Looking South by Southwest to Map America’s Unbanked
By James Owen Editor’s note: This is the second blog in a series aimed at understanding the what, where, why, and how of unbanked and underbanked households. If you love maps, this is the blog post for you. And if you like numbers, here are two important ones: seven...Understanding the Underserved: Unbanked and Underbanked Households
By James Owen Southern’s mission is to be wealth builders for everyone. If you’ve spent any time following our Twitter, Facebook, reading our blog posts, or participating in our community events, you’ve probably seen a post or had a conversation with a Southern...
A Big Idea: Banking on Building Empathy
Most of us don’t think twice about how easy it is to access money. If you’re like me, it’s so easy you can do it before your first cup of coffee. Select, swipe, sip. But for too many Arkansans, just accessing their money is a challenge. Nationally, seven percent of...Canary in a Coal Mine
By Darrin Williams, Southern Bancorp, Inc. CEO As appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday, February 24, 2019 The last week of February is a big week for savings in America and in Arkansas. It’s America Saves Week, and thanks to a recent proclamation from...New Unbanked and Underbanked Rates Underscore Need for Affordable and Accessible Financial Services in Arkansas and Mississippi
As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) seeking to provide affordable and accessible financial services to Arkansans and Mississippians, a recently released FDIC survey on unbanked and underbanked households in America caught our attention. The study...Health exchange payment options now available for unbanked Arkansans and Mississippians
In May 2013, Jackson Hewitt released a report showing nearly 8 million uninsured Americans who qualified for health insurance premium payment assistance would be unable to do so because they are unbanked, meaning they do not have a checking or savings account. Of...