Tag: Banking & Finance

Pitts Has Style

Don Pitts, chairman of United Holding Co., shovels snow and ice off his bank’s sidewalk.

Coalition Petitions to Raise Minimum Wage (Editorial)

We agree the minimum wage should be raised. We?re not convinced it should come in the form of a constitutional amendment.

Time to Examine ‘Smart Growth,’ ‘Smart Taxes’ (Market Forecast)

Growth in Northwest Arkansas and in all economies provides a rise of new jobs, new income, new tax revenue, and higher property values. But too much of a good thing can turn counterproductive.

Harrells Run Two Different Banks, Families

John Harrell is the president of Priority Bank, and Jon Harrell is the president of Signature Bank of Arkansas? Rogers? office. The two aren?t related.

Bank Name Causes Double Take

Only two Arkansas-based banks are in the Tulsa market, and one of those is not Arkansas Valley State Bank, which is chartered in Broken Arrow, Okla., a suburb of Tulsa.

Stephens Inc. Opens New Office in Connecticut

Little Rock-based private bank Stephens Inc. opens an office in New Haven, Conn.

Northwest SBA-backed Lending Down 3 Percent

Statewide, 81 financial institutions made 581 U.S. Small Business Administration-guaranteed loans worth almost $125 million to borrowers in Arkansas during fiscal 2005. (Includes list of the region’s largest SBA lenders.)

BOF Buys SPI Credit

The Bank of Fayetteville purchased a research and development tax credit in mid-January from Fayetteville?s Space Photonics Inc.

Spivey Joins Liberty Bank

The competition for top-shelf, tapped-in banking officers has heated up in the super-banked Northwest Arkansas market.

The Year’s Biggest Deals

Two deals by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville top the list of the regions’ biggest deals in 2005.

Bankruptcy Filing Flood Swamps Federal Courts

Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings jumped by about 50 percent last year in Fayetteville and Harrison A total of 2,124 Chapter 7 cases were filed in Fayetteville in 2005, with 1,110 of them filed from August through October.

Estate Planning Council Provides Continuing Ed

Lawyer Jack Butt, a partner with Davis Wright Clark Butt & Carithers in Fayetteville, had envisioned an area estate planning council for years, but things never really gelled until last summer.

Paint Can Logo Resembles Bank?s

Valspar Corp.?s Signature Colors paint uses a similar ?S? logo to that of Signature Bank of Arkansas, which is based in Fayetteville.

FSB Begins Wealth Management Division

Sam Scott, former CPA and business development officer at Greenwood & Associates Inc., is now the lead ?wealth strategist? for FSB in Rogers.

MNB Buys Clear Creek Lot

Metropolitan National Bank bought a lot in the Clear Creek addition in Johnson.

Community Banks? ROA UP

Mary Beth Brooks, president and CEO of the Bank of Fayetteville, said the bank?s net income grew substantially in 2005.

Arvest Drops Fee for Bill Pay

2006 may be the year for innovative, competitive banking products in Northwest Arkansas.

Deciphering the Index Illusions (Kerry Watkins-Bradley Commentary)

A quick look at how to decipher Standard & Poor?s 500 index.

Whirlpool?s Layoffs Ripple Through Banking Community

Whirlpool Corp. of Benton Harbor, Mich., announced 730 more layoffs at the company?s Fort Smith plant as it prepares to begin operations at a new manufacturing facility in Mexico.

The Bank of Fayetteville Checks In

The Bank of Fayetteville will unveil an interest-earning checking account for the masses.

Entergy Arkansas unveils ‘Next Generation’ plan; will seek to extend nuclear licenses

Fort Smith business leader John Taylor has died

Car-Mart completes $161.3 million securities transaction

Officials ask public to be on the lookout for bird flu in flocks