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Darrin Williams
CEO, Southern Bancorp, Inc.
A Message From the CEO
On behalf of our entire team of Wealth Builders here at Southern Bancorp, we are honored, humbled, and, more than anything, excited that you and your colleagues will be joining our unique brand of mission-focused banking. Both of our institutions have long histories of not only community banking, but as fellow CDFIs, serving the underserved people and places that traditional banks don’t, in ways that traditional banks can’t.
While I very much look forward to meeting you in person soon, I have already heard many wonderful things about you and the entire Legacy team from your CEO, John Everett. I have no doubt that your experience, dedication, and community spirit are a perfect fit for Southern Bancorp, as you’ll find those same attributes and attitudes from our team. I’m confident that combining our mission-first and values-forward institutions will make our mission stronger and lead to even greater impacts for our communities. I hope you’re as excited about that as I am!
There’s a very bright future ahead of us, our customers, and our communities. Check back here often for updates and new information about us growing together!
Welcome to our mission to be Wealth Builders for Everyone!
– Darrin
A History of Impact
History
In 1986, underserved communities across the Mid-South gained an economic development partner when some of the nation’s leading business, political, and philanthropic leaders formed the Southern Development Bank Corporation, now known as Southern Bancorp.
What began as a $10 million investment and a belief that paths to opportunity should be within reach of everyone, regardless of zip code, would eventually spur a movement of mission-focused institutions in underserved communities across the country – Community Development Financial Institutions.
Today, Southern Bancorp is one of the oldest and largest CDFIs in the country, with 56 locations across Arkansas and Mississippi, a growing mortgage team serving the entire Southern region, and $2.8 billion in assets.
Our Structure and Leadership
Our three CDFIs and the people who lead them.
Darrin Williams
CEO
Southern Bancorp, Inc.
John Olaimey
CEO
Southern Bancorp Bank
Kenya Gordon
President
Southern Bancorp Community Partners
Our Culture
Southern Bancorp employees have the unique opportunity to do good and do well.
Our Core Values
Relationship. Accountability. Innovation. Sustainability. Empowerment.
Volunteerism
Coming Soon: Check back here in the future for important employee information.
Our Customers
Economic opportunity means different things to different people. For some it means buying a first home after long giving up on the dream of homeownership. For others it means starting, growing, or saving a business in a community that desperately needs jobs. And still others simply want to get their financial life on track. No matter the zip code, starting point, or financial history, we’re helping our customers turn the dream of economic opportunity into reality.
Merkia’s journey to homeownership
Jessica’s journey to financial stability
Noe’s journey to entrepreneurship
Our Markets
We serve 56 locations across Arkansas and Mississippi, and our mortgage team has grown to include lenders in three additional states.
Our Impact
Want to learn more about our impact, growth, and mission? Check out our 2024 Impact Report!
What’s Next?
Now
Now that the announcement has been made, both Legacy and Southern will work through all of the details and questions needed before the deal’s closing. We’ll use this time to make sure all of the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. Look for Southern team members to steadily be making their way around, introducing themselves, and starting to share more about the organization, our mission, and our culture.
Later this Year
This deal for Legacy to join with Southern Bancorp will not officially close until we receive the required shareholder and regulatory approvals, which we anticipate will happen by Q4 2025 or early 2026. In the meantime, we’ll continue to introduce ourselves and provide additional information in a variety of areas.
Late 2026
The final step in this process will be converting the systems, processes, and branding fully under the Southern Bancorp banner. But we’re going to take our time on this one! We want to make sure that all parts of the organization are ready and prepared to undertake the conversion, so we’ll take most of next year to prepare. And of course, we’ll continue to get to know one another and provide more opportunities to learn about and engage with our mission and culture of being wealth builders for everyone! Our goal is to complete this last step around the end of 2026.
And what better way to celebrate our organizations coming together than with a party?!? We host an all-employee gathering for Southern Bancorp team members every few years, which we call Rendezvous. This is not a gathering for policies and procedures. It’s about fun and fellowship! It’ll be a time to get to know your new team members, let your hair down, and cut loose to celebrate our growing organization!
As our CEO Darrin Williams says, our future is so bright, we’ve got to wear shades! And the joining of Legacy and Southern is sure to create an impact bright enough to be seen from space!
The Southern Team taking it back to the ’80s at Rendezvous ’22