FNBC

When FNBC President Chad Hudson applied for his first full-time job in the banking industry, he had an unplanned advantage. The bank was looking to hire a loan officer who had banking experience, especially one who could handle loans for livestock.

During high school, Hudson worked at a local livestock sale barn, and he later worked part-time at a bank. He had the right skill set and his career in banking began. He is now the president of FNBC Bank.

“That’s how I got my foot in the door,” he said.

FNBC, founded in 1912 in Ash Flat, covers a vast territory that stretches from West Plains, Mo., Baxter County and Mountain Home to the west, to Batesville and goes as far east as Jonesboro and Craighead County. The bank has 14 locations and about 130 employees. It has a customer base of about 36,500.

The territory that FNBC covers is unique, Hudson said. It includes retirement communities such as Mountain Home and Cherokee Village, but other parts have large concentrations of students in cities like Batesville and Jonesboro. Parts of the territory are industrialized, while others have economies based on agriculture. Expansion is always a part of the bank’s strategic plan, but it’s not just based on geography.

“We try to identify bankers that fit our culture. We find the bankers first and then we build an office. We hope to have another one opening soon,” he said.

The banking industry is facing numerous challenges this year, Hudson said. Interest rate fluctuations, fraud, and complying with regulations are always challenges for banks, he said.

Technology is in constant flux within the industry, and different types of customers have different types of expectations, Hudson said. For instance, older customers tend to prefer the traditional banking experience inside a brick-and-mortar building, while younger customers such as college students might prefer to do all their banking on an app or online.

One feature FNBC has developed in recent years is the iBanker. FNBC introduced iBanker Live Tellers in late 2020 and has since deployed more than 20 machines at all of its 14 locations. iBanker connects customers in the bank’s drive-thru with a live teller who handles standard transactions such as deposits, check cashing, withdrawals and loan payments.

“Banks are always evolving. Banks are always changing. We are entering a time when margins are very important,” he said.

Editor’s note: This company is a finalist for the Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business Awards — Large Business category. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 15. Contact Rob Gutterridge at rgutterridge@nwabj.com for tickets.