What is your bank's plan regarding applying monthly fees to Debit Card Use? I ask this in light of recent news about some banks charging a monthly fee for its debit card use. - M.H.

Thank you for submitting this question, many customers are asking the same type of questions and are concerned about any pricing changes.  We want to answer this issue directly and clearly for all of our customers and customers who are considering Arvest Bank.

Arvest is committed to providing Free Checking and no usage fee for debit cards.  We are also lowering the overdraft fee on Free Checking accounts to $17 beginning November 7, 2011. 

Arvest’s Free Checking account continues to have no minimum balance requirement, no monthly fee, free online and mobile banking and no fee for a debit card.  We are committed to providing Free Checking with a free debit card option to our customers.

Anyone who is interested in switching can visit a nearby location or can open an account online in just a few minutes at arvest.com.

Thank you for submitting your question!

For the past 15 years, Arvest Bank of North Central Arkansas has held an annual golf tournament to raise money for local charities.  This year’s tournament was a huge success with $7,200 raised and given to three local non-profit organizations.  The following is the official release:

YELLVILLE, Ark. – Arvest Bank North Central Arkansas donated the proceeds from its 15th annual Arvest Charity Golf Tournament to three local non-profit organizations serving women and children. The organizations, Gamma House, Grandma’s House and Marion County Rotary Club’s Our Kids program, will each receive $2,400 raised through this year’s tournament, which collected a total of $7,200.

“Arvest Bank North Central Arkansas takes great pride in the Charity of the Year program and in this tournament. For 15 years now, it has provided a way for the bank to take some of the fundraising burdens off of the charities that give so much to the members of our community,” said Tiffany Watkins, marketing director, Arvest Bank. 

Gamma House is a transitional housing shelter serving women and children in North Central Arkansas and Southern Missouri. They provide services and housing to help area women in abusive situations become independent and successful members of the community.

Grandma’s House was one of the first children’s advocacy centers in Arkansas and works with the Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence, as well as the Arkansas State Police to serve Boone, Newton, Carroll, Madison, Baxter and Marion counties. They strive to provide the least traumatizing investigation at their child-friendly, home-like setting. The organization offers complete forensic interviews and medical examinations in a comfortable environment. 

The Marion County Rotary’s Our Kids program was formed in 1993 and provides assistance to area children when assistance thru Medicare, Medicaid, AR Kids and other insurance providers is not available. The program operates through a committee composed of the Department of Human Services (DHS), Marion County Health Unit, all three schools in Marion County and the Rotary Club. When DHS, the health department or a school determines that a child has a need that cannot be met through traditional insurance, the officials complete an application that will accompany the child to the DHS office. DHS then evaluates and determines if the child is receiving all qualified assistance and, if not, the Our Kids program helps meet that child’s needs.

The Arvest charity committee sponsors this annual golf tournament to raise funds to support local charitable organizations in Baxter, Boone and Marion counties. Each charity must apply to become “Charity of the Year.”  Recipients are selected on criteria that includes past, present and future financial needs and must also be a designated IRS 501(c)(3) organization to be considered.

The tournament was held August 27, 2011 at Diamond Hills Country Club in Diamond City.

Community Bank President Mike Boultinghouse is happy to announce that Arvest in Nowata recently received the "Business Award of the Month" from the Nowata Beautification Committee. Arvest has been a part of the Nowata community since April of 1998. The award was given for the newly constructed Arvest ATM. The presentation card reads as follows:

"The Beautification Committee would like to present Arvest ATM with the Business Award of the Month. We are so proud to have a beautiful corner at the intersection of 169 & 60. It’s nice to drive thru & see it." 

The visibility and drive-through design of this ATM makes it easily accessible and convenient for both current and potential customers of Arvest. It also features a LED message sign that residents can look to for community- and bank-related messages. And, as part of the reward, the bank received $25, which was given back to the community.

"We are honored to receive this award and excited to see our new ATM location open for business," Boultinghouse said. "It is a great feeling to be recognized by those in our community in this manner." 

Arvest Bank in Springfield, Mo. is happy to announce that their branch on National Avenue has officially received the Gold LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  After opening only a year ago and being the only bank branch in the area to receive this certification, Arvest is very excited to be recognized for their commitment to the community in this way.  The following is the official release:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., (September 21, 2011)—The Arvest Bank branch on National Avenue in Springfield, Mo. received the official certificate announcing its Gold certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

During a reception at the branch Wednesday, September 21, Melissa Cox, representing the USGBC, presented Arvest Architectural Manager Kelly Sutterfield, Arvest Bank Springfield President Rodney Shepard and National branch Manager Marcy Dollens with the Gold certificate.

“A little more than a year ago this branch celebrated its grand opening with a month-long celebration that focused on our commitment to the community through our partnership with local non-profit service organizations. Now we get to celebrate another aspect of our commitment to the betterment of the communities we serve: our commitment to being good stewards of our natural resources,” said Marcy Dollens.

According to the USGBC website, there are six LEED certified buildings in Springfield. The Arvest Bank branch on National Avenue is the first bank branch in Springfield to achieve LEED certification.

The LEED rating system was designed by the USGBC to encourage and facilitate the development of more sustainable buildings throughout the United States. In order to receive official LEED certification, the building must meet certain prerequisites outlined by the rating system. After construction is completed, an official application is then submitted to the USGBC for approval.

The branch celebrated its grand opening on August 27, 2010, by partnering with four local charities for donations. Those charities were Habitat for Humanity in Springfield, the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri, Young Life Greater Springfield, and The Discovery Center. Each charity took part in events and activities during the grand opening month that allowed them to spread the word about their organization and encourage the community to become involved in their efforts.

(By clicking on external links, please be aware you will be leaving the Arvest website.)

Steve Jobs has officially stepped down as CEO of Apple (Wall Street Journal Online). Now everyone is wondering how Apple can continue its success and stay ahead of the technology curve? Mr. Jobs clearly led Apple to its greatest successes. He, more than any other CEO, embodied the soul of his company. After successfully co-founding Apple with Stephen Wozniak, Mr. Jobs was ousted as CEO nine years later. However, without him Apple floundered to the brink of bankruptcy until he was asked to return 11 years later. Since his return to Apple as CEO in 1997, Apple has risen like a phoenix from its ashes to become one of the world’s most valuable companies. Hence the question, can Apple continue its success without Steve Jobs?

While pundits and, more importantly, Apple wrestles with that question, let me ask you the same question about your business. Can your business succeed or even just continue without you leading it? If you were to step away from your business because of illness, retirement, or simply a vacation, what would be the impact upon your business? Could it continue? What plans, people, processes, or systems have you put in place to insure your business continues?

If you are like most small business owners, your business runs you rather than the other way around. As Michael Gerber, author of E-Myth and E-Myth Revisited, states, you need to work on your business, not in your business. If you cannot leave your business for even a couple of days, then you don’t have a business, you have a job.

Don’t wait another week to evaluate your business’ ability to function without you! There will always be urgent fires to put out. Let them burn while you spend important time examining how to avoid those fires from occurring in the future. Schedule time right now to ask and answer the following questions:

1. Is your business helping you get what you want out of life?
2. Do you have a clear, compelling vision that inspires you and your employees?
3. Have you developed a business that produces consistent, predictable results no matter who is running it?
4. What systems or processes do you need to put into place in order for your business to run efficiently?

As you spend time reflecting on these questions, listen to the words of Steve Jobs in his commencement address at Stanford - 

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” (Stanford Commencement Address 2005)

Your business is a significant commitment in your life. “Don’t settle” until you are working on your business, not in your business. “Don’t settle” until your business supports your dreams and not the other way around.

For some of the best quotes from Steve Jobs, see the collection on the Wall Street Journal blog by  Jennifer Valentino-DeVries.

Doug has been counseling businesses of all sizes for 20 years as both an accountant and lawyer.  His role for Arvest is to help us better serve our business customers. For more information, articles, training and online tools, visit Arvest's Small Business Resource Center.

 (By clicking on external links, please be aware you will be leaving the Arvest website.)

The 11 branches of Arvest Bank, Fayetteville, celebrated the 50th Anniversary in historic style on August 31.

The main branch on the Fayetteville Square gathered a collection of photos, scrapbooks, promotional items and even a few antique teller machines for a display in the lobby that lasted through the end of the week.

The display illustrated Arvest’s history and the history of McIlroy Bank and Trust, which joined the Arvest group in 1986. Among the memorabilia was an antique leatherette book bank inscribed with the McIlroy Bank name and “Fayetteville, Ark.”

“Our long-time associates and even a few who had retired enjoyed going through the scrapbooks and sharing their memories,” said Karen Gray, vice president for marketing and public relations for Arvest, Fayetteville.

The lobbies of the branch locations displayed photos and a 1962 press release on the College branch’s “new” drive-through service. They also offered refreshments to customers throughout the afternoon.

Associates joined in with the spirit of the day by wearing their 50th Anniversary shirts with jeans. More than one customer asked for a shirt of their own but learned that the shirts were exclusive rewards for Arvest associates.

The new Arvest Mobile Banking is now available. Be one of the first to enroll and try this free new service!  Text/SMS and Mobile Web banking services can be used on almost any text message or web browser enabled device and includes new features such as scheduling future bill payments, locations search and more.  For more information, visit the new Mobile Banking website. 

Get Started, Enroll Now:
Mobile Banking enrollment takes place after you log in to Arvest Online Banking. 

1. Make sure you have your text message enabled phone with you and log in to Online Banking on your computer.
2. After you log in, select the Mobile Banking Tab.
3. Select Sign Up to enroll and review the Terms and Conditions.
4. Follow the instructions provided during the enrollment process.
5. Once complete, begin Text/SMS banking or open www.arvest.com on your phone’s mobile browser and log in to use Mobile Web banking.

If you have difficulty accessing Online Banking or enrolling for Mobile Banking, please call (866) 952-9523 for personal assistance.  

Current Arvest Mobile Banking Users:
If you are currently using the Arvest Mobile Banking application on your device, please be aware this service will cease to function on September 30.  The new Arvest Mobile Banking applications for iPhone, Android and Blackberry are not yet available.  Please be assured we are working to bring those to you as soon as possible. Until that time, we encourage you to enroll in the new Mobile Banking to use Text/SMS and Mobile Web banking.  Enrollment takes place within the Mobile Banking tab inside Arvest Online Banking.   We apologize for the delay and hope you enjoy the speed and convenience of the new Text/SMS banking or Mobile Web banking in the interim.
 

What is that symbol and why am I seeing it everywhere, including on some Arvest materials?  That symbol is what is known as a QR Code or a Quick Response Code; it is similar to a traditional bar code but has the ability to store more information.  These are being used by businesses on marketing materials, price tags, signage and business cards as a way to link consumers to additional information.   

A smart phone or tablet uses an application known as a “reader” to identify the QR code and its purpose. The reader scans the code using the camera feature which provides a fast and easy way to transfer information.  Common information transferred includes:

• Links to web pages and content
• Text or photos
• V-Cards (for contact information)

Best Buy added this feature to their product cards on every aisle last fall allowing shoppers to access a plethora of additional product features and information with the click of a button on their smart phones. Even store associates are able to take advantage of this feature to quickly access more answers to customer questions.

QR Codes will allow Arvest to provide you quick access to additional information. Initially, look for QR codes on marketing and product materials.  As we expand our use of QR Codes these may provide you with additional ways to:

• Contact a local banker
• Learn about products and services or FAQs
• Interact with us on arvest.com, on Facebook, Twitter or the Arvest Blog

We are simply sharing this information so that when QR Codes are seen at Arvest or on our promotional materials, they will be recognized and utilized by customers who wish to take advantage of this method of communication. Should you choose not to scan QR codes, just ignore them!

Smartphone and tablet Users can visit their ‘app store’, search QR Code Reader and install one to begin scanning QR codes. Feel free to scan the QR Code at top of this article to visit the mobile site for arvest.com and see how QR Codes work!