Simmons First Pushes into Washington County

The acquisition of the Bank of Lincoln by Simmons First Bank of Northwest Arkansas was scheduled for completion on May 1. Joe Mills, president of Simmons First, says the Simmons name will go up in Lincoln and Prairie Grove, where the Bank of Lincoln has had a branch, but the personnel will stay intact.

“Every associate there is staying, including [bank president] Loyd Swope, who’s been there 25 years,” Mills says.

But in addition to the Simmons First name, former Bank of Lincoln customers will soon have access to automated teller machines in both communities, something they haven’t previously had. They’ll also have access to debit cards, another feature that’s new to those customers, Mills says.

Simmons First recently opened a new branch on Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville. The bank is installing an ATM in that city, too, near the intersection of Crossover Road and Arkansas Highway 45, Mills says.