When the bank opened its doors, there was no banking house nearer than Memphis or Helena. Capt. J.W. Wynne, of Forrest City then was elected its first president.
About First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas
The Bank of Eastern Arkansas was established and opened for business in 1886 by a group of far-sighted men who invested their faith and their capital totaling $30,000. In the Bank’s 136th year of serving the banking needs of the citizens of eastern Arkansas, the bank today has capital in excess of $50,000,000 and assets in excess of $550,000,000. Wynn
e moved to Memphis in 1889 to establish Wynne, Love & Co. but continued to serve on the bank’s Board of Directors for many years. He later settled in the town of Wynne, which was named so in his honor. In May 1929, the bank purchased the assets of the First National Bank of Forrest City, which had been founded as the Bank of Forrest City in 1902. This merger of assets and personnel almost doubled the resources of the Bank of Eastern Arkansas. Another milestone was October of 1932 when the institution was chartered as a national bank and became known as it is today as First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas. In 1983, the bank purchased Rice Growers Bank in Wheatley, in 1988, the bank acquired Farmers and Merchants Bank in Marianna, in 1992, the bank acquired the Wynne branch of Home Federal Savings in Marianna, in February of 1994, the WynBanc Savings, and in 2002, the bank acquired the Earle and Marion branches of Parkin State Bank, and in 2005, the bank acquired the Holly Grove branch of First State Bank in Conway. In 2008, the bank opened a Loan Production office in Osceola and in 2009, opened a full-service branch. In 2015, the bank opened a loan production office in Memphis which was converted to a full-service branch in 2016. The Memphis office is operated as First National Bank & Trust, a division of First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas. Most recently, First National Bank & Trust expanded further East into Collierville, TN by opening a loan production office in 2020. The Collierville LPO was converted to a full-service branch in April of 2022 and will be moving to a new location in early 2023. In the 136 years of business, our banking services have been uninterrupted by panic, depression, or global pandemics. There has never been a time when a depositor could not withdraw his or her money in cash from First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas, and every year since its founding, the bank has always paid a dividend to its shareholders. Historical records show that there are only three banks in the state of Arkansas older than FNBEA. Today, we continue to take pride in being a trusted hometown bank for the communities we serve, not only through our financial services, but also through community involvement, collegiate scholarships, philanthropic sponsorships, and financial literacy classes for local schools. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
