UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D. C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES
                              EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

        Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): October 9, 2003

                            BANK OF THE OZARKS, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)


(State of Incorporation)      (Commission File No.)    (IRS Employer I.D. No.)
        Arkansas                     0-22759                 71-0556208


                              12615 Chenal Parkway
                           Little Rock, Arkansas 72231
               (Address of Principal Executive Office) (Zip code)

        Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 501-978-2265


Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

        (c)      Exhibits

                 99.1     Press Release Announcing Third Quarter 2003 Earnings
                 Report

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure

        See Item 12. Results of Operations and Financial Condition

Item 12.  Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

         The Registrant hereby furnishes its press release regarding Third
         Quarter 2003 Earnings Report which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1
         and incorporated herein by reference. The Company's press release
         includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, which are defined as
         numerical measures of a company's financial performance, financial
         position or cash flows that exclude (or include) amounts that are
         included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measures
         calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in the Company's
         financial statements. The attached press release utilizes measures of
         growth in deposits and loans that exclude the effect of the acquisition
         of River Valley Bancshares and its bank subsidiary. The Company's
         management believes that these measures provide useful information
         regarding the Company's financial performance because they quantify the
         growth that resulted from existing versus acquired operations and
         therefore provide insight into the results of operations from such
         existing operations.



                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



                                                      BANK OF THE OZARKS, INC.
                                                      -------------------------
                                                          (Registrant)





Date:  October 9, 2003                                /s/  Paul Moore
                                                      --------------------------
                                                      Paul Moore
                                                      Chief Financial Officer



Exhibit No.      Document Description

  99.1           Press Release Announcing Third Quarter 2003 Earnings Report