FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arvest Bank is proud to be named the best… again.
Arvest has been chosen as the best bank in Arkansas by MONEY, a personal finance publication offering advice about all aspects of people’s financial lives. This year’s focus, the company said, reflects customers’ need for both digital banking capabilities and at least occasional access to physical locations and human help.
This recognition comes after Arvest was named the “Best Southern Customer-Focused Bank” by MyBankTracker.com in August. Additionally, Arvest was recognized in May by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2017.
In explaining why Arvest was selected, MONEY wrote: “Arvest is a top bank for its low fees – including a $17 overdraft fee, roughly half the industry average – plus one of the highest J.D. Power scores in its region for customer satisfaction.”
MONEY evaluated the largest 90 brick-and-mortar banks, 50 credit unions, and 15 online banks, as identified by bank consultancy firm Novantas. Bankrate.com, MONEY’s project partner, collected data on fees, interest rates, and account requirements for checking and savings accounts. Using Bankrate’s data, MONEY compared more than 800 accounts and 18,000 data points.
Data was collected in July and August, and MONEY independently fact-checked information for each winner in September and early October.
When selecting state winners, MONEY excluded checking accounts that required a minimum balance greater than $1,500 to either open the account or waive monthly fees. Priority was given to banks whose checking accounts had no (or easily waived) monthly fees and low or no ATM fees. MONEY also sought higher interest rates for checking and savings accounts. Additional factors included J.D. Power customer service ratings, when available, from the 2017 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, geographic reach within a state, recent enforcement actions, and mobile app ratings in the iTunes and Google Play stores.