BOZ Earns High Marks in Performance Study

Little Rock-based lender Bank of the Ozarks Inc. ranked first among mid-sized banks nationally in a recent survey tracking profitability, asset quality and capital strength.

BOZ was one of three Arkansas-based companies to be evaluated in the 2015 Bank Performance Scorecard, published in the current issue of Bank Director, a magazine and online resource for senior officers and directors of financial institutions.

The scorecard ranks the 300 largest publically traded U.S. banks — based on their 2014 financial numbers — divided into three separate asset categories.

For the complete rankings, click here.

For the third year in a row, BOZ ranked first among 102 mid-sized banks, defined as those with assets between $5 billion and $50 billion.

The bank has assets of $8.71 billion in assets as of June 30, with 168 offices in 10 states throughout the country. In Arkansas, the bank has 80 locations, including 10 in Benton and Washington counties.

“Being recognized as number one in the nation demonstrates to our customers that Bank of the Ozarks is a strong institution,” BOZ chairman and CEO George Gleason said in a prepared statement. “Our consistent performance as a top performing bank in the country is a reflection of having a highly talented and professional team of bankers focused on protecting and enhancing financial services for our customers.

“Our employees understand the need to provide state-of-the-art banking solutions with unparalleled courtesy and professionalism always.”

To read the mgazine’s in-depth profile Gleason, click here.

Conway-based Home Bancshares Inc., parent company of Centennial Bank, ranked No. 9 in the mid-sized category.

Of the 130 banks evaluated in the small-bank category ($1 billion to $5 billion), Bear State Financial Inc., the Little Rock-based holding company for Bear State Bank N.A., was ranked No. 13.