Central Bank Forms Holding Company

Little Rock’s Central Bank is gaining a parent company: Central Bancshares Inc. The new holding company will become the owner of the $674 million-asset lender.

That move transforms shareholders in the bank to shareholders in Central Bancshares. Ten of the biggest blocks of Central Bank stock are owned by:

► Cross County Bancshares Inc., holding company for the $507 million-asset Cross Bank of Wynne, 92,804 shares (50.43%).

► Wade Ruckle of Maumelle, president and CEO of Central Bank, 14,968 shares (8.13%).

► Marchant Group of Little Rock, led by John and Cynthia Reese, 10,100 shares (5.48%).

► Lonoke Bancshares Inc., holding company for the $310 million-asset First State Bank of Lonoke, 4,396 shares (2.38%).

► Carlson Bancshares Inc., holding company for the $543 million-asset Fidelity Bank of West Memphis, 3,281 shares (1.78%).

► Steve Collier of Augusta, 3,250 shares (1.76%).

► Albert/Barbara Hess of Wynne, 3,096 shares (1.68%).

► Ron Harb of Little Rock, 2,500 shares (1.35%).

► Rodney Thomason, Little Rock, 2,500 shares (1.35%).

► TLB Inc. of Hampton, led by David Wells, 2,302 shares (1.25%).

Central Bank was established on the dormant charter of Bank of Blevins (Hempstead County) in February 2007.

The $74.8 million-asset Pinnacle Bank of Rogers was merged into Central in April 2017.

Chambers Bank Texas

Danville’s Chambers Bank has converted its Dallas loan production office into a full-service branch, its first foray outside Arkansas. The nearly $1.4 billion-asset lender is doing business from Big D’s 3131 Turtle Creek Building, Suite 920.

The Dallas operation represents full-service location No. 24 for Chambers Bank, which generated a $17 million profit through the first three-quarters of this year.

With a staff of six, the Dallas office is doing business as Chambers Bank Texas.

Miller County Move

Bradley’s Community State Bank is developing a full-service branch at 127 Arkansas Blvd. in Texarkana. The office will be the first branch for the $55.6 million-asset lender.

The bank bought the 0.62-acre location in August 2023 for $575,000. The property previously was home to Finish Line Motors and Tom’s Jug House.

Texarkana’s $816 million-deposit market hosts a competitive field of nine banks.

The three biggest shares of the market are held by Wells Fargo Bank of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, $310 million (37.97%); Commercial National Bank of Texarkana, Texas, $202 million (24.74%); and Regions Bank of Birmingham, Alabama, $95 million (11.66%).

This year, Community State Bank recorded a $122,000 profit as of Sept. 30.