NEWS IN BRIEF

Louisiana group buys Spa City hospice firm

Hospice Holdings of Arkansas, which is owned by a Louisiana health-care management firm, said Tuesday it has acquired Hospice Home Care of Hot Springs.

The purchase includes locations in Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and a Hospice Home Care Inpatient Center in Little Rock.

Hospice Holdings of Arkansas is owned by Central Control Inc. of Pineville, La., said Andi Otwell, a spokesman for Hospice Home Care.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are excited to have the expertise and financial resources of Hospice Holdings of Arkansas to further develop the company’s services throughout Arkansas,” said Mike Tankersley, chief executive officer and co-owner of Hospice Home Care, in a statement.

• David Smith

Hampton-based bank in talks to buy lender

Hampton-based First Bank is in the process of acquiring First Community Bank of Crawford County, the two banks said Tuesday.

First Community Bank was sanctioned by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in September for being significantly under capitalized. The federal regulator also sanctioned the Van Buren bank in July 2012.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Arkansas State Bank Department and the FDIC still need to send approval, which is expected early next year.

First Bank has $257 million in assets and offices in Camden, Hampton, Junction City, Rogers and Siloam Springs. First Community Bank has $67 million in assets and offices in Van Buren and Alma.

Terry Carson, president of First Community, will become First Bank’s market president for Crawford County. Phil Foster is chief executive officer of First Bank.

• David Smith

State index up 0.23 after reaching high

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, climbed 0.23 to 314.98 Tuesday.

The index traded at an all-time high of 316.45 during the session.

“Stocks closed higher yet again as investors remain cautiously optimistic heading into the Fed’s two-day policy meeting with expectations that the central bank will maintain its level of asset purchases due to the recent softening of economic reports,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.