First Security Bank
One of the largest financial institutions in Arkansas
Although they took different routes to get there, all three of Reynie and Ann Rutledge’s sons decided to be part of family owned First Security Bank — one of the largest financial institutions in Arkansas.
Says Reynie, the chairman and CEO of First Security, “I didn’t know if any of them would join the bank. But I kind of hoped that one of them would.”
The story begins in 1932, when First Security first opened its doors in Searcy, where the bank was deeply invested in the community. In 1977, First Security was looking for a buyer. At age
27, Reynie convinced his father and Worthen Bank in Little Rock — where he began his own banking career — to finance and help guarantee the loan for the deal that was finalized on Oct.
1 of that year.
Since then, First Security has grown to become one of the most trusted names in banking, with more than 70 locations and over 1,000 employees. At the heart of it all, however, is that core commitment to hometown values and service to their communities.
All three sons — John, Adam and Nathan — share a common family value to give back to the business and state that have given so many opportunities to them.
John, who serves as CEO and president of the central Arkansas market, didn’t take an interest in the bank until close to the end of his college career. In fact, he says he “challenged at every level” the idea of going into his father’s business.
“I spent my growing-up years trying to decide whether I wanted to work for my father,” he says. “I was going to look at every other option to figure out and make sure this was the right option versus assuming this was the option.”
Since deciding it was the right choice, he has been involved in several facets of the business, including
Crews & Associates — the investment banking firm First Security acquired in 2000, and First Security in northwest Arkansas. He has been in Central Arkansas since 2007.
Middle son, Adam, who serves as CEO and president of the northwest Arkansas market, says he considered real estate for awhile. But by his junior year of college, he decided to join the family’s banking business.
“At some point in time, you hit a maturity and realize the opportunity to stand on some shoulders,” he says. “You want to be a part of that.”
Youngest son, Nathan, is senior managing director of Crews & Associates. It wasn’t until his senior year of college, when he was sitting for the LSAT to gain admission into law school, that he felt the draw toward banking.
“I think all of us had a sense of wouldn’t it be fun to keep building on what they’ve done so well,” he says, in reference to his father and grandfather. And so they do — all together. “We were born in Arkansas, raised in Arkansas, all of our locations are in Arkansas,” Reynie explains. “We’re focused on Arkansas and its institutions. We are a family operation, taking care of families in Arkansas.”