Most regulated industries don’t get to choose who regulates them, but, to a limited degree, banks do. And while the door can swing both ways, in reality the traffic has flowed in one direction: converting from national charters to state charters. read more >

Many small banks don’t have a true chief financial officer, but with Marnie Oldner, Stone Bank got a CEO and experienced CFO in one. read more >

Consolidation came first, but it was really the financial crisis of 2008 — or, more specifically, the expensive regulatory fallout of the crisis — that created a rush to rename banks. In the current environment, banks have to either acquire or be acquired. And banks that want to be acquirers need names that aren’t too geographically specific. read more >

An eclectic group emerged from the first quarter as top-performing lenders based in Arkansas. Measured by return on assets, the group of 10 represented large and small banks sprinkled around the state and a credit union. Two of the lenders are led by women. read more >

First National Bank of Altheimer kept that name from the time it was chartered in 1955 until it moved from Jefferson County to Mountain View in 2009 and reorganized as Ozark Heritage Bank. Now another name change is in the works, along with a new state charter. read more >

With national unemployment at 8.3 percent and the statewide rate at 7.3 percent, it's easy to believe that there must be thousands of young professionals desperate for jobs all across the state. Not quite. read more >