Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Arkansas' efforts toward helping residents gain financial independence through the Bank On Arkansas Plus initiative. A statewide coalition of financial institutions has partnered to form Bank On Arkansas Plus to fight the unbanked individual, which are individuals, citizens that don't have access to affordable, local banking services. Madam Speaker, around 27 percent of Arkansans are considered underbanked, and 1 in 10 Arkansas households have no bank account. I want to thank my friend Darrin Williams, the chief executive officer of Southern Bancorp and a founding partner in Bank On Arkansas Plus. Darrin and other Bank On partners provide checking accounts with no overdraft fees, no minimum monthly balances, and access to a debit or ATM card for all participants. Financial security is a freedom that many people in the low-income areas of our country may not be able to afford or may not be able to have access to. And as a former community banker in Little Rock, I commend Darrin, his team, and all of the participating financial institutions for partnering to create Bank On. This is such a worthwhile strategy to help all Arkansans have access and opportunity to build savings and build wealth for themselves, and to have financial independence. Congratulating Harding University Librarian Jean Waldrop”