Rowland joins Benefit Bank as VP of commercial lending

Fort Smith-based Benefit Bank announced Thursday (Jan. 24) that Jill Rowland has joined the bank as vice president of commercial lending.

Rowland is an experienced commercial loan officer who has worked in the River Valley for the past six years. Her role at Benefit Bank will include working with commercial customers needing loans for real estate, investment property, lines of credit and equipment.

“Jill has an excellent reputation for helping business owners and investors acquire the capital they need to sustain and expand their businesses. Her experience in commercial real estate lending will be a great asset for Benefit Bank customers,” Benefit Bank President Joe Edwards said in a statement.

Rowland is a graduate of Southside High School and an accounting graduate from the University of Arkansas. After college she obtained practical experience as a staff accountant in the health care industry before graduating from the American Banking Association National Commercial Lending School at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

She is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Fort Smith and is a volunteer for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund. She and her husband, Steve, are residents of Fort Smith.

Benefit Bank is a locally owned and operated financial institution established in Fort Smith in 2000. Benefit Bank has six branch banks and an ATM location in Fort Smith, Van Buren and Springdale, Ark. All deposits are FDIC insured.