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President’s Column
Two weeks ago we welcomed bankers, directors, guests, regulators, and partners to the quasquicentennial celebration of the Arkansas Bankers Association. 125 years old; that’s something to celebrate! Everyone there has played a role in our rich history. At the luncheon after Day with the Commissioner, we celebrated the Milestones in Banking awards for hometown bankers who have been serving their communities for 40 and 50 years, or more. We recognized two banks who were also celebrating their 125th anniversaries; First National Bank of Paris and Cross County Bank in Wynne. We also recognized the good folks from Riverside Bank of Sparkman, who were celebrating their 100th birthday; Fidelity National Bank of West Memphis on their 50th anniversary; and Today’s Bank of Fayetteville, honoring their 25th anniversary. Did you know that 47 of our 102 banks headquartered in Arkansas are 100+ years old; 45 other banks are 50 years and older. That means 87% of our banks have been helping grow Arkansas communities for more than 50 years. As I travel across the state, and across the country, I often hear how regulations and compliance are the growing burdens for our banks; how more new regulations and rising costs have squeezed our margins to uncomfortable levels, and, how consolidation will be the end of hometown banking. However, knowing that we just celebrated our 125th year, I see this as an opportunity to transform into a better version of what we were before, rather than a trend toward our demise that we cannot reverse. Reading the history of our banks for the last 125 years made me think about the events that our banks have not only survived, but have thrived and grown through. Our banks have been through: The Panic of 1893, which led to an economic depression second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s The Spanish American War World War I The Great Depression World War II The Korean War The Vietnam War The S&L crisis The Great Recession of a few years ago Enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act And the creation of the CFPB It is amazing that our banks, and thousands of other banks across the country, have gone through these and scores of other life-changing events and have survived all these distresses. So I know that we will indeed survive DoddFrank and our latest financial crisis. As you see, bankers are accustomed to overcoming and adapting to challenges that face our communities and our banks. Arkansas’s hometown bankers understand the importance of working efficiently to help ensure that Arkansans can pursue their dreams and goals. We are always there to help empower and protect our customers. We have evolved. Not only in the way we open accounts, or how we loan monies, or how we issue credit cards, and how we instantly issue debit cards. We are now working on how we will have “real time” banking, probably carried out on a mobile device. All this to make us more effective and efficient when we serve our customers, our communities, and our state. Our Quasquicentennial Celebration
PRESIDENT & CEO BILL HOLMES
125 years into our banking history is the perfect time to focus on how to make your banks into the most trusted provider of financial services and advice to the new millennial generation. I am so confident that our banks will meet these challenges; adapt and innovate so that we continue to be the growth engines in our communities. It all started anew, two weeks ago, with those of you there to explore new ideas, to learn from experts and share the new efficiencies with your customers. Let’s continue to build on our great legacy. Send your emerging leaders to the upcoming Leadership Conference. Let them experience the unique opportunity to learn about the many different issues we have faced in our careers in the banking industry; let them find inspiration from the shared stories of how we help our fellow citizens, customers and communities achieve their maximum financial success. Thanks for being the best part of our 125th anniversary.
CONVENTION
Snapshots
ROBERT Y. TAYLOR | CHAIRMAN Parkway Bank, Rogers DAVE DICKSON | VICE CHAIRMAN Union Bank & Trust Co., Monticello CHUCK MORGAN | PAST CHAIRMAN Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff SEAN WILLIAMS | CHAIRMAN-ELECT First National Bank of Wynne, Wynne JUDY LAWTON | TREASURER Heartland Bank, Little Rock BILL HOLMES | PRESIDENT/CEO Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock ABA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Robert Taylor & Sean Williams
Jim Franks, Jerry Pavlas & Jim Taylor
Governor Asa Hutchinson
PHIL BALDWIN | GROUP 2 Citizens Bank, Batesville GREG CONNELL | GROUP 2 The Farmers & Merchants Bank, Perryville TROY DUKE | GROUP 5 Gateway Bank, Rison ELIZABETH FARRIS | GROUP 4 Regions Bank, Hot Springs GARY GOLDEN | GROUP 4 First State Bank of DeQueen, DeQueen SCOTT HANCOCK | GROUP 3 Centennial Bank, Fayetteville DREW HARPER | GROUP 2 Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock JON HARRELL | GROUP 3 Generations Bank, Rogers DARWIN HENDRIX | GROUP 4 Bank of Delight, Delight CHARLES HORTON | GROUP 1 Fidelity Bank, West Memphis J. MICHAEL JONES | GROUP 5 Merchants & Farmers Bank, Dumas CRAIG MOBLEY | GROUP 4 First Financial Bank of El Dorado, El Dorado WILSON MOORE | GROUP 2 Bank of America, Little Rock JERRY MORGAN | GROUP 1 Focus Bank, Jonesboro CATHERINE OWEN | GROUP 2 Eagle Bank, Little Rock RANDY SCOTT | GROUP 1 Farmers Bank & Trust Co., Blytheville MIKE SMITH | GROUP 5 McGehee Bank, McGehee JIM TAYLOR | GROUP 3 First Security Bancorp, Fayetteville STANHOPE WILKINSON | GROUP 3 Farmers Bank & Trust, Greenwood ABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BILL HOLMES PRESIDENT/CEO 501.978.3602 | bill.holmes@arkbankers.org ABA STAFF
BARRY JACKSON SVP/COO 501.978.3613 | barry.jackson@arkbankers.org
CARLA BRINKLEY VP/CONTROLLER 501.978.3608 | carla.brinkley@arkbankers.org
KAMI TAYLOR COLEMAN VP/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 501.978.3614 | kami.coleman@arkbankers.org
AVA FRANKS VP/DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 501.978.3606 | ava.franks@arkbankers.org
TRACI LOGSDON DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS 501.978.3603 | traci.logsdon@arkbankers.org
JESSICA SAHENE MARKETING COORDINATOR 501.978.3609 | jessica.sahene@arkbankers.org
BRENDA SCARBROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR 501.978.3607 | brenda.scarbrough@arkbankers.org
STUART THALHEIMER EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT 501.978.3605 | stuart.thalheimer@arkbankers.org CAROL ALLEN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 501.978.3600 | carol.allen@arkbankers.org
