The Arkansas Banker June 2015

Get to Know Senator Tom Cotton

Bank Management Seminar

The Arkansas

Banker

2015-16 Chairman of the Arkansas Bankers Association Robert Taylor and His Wife Judy

Volume XCIX, No. 6 | June 2015 June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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JUNE 12TH , 11:01 A .M .

HOME GROWN DIVIDENDS IN AN INS TANT,

C A RO L M U R PH Y R E A L IZE D HER VA LU E TO THE CO M M U NIT Y

Carol approved a loan that helped a family buy a home — a family that would go on to start a local business, and raise two children who would start businesses of their own. CNA’s broad coverages and depth of experience help banks such as Carol’s manage emerging risks and respond to changing regulations.

These insurance products and solutions can help meet the needs of customers from generation to generation.

Way to go, Carol.

At CNA, we salute the memorable experiences that lead to memorable milestones.

Please visit www.cna.com/communitybanks

CNA is proud to be the endorsed carrier of the Arkansas Bankers Association.

Please remember that only the relevant insurance policy can provide the actual terms, coverages, amounts, conditions and exclusions for an insured. All products and services may not be available in all states and may be subject to change without notice. The examples provided in this material are for illustrative purposes only and any similarity to actual individuals, entities, or places is coincidental. CNA is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation.

Copyright © 2014 CNA. All rights reserved.

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CNA-FI-032_ArkansasBankersAssociation_FINAL.indd 1

The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

4/1/14 4:24 PM

The Arkansas

Banker Volume XCIX, No. 6 | June 2015

The Arkansas Banker is the official publication of the Arkansas Bankers Association.

EDITORIAL OFFICE

1220 West Third Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone 501.376.3741 | Fax 501.376.9243 www.arkbankers.org

CONTENTS 4

President’s Column

6

Chairman’s Column

8

Washington Update

COLUMNS

Bill Holmes

Robert Taylor

Gov. Frank Keating

EDITORIAL

The Arkansas Banker seeks to reflect the banking news of Arkansas and other news of direct interest to the Arkansas Bankers Association. Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the authors alone and do not represent the opinion or endorsement of the Arkansas Bankers Association. Articles may be reproduced with written permission only.

10 Government Relations

39 Professional Development

DEPARTMENTS

12 Get to Know

Senator Tom Cotton

FEATURES

By Andy Elliott

34 A Morning Unlike Any Other:

Responding in a Time of Crisis

By Lt. Col. Robert Darling

MAGAZINE RATES

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Arkansas Bankers Association, 1220 West Third Street, Little Rock, AR 72201.

30 What Socks Taught

Me About Customer Experience 32 Bank Management Seminar

Cover price is $5.95 each. Annual subscription rates are $40.00 for members and $60.00 for non-members.

The Arkansas Banker (ISSN 004-1726) is published monthly by the Arkansas Bankers Association, 1220 West Third Street, Little Rock, AR 72201.

Phone: 501.376.3741. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, AR.

42 Banker News & Moves 43 Index of Advertisements

The publication of advertisement does not necessarily represent endorsement of those products or services by the Arkansas Bankers Association. The Editor reserves the right to refuse any advertisement.

SUBSCRIPTION

40 Member News 43 Classifieds

ADVERTISEMENT

Subscription to The Arkansas Banker magazine, which began monthly publication in April 1917, is included in the membership fees to the Arkansas Bankers Association.

Ava Franks

38 125 Years of the ABA:

An Association is Born

2015 ANNUAL CONVENTION

14 Annual Convention Wrap-Up 22 Milestones in Banking Awards 26 Faces of the ABA:

2015-16 Board of Directors 28 Faces of the ABA:

2015-16 Slate of Officers

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Looking Back...50 Years Ago

We enjoyed our 125th Annual Convention last month, and this month’s magazine is full of pictures from the various events that took place. Since we are going to be looking back at our last 125 years, I thought it would be fun to see what took place at our 75th Annual Convention. Lots of things have changed, and strangely a lot of issues for our banks then are strikingly similar to issues we all face today.

The 75th Annual Convention was held May 1719, 1965 at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs.

President Max Mitcham presided over the convention. Prior to the opening business session the Executive Council met and elected H. C. “Bo” Carvill Acting Executive Manager to succeed Jeff Burnett on his retirement from the Association.

William H. Bowen of the law firm of Smith, Williams, Friday and Bowen was retained as General Counsel for the association.

Dr. Richard Johnson, Chairman of Economics, SMU addressed the convention on the topic of “The Changing Structure of Banking.” J.W. Bellamy, Chairman of National Bank of Commerce, Pine Bluff spoke to the bankers about “Costing Your Way to Profits.” Paul Gayer, President of the Junior Bankers Section spoke, as did Mr. Bill Bowen, who presented an address titled “Problems and Pitfalls of Joint Ownership.” A presentation on “Federal Legislation Affecting Banking” was given

by Jack Conn, Chairman of the Federal Legislation Committee of the American Bankers Association.

Updated versions of those topics were what we discussed last month at our Day with the Commissioner. The specifics have changed but the issues have a remarkable similarity to 1965.

Later in the Convention, new officers were elected.

They were: President: Roy Baker, Jr. President of Security Bank in Harrison Vice President: J.C. Reeves, SVP of National Bank of Commerce of Pine Bluff Treasurer: Thomas Hayes Jr. President and CEO of The First National Bank of Hope

PRESIDENT & CEO BILL HOLMES

A report on the Association’s finances was given; fortunately, here there has been great change. In 1965 there were 242 banks with total assets of $2.06 billion. Membership dues for the year were $62,548, total income was $67,878; a far cry from our $2.2 million in revenues today. Their total reserves were about $79,000, today we have over $5 million in assets.

Shortly after the Convention, President Roy Baker announced the chairmen for the ABA’s various committees. Most of these are names we will all recognize: Agriculture Committee: John Ed Chambers, President of the Bank of Danville Education Committee: Kenneth Pat Wilson, President of First Jacksonville Bank Seminar Committee: Cecil Cupp, Jr., Vice President of Arkansas Bank & Trust, Hot Springs

The Executive Council of the Arkansas Bankers Association in 1965. From the upper left corner: Max A. Mitcham, Smackover State Bank, Smackover; Roy L. Baker, Jr., Security Bank, Harrison; Mace D. Howell, First State Bank, Springdale; Jeff Burnett, Arkansas Bankers Association; J.C. Reeves, National Bank of Commerce, Pine Bluff; Edward M. Penick, Worthen Bank and Trust Co., Little Rock; Garland Kirkpatrick, Mercantile Bank, Jonesboro; J.C. Landes, Peoples Bank and Loan Co., Lewisville; and H.C. Carvill, Arkansas Bankers Association; inside middle row: R.A. Martin, Simmons First National Bank, Pine Bluff; Graydon E. Comstock, Jr., Arkansas State Bank, Siloam Springs; Clyman E. Izard, Peoples Bank and Trust Co., Van Buren; Means Wilkinson, Farmers Bank, Greenwood; and Albert M. Hayes, Peoples National Bank, Stuttgart; in front: P.L. Copeland, Merchants and Planters Bank, Newport; Thomas Vinson, First National Bank, Batesville; Herman H. Cooper, Planters Bank and Trust Co., Forrest City; Ellis E. Shelton, First National Bank, Fayetteville; and B. Finley Vinson, First National Bank, Little Rock.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

ABA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE State Legislative Committee: H.H. McAdams, Chairman of Citizens Bank, Jonesboro Savings Committee: Dabbs Sullivan, Vice Chairman of Worthen Bank & Trust, Little Rock A few of the highlights from 1965 were: Louis Hurley, President of Exchange Bank & Trust of El Dorado was elected Treasurer of the American Bankers Association.

J. W. Bellamy, Chairman of National Bank of Commerce, was elected Chairman of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Copies of the new Constitution and Bylaws were mailed to all of the banks.

The first Digest of Arkansas Banking Laws was published and distributed by the Association.

The Education Committee again cosponsored the Economics Education movement in Arkansas. Committee Chairman Kenneth Pat Wilson presented a check for $13,000 on behalf of Arkansas banks.

The Junior Bankers Section expanded their educational activities, primarily through AIB. They had 500 enrolled in the Little Rock chapter alone.

And last but not least, President Baker appeared on major television stations in the state in an interview on the coin changes; and his address on “The Role of Commercial Banks in the American Economy,” was sent in to the public schools throughout the state.

Parkway Bank, Rogers

ROBERT Y. TAYLOR | CHAIRMAN

SEAN WILLIAMS | CHAIRMAN-ELECT First National Bank of Wynne, Wynne

DAVE DICKSON | VICE CHAIRMAN Union Bank & Trust Co., Monticello

JUDY LAWTON | TREASURER Heartland Bank, Little Rock

CHUCK MORGAN | PAST CHAIRMAN Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff

BILL HOLMES | PRESIDENT/CEO Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock

ABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PHIL BALDWIN | GROUP 2 Citizens Bank, Batesville

J. MICHAEL JONES | GROUP 5 Merchants & Farmers Bank, Dumas

GREG CONNELL | GROUP 2 The Farmers & Merchants Bank, Perryville

CRAIG MOBLEY | GROUP 4 First Financial Bank of El Dorado, El Dorado

TROY DUKE | GROUP 5 Bank of Rison, Rison

WILSON MOORE | GROUP 2 Bank of America, Little Rock

Regions Bank, Hot Springs

ELIZABETH FARRIS | GROUP 4

JERRY MORGAN | GROUP 1 Focus Bank, Jonesboro

GARY GOLDEN | GROUP 4 First State Bank of DeQueen, DeQueen

Eagle Bank, Little Rock

SCOTT HANCOCK | GROUP 3 Centennial Bank, Fayetteville

RANDY SCOTT | GROUP 1 Farmers Bank & Trust Co., Blytheville

DREW HARPER | GROUP 2 Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock

MIKE SMITH | GROUP 5 McGehee Bank, McGehee

JON HARRELL | GROUP 3

JIM TAYLOR | GROUP 3 First Security Bancorp, Fayetteville

DARWIN HENDRIX | GROUP 4

STANHOPE WILKINSON | GROUP 3 Farmers Bank & Trust, Greenwood

First Bank, Rogers

Bank of Delight, Delight

CATHERINE OWEN | GROUP 2

CHARLES HORTON | GROUP 1 Fidelity Bank, West Memphis

That was the year, fifty years ago.

Today, the Association is still serving as our industry voice, providing education and training, products and services and financial literacy efforts. While our current challenges and a rapidly evolving business model lead us in new directions we know we can adapt and advance because of the leadership of our hometown bankers. Certainly the leaders from the last 125 years faced many changes and challenges, but with the mutual respect and unified positions of our bankers we have grown our communities and our banks.

Thank you to all of our predecessors, current members, and partners for all you do in support of our banks. Happy 125th birthday.

Join us in Rogers for the 78th Annual Bank Management Seminar August 6-8, 2015.

ABA STAFF BILL HOLMES

PRESIDENT/CEO 501.978.3602 | bill.holmes@arkbankers.org

CARLA BRINKLEY

VP/CONTROLLER 501.978.3608 | carla.brinkley@arkbankers.org

AVA FRANKS

VP/DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 501.978.3606 | ava.franks@arkbankers.org

JESSICA SAHENE

AARON GAMEWELL

EVP/COO 501.978.3613 | aaron.gamewell@arkbankers.org

KAMI TAYLOR COLEMAN

VP/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 501.978.3614 | kami.coleman@arkbankers.org

TRACI LOGSDON

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS 501.978.3603 | traci.logsdon@arkbankers.org

TERRI KELLY

MARKETING COORDINATOR 501.978.3609 | jessica.sahene@arkbankers.org

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR 501.978.3607 | terri.kelly@arkbankers.org

STUART THALHEIMER

BRENDA SCARBROUGH

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 501.978.3605 | stuart.thalheimer@arkbankers.org 501.978.3600 | brenda.scarbrough@arkbankers.org June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

5

CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Thank you for the honor of serving you as your incoming Chairman of the Arkansas Bankers Association. As I looked at the pictures of the past 124 bankers who have served as chairman, I realized the tremendous legacy and responsibility I have been entrusted with. I truly appreciate the many offers of support and help for the coming year.

I enjoyed seeing and visiting with many of you at this year’s Convention. Bill Holmes and the entire staff of the Association are to be commended for their hard work in putting on a highly successful event. The Convention began on Tuesday evening with the traditional Past Chairman’s Reception and Dinner hosted by Past Chairman Eddie Holt.

Departing from past Conventions, on Wednesday night we enjoyed an opening reception, sponsored

by Country Club Bank Capital Markets Group which featured comments from Congressman French Hill.

Thursday morning started with comments from Commissioner Candace Franks and “The Day with the Commissioner.” Commissioner Franks gave an update on the “State of the Banking Community in Arkansas” which was followed by presentations from the CSBS, The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, to name a few. The morning culminated with an informative address from Governor Asa Hutchinson.

A big thank you to the Commissioner for an outstanding morning, and congratulations for your

service this year as Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Thursday afternoon continued with the business portion of the Convention and outgoing Chairman Chuck Morgan reported the recommendations of the Nominating Committee with the election of Judy Lawton of Heartland Bank as Treasurer, and Dave Dickson, Union Bank & Trust –Monticello as Vice Chairman. Congratulations, Judy and Dave.

Thursday evening’s events included the Chairman’s Reception sponsored by CNA Insurance and the DD&F Legacy of Leadership ABA Annual Banquet and Officer Installation.

CHAIRMAN ROBERT TAYLOR President & CEO Parkway Bank

Friday morning began with the traditional Simmons Strawberry Breakfast, and the Convention concluded following our morning speakers.

Many thanks to all of our sponsors and vendors who helped to make our 125th Convention such a success. Thank you Bill, Aaron, Carla, Ava, Jessica, Stuart, Kami, Traci, Terri and Brenda for an outstanding convention. And, a special thanks to Chuck and Cappi Morgan. They have represented our Association in the highest tradition and are deserving of our appreciation. When you see Chuck and Cappi this year, please thank them for their service this year; I WILL. As a reminder, this year’s Bank Management Seminar will be held August 6-8 at the Embassy Suites in Rogers. Watch for additional information to be forthcoming and we hope that you will plan to attend.

ABA EMERGING LEADERS SECTION COUNCIL Simmons Bank, Jonesboro

DANIEL ROBINSON | PRESIDENT

KEVIN THOMPSON | VICE PRESIDENT Centennial Bank, Fayetteville

Arvest Bank, Little Rock

BLAKE FLETCHER | SEC./TREAS.

EDUARDO ABRIL | GROUP 4 First State Bank of DeQueen, DeQueen

CAMRON HAMES | GROUP 2 First Community Bank, Batesville

Firstar Bank, Fort Smith

Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff

JOHN ANDERSON | GROUP 5

ANDY HORTON | GROUP 1 Fidelity National Bank, Marion

HUNTER NORTON | GROUP 3 First Security Bank, Fayetteville

TRENT BROWN | GROUP 1 Simmons Bank, Jonesboro

MATT LAFORCE | GROUP 2 First Security Bank, Searcy

TREY CLARK | GROUP 4 First Financial Bank, El Dorado

Today’s Bank, Fayetteville

BROOKE MORETON | GROUP 3

BRITTANY THOMPSON LITTLE | GROUP 3

WHAT IS THE EMERGING LEADERS SECTION? The Emerging Leaders Section (ELS) was organized by the Arkansas Bankers Association Board of Directors to provide information concerning educational opportunities available for its members. The ELS was established to provide leadership training for young bankers, to enhance banking careers, offer its members the opportunity to learn, network, and be productive members of the banking profession.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2014 2015

ABA Live Events ABA Professional Development

Live Events...

Provide you with face-to-face interaction with an expert instructor!

JULY 2015 9 | Integrated Disclosures: How To Prepare & What Is Required

27-30 | Bank Compliance School

Crowne Plaza, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Those who manage the entire compliance program for their institution, Compliance officers from community banks, Compliance officers who are involved in the compliance monitoring, audit, review, or training process in their institutions.

Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Compliance Officers, Loan Operations Personnel, Internal Auditors, Loan Officers, Title Companies

AUGUST 2015 6-8

| Bank Management Seminar

Embassy Suites, Rogers Who Should Attend: Bank Directors, CEOs, Presidents and Senior Management

25

| Legal Issues of New Account Documentation

24

| BSA/AML Compliance Management

24-28 | Consumer Lending School

Crowne Plaza, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Customer contact personnel, supervisors & officers whose responsibilities include opening or managing new accounts and certificates of deposit, internal auditors and compliance officers

Crowne Plaza, Little Rock Who Should Attend: This course is appropriate for any level of bank personnel who would like a better understanding of consumer lending; however, those who are new to banking will especially benefit.

SEPTEMBER 2015

3-4

| Training the Bank Trainer

8

| Call Report Preparation: An Update

Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Bank Supervisors, Branch managers, Trainers, and those responsible for the bank’s training efforts Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Anyone responsible for preparing, auditing, or signing the call report

Crowne Plaza, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Personnel who have responsibility for maintaining or auditing BSA compliance efforts

27-1 | Basic Lending School

Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock Who Should Attend: Loan Officers and Lending Support Staff

22-23 | Compliance Conference

Crowne Plaza, Little Rock Who Should Attend: BSA Officers, Compliance Officers, Internal Auditors, and Senior Management

For more information about ABA Live Events, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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WASHINGTON UPDATE Take Your Lawmaker to Work This fall, your bank can become a hands-on workshop for your lawmakers to learn about what you do for your customers and your community.

That’s the idea behind our first-ever “Take Your Lawmaker to Work Week,” Sept. 21-25. It’s a time already set aside by members of Congress to be back home in their districts and states. While those lawmakers are back home, we want them to spend time with you learning more about your bank.

Your lawmakers on both sides of the aisle need to see, in person, how banks operate, serve customers and deliver value to their communities. Just one day at a local bank will help lawmakers understand how regulations can hinder your abilities to serve customers effectively, create jobs and grow the economy.

This can be a powerful teaching and learning tool. By participating in “Take Your Lawmaker to Work,” you will have the chance on your home turf to offer insights and expertise demonstrating how important your institution is to your hometown. A glimpse into a typical “day in the life” of a banker — and a chance to meet a bank’s customers — will show lawmakers first-hand how many of the issues on their agenda in Washington affect the work bankers like you do on a daily basis.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Registration is free and includes resource materials to help you and your bank’s staff make an effective and lasting impression on lawmakers.

These resources include invitation templates, step-by-step instructions for hosting a bank visit and tips for follow-up communication.

You can register to participate at aba.com/lawmakersatwork. Mark your calendar and start planning today to invite your senators and representative into your bank.

GOV. FRANK KEATING President & CEO American Bankers Association

A “day in the life” of your bank and the community it serves will help keep our industry’s legislative priorities — the Agenda for America’s Hometown Banks — top-of-mind and front and center in Washington.

By participating in this program you’ll have the chance to offer valuable insights and expertise that show just how important banks are to your hometown. All the materials you need — including invitation templates, resources to prep your staff and tips for follow-up communication — are available for download, making participation easy.

Get involved, become engaged and take your lawmaker to work this year.

© 2015 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

ABA Webinars ABA Professional Development

Webinars...

Provide the option of training as many employees as you wish for one price, all from the convenient location of your home institution!

10 Key Compliance Issues on Overdraft Privilege Programs

Regulation O: Lending To Insiders

Small Business Lending Today: Part II

6/25/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/7/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/15/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Dealing With Subpoenas, Summonses, Garnishments, Tax Levies

Regulation CC: Checks and Holds

Entering the World of Consumer Lending: Part 2

7/7/2015 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

7/21/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Call Center Representative Training

Compliance Perspectives

6/25/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

ACH Origination: Knowing Your Responsibilities 6/25/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/7/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Preparing for & Conducting a FFIEC IT Audit in 2015

Best-Ever Compliance Checklists for Consumer Loans

6/26/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/8/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Call Report Lending Schedules: Part II

Federal Benefit Payments Garnishment Requirements

6/29/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/9/2015 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Small Business Lending Today: Part I

Entering the World of Consumer Lending: Part 1

7/06/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/14/2015 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

7/23/2015 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

BSA Series: Money Laundering the New Way-Virtual Currency 7/24/2015 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Truth In Savings and UDAAP: Twin Compliance Problems 7/29/2015 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Compliance Perspectives 8/20/2015 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

For more information about ABA Webinars, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

9

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ABA Government Relations in Review GRASSROOTS

ABA’s grassroots advocacy grew substantially during the last legislative session. Our reputation at the Capitol and relationships with our elected officials continues to grow and develop. We would not have been successful in our legislative accomplishments without your outreach to local legislators. Playing defense is a team-effort and we enjoyed success due to your willingness to participate.

Through the remainder of the year, ABA’s Government Relations Division intends to focus on relationship-building between our bankers and our elected officials.

IN-BANK MEETINGS

Hosting a meeting in your bank with your local elected official is an opportunity to not be missed. Through these meetings in your bank or local community, you will have a chance to give legislators first-hand knowledge of banking in the local economy and how regulations impact your bank, your business, your customers, and their constituents.

ABA will help you orchestrate an in-bank meeting with your elected official. Do not miss this key ingredient to legislative support of our industry.

SIT-DOWN WITH YOUR CONGRESSMAN

Be sure to capitalize on the chance to sit down with your federally-elected official. Our federal delegation has heard the words ‘over burdensome,’ ‘overregulation,’ and ‘regulatory relief,’ countless times, but, at a sit-down with your congressman, you can explain to him exactly what that means. Armed with the real-life stories of your customers, you can describe to him what it is like to be a banker trying to help his or her customer in Arkansas today.

Fortunately, ABA is here to help you orchestrate this event. We plan to set up several meetings in the federal delegation for a small number of bankers at each meeting. Once times are set with the congressman, our Government Relations Division will begin reaching members to notify them of these events.

A date you should definitely add to your calendar is our Annual Washington Visit, September

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

15-17. We will all sit down on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to discuss the impact of federal banking regulation on Arkansas banks and customers. This opportunity to visit in person with our federal delegation and their staffers is invaluable to building those relationships that ultimately encourage and cultivate action.

TAKE YOUR LAWMAKER TO WORK WEEK

The American Bankers Association designated September 21-25, 2015 as “Take Your Lawmaker to Work Week,” where bankers are encouraged to invite their Congressman to their respective banks. Bankers are encouraged to offer his or her lawmaker a glimpse into the “day in the life” of a banker, including meeting customers and offering a demonstration of how many of the federal issues affect the work a banker does on a daily basis. You can sign up to participate in this program on the American Bankers website. We will be more than happy to assist you with this program.

EMERGING LEADERS DAY AT THE CAPITOL

Last fall ABA hosted a Day at the Capitol for our Emerging Leaders. We hope this will become an annual event where Emerging Leaders will have the chance to tour our state Capitol and sit down with legislators to discuss banking matters and learn how to become engaged in the political system.

Our Emerging Leaders are the future of the Arkansas banking industry. ABA is here to help those individuals become prepared to take on that responsibility and one of the ways we intend to do so is to instill the importance of advocacy. By exposing our Emerging Leaders to the political system, ABA hopes to develop future banking leaders that are attuned to the significant impact the Arkansas Capitol and our Federal Delegation has on our industry.

CALL TO ACTION

If you know any members of the General Assembly or want to form relationships with any of them, please consider joining our efforts. If you are interested in learning more about any of these initiatives, contact Ava Franks, 501-978-3606 or ava.franks@arkbankers.org.

VP / DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AVA FRANKS

AmBA Learning ABA Professional Development

AmBA Learning...

Provides valuable curriculum in a virtual classroom setting, with the leadership of industry professionals. All assignments and exams are completed online.

Consumer Lending 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Economics for Bankers 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Introduction to Mortgage Lending 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Law and Banking: Applications 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Money and Banking 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Principles of Banking 7/13/2015 - 11/1/2015

Introduction to Agricultural Lending 07/20/2015 - 9/13/2015

Law and Banking: Principles 07/20/2015 - 11/8/2015

Marketing Financial Services 7/20/2015 - 11/8/2015

Supervisor Certificate 7/20/2015-11/8/2015

General Accounting 7/27/2015 - 11/15/2015

Analyzing Financial Statements 8/3/2015 - 11/29/2015

Managing the Bank’s Investment Portfolio 8/3/2015 - 9/6/2015

Principles of Banking Accelerated 8/3/2015 - 10/11/2015

Analyzing Bank Performance 9/14/2015 - 11/1/2015

Consumer Lending 9/14/2015 - 1/17/2016

General Accounting 9/14/2015 - 1/17/2016

Law and Banking: Applications 9/14/2015 - 1/17/2016

Basic Administrative Duties of a Trustee

Economics for Bankers

8/10/2015 - 9/13/2015

9/21/2015 - 1/24/2016

Commercial Lending

Principles of Banking

8/10/2015 - 11/1/2015

9/21/2015 - 1/24/2016

Principles of Banking

Supervisor Certificate

8/10/2015 - 12/6/2015

9/21/2015 - 1/24/2016

CRCM Online Review Course

Introduction to Trust Products & Services

8/17/2015 - 10/25/2015

Analyzing Financial Statements 9/8/2015 - 1/10/2016

IRA Online Institute 9/8/2015 - 11/30/2015

Principles of Banking 9/8/2015 - 1/10/2016

9/28/2015 - 11/1/2015

Analyzing Financial Statements 10/5/2015 - 2/7/2016

Introduction to Agricultural Lending 10/5/2015 - 12/13/2015

Marketing Financial Services 10/5/2015 - 2/7/2016

For more information about AmBA Learning, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

11

Get to know U.S. Senator

Tom Cotton Hometown:

Dardanelle, Arkansas

Alma Mater:

Harvard Law School Harvard College Dardanelle High School

Elected to Office: November 4, 2014

Committee Assignments United States Senate Committee on Armed Services United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate Joint Economic Committee United States Senate Special Committee on Aging

Find out more about Senator Tom Cotton’s efforts in Washington...

Contact Senator Cotton Washington Office 124 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone 202.224.2353 Website www.Cotton.Senate.Gov

What are you most proud of regarding your leadership in the state of Arkansas?

When I ran for Congress, I promised that I would never forget where I was from or the people I represent. I have worked hard to always put Arkansas and the interests of our state first—even when it means doing the hard right over the easy wrong.

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The Arkansas Banker | June May 2015

We’ve been busy in Congress this year trying to get America working again. That starts with proving Arkansas’s elected representatives—along with our colleagues in the House and Senate—are worthy of the historic decision the voters made last November in handing control of the United States Senate to Republicans.

Under the new majority, we’ve been doing something that was all-too-rare under the previous leadership of Sen. Harry Reid: amending legislation and taking substantive votes. For example, in February we passed a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which would demonstrate willingness to capitalize on the country’s current energy renaissance and show leadership in developing and exporting natural resources.

This project is a win for our state economy. Not only will it lower energy costs across the board, it will create and sustain hundreds of jobs right here in Arkansas at Welspun Tubular.

Welspun workers have already constructed hundreds of miles of pipeline, and they’re ready to start building more.

This one piece of legislation included more amendment votes than the Senate held in all of 2014!

Earlier this Spring the Congress did something that had not been done in six years by passing a federal budget through both the House and Senate. This spending framework balances the budget within a decade and reigns in waste and abuse across the federal government. The final budget also included a number of amendments, which I offered along with Sen. Boozman, that are particularly important to Arkansas, such as requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consider the full economic impact of critical habitat designations.

More recently, the Senate passed a trade promotion bill that sets up procedures for Congress to consider trade agreements negotiated and submitted by the president. The prospect of entering into one of the largest free trade pacts ever, the TransPacific Partnership—perhaps as soon as later this year—will mean more export opportunities for Arkansas businesses and economic growth that creates jobs.

On the Senate Baking Committee, my work has focused on highlighting the disproportionate impact that Washington’s response to the financial crisis is having on Arkansas’s hometown banks. The Dodd-Frank law has been a disaster of regulatory expansion, and our small financial institutions have been feeling the pain of its unintended consequences.

I’ve sponsored legislation to address some of those challenges, and I’m hopeful that President Obama and his liberal allies in Washington will not stand in the way of common sense fixes.

For instance, I introduced legislation with Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia to protect buyers of manufactured housing from the overreaching mortgage financing regulations of the CFPB. Manufactured housing is an important option for homeownership in Arkansas and was not the cause of the Wall Street crisis; therefore, Congress should clarify the regulations

Senator Cotton with Arkansas Bankers in Washington D.C. following a Senate Banking Committee meeting. From left, Burt Hicks, Simmons Bank; John Womack, Arvest Bank; Bill Holmes, Arkansas Bankers Association; Senator Cotton; Ava Franks, Arkansas Bankers Association; and Elizabeth Farris, Regions Bank.

so consumers in many rural states, like Arkansas, are not unduly harmed.

I’m proud to report the Senate Banking Committee recently included this legislation as a provision in a broader package of regulatory relief aimed at the country’s community banks and credit unions. The Financial Regulatory Improvement Act, which I supported, also included provisions to streamline bank exams, as well as some of the other hurdles small banks’ customers face in obtaining credit for a first-time home purchase.

I will continue to highlight through congressional oversight the disconnect between the regulatory ideas of Washington bureaucrats and the impact those regulations have on hardworking Arkansans and our financial institutions. And I’m hopeful that the full Senate will soon consider the regulatory relief legislation put forward by me and my colleagues on the Banking Committee, which includes many good ideas already passed by the House of Representatives. It’s well past time that we correct some of Washington’s worst excesses of the last 6 years so Arkansas’s and the country’s economy can start working again.

Our financial system provides the lifeblood of economic activity so it’s important that our public policies adequately balance safety and soundness with consumer protections. Bankers from all around Arkansas can always contact one of my offices to share their thoughts on regulatory or business challenges. I always appreciate hearing the “front line” perspective, which helps me, as one of your U.S. Senators, better serve the interests of Arkansans.

What do you do on the weekends?

My wife, Anna, recently gave birth to our first child, a baby boy named Gabriel, so lately our weekends have mostly been consumed by him!

June May 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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125th Annual Convention “Bridges the Past with the Future” The 2015 Arkansas Bankers Association Annual Convention was held May 6-8 in downtown Little Rock. The event kicked off the association’s 125th anniversary, and built on the theme “Bridging the Past with the Future” with topics ranging from regulation to technology.

The event opened on Wednesday evening with comments from banker-turned-congressman, Congressman French Hill prior to the group’s traditional opening reception.

For the 19th year, the ABA teamed with the Arkansas State Bank Department to present the annual Day with the Commissioner on Thursday, featuring a line-up of regulatory speakers.

Candace Franks, Commissioner of the Arkansas State Bank Department, served as host and speakers included John Ryan, President & CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Julie Stackhouse, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Gary Beasley, Regional Manager, FDIC; Joshua Siegel, Managing Partner & CEO, StoneCastle Partners; and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Thursday afternoon’s sessions included a discussion on technology with Lee Wetherington, Director of Strategic Insight, Jack Henry & Associates; and panelists Jeff Cameron, Arkansas State Bank Department; Philip Hinkle, Texas Department of Banking; and Dr. Kevin Streff, Secure Banking Solutions. The day was rounded out with a talk from Sanjay K. Bhasin, President & CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas.

Friday featured a panel of Arkansas lawmakers – Senator Jonathan Dismang, Representative Jeremy Gillam, and Senator Bruce Maloch – moderated by political analyst Roby Brock. The event’s final speaker was former CIA Chief of Counterintelligence, James Olson.

In addition to the engaging sessions, the Convention also included a sold out trade show and several networking and social opportunities.

The Arkansas Bankers Association will hold a final celebration of its 125th year at its next convention, scheduled for May 11-13, 2016, in Little Rock.

Robert Sean Williamies, Rutledge Taylor & Reyn

Past Chairman’s Dinner The 2015 Past Chairman’s Dinner was held on Wednesday, May 6, at the Capital Hotel.

(Left) Past ABA Chairman Barnett Grace (1997), Charlie Blanchard (2011), Larry Kircher (2002), Larry Wilson (2006), Robert Brothers (2003), Joe Hiatt (1979), John Womack (2007), Joe Miles (2008), David Bartlett (2013), William Brandon (1983), and Edward Holt (2010).

(Upper Left) Joe Miles, Joe Hiatt, and Charlie Blanchard.

(Lower Left) Former ABA President & CEO Ken Hammonds, Larry Wilson, and Edward Holt.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

(Above) The Convention had a slight change of format for 2015, opening with the annual Day with the Commissioner on Thursday morning.

The event was very well attended, drawing in more than 350 bankers and industry representatives.

(Right) Incoming Chairman Robert Taylor opens Friday’s sessions at the 125th Annual Convention.

See more photos from the 2015 ABA Convention...

ABA Annual Convention

Opening Reception (Above) Congressman French Hill kicked off the Annual Convention with commentary on the state of the banking industry, including his belief that regulatory relief will come by breaking off smaller portions of the burden, rather than attempting to tackle the entire package at once.

The Congressman was among his peers of 20+ years, and stayed throughout the Opening Reception to chat with his banking colleagues and friends.

(Right) Chris Morgan, Sean Doherty, Scott Carrithers, and Josh Kieffer were on hand representing Country Club Bank Capital Markets Group, who sponsored the Opening Reception.

“

I enjoyed the Convention and thought it went well.

Regulator discussions were helpful, and the guest speaker on the CIA was simply amazing.

It’s always a good time to network with fellow bankers.

Jeff Lynch Eagle Bank, Little Rock

Sam Bloodworth & Blake Tarpley

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Day with the Commissioner Commissioner Candace Franks gave an update on Performance and Trends in 2014 during the 125th Annual Convention. In addition to her “report card” for the state’s banks, Commissioner Franks discussed the events of her year as Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS).

(Near Right) Julie Stackhouse, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discussed the nation’s response to the most recent recession, from the perspective of the Federal Reserve. While Stackhouse predicted that the trend of community bank consolidations would continue, she noted that the future looks bright for those banks that are strategic and can meet the challenges successfully.

(Upper Right) John Ryan, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, discussed the role of the CSBS, and the direction of financial regulation.

(Middle Right) Gary Beasley, FDIC, gave an economic overview for Arkansas and the Nation, including emerging national trends.

(Lower Right) Joshua Siegel, StoneCastle Partners, spoke with attendees about current industry challenges, including regulation, human capital, and technology.

Hot Topics: IT in Banking

FHLB-Dallas Update Sanjay K. Bhasin, President & CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas gave an update from the organization, and spoke on several new member initiatives, meant to help FHLB-Dallas members conduct business more effectively.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

(Above) Dr. Kevin Streff, Secure Banking Solutions, Phillip Hinkle, Texas Department of Banking, and Jeff Cameron, Arkansas State Bank Department, served as expert panelists during a session on IT in banking. The group spoke on cybersecurity and the need to get bank directors involved in IT planning.

(Right) Lee Wetherington, Jack Henry & Associates, served as moderator for the IT Panel, and also spoke to the group regarding mobile banking, mobile payments, and digital wallets.

ABA Annual Convention Governor Hutchinson “When you define success by growing your economy, that is what makes a difference in your community.”

That correlation was on-topic when Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson spoke about the state’s economic growth during the annual Day with the Commissioner.

“I think the financial services sector is a huge part of our environment for economic growth and our future, and I want to congratulate you on what you’ve been able to do during very difficult regulatory environments that I hope will eventually change,” Governor Hutchinson said. “I applaud you for what you’ve done to contribute to our economy here...I appreciate what the banking community has done.”

Watch Governor Hutchinson’s address at the 2015 ABA Convention...

Business Session (Upper Left) Outgoing ABA Chairman Chuck Morgan, Relyance Bank, gave the nominating committee report.

(Upper Right) Outgoing ABA Treasurer Mark Ferguson, First Security Bancorp, gave the annual Treasurer’s report.

(Lower Left) ABA President & CEO Bill Holmes gave an update from the Arkansas Bankers Association.

(Lower Middle) ABA Director of Government Relations Ava Franks spoke about ongoing advocacy efforts.

(Lower Right) Emerging Leaders Council President Daniel Robinson elaborated on the upcoming ABA Leadership Conference.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Hot Topics: Security & Politics

CNA Chairman’s DD&F Legacy of

(Right) James Olson, former CIA Chief of Counterintelligence, spoke on Friday, May 8, about national security. Pulling from his career with the CIA, he was able to give attendees an insider’s view of the life of an under-cover agent. Throughout his career Olson served on assignment in the U.S.S.R., Austria, and Mexico.

Chris Wewers, Southern Bancorp, Little Rock; Gary Golden, First State Bank of DeQueen; and Bill Holmes, ABA, chat during the CNA Chairman’s Reception on Thursday, May 7.

(Below) Roby Brock of Talk Business & Politics moderated a panel discussion with three Arkansas Lawmakers: Senator Bruce Maloch (District 12), Representative Jeremy Gillam (District 45), and Senator Jonathan Dismang (District 28).

The PAC Silent and Live Auctions were once again a success, raising more than $17,000 for the ABA Political Action Committees.

“” I believe this was one of the best ABA Conventions yet.

Overall, the speakers were excellent and the topics relevant.

han Nathan Gairun ders & Michael Sa 18

The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Sean Williams First National Bank of Wynne

57th Annual Simmons Strawberry Breakfast The tradition of the Simmons Strawberry Breakfast continued this year with an array of strawberryinspired dishes, featuring fresh strawberries from Cabot.

Representing Simmons Bank at the event were, from left, Daniel Robinson, Steve Wade, Barry Ledbetter, David Bartlett, Susie Smith, George Makris, Bob Fehlman, Patrick Burrow, Matt Reddin, and Marty Casteel.

ABA Annual Convention Reception & Leadership ABA Annual Banquet & Officer Installation

(Above) Incoming ABA Chairman Robert Taylor, Parkway Bank, Rogers, offers outgoing ABA Chairman Chuck Morgan, Reylance Bank, Pine Bluff, the Past Chairman’s pin during the ABA Officer Installation.

(Left) Randy Dennis, President of DD&F Consulting Group, offered a toast in honor of the past and present leadership of the Arkansas Bankers Association.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Spouse & Guest Event: Cooking Class Cappi Morgan, wife of Past-Chairman Chuck Morgan, hosted the 2015 Annual Convention Spouse & Guest Event, which was a morning filled with good company and Good Food.

This year, the group traveled to North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District for a Farm-toTable cooking class with well-known Arkansas Chef Donnie Ferneau.

Chef Ferneau welcomed our spouses into his kitchen for a two hour colorful and educational cooking demo that both captivated and charmed the group. Throughout the class, he gave tips on everything from food prepping and sourcing, to different spices, and ways to easily make your own three-course meal, from the salad dressing to a whole roasted chicken. Attendees were introduced to the benefits of clean and sustainable eating, and reaped those benefits as they finished off the meal with fresh Arkansas strawberries — the icing on the cake to a perfect morning in the kitchen.

The event concluded with door prizes won by Judy Taylor, Beverly Adams and Patty Clark.

(Right) Chef Donnie Ferneau (front) poses with attendees of the Spouse & Guest Event: back row, Shelley Pugh, Cappi Morgan, Leslie Williams, Susanne Gentry, Becky Womack, Patty Clark; middle row, Beverly Adams, Ginger Casteel, Cynthia Blanchard, Rita Holmes, Judy Taylor, Kathryn Miles, Mary De Silva, Kathy Horton, and Stuart Thalheimer

2015 ABA Trade Show With 54 vendors from around the state and across the country, the 2015 ABA Trade Show was deemed a success. Convention attendees had the opportunity to chat with vendors at the Opening Reception, and during breakfast and lunch on Thursday.

(Right) Trey Dupree and James Taylor, both of Equias Alliance, and Bruce Schratz of the Radius Group.

(Far Right) Debi and Stanhope Wilkinson, Farmers Bank & Trust, Greenwood, and Bob Hamilton, Bean Hamilton Corporate Benefits.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

ABA Annual Convention Thank You to our 2015 Convention Sponsors ENDORSED VENDORS

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

CNA Insurance CNA Chairman’s Reception

3E Software Mobile App Banner Ad

Equias Alliance Tote Bags Hotel Keycards Mobile App Banner Ad

PC Assistance Mobile App Banner Ad

Secure Banking Solutions Mobile App

Travelers Insurance Thursday Networking Break

GOLD ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Bank Compensation Consulting Mobile App Banner Ad BKD, LLP Milestones in Banking Awards Celerit Lanyards

Smiley Technologies, Inc. Mobile Charging Stations

MEMBER BANKS

Simmons Bank Simmons Strawberry Breakfast

VENDORS

Talk Business & Politics

Country Club Bank Capital Markets Group Opening Reception DD&F Consulting Group DD&F Legacy of Leadership ABA Annual Banquet & Officer Installation Mobile App Banner Ad S.F. Fiser & Company Live Auction

Dale LaMotte & Judy Lawton

Rusty Butcher, Horne, LLP, gives Donnie Castleberry, Bank of Bearden, a YETI tumbler during the vendor door prize give-aways.

Joe Miles, Integrity First Bank, Mountain Home, received a $250 gift card from Ben Thomas of PC Assistance during the vendor door prize give-aways.

Al Hodge of Arkansas Capital Corporation gives Dave Morton, Community First Bank, Harrison, a $350 gift card during the vendor door prize give-aways.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Nearly 70 bankers from across the state were recognized at the 2015 ABA Annual Convention for having reached “Milestones in Banking” — achieving 60, 50, and 40 years of service to their communities and the banking industry.

In total, these veteran bankers have dedicated more than 3,000 years to their communities and the industry.

in Banking

The Milestones in Banking Awards were sponsored by BKD, LLP; Ken Rossi, Managing Director, and Gary Edwards, Director, presented the awards during a luncheon ceremony on May 7. The 125th Annual Convention marked the inaugural year for the Milestones in Banking Awards, which will now be presented annually to bankers achieving their milestone years.

Three banks were also recognized at the event, commemorating their 100th and 125th anniversaries.

See photos from the Milestones in Banking awards luncheon...

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF EASTERN ARKANSAS W.D. “Doug” Glover

CORNERSTONE BANK John F. Cross Chairman of the Board

SIMMONS BANK Tom Wray

Manager of Special Assets

UNITED BANK

Alice Ann Simkins

Trust Officer Former President, Chairman & CEO

Vice President – Accountant

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF FORT SMITH Mont Echols, Jr.

Charlie Cross accepted the 60-Year Milestones in Banking Award on behalf of his father, John Cross of Cornerstone Bank.

Executive Vice President

MCGEHEE BANK John H. Potter

ANSTAFF BANK Steve Stafford CEO/Chairman

Vice Chairman and COO

EAGLE BANK & TRUST Bill Lynch of Eagle Bank & Trust celebrated 50 years in banking.

Marilyn Hendricks of Signature Bank of Arkansas celebrated 51 years in banking.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Bill Lynch

CEO Emeritus

SIGNATURE BANK OF ARKANSAS Marilyn Hendricks

ARVEST BANK John Womack Chairman/CEO

COO

Tom Wray of Simmons Bank celebrated 54 years in banking.

Alice Ann Simkins of United Bank celebrated 54 years in banking.

John W years in

Mary Nell Jameson of Bancorp South celebrated 46 years in banking.

BANCORP SOUTH Mary Nell Jameson Senior Vice President

BANK OF ENGLAND Gary Canada

Bennie Ryburn, Jr., of Bank of Star City celebrated 40+ years in banking.

EVOLVE BANK & TRUST John Chandler

Executive Vice President

John Copeland

President

Chief Financial Officer / Executive Vice President

Hanna Canada

John Freeman

Sheila Rice

Joe Jenkins

Executive Vice President Cashier / Operations Officer

BANK OF STAR CITY Bennie Ryburn, Jr. Chairman & CEO

CENTENNIAL BANK Robert Birch

Regional President

Arkansas Division CEO Director

Dan Springfield

Chief Credit Officer / Executive Vice President

FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK Jody Fowler COO / SVP

CHAMBERS BANK John Ed Chambers III

Chairman/CEO/President, Chambers Bancshares, Inc. Chairman/CEO, Chambers Bank

Womack of Arvest Bank celebrated 41 n banking.

FBT BANK & MORTGAGE Suzette Crutchfield

Executive Vice President & FBT Bancshares Secretary

Cathy Winningham

Assistant Vice President / BSA Officer

FIRST COMMUNITY BANK

John Chambers III of Chambers Bank celebrated 46 years in banking.

Dale Cole

Chairman & CEO

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF FORT SMITH Jan Gattis Burd

Vice President / Commercial Lending

Suzette Crutchfield and Cathy Winningham of FBT Bank celebrated 42 years and 44 years, respectively.

George Corbell

Randy Sims

President & CEO of Home BancShares

Randy Sims of Centennial Bank / Home BancShares celebrated 40 years in banking.

Linda Holmes VP / Head Teller

Vice President / IT Security & Core Systems Manager

Deborah Fleetwood Vice President

Ann Pond

VP / Credit Cards

Edward Hardy

Assistant Vice President / IT

Kathy Lewis

Commercial Loan Receptionist

FIRST ARKANSAS BANK & TRUST Larry Wilson

Chairman, President & CEO

Dale Cole of First Community Bank celebrated 40+ years in banking.

James Wagley, III Assistant Vice President / Commercial Loan Collector

Bill Scholl and Reynie Rutledge of First Security Bank both celebrated 40+ years in banking.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF WYNNE Connie Watts

Senior Vice President / Operations Manager Ragena Moore and Charlie Blanchard of First State Bank of Russellville celebrated 40 years and 41 years, respectively.

Reynie Rutledge Chairman

President & CEO, First Security Bancorp

FIRST SERVICE BANK Bill Puddephatt

Little Rock Market President

FIRST STATE BANK OF RUSSELLVILLE Charlie Blanchard Chairman & CEO

Ragena Moore

Senior Vice President

FIRST STATE BANK OF DEQUEEN Bill Bowman of McGehee Bank celebrated 45 years in banking.

Margaret Fenton Vice President

MCGEHEE BANK Bill Bowman

Chairman of the Board

MERCHANTS & FARMERS BANK Glenda Owen and Betty Acosta of Merchants & Farmers Bank of Dumas celebrated 44 years and 42 years, respectively.

Robert Taylor of Parkway Bank celebrated 40+ years in banking.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Vice President / Trust Officer

Betty Miller Acosta Internal Auditor

Danny Horton

Commercial Loan Officer

PARKWAY BANK Robert Taylor President & CEO

FIRST SECURITY BANK SIGNATURE BANK OF ARKANSAS Bill Scholl

Margaret Fenton of First State Bank of DeQueen celebrated 45 years in banking.

Glenda Burke Owen

Gladys Churchwell

Ron Jackson

Community Bank Chairman / Russellville

Louise London

Assistant Cashier / Head Teller

Operations Clerk & Senior Bank Card Officer

Kai Dare

Christy Mabry

Executive Vice President / Marketing Director

Senior Mortgage Loan Servicing Representative

Kathleen Russell

Linda McFalls

Loan Operations Specialist

SIMMONS BANK

Mortgage Loan Originator

James R. Pierce, III Commercial Loan Officer

Larry Bates

Therese Riddle

Martha Chatman

Maxine Stephens

Richard Clark, III

Lenard C. Taylor, Jr.

Executive Vice President / Specialty Lending Personal Banker Trust Officer

Loan Documentation Specialist Teller

Elevator Operator / Security

Penny Wheelus Ray Clinton Supervisor / Buildings and Facilities

Shirley Crow Manager / Loan Administration

Sandra Hale New Accounts Operations Clerk

Gladys Churchwell, Kathleen Russell, and Kai Dare of Signature Bank of Arkansas all celebrated 40+ years in banking.

Senior Mortgage Loan Underwriter

Diane Wilson

Senior Vice President / Trust Investment Officer

Alice Wood

Business Development Representative

WARREN BANK & TRUST John Frazer Chairman

Christy Mabry of Simmons Bank celebrated 40 years in banking.

2015 MILESTONE BANKS

safe, still used today, was purchased in September 1890. A new facility, designed by Charles L. Thompson, was built in 1921 on the northeast corner of Madison and Second streets. This location would serve customers for 57 years, surviving the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

Linda McFalls and Larry Bates of Simmons Bank both celebrated 41 years in banking.

FIRST STATE BANK OF WARREN

Established January 1, 1890

Merchants and Planters bank, later known as First State Bank, opened their doors to the Bradley County community in 1890.

Alice Wood of Simmons Bank celebrated 44 years in banking.

James “Rick” Pierce of Simmons Bank celebrated 40 years in banking.

Therese Riddle of Simmons Bank celebrated 41 years in banking.

In 1961, at the annual stockholders meeting, the stockholders voted to convert from a state charter institution to a national bank charter thus renaming the bank First National Bank of Warren & Hermitage. In 1978, the stockholders decided to convert back to a state charter, and on Thursday, December 14, 1978, First National Bank became known as First State Bank of Warren and Hermitage.

Throughout its rich history, First State Bank has provided the people in our area with the best possible banking services available. At First State Bank we believe that “The Difference is Leadership.”

Since the bank’s inception, the attitude of the board has been to take pride in serving its local community.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF WYNNE

Established December 3, 1915

Freddie Mobley President & COO First State Bank of Warren

The First National Bank of Wynne opened for business on December 3, 1915 with three employees and capital of $25,000. Forty-seven years later, The First National Bank of Wynne acquired new property and built a 6,000 square foot building that is still used today to host operations and IT departments. Just thirteen years later, it was time to expand a growing community bank again. Property was purchased to build an additional building which would adjoin the present quarters.

In 1991, The First National Bank of Wynne expanded with a branch in Cherry Valley, 1992 to Forrest City, in 2001 to Harrisburg with a location in the local Food Giant, 2006 to a full-service branch in Harrisburg and 2007 to Ridgeview (also located in Wynne).

MERCHANTS AND PLANTERS BANK, CLARENDON

Established July 23, 1890

Penny Wheelus of Simmons Bank celebrated 44 years in banking.

The Merchants and Planters Bank has been at its current location at the corner of Madison and Third streets since 1978; it is now the only bank with its main office in Monroe County.

The bank’s main office is its only office.

The Merchants and Planters Bank was incorporated on July 23, 1890. The bank has survived for 124 years – a period that encompasses two world wars, the Great Depression, a world-changing evolution in technological innovation and the regulation of state banks in Arkansas.

The original bank building was built on the southeast corner of Main and Court streets sometime prior to December 1891. A Mosler

Today, The First National Bank of Wynne operates with six convenient locations throughout East Arkansas, 75 employees and $275 million in assets.

Born and raised in Eastern Arkansas and 100 years strong, the First National Bank of Wynne is still a growing and prosperous business continuing to build lasting relationships Sean Williams with local farmers, President & CEO businesses and First National Bank residents. of Wynne

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Faces of the Arkansas Bankers Association Jon Harrell First Bank, Rogers

Phil Baldwin Citizens Bank, Batesville

Chairman Robert Taylor Parkway Bank, Rogers

Jim Taylor First Security Bancorp,Fayetteville

D. Scott Hancock Centennial Bank, Fayetteville

Wilson Moore Bank of America, Little Rock President & CEO Bill Holmes Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock

Stanhope Wilkinson Farmers Bank & Trust, Greenwood

Greg Connell The Farmers & Merchants Bank, Perryville

Treasurer Judy Lawton Heartland Bank, Little Rock

Elizabeth Farris Regions Bank, Hot Springs

Drew Harper Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock

Catherine Owen Eagle Bank, Little Rock Darwin Hendrix Bank of Delight

Past Chairman Chuck Morgan Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff

Troy Duke Bank of Rison J. Michael Jones Merchants & Farmers Bank, Dumas

Gary Golden First State Bank of DeQueen

Vice Chairman Dave Dickson Union Bank & Trust Company, Monticello Mike Smith McGehee Bank

Craig Mobley First Financial Bank of El Dorado

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Randy Scott Farmers Bank & Trust Company Blytheville

2015-16 Board of Directors GROUP 1

Charles Horton

President & CEO Fidelity Bank, West Memphis Board Member Since 2013

Randy Scott

President & COO Farmers Bank & Trust Company, Blytheville Board Member Since 2014

Jerry Morgan

President Focus Bank, Jonesboro Board Member Since 2015

Jerry Morgan Focus Bank, Jonesboro Chairman-Elect Sean Williams First National Bank of Wynne

GROUP 2

Phil Baldwin

Wilson Moore

Greg Connell

Catherine Owen

President & CEO Citizens Bank, Batesville Board Member Since 2015

Charles Horton Fidelity Bank, West Memphis

President The Farmers & Merchants Bank, Perryville Board Member Since 2015

Regional President Bank of America, Little Rock Board Member Since 2013 Chairman Eagle Bank, Little Rock Board Member Since 2014

Drew Harper

EVP – Director of Treasury Management Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock Board Member Since 2013

GROUP 3

D. Scott Hancock

Jim Taylor

Jon Harrell

Stanhope Wilkinson

Division President, NWA Centennial Bank, Fayetteville Board Member Since 2015 Executive Vice President First Bank, Rogers Board Member Since 2014

GROUP 4

Senior Vice President First Security Bancorp, Fayetteville Board Member Since 2012 CEO Farmers Bank & Trust, Greenwood Board Member Since 2013

Elizabeth Farris

Darwin Hendrix

Gary Golden

Craig Mobley

President Regions Bank, Hot Springs Board Member Since 2014 President & CEO First State Bank of DeQueen, DeQueen Board Member Since 2013

GROUP 5

Troy Duke

President & CEO Bank of Rison, Rison Board Member Since 2015

CEO Bank of Delight, Prescott Board Member Since 2015 Executive Vice President First Financial Bank of El Dorado, El Dorado Board Member Since 2014

Mike Smith

President McGehee Bank, McGehee Board Member Since 2014

J. Michael Jones

President & CEO Merchants & Farmers Bank, Dumas Board Member Since 2014 June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

27

Faces of the Arkansas Bankers Association 2015-16 Executive Committee

Robert Taylor Installed as Chairman

CHAIRMAN Robert Taylor

President & CEO Parkway Bank, Rogers

CHAIRMAN-ELECT Sean Williams

President & CEO The First National Bank of Wynne, Wynne

VICE CHAIRMAN Dave Dickson

President Union Bank & Trust Co., Monticello

TREASURER Judy Lawton

CFO Heartland Bank, Little Rock

ABA Chairman Robert Taylor and his wife, Judy.

Mr. Robert Y. “Bob” Taylor was installed as the 2015-16 Chairman of the Arkansas Bankers Association at the 125th Annual ABA Convention on Thursday, May 7, 2015.

PAST CHAIRMAN

Robert Taylor serves as President and CEO of Parkway Bank in Rogers and also as President and CEO of its privately held holding company, Portland Bancshares.

Chuck Morgan

Taylor is a native of Dardanelle and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas Tech University at Russellville in 1969. He is also a graduate of the National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

President & CEO Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff

PRESIDENT & CEO Bill Holmes

Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock

Taylor began his banking career at National Bank of Commerce of Pine Bluff in 1972. He held several positions at National Bank of Commerce, ultimately attaining the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. After the bank was purchased by Worthen Banking Group, Taylor was transferred to Russellville as Chairman, President and CEO of Worthen’s Peoples Bank, where he remained until 1997 when the bank was purchased by what is now Bank of America. After leaving the bank in Russellville, Taylor joined the Chambers Banking Group as Chairman, President and CEO of Chambers Bank of North Arkansas, where he remained until he joined Parkway Bank in 2009.

In addition to service on his company’s boards, he currently serves as Chairman of the Tri-County Regional Water Distribution Board and on the Arkansas Tech University Foundation Board. He is also active in the First United Methodist Church of Russellville.

His past community service includes serving as President and as Campaign Chairman of the Russellville United Way; Life Member, Past President and Lieutenant Governor of the Arkansas Optimist Club; past member of the Russellville Lions Club; Past Chairman of the Russellville Chamber of Commerce; and Past Chairman of the Russellville Franchise Development Corporation.

Taylor served in the U.S. Army with service in Vietnam and is a member of the American Legion, Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans Association.

Bob and his wife, Judy, enjoy their two daughters and their sonsin-law, as well as their six grandchildren; all of whom reside in Russellville.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

2015 ABA Officer Installation

Chairman-Elect Sean Williams

Learn why so many

Sean Williams is President and CEO of First National Bank of Wynne in Wynne. He is also a member of First National Bank of Wynne’s Board of Directors and a member of the Board of Directors of Twin Lakes Community Bank, headquartered in Flippin, Arkansas, a subsidiary of First National Bank.

bankers have already

He is a member of the Wynne Rotary Club, the McCrory Lion’s Club, and serves as Vice President of the McCrory School District Board of Education.

Williams is a member of the First Baptist Church in McCrory, is a Gideon, and is actively involved in various youth programs within the community.

ABA Chairman-Elect Sean Williams and his wife, Leslie.

Vice Chairman Dave Dickson

partnered with Foundation Life.

GROW YOUR INSURANCE PROGRAM TODAY!

Dave Dickson is President of Union Bank & Trust Company in Monticello. He is also a member of Union Bank’s and First Union Financial Corporation’s Board of Directors.

Dickson is very active in the Monticello community: he is a member of First Baptist Church where he currently serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee. He is a member and Past President of Twenty for the Future, a board member of the Monticello Economic Development Commission and Past President of the Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition.

ABA Vice Chairman Dave Dickson and his wife, Memorie.

Treasurer Judy Lawton Judy Lawton is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of Heartland Bank in Little Rock.

She is also the President & CEO of Rock Service Company, LLC. She has served on the Arkansas Tech University Foundation Board and currently serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Heartland Foundation. Other Boards served on in the past include River Valley United Way, River Valley Heart Association, River Valley Soccer Association, St. John’s Catholic Church Finance Committee, and Women in Networking.

ABA Treasurer Judy Lawton with Dr. Nathan Austin.

Past Chairman Chuck Morgan Chuck Morgan is the President and CEO of Relyance Bank in Pine Bluff, and its privately held holding company, Jefferson Bancshares, Inc. Morgan is very active his community, serving as President and as Campaign Chairman for the United Way of Southeast Arkansas, Past President of King Cotton Sports, Past Chairman of the Greater Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Past Chair of Arkansas River Intermodal Facilities Board, and Past Chair of the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County.

He currently serves on the Administrative Council of First United Methodist Church.

ABA Past Chairman Chuck Morgan with his daughter, Catherine Grace, and wife, Cappi.

501.519.0555 | 800.446.2214 foundationlifeinsurance.com

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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What Socks Taught Me About

Customer Experience

Recently, I was browsing Facebook and saw a post that caught my eye. It was a photo of a small wooden board. There were clothes pins attached and a painted heading that read: “Sole Mates.” The idea is to hang this board in your laundry room, and whenever you find a single sock, pin it to the board in hopes the missing sock will show up and find its “mate.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Elliott is senior vice president of customer experience for CSI. In his role, he oversees customer relationships, ensuring high-quality experiences and superior support initiatives are enacted across the CSI customer base. Andy has a diverse background in customer service, corporate communications, conversions and education services.

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Several people liked the post, commenting on how clever and useful the board is. I, on the other hand, was immediately struck by its futility. In the business world, you would never want to put a process in place to address the result of a regular and recurring problem–instead of fixing it. But how often do we take the proactive approach?

FINDING YOUR SOCKS BEFORE THEY GET LOST

When I joined the United States Air Force, I was put in barracks with 55 other guys to complete basic training. We changed socks at least twice daily and did laundry every

The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

weekend. Imagine 55 airmen trying to match 14 pairs of socks each. Chaos, right? But, the USAF taught us a better method.

We simply pinned our socks together before they went into the washer. One end of the pin had the first initial of our last name, and the other end had the last four digits of our Social Security Account Number stamped on it.

That simple approach stuck with me. In fact, I have pinned my socks together ever since.

But the larger lesson learned was that I should look for ways to address issues before they become problems.

2 LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY DAUGHTERS

Years later, when my three daughters were 10, 8, and 3, I walked into the kitchen to find several refrigerator magnets on the floor. I gathered all three girls in the kitchen and asked which one had knocked off the magnets.

Looking confused, my oldest said, “Dad, those fall off all the time.” The other two quickly agreed. I asked, “You mean to tell me that these just fall off, and you put them back on the refrigerator?” “YES,” rang the chorus.

That was the day we threw out the faulty magnets. It was also the day I learned two more lessons: 1. People with good intentions often do unproductive things they don’t need to be doing. My kids were picking up something and putting it away without being told, which, after all, is good!

But, was it something that needed to be done? And could we have prevented the problem?

2. Unless the process fails, you won’t even know they’re doing it. Until I saw the magnets on the floor, I had no idea they were falling. This tells me that people can be doing a great job, but they only get recognition

when something goes wrong. Which makes me wonder why employees are often lauded for correcting negative customer impact issues after they happen?

WHERE CAN YOU PIN THE SOCKS?

As the senior vice president of customer experience for CSI, I consider the Sole Mates board the equivalent of experiencing a customer impact issue and then addressing the problem. For my teams, better customer experience is delivered by preventing the impact before it even becomes an issue at all. (And that’s probably the goal of your community bank as well.)

housekeeping—they taught me that, in business, the most effective customer experience systems prevent problems before they happen. So, I challenge you to implement a customer experience system that rewards your staff for proactively thwarting customer impact issues.

And how do you do that?

You start by finding opportunities to “pin the socks.”

While we have all earned the appreciation from our customers when we ride to the rescue, that concept is only important as long as it’s the exception.

Pinning socks and picking up magnets taught me more than a few lessons about

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June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker 31 www.bankers-bank.com

Bank Management Seminar The 78th Annual ABA Bank Management Seminar will be held August 6-8, 2015 at the Embassy Suites in Rogers. The theme for this year’s event is “Teeing Off For Long-Range Success.”

With a line-up of timely banking topics, this event provides upperlevel banking personnel the opportunity to solidify the strategy for building a strong future with their respective banks, while connecting with peers. Featured topics for the 2015 event include “How Your Children Will Virtually Change Your Financial Institution and Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid,” with Joel Abramson; “Cyber Security Success for Bank Leaders,” with Dr. Kevin Streff; “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker,” with Lt. Colonel Robert Darling; and “The Political Climate in Washington, D.C., and Across the U.S.” with Larry Seyfried.

1938 Bank Management

Seminar

In addition to the informational sessions, there will be a networking reception, a golf tournament at Dogwood Hills Golf Course, and a tour of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for spouses and guests.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Chief Executive Officers Bank Directors Senior Level Decision Makers Banks are encouraged to bring board members to this event to help them gain insight into their increasingly important role within the financial institution

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For details and registration information, please log on to www.arkbankers.org, or contact the ABA Professional Development Department at 501.376.3741.

2014 ar Bank Management Semin

Bring the Family & Enjoy Northwest Arkansas!

ANNUAL BMS GOLF CLASSIC

Friday, August 7, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. | Dogwood Hills Golf Course, Bella Vista Join in a Four Man Scramble with bankers from around the state at Dogwood Hills Golf Course.

• All golfers must be registered for the Bank Management Seminar.

• Teams will be selected by the Golf Committee.

• Registration includes range balls, greens fee, golf cart, and lunch.

• Buy your mulligans at the golf course — all proceeds benefit the ABA Political Action Committees. Mulligans will be available for purchase at the golf course prior to tee-off.

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

2014 BMS Spouse Event SPOUSE & GUEST EVENT: CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Friday, August 7, 2015, 11:00 a.m.

2014 BMS Golf Tournament

Located in the heart of the country in Bentonville, Arkansas, Crystal Bridges explores the unfolding history of America by collecting and exhibiting outstanding works of art that illuminate our artistic heritage and enrich our understanding and appreciation of our nation and ourselves. Crystal Bridges is a must-see attraction for tourists to Northwest Arkansas.

Seminar Agenda THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Registration Open

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Opening Reception

8:30 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

Business Session

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Registration Open

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

CNA Breakfast

8:30 a.m. –11:15 a.m.

Business Session

8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.

Chairman’s Welcome & Remarks Robert Taylor, Parkway Bank

8:40 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Welcome & Association Update Bill Holmes, ABA 8:50 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Government Relations Update Ava Franks, ABA 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Economics Arkansas Report Sue Owens, Economics Arkansas

8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.

Chairman-Elect’s Welcome & Remarks Sean Williams,

First National Bank of Wynne 8:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker Lieutenant Colonel Robert Darling,

United States Marine Corps (Retired) 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

The Political Climate in Washington,

D.C. and Across the U.S. Larry Seyfried,

American Bankers Association 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Razorback Report

11:15 a.m.

ABA Chairman-Elect’s Closing Remarks

Grand Prize Drawings

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

How Your Children Will ‘Virtually’ Change Your Financial Institution

and Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid Joel Abramson,

Complete Data Products, Inc. 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Cyber Security Success for Bank Leaders Dr. Kevin Streff, Secure Banking Solutions 11:15 a.m.

Register now for the 2015 Bank Management Seminar...

ABA Chairman’s Closing Remarks

Featured Speakers JOEL ABRAMSON

LT. COL. ROBERT DARLING

LARRY SEYFRIED

DR. KEVIN STREFF

Joel Abramson is the the Director of Business Development and Strategy at Complete Data Products, Inc. in Troy, Michigan. Abramson will draw from his experience at CDP and previous role in an international technology company that provided outsourced security solutions to speak on topics related to emerging technologies and cyber security.

Lt. Colonel Robert Darling served in the United States Marine Corps with just over twenty years of active duty service. An expert on crisis leadership and decision making, Col. Darling is the author of 24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker, 9/11/01: The White House and the President & CEO of an aviation operations and logistics services company located in Virginia.

Larry Seyfried currently serves as Senior Vice President for Congressional Relations at the American Bankers Association. In this role, he leads AmBA’s lobbying efforts with the House Majority leadership, House Republican Conference, and Members of the House Financial Services Committee.

Dr. Kevin Streff is the founder and managing partner of Secure Banking Solutions, a security consulting firm focused on improving security in financial institutions across the country. He is also Founder of InfraGard – South Dakota, a partnership program between private industry and the U.S. government (represented by the FBI).

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Bank Management Seminar Feature

A Morning Unlike Any Other: Responding in a Time of Crisis

Marine Major Robert J. Darling sat glued to the TV monitor in his office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. He was in­credulous. An aircraft had just plowed into the World Trade Center’s South Tower and exploded in a gigantic ball of flaming gasoline. He heard someone exclaim, “My God, did you see that? I can’t believe it!”

Someone else yelled, “There’s a full-­blown terrorist attack right before our eyes in New York City.”

In minutes, Darling heard the intercom system blast, “Evacuate the White House complex! All personnel are to evacuate the White House complex immediately.”

But Darling could not leave his post as the airlift operations officer responsible for the logistical support for the President of the United States, who was traveling and would certainly need him in this crisis. As the White House and Eisenhower Executive Office Building were evacuated, Darling headed underground toward the President’s Emergency Operations Center, known as the “PEOC.” This is his story of “a morning unlike any other.”

As a Marine Corps officer assigned to the White House Airlift Operations department, I was an integral part of the logistics arm of the White House Military Office (WHMO). Our mission was to support the safe and timely travel of the President, Vice President, first family and other designated VIPs who work in direct support of the White House by prepositioning helicopters, secure phones, Secret Service vehicles and other special equipment, utilizing the heavy-lift assets of the Department of Defense. Essentially, I was a glorified travel agent, and I loved every minute of it.

On Sept. 11, 2001, my alarm went off at 5:20 a.m. and then again at 5:30 a.m.

After forcing myself out of bed, I picked

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

Clouds of smoke rise from fires at the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001. Photographed in Lower Manhattan at 9:54 a.m.

out a clean suit and got dressed. Military personnel assigned to the White House wear business attire to work rather than military uniforms, so that it is less like a military base and more like the home of the first family.

On Wednesdays we were permitted to wear our military service uniforms. For Marines, that usually meant wearing the “Charlie” uniform—the green trousers

Dan Howell / Shutterstock

and tan short-sleeved shirt. In the winter months, we switched to a long-sleeved tan shirt with a tie, called the “Bravo” uniform.

The reason why we were permitted to wear our uniforms on Wednesday was a mystery, but it was a welcome opportunity to display ourselves as the fighting men and women of America’s Armed Forces, proud to serve both our country and our President.

By 6 a.m., I was dressed and into my car, heading to Washington and the White House from my home in Stafford, Va., a suburb about 30 miles to the south.

My first stop was the “slug line.” What other cities call “ride sharing” and “carpooling” is known in Washington, D.C./the Virginia suburbs as “slugging,” an informal, selfmonitoring system that is free and not only moves thousands of commuters to work every day, but does so faster than the bus, Metro or train systems. In no time at all, I had the two passengers I needed to be able to drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. They were both female civilians who worked at the Pentagon. They hopped into my car, greeted me with a grateful “hello,” and we were off.

As soon as I heard the click of their seat belts, I turned up the volume on my radio, pulled out of the commuter lot and joined the madness on Interstate 95 North. One of my passengers read her newspaper; the other stared out the window, probably pondering the day ahead.

My day was supposed to be fairly straightforward and ordinary. President George W. Bush was at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., on a trip designed to spotlight education and reading, and all I had left to do was make sure the Air Mobility Command had everything in place to bring the presidential gear home the moment the President was safely aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington that afternoon.

I exited the highway near the Pentagon, which is a city unto itself. On any given morning, literally thousands of people head toward the building on foot from the enormous parking lots that surround it.

They come by car, by subway or by public transportation, and they represent all walks of life and many different levels of responsibility. As a member of the military family, I always thought of them as unified by their mission: to defend America.

7:20 a.m.

I pulled over to let my passengers out, told them both to have a nice day and carefully made my way out of the parking lot.

The outer face of the Pentagon, shortly after terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the building on September 11 2001.

I crossed over the Memorial Bridge and then, a few blocks later, parked along the Ellipse, the much-photographed park between the Washington Monument and the White House. I walked to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, otherwise known around town as the EEOB. It is the only building on the west side of the White House campus.

I passed through security and made my way to the Airlift Operations Office on the fourth floor.

8:10 a.m.

We all gathered around and looked up at the large, white magnetic board on the back wall that displayed all the specialassignment air missions, or SAAMs, that were either being executed or planned.

Each VIP was represented by a different colored magnet. Each magnet had a number and a destination.

Everett Historical / Shutterstock

with me the events of that day for the rest of my life—they are seared into my memory.

I watched them unfold from deep within our government’s nerve center—inside the White House bunker. I saw and heard firsthand the reactions and responses of our nation’s leaders as the day passed in all of its minute-by-minute terror, with each event raw, unvarnished and unfiltered by the speculations of news anchors.

The news of the first airplane slamming into the World Trade Center reached the Airlift Operations Office at about 8:50 a.m., and, like much of the country, we turned on CNN to get the details. We all stood in front of the television, speculating as to how and why an aircraft would have hit such a huge and prominent landmark on a crystal-clear morning. Had the pilot had a heart attack? Had some sort of massive aircraft technical failure occurred?

At approximately 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 tore into the 96th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

At approximately 9:03 a.m., while staring at the TV, I commented to the others in the room as another airliner came into view. “OK, so what’s this moron doing?”

No doubt trying to get a close-up view of the hole in the building, I thought. All of a sudden, to my horror and total disbelief, the airliner careened into the South Tower at what looked like full power, smashing with such fury that it looked as if the building wanted to fall over right then and there.

Like most Americans who are old enough to remember Sept. 11, 2001, I will carry

Everyone watched in shock, absolutely stunned, as the inferno and billowing

We didn’t know that at that very moment, four groups of terrorists were bearing down the East Coast to our financial capital and to our political capital.

8:46 a.m.

And so it began.

© Leatherneck Magazine, September 2011. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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Bank Management Seminar Feature smoke poured from New York’s signature monuments to its financial supremacy. We were wrenched from our private thoughts only when someone shouted, “There’s a full-blown terrorist attack happening right before our eyes in New York City!”

Just about then, Dennis Stump, our deputy director, called out, “Attention, everyone!

Heads up. I want each of you to stand by for the probability of a lot of high-level, White House-directed airlift requests that might start coming in support of the first responders in New York.”

When tragedy strikes on a national level and emergency supplies have to get to a disaster site immediately to save lives, the White House usually steps in on behalf of another government agency, such as FEMA, and orders the DOD to take action and coordinate the special-assignment air missions necessary to support them.

As Stump was talking, the deafening noise of a low-flying, approaching airliner drowned out his voice as it overflew the EEOB and White House. We paused for a moment, staring at each other before running for the window. After having just watched the destruction in New York in real time, to say we were unnerved would be an understatement. A flyover like this was extremely unusual, because the airspace over the White House is classified as prohibited airspace, meaning no one is allowed to fly over it—ever.

We now had the first inkling that this attack might not just be on New York, but

on our nation’s capital as well.

Within minutes, CNN announced more breaking news and switched its attention from the World Trade Towers in New York City to reports of a large explosion and significant fire at the Pentagon.

9:45 a.m.

What happened next was even more unbelievable. The building’s intercom suddenly came to life and ordered all personnel to evacuate the White House and the adjoining Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

“Evacuate the White House complex!

All personnel are to evacuate the White House complex immediately! … Evacuate the White House complex! All personnel are to evacuate the White House complex immediately!”

When in our history was the last time something like that ever happened? Maybe when Dolley Madison rushed from the White House, carrying out whatever she could as the British closed in on the city?

Things were happening so fast that my mind raced to catch up and process this series of incredible events.

As we secured our work spaces and prepared to leave the building, I quickly grabbed Colonel Mike Irwin, USAF, our director of Airlift Operations. We discussed the possibility that the President wouldn’t be coming back to Washington that day, and as the designated Airlift Operations Officer responsible for his logistics that Darling is welcomed to the White House Airlift Operations center by President Bill Clinton’s dog, Buddy, in 2000.

week, I felt I couldn’t evacuate and leave.

If he wasn’t coming back to D.C., where would he go? What would he need? How would we get it to him? It was my job to figure that out, and I wasn’t willing to walk away from that responsibility, no matter what was happening outside.

Col. Irwin agreed, and with that, he ordered me to grab the Airlift Operations planning binder and to head for the White House basement to the President’s Emergency Operations Center to start coordinating military airlift assets to support the President’s movements.

Grim-faced Secret Service agents were taking up positions in and around the White House to include the Ellipse to the south and Lafayette Park to the north. I paused for a split second at the surreal sight of the mass exodus before me and then quickly focused on getting to the White House basement. I entered the West Wing under the white awning, flashed my military credentials to the armed agents at the entrance and bounded down the stairs at nearly a full run.

Arriving at the entrance, I picked up the phone, called the duty officer inside and requested access. The heavy steel door opened.

As I entered, I immediately saw a very small contingent of WHMO personnel diligently answering phones and taking notes. No sooner had I announced to the duty officer that I was there to coordinate military airlift assets for the President than I saw one of the Vice President’s military aides. He was frantically answering phones and giving orders to other personnel.

“Hey, Bob,” he yelled, “forget whatever it is you’re planning on doing and help me answer the phones. They’re ringing off the hook.”

A portion of the Pentagon collapsed when the fire from the impact of American Airlines Flight 77 weakened parts of the western wall.

9:52 a.m.

I put my Airlift Operations binder down in a corner of the room and immediately grabbed the nearest ringing phone, which

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

to prepare America for war; and other untold events unfolded while we were inside the White House bunker.

Darling with the VH-3D helicopter, also known as Marine One when the President is aboard.

turned out to be a direct, secure line between the Situation Room, located in the West Wing and the PEOC. “Major Darling, here. Can I help you?”

During the next 24 hours I stood side by side with the Vice President, national security advisor and other high- level White House staffers as America struggled to come to grips with the magnitude of the worst attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor.

Historic events such as the near shoot down of United Flight 93 as it approached a target in Washington, D.C., at more than 500 mph; the scramble to kill an unidentified bogey aircraft approaching the White House from the west only to find out at the very last moment that was a medical evacuation helicopter on the wrong frequency heading to save lives at the Pentagon; the credible source and the threat to President Bush onboard Air Force One; moving our strategic nuclear forces to Defense Condition 3 (DEFCON) and the concerned call from Russian President Vladimir Putin; and of course, the horrific moments of watching the Twin Towers collapse, the devastation at the Pentagon, and the emotional toll it all had on the President as he was informed that the death toll could be as high as 40,000 Americans; as well as the moment al- Qaida was implicated in the attack and how President Bush informed his Cabinet

What I witnessed during those 24 hours was unprecedented crisis leadership from our nation’s top officials as they recognized the scale, coordination and devastation of the attacks against us. I was struck by their decisiveness to take lives of those unfortunate enough to be under the control of suicidal terrorists, in order to save scores of innocent lives on the ground. They weren’t just politicians; they were brave Americans who, when faced with the worst reality imaginable, rose to the challenge of our time to protect our America.

I was proud of their courage and I was proud to stand among them.

The next day I returned home to my family and hugged my wife. I knew that our war against terrorism and radical extremism would be a long fight. I was emotional over the thought that my service to our country wouldn’t be enough to guarantee endless freedom for my children, but that someday they too would most likely have to join ranks to continue to protect and defend the country we love and our American way of life.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, I’ve retired from active-duty service, but continue to watch with pride as America’s servicemen and women wearing the uniforms of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have stepped forward to be counted as warriors in democracy’s defense.

I drive by the Pentagon often, and I never forget to thank God for what it stands for: the power and might of the greatest nation on earth. The ground at American Flight 77’s site of impact is consecrated soil now.

The memorial erected there is an elegant testament to the sacrifice of the 184 men and women on board the plane and in the Pentagon. As I pass by its outer walls, I remember them, and I silently promise them I will never forget their sacrifice.

I think of the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93, who would not let the terrorists win and who may have saved unknown numbers of lives in the nation’s capital

with their selfless, spontaneous and collaborative acts of bravery. I hope I would have that much courage if faced with the same decision.

And I think of all our fellow countrymen and citizens of foreign nations who perished in the World Trade Center and the first responders—the firefighters, police, New York City Transit workers and ordinary citizens—who braved a fiery hell itself to save others after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Flight 175 were plunged into the North and South towers.

As a Marine, I am proud to have played even a small role in the events of that transformational September day. And I will never forget.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In October 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Darling retired from the United States Marine Corps with just over twenty years of active duty service. He flew attack helicopters in Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War and in Somalia, Africa, in support of Operation Restore Hope. In June 1998, he was selected to fly as a presidential pilot with Marine Helicopter Squadron One and in October 2000, he was handpicked to work for the White House Military Office, Airlift Operations Department. It was in that capacity that Lt. Col. Darling supported the President, Vice President and National Security Advisor in the President’s Emergency Operations Center on September 11, 2001.

In May 2002, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School where he earned his MBA in Financial Management and subsequently served as a Program Manager for the Chief of Naval Operations supporting the Department of the Navy Flying Hour Program.

Bob is the author of “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker, 9/11/01: The White House” and the President and CEO of Quantitative Analytics, LLC, an aviation operations and logistics company located in Stafford, Virginia.

Hear more from Lt. Colonel Robert Darling at the 2015 Bank Management Seminar!

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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125 Years of the Arkansas Bankers Association

The Birth of an Association

There was not a bank within the boundaries of Arkansas when it became a state in 1836 — gold and silver money was often buried for safekeeping.

The first act of the first Arkansas Legislature was the creation of two banks: the Real Estate Bank and the State Bank; the two banks began business in 1837, issuing paper money rather than coins of that time, and thus creating an instability in the value of currency. After just six years, the two state banks were liquidated, and the need for a sound bank led to the appearance for private banking in Arkansas. After several shaky decades, the banking industry in Arkansas began to show steady growth in the 1880s. Following in the footsteps of the American Bankers (formed in 1875), and bankers in the neighboring states of Texas and Mississippi, Arkansas bankers began circulating the idea of a statewide association of bankers.

It was W.B. Worthen, president of what was then the Associated Banks of Little Rock, who took the first step in forming an association by inviting Arkansas bankers to a “Convention of Arkansas Bankers” in Little Rock on October 20-21, 1891. Representatives from 40 Arkansas banks were present at the meeting.

Following a prayer, Worthen opened the meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 1891, with the following: “We have assembled here on invitation emanating from the Associated Banks of Little Rock, for the purpose of organizing a State Bankers Association, an organization which I think will be profitable and beneficial to us all. It will be our privilege to listen to some will-prepared addresses and papers, and by the discussion of such papers, we may hope to learn how better to conduct our business to the satisfaction of our stockholders and depositors. There will be some reports on the matter of legislation that we may advise with our legislators, so that they will not be disposed to pass unjust and inequitable laws in regard to the banking business.

“Another very important object of this Association is to become better acquainted personally, for I believe it is more pleasant to do business with acquaintances than with strangers.”

Colonel Logan H. Roots was elected president of the Association at that first Convention. In his address, Roots noted “the benefits of the Association are not confined to speeches to sharpen our wits, but the social features,” and that attendees of the event would “...go home having reaped a harvest that will repay them for the journey. I think they will go home better fitted to discharge their duty to their stockholders and depositors, as well as to the whole community in which they live. There is a certain advantage in an association.”

Col. Logan H. Roots 1841 – 1893

Colonel Logan Holt Roots was a graduate of Illinois State Normal University before enlisting in the Illinois Infantry and serving the Union Army until the end of the Civil War. After settling in Arkansas, he served two terms in Congress (June 1868 – March 1871), following which he helped found the First National Bank of Fort Smith, and later became President of First National Bank of Little Rock.

Colonel Roots was elected President of the Arkansas Bankers Association on October 20, 1891.

That the prosperity and success of the banks of our state may be aided and their usefulness to the public promoted; that the renewal of personal acquaintance from year to year and the discussion of subjects of importance beget unity of thought and uniformity of action; and particularly to consider with deliberate care the financial and commercial usages and customs and laws which affect the banking interests of the State, and protection against loss by crime, the following constitution and By-Laws are submitted for the Arkansas Bankers Association.

- Original By-Laws of the Arkansas Bankers Association

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2015 Compliance School Scheduled for July 27-30 Compliance is one of the most crucial and consuming issues in the financial industry today. Regulatory agencies have made it clear ­that no institution can afford to be without a comprehensive, well-managed compliance program.

The 2015 Compliance School, scheduled for July 27-30 in Little Rock, will provide you with the latest knowledge and preparation needed to properly handle compliance issues. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with nationally-known compliance experts and others involved in compliance from similar institutions.

This year’s Compliance School is divided into three modules: Credit Compliance, Operations, and Advanced Compliance: Update and Hot Topics. You may register for any combination of these modules, depending on your institution’s needs.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Participants should have at least one year of experience in a functional area of banking, such as lending, compliance, auditor, cashier, etc. You may choose to attend any combination of modules; however, attendance at the entire school is highly recommended for: Those who manage the entire compliance program for their institution.

Compliance officers from community banks.

Compliance officers who are involved in the compliance monitoring, audit, review, or training process in their institutions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For complete details and registration information, please log on to www.arkbankers.org, or contact the ABA Professional Development Department at 501.376.3741.

Case Studies in Appraisal and How will your compliance Evaluation Compliance Reviews

and BSA program measure up at the next exam?

Bankers Assurance assists banks all across Arkansas with their compliance and BSA programs.

Regulators want banks to be proactive and identify potential weaknesses before they arrive.

Our staff knows your area and your regulators. We are committed and support the Arkansas bankers.

We are here to help and we are only a call away!

Eric Collinsworth, Appraisal Advisory Associates, LLC, taught attendees about the key points that banks need to be aware of relating to appraisal reviews and evaluations for compliance with Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines during the ABA Case Studies in Appraisal and Evaluation Compliance Reviews seminar on May 19 in Little Rock.

Lending/Deposit Compliance | Fair Lending | BSA CRA | HMDA | Compliance Training

www.bankersassurance.net

(501) 410-3198

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

39

MEMBER NEWS Ozark Heritage Named Among Top-Performing Community Banks Ozark Heritage Bank in Mountain View was recently recognized as one of the top-performing community banks in the nation, as compiled by the Independent Community Bankers Association.

The only Arkansas bank named on the list, Ozark Heritage Bank ranked sixth among ROA Subchapter C Banks with $75–$150 Million in assets. The bank’s ROA in 2014 was 2.04 percent, and ROE was 16.39 percent; assets were $88.4 million.

According to President, CEO, and Chief Financial Officer, Marnie Oldner, the bank had growth in loans (31 percent), assets (19 percent), deposits (14 percent), shareholder equity (20 percent), and earnings (210 percent) in 2014.

“By focusing on our community, we’ve grown deposits in a small town with six other competing banks. By focusing on agriculture, we’ve grown loans and earnings. By doing things right and with

The staff of Ozark Heritage Bank in Mountain View.

purpose, we’ve overcome our regulatory woes,” Oldner stated.

ICBA ranks the top-performing community banks annual, based on

Morris to Retire from Foundation Life Insurance Company of Arkansas Foundation Life Insurance Company of Arkansas has announced that Mr. Harold Morris will retire on July 31, 2015.

Mr. Morris has been a valued employee for 30 years and will be greatly missed by the Foundation Life staff and colleagues alike (especially on Fridays when he brought donuts for the staff). We have all benefited from knowing and working with Harold, who has been instrumental in developing our credit life insurance product and providing excellent service to banks and car dealerships throughout the state of Arkansas.

Upon retirement, Morris intends to devote more time to his woodworking shop, working with his horses and spending more time with his children and grandchildren. He and his wife, Ann, plan to visit family in California and travel to Hawaii and/or Ireland.

Foundation Life invites the banking

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

community to join them in extending best wishes to Harold Morris at a luncheon in his honor on Friday, July 17, at the River Park Event Center in Fort Smith from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please RSVP to Amanda Larru by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 13, at 479.785.1714 or via email at Amanda@ flicar.com

year-end FDIC call report earnings data, measuring their return on average assets (ROA) and return on average equity (ROE) ratios.

Ferstl Appointed to Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board Tom M. Ferstl, JD, MAI, SRA, was appointed by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to a term on the Arkansas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. Ferstl authored the original Arkansas Licensing Act in 1990 and also most of the revisions to the Act over the past 24 years. He is now employed by Ferstl Valuation Services, the successor to an appraisal firm that he founded in 1967. Ferstl is a Practicing Life Member of the Appraisal Institute and he specializes in providing expert witness testimony on real estate-related litigation matters in both State and Federal Courts on a regional basis.

Ferstl Valuation Services has offices in Little Rock, Fayettteville, and Marion.

Loan Mobilization Program Provides Loans to Minority Businesses Through Revolving Fund The State of Arkansas’s Loan Mobilization Program (Act 1428 of 2009) was created to provide loans to small minority businesses unable to secure financing on reasonable terms through normal lending channels. The program seeks to eliminate barriers to minority business enterprises providing goods and services to the State of Arkansas when seeking financial assistance. The program aims to increase the ability of minority business enterprises to compete for state contract and execute the work on a project.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

To be eligible for assistance, the business enterprise must an independent business entity, which is at least 51 percent owned by one or more minority persons, a lawful permanent resident of the State of Arkansas and is African American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander, or a serviced disabled veteran as designated by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. Business must be certified by the Arkansas Economic Develop­ment Commission, Small and Minority Business as a Minority Business Enterprise in order to qualify for this program.

public for the making of such loans (and not be a financing subsidiary, engaged primarily in financing the operations of an affiliate). Have continuing good character and reputation and otherwise meet and maintain the state ethical requirements. Be supervised and examined by a State or Federal regulatory authority .Lender completes a loan guarantee agreement.

ELIGIBLE LENDERS

Federal or State chartered banks, Saving and Loans, Credit Unions, and Other regulated business lending institutions

LEARN MORE

For more information on participation in the Loan Mobilization Program, contact: Arkansas Economic Development Commission/ Small and Minority Business Division at 501.682.5060 or via email at aarmstrong@arkansasedc.com.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Funds must be used for job creation, expansion, repairs, and acquisition of machinery, equipment inventory purchase or working capital.

FINANCING

Guarantee: Percentage of guarantee can be up to 90 percent of a loan. Minimum guarantee loan amount: $10,000 Maximum guarantee loan amount: $100,000 Interest Rate: Determined by the lender and agreed upon

by AEDC Term of the Loan: Determined by the lender and AEDC Duration of Guarantee : Life of the loan (not exceeding the set term of the agreement) Fees: No fees by AEDC (but some fees may apply from lender)

LENDER REQUIREMENTS

Have a continuing ability to evaluate, process, close, disburse, service, and liquidate small business loans. Be open to the

ARKANSAS BANK DEPARTMENT

APPLICATIONS & APPROVALS

Branch Bank Application An application filed by Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to establish a branch banking facility at 1990 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, Texas, has been approved.

May 8, 2015.

Choose the right referral partner, and create positive growth for your bank and your community.

Call us today. 800.216.7237

*June 20-Year Rate Arkansas Capital Corporation Group is an equal opportunity provider.

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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BANKER NEWS & MOVES SIMMONS FIRST NATIONAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF BURCHFIELD TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Simmons First National Corporation has announced the appointment of Jay D. Burchfield to its Board of Directors, according to George A. Makris Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Simmons First National Corporation.

“We are pleased that Jay has accepted the nomination to serve on our Board of Directors,” stated Makris. “Jay has a wealth of experience, both in the financial services industry and as a public company director, and will provide representation from our expanded Southwest Missouri market.”

Mr. Burchfield is Chairman of Ozark Trust and Investment Corporation and its subsidiary company, Trust Company of the Ozarks. Simmons announced the acquisition of Ozark Trust and Investment Corporation in a separate press release issued today. Burchfield’s career has spanned over 40 years, primarily in the banking and financial services industry. Burchfield formerly served as an Advisory Director of Liberty Bancshares, Inc., which was acquired by the Company in February 2015.

Prior to the consummation of the merger of Liberty into the Company, Mr. Burchfield was designated by Liberty’s board of directors as its designee for appointment to the Board of the Company, pursuant to the terms of the definitive agreement and plan of merger between the Company and Liberty.

Burchfield currently serves as a Director of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. In this role, he serves as Chairman of its Compensation Committee and as a member of

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its Corporate Governance and Audit Committees.

Burchfield also serves as a director of Banyan Group, Inc., a clinical research organization; a director of Quest Capital Alliance, a venture capital organization; a director of Quest Commercial Finance, a corporate finance organization; a director of Heart of America Beverage, a beverage distributor in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas; a director of Primary Care Education, a company providing continued medical education for doctors; a director and Treasurer of the I-470 Community Improvement District, a tax increment financing plan to develop road infrastructure in Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Chairman of the Convention Committee for the Missouri Bankers Association. Burchfield previously served as President of the Chamber of Commerce in two different communities in Southern Missouri.

Burchfield received a B.S. degree in Marketing in 1968 and M.S. degree in Education in 1972 from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. In addition, he graduated from the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University in 1980. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

NEW HIRES ANNOUNCED AT TODAY’S BANK Today’s Bank in Fayetteville has announced the addition of three new employees: Camille Phillips, Keane Stewart, and Cole Baldwin.

Camille Phillips recently joined Today’s Bank as Senior Vice President and Bank Risk Officer. Phillips has had 25 years of credit and bank-wide

The Arkansas Banker | June 2015

risk management experience within the banking industry including Bank Loan Review, Credit Administration, Loan Operations, Commercial Lending and Risk Management. Industry experience also includes four years as a senior consultant providing nationwide consulting services on a variety of credit and bank/board management issues.

Phillips has also had two terms of employment with the FDIC overseeing the management and resolution of failed-bank assets and personnel.

Keane Stewart was hired as Vice President of Today’s Bank.

He has lived in Northwest Arkansas for more than 20 years and has ten years of experience in the areas of commercial and consumer banking and credit analysis.

Stewart graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.S.B.A. in Finance. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending his free time camping, hiking and fishing. He serves on the board and is treasurer for Boy Scout Troop 555 in Farmington.

Cole Baldwin recently joined Today’s Bank as Assistant Vice President and Compliance Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in History from the University of Arkansas, and has completed numerous banking schools including the Barret School of Banking and the American Bankers Association’s National Compliance School.

Baldwin has over seven years of banking experience in the fields of both lending and compliance.

Having recently moved to Fayetteville, he looks forward to being active in several civic organizations.

MILLER TAPPED AS BRANCH MANAGER OF NEW CORNERSTONE BANK LOCATION Charles T. Cross, President & CEO, Cornerstone Bank, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Meredith Miller to Branch Manager of the bank’s soon to be completed location in Huntsville, Arkansas where she will oversee the branch’s deposit services staff. Ms. Miller joins the growing Northwest Arkansas based bank after 12 years in the Huntsville School System where she served as a first grade teacher at Watson Primary. Prior to her tenure at the school, she was in the banking industry for a number of years with both Heritage Bank in Jonesboro and Arvest Bank in Huntsville.

Cross stated, “We are thrilled to be able to bring Meredith back into banking and add her to what is shaping up to be a great team of professional bankers to serve the Madison County area.

Her understanding of customer service and knowledge of the market make her a valuable asset to Cornerstone Bank, as we continue to grow and expand our client base. She is simply a fantastic addition to our Cornerstone family.”

Ms. Miller received a degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University in 2011 and a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arkansas in 2003.

Meredith, her husband Jeremy and their two children, reside in Clifty where they own and operate the Clifty Store.

CLASSIFIEDS

INDEX OF ADVERTISEMENTS Arkansas Capital Corporation Group

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Bankers Assurance, LLC

39

www.arcapital.com

www.bankersassurance.net

CNA Insurance

www.cna.com/communitybanks

2

First National Bankers Bank 31 www.bankers-bank.com

Foundation Life Insurance Company of Arkansas

29

Office Depot

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www.foundationlifeinsurance.com www.officedepot.com

MODULAR BANK BUILDINGS - Looking to branch? Disaster planning? Need a temporary while remodeling? Immediately available, 14’x66’ or 24’x66’ with bank equipment and drive thru. North American Buildings - 888-800-8866. www.NorthAmericanBuildings.com.

FT COMPLIANCE OFFICER: Eagle Bank and Trust Company in Little Rock, AR, is seeking a FT Compliance Officer. Competitive Pay and Benefits Package, FDIC Insured.

This is a full time position responsible for the compliance of the Bank.

Develops, administers and monitors programs for compliance with laws, regulations and rules governing operations and product offerings.

Informs and educates appropriate personnel and Senior Management.

Maintains and updates appropriate risk assessments, policies and

procedures throughout the bank.

Acts as a Bank’s CRA Officer and BSA Officer Eagle Bank and Trust is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with a disability.

To find out more about the job description and complete an application please go to: www.eaglebank.com.

2015-16 ARKANSAS BANK DIRECTORIES will be available in the fall. Pre-order yours today by contacting Traci Logsdon at traci. logsdon@arkbankers.org.

ADVERTISEMENTS For more information on advertising in The Arkansas Banker, please contact Traci Logsdon, Director of Communications, via email at traci.logsdon@arkbankers.org, or by phone at 501.978.3603.

The Arkansas

Banker 1220 West Third Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone 501.376.3741 Fax 501.376.9243 www.arkbankers.org

June 2015 | The Arkansas Banker

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The Arkansas Banker | June 2015