Blytheville Bank Poised to Grow

Famers Bank & Trust branch in Blytheville (© Google Maps)

Blytheville’s Farmers Bank & Trust is in the process of becoming the 19th-largest bank in Arkansas, with total assets north of $1.2 billion.

The transformation of the $569 million-asset lender is courtesy of the continued charter consolidation of banks owned by Gaylon Lawrence Jr.

Farmers is in the process of absorbing three Show Me State banks with combined assets of more than $698 million:

• The $268 million-asset First Missouri State Bank in Poplar Bluff, established in January 1912 as State Bank of Fisk.
• The $227 million-asset First Missouri State Bank of Cape County in Cape Girardeau, established by the Lawrence family in June 2006.
• The $202 million-asset First Missouri Bank of SEMO in Kennett, established as First National Bank in nearby Malden in January 1965.

Farmers operates five full-service offices in Mississippi and Clay counties while the trio of Missouri lenders has a combined nine locations that include one Arkansas office in Leachville.

“After it’s all said and done, there will be one Arkansas-Missouri bank and two Tennessee banks,” said Randy Scott, president and CEO of Farmers.

Last year, the $128.6 million-asset Piggott State Bank was merged with Farmers. In Tennessee, Lawrence owns the $1.6 billion-asset Volunteer Bank of Nashville and the $1.4 billion-asset F&M Bank of Clarksville.