The Farmers & Merchants Bank
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Farmers & Merchants Bank, a finance & insurance employer in Stuttgart, Arkansas, reported 217 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $3.1M in insurance premiums across 5 contracts and $8,430 in broker commissions and fees, 0.0% of medical premium against a national median of 3.8% among plans that paid commissions in plan year 2024. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on July 22, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on The Farmers & Merchants Bank's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract The Farmers & Merchants Bank filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avant Specialty Benefits · Kansas City, MO | $0 | $3,140 | $3,140 | 1 |
| Stephens Insurance LLC · Little Rock, AR | $509 | $89 | $598 | 2 |
| Ginger Mullins & Company LLC · Little Rock, AR | $274 | $46 | $320 | 1 |
| Destinie N Boren · Bauxite, AR | $211 | $7 | $218 | 1 |
| Konecny Insurance Service · Stuttgart, AR | $153 | $0 | $153 | 1 |
| Robert W Allen · El Paso, AR | $108 | $0 | $108 | 1 |
| Barnett Benefits Group Inc · Lonoke, AR | $102 | $0 | $102 | 1 |
| Gra Gull Advisors LLC · Hattieville, AR | $9 | $1 | $10 | 1 |
| Kyle Harding · Nashville, AR | $3 | $0 | $3 | 1 |
| Marks Benefit Management LLC · Fayetteville, AR | $1 | $0 | $1 | 1 |
| McFadden Benefit Management Inc · Fayetteville, AR | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2025, as published in EBSA's 2025 "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shieldhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 487 | $3.0M | — | — |
| Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shielddental | 440 | $164,309 | — | — |
| Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shieldvision | 436 | — | $3,777 | — |
| Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 14 | — | $1,512 | — |
| American United Life Insurance Companylife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 222 | — | $3,141 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2025. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How The Farmers & Merchants Bank 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: $6,128 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
| 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 248 | 217 | −12.5% |
| Premiums filed | $2,826,552 | $3,148,544 | +11.4% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $6,857 | $8,430 | +22.9% |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2024 and 2025.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers & Merchants Bank Health & Welfare Plan#502 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | July 22, 2026 | before deadline | 217 |
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 The Farmers & Merchants Bank pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
The Farmers & Merchants Bank's 2025 Form 5500 reports $8,430 in broker commissions and fees across 5 insurance contracts ($5,147 in commissions, $3,283 in fees), with Avant Specialty Benefits receiving the largest share.
Is The Farmers & Merchants Bank's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
How does The Farmers & Merchants Bank's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
The Farmers & Merchants Bank paid 0.0% 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.