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.