Arkansas

Profits soared at Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., thanks primarily to its expanding loan portfolio.

"In Northwest Arkansas there are a lot of banks with similar names," Chairman Jon Harrell said in a news release about the rebranding, which includes a new logo and signage. "We wanted a name that would stand out and at the same time it was important to us to not lose sight of our roots."

With energy stocks enjoying the biggest rebound since the beginning of the oil rout, short sellers have shifted their sights to regional banks that do business with the industry.

A dozen banks from Arkansas to Virginia are nearing $10 billion in assets, where they will face higher compliance costs and caps on interchange fees. Mergers among those institutions could create a new class of regional bank.

C1 Financial in Tampa, Fla., was unable to seize an opportunity to bring in more money for its sale to Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark.

Several small banks are beginning to offer employer-based loans, a payday loan alternative for under-banked consumers.

FIS in Jacksonville, Fla., has partnered with the Venture Center to create an incubation lab to boost innovation in financial technology.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., which has made 15 bank deals since 2010, has raised $110 million in an offering of its common stock.

The $9.3 billion-asset Bank of the Ozarks said in a press release Monday that it will pay $402.5 million, or $25 a share, in stock for the $1.7 billion-asset C1 Financial.

First National Bancorp in Green Forest, Ark., has agreed to buy Twin Lakes Community Bank in Flippin, Ark.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., is set to catapult over $10 billion in assets after agreeing to buy Community & Southern Holdings in Atlanta.

Get a bunch of community bankers together and they start sharing efficiency ratios like golf scores. There seem to be more bogeys than holes in one these days in the course of cost-cutting.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to an early termination of its federal loss-share agreements for its acquisition of four failed banks.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., had a convenient "in" as it was looking to buy wealth management firm Ozark Trust and Investment Corp. in Springfield, Mo.

Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., has promoted John "Stephen" Tipton to chief operating officer, after the position had been vacant for about five years.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has promoted several executives, as David Bartlett announced his plans to retire as president and chief banking officer.

Cross County Bank in Wynne, Ark., has agreed to buy three Arkansas branches from SouthBank in Huntsville, Ala.

The federal government has taken the unusual step of suing a dead bank president's estate for repayment of bailout funds the bank received during the financial crisis.

Bear State Financial in Little Rock, Ark., has agreed to buy Metropolitan National Bank in Springfield, Mo.

Two community banks that focus on underbanked and low-income populations, City First Bank of D.C. and Southern Bancorp in Arkadelphia, Ark., have joined an international group that promotes socially and environmentally responsible development.