First Financial Bank of El Dorado has expanded its retail banking footprint, with the introduction of its first full-service bank branch in the Little Rock market.
The branch is located on the first floor of the Prospect Building at 1501 N. University and offers customers access to automatic teller machine (ATM) services, as well as online and mobile banking options.
First Financial Bank has operated a mortgage division in Little Rock since 1983.
Little Rock native Chris Johnson is market president of the Little Rock location. Johnson has more than 13 years of experience in the banking industry, nine of which were in executive leadership roles. He previously was a Senior Vice President of lending for Relyance Bank in Little Rock and has served as Vice President of commercial lending and the private client group for First Security Bank and Centennial Bank, respectively.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations/ political science from Rhodes College and completed the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He is a graduate of Leadership of Greater Little Rock, Class XXXI, a program of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce; board member of ACCESS Group, Inc. and chairman of the Monsignor Tribou Foundation.
Johnson and his wife, Annabel, are the proud parents of Elliott and Charlie, who attend Forest Park Elementary. They attend Second Presbyterian Church, where Chris is a Deacon and Annabel teaches Sunday school.
First Financial Bank was founded in 1934 in El Dorado, Arkansas where it operates six retail branches. The bank has assets of $900 million and 287 employees. First Financial Mortgage has locations in Little Rock, Conway, Heber Springs, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, El Dorado and Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The bank’s footprint also extends into Mississippi, with retail and mortgage locations in Carthage and Senatobia. One of the nation’s leading poultry lenders, the bank also specializes in loans for pharmacists and the farming/ranching industry.