Here Are 3 Arkansas Bank Deals Bigger Than Home BancShares-Liberty Bank

On his “THV 11 News This Morning” appearance on Tuesday, Bob Birch of Home BancShares Inc. of Conway said the Home BancShares $280 million deal to buy Liberty Bank of Arkansas Inc. of Jonesboro was the “fourth-largest interstate” bank deal Arkansas has seen.

So what are the three biggest?

They’re each instances of Arkansas banking companies being acquired by out-of-state holding companies:

1. Regions Financial’s purchase of First Commercial Corp. in 1998, $2.7 billion.
2. Boatman’s Bancshares Inc.’s purchase of Worthen Bank Corp. in 1995, $597 million.
3. BancorpSouth’s purchase of publicly traded First United Bancshares Inc. of El Dorado in 2000, $455.7 million.

Meanwhile, the Home BancShares Liberty deal is the biggest (most expensive) in-state bank deal in Arkansas history, ahead of Arvest Bank’s purchase of publicly traded Superior Financial Corp. in 2003.