Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg

The work of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office touches Nebraskans from birth to end of life and everywhere in between. As trustee of the Nebraska Educational Savings Plan Trust (NEST), we encourage families to begin saving for college from the day their children are born. And as manager of Nebraska’s Long-Term Care Savings Plan, we encourage families to begin those difficult discussions about how best to pay for necessary care when we are no longer able to care for ourselves.

In between, we distribute unclaimed property to its rightful owners— almost $8 million last year— and collect and disburse child support payments—an average of $1 million a day—making sure that children receive the financial support they need and deserve. In addition to these tasks, our office reconciles state bank accounts; processes and pays state warrants; contracts for state credit card, branded prepaid card, and Automated Clearing House (ACH) services; and processes checks and ACH receipts to state agencies ranging from $10 milllion to $100 million a day.

The 45 employees of the State Treasurer’s Office are spread across three locations. Treasury Management and College Savings Program staff members, along with the administrative team, work in Suite 2005 in the State Capitol. Our Unclaimed Property Division staff works at 809 P Street in Lincoln’s Haymarket District, and the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center is located at 233 S. 10th St.

Please visit us at any of these locations. You may contact us at our main number, 402-471-2455, and we will direct you to the appropriate source. We also encourage you to check our website, www.treasurer.org, and to follow us regularly on Facebook at Nebraska State Treasurer’s office. Whether in person, on the telephone, or online, you can be assured of friendly, professional service and a genuine desire to answer your questions.

Treasurer Stenberg Announces Additions to NebraskaSpending.gov

Lincoln, NE (January 9, 2012) - Contracts between state agencies and outside vendors now are available for review on the NebraskaSpending.gov website, State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today.

NebraskaSpending.gov provides financial information about state government receipts and expenditures and, by law, is maintained by the State Treasurer’s Office.

NebraskaSpending.gov

State Treasurer Don Stenberg Announces 2012 Essay Contest

Lincoln, NE (January 4, 2012) - State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced the kickoff of the 2012 “Why I Want to Go to College” essay contest.

For the past 10 years, the Nebraska Educational Savings Plan Trust has been asking seventh and eighth graders to write about why they want to go to college. Last year, a record 1,051 entries were received in the contest sponsored by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and the Omaha Storm Chasers baseball team.

State Treasurer Stenberg Notes 10th Anniversary of Nebraska Child Support Payment Center

Lincoln, NE (Tuesday, December 20, 2011) - The Nebraska Child Support Payment Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary Wednesday, not with fanfare but with a sense of satisfaction that thousands of children are receiving the financial support they need and deserve.

“While the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center has received and paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in child support over the past 10 years, the focus of this anniversary is clearly on the children,” said State Treasurer Don Stenberg. “Nebraska’s centralized collection and distribution system has been a leader in adapting technology to make it possible for child support payments to be received and distributed in a secure, convenient, and efficient fashion for the benefit of children in Nebraska and other states.”

Celebrating the 10th anniversary are, from left, Barb Wilson of YoungWilliams, which oversees the Wausa call center; Troy Reiners, director of the Child Support Payment Center; Lori Bengston of YoungWilliams; and Deb Steidley of Nebraska Health and Human Services Department.

State Treasurer Stenberg Announces New Online Option to Make Child Support Payments

Lincoln, NE (December 14, 2011) - A new online payment option is being made available to non-custodial parents who pay child support through the Nebraska State Child Support Payment Center, State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today.

The first payment through the new Secure Vault Payments® option was made by a father in Portland, Ore., just hours after the service was initiated. More than $1 million in child support payments are processed daily at the Child Support Payment Center, a division of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office.

Secure Vault Payments (SVP) allows parents to make child support payments electronically without having to share their bank routing number or bank account number with the state. The option, which became available Dec. 5 to non-custodial parents who are customers of financial institutions offering the service, also does not require convenience fees. U.S. Bank currently is the only bank in Nebraska offering Secure Vault Payments, but state officials are hoping other Nebraska banks will soon follow suit.

Nebraska Educational Savings Trust Named a ‘Best College Savings Plan’ by Kiplinger’s

Omaha, NE (December 6, 2011) - Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) the “Best College Savings Plan” for Fund Selection, announced Dan O’Neill, President, First National Bank of Omaha. NEST is Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plan and First National Bank of Omaha serves as Program Manager. This is the 4th time Kiplinger’s has named Nebraska’s 529 Plan a ‘Best College Savings Plan.’

Kiplinger’s recently released its “2011 Best List” and NEST was one of only two plans named in the College Savings Plan section. All 529 plans were evaluated on how they best suit the needs of investors in the categories of Overall Value, Fund Selection and Low Fees. NEST was cited in the category of Fund Selection based on a selection of 14 individual funds from Fidelity, Pimco, T.Rowe Price, State Street and Vanguard.

Nebraska’s 529 Plan Launches FDIC-Insured Savings Option

Lincoln, NE (October 17, 2011) - First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO), the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today the launch of the Bank Savings Investment Option, Nebraska’s FDIC-insured 529 savings option. NEST is Nebraska’s 529 college savings plan (previously named College Savings Plan of Nebraska) of which the State Treasurer serves as the Trustee and First National Bank of Omaha serves as Program Manager. Today’s announcement follows the August 17, 2011, announcement by State Treasurer Don Stenberg regarding the Nebraska Investment Council’s approval of this new investment option.

The Bank Savings Individual Investment Option is a low-cost investment option that is not subject to stock market fluctuation, making it a suitable choice for families seeking stability of principal, low risk, and locked-in earnings. Additionally, conservative investors, low- to moderate-income families, grandparents, and families with children at or near college age will find this option beneficial, since it is FDIC-insured up to $250,000 when combined with any other account owner holdings at the First National Bank of Omaha

State Treasurer Don Stenberg Announces Major Improvement to NebraskaSpending.gov Website

Lincoln, NE (October 13, 2011) - State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today that the NebraskaSpending.gov website is now being updated with state spending information monthly instead of annually, as had been the past practice.

The NebraskaSpending.gov website provides financial information about state government receipts and expenditures and, by law, is maintained by the State Treasurer’s Office.

“Since I took office in January, I have focused on changes to the NebraskaSpending.gov website to provide more timely information to Nebraska taxpayers and to make the website easier to use,” State Treasurer Stenberg said at a news conference Thursday in his Capitol office.

Treasurer Don Stenberg, right, with John S. McCollister, executive director of the Platte Institute, following the Oct. 13 news conference. McCollister praised the Treasurer’s work to promote government transparency through NebraskaSpending.gov. Stenberg said the improvements grew out of recommendations from the Platte Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit think tank headquartered in Omaha.