Due to the severe weather observed on Monday, the following Arvest branches in Oklahoma will remain closed on Tuesday, May 21:

• Moore (both branches): Closed all day.

We apologize for any inconvenience. We will update this blog as more information becomes available. You can bank 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using:

• Arvest Mobile Banking: Register through Arvest Online Banking; Mobile Check Deposit is also available within the Arvest Mobile Banking App
• Arvest Online Banking: Register at a branch or call us at (866) 952-9523
• 24-Hour Account Information Line: Register at a branch or call us at (866) 952-9523
• ATM: Find a location online

Arvest Mortgage Company (AMC) hopes you and your family have evaded the recent stormy weather without any personal loss or damage to your home. Our thoughts are with anyone who has suffered a loss. We have many customers and associates who have been caught in the path of these recent storms.

If you have incurred damage to your home and will be receiving an insurance claim check, Arvest Mortgage Company is here to help. AMC is working with your local Arvest Bank to ensure the best possible service.

We want to make sure you are informed regarding our hazard claim procedures. Please review the information below. The information below does not apply to homes that are a total loss. For information regarding a home that appears to be a total loss, please contact us directly at (800) 232-5524.

Many times AMC is able to endorse insurance claim checks from your insurance company at your local Arvest Bank. If you have a claim check to be endorsed, then call your local Arvest Bank ahead of time to ensure an authorized insurance claim signor will be available upon arrival. In order for Arvest to endorse the check immediately, you will need to provide a copy of the adjustor’s claim, you will need to sign the hazard claim affidavit (provided to you at the bank) and the following criteria must be met:

• Insurance claim check is $10,000 or less.
• Mortgage loan is current and has a good payment history. (A good payment history exists if there are no payments 30 or more days late in the last 12 months.)
• Current loan-to-value (LTV) is less than 95 percent.

In the event the claim check does not meet the guidelines above and AMC is unable to immediately endorse your insurance claim check, it will be forwarded to the mortgage company. This can be done by your local Arvest Bank, or you may mail the check, with your endorsement, to Arvest Mortgage Company, ATTN: Hazard Claims, P.O. Box 399, Lowell, AR 72745.

Please review the guidelines below for processing insurance claims and for disbursing insurance funds.

• Once AMC receives the insurance claim check, the funds will be placed in an interest-bearing loss draft account. AMC will disburse check(s) made payable to both the borrower and applicable contractor once the following items are received:
  • Hazard claim affidavit signed by borrower(s)
  • Copy of insurance adjustor’s claim
  • IRS W-9 form signed by contractor
  • Contractor’s bill for work completed and/or any other documentation with proof of repairs.
  • A completed contractor’s affidavit may be required if a general contractor was hired to make repairs.

Please note, a licensed and insured contractor must be used to make all repairs to the property. In addition, the property must be restored to at least its original value. In the event restoration costs exceed hazard claim funds, borrower is responsible for paying the difference.

• All items above must be received by AMC before a disbursement can be made from the loss draft account. A check will be placed in the mail to you, the borrower, three to five business days after the receipt of all documentation. (Initial upfront disbursements may be provided in certain instances. Contact us at (800) 232-5524 for details.)
• The following conditions also need to be met if the total claim exceeds 20 percent of the original property appraised value or is $50,000 or more:
  • Up to four completed property inspections may be required and ordered by AMC. (Inspections performed by Arvest Mortgage Company are for internal use only and are not designed or intended to satisfy the borrower as to the quality of the repairs.)
  • Please allow at least five business days for an inspection to be ordered and completed.

Please do not hesitate to call AMC with any questions you may have regarding our insurance claim procedures or any other questions regarding your mortgage loan. You may call (800) 232-5524 and an Arvest Mortgage Company representative will assist you.

A new 33 foot Winnebago commercial freightliner is making its way through the winding roads of the River Valley offering quick, convenient mammograms to patients who would otherwise have to travel a distance for them. Each year an average of 1,600 women are screened in Mercy’s Mobile Mammography unit as it travels through Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Yell, Scott and Polk counties in Arkansas.

Arvest Bank is hosting the Mercy Mobile Mammography* unit at our branch locations throughout the region. We are joining with Mercy to make it as easy as possible for women to get their yearly mammograms. Early detection can save lives. By offering this service we hope to help women catch breast cancer in its earliest stages, when it is the most treatable.

Women will be able to register for a 15-minute appointment when the van is visiting their area. The screenings offer the same quality imaging you would get at a hospital.

The Mercy Fort Smith Mobile Mammography van will be performing mammogram screenings at the following Arvest Bank locations on the following dates 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.:

• May 21: 205 E. Walnut, Paris, Ark.
• May 22: 4800 Kelley Hwy, Fort Smith, Ark.
• June 19: 11808 Hwy 71 So, Fort Smith, Ark.
• June 26: 1107 So Rogers, Clarksville, Ark.
• July 17: 408 Hwy 64 West, Alma, Ark.
• July 24: 224 So Coker, Greenwood, Ark.
• July 31: 811 W Ruth, Sallisaw, Okla.
• August 14: 3002 N Broadway, Poteau, Okla.
• August 21: 1608 Hwy 71 N, Mena, Ark.
• October 9: 205 East Walnut, Paris, Ark.

Most health insurance plans will cover the cost of this exam but may require a deductible payment. If you do not have health insurance that will help pay for this exam, then please let Mercy know at the time of the call. They may be able to provide you with the exam at no charge through Mercy Community Benefit funding sources.

To schedule an appointment for a breast screening, call Mercy at (479) 314-6066.

Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution.

Arvest Bank is offering free patriotic and military themed CheckCards to customers between Armed Forces Day, May 18, and Memorial Day, May 27, in recognition of the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country. Be sure to order your card by May 25 as we will be closed May 26 and 27 in honor of Memorial Day. Customers can view the cards at arvest.com/style and order cards by calling customer service at (866) 952-9523.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In recognition of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, Arvest Bank is giving their customers the opportunity to honor those who serve with one of the bank's military and patriotic themed CheckCards. Between Armed Forces Day, May 18, and Memorial Day, May 27, the military and patriotic themed affinity debit cards will be free to new and existing Arvest customers.

Military and patriotic CheckCards are always free with any new checking account; existing customers are typically charged a one-time replacement fee of $5. Arvest is waiving the replacement fee between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day.

As of March 2013, more than 31,000 Arvest customers were carrying a military or patriotic themed CheckCard. There are seven of these card options, representing the Air Force, the Army, the Coast Guard, the Marines, the Navy, and also a ‘USA Pride’ debit card. The ‘USA Pride’ card is the most popular affinity card for Arvest, with over 15,500 customers using this card.

This offer for free military and patriotic CheckCards is for any Arvest checking account, whether a customer is new or already banking with Arvest. For an existing Arvest customer, the CheckCard number will not change with the request for new military or patriotic card art.  Customers should confirm with an Arvest associate they want to keep their existing card number. 

Arvest is dedicated to supporting our communities and those that serve our country, and we know our customers want to show their pride and support for their country as well. Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day are a time to appreciate those who serve in our military, and offering these free military and patriotic affinity cards is just a small way that Arvest is saying thank you.

Personalized debit cards, a growing trend in recent years, allow customers to choose a specialty design for their debit card – from a picture of a customer’s pet to their local high school sports teams or just a particular area of interest. Often referred to as affinity cards, this is just one way the banking industry is quickly adapting to growing consumer demand for personalization.

Arvest issued their first affinity card in 2008 in Northwest Arkansas, a card featuring the logo of the regional professional baseball team, the Naturals. The bank launched a full affinity card program in 2011 that took the trend even more local, as they developed cards for local high school sports teams. Over the past year, Arvest has doubled the number of options for affinity cards for their customers and now offers more than100 cards. The designs range from the military cards to local high school mascots to a quirky mustache design.

To view the seven patriotic and military cards, along with our other specialty cards, visit arvest.com/style. Order specialty cards by calling customer service at (866) 952-9523.

Did you know people ages 55 to 64 are more likely to launch their own business than any other age group (according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation)? In fact, nearly half (roughly 7.4 million Americans) of all self-employed workers in the U.S. are members of the baby boomer generation.**

While the risks of setting off on a new business venture are substantial at any age, they can be even greater for these older individuals. Financing the company with savings and retirement funds may be tempting, but you'll have less time to work and restore that money if the enterprise falls short. A reality made more dire by the fact nearly one-third of start-ups fail within two years, and fewer than half remain after four years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

However, older entrepreneurs do have at least one advantage over their younger counterparts -- wisdom born from experience. If your experience, personality and passion have you pining for self-employment, then the following steps may help you get your big idea off the ground.

Research and Development
It may not be possible to prepare for every obstacle and opportunity along the way to establishing your business, but it is important to try. Helpful resources abound. The SBA,* SCORE* and Small Business Development Centers* can assist you in finding free or low-cost business start-up courses and business advisors. The SBA provides an online checklist for starting a business which can help you assess your business idea, your motivation for launching a business and how well-suited your personality, skills and experience are to running a business. It may also help you highlight areas where you need more research.

Put It in Writing
Writing a business plan can help you outline your ideas and obtain needed funding. A business plan describes your business idea, shows how and why it will work, discusses business operations and forecasts the financial help you'll need and what you hope to earn. Your business plan should contain the following:

1. Business description. Outline what product or service you will offer, who will buy it and why, as well as the competition.
2. Marketing. Describe how you plan to reach your potential buyers and persuade them to buy from you. This is also the place to discuss pricing.
3. Financing. Calculate how much money you will need to launch your business, operate it for a year and address where you expect to obtain the money you need.
4. Management. This section covers the fundamental details, such as day-to-day operations, schedules, equipment and space issues, insurance needs, etc.

Seek the Help You Need
Arvest Bank takes time to understand the needs of your business and how we can help it succeed. Our business bankers are knowledgeable and can offer you valuable financial insight. Call or visit your business banker for help finding a loan that's right for your business.

The views of this article are for general information use only. Please contact and speak with a subject expert or your banker when specific advice is needed. Find articles like this and much more in the online Arvest Biz Center. Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution. ** Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.*