Finance

Longtime HR exec Aileen Wilkins joins Arvest Bank

Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank announced Wednesday (Jan. 21) that it has hired Aileen Wilkins as its chief people officer. She started Jan. 5 and succeeds Laura Andress who retired last year. Andress…

Simmons First quarterly net income, revenue beat estimates

Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Corp. had fourth quarter net income of $78.078 million, up 61.6% compared with the 2024 quarter. Earnings per share of 54 cents was well above…

Full-year net income down at Bank OZK, revenue up 4.2%

Little Rock-based Bank OZK on Tuesday (Jan. 20) reported fourth quarter net income of $$171.916 million, down 3.5% compared with the same quarter in 2024. The per share earnings of…

Arvest Bank opens branch at Walmart home office

Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank recently opened a branch at the new Walmart Home Office in Bentonville. The 1,865-square-foot branch at 1702 S.E. Eighth St., Suite 6, is the company’s eighth Bentonville…

Kris Wolf promoted by Encore Bank market president in Jonesboro

Encore Bank has promoted Kris Wolf as market president to Encore Bank’s Jonesboro metro. With 27 years of banking experience, Wolf joined the Encore Bank in 2019. He was an…

Southern Bancorp names Jeremy Loftin as COO

Southern Bancorp Inc. announced the appointment of Jeremy Loftin as its new chief operating officer. The announcement follows the closure of Southern Bancorp’s acquisition of Legacy Bank & Trust earlier…

Home BancShares net income up 18.2% in 2025, revenue up 7.2%

Conway-based Home BancShares posted double-digit percentage gains in net income in the fourth quarter and for the full year, and beat the consensus estimates on income and revenue. The bank…

Car-Mart closes 13 additional dealerships, including 5 in Arkansas

Rogers-based America’s Car-Mart Inc. announced Tuesday (Jan. 13) that it closed 13 dealerships in its second phase of closures, including five in Arkansas. A total of 18 dealerships have been…

Church spends $6.3 million on Caraway Road property

First Methodist Church of Jonesboro made the most significant residential and commercial property transfer in Craighead County from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 according to the Craighead County Assessor’s Office….

Williamson Insurance sells to Inszone

Inszone Insurance Services, a national provider of commercial, personal, and benefits insurance, has acquired Mark V. Williamson Co., Inc., also known as Williamson Insurance, an independent agency based in Little…

Colliers | Arkansas to manage Regions Center; firm closes 2 major deals for $10.7M

Woodcrest Capital, LLC, the new ownership group for downtown Little Rock’s Regions Center, awarded Colliers | Arkansas the property management contract for the iconic high-rise office building effective Dec. 15,…

Fort Smith business leader John Taylor has died

John Taylor, who built a successful career in accounting and investments and had a key role in the creation of the Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE), has…

Car-Mart completes $161.3 million securities transaction

Rogers-based America’s Car-Mart Inc. announced Thursday (Dec. 18) that it has completed a $161.3 million securities transaction. The asset-backed notes have an average coupon of 7.02%. According to a news…

Connections: Dr. Murry receives wound care credential

Dr. Weldon Murry of MANA Foot and Ankle Clinic in Fayetteville recently earned the Certified Wound Specialist Physician credential, the first Arkansas podiatrist to receive this certification, according to a…

First Methodist Church of Jonesboro spends $6.35 million for building on South Caraway

First Methodist Church of Jonesboro spent $6.35 million on Dec. 1 to buy a building on South Caraway Road that it plans to turn into its church. The newly acquired…

Rebkah Guiltner named COO at FNBC

FNBC has announced the promotion of Rebekah Guiltner to executive vice president, chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1. Guiltner, who has been with FNBC for 25 years, will assume leadership…

Home sales down 8.5% in Fort Smith metro through October

Home sales in the Fort Smith metro are down more than 8% in the first 10 months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, with home sales in…

Arvest Bank promotes Bret Jones to Pea Ridge president

Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank announced Tuesday (Dec. 9) that Bret Jones, commercial loan officer for Benton County, has been promoted to community bank president in Pea Ridge. Jones replaces Jeff Neil,…

Citizens Bank hires Alan Jessup as EVP

Citizens Bank has named Alan Jessup to the bank’s leadership team as executive vice president and director of specialty lending. Jessup has more than 30 years of banking experience with…

Sebastian County ranks better than US average on home affordability

The percentage of income needed to own a median-priced home in Sebastian County during the third quarter of 2025 was 25.4%, well below the national average of 33.3%, according to…