Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc. (GFED)

Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc. was the holding company for Guaranty Bank, a community bank based in Springfield, Missouri. The bank offered deposit accounts, commercial and real estate lending, and consumer banking services through branches in Springfield and other communities in southwest Missouri, including Joplin and Carthage.

Guaranty's roots go back to a savings and loan founded in Springfield in the early twentieth century. The holding company was formed in the late 1990s when the institution completed its conversion to stock ownership, and its shares traded on the Nasdaq market under the ticker GFED. In 2018 it expanded by acquiring Hometown Bancshares, adding branches in the Carthage and Joplin areas.

In 2021 QCR Holdings, a multi-bank holding company based in Moline, Illinois, agreed to acquire Guaranty. QCR already owned Springfield First Community Bank, so the deal gave it a larger presence in the Springfield market. Guaranty shareholders could elect cash, QCR stock, or a mix, subject to proration so that the total consideration was roughly 80% stock and 20% cash.

The acquisition closed on April 1, 2022, valued at about $144.1 million based on QCR's share price the prior day, and GFED shares ceased trading. The following day Guaranty Bank was combined with Springfield First Community Bank, and the merged bank kept the Guaranty Bank name, operating 17 locations in southwest Missouri as a QCR subsidiary.