Fayetteville, Arkansas has Idol Fever!

The famed American Idol season eight winner, Kris Allen, will be playing on July 5th at George’s Majestic Lounge, located at 519 West Dickson Street in Fayetteville.  This Arkansas-native is visiting his old stomping grounds in between his national tour dates. 

If you’re an Idol fan… the best news is still to come!

We’re offering you a chance to meet Kris Allen and catch his show!

How in the world does this work?  It’s simple, really.  Just swing by any location of Arvest Bank in Fayetteville or Elkins and fill out an easy registration form.  Entrants must be at least 18 years old and entries must be received by noon on Friday, July 2nd.  The winner will be randomly selected from the entries received and notified on Friday afternoon.

The winner of the random drawing will receive four tickets and backstage passes!  Support your favorite Idol and register today!

Tickets are also available for purchase at George's Majestic Lounge and online at their website www.georgesmajesticlounge.com.

The Ozark Guidance 15th Annual Golf Tournament will be held on August, 2nd 2010 at the Springdale Country Club.  To sign up to play or find out more information, please click here.  All proceeds benefit the Children's Counseling Services.

Arvest Bank in Fayetteville is proud to be a presenting sponsor of this event!

Ozark Guidance is a private local, Joint Commission (JCAHO) accredited, non-profit community mental health center. Ozark Guidance is committed to meeting the needs of the individual, family, and community for better mental health in Northwest Arkansas.

Please be on the alert for fraudulent automated phone calls claiming they need your personal banking information and specifically information about your debit card(s).  We have been notified by several customers who report that they were contacted by an automated calling system with a recorded message indicating that their debit card had expired, was suspended or had been compromised.  The recording then prompted the card holder to enter their card number, PIN and security code.  As you probably already know, Arvest Bank does not contact customers via phone, email or text message asking for confidential information such as card numbers, PINs or security codes.

If you received a phone call like this and entered your card information, please contact us immediately at (866) 931-9743 so that we can protect your account.

If you received a phone call like this, but did not divulge confidential information, please notify us via email at reportfraud@arvest.com.  If possible, please include the phone number of the caller and describe what information the recording asked for.

As a part of our fraud prevention efforts, Arvest bank does contact customers by phone when we suspect the possibility of unauthorized transactions on your account.  These calls are made live and are not made using recorded messages.  We will not ask you for your bank card number, account number, card PIN or the security code on the back of your card.

For more information on protecting yourself and your accounts, please visit our Consumer Protection section of our website.

Arvest Bank ranks highest both in the South Central Region and in the Southwest Region in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.  This is the second consecutive year that Arvest has received this award for the region that includes Arkansas, which last year was called the Southeast region and this year the South Central region.

“To receive this recognition in two regions is a tremendous honor,” said Kevin Sabin, president and COO of Arvest.  “We are grateful to our customers for recognizing our talented team of associates.    Those associates are at the heart of our company and work hard to provide a quality banking experience to each customer that walks in our doors.” 

Arvest Bank received ratings significantly higher than the regional averages in six factors analyzed by the study – account activities, account information, facility, fees, problem resolution and product offerings. The study was conducted with more than 48,000 banking consumers throughout eleven regions across the United States. The South Central Region is comprised of five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Southwest Region is comprised of six states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma and Utah.

Arvest Bank has some of the lowest fees in the nation and offers 12-hour weekday banking, along with Saturday hours at many of its over 230 locations.  Arvest also offers many convenient and innovative products including mobile banking, an iPhone application to locate branches and ATMs, a re-loadable Spending Card, a shared Family Card and extensive online banking tools.

“Our customers have told us what matters to them, and that is why we have invested in the things we have - convenient locations, long hours, innovative products and online services.  Our friendly and knowledgeable bankers work everyday to make banking as easy and enjoyable as possible for our customers,” said Sabin.  “This kind of banking experience, along with our strong balance sheet and local management, contribute to our success.  We are truly honored and sincerely thank our customers for trusting us to help with their financial needs.”

To view more information and ratings overview for the J. D. Power and Associates 2010 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, visit the JD Power Website.

View the Power Circle Ratings for Arvest and other banks to see how they stack up.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
 

Arvest Bank of Siloam Springs has donated a $25,000 gift to John Brown University for the construction of the Bill George Arena.

"We are excited to be able to partner up with JBU and help with the new arena,” said Lisa Ray, president/CEO Arvest Siloam Springs.  “The Bill George Arena will be a great asset for JBU and the Siloam Springs community."

“We are thankful for this generous gift and our long-standing relationship with Arvest Bank,” said Jim Krall, vice president for university advancement. “Arvest is a faithful supporter of JBU and our community.” 

The 38,000 square-foot facility will provide much needed athletic and gathering space for the university.  Currently JBU hosts athletic events in the nearly 50-year-old Murray Sells Athletic Center, which seats less than 1,000 people. The new arena will provide needed space for larger gatherings such as graduation and special events, as well as occasionally serving as a venue for larger chapel services.

The arena is expected to be finished by the fall of 2010.

John Brown University is a private Christian university, ranked second by “U.S.News & World Report” in the Southern Region. JBU enrolls more than 2,000 students from 42 states and 45 countries. JBU is a member of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

On June 5, 2010, Tulsa area Arvest Associates participated in the 11th Annual “Just Plane Fun” event, benefiting the Green Country Council of Campfire USA.  The event was held at Tulsa Technology Center – Riverside Campus, and was free to attend.

 "JUST PLANE FUN" is the only event of its kind in the entire country!   Teams of 20 people pull a 50-TON Boeing 727, and the team with the fastest pull-time wins!  This is Green Country Council's largest annual fundraiser, and directly impacts their ability to continue to serve local youth from low-income, at-risk and vulnerable circumstances.

Inside the hangar was a “Family Fun Festival”, complete with carnival games, inflatable’s, food & refreshments, crafts, silent auction, and more!  PLUS, families were able to have their pictures taken on the wing of the plane after the pull was over.  Team Arvest finished 3rd in our (Finance) division with a pull-time of 9:08 seconds.  Go Arvest!

Arvest Bank in Fort Smith, AR is pleased to announce its Board of Directors for the River Valley.  The River Valley Region is part of the Fort Smith Region of Arvest Bank.  “Our River Valley Region has grown tremendously.  Therefore, it is very important that we have our own local Board to help make the best decisions for our bank in this community,” stated Mike Jacimore, President of the Arvest River Valley Region.  Mike will also serve as part of the board, along with Steven Sosebee, the Clarksville Market President for Arvest and Mike Jacobs, Jayne Jones and Bill Schwartz.

Mike Jacobs is serving in his 20th year as Johnson County Judge.  He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in Business.  He is the Treasurer of the Harmony Masonic Lodge and has been President of the Board of Directors for the Association of Arkansas Counties for the past 12 years.  Mike is on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Counties, Board of Trustees of AR Public Employees Retirement Board and the Board of Trustees AR Governmental Bonding Board.  He has received the Pillar of Progress and Member of the Year awards from the Chamber of Commerce.

Jayne Jones is the Vice President for Development at Arkansas Tech University, where she has served for the past 34 years.  Her previous positions at AR Tech include Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance, Business Manager, Director of Student Accounts, Administrative Secretary and Secretary. She is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master’s degree in Instructional Technology. Jayne is a Certified Public Accountant and is very involved in the community.  She is involved with the Arkansas Tech campaign for United Way, Leadership Arkansas, Class II, Women’s Committee of the Pope County Farm Bureau, and the Supervisory Committee of the Priority Federal Credit Union.

Bill Schwartz is the Owner of Schwartz Stone Company.  He is on the Subiaco Academy Alumni Board, Subiaco Academy School Board, a Past President of the Subiaco Academy Alumni Association, and is a member of the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

There’s only one more week remaining in the “Strike the Mascot” coloring contest!  On your way home from work today, stop by any Northwest Arkansas Arvest bank to pick up the NWA Naturals “Strike” coloring sheet for your kids.  Parents may drop off their children’s completed coloring sheets at the Guest Services Window at Arvest Ballpark by July 1st.  All children submitting a coloring sheet will receive a voucher to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball game on July 18th!

Winners will be recognized and accept their awards on the field at the July 18th Naturals game!