ArkBanker-August2016

August 2016 | The Arkansas Banker 1
Volume C, No. 8 | August 2016
Ransomware & Your Bank BMS Wrap-Up Annual Washington Visit
Turning Ideas
into Real Ventures
The Venture Center is
Bringing FinTech to Arkansas

2 The Arkansas Banker | August 2016 2 The Arkansas Banker | August 2016
For more information about ABA Live Events, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741
NOVEMBER 2016
ABA Professional Development
Live Events...
Provide you with face-to-face interaction with an expert instructor!
For more information about ABA Live Events, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741
ABA Live Events
2 | Trust Conference
Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs
Who Should Attend: Trust Officers, Wealth & Private
Banking Directors, Senior Financial Advisors, Personal
Bankers, Estate Planning Attorneys, Senior Level
Executives, Portfolio Managers
7 | Marketing Conference
Crowne Plaza, Little Rock
Who Should Attend: Anyone responsible for marketing,
public relations, and advertising
SEPTEMBER 2016
7–8 | Call Report Preparation
Who Should Attend: Anyone responsible for preparing,
auditing, or signing the call report
20 | 2016 TRID Essentials (Integrated Disclosures)
Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock
Who Should Attend: Mortgage Loan Department
Managers, Compliance Officers, Loan Officers, Auditors,
and others with responsibilities for preparing, delivering,
or auditing new disclosures
21 | Credit Conference
Who Should Attend: CEOs, Chief Credit Officers,
Senior Lenders, Commercial Loan Officers, Credit
Administrators, and Credit Support Staff
28 | Regulatory Hot Buttons Conference
Who Should Attend: Bank Directors, CEOs, and
Executive Management
OCTOBER 2016
2–6 | Basic Lending School
Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock
Who Should Attend: Loan Officers, Lending Support
Staff, New and Intermediate Lending staff
12–13 | 2016 Agricultural Lending Conference
Who Should Attend: Arkansas Ag Lenders & Ag Officers
20 | Loan Write-Ups & Loan Committee
Presentation Techniques
Who Should Attend: Commercial Lenders, Relationship
Managers, Credit Analysts, Private Bankers, and Business
Development Officers
24 | 2016 ABA Bank PAC Golf Tournament
Pleasant Valley Country Club, Little Rock
24 | Advanced Consumer Lending
Who Should Attend: Consumer Loan Officers, Branch
Managers, Assistant Branch Managers, Personal Bankers,
Management Trainees, Collection Officers
25 | IRA School
Who Should Attend: New Accounts Representatives,
CD Personnel, Savings Counselors, Investment and
Trust Personnel who are newly involved in the opening,
selling, marketing, or administration of IRAs, Experienced
IRA Personnel who like a slower pace workshop to cover
all the new changes in a comprehensive manner
25 | Bank Directors I Workshop
Who Should Attend: Bank Directors, Executive
Management, Senior Bank Officers, Shareholders

The Arkansas
BankerVolume C, No. 8 | August 2016 CONTENTS
COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
COVER STORY
4 President’s Column
Bill Holmes
22 Member News
25 Banker News & Moves
27 Classifieds
27 Index of Advertisements
6 Annual Washington Visit
14 Ransomeware: Holding
Your Data Hostage
By Aaron Gamewell
16 2016 Bank
Management Seminar
Turning Ideas into Real Ventures
How ten FinTech start-ups took off in Arkansas
this summer, and what your bank can do to
take advantage of the program.
See page 8
The Arkansas Banker is the official
publication of the Arkansas Bankers
Association.
EDITORIAL OFFICE
1220 West Third Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone 501.376.3741 | Fax 501.376.9243
www.arkbankers.org
EDITORIAL
The Arkansas Banker seeks to reflect the
banking news of Arkansas and other news
of direct interest to the Arkansas Bankers
Association. Statement of fact and opinion
are made on the responsibility of the
authors alone and do not represent the
opinion or endorsement of the Arkansas
Bankers Association. Articles may be
reproduced with written permission only.
ADVERTISEMENT
The publication of advertisement does
not necessarily represent endorsement of
those products or services by the Arkansas
Bankers Association. The Editor reserves
the right to refuse any advertisement.

SUBSCRIPTION
Subscription to The Arkansas Banker
magazine, which began monthly
publication in April 1917, is included in the
membership fees to the Arkansas Bankers
Association.
MAGAZINE RATES
Cover price is $5.95 each. Annual
subscription rates are $40.00 for members
and $60.00 for non-members.
The Arkansas Banker
(ISSN 004-1726) is published monthly by
the Arkansas Bankers Association, 1220
West Third Street, Little Rock, AR 72201.
Phone: 501.376.3741. Periodical postage
paid at Little Rock, AR.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Arkansas Bankers Association, 1220 West
Third Street, Little Rock, AR 72201.

4 The Arkansas Banker | August 2016
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
PRESIDENT CEO
BILL HOLMES
Financing Growth: Impact of Financial Regulation
BILL HOLMES
PRESIDENT/CEO
501.978.3602 | bill.holmes@arkbankers.org
CARLA BRINKLEY
VP/CONTROLLER
501.978.3608 | CARLA.BRINKLEY@ARKBANKERS.ORG
AVA F. ROBERTS
VP/DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
501.978.3606 | AVA.FRANKS@ARKBANKERS.ORG
JESSICA SAHENE
MARKETING COORDINATOR
501.978.3609 | JESSICA.SAHENE@ARKBANKERS.ORG
STUART THALHEIMER
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
501.978.3605 | STUART.THALHEIMER@ARKBANKERS.ORG
BARRY JACKSON
SVP/COO
501.978.3613 | BARRY.JACKSON@ARKBANKERS.ORG
KAMI TAYLOR COLEMAN
VP/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
501.978.3614 | KAMI.COLEMAN@ARKBANKERS.ORG
TRACI LOGSDON
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
501.978.3603 |TRACI.LOGSDON@ARKBANKERS.ORG
BRENDA SCARBROUGH
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
501.978.3607 | BRENDA.SCARBROUGH@ARKBANKERS.ORG
CAROL ALLEN
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
501.978.3600 | CAROL.ALLEN@ARKBANKERS.ORG
ABA STAFF
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center
for Capital Market Competitiveness
released their study June 16, 2016. They
were concerned that America is still stuck
in the worst economic recovery since the
Great Depression, and that there is little
forward momentum. In order to effect
a turnaround, the country will have to
depend on businesses — both large and
small — to create jobs and drive new
economic growth.
Businesses across this country understand
and appreciate this responsibility and
believe that they can, and should, be doing
better. However, the facts are hard to
ignore: profits are down; there are fewer
entrepreneurs starting small businesses;
raising capital and accessing credit is more
expensive and more difficult; and capital
expenditures are hitting all-time lows.
For our companies to overcome these
hurdles and get back on track, they need a
diverse and robust financial system. They
need access to capital, cash management
solutions and tools to manage day-to-day
business risk.
To compile this report, the Chamber talked
directly to CFOs, corporate treasurers and
CEOs who were accountable for making
sure their companies have the resources
necessary to manage their corporate
finances and to grow their companies and
communities.
The overall message they heard was that
companies have many different financing
needs and rely on financial institutions of
all sizes. Further, the financial regulatory
environment is getting worse and
hampering their ability to acquire the
resources they need to grow.
The report’s Executive Summary hits the
nail on the head:
“More than three-quarters of American
companies of all sizes report that the
cumulative effect of the Dodd-Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
and other financial regulatory rules adopted
over the past six years is making it harder
for them to access the financial services they
need. This is true among small, midsized,
and even large companies and is felt most
acutely in a lack of access to services helping
them manage day-to-day liquidity.
This matters because the financial needs of
businesses are as diverse as the American
economy. Companies work to ensure that
they have affordable access to a variety of
suppliers for the financial products they
need. One of the unintended consequences
of the regulatory efforts to reduce risk in
the financial system is that many service
providers have decided to walk away from
providing some products and markets.
Without a robust financial services supply
chain, our nation cannot finance adequate
economic growth.
Takeaways:
ƒƒ Managing cash flow and liquidity is the
biggest financial concern for companies,
and companies believe current and
pending regulations will make those

SEAN WILLIAMS | CHAIRMAN
First National Bank ofWynne,Wynne
JUDY LAWTON |TREASURER
Heartland Bank, Little Rock
DAVE DICKSON| CHAIRMAN-ELECT
Union Bank Trust Co., Monticello
ROBERT Y. TAYLOR| PAST CHAIRMAN
The Citizens Bank, Rogers
CATHERINE OWEN|VICE CHAIRMAN
Eagle Bank, Little Rock
BILL HOLMES| PRESIDENT/CEO
Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock
ABA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PAT ANDERSON | GROUP 5
Simmons Bank, Pine Bluff
PHIL BALDWIN| GROUP 2
The Citizens Bank, Batesville
JIM CARGILL| GROUP 2
Arvest Bank, Little Rock
GENE CRAWFORD| GROUP 5
First National Bank of Crossett,
Crossett
DAVID DOWD| GROUP 1
Cross County Bank,Wynne
TROY DUKE| GROUP 5
Gateway Bank, Rison
DON GIBSON | GROUP 3
Legacy National Bank, Springdale
CHRIS GOSNELL| GROUP 4
Farmers Bank Trust Co., Magnolia
SCOTT HANCOCK| GROUP 3
Centennial Bank, Fayetteville
JON HARRELL| GROUP 3
Generations Bank, Rogers
DARWIN HENDRIX| GROUP 4
Bank of Delight, Delight
J. MICHAEL JONES|GROUP 5
Merchants Farmers Bank, Dumas
CHRIS LEHMAN| GROUP 1
First Delta Bank, MarkedTree
CRAIG MOBLEY| GROUP 4
First Financial Bank, El Dorado
WILSON MOORE| GROUP 2
Bank of America, Little Rock
JERRY MORGAN| GROUP 1
Focus Bank, Jonesboro
RANDY SCOTT| GROUP 1
Farmers Bank Trust Co., Blytheville
JIM TAYLOR| GROUP 3
First Security Bancorp, Fayetteville
LYNN WRIGHT| GROUP 2
Regions Bank, Little Rock
ABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
operations more challenging.
ƒƒ One in three companies is taking
unanticipated steps in response to
regulations and economic changes.
ƒƒ Companies are concerned about
accessing credit, managing day-to-day
currency risk, and raising short term
capital. All are necessary functions to
manage cash flow, liquidity, and fund
future expansion and growth.
Regulatory Impact
ƒƒ Nearly four in every five businesses say
that financial industry regulation has
directly affected their financing activities.
ƒƒ This is no longer just a corporate issue,
as businesses are increasingly being
forced to pass the impact of financial
regulations on to customers and
employees.
ƒƒ Increased bank capital charges are
viewed as the primary source of
increased costs.
ƒƒ One-third of companies expect the
regulatory effect to worsen in the next
three years.
ƒƒ 43% of the companies surveyed said that
maintaining cash flow and liquidity are
their chief concern.
ƒƒ 50% said that increased bank capital
charges have increased their costs and
challenges.
ƒƒ 79% have seen their business affected by
changes in the financial services markets.
ƒƒ 29% have increased prices for customers
and consumers as a result of changes to
the financial services market (double the
level seen in 2013).
ƒƒ 76% believe that the regulations on the
financial services sector will not help
their company’s outlook over the next
two to three years.
As a result, in an era where economic
growth has been stagnant, we find that
existing and additional regulation of the
financial services industry must strike
a better balance between its impact on
business and economic growth.”
Why am I bringing this report to your
attention? Because there is no one better
to speak out about our regulatory struggles
than the people being most affected by
those regs: our customers.
It is our customers who, because of the
regulatory overload, have been forced to
pay increasing fees, live with tighter credit
restrictions, fill out endless new forms, and
most importantly, can no longer be treated
like a long time member of the community,
but must be treated like everyone else in a
matrix equation.
Our customers all have stories to tell.
Whether they are stories of how their
bank got them started in business, helped
finance their home, or how they have
struggled to grow their business under the
new “consumer protection” environment.
These customers’ stories, and the
Chamber’s report on how businesses are
being affected, all need to be shared with
our legislators and regulators. There is
great strength in multiple factions working
together to get something done.
Every one of our banks can gather
these stories. Share them with your
Congressman and Senators over the next
several weeks while they are in their
home districts. Share them with us at
the ABA, and we will aggregate them and
deliver them to our Delegation during
our Washington Visit next month. There
is nothing more effective in Washington
than multiple constituent groups working
together.
The Chamber’s full report is available
at: www.uschamber.com/sites/default/
files/documents/files/financing_growth_
report_16_june_16.pdf.

Arkansas Bankers Association
AnnualWashingtonVisit
September 20-22, 2016
The Arkansas Bankers Association Annual Washington Visit
will take place September 20-22, 2016. Each year, a group of
Arkansas bankers travels to Washington to attend meetings
with the American Bankers Association, regulators, and the
Arkansas Congressional Delegation.
The Annual Washington Visit is one of the most valuable
forums that ABA presents, and members are encouraged
to take part. The group is currently scheduled to meet with
representatives from the CFPB, FHFA, and OCC, in addition to
scheduled Capitol Hill visits with the Arkansas delegation. The
Annual Washington Visit provides bankers the opportunity to
share your concerns on pending legislation, regulations, and
policies, face-to-face with the people responsible for writing
them.
In an effort to engage Emerging Leaders in the Annual
Washington Visit, the ABA will provide a $500 stipend for
Emerging Leaders who wish to make the trip. These stipends
will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The group will dine together in some of D.C.’s finest
restaurants, and enjoy a cocktail party with Federal legislative
staffers.
The ABA’s Annual Washington Visit is an opportunity every
banker should take advantage of, and all are encouraged to
join our group this fall as we tell the stories of Arkansas banks
and their customers!
Registration Details
Registration is complimentary and includes visits to the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, Federal Housing Finance Agency, and
American Bankers Association briefing, visits to the offices of
the U.S. Senators and Representatives from Arkansas.
More Information
If you would like additional information about the Washington
Visit, please contact Stuart Thalheimer at 501.978.3605.
Arkansas bankers have a round-table discussion while visiting
Arkansas’s Senator John Boozman on Capitol Hill during the 2015
Annual Washington Visit.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Electronic Transactions, Overdraft
Fees, More
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Opening Deposit Accounts for LLCs:
Documentation Procedure
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Handling Delinquent and
Abandoned Safe Deposit Boxes
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Analyzing Appraisals for Mortgage
Decisions
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Creating and Protecting Your
Salaried-Exempt Status
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
BSA Red Flags for Money
Laundering: Frontline Annual
Training
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Best-Ever Compliance Checklists for
Commercial Loans
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Controlling the Risks of Power Of
Attorney Documents
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Developing a Star New Accounts
Representative- Skills
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
7 Habits of Highly Successful
Bankers
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Regulation B- Joint Intent
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Get Global: Understanding Global
Cash Flow Analysis
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Living Trust Documents
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Mortgage Servicing Compliance
1:30p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Compliance Perspectives: A
Monthly Update
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
BSA Series: Completing CTR SAR
Reports Line By Line
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Call Reports: RC-C Loan Coding and
Related RC-R Reporting
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Residential Construction Lending
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Legal Liabilities When Check Fraud
Occurs
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
Analyzing Tax Returns for Mortgage
Decisions
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Lead the Way at Your Branch
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
Excel Explained: Managing Large
Workbooks
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Developments in Federal Wage and
Hour Law
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
Fair Credit Reporting Act
Compliance: Ten Critical Issues
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12
Adverse Action Notices
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Writing Business Account
Procedures: New CDD Rules Impact
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
ABA Professional Development
Webinars...
Provide the option of training as many employees as you wish for one price,
all from the convenient location of your home institution!
For more information about ABA Webinars, log on to www.arkbankers.org or call 501.376.3741
ABA Webinars

Akouba
Founders: Chris Rentner (CEO), Nick McMillan (CTO), Evan
Hareras (COO), all headquartered in Chicago.
Background: The company executives have 30+ years of
enterprise sales in and out of the financial services industry, 25+
years of building and scaling technology companies in regulated
and highly security dependent industries and over 25 years in
banking.
What we do: Akouba provides an online, end to end commercial
loan platform that enables banks, credit unions and other
financial institutions to lend money to small businesses simply,
efficiently and profitably through an omni channel experience.
Why it’s important: Akouba believes we can be the leader in
the Digital Transformation at community and regional banks to
ensure they keep their trusted brands and customer relationships
they have built over the last few decades relevant for the next few
decades.
Bleu
Founders: Sesie K Bonsi, Founder CEO,
Brett Howell, Co-founder VP Business Development
Background: Bonsi is an attorney with knowledge in the areas
of mobile technology, global telecommunications regulations,
mobile payment systems, and financial regulations. Howell has
10+ years of experience in multiple business environments
including a multinational corporation.
What we do: Bleu is pioneering a Whitelabel Point of Sale system
and universal payment gateway, powered by Bluetooth beacons,
enabling all forms of payment including EMV, and a mobile
platform for customer loyalty and engagement.
Why it is important: The current payment system is broken
because merchants are operating blind. Every card swipe
is a wasted opportunity to learn more about the customer.
Regardless of if the merchant is using a fancy tablet, or an old
out-of-date legacy POS, every card swipe is not a customer, it is a
just a transaction ID. We aim to change that.
Turning Ideas
into Real Ventures
“This isn’t just about turning start-ups
into strong investment opportunities, it’s
about reinventing the financial industry
by identifying and fast-tracking the best
ideas,” said Gary Norcross, President and
CEO of FIS Global. “The Accelerator and
the fostering of innovation fits squarely
with our strategy to deliver results that
empower the financial world. It is at the
heart of everything we do.”
Turning ideas into real ventures...
this is the story of how one group of
entrepreneurs took a disturbing statistic
and turned it into a fast-track program for
FinTech start-ups across the country and
around the globe.
Let’s rewind to 2013: Arkansas had
been ranked in the bottom third of the
country in terms of both innovation and
entrepreneurship by progressive media
group Fast Company, and a group of local
The Venture Center
is Bringing FinTech to Arkansas
business leaders took it upon themselves to
create a program to kick start the growth
of technology-based start-up companies
and bring the technical talent in central
Arkansas to a new level. Their idea, The
Venture Center, was launched in May of
2014.
As part of this program, the Venture
Center keyed in on FinTech. In
collaboration with FIS Global, the
organization developed the VC FinTech
Accelerator Powered by FIS. Modeled after
similar programs in Silicon Valley, New
York, and London, the Accelerator puts
FinTech start-ups through a 12-week boot
camp of sorts, with intense curriculum,
mentorship, and capital investment.
Companies were chosen for the program
through a vetting process that included a
measuring revenue, the amount of money
already raised, maturity of the business,
product/market fit, and various other
factors. A committee of FinTech experts,
Venture Center personnel and FIS
executives further evaluated the finalists
before issuing invitations to join the
program.
For its initial cohort, the program
accepted ten emerging FinTech companies
in 2016: Akouba, Bleu, Dream Forward,
Flutterwave, Fundseeder, LumoXchange,
Hexanika, Monotto, Mortgage Peer

Dream Forward Financial
Founder: Grant Easterbrook, CEO
Background: Easterbrook was the first“robo”advisor analyst
covering this space from 2011-2015.
What we do: Dream Forward sells businesses a 401(k) plan. The
Dream Forward 401(k) offers low costs, no conflicts of interest,
and new technology to boost the savings rate among middle-
and lower- income employees.
Why It is important: Right now, America faces a retirement
crisis as the“average Joe”isn’t saving enough for retirement.
Our Emotional Advisor technology targets the most vulnerable
employees and intervenes to keeps people on track if employees
try to do something that’s not in their long-term interest.
Flutterwave
Founder: Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-founder
Background: Aboyeji is also the co-founder of Andela (recently
backed by Mark Zuckerberg
What we do: Flutterwave partners with African and U.S. banks
to build technology and infrastructure for U.S. merchants doing
business in Africa to instantly pay and get paid across Africa via
our secure API (application programming interface).
Why it’s important: Americans and American companies send
$5 billion in investments and P2P payments every year to Africa,
but most of this money is trapped with no reliable way to get
the money out. Several U.S. businesses like United Airlines have
closed their operations in Nigeria denying jobs to American and
Nigerians who badly need them. Fixing this problem will enable
commerce between the US and Africa to flow smoothly creating
wealth and jobs for Americans and creating opportunities for
Africans.
Network, and PFTIR. Each company
received a $50,000 capital investment.
As these start-ups develop, the
Accelerator’s goal is to enable them to
gain a sound foothold in the financial
services ecosystem so they can deliver
new solutions to financial institutions,
payment firms, and other segments of the
industry.
With founders that hailed from around
the globe (there was one native Arkansan
in the mix), the companies took up
residence in Little Rock in May. For
some, it was a change of pace...for others,
a culture shock. One commonality ran
through the group — these teams were
here to learn, work, and grow their
companies. The program’s curriculum
is intense, and focuses on strategic
relationships and rapid customer
acquisition. Throughout the course, the
companies also spent time with local
mentors — including FIS executives and
other financial services industry leaders
“A key success factor of the VC FinTech
Accelerator is the support of our
mentorship network and our strategic
collaborations. Central Arkansas is
uniquely positioned in this regard
because of the history of FinTech
innovation dating back to the 1960s
and the development of companies like
Systematics,” said Gary Dowdy, Managing
Director of the Venture Center. “Little
Rock is not only a less expensive market
but is also a more agile community in
many ways. A startup founder launching a
FinTech endeavor in Chicago or New York
could easily be lost in the shuffle. The
same founder has unprecedented access,
mentorship and support to top industry
leaders and influencers right here in
Central Arkansas. The reality is that you
don’t have to be in Chicago, New York or
San Francisco to successfully innovate in
FinTech.”
The group spent a great deal of time
connecting with local business people,
community leaders, and bankers. The
entrepreneurs worked directly with the
ABA on two occasions to define their
products for Arkansas bankers: at a mixer
on June 22, and again at the FDIC Banker
Outreach Seminar the following week.
Several of the start-ups went on to forge
connections with Arkansas banks. Bear
State Bank in particular began working
with LumoXchange and Monotto.
“When FIS and The Venture Center
announced the Accelerator, we were very
interested to see the companies chosen
and see how they each represented
Maf Sonko presents LumoXchange
to Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Fundseeder
Founders: Emanuel Balarie, James Bibbings, Jack Schwager, all of
Westport, Connecticut
Background: Fundseeder brings together a team of experts in
the markets trading industry.
What we do: FundSeeder offers a solution, whereby any trader
in the world can link their brokerage account to the website,
establish a verified track record, and gain access to numerous
trading tools, such as a chart of their equity curve. In the future,
the investment arm of FundSeeder, FundSeeder Investments will
identify the top performing traders and look to allocate to them
directly.
Why it’s important: The current investment environment
overlooks a tremendous scope of other traders who have talent
and can outperform larger asset managers, but do not have
access to capital. The mission of Fundseeder is to“democratize
and globalize the asset management world,”and could
potentially find the next generation of talented traders.
LumoXchange
Founders: Maf Sonko CEO Co-founder, Atlanta, Georgia
Mamour Dioum, CTO Co-founder, Lausanne, Switzerland, both
formerly of West Africa
Background: Sonko is a business strategist with 8+ years of
experience working for large corporations, most recently PepsiCo.
He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA.
Dioum is an entrepreneur and technologist with 30+ years of
building and growing technology companies in Europe and Africa.
What we do: LumoXchange is creating the world’s first localized
money transfer marketplace to compare exchange rates in
countries across the world. Its platform enables individuals to send
money abroad using local rates at a lower cost.
Why it’s important: $436 billion out of the $610 billion that is
sent abroad goes to developing counties to help over 750 million
families across the world. Reducing the cost of sending money
abroad can have a significant impact on the financial well-being of
families across the world.
a solution to different pain points
within the banking space,” said Shelly
Loftin, Chief Marketing Officer of Bear
State Bank. “All ten companies have
phenomenal products, services and
resources and really focused on specific
areas to improve in the banking space.
We were incredibly impressed and
wanted to take a few that fit with some
of our immediate priorities and look at
enhancing our services with their help.
By the end of the 12-week program, we
had finalized partnerships with two of
them and continue to work on refining
those services to further enhance the Bear
State Bank brand and service suite.”
Loftin noted that bringing FinTech into
the mix is a must for financial institutions
to keep up with the rate of change in both
technology and customer expectations
regarding their service experience.
“For Arkansas and the Venture Center
to step up, create, and host this program
in partnership with FIS is a huge step
forward in finding the balance between
FinTech and traditional financial
institutions. There are advantages to
both business models, and striking that
balance where you can innovate and be
adaptable while remaining compliant and
taking advantage of economies of scale is
where the real transformation will start.
We loved the opportunity to participate
in this program and it will be great for
our industry and local economy that it is
going to continue for a few more years,”
she said.
Arvest Bank also took a strong interest
in the program, meeting multiple times
with Venture Center staff and the start-up
teams. They were able to act as a sounding
board, listening first to what each start-up
had to offer, and later giving insight into
banking industry issues.
“At Arvest, our mission statement is
‘people helping people find financial
solutions for life.’ Arvest is helping the
FinTech Accelerator locally with our
expertise in banking and technology
and, in turn, they are helping provide
potential solutions to make the customer
experience with Arvest even better
than it is today,” said Kyle Proctor, VP,
Marketing Manager for Arvest Central
Arkansas. “Arvest has a long history of
supporting initiatives that will benefit the
communities we serve and we feel this is
simply another way of doing that here in
central Arkansas.”
Proctor noted that Arvest was able to
speak to the start-ups from multiple
angles, as Arvest ranks among the largest
100 banks in the U.S., and is the second
largest bank in the state.
Jim Cargill and Yogesh Pandit at the ABA Venture Center mixer.

Hexanika
Founders: Yogesh Pandit, NY; Huma Usmani, NY; Rahul Bhide, NY;
Mak Gadre, CA
Background: Regulatory Compliance
What we do: Hexanika is a FinTech big data software company,
which has developed an end-to-end solution for financial
institutions to address data sourcing and reporting challenges for
regulatory compliance.
Why it’s important: Audit trail of transaction level data and
meeting dynamic business and regulatory requirements are
challenges that banks face as the legacy system architecture
does not cope well. We aim to address these challenges using our
innovative end-to-end solution.
Monotto
Founders: Christian Ruppe, Hank Stocker, Jared Kopelman, all
of Charleston, South Carolina
Background: The co-founders met at the College of Charleston.
Hank graduated with a degree in Computer Science, Jared
graduated with a degree in Political Science, and Christian is six
credits away from degrees in Finance and Accounting.
What we do: Our company uses smart algorithms to completely
automate the process of saving and investing. The goal is to take
a user from struggling financially to financially stable without any
additional work.
Why it’s important: This is important because young Americans
are awful with finances. It is sad but very true, and we know it is
true because the millennial saving rate is negative 2% meaning
they spend more than they make every year.
Venture Center Mentorship Opportunities
If you’re ready and willing to share your banking expertise and business
knowledge with a developing company, the Venture Center wants you!
Mentorship is the cornerstone of all Venture Center entrepreneurial
programs, giving start-up founders the opportunity to strengthen skills
through managed connections to experienced leaders. Mentors take part
in a half day training program, followed by 8 shadow sessions with a trained
mentor. Once completed, the mentor agrees to provide at least four hours of
mentorship per month, which involves conducting initial Huddle Hours and
Mentor Sessions related to your area of expertise.
The Venture Center Mentor program focuses on four main types of
mentors.
Executive Leader– The seasoned and successful business leader, whether
a CEO, growing startup founder or small business owner, all bring valuable
leadership experiences to the entrepreneur.
Domain Leader – Skilled professionals who provide guidance regarding
a specific subject matter. They provide valuable expertise in areas like:
intellectual property development, financial and operational strategy,
technology development and sales and presentation skill development.
Industry Leader – Recognized industry leaders provide assistance navigating
the complexities and connections within areas such as advertising,
technology, communications, financial services, government, healthcare and
retail.
Capital Leader – Raising capital or selling a company is as much an art form
as a science. The ability to successfully fund a business is a vital skill for any
entrepreneur. Our capital experts provide guidance during this critical period
of a company’s development.
The Venture Center Mentor Network is comprised of business executives and
professionals with specific domain expertise. This is your chance to make and
impact. To be a part of something big. You can help us further our mission of
creating an engine for economic development in Little Rock and all of Central
Arkansas through the establishment of a strong startup community.
For more information on mentorship opportunities through the Venture
Center, contact Ashley Jones at ashley@venturecenter.co.
“Connecting the portfolio companies to the banking
community of Arkansas is paramount to the success
of the program,” Dowdy said. “Integrating these
companies into the business culture of Arkansas
provides them access to key knowledge as well as
valuable resources. It also positions the banks of
Arkansas with a front row seat and early access to
cutting edge FinTech innovation.”
At the culmination of the program, the Venture Center
hosted a “Demo Day” on August 3 to showcase the
start-ups and their innovations. Nearly 300 venture
capitalists, bankers, technology professionals and local
community leaders were present at this event, held at
the Clinton Presidential Library. Live streaming of the
event was sponsored by Arvest “to make sure all the
participating teams’ ideas could be seen from Little
Rock to Silicon Valley,” Proctor noted.
Demo Day came with big news for the program:
Governor Asa Hutchinson took the stage to announce
the first phase of a High Tech Accelerator Initiative for
the State of Arkansas. FIS, a global leader in financial
services technology and a Fortune 500 company,
will partner with the state to extend the VC FinTech
Accelerator program through 2018.
“I am thrilled that we were able to partner with FIS
to keep Arkansas’s FinTech Accelerator going until
2018. This program has brought some of the world’s
most exciting financial services startups and promising
tech talent to Arkansas and we are excited to see that
relationship continue. It is great to see companies
like FIS investing in innovation in Arkansas and we
are excited to partner with them to increase the tech
footprint in our state,” Governor Hutchinson said.

PFITR
Founder: Jim Koetting, St. Louis, Missouri
Background: Jim Koetting is a nationally-known author and
speaker that has trained hundreds of CFOs, Treasurers, and
Industry professional on managing bond portfolios.
What we do: The Bond Price Validation tool (BPV™) brings
needed bond market transparency and has the ability to provide
strong internal controls that regulators love, keeping CFOs and
Treasurers out of hot water. Most portfolios are not ready for an
uptick in market interest rates and with the ten year treasury
hitting an all time low, there is more pressure for rates to rise.
PFITR’s BPV™ product is focused on providing good, unbiased
data to improve decision making.
Why it’s important: It has never been more imperative to have a
solution that identifies, measures, and helps CFO’s mitigate risk.
Mortgage Peer Network
Founders: Greg Ellis and Dave Demster
Background: Greg Spent 10 years managing capital markets
for two large mortgage banking firms before founding PRMS in
1999. He has extensive experience and knowledge in business
management, technology and development processes. Dave
Has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage and banking
technology space, including all facets of mortgage origination,
secondary marketing, servicing, default management and
analytics. Prior to joining MPN, Dave served as president of
several leading technology firms as well as EVP of Business
Development and SVP of Sales and Marketing.
What we do: We serve the mortgage origination industry.
Why it’s important: We allow lenders to compare operational
and customer satisfaction to peer lenders on the network. We
integrate with the consumer’s social networks to create new
referrals for the lender.
“Arkansas is developing a national
reputation for technology both as a result
of the major technology companies
in Arkansas and because of Arkansas
leading the nation in computer science
education,” he continued. “Our new
High Tech Accelerator initiative is an
innovative way for the state to attract new
technology companies and to support
our existing industry. I was elated to
hear that several of the startups that
participated in the program are interested
in exploring Arkansas as a home for their
operations. We are optimistic that some
of the startups will take advantage of the
tremendous benefits of locating their
companies in this state.”
This initial phase of the High Tech
Accelerator Initiative will be followed by
a more comprehensive accelerator plan.
The future plan will include program
requirements to measure job creation and
technology benefits to the state.
There will undoubtedly be a variety of
benefits to the state of Arkansas. Over the
past two years, the Venture Center has
supported the creation of 153 new jobs in
Arkansas, and member companies have
raised nearly $7 million in the past two
years. A handful of the companies that
participated in the 2016 Accelerator are
considering moving to Little Rock, or
plan to have a presence in the state. One
company, LumoXchange, has confirmed
that it will be permanently relocated to
Little Rock from Atlanta.
“The Venture Center’s vision is to create
an engine for economic growth in Central
Arkansas. The impact of the VC FinTech
Accelerator can’t be overstated in this
regard,” said Lee Watson, President
CEO of the Venture Center. “An
industry-specific business accelerator
program like the VC FinTech Accelerator
essentially creates a systematic funnel of
talent, ideas, and innovative companies
pouring into the State. We are thrilled
with the Governor’s announcement to
help fund this program. This commitment
showcases Arkansas as a center of tech
innovation.”
The technology benefits hit close to home
for the ABA, as banks push forward to
serve a new generation of customers.
“The ABA is proud that Arkansas is
serving as a host for this group of FinTech
start-ups. We are fortunate to have the
services provided by the Accelerator
participants available to our state’s banks
and bankers. We look forward to the
impact these technologies will make, both
for our industry and our communities,”
said Bill Holmes, ABA President CEO.
The next round of the VC FinTech
Accelerator will launch in early 2017.
Applications for this stage of the program
will be accepted in the late summer/early
fall of 2016. Applicants can learn more or
apply at VCFinTech.co.
The Venture Center is housed at 107 E.
Markham Street in downtown Little Rock.
You can also find them on Twitter at
@VentureCenter and on Facebook at
@TheVentureCenter.
VC FinTech founders with Governor Asa Hutchinson.

AG BANKING AT
THE CROSSROADS:
STRATEGIES FOR
THE ROAD AHEAD
Register today! aba.com/AgConference
2016 ABA NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL
BANKERS CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 13-16, 2016 | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
AG BANKING AT
THE CROSSROADS:
STRATEGIES FOR
THE ROAD AHEAD
2016 ABA NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL
BANKERS CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 13-16, 2016 | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Liam Neeson’s character, in the hit movie “Taken,” gets a frantic call from his
daughter as she is being hunted by kidnappers. When they find and capture her,
one of the bad guys takes her cell phone and holds it up to his ear. The kidnapper is
breathing heavily but says nothing. Suddenly Liam’s character says, “I don’t know
who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell
you I don’t have money. But what I do have is a very particular set of skills. Skills
that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for
people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look
for you; I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and
I will kill you.” Silence falls over the phone again until the kidnapper says, “good luck”
and ends the call. If you don’t know the rest of the story, Liam’s character goes through
some high action fight scenes, tracks down and kills a bunch of bad guys and finally
saves his daughter.
Aaron
Gamewell is
President/COO
and Partner at
Secure Banking
Solutions (SBS).
Aaron spent 21
years in banking
and served as
EVP and COO at the Arkansas Bankers
Association prior to joining SBS.
SBS is an ABA Endorsed Vendor.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ransomware is equivalent to a gang of
bad guys kidnapping your loved ones and
demanding money in exchange for returning
your loved ones safely into your arms. Even
if you had a “very particular set of skills,”
bad guys that use ransomware are nearly
impossible to find because of the ability to
hide behind a labyrinth of IP addresses and
never-ending cyber networks.
Ransomware is a trending type of malicious
software (malware) that encrypts files and
information on your personal or business
computers and requires the user to pay a
ransom for the encryption key. The ransom
is usually paid by bitcoin, an untraceable
form of currency. Just like most cyber-
attacks, a ransomware attack normally
starts with social engineering tactics such as
“Spear Phishing”. The attacker will engage
the recipient by sending an email with an
enticing link, pop-up, or attachment. Once
the user clicks or opens an attachment, the
attacker takes control of the user’s computer
and looks to infiltrate the network further.
Ultimately, the attacker is looking to
lockdown and encrypt all of your data.
Everything from customer information to
bank records and confidential documents.
All the files that you need to continue
operating as a business are now inaccessible
and your business has come to a screeching
halt. The next message that you see on your
computer screen or in the documents file
folder is a demand for ransom. If you want
access to your data, pay the ransom or else.
In some cases, the hackers will attempt to
embarrass you by displaying pornographic
or lewd photos on your screen.
Do you pay the ransom? How can you
trust that the attacker will actually release
the information back? There have been
instances where the ransom was paid and
the hackers did not or could not return the
data or restore the systems.
What if you don’t pay the ransom? How
long can you go without vital operational
records? CBC.CA reported on February

26, that a Hollywood hospital paid a
$17,000 ransom to obtain the decryption
key when they were locked out of their
systems by hackers. The hospital was
without vital operational records and
devices for two weeks.
Experts agree that you should not pay
the ransom. Instead, protect yourself
and your organization by having
proper security protocols,
firewalls and daily backups.
Basic controls such as firewalls
can help prevent intrusion
and consistent backups will
ensure that data can be restored
quickly and efficiently. Invest
in penetration testing and
vulnerability assessments from
a trusted cyber security firm
to validate the effectiveness of
your technology controls.
In the movie “Taken” Liam’s
character was a highly trained
professional who protected
people for a living. However,
because Liam could not control
the decisions that his daughter
was making that put her in a
bad situation, he could not
stop the kidnapping. This
is much like the employees
of your organization. You
can have all the bells and
whistles for IT security, but
if one of your employees makes
it easy for bad guys, they bypass all the
expense and security controls. It is highly
recommended that organizations heavily
invest in security awareness education
and testing for their employees. These
education programs should focus on how
and why social engineering inherently
works and include a repeatable testing
process
to verify that the training
is effective.
A ransomware attack does not have to
have the drama and excitement of an
action movie if you make a commitment
to invest in good security risk
management practices and protect your
business.
Real Property, Personal Property
Tax Records, Anywhere, Anytime
THE WAIT IS OVER!
Discover a new kind of Pro now!
For more information, visit

The 79th Annual Bank Management Seminar was held August
3-5 in beautiful Destin, Florida. The white sand beaches and
summer weather provided the perfect relaxed getaway for
bankers and guests.
The three-day event kicked off Wednesday evening with a
reception hosted by Southern Pioneer Insurance Companies
and First National Bankers Bank to welcome attendees to this
year’s destination location. Fresh shrimp and frozen drinks
were among the many treats offered to everyone to get them
in a“beach”state of mind.
Thursday’s speakers were American Bankers Association
President CEO Rob Nichols and Chad Knutson of Secure
Banking Solutions.
Friday rounded out the conference with futurist Robert
Tucker, who challenged bankers to adapt their businesses
through innovation.
Prize drawings were held throughout the conference, and
some lucky bankers took home tickets to this season’s
Razorback football games as well as a fly-away trip for two.
Bank Management Seminar 2016
(Above) Sean
Williams, First
National Bank of
Wynne, Wynne;
and Jeff Lynch,
Eagle Bank, Heber
Springs.
(Right) Mark
Wilson, First
Arkansas Bank
Trust, Jacksonville;
and Gary Redd,
First Arkansas
Bank Trust,
Jacksonville.
My family and I enjoyed the destination
location as it changed the feel of the event
and allowed us to do some business while also
making memories!
– Sean Williams
First National Bank of Wynne

#BMS2016
(Left) Steve Otto, Federal Home Loan Bank, Irving, Texas; Jeff Sabin,
Federal Home Loan Bank, Irving, Texas; and Bill Holmes, ABA.
(Above Left) Chris Gosnell, Farmers Bank Trust, Magnolia; and
David Link, Fiserv, Hoover, Alabama.
(Above Right) Jeff White, Farmers Bank Trust, Magnolia; Ryan
Underwood, BKD, Little Rock; and Joe Pieratt, Farmers Bank Trust,
Magnolia.
(Below Left) The ABA’s Ava Roberts and Jessica Sahene greet Jim
Cargill, Arvest, Little Rock, and his wife Kathleen.
(Below Center) Sue and David Maddox, Union Bankshares, Mena,
sample the cocktail reception, sponsored by Southern Pioneer
Insurance and First National Bankers Bank.
(Below Right) Trey Deupree, Equias Alliance, Plano, Texas; and John
Garrison, Relyance Bank, Pine Bluff.

Bank Management Seminar
Nathan Gairhan,
United Bank,
Springdale,
won a set of
tickets to the
Razorbacks vs.
Ole Miss game
on October 15.
“Data is money.”That was
the message from Chad
Knutson of Secure Banking
Solutions. Knutson focused
on the growing presence of
ransomware, phishing, and
other means that hackers
use to rob banks and other
business of client data.
Knutson introduced the
group to a few services
to help train staff on the
importance of verifying
links, noting that it just
takes one employee clicking
one tainted link to bring
down an entire system.
American Bankers Association President CEO Rob Nichols joined
the ABA for BMS 2016. ABA Chairman Sean Williams welcomed him
on stage for a conversation about the banking and political climate
across the country.
One topic of conversation was the new“America’s Banks”campaign
from the American Bankers Association, which serves as a tool for
both the ABA and Arkansas banks to“get out and show people
what we are doing in our communities.”Resources can be found at
aba.com/americasbanks.
Stanhope
Wilkinson,
Farmers Bank,
Greenwood,
won a set of
tickets to the
Razorbacks
vs. Texas State
game on
September 17.

Futurist Robert Tucker was Friday
morning’s speaker, encouraging
bankers to“lead ahead of the
curve.”
Among Tucker’s topics was the
meaning of innovation within the
bank, adapting your business to
the Millennial marketplace, and
misguided assumptions that keep
banks from moving their business
forward.
Tucker got the crowd involved
by asking them to list innovative
companies, and testing
the group’s knowledge on
Millennials.
Chris Gosnell,
Farmers Bank
Trust Co.,
Magnolia, won a
set of tickets to
the Razorbacks
vs. Louisiana
Tech game on
September 3.
Craig Mobley,
First Financial
Bank, El Dorado,
won a set of
tickets to the
Razorbacks
vs. Louisiana
State University
game on
November 12.
(Top) Maureen Drozd and Melissa Seiwert were on hand to
represent CNA at the annual CNA Breakfast on Thursday
morning.
“ ”
I think it is great that the
ABA leadership chose to move the meeting
location to such a nice venue that allowed
the bankers to get away from their
hectic schedules to enjoy their networking
opportunities and families.
– Jeff Lynch
Eagle Bank, Heber Springs

Bank Management Seminar
Mark Ferguson,
First Security
Bancorp, Little
Rock, won a set
of tickets to the
Razorbacks vs.
Alabama game
on October 8.
Jeff White,
Farmers Bank
Trust Co.,
Magnolia, won a
set of tickets to
the Razorbacks
vs. Florida game
on November 5.
(Above) ABA Chairman-Elect
Dave Dickson, Union Bank
Trust, Monticello, served as
MC for Friday’s program.
(Right) Troy Duke, Gateway
Bank, Rison; and Grant
Gordy, First National
Bankers Bank, Little Rock;
chat before Friday’s business
session begins.
(Far Right) Arkansas
State Bank Commissioner
Candace Franks; Dale Cole,
First Community Bank,
Batesville; and Boris Dover,
First Community Bank,
Batesville; talk after Friday’s
breakfast, sponsored by
The Johanson Group / DB
Squared.
Gary Edwards, BKD, Little Rock; presents StanhopeWilkinson,
Farmers Bank, Greenwood; with the annual grand prize Fly
Away for Two, sponsored by BKD, LLP.

Thank You to our Sponsors
American Bankers Association
ƒƒ Thursday Networking Break
BKD, LLP
ƒƒ Fly Away for Two
Celerit
ƒƒ Lanyards
CNA Insurance
ƒƒ Thursday Breakfast
DDF Consulting Group
ƒƒ Mobile App Banner Ad
Equias Alliance
ƒƒ Razorback Tickets
First National Bankers Bank
ƒƒ Reception Co-Sponsor
Foundation Life Insurance Co.
ƒƒ Charging Station
The Johanson Group /DB Squared
ƒƒ Friday Breakfast
Secure Banking Solutions
ƒƒ Mobile App
Southeastern Commercial Finance
Southern Pioneer Insurance Co.
ƒƒ Reception Co-Sponsor
Travelers Insurance
ƒƒ Golf / Hole Sponsorship
BMS Classic
Eight teams of golfers played 18 holes at Destin’s Raven Golf Course during
theBankManagementSeminarattheannualBMSClassicGolfTournament.
Finishing in first place was
the team of Judy Lawton,
Heartland Bank, Little
Rock; Robert Taylor, The
Citizens Bank, Rogers; David
Coleman (not pictured),
Simmons Bank, Little Rock;
and Nathan Austin (not
pictured).
Finishing in second place
was the team of Trey
Deupree, Equias Alliance,
Plano, Texas; Barry Jackson,
ABA, Little Rock; Randy
Sims (not pictured),
Centennial Bank, Conway;
and Ben Hyneman (not
pictured), Southern Pioneer,
Jonesboro.
Finishing in third place was
the team of Nathan Gairhan,
United Bank, Springdale;
Robert Hopkins, Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis,
Little Rock; Brian Hyneman
(not pictured), Southern
Pioneer, Jonesboro;
and Mark Ferguson (not
pictured), Earl R. Whaley
Company, Lonoke.
Click here to see more
photos from Bank
Management Seminar!

MEMBER NEWS
Thirty-three high school juniors and
seniors participated in the Fleischer
Scholars summer camp program July
10-15 to learn about entrepreneurship at
the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
The camp is hosted by the Office of
Diversity and Inclusion and introduces
first generation, low income and
underrepresented students to college life,
business classes and entrepreneurship.
Program sponsor Mort Fleischer, the
co-founder and chair of STORE Capital
Corp., has a long reaching vision for the
program. His goal is to assist economically
disadvantaged students graduate from
college and encourage them to invest
their time and talent back into to their
hometown communities upon graduation.
Fleischer calls this the “multiplier effect”
and hopes that these future leaders will
serve as role models for their community.
“Walton College is proud to partner with
Mort Fleischer on this life-changing
program for Arkansas students,” Barbara
Lofton, director, Office of Diversity and
Inclusion for Walton College. “We want to
give these students the ongoing support
they need to stay in college, get jobs and
serve their communities. There is no limit
on what these young people can do.”
Four Arkansas banks - Signature Bank,
Bank of England, The Citizens Bank and
First Arkansas Bank and Trust - have
committed to fund $50,000 scholarships
to pay for the summer camp program
and four years base tuition. The banks
will also provide local internships once
students become juniors and seniors at the
University of Arkansas.
“Our commitment to the Fleischer
Scholars program is an investment in the
future of our state and in the betterment
of the communities that we serve,” said
Gary Head, President, Chairman CEO
of Signature Bank of Arkansas. “My hope
is that the Fleischer Scholars, supported
by Signature Bank of Arkansas, will
stimulate community revitalization and
Four Arkansas Banks Offer Scholarships,
Internships Through Fleischer Scholars Program
economic growth and that each student
will return to their communities as role
models, creating what Mr. Fleischer calls
the human multiplier effect.”
To qualify for the college scholarship,
students must be admitted to the
University of Arkansas, enroll full time,
demonstrate leadership and commit to
back to their local community through
service. To quality for the summer
camp program, students must be the
first in their family to attend college, be
economically disadvantaged, hold high
college entrance test scores, are able to
overcome challenges and have the drive to
complete college.
For information about this program,
contact Barbara Lofton, director, Office
of Diversity and Inclusion at the Sam M.
Walton College of Business at 479-575-
4557 or BLofton@uark.edu.
The University of Arkansas provides an
internationally competitive education
for undergraduate and graduate
students in more than 200 academic
programs. The university contributes
new knowledge, economic development,
basic and applied research, and creative
activity while also providing service to
academic and professional disciplines.
The Carnegie Foundation classifies the
University of Arkansas among only 2
percent of universities in America that
have the highest level of research activity.
U.S. News World Report ranks the
University of Arkansas among its top
American public research universities.
Founded in 1871, the University of
Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and
schools and maintains a low student-
to-faculty ratio that promotes personal
attention and close mentoring.
Photo by Ryan C. Versey
A group of 33 Arkansas high school students participated in the Fleischer Scholars summer
camp program to learn about entrepreneurship, business, and college life at Walton College
at the University of Arkansas. Four banks — Signature Bank, Bank of England, The Citizens
Bank, and First Arkansas Bank andTrust — are funding scholarships for the program, and will
later offer internships to participants.

Earlier this year, the Citizens Bank
announced a comprehensive plan to
revitalize Historic Downtown Batesville.
Phil Baldwin, Citizens Bank President
and CEO indicated that, “Citizens Bank
will support the Impact Independence
Strategic Plan with the formation of a $10
million redevelopment fund comprised
of low interest rate loans and grants.” Mr.
Baldwin indicated that this is a promise
from Citizens Bank to the Independence
County community. “Historic Downtown
Batesville will be redeveloped.”
Batesville’s Main Street district is seeing
a tremendous amount of activity since
that announcement was made. Among
those spearheading this movement is
the Historic Melba Theater. Anchored
on the end of Main Street, the Theater’s
restoration project has generated quite the
excitement over the last year. “We’ve been
blessed with tremendous community
support,” says co-owner Joe Shell. “The
low-interest financing secured with
Citizens Bank gave us the confidence
that we needed to move forward with
purchase and restoration.” Joe Shell and
his wife Janelle, along with Adam
Mandi Curtwright purchased the theater
in March of 2016, which was closed at
that time. Thousands of hours have been
spent recreating a Batesville icon as they
prepare to once again show movies, as
well as offer concerts, training sessions
and more.
MEMBER NEWS
Bank’s Commitment Helps Restore Historic Theater
Grand Opening Events are scheduled for
Friday, August 12th as owners promise
a Red Carpet, Hollywood style affair.
Citizens Bank’s commitment has gone
far beyond the low interest loan. “We
know the Melba Theater’s Grand Opening
will be a historic event,” quotes Baldwin,
“we’ve even offered to supply the giant
spotlights to shine in the sky on that
evening. We want everyone in the county
to be aware and take note that amazing
things are happening on Main Street.”
Citizens Bank also awarded The Melba
Theater with the first of many Impact
grants in the amount of $5,000. This
money was used to help fund the cost
of the new digital projector which was
a $65,000 expense. Citizens Bank has
awarded other grant recipients as well,
one of which include The Pinto, a new
restaurant slated to open within the next
few months that is located adjacent to the
theater.
Mr. Baldwin shared, “I am excited that
Historic Downtown Batesville will now
have the ability to combine the vibrancy
of a college community and the ambiance
of a small southern town. My hope is for
Historic Downtown Batesville to come
alive again and provide family friendly
entertainment with diverse and eclectic
shopping, dining, arts, cinema, music and
pubs; to become residential again, with
loft apartments above and shops below;
to be a place for all generations to gather,
walk, bike or talk – a people gathering
place for all of Independence County.”
The Citizens Bank awards a $5,000 grant to owners of the Melba Theater. Pictured are Jerrod
Sandefur of Citizens Bank, Phil Baldwin Citizens Bank President and CEO, Micah Beard
Market President, Owners, Joe Shell, Janelle Shell, Adam Curtwright and Mandi Curtwright.
Co-owners
Mandi
Curtwright,
Janelle Shell, and
Joe Shell in the
projector room
of the Historic
Melba Theater.

MEMBER NEWS
ARKANSAS BANK DEPARTMENT
APPLICATIONS APPROVALS
Charter Conversion Application
ƒƒ An application filed by Bear State
Bank, Little Rock, Arkansas, a
national bank, for conversion to a
state-chartered bank to be known as
Bear State Bank, Little Rock, Arkansas,
has been approved. June 28, 2016.
ƒƒ An application filed by Anstaff
Bank, Green Forest, Arkansas, a
national bank, for conversion to a
state-chartered bank to be known as
Anstaff Bank, Green Forest, Arkansas,
has been approved. June 28, 2016.
Branch Bank Application
ƒƒ An application filed by Citizens
Bank Trust Company, Van Buren,
Crawford County, Arkansas, to
establish a branch banking facility at
8828 Highway 59 North, Cedarville,
Crawford County, Arkansas, has been
approved. June 27, 2016.
ƒƒ An application filed by Simmons
Bank, Pine Bluff, Jefferson County,
Arkansas, to establish a branch
banking facility at 2025 Crossover
Road, Fayetteville, Washington
County, Arkansas, has been
approved. July 14, 2016.
ƒƒ An application filed by First
Security Bank, Searcy, White
County, Arkansas, to establish a
branch banking facility at 1801
East Centerton Avenue, Centerton,
Benton County, Arkansas, has been
approved. July 18, 2016.
ƒƒ An application filed by Farmers
Bank and Trust Company, Magnolia,
Columbia County, Arkansas, to
establish a branch banking facility
at 1061 North Coleman Street, Suite
#135, Prosper, Collin County, Texas,
has been approved. July 21, 2016.
U.S. Representative French Hill joined representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank
of Dallas and Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas for a “wall-raising” event and
check presentation on Friday, August 12, in Little Rock.
Shalaniece Floyd, a 30-year-old single mother of two, will purchase the Habitat home with
a zero percent interest loan when construction is complete. Working alongside donors and
volunteers, Ms. Floyd will invest 300 sweat equity hours into her home.
“I’ve long been a supporter of Habitat for Humanity and all it does to promote affordable
housing in Arkansas,” said Congressman Hill, who is also a member of the House
Committee on Financial Services. “It is an honor to participate in today’s wall-raising
activity and to help build a home for a deserving Little Rock family.”
Over the past seven years, FHLB Dallas has partnered with Bank of the Ozarks to provide
$347,000 in Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants. Of those funds, $70,000 will
benefit 10 homes, including Ms. Floyd’s home.
AHP grants are available annually through FHLB Dallas member institutions such as
Bank of the Ozarks to assist in the development of affordable owner-occupied and rental
housing for very low- to moderate-income households located across FHLB Dallas’
five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. This year,
FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants to 27 projects that will result in 1,499
new or renovated housing units.
FHLB Dallas, Congressman Hill Team
up with Banks, Habitat for Humanity

BANKER NEWS MOVES
ARNOLD NAMED VP/
MARKET SPECIALIST AT
GENERATIONS BANK
Cherri Arnold
has been
named to the
position of
Vice President/
Market
Specialist/
Secretary to
the Board in Generations Bank’s
Camden market.
In this position, Arnold oversees
the organization of the Camden
market and the coordination
of staff and resources, as well
as serves as consumer lending
officer.
Most recently, Arnold served
as Assistant Vice President/
Secretary to the Board.
Arnold has been employed by
Generations Bank for the past
twenty years. She attended
Lending School at the Arkansas
Bankers Association.
“Cherri has been an instrumental
part of our bank’s success for
many years,”stated Jon Harrell,
Chairman of Generations Bank.
“We’re very proud of her, her
accomplishments, and her new
position in the Camden market.”
GARCIA, FERGUSON
PROMOTED AT
GENERATIONS BANK
Generations Bank recently
promoted Camden loan officers
Jennifer Garcia and Dana
Ferguson.
Jennifer Garcia
has been
named to the
position of
Vice President/
Mortgage Loan
Officer. As Vice
President/
Mortgage Loan Officer, Garcia
will underwrite, process, and
close one-to-four family real
estate loans.
Most recently, Garcia served
Mortgage Loan Officer for
PIERSON PROMOTED
TO VP/LOAN OFFICER AT
GENERATIONS BANK
Peggy Pierson
has been
promoted to
the position of
Vice President/
Loan Officer for
Generations
Bank’s Van
Buren market.
In this position, Pierson serves
as the primary consumer lender.
She originates consumer loans,
as well as real estate loans, such
as second mortgages, personal
residence loans, and rental
properties.
FARMERS AND
MERCHANTS BANK HIRES
LYNDSAY CARTER AS
NEW VICE PRESIDENT
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Attorney
Lyndsay Carter
has joined
Farmers and
Merchants
Bank as Vice-
President and
Executive
Assistant. Her primary
responsibilities are to serve as a
liaison between management
and the Board of Directors, as
well as perform certain legal
duties for the bank, according to
President and CEO Gary Hudson.
Carter worked as an attorney
with the Rogers and Carter
Law Firm in Stuttgart, AR, from
2011 until recently joining
the bank. She has also been
an adjunct professor for Legal
Environment of Business at Continued on page 26
Generations Bank in Camden.
She joined Generations Bank in
1997. She attended Southern
Arkansas University in Magnolia
and earned a Bachelor of Arts in
Psychology.
Dana Ferguson
has been
named to the
position of
Assistant Vice
President/Loan
Officer. In this
position, she
will underwrite, process, and
close consumer loans.
Most recently, Ferguson served
as Loan Officer. She joined
Generations Bank in 2005 as a
Loan Clerk. She then became
Credit Analyst before being
named to the position of Loan
Officer. Ferguson attended
Louisiana Tech and earned her
Bachelor of Science in Business
in 1983. She has been a member
of the Camden Noon Lions Club
since 2015 and was recently
named One Year Board Member
by the club.
“Jennifer and Dana are a vital
part of our team and the bank’s
success,”stated Jon Harrell,
“We’re very proud of them
and the hard work they’ve
demonstrated to earn their
respected promotions.”
Most recently, Pierson served
Loan Officer. She previously
worked at Mercantile Bank
before joining Generations
Bank in 2000. She attended
the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville earning her Bachelor
of Arts Sciences from the J.
William Fulbright College of Arts
and Sciences. In 2004, Peggy
attended Basic Lending School
and completed Real Estate
Documentation courses. She
also completed Intermediate
Lending Compliance School,
and most recently attended the
Arkansas Bankers Association
for analyzing personal and
corporate tax returns and
financials. Pierson is a 2015-2016
graduate of Leadership Crawford
County.
“We’re very proud of Peggy and
her hard work and dedication to
the bank that’s earned her this
promotion,”stated Jon Harrell,
“She plays an important role
on our team, as well as to the
success of our bank.”
Phillips Community College of
the University of Arkansas.
She achieved her Juris Doctor
in 2011 from the William H.
Bowen School of Law in Little
Rock, AR. Carter also holds a
B.A. in Political Science from
the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville.
In addition to these
accomplishments, she is a
member of the Stuttgart
Chamber of Commerce Board
of Directors, Phillips Community
College Stuttgart Foundation
Council, Stuttgart Junior
Women’s Club, and Arkansas Bar
Association.
Lyndsay and her husband, Grant,
are the proud parents of one
daughter and make their home
in Stuttgart.
ROSWELL JOINS
CENTENNIAL BANK
Kelly Roswell
recently joined
Centennial
Bank’s
Paragould
market as a
Commercial
Loan Officer,
according to Market President
Mike Weaver.
“Kelly is an outstanding addition
to our Paragould team,”said
Weaver.“We’re excited to have
her enthusiasm and experience
onboard at Centennial Bank,”he
added.
With thirteen years of experience
in banking and finance, Roswell
previously served as a loan
officer and a branch manager.
Roswell is an alumna of Arkansas
State University, where she
earned a bachelor’s degree
in finance and banking. She
received her banking education
from the Arkansas Bankers
Association Consumer Lending
School.
As a dedicated community
leader, Roswell is past-president
of the Rotary Club of Paragould

BANKER NEWS MOVES
TOWNSELL NAMED
AS CENTENNIAL
BANK’S DIRECTOR OF
MARKETING
Home
BancShares,
Inc., and its
wholly-owned
subsidiary,
Centennial
Bank, has
announced its
Chairman, John W. Allison, has
named its Senior Executive Vice
President, Donna Townsell, as
the Director of Marketing for
Centennial Bank.
“Donna has been one of the
significant stars for me and this
company for many years. Her
accomplishments have created
national recognition for her and
this company,”said Allison.
“I recognize the Company
needs a strong emphasis on
marketing to millennials, as well
as keeping up with innovation
in banking,”Allison continued.
“With a degree in marketing,
almost 10 years in banking, and
a proven track record of success,
Donna is the one to take on this
enormous challenge. As the
banking environment continues
to evolve, I am confident she
will be successful in leading
Centennial Bank’s marketing
efforts well into the future.”
Townsell’s most recent focus for
Centennial has been managing
corporate efficiencies. She
has also served as a Project
Manager during her nine year
tenure with the Bank.
A graduate of Conway High
School, Townsell also received
a Marketing Degree from the
University of Central Arkansas.
She is a graduate of the
Faulkner County Leadership
Institute and resides in Conway
along with her daughter Riley,
10.
ERIC KING NAMED
SENIOR BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Greg Sanson,
Division
President for
Centennial
Bank and local
Conway Market
President has
announced
that VP Eric King will join his
team as a Senior Business
Development Officer.
King has been with Centennial
Bank since 2007. During his
tenure with the bank he has
served as a Lending Officer,
Public Relations Officer and
most recently as Marketing
Manager, VP.
“The contacts that Eric has
made in banking in the last 9
years partnered with his long
standing roots in Conway
Faulkner County will be a strong
foundation for his success in
Business Development”, said
Sanson.“I’m confident Eric’s
background and leadership
skills will help Centennial Bank
continue to thrive and provide
strong service to our Business
Customers and I look forward to
him joining my team.”
King is a board member of
the Will McGary Foundation,
the American Cancer Society
‘Celebrity waiter’committee,
the Petit Jean Razorback
Foundation and is the Color
Man for Wampus Cats Sports
on Y107. King is also running
unopposed in November, for
Faulkner County Justice of the
Peace – District 8.
Eric his wife Sarah, as well as
daughters Kallee, 20 and Chloe
10, are proud to call Conway
home.
RYAN NAMED LOAN
MANAGER FOR ARVEST
BANK, BENTON COUNTY
Arvest Bank
is pleased to
announce that
Mark Ryan has
been named
Loan Manager
and Executive
Vice President
for Arvest Bank in Benton
County. He is replacing Bob
Boehmler, who retired in May.
Ryan has been with Arvest Bank
since 1993. His most recent
positions with the bank have
been as executive vice president
and commercial banking
manager in Benton County, loan
manager in Rogers and senior
vice president and lender in
Fayetteville.
“If we have to replace someone
who has been so important to
the bank as Bob Boehmler, I am
glad that we could look to Mark
Ryan to take over the job,”said
Craig Rivaldo, president and
chief executive officer for Arvest
Bank in Benton County.“Mark
embodies the Arvest culture of
customer service and leadership
with strong lending experience.
We are excited about what he
will bring to his new role with
Arvest.”
Ryan is a 1978 graduate of
Walnut Ridge High School and
earned his Bachelor of Business
Administration in finance and
banking from the University
of Arkansas at Fayetteville
in 1983. He graduated from
the Southwestern Graduate
School of Banking at Southern
Methodist University in Dallas
in 1988 and is a Certified Risk
Professional.
He is a board member of
the Student Loan Guaranty
Foundation of Arkansas and
Junior Achievement of NWA.
He previously served on the
board of the Rogers-Lowell Area
Chamber of Commerce.
He and his wife, Jane Ryan, have
four sons. The family lives in
Rogers and attends Fellowship
Bible Church of NWA.
Continued from page 25
CHARITTI SULLINGER
JOIN CENTENNIAL’S
PARAGOULD TEAM
Charitti
Sullinger has
joined the
Centennial
Bank team in
Paragould as a
Mortgage Loan
Originator,
according to Mike Weaver,
Centennial’s Paragould market
president.
“Charitti is an excellent addition
to our lineup of outstanding
lenders in Paragould. We’re so
pleased to add her experience
and mortgage lending
knowledge to our resources,”
said Weaver.“Charitti will be a
real asset to our customers,”he
added.
Sullinger has over 18 years of
banking and finance experience
in mortgage lending and
insurance sales.
She is an alumna of Arkansas
State University and has earned
her Arkansas life and health
insurance license.
Sullinger serves on the board
of Habitat for Humanity and
chairs the organization’s family
selection and family support
committees. She is a Leadership
Paragould graduate, member
of the Paragould Regional
Chamber of Commerce and an
and a Paul Harris Fellow. She
is a graduate of Leadership
Paragould and a member of
First United Methodist Church of
Paragould, where she currently
serves as board of trustees’
secretary.
She and her husband, Tim
Roswell, have four children.
Roswell will be located in
Centennial Bank’s 300 West
Emerson banking center in
Paragould.
active member of Unity Baptist
Church.
She has two children, Jakob,
18, and Blane, 13. Sullinger is
located in Centennial Bank’s
downtown Paragould banking
center at 300 West Emerson.

INDEX OF
ADVERTISEMENTS
ADVERTISEMENTS
For more information on advertising
in The Arkansas Banker, please
contact Traci Logsdon, Director of
Communications, via email at
traci.logsdon@arkbankers.org, or by
phone at 501.978.3603.
American Bankers 13
Association
www.aba.com
DataScout Pro 15
www.DataScoutPro.com
Office Depot 28
www.OfficeDepot.com
CLASSIFIEDS
The Arkansas
Banker1220 West Third Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone 501.376.3741
Fax 501.376.9243
www.arkbankers.org
MODULAR BANK BUILDINGS – Looking to Branch? Disaster planning? Need
a temporary while remodeling? Immediately available, 14’x66’or 24’x66’with
bank equipment and drive thru. North American Buildings – 316-821-9590 –
www.NorthAmericanBuildings.com.
since 2009, has been promoted to
Vice President, Loan Officer and
Loan Operations Officer. Amanda
Hollingsworth will now serve as
Assistant Vice President and Loan Officer
with 17 years of banking experience.
Trish Prine has over 14 years of banking
experience and has been promoted to
Teller Supervisor. After four years with
RiverWind Bank, Jessica Tidwell has
been promoted to Assistant Cashier and
Compliance Officer from her position as
loan processor.
Additionally, Casey Cullipher has been
hired as Executive Vice President
General Counsel. He will be working in
Searcy and Augusta.
“Each one of these employees have
demonstrated a work ethic and
dedication that proves them to be
valuable members of the RiverWind Bank
family,”said Bill Patton, Bank President.
RIVERWIND BANK ANNOUNCES
EMPLOYEE PROMOTIONS
RiverWind Bank proudly announces
several employee promotions in both
Searcy and Augusta markets.
Among the promotions is Michelle
Davis, who will now serve as Senior Vice
President, Loan Officer and Marketing
Officer at the Searcy Race Street
location. Davis has more than 25 years
of experience in banking and bank
marketing with the most recent four
years being at RiverWind Bank. Also in
the Searcy market, Lisa Schmittou has
been promoted to Assistant Cashier and
Retail Branch Manager of the Searcy
Beebe-Capps location, with over eight
years of banking experience.
The Augusta market has made four
internal promotions. Victoria Cansler,
who has worked for RiverWind Bank
BANKER NEWS MOVES
FOR SALE: Modular Branch Office Building. Good Condition. Equipped
and furnished. Includes security cameras, money vault. Lobby, Teller
area, Break Room, Three Offices, Two Restrooms. Fully carpeted. Painted
drywall with library paneling wainscot. Wired for security. Ample storage.
Approximately 10 years old. In great condition. 1,863 square feet. Includes
676 square foot drive through canopy and matching front porch. $85,000.
Contact Lex or Alex at (501) 707-1154.

Office Depot is an
ABA Endorsed Vendor

ArkBanker-August2016

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (12)

Similar to ArkBanker-August2016

Similar to ArkBanker-August2016 (20)

ArkBanker-August2016