up from the $153.9 million in 2013.

As part of the contract, U.S. Bank is providing 200 EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) chip-enabled readers to state agencies at no additional cost.The new readers, which authenticate microchip-card transactions, add an additional layer of security.

Nebraska State Treasurer's Office staff members greeted hundreds of Nebraskans at the 2015 State Fair in Grand Island, helping them search for unclaimed property and lean more about saving for college and for long-term care. The State Fair is one of the most productive outreach events for our unclaimed property team. Check out upcoming outreach events at the Gateway Farm Expo, Nov. 18-19, in Kearney and the Northeast Nebraska Farm & Equipment Show, Jan. 13-14, in Norfolk.

Treasurer Stenberg recognized NEST Read to Win $529 Scholarship winners Oct. 5 in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. A total of 15 young readers each received a $529 scholarship in the drawing. More than 20,000 entered in the drawing after completing summer reading programs in their local libraries. Pictured here with Treasurer Stenberg are some of the winners with their big checks.