US Regulators: Still Heavy Risk in Big Bank Loans
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators say risk remains heavy in large loans made by banks and other financial institutions, though lending standards have improved. The Federal Reserve and other agencies...
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Play Your Own Game (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
I know I risk sounding like a shill here, but if you weren’t one of the 500 or so who attended the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 luncheon a few weeks ago, you missed the kind of feel-good moments that...
View ArticleNLR Bowling Project Rolls Out $2.3M Sale (Real Deals)
A 35,492-SF bowling center in North Little Rock weighed in at $2.3 million. Millennium Bowl of Little Rock LLC, led by Anil Nayar, Aziz Pabani, Akbar Pabani and Kairunnisa Khan, bought its namesake...
View ArticleLoan Loss Models Vary Bank-by-Bank
Proportionally, no other Arkansas bank committed more to its loan loss reserves during the first quarter than DeWitt Bank & Trust. The $118.7 million-asset lender’s allocation of the equivalent of...
View ArticleGolden Property Allcorp Inc. Goes Bankrupt
Another business holding of the Golden family has filed for bankruptcy protection. Allcorp Inc. of Little Rock, which owns the $16.9 million-asset Community State Bank of Bradley (Lafayette County),...
View ArticleATRS to Get Part of $300M Class-Action Settlement
Arkansas Teacher Retirement System will receive a percentage of a $300 million class-action settlement it reached last week with its custodial bank in connection with overcharging fees. ATRS is waiting...
View ArticleFIS, Governor Extend VC FinTech Accelerator Program to 2018
FIS of Jacksonville, Florida, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Wednesday that they aim to extend the VC FinTech Accelerator program until 2018 to the tune of $500,000 each for both years — a total of...
View ArticleBear State Bank Partners with Fintech Startups, One to Stay in Little Rock
Bear State Financial Inc. of Little Rock has partnered with two startups — LumoXchange of Atlanta and Monotto of Charleston, South Carolina — that participated in the first FinTech Accelerator program...
View ArticleUS Adds A Robust 255K Jobs; Unemployment Stays 4.9 Percent
WASHINGTON — Employers added a healthy 255,000 jobs last month, a sign of confidence amid sluggish growth that points to a resilient U.S. economy. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment...
View ArticleWhat’s Your Legacy? (Editorial)
A radio report about the importance of having a will grabbed our attention last week. The report noted that more and more people are recording “ethical wills” for posterity, stories of their life and...
View ArticleTen Arkansas Business Icons Have Stories to Tell
I don’t know how else to say this: If you don’t enjoy this issue, you really don’t have any business reading Arkansas Business. We’ve had some fun issues in the past — I’m especially proud of our 25th...
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State of the Debate on 'Too Big to Fail' (James Bullard Commentary)
After the financial crisis, new regulations sought to address systemic risk within the U.S. financial system, including rules addressing capital requirements, liquidity ratios and leverage levels. Even...
View ArticleNo Changes Expected in First State Bank Change of Control Approval
The Arkansas State Bank Department has given preliminary approval to an application for a change of control at First State Bank of Russellville, one of the final pieces in the estate plan of the late...
View ArticleAverage US 30-Year Mortgage Rate Ticks Up to 3.45 Percent
WASHINGTON — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged higher this week, though rates remain at historically low levels. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Thursday the average for the benchmark 30-year...
View ArticleSale of Former Remington College Exceeds $4.3 Million (Real Deals)
A 35,000-SF building in west Little Rock tipped the scales at $4.38 million. EAI Realty Inc., an affiliate of Education America Inc. of Heathrow, Florida, sold the former home of Remington College at...
View ArticleUnemployment Rates in Arkansas Cities Vary Widely
Unemployment rates rose slightly in Arkansas metro areas in June, but rates are still lower than a year ago, notes Michael Pakko, chief economist at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the...
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Power and Pain of Consensus (Barry Goldberg On Leadership)
I trained for facilitation work in the lineage of Sam Kaner, the author of “Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.” Kaner’s company, Community at Work, stresses consensus in all...
View ArticleTownsell, King Take New Roles at Centennial Bank (Movers & Shakers)
Donna Townsell has been promoted to director of marketing for Centennial Bank of Conway, and Eric King has been named senior business development officer. Townsell is a nine-year employee of the bank,...
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The Truth Is Out There (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
(A correction has been made to this column. See end for details.) Last week, the Washington Post published, in an impressively interactive online version, a story about a 2007 deposition of Donald...
View ArticleArkansas Homeowners No Longer Playing With House Money
Once upon a time, homeowners thought it was perfectly fine — smart even — to carry greater debt on their houses and take out the equity as cash for investments. Ten years ago, Arkansas Business...
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