In response to customer suggestions to make our interest rates easier to locate on our main website,  we are happy to announce an update to our site navigation menu to highlight Interest Rates.

This new menu option allows customers to quickly find the interest rates for Checking, Savings, Money Market, CDs, and IRAs with just a couple of easy clicks. The Site Navigation Menu can be found at the left hand side of the page.

Additionally, we have given the Rates page a new and improved look that will allow Arvest customers to locate rates for a specific product easier and faster.

Please reference the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Rates page to ensure the rates are correct for your region.  If your region is not showing in the box, please select the appropriate city or region for local rates.

To open a Checking, Savings or Money Market account online, click here to get started.  

Arvest Bank in Bella Vista, AR has partnered with Shred-it to bring you a paper shredding event. In lieu of a fee, they will be accepting non-perishable food items and monetary donations for 1 Million Meals, benefitting the Oasis Food Pantry. Bring your personal and financial documents to be shredded and recycled.

Friday, May 27th, 2011 10:00am to 2:00pm
Arvest Bank at 403 Town Center, Bella Vista, AR

You DO NOT have to remove staples, paper clips, binder clips or manila folders. Please REMOVE all paper from binders. We CANNOT shred 3-ring binders, cardboard, plastics, hard drives, computer discs or floppies. There is a 5 box limit per client. Anyone who requires additional secure document destruction services is asked to call Shred-it at (800) 697-4733 or (479) 770-5588 for commercial purge services. 

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

In Joplin, MO, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Missouri Southern State University Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce are providing a single location for businesses to find aid of every kind to help them through the recent tornado disaster.

The Business Recovery Center will open Thursday, May 26th at 9 a.m. at the Newman Innovation Center. No appointment is necessary.

Newman Innovation Center (adjacent to the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce)
320 E. Fourth Street
Joplin, MO 64801

The BRC will be open on the days and time indicated until further notice.

There, the Small Business Administration, or SBA, is accepting applications for loans of up to two million dollars.  A variety of specialized help will be available, not just loans.  Even if a business did not suffer property damage, they can benefit from a wide variety of support and assistance being offered through the BRC.

NPR’s KSMU reported the following on their website on Wednesday, May 25th:

Rob O’Brian is the president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce
“They are fast processing, low interest, long-term loans. We really encourage businesses, even if they think they are not going to need SBA help, to come in and register anyway. Because we have about a six week window for businesses to get their information in. And after that, if they then find out they need help, it’s too late,” he said.

A few helpful links are also listed below:

http://www.sba.gov/content/disaster-recovery-plan
http://www.disasterassistance.gov/
SBA Disaster Loan Qualifications

Arvest is partnering with KLRC at three remote locations on Thursday, May 26th to collect gift cards for tornado victims in Joplin, MO.

• Gift Cards will be distributed by Convoy of Hope
• Gift Cards amounts can be purchased at Arvest starting at $25
• Gift Card fee is waived (at remote locations only)

Remote Times and Locations on Thursday, May 26th:

8AM – 10AM

Fayetteville – Arvest Parking Lot

1947 N College Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72703

11AM – 1PM

Springdale – Wal-Mart Parking Lot

2012 S. Pleasant, Springdale, AR 72764

4PM – 6PM 

Rogers – Pleasant Crossing Shopping Center by Wal-Mart

2200 W. Pleasant Grove Road, Rogers, AR 72758

If you are unable make it to a remote location but would like to make a donation to the JPL Tornado Relief Fund you may do so at any Arvest Bank.

By combining associate, customer and bank donations we have raised 209,030 meals in the past week alone and have raised a total of 882,368 meals since we began in April.  We are currently 88% to our goal of 1 Million Meals!

Throughout this initiative Arvest associates have worked hard to raise awareness to the topic of hunger in our local communities.  Below are some of the ways they have accomplished so much so quickly.

On May 7th Arvest Tulsa area employees volunteered at The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

Arvest provided 55 volunteers (staff along with friends and family) to the Food Bank and they sorted and repackaged all types of donated grocery items, 10,877 pounds to be exact!

Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma

On May 19th and 20th Arvest Tulsa Downtown employees set up a table to collect donations for the 1 Million Meals campaign during lunch hours at Mayfest, an annual arts and music festival.

Hornsby, the Tulsa Drillers’ mascot, showed up to join the cause! In spite of the rain and with the help of our furry friend, Tulsa associates raised over $330 in just a few short hours! That’s 1,650 meals provided to those in need.

Mayfest in Tulsa, OK

This week, the Arvest Call Center in Oklahoma City began promoting an internal campaign to raise money for 1 Million Meals. Their department collected 140 recipes and organized them into a cookbook which is being sold for $5 to other Arvest associates. Their creativity and teamwork should foster great results!

1 Million Meals Cookbook Fundraiser

In Fayetteville, AR, our downtown branch has been building a Million Meals City and earlier this week they were just four blocks into CANstruction! 

CANstruction in Fayetteville, AR

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

May 24 - Today is another difficult day for the residents of Joplin as they work to recover from the recent storm. Joplin branch locations at East 32nd, West 7th Supercenter and 7th and Main are open today; other Joplin locations are still closed.  Branches in nearby communities of Neosho, Carthage, Webb City and Miami (OK) are open as usual.  

If you are a mortgage, consumer or business loan customer in Joplin whose property sustained damage, please call (417) 627-8000 as soon as possible so we can assist you. 

There is a Joplin relief account set up at Arvest Bank for those who wish to donate through the bank.  To contribute, please visit or call your nearest Arvest Bank.  We are also encouraging donations be made directly to the Red Cross of the Greater Ozarks Region for relief efforts.

If you are seeking information about a loved one's well being, please visit the Safe and Well site. This is a verified database of people in disaster areas who have checked in as safe and well with the Red Cross. You can also register yourself, or for someone you know is okay.

For those who have a mortgage with Arvest and have questions about insurance and storm damage claims, please view this information on our website. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our associates, customers and neighbors who have lost so much in this storm.  Watch the blog for more information on branch openings as it becomes available.

As of May 17th we are at 78% of our goal toward 1 Million Meals and we could not have done it without our customers and community partners.  We have currently raised 782,368 meals.  With just two weeks left we are counting on everyone to pull together for a big finish!

Last week’s highlights:

In Oklahoma City, OK, Destiny Christian School chose to support the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank and the 1 Million Meals initiative.  The Arvest branch in Del City was thrilled to assist with their community service project, which resulted in 248 food items equaling 620 meals.

In North Central Arkansas, the Mountain Home branch raised $525 last week by asking their business customers to donate.  Buzzard Roost Marina volunteered to top the largest donation made last week and they came in on Monday and wrote a check for $300 equal to 1,500 meals.

In Fort Smith, AR a loyal, Spirit FM customer, stopped by the Arvest at 74th Street during a live remote radio event and donated $100 to the 1 Million Meals initiative.

In Gravette, AR a popcorn and soda fundraiser was held at the high school on Thursday, May 12th.  Several Arvest associates participated in the fundraiser to raise awareness about fighting hunger in our local communities.  During the event students from Gravette High School were able to purchase a soda and bag of popcorn with a donation of either $1 or 2 cans of food.  Around 300 students lined up and donated $275.25 and 53 cans of food.  Proceeds from the event will offer support to the Gravette Senior Citizen Center and Gravette Community Garden. 

Gravette Highschool, Gravette, AR

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
 

Please be aware of some changes in branch location services in two of our Arkansas markets.  Both of these changes are designed to apply resources to more efficiently serve our customers in each community. 

Little Rock, AR

A new 4,000 sq foot full-service branch location has opened at 1720 South University in Little Rock.  This new location features a spacious lobby, four drive-thru lanes and a drive-thru ATM. For your convenience, the branch is open Monday through Friday from 7am-7pm and Saturday from 9am-1pm. 

Because of the increased capacity provided by this new location, we have closed our locations on 1123 South University and 5820 Asher Avenue.  We look forward to serving your needs in this new, more modern banking facility.

Siloam Springs

We will be discontinuing drive-thru service at the downtown Siloam Springs bank branch on July 1, 2011. While the drive-thru service is ending, all other downtown branch services will continue normal operations.

“As our customers have increasingly adapted to mobile forms of banking, transactions have slowed down in the drive-thru at this particular branch, but we are delighted to see strong activity inside the lobby. We simply need to reallocate our resources in Siloam Springs to better serve our customers,” said Lisa Ray, president of Arvest Bank in Siloam Springs.

Further reminders and notifications will be made as the July 1 date approaches. Arvest Bank operates three full-service branches and three ATMs in Siloam Springs.