Arvest Bank announced it has hired Jim Bates, who will serve as Manager of Credit Administration for Arvest Equipment Finance (AEF), a division of the bank.

AEF Division President Eric Bunnell said the addition of Bates is a result of continued growth and expansion within its vendor program.

“Jim’s duties as Manager of Credit Administration will include enhancing AEF’s credit-scoring models and underwriting procedures to position us to triple our portfolio in the next three to five years, as well as establishing a buy/sell syndication group,” Bunnell said.

Bates most recently worked for CHG-Meridian and Hancock Whitney Equipment Finance, and has formed and led credit and operations groups for multiple equipment finance companies throughout his 30-year career in the industry. Bates earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance at Western Illinois University.

 “I am very excited to be able to add Jim to our team,” Bunnell said. “His knowledge and experience will play an important role as we continue to grow and keep credit quality top of mind. Jim will also manage the credit analyst team, which will benefit by learning from his 30 years of experience in this industry.”

AEF is headquartered in Fort Smith, Ark., and does business throughout Arvest’s four-state footprint. It has additional locations in Little Rock, AR, Kansas City, MO, and Tulsa, OK.