News in brief

Bank of Ozarks ranks

as Arkansas' largest

Little Rock's Bank of the Ozarks is the largest bank based in Arkansas, with $21.8 billion in assets, according to Dec. 31 data from the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis.

Arvest Bank of Fayetteville was second with $16.8 billion in assets, followed by Simmons Bank of Pine Bluff with $15.1 billion, Centennial Bank of Conway with $14.4 billion and First Security Bank of Searcy with $5.4 billion.

Of the 97 banks in the state, 12 had more than $1 billion in assets at the end of the year. Three had less than $50 million in assets -- Merchants & Planters Bank in Clarendon with $48 million, First State Bank of Crossett with $35.2 million and Community State Bank of Bradley with $15.2 million.

Bank of the Ozarks had the most total loans for the fourth quarter of any bank in the state, with $16 billion, followed by Arvest Bank with $10.5 billion and Centennial Bank with $10.3 billion.

-- David Smith

Windstream tells 4Q

results today in call

Windstream Holdings will release its fourth-quarter earnings before the markets open today.

Executives with Little Rock-based Windstream will discuss the quarterly and 2017 financial results on a conference call at 7:30 a.m. today.

The call can be accessed by dialing (877) 374-3977 and using the identification code 529-2926.

The conference call also will be streamed live at the company's website at www.windstream.com/investors.

Interested parties may listen to a replay of the call at 10:30 a.m. today by dialing (855) 859-2056 and using the conference identification 529-2926.

The average estimate for earnings per share for the quarter is a loss of 35 cents, based on a survey by Thomson Reuters of 11 analysts who follow Windstream.

-- David Smith

Arkansas index dips

0.22, ends at 407.07

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 0.22 to 407.07 Wednesday.

"After a strong morning session, equities sold off in afternoon trading following the release of minutes from the January Federal Reserve meeting which noted 'substantial underlying economic momentum,' triggering fears of additional interest-rate hikes," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.

Total volume for the index was 63.5 million shares.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Business on 02/22/2018

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