White River Bancshares Co. (OTCQX: WRIV) of Fayetteville, the holding company for Signature Bank of Arkansas, recently reported fourth-quarter net income of $4.36 million, up from $1.83 million a year ago.
Per share, earnings came to $1.78.
For the full year, the community bank posted income of $13.83 million, nearly doubling the $6.93 million sum it reported in 2024.
“Our results from the fourth quarter and full year demonstrate what we’ve always believed about how strong relationships drive strong performance,” CEO Gary Head said in a statement. “We’ve built our business on the traditions of community banking: understanding our customers deeply and delivering what they need.”
Fourth-quarter profit was fueled by higher net interest income, which increased by 33.7% to $13.4 million. Loans grew by 17.3% annually, totaling $1.247 billion.
Total deposits increased by $228.4 million, or 20.9%, to $1.321 billion for the period ending Dec. 31, compared to $1.093 billion the previous year.
“We have seen continued momentum in deposit growth this quarter, reflecting our focus on making deposit gathering second nature across the organization,” Scott Sandlin, chief strategy officer, said in a statement.
Total interest expense increased to $10 million from $8.7 million, primarily due to an increase in deposit costs.
Noninterest expense in the fourth quarter was $10 million, compared with $8.8 million a year ago. The bank said higher salaries and benefits, as well as an increase in professional services, contributed to the increase.
White River Bancshares finished 2025 with $1.52 billion in total assets, up 18.2% from $1.29 billion in 2024.
The company has 10 locations — including Banco Sí, the state’s first dedicated bilingual bank — in Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers, Brinkley, Harrison and Jonesboro.
White River Bancshares stock opened at $52.85 on Tuesday. Over the past 12 months, shares were up nearly 47%.
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