Simmons First National Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Date...

Simmons First National Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Release
Date and Conference Call and Reiterates Guidance

PINE BLUFF, Ark., Jan. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simmons First National
Corporation (Nasdaq:SFNC) previously announced it expects to release fourth
quarter 2010 earnings prior to the market opening on Thursday, January 27, 2011,
followed by a live conference call to review this information beginning at 3:00
p.m. Central Time. Interested persons can listen to this call by dialing
1-800-854-4175 (United States and Canada only) and asking for the Simmons First
National Corporation conference call. A replay of the call will be available
through 5:00 p.m. Central Time on February 4, 2011, by dialing 1-800-642-1687.
The passcode for the replay is 33464347. In addition, the call will be available
live or in recorded version on the Company's website at www.simmonsfirst.com.

The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Simmons First National Bank,
entered into a Purchase and Assumption Agreement with the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation dated October 15, 2010, to purchase certain loans and
other assets and to assume certain deposits and other liabilities of Security
Savings Bank, FSB in Olathe, Kansas. The transaction resulted in a pre-tax
bargain purchase gain of $18.3 million, and an after-tax gain of $11.1 million.

The Company expects to report fourth quarter 2010 core operating results
(excluding the bargain purchase gain and other non-recurring items) and asset
quality trends, generally in line with the guidance it provided in its quarterly
conference call with analysts and investors on October 21, 2010. Several
Arkansas banks have recently reported significant exposure to what has been
described as "fraudulent rural improvement district bonds" which were reportedly
purchased from a single individual. The Company currently owns none of these
"fraudulent rural improvement district bonds." The Company currently has one
outstanding loan relationship of less than $350,000 that is secured by such
bonds, with the loan fully reserved.

Simmons First National Corporation is an eight bank financial holding company
with community banks in Pine Bluff, Lake Village, Jonesboro, Rogers, Searcy,
Russellville, El Dorado and Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Company's eight banks
conduct financial operations from 89 offices, of which 85 are financial centers,
in 46 communities in Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas.

The Simmons First National Corporation logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4819

CONTACT: FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
DAVID W. GARNER
Senior Vice President and Investor Relations Officer
Simmons First National Corporation
(870) 541-1000