First Paragould Bankshares, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
First Paragould Bankshares, Inc., a finance & insurance employer in Paragould, Arkansas, reported 243 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $2.9M in insurance premiums across 15 contracts and $305,141 in broker commissions and fees, 9.8% of medical premium against a national median of 3.8% among plans that paid commissions in plan year 2024. The plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). The Department of Labor received the filing on October 14, 2025, within the extension window.
Who was paid on First Paragould Bankshares, Inc.'s plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract First Paragould Bankshares, Inc. filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield · Jonesboro, AR | $102 | $293,009 | $293,111 | 4 |
| Martin McCall · Jonesboro, AR | $9,255 | $350 | $9,605 | 8 |
| Pinnacle Insurance Association · Little Rock, AR | $823 | $0 | $823 | 1 |
| Maria Vandyke · Maumelle, AR | $656 | $0 | $656 | 7 |
| Jerry Duncan C/O Ar BCBS · Fayetteville, AR | $536 | $0 | $536 | 7 |
| Acrisure · Addison, TX | $187 | $0 | $187 | 5 |
| Af Smith · Little Rock, AR | $143 | $0 | $143 | 3 |
| Albert Smith · Little Rock, AR | $80 | $0 | $80 | 2 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2024, as published in EBSA's 2024 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
| Carrier · coverage | Covered | Premium | Broker pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldhealth, prescription drug | 518 | $2.7M | $269,534 | 9.8% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shielddental | 548 | $193,531 | $23,475 | 12.1% |
| Usable Lifelife | 294 | — | $698 | — |
| Vision Service Planvision | 206 | — | $4,113 | — |
| Usable Lifecoverage not coded | 57 | — | $677 | — |
| Usable Lifecoverage not coded | 49 | — | $756 | — |
| Usable Lifecoverage not coded | 224 | — | $384 | — |
| Usable Lifelife | 225 | — | $2,430 | — |
| Usable Lifelong-term disability | 58 | — | $668 | — |
| Usable Lifeshort-term disability | 60 | — | $1,996 | — |
| American Heritage Life Insuranceshort-term disability | 1 | — | $11 | — |
| American Heritage Life Insurancecoverage not coded | 6 | — | $241 | — |
| American Heritage Life Insurancecoverage not coded | 1 | — | $3 | — |
| American Heritage Life Insurancecoverage not coded | 5 | — | $134 | — |
| American Heritage Life Insurancelife | 5 | — | $21 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How First Paragould Bankshares, Inc. compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $5,305 a year (national median $7,274).
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 299 | 243 | −18.7% |
| Premiums filed | $2,934,528 | $2,941,721 | +0.2% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $304,652 | $305,141 | +0.2% |
| Commission rate | 9.8% | 9.8% | +0.0 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2024.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Paragould Bankshares, Inc. Insurance Plan#501 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 14, 2025 | within extension | 243 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did First Paragould Bankshares, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
First Paragould Bankshares, Inc.'s 2024 Form 5500 reports $305,141 in broker commissions and fees across 15 insurance contracts ($11,782 in commissions, $293,359 in fees), with Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield receiving the largest share.
Is First Paragould Bankshares, Inc.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). Medical coverage is written by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
How does First Paragould Bankshares, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
First Paragould Bankshares, Inc. paid 9.8% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, and the median in Arkansas is 3.7%. Percentages are computed only on fully insured medical contracts with filed premiums.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.