We used to have a joke, a double entendre, before, like, our banks merged.

You see, our accounts were at Commerce bank which took them over from Tinton Falls State Bank - remember them?¹ In the wake of the savings and loan crisis, TFSB was a safe, reliable institution headquartered, coincidentally, in our town.

The kids liked Commerce Bank's free lollipops. Not such good news to the dentist as she has replaced one of Kenny's molar seals already. I thought either the economy or the bank take-over would put a (healthy, good) end to those treats but, after a few weeks hiatus, the lolli's are back, in purple and green instead of red. And the kids love them.

Oh, so the joke? Well, you might not know there's a town in NJ called Red Bank on the Navesink in which two of my children were born and my car is serviced (how's that for assocation?). So, whenever I mention that I'm going to Red Bank, the kids think of the Commerce branch on West Main in Freehold. "You're going to the red bank?" "No, I'm going to Red Bank!"

Ah, well, maybe it's a joke that deserved to die before the kids outgrew it.

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¹ Commerce Bancorp to Acquire Tinton Falls State Bank, Business Wire, 8/13/98.