Another report from the sports figure-cum-banker front:
Jerry Jones has brought his aggressive tactics to a small bank in Danville, Ark.
Mr. Jones, owner of the NFL champion Dallas Cowboys, is a board member of Danville State Bank, a $110 million-asset institution about 60 miles west of Little Rock.
Mr. Jones, who owns about one-quarter of the closely held company's stock, is brother-in-law to the bank's president, John E. Chambers 3d.
"We had the whole family back for Christmas," Mr. Chambers said. "He's optimistic about the playoffs. He didn't seem very nervous."
Like the Cowboys, 65-year-old Danville State Bank has been playing aggressively this year. Its holding company, Chambers Bancshares, is completing two acquisitions.
When the deals are closed, Chambers Bancshares will be a $280 million- asset, five-bank holding company. Just four years ago, it was about one- third that size.
"It's hard to believe we're that big because the population of Danville is only 1,500," said Mr. Chambers. "But we do a lot of aggressive marketing and have been expanding throughout the state. There's no way we could afford a bank of this size in Danville alone."
Danville State's board consists entirely of family members: Mr. Chambers' three sisters and their husbands.
