McGehee-based bank to open branch in Little Rock
McGehee-based Producers Bank & Trust is set to open its first office in Central Arkansas on May 1.
The full-service branch at 11300 Cantrell Road will be the fifth for Producers, a Monday news release said.
“Our move into Little Rock is a natural next step for us,” said Jim Youngblood, president and chief executive officer of Producers Bank & Trust. “This expansion reflects the strong relationships we’ve already built with customers” in Central Arkansas.
The new office will “provide a comprehensive range of banking and trust services, including diverse lending options for both businesses and individuals,” the news release said. Customers will have access to checking accounts with integrated digital banking, as well savings accounts and certificates of deposits.
The branch will offer safe deposit boxes and feature three drive-thru lanes and an all-hours drive-up ATM.
Bear Van Ness will lead the bank’s expansion in Little Rock as senior vice president of commercial lending. The branch will be managed by Hayden Henderson.
— Sydney Sasser
Fiber network 50% done, provider says
Brightspeed, the broadband internet provider, said Monday that its fiber network construction project is 50% complete in Arkansas.
The company said in a news release that its network is now available for residents and businesses in Bald Knob, Carlisle, Clarendon, Corning, Cotton Plant, Des Arc, Dumas, England, Gillett, Hazen, Jacksonville, Judsonia, Kensett, Leachville, Marvell, McRae, Melbourne, Paris, Pocahontas, Rector, Russellville and Waldo.
“Bringing fiber connectivity to these communities is a major step forward for our residents and businesses,” said Arkansas State Broadband Director Glen Howie.
Brightspeed said sales representatives will soon be visiting residents in another 38 Arkansas cities to pitch company services.
Brightspeed’s Arkansas expansion is supported by nearly $26.3 million in federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment funding. Additionally, the state awarded Brightspeed more than $470,000 in American Rescue Plan Act grants to reach another 528 locations with its fiber network.
— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
State index finishes 1,117.67, up 15.33
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Monday at 1,117.67, up 15.33 points.
“A chaotic weekend of events fired-up US-Iran tensions, putting peace talks at risk as investors brace for more uncertainty with stocks closing slightly lower on Monday,” said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Sydney Sasser is a business reporter with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Before joining the ADG, she covered business for the Charlotte Observer. She is a recent graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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