Bank of the Ozarks names Tom Mays president of South Arkansas division

Publicly held Bank of the Ozarks of Little Rock, the state’s largest lender, has named Tom Mays as president of its South Arkansas division. He will be responsible for the bank’s operations in Hot Springs, Arkadelphia, Hope, Magnolia and Texarkana.

Mays is a native of southern Arkansas with nearly 20 years of experience in banking and financial services. He spent the past three years as president of the bank’s Saline County market.

“I’m extremely pleased to be part of the Garland County community, as is my entire family,” Mays said in a statement. “Exciting new growth is taking place here; people work hard, and it’s a welcoming community. This is very much in line with our approach to banking.”

Alan Jessup, the bank’s director of community banking, said Mays has an excellent blend of financial expertise, leadership skill and familiarity with the region.

“Every day, Tom Mays shows his commitment to high ethical standards, fair dealing and putting the customer’s needs first.” Jessup said in a statement. “With people like Tom on our team, it’s easy to see how leading industry publications have named Bank of the Ozarks the nation’s top performing bank 12 times in the past eight years.”

Mays is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.