| Southern Bancorp | |
| Type: | Public |
| Location City: | Arkadelphia, Arkansas |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Area Served: | Arkansas, Mississippi |
| Industry: | Financial services, Philanthropy |
| Assets: | $1,200,000,000 (2014) |
Southern Bancorp is a community development financial institution headquartered in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. It was founded in 1986 as Southern Development Bancorporation, and is often referred to simply as "Southern".[1]
With 43 locations, the organization focuses most of their work in the Arkansas Delta and Mississippi Delta.[2] Southern's community-development work in these areas has directly improved various aspects of resident's lives through different projects such as the Delta Bridge Project,[3] The Arkadelphia Promise,[4] and numerous other sponsorships and projects.
In 1986, then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton partnered with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to help combat different issues plaguing the state.[5] From this initiative, various nonprofit development agencies came together to form Southern Bancorp.
There are three entities that make up Southern Bancorp: