**EXHIBIT31.1**

 

 

**PURSUANTTO RULES 13a-14 AND 15d-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AND SECTION302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002CERTIFICATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER**

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I, Larry J. Brandt,certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of FirstFederal Bancshares of Arkansas, Inc. (the “Registrant”);

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain anyuntrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessaryto make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which  such statements were made, not misleadingwith respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and otherfinancial information included in this report, fairly present in all materialrespects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of theRegistrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.               The Registrant's other certifying officers and I areresponsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures(as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Registrantand  have:

 

a)              designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to theRegistrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us byothers within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisreport is being prepared;

 

b)      evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant's disclosure controls andprocedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectivenessof the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period coveredby this report based on such evaluation; and 

 

c)      disclosed in this report any change in the Registrant’s internal controlover financial reporting that occurred during the Registrant’s most recentfiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely tomaterially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting;and 

 

5.               The Registrant's other certifying officers and I havedisclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the Registrant's auditors and the audit committee ofRegistrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions):

 

a)              all significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal control  over financial reporting which arereasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant's ability to record,process, summarize and report financial information; and 

 

b)      any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or otheremployees who have  a significant rolein the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:  August 8, 2003 | /s/ Larry J. Brandt     |   |
|----------------------------|-------------------------|--------|
|                       | Larry J. Brandt         |
|                       | Chief Executive Officer |

 

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