Following Merger, Howard Hamilton No Longer With Centennial Bank

Howard Hamilton, a banking industry veteran in Northwest Arkansas, is no longer with Liberty Bank of Arkansas following its merger with Centennial Bank.

Hamilton, previously the Northwest Arkansas regional president and chief operating officer of Liberty Bank, is now owner and manager of Hamilton Family Investments, according to his personal LinkedIn account.

A Centennial Bank spokesman confirmed Hamilton is no longer with the company, and said an official company release would be issued in the coming days with several personnel announcements. No timetable was given.

However, a source told the Business Journal that Scott Hancock is now Centennial Bank’s top executive in Northwest Arkansas.

Hancock had been executive vice president and chief lending officer for Liberty Bank. He has been with the company since 2001 and in Northwest Arkansas since September 2005.

On June 25, Home Bancshares Inc. of Conway — holding company for Centennial Bank — announced its acquisition of Jonesboro-based Liberty Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Liberty Bank.

The $280 million acquisition — the largest in-state bank transaction in Arkansas history — was approved by federal regulators on Oct. 24, and all 46 Liberty Bank locations in Arkansas — including 10 in Benton and Washington counties — began operating as Centennial Bank on Dec. 9.

Hamilton could not immediately be reached for comment. He had been Liberty Bank’s top executive in Northwest Arkansas since the company entered the market in 2004. He had previously been with Arvest Bank-Fayetteville.