Arkansas bank opens regional HQ in Bradenton

BRADENTON — Bank of the Ozarks, a $4.79 billion institution, has opened a new office in Manatee County that will also be the lender's regional headquarters.

The branch, on Manatee Avenue West, just outside downtown Bradenton, is the Little Rock, Ark.-based bank's fourth Manatee County location, according to a release. The 10,565-square-foot branch includes drive-thru teller lanes and a drive-thru ATM. The office, according to the bank, was designed to accommodate future growth plans, including a home mortgage unit it plans to add.

“We are pleased to continue our expansion with the opening of this new office,” Manatee/Sarasota Market Senior Vice President and Market Leader Kerry Ward says in the statement. “Its location in downtown Bradenton will allow us to serve a new market while being central to our existing offices. Bradenton and Manatee County's vibrant business climate and outstanding quality of life are very attractive to Bank of the Ozarks.”

Bank of the Ozarks has 141 offices in nine states, including New York California, Georgia and Alabama. The bank entered the Gulf Coast market in 2010. It bought the assets of Bradenton-based Horizon Bank, which state and federal regulators shuttered due to low capitalization levels.