Public Policy Blog
Economic Development Incentives Target Downtown Helena, Ark.
Southern Bancorp project to provide matching funds for revitalization efforts in historic downtown corridor HELENA, ARK. – Southern Bancorp announced this week the launch of the Riverside Renewal Project, a program to accelerate the revitalization of historic downtown...
Over Half of all Arkansas Households are Financially Unstable, According to a National Report
Despite an improving national economy, 51.9 percent of Arkansans are in a persistent state of financial insecurity, according to a report released last week by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). CFED’s 2014 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard defines...
VITA season is here!
Today, Southern celebrates and kicks off its 10th year of administering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers free tax preparation for income eligible individuals and families in Arkansas and Mississippi. To serve as a tax preparer for the...
Southern Bancorp Kicks Off 10th Year of Free Tax Filing Service
Southern Bancorp kicks off its 10th year of offering free tax filing services for income eligible individuals and families in Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday, January 21st. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program features trained, IRS-certified...
Introducing a Prize-Linked Savings Program to Arkansas
During the 2013 regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly, Sen. Robert Thompson introduced the “Arkansas Prize-Linked Savings Account Act of 2013” (SB 119) to establish a prize-linked savings (PLS) account program. In PLS programs, financial institutions offer...
What’s going on with the farm bill?
Due to the recent federal government shutdown, the farm bill was placed on the backburner until now. Legislators will convene again tomorrow to discuss and write a final bill. So why is the outcome of the farm bill so important? To help explain, we’ve assembled some...