FB Financial Corp
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 25, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 25, 2025
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Item 1. Business
In this Annual Report, the terms “we,” “our,” “ours,” “us,” “FB Financial,” and “the Company” refer to FB Financial Corporation, a Tennessee corporation, and our wholly-owned subsidiaries, including our state-chartered consolidated banking subsidiary, “FirstBank” or “the Bank,” unless the context indicates that we refer only to the parent company, FB Financial Corporation.
Overview
FB Financial Corporation is a bank holding company designated as a financial holding company. We are headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Our wholly-owned bank subsidiary is FirstBank which provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking services to clients in select markets primarily in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and North Georgia. As of December 31, 2024, our footprint included 77 full-service bank branches and several other limited service banking, ATM and mortgage loan production locations serving the Tennessee metropolitan markets of Nashville, Chattanooga (including North Georgia), Knoxville, Memphis, and Jackson in addition to the metropolitan markets of Birmingham, Florence and Huntsville, Alabama and Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Bank also operates in 17 community markets. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company announced expansions into the Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Asheville, North Carolina markets. Further, the Company also provides mortgage banking services utilizing its bank branch network and mortgage banking offices located throughout the southeastern United States. As of December 31, 2024, we had total assets of $13.16 billion, loans held for investment of $9.60 billion, total deposits of $11.21 billion, and total common shareholders’ equity of $1.57 billion.
Throughout our history, we have maintained a community banking approach of personalized relationship-based service, which is delivered locally through experienced bankers in each market. As we have grown, maintaining this relationship-based approach utilizing local, talented and experienced bankers in each market has been an integral component of our success. Our bankers utilize their local knowledge and relationships to deliver timely solutions to our clients. We empower these bankers by giving them local decision making authority supplemented by appropriate risk management. In our experience, business owners and operators prefer to deal with decision makers, and our banking model is built to place the decision maker as close to the client as possible. We have designed our operations, technology, and centralized risk oversight processes to specifically support our operating model. We deploy this operating model universally in each of our markets, regardless of size. We believe we have a competitive advantage in our markets versus both smaller community banks and larger regional and national banks. Our robust offering of products, services and capabilities differentiate us from community banks, and our significant local market knowledge, client service level and the speed with which we are able to make decisions and deliver our services to customers differentiate us from larger regional and national banks.
We seek to leverage our operating model by focusing on profitable growth opportunities across our footprint, both in high-growth metropolitan markets and in stable community markets. As a result, we are able to strategically deploy our capital across our markets to take advantage of those opportunities that we believe provide the greatest certainty of profitable growth and highest returns.
Our history
Originally chartered in 1906, we are one of the longest continually operating banks in Tennessee. While our deep community roots go back over 100 years, our growth trajectory changed in 1984 when an experienced banker and entrepreneur partnered to acquire Farmers State Bank with a focus on growing the Bank. In 1988, Farmers State Bank purchased the assets of First National Bank of Lexington, Tennessee and changed the name to FirstBank, forming the foundation of our current franchise. In 1990, James W. Ayers became FirstBank's sole shareholder and remained the sole shareholder until our initial public offering in September 2016. The Bank grew from a community bank with only $14 million in assets in 1984 to total assets of $13.16 billion at December 31, 2024.
From 1984 to 2001, we operated as a community bank growing organically and through small acquisitions in community markets in West Tennessee. In 2001, our strategy evolved from serving purely community markets to include a modest presence in metropolitan markets, expanding our reach and enhancing our growth. We entered Nashville and Memphis in 2001 by opening a branch in each of those markets. In 2004 and 2008, we opened our first branches in Knoxville and Chattanooga, respectively. Although we experienced some growth in each metropolitan market, those markets did not become a significant strategic focus until we implemented our current strategy in the Nashville metropolitan statistical area in 2012. The successful implementation of this strategy, along with strategic acquisitions, resulted in growing Nashville into our largest market with 41.5% of our total deposits as of June 30, 2024. Additionally, we expanded into the Huntsville, Alabama MSA in 2014 by opening a branch in Huntsville and loan production office in Florence, Alabama, which was converted to a full-service branch in 2019. During 2020, we expanded into the Bowling Green, Kentucky MSA with our acquisition of FNB Financial Corp. in addition to increasing our Nashville MSA market share through our acquisition of Franklin Financial Network, Inc. During 2021, we expanded our banking division into Central Alabama with hiring of additional experienced senior bankers in Birmingham. During 2024, we continued to augment our growth into Central Alabama by announcing expansion into the Tuscaloosa market, as well as entering into the Asheville, North Carolina market. As a result of this evolution and focus on continuous organic growth, we operate a balanced business model that serves a diverse customer base in both metropolitan and community markets.
Our markets
Our market footprint is the southeastern United States, centered around Tennessee, and includes portions of Alabama, North Georgia and Kentucky. Recently, we announced expansion into the Asheville, North Carolina market.
| Top Metropolitan Markets(2) | Top Community Markets(2) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market | Market Rank | Branches (#) | Deposits ($mm) | Deposit Market Share | Percent of Total Deposits | Market | Market Rank | Branches (#) | Deposits ($mm) | Deposit Market Share | Percent of Total Deposits |
| Nashville | 6 | 23 | 4,346 | 4.7% | 41.5% | Lexington | 1 | 5 | 407 | 50.4% | 3.9% |
| Chattanooga | 5 | 7 | 971 | 6.4% | 9.3% | Dalton | 5 | 2 | 278 | 8.4% | 2.7% |
| Knoxville | 9 | 5 | 777 | 3.1% | 7.4% | Tullahoma | 2 | 3 | 252 | 15.7% | 2.4% |
| Jackson | 3 | 6 | 540 | 12.3% | 5.2% | Morristown | 5 | 2 | 217 | 9.6% | 2.1% |
| Birmingham | 21 | 3 | 330 | 0.7% | 3.2% | Cookeville | 11 | 1 | 215 | 4.7% | 2.1% |
| Bowling Green | 7 | 5 | 278 | 6.0% | 2.7% | Crossville | 5 | 1 | 186 | 11.0% | 1.8% |
| Memphis | 28 | 3 | 277 | 0.7% | 2.6% | Paris | 3 | 2 | 170 | 13.9% | 1.6% |
| Florence | 9 | 1 | 109 | 2.8% | 1.0% | Huntingdon | 2 | 5 | 164 | 23.0% | 1.6% |
| Huntsville | 21 | 2 | 86 | 0.8% | 0.8% | Decatur | 1 | 1 | 150 | 37.4% | 1.4% |
(1)Source: SNL Financial. Market data is as of June 30, 2024 and is presented on a pro forma basis for announced acquisitions since June 30, 2024.
(2)Source: Company data and S&P Global Market Intelligence
Market characteristics and mix.
Metropolitan markets. Our metropolitan markets are generally characterized by attractive demographics and strong economies and offer substantial opportunity for future growth. We compete in these markets with national and regional banks that currently have the largest market share positions and with community banks primarily focused only on a particular geographic area or business niche. We believe we are well positioned to grow our market penetration among our target clients of small to medium sized businesses as well as large corporate businesses and the consumer base working and living in these metropolitan markets. In our experience, such clients demand the product sophistication of a larger bank, but prefer the customer service, relationship focus and local connectivity of a community bank. We believe that our size, product suite and operating model offer us a competitive advantage in these markets versus our smaller competitors, many of which are focused only on specific counties or industries. Our operating model driven by local talent with strong community ties and local authority serves as a key competitive advantage over our larger competitors. We believe that, as a result, we are well positioned to leverage our existing franchise to expand our market share in our markets.
Community markets. Our community markets tend to be more stable throughout various economic cycles, with primarily retail and small business customer opportunities and more limited competition. We believe this leads to an attractive profitability profile and more granular loan and deposit portfolios. Our community markets are standalone markets and not suburbs of larger markets. We primarily compete in these markets with community banks that generally have less than $1 billion in total assets. Our strategy is to compete against these smaller community banks by providing a broader and more sophisticated set of products and capabilities while still maintaining our local service model. We believe these markets are being deemphasized by national and regional banks which provides us with opportunities to hire talented bankers and maintain or grow market share in these community markets.
Our core client profile across our footprint includes retail and wealth consumers, small businesses, and corporate clients and owners. We target business clients with substantial operating history. Our typical business client would keep business deposit accounts with us, and we would look to provide banking services to the owners and employees of the business as well. We also have an active consumer lending business that includes deposit products, mortgages, home equity lines and small consumer finance loans. We continuously strive to build deeper relationships by actively advising clients and offering products that meet their banking needs.
The following tables show our deposit market share ranking among banks in Tennessee as of June 30, 2024 (the most recent date that such information is publicly available). Of the 10 largest banks in the state based on total deposits, 6 are national or regional banks, which we believe provides us with significant opportunities to gain market share from these banks.
Top 10 banks in Tennessee:
| Rank | Company name | Headquarters | Branches(#) | Totaldeposits($bn) | Depositmarketshare(%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Horizon Corporation (TN) | Memphis, TN | 136 | 30.1 | 13.5 |
| 2 | Pinnacle Financial Partners (TN) | Nashville, TN | 57 | 27.7 | 12.4 |
| 3 | Regions Financial Corporation (AL) | Birmingham, AL | 194 | 23.3 | 10.5 |
| 4 | Bank of America Corporation (NC) | Charlotte, NC | 58 | 16.9 | 7.6 |
| 5 | Truist Financial Corporation (NC) | Charlotte, NC | 98 | 16.0 | 7.2 |
| 6 | FB Financial Corporation (TN) | Nashville, TN | 71 | 9.0 | 4.1 |
| 7 | U.S. Bancorp (MN) | Minneapolis, MN | 59 | 5.4 | 2.4 |
| 8 | Wilson Bank Holding Company (TN) | Lebanon, TN | 32 | 4.6 | 2.0 |
| 9 | Fifth Third Bancorp (OH) | Cincinnati, OH | 40 | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| 10 | Simmons First National Corporation (AR) | Pine Bluff, AR | 46 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence and Company reports as of June 30, 2024 adjusted for pending and completed acquisitions as of June 30, 2024.
Our business strategy
Our overall business strategy is comprised of the following core priorities.
Enhance market penetration in our markets. In recent years, we have successfully grown our franchise across our footprint by executing our community bank growth strategy. The strategy is centered on the following: recruiting the best bankers and empowering them with local authority; developing branch presence; building brand awareness and growing our business and consumer banking presence; and expanding our product offering and capabilities. These strategies coupled with our personalized, relationship-based client service have contributed significantly to our success. Additionally, we believe that our scale, resources and range of products provides us with a competitive advantage over the smaller community banks in our markets we operate. As a result of these competitive advantages and growth strategies, the Nashville MSA has become our largest market with approximately 41.5% of our deposits and 4.7% market share, based on pro forma deposits as of June 30, 2024. We intend to continue to efficiently increase our market penetration through organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
Based on market and competitive similarities, we believe our growth strategies are transferable to our other metropolitan markets and we have implemented these strategies in additional markets across our footprint. In Knoxville and Chattanooga, we have achieved top 10 deposit market shares through our acquisitions of Northwest Georgia Bank, the Clayton Banks, and the branches from Atlantic Capital Bank and continued organic growth in those markets. In the Memphis, Huntsville and Birmingham MSAs, our banking model has attracted strong leadership teams and we have experienced significant growth in both deposits and loans. Additionally, we have hired experienced leadership teams and started building production teams in Tuscaloosa and Asheville, where we will also be establishing a physical presence.
Pursue opportunistic and strategic acquisitions. We have completed 13 acquisitions in the past 25 years. We pursue acquisitions that enhance market penetration, possess strong core deposits, are accretive to earnings per share while minimizing tangible book value dilution, and meet our internal return targets. We believe that numerous small to mid- sized banks or branch networks will be available for acquisition throughout our footprint as well as in attractive contiguous markets in the coming years due to industry trends, such as compliance and operational challenges, regulatory pressure, management succession issues and shareholder liquidity needs. In Tennessee alone, there are approximately 104 commercial banks with total assets of less than $5 billion, and in the selected neighboring states of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, there are over 435 commercial banks with under $5 billion in assets. We believe that we are positioned as a natural consolidator because of our financial strength, reputation and operating model.
Improve efficiency by leveraging technology and scaling operations. We have invested significantly in our personnel, infrastructure and technology in recent years, which we believe has created a scalable platform that will support future growth across all of our markets. Our bankers and branches, especially in the metropolitan markets, continue to scale in size, and we believe there is capacity to grow our business without adding significantly to our branch network. We plan to continue to invest, as needed, in our technology and business infrastructure to support our future growth and increase operating efficiencies.
Develop niche banking and noninterest income opportunities. While our primary focus is on capturing opportunities in our core banking business, we have successfully seized opportunities to grow our noninterest income. Our mortgage platform is focused through a traditional retail delivery channel. Additionally, we have successfully expanded our fee-based business to include more robust treasury management, trust and investment services and capital markets revenue streams. We intend to continue emphasizing these business lines which we believe serve as customer acquisition channels and provide us with a range of cross-selling opportunities, while making our business stronger and more profitable.
Risk management
General
Our operating model demands a strong risk management culture built to address multiple areas of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, price risk, compliance risk, information security/cyber risk, third-party risk, operational risk, strategic risk and reputational risk. Our risk management culture is supported by investments in the right people and technologies to protect our business. Our Board of Directors, through its Risk Committee, is ultimately responsible for overseeing risk management of the Company. We have a Chief Risk Officer who oversees risk management across our business. Our Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Risk Officer are supported by the heads of other functional areas at the Bank, including credit, legal, IT, audit, compliance, capital markets, credit review, information security and physical security. Our comprehensive risk management framework is designed to complement our core strategy of empowering our experienced, local bankers with local-decision making to better serve our clients.
Our credit policies support our goal of maintaining sound credit quality standards while achieving balance sheet growth, earnings growth, appropriate liquidity and other key objectives. We maintain a risk management infrastructure that includes local authority, centralized policymaking and a system of checks and balances. The fundamental principles of our credit policy and procedures are to maintain credit quality standards, which enhance our long-term value to our clients, associates, shareholders and communities. Our loan policies provide our bankers with a sufficient degree of flexibility to permit them to deliver responsive and effective lending solutions to our clients while maintaining appropriate credit quality. Furthermore, our bankers and associates are hired for the long-term and they are incented to focus on long-term credit quality. Since lending represents credit risk exposure, the Board of Directors and its duly appointed committees seek to ensure that the Bank maintains appropriate credit quality standards. The Credit Risk Committee of the Board of Directors provides oversight at the Board level, while management oversight committees, including the ACL Committee and Corporate Credit Risk Committee, administer the loan portfolio and monitor credit risk. These committees meet at least quarterly to review the lending activities.
Credit concentration
Diversification of risk is a key factor in prudent asset management. Our granular loan portfolio reflects a balanced mix of consumer and commercial clients across these markets, which we believe inherently mitigates the impact of industry and market cycles. In addition, risk from concentration is actively managed by management and reviewed by the Board of Directors of the Bank, and exposures relating to borrower, industry and commercial real estate categories are tracked and measured against policy limits. These limits are reviewed as part of our periodic review of the credit policy. Loan concentration levels are monitored by the Corporate Credit Risk Committee and reported to the Credit Risk Committee of the Board of Directors.
Loan approval process
The loan approval process at the Bank is characterized by local authority supported by a control environment that provides for prompt and thorough underwriting of loans. Our localized decision making is reinforced through a centralized review process supported by technology that monitors credits to ensure compliance with our credit policies. Our loan approval method is based on a hierarchy of individual lending authorities for new credits and renewals granted to our individual bankers, market presidents, regional presidents, senior and regional credit officers, senior management and Credit Risk Committee of the Board of Directors. The Corporate Credit Risk Committee, along with senior management, establishes the maximum lending limits at each level and sets individual authorities within these maximum limits to each individual based on demonstrated experience and expertise, and are periodically reviewed and updated. We believe that the ability to have individual loan authority up to specified levels based on experience and track record coupled with appropriate approval limits allows us to provide prompt and appropriate responses to our clients while still allowing for the appropriate level of oversight.
As a relationship-oriented lender, rather than transaction-oriented lender, a majority of our loans HFI are made to borrowers or relationships located or operating in our market area. This provides us with a better understanding of their business, creditworthiness and the economic conditions in their market and industry. Furthermore, our associates are held accountable for their decisions, which effectively aligns their incentives to reflect appropriate management of risk.
In considering loans, we follow the underwriting principles set forth in our credit policy with a primary focus on the following factors:
A relationship with our clients that provides us with a thorough understanding of their financial condition and ability to repay the loan;
verification that the primary and secondary sources of repayment are adequate in relation to the amount of the loan;
adherence to appropriate loan to value guidelines for real estate secured loans;
targeted levels of diversification for the loan portfolio, both as to type of borrower and type of collateral; and
proper documentation of loans, including perfected liens on collateral.
As part of the approval process for any given loan, we seek to minimize risk in a variety of ways, including the following:
analysis of the borrower's and/or guarantor's financial condition, cash flow, liquidity, and leverage;
assessment of the project's operating history, operating projections, location and condition;
review of appraisals, title commitment and environmental reports;
consideration of the management's experience and financial strength of the principals of the borrower; and
understanding economic trends and industry conditions.
The Corporate Credit Risk Committee reviews and approves any amendments to the credit policy, monitors loan portfolio trends, credit trends, and results of credit reviews. The Credit Risk Committee of the Board of Directors approves loan transactions that exceed management authorized thresholds as set forth in our credit policy. Loan pricing is established in conjunction with the loan approval process based on pricing guidelines for loans that are set by the Bank’s senior management. We believe that our loan approval process provides for thorough internal controls, underwriting, and decision making.
Lending limits
The Bank is limited in the amount it can loan in the aggregate to a single borrower or related borrowers by the amount of our regulatory capital. Tennessee’s legal lending limit is a safety and soundness measure intended to prevent one person or a relatively small and economically related group of persons from borrowing an unduly large amount of bank funds. It is also intended to safeguard a bank’s depositors by diversifying the risk of potential loan losses among a relatively large number of creditworthy borrowers engaged in various types of businesses. Generally, under Tennessee law, loans and extensions of credit to a borrower may not exceed 15% of our bank’s Tier 1 capital, plus an additional 10% of the bank’s Tier 1 capital, with approval of the bank’s board. Further, the Bank may elect to conform to similar standards applicable to national banks under federal law, in lieu of Tennessee law. Because the federal law and Tennessee state law standards are determined as a percentage of the Bank’s capital, these state and federal limits both increase or decrease as the Bank’s capital increases or decreases. Based upon the capitalization of the Bank at December 31, 2024, the Bank’s legal lending limits were approximately $211.6 million (15%) and $352.6 million (25%). The Bank may seek to sell participations in our larger loans to other financial institutions, which will allow us to manage the risk involved in these loans and to meet the lending needs of our clients requiring extensions of credit in excess of these limits.
In addition to these legally imposed lending limits, we also employ appropriate limits on our overall loan portfolio and requirements with respect to certain types of lending and individual lending relationships. For example, we have lending limits related to maximum borrower, industry and certain types of commercial real estate exposures.
Enterprise risk management
We maintain an enterprise risk management program that helps us to identify, manage, monitor and control potential risks that may affect us, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, price risk, compliance risk, operational risk, information security/cyber risk, third-party risk, strategic risk and reputational risk. Our operating model demands a strong risk culture built to address the multiple areas of risk we face, and our risk management strategy is supported by significant investments in the right people and technologies to protect the organization.
Our comprehensive risk management framework and risk identification is a continuous process and occurs at both the transaction level and the portfolio level. While our local bankers and associates support our day-to-day risk practices, management seeks to identify interdependencies and correlations across portfolios and lines of business that may amplify risk exposure through a thorough centralized review process. Risk measurement helps us to control and monitor risk levels and is based on the sophistication of the risk measurement tools used to reflect the complexity and levels of assumed risk. We monitor risks and ensure compliance with our risk policies by timely reviewing risk positions and exceptions. This monitoring process ensures that management’s decisions are implemented for all geographies, products and legal entities with overview by the appropriate committees.
We control risks through limits that are communicated through policies, standards, procedures and processes that define responsibility and authority. Such limits serve as a means to control exposures to the various risks associated with our activities, and are meaningful management tools that can be adjusted if conditions or risk tolerances change. In addition, we maintain a process to authorize exceptions or changes to risk limits when warranted. These risk management practices help to ensure effective reporting, compliance with all laws, rules and regulations, avoid damage to our reputation and related consequences, and attain our strategic goals while avoiding pitfalls and surprises along the way.
The Risk Committee of the Board of Directors approves policies that set operational standards and risk limits. Management is responsible for the implementation, integrity and maintenance of our risk management systems ensuring the directives are implemented and administered in compliance with the approved policy. Our Chief Risk Officer supervises the overall management of our risk management program, reports to the Chief Executive Officer and yet also retains independent access to the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors.
Credit risk management
Credit risk management is a key component of our risk management program. We employ consistent analysis and underwriting to examine credit information and prepare underwriting documentation. We monitor and approve exceptions to our credit policies as required, and we also track and address technical exceptions.
Each relationship manager has the primary responsibility for appropriately risk rating each loan that is made. In addition, our credit administration department is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of loan portfolio performance through the review of ongoing financial reports, credit quality reports, relationship manager reports, audit reviews and exception reporting and concentration analysis. This monitoring process also includes an ongoing review of loan risk ratings. Management and monitoring of our allowance for credit losses is performed by our ACL Committee. We have a Corporate Credit Risk Committee which monitors the integrity of our portfolio within the parameters of the credit policy. We utilize a risk grading system that enables management to differentiate individual loan quality and forecast future profitability and portfolio loss potential. The Credit Risk Committee of the Board of Directors has the authority to approve credit policies and risk limits.
We assign a credit risk rating at the time a commercial loan is made and adjust it as conditions warrant. Portfolio monitoring systems allow management to proactively assess risk and make decisions that will minimize the impact of negative developments. Successful credit management is achieved by lenders consistently meeting with clients and regularly reviewing their financial conditions. This enables both the recognition of future opportunities and potential weaknesses early.
The Board of Directors supports a strong credit review program and is committed to its effectiveness as part of the independent process of assessing our lending activities. We have communicated to our credit and lending staff that the identification of emerging problem loans begins with the lending personnel knowing their clients and supported by credit personnel, actively monitoring their client relationships. The credit review process is meant to augment this active management of client relationships and to provide an independent and broad-based look into our lending activities. We believe that our strong client relationships support our ability to identify potential deterioration of our credits at an early stage enabling us to address these issues early on to minimize potential losses.
We maintain a robust credit review function by utilizing an internal credit review team as well as third-party credit review firms. The results from internal and external credit reviews are reported to the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors to ensure independence and objectivity. The examinations performed by the credit review department are based on risk assessments of individual loan commitments within our loan portfolio over a period of time. At the conclusion of each review, the credit review department provides management with a report that summarizes the results of the review. At a minimum, the report addresses risk rating accuracy, compliance with regulations and policies, loan documentation accuracy, the timely receipt of financial statements, and any additional material issues.
We monitor the levels of delinquencies for any negative or adverse trends. From time to time, we may modify loans to extend the term or make other concessions to help a borrower with a deteriorating financial condition stay current on their loan and to avoid foreclosure. We generally do not forgive principal or interest on loans or modify the interest rates on loans to rates that are below market rates. We believe that we are well reserved for losses resulting from our non-performing assets.
Liquidity and interest rate risk management
Our liquidity planning framework is focused on robust forecasting and risk management to ensure predictable funding needs and availability. We strive to maintain the lowest cost of funding available while maintaining stable sources of liquidity. To achieve these objectives, we utilize a simple funding and capital structure consisting primarily of deposits and common equity. We remain continually focused on growing our noninterest-bearing and other low-cost core deposits while replacing higher cost funding sources, including wholesale time deposits and other borrowed debt, to fund our balance sheet growth. The following chart shows our overall funding structure as of December 31, 2024.
Funding structure as of December 31, 2024
In addition, we monitor our liquidity risk by adopting policies to define potential liquidity problems, reviewing and maintaining an updated contingency funding plan, testing our sources of funds availability at least annually and providing a prudent capital structure consistent with our credit standing and plans for strategic growth.
Our interest rate risk management system is overseen by the Risk Committee of our Board of Directors, who has the authority to approve acceptable rate risk levels. Our Board of Directors has established the Asset Liability Management Committee at the management level to ensure appropriate risk measurement by requiring:
quarterly testing of interest rate risk exposure;
proactive liquidity and interest rate risk identification and measurement;
liquidity forecasting under hypothetical stress scenarios;
stress testing of key interest rate risk modeling assumptions; and
quarterly risk presentations by senior management
For information on the Company's information security and related risks, refer to “Item 1C. Cybersecurity” and “Item A. Risk factors: Technology and operational risks.”
Competition
We conduct our core banking operations primarily in Tennessee, Alabama, North Georgia, Kentucky, and more recently North Carolina, and compete in the commercial banking industry primarily through our wholly-owned banking subsidiary, FirstBank. The banking industry is highly competitive, and we experience competition in our market areas from many other financial institutions. We compete with commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, mortgage banking firms, online mortgage lenders, online deposit banks, digital banking platforms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market funds and other mutual funds, as well as super-regional, national and international financial institutions that operate offices in our market areas and elsewhere. In addition, a number of out-of-state financial intermediaries have opened production offices, or otherwise solicit loans and deposits, in our market areas. Increased competition in our markets may result in the Bank experiencing reduced loans and deposits, as well as reduced net interest margin and profitability. Furthermore, our markets have grown increasingly competitive in recent years with a number of banks entering our markets, with a primary focus on the metropolitan markets. We believe this trend will continue as banks look to gain a foothold in these growing markets. This trend will result in greater competition primarily in our metropolitan markets. However, we firmly believe that our market position and client-focused operating model enhance our ability to attract and retain clients.
See “Our markets” in this section above for a further discussion of the markets we compete in and the competitive landscape in these markets.
Human capital
At the Company, we believe that helping people build a better future starts with investing in our associates, who are the driving force behind our success. Our associates not only deliver trusted solutions to our customers and invest in our communities but also help us achieve superior long-term returns for our shareholders.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company employed 1,490 full-time equivalent associates with an average tenure of 6 years and 5 months. Our associates help us achieve our mission, and we continually invest in their development and well-being.
Our vision
Our vision drives everything we do and informs how we support and empower our associates. It is rooted in providing a great place to work, offering competitive opportunities for growth, and prioritizing the well-being of our people. Our vision is to:
Deliver trusted solutions to our customers;
Provide a great place to work for our associates;
Invest in our communities; and
Provide superior long-term returns for our shareholders
We also take pride in living by our core values, which guide our actions and decisions every day. These values reflect our commitment to our associates and our shared success:
One Team, One Bank
Do the Right Thing
Commitment to Excellence
Exist for the Customer
Treat People with Respect
Enjoy Life
Culture and associate engagement
In 2024, we were named one of Middle Tennessee’s Top Workplaces by The Tennessean for the tenth consecutive year, a reflection of our commitment to fostering a positive culture as ranked by our own associates.
Additionally, we launched our first all-associate engagement survey, which achieved an impressive 88% overall participation rate. This survey offers valuable insights into the associate experience, serving as a baseline for future surveys. It will guide our initiatives and support a broader listening strategy to ensure we continue fostering a positive and engaging workplace.
As part of our commitment to giving back, we offer full-time associates 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer in activities that benefit local organizations. In 2024, our associates dedicated over 9,400 hours to making a positive impact in the areas that we operate.
Talent
Our vision of providing a great place to work is reflected in our efforts to recruit, develop, and retain top talent. In 2024, we continued our Management-to-Leadership Development Series, which helps new and emerging leaders transition into leadership roles. Since its inception, 118 associates have successfully graduated from the program, gaining valuable skills and experience. This initiative allows associates to explore career paths, develop leadership abilities, and grow in ways that align with both their personal goals and the Company’s broader objectives.
We also place significant emphasis on succession planning as part of our ongoing effort to build a strong talent pipeline. Our approach focuses on identifying and developing associates throughout the Company who have the potential to grow and take on increased responsibilities in the future. By investing in the development of associates today, we are preparing the organization for tomorrow’s needs, creating a workforce that is well-positioned to drive continued growth and success.
We are committed to fostering an environment where all individuals are respected, valued and supported. We embrace people of all backgrounds and experiences, that supports the unique perspectives and contributions of everyone. We recognize that our strength lies in the richness of these differences, and we actively work to foster a culture that ensures everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Compensation and benefits
We are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent by offering competitive compensation and benefits. Our goal is to provide associates with the resources they need to succeed both personally and professionally. Along with market-competitive pay, healthcare benefits, equity incentives, and an employee stock purchase plan, we ensure that associates receive comprehensive support for their well-being.
In an environment of rising medical premiums, the Company took proactive steps to mitigate premium increases where possible and contributed on average 70% of the total medical premium cost. We also continue to offer vision insurance at no cost for all associates.
In addition to our healthcare initiatives, we focused on mental health awareness and financial well-being, offering workshops, resources, and guidance to support associates and their families. During Mental Health Awareness Month, we prioritized supporting associates’ mental well-being by providing resources to help manage work-life balance, family responsibilities, and stress. Through these initiatives, we reaffirm our commitment to helping associates bring their best selves to work while supporting them in various aspects of their lives.
Information technology systems
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we advanced our data management and process automation initiatives, aimed at enhancing data utilization and streamlining manual processes. Key efforts included improving customer data management, optimization of account and officer-level profitability, and the development of deeper insights into credit and deposit trends. Additionally, we strengthened our integration with core banking solutions, further enhancing data governance and accessibility through improvements in management reporting, credit risk data and asset liability management.
In 2024, we also undertook a comprehensive assessment and optimization of our technology assets. This included upgrading our network infrastructure to improve network system performance, reliability and connectivity across business operations. We also planned enhancements to our telecommunications infrastructure to further improve communication and collaboration across the organization.
We completed key projects to enhance regulatory compliance, payment processing and digital capabilities. Key technology upgrades included the implementation of AI-based monitoring tools, network infrastructure enhancements and strengthened compliance tracking measures, all of which were designed to support greater operational efficiency and risk management.
Looking forward, we plan to focus on maximizing our existing technology investments while supporting FirstBank Way, our strategic improvement plan. These efforts are intended to enable greater scalability and efficiency while maintaining our strong community banking focus.
Supervision and regulation
The U.S. financial services and banking industries are highly regulated. The bank regulatory framework, involving the supervision, regulation, and examination of the Bank by bank regulatory agencies, is intended primarily for the protection of consumers, bank depositors and the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC, rather than holders of our capital stock.
The following is a general summary of the material aspects of certain statutes and regulations applicable to the Company and the Bank. Federal and state banking laws and regulations affect virtually all of our operations. These summary descriptions are not complete, and you should refer to the full text of the statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance for more information. The legal and regulatory regime is continually under review by legislatures, regulators and other governmental bodies, and changes regularly occur through the enactment or amendment of laws and regulations or through shifts in policy, implementation or enforcement. Statutes and regulations are subject to change, and additional statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance may be adopted. We are unable to predict these future changes or the effects, if any, that these changes could have on our business, revenues, and financial results.
Regulation of the Company and the Bank
The Company is subject to regulation and supervision by multiple regulatory bodies. As a bank holding company, we are subject to ongoing regulation, supervision, and examination by the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. The Federal Reserve’s jurisdiction also extends to any company that is directly or indirectly controlled by the bank holding company. FB Financial has elected to be treated as a financial holding company, which allows us to engage in a broader range of activities than would otherwise be permissible for a bank holding company, including activities such as securities underwriting, insurance underwriting, and merchant banking. In addition, as discussed in more detail below, the Bank and any of our other subsidiaries that offer consumer financial products and services are subject to regulation and supervision by the CFPB. The Dodd-Frank Act also permits states to adopt consumer protection laws and regulations that may be more strict than those of the CFPB, and state attorneys general are permitted to enforce certain federal consumer financial protection law.
The Bank is a Tennessee state-chartered bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System, and is subject to ongoing regulation, supervision, and examination by the FDIC and the Bank's state banking regulator, the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions. The TDFI and FDIC supervise and regulate all areas of the Bank’s operations including, without limitation, the making of loans, the issuance of securities, the conduct of the Bank’s corporate affairs, the satisfaction of capital adequacy requirements, the payment of dividends, and the establishment or closing of banking offices. The FDIC is the Bank’s primary federal regulatory agency, which regularly examines the Bank’s operations and financial condition and compliance with federal consumer protection laws. In addition, the Bank’s deposit accounts are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the FDIC has certain enforcement powers over the Bank. Various Federal and State consumer laws and regulations apply to the Bank, including state consumer laws and regulations that also affect the operations of the Bank, including state usury laws, consumer credit and equal credit opportunity laws, and fair credit reporting. The Bank and certain of its subsidiaries are also prohibited from engaging in certain tying arrangements in connection with extensions of credit, leases or sales of property, or furnishing products or services.
The Company is also subject to the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, both as administered by the SEC. The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “FBK” and, therefore, is subject to the rules of the NYSE for listed companies.
Bank holding company obligations to bank subsidiaries
As a bank holding company, the Company is required to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to its depository institution subsidiaries and to maintain resources adequate to support such subsidiaries. The Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank and may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to such a subsidiary bank. As a result, we could be required to commit resources to support the Bank in situations where additional investments in a bank may not otherwise be warranted. These situations include guaranteeing the compliance of an “undercapitalized” bank with its obligations under a capital restoration plan. As a result of these obligations, a bank holding company may be required to contribute additional capital to its subsidiaries in the form of capital notes or other instruments that qualify as capital under regulatory rules. Any such loan from a holding company to a subsidiary bank is likely to be unsecured and subordinated to the bank's depositors and perhaps to other creditors of the bank. If we were to enter bankruptcy or become subject to the orderly liquidation process established by the Dodd-Frank Act, any commitment by us to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the Bank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee or the FDIC, as appropriate, and entitled to a priority of payment.
Acquisitions
The Company is required by the BHCA to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve to acquire substantially all the assets of a bank or to acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of any class of the voting shares of any bank, bank holding company, savings and loan holding company or savings association, or to increase any such non-majority ownership or control of any bank, bank holding company, savings and loan holding company or savings association, or to merge or consolidate with any bank holding company. If the Company is “well capitalized” and “well managed,” as defined under the BHCA and implementing regulations, we may purchase a bank located outside of Tennessee. However, restrictions may be placed on the acquisition of a bank that has only been in existence for a limited amount of time or will result in concentrations of deposits exceeding limits specified by statute. For example, Tennessee law currently prohibits a bank holding company from acquiring control of a Tennessee-based financial institution until the target financial institution has been in operation for at least three years.
Change of control
Federal law restricts the amount of voting stock of a bank holding company or a bank that a person may acquire without the prior approval of banking regulators. Under the Change in Bank Control Act and the regulations thereunder, an individual, company, or group must give advance notice to the Federal Reserve before acquiring control of any bank holding company, such as the Company, or before acquiring control of any FDIC-insured bank, such as the Bank. Acquisition of 25% or more of any class of voting securities constitutes control, and it is generally presumed for purposes of the CIBCA that the acquisition of 10% or more of any class of voting securities would constitute the acquisition of control. Also, under the CIBCA, the shareholdings of individuals and companies that are deemed to be “acting in concert”, whether or not pursuant to an express agreement, would be aggregated for purposes of determining whether such holders “control” a bank or bank holding company. Once notified, the Federal Reserve may approve or disapprove the acquisition. These and other laws make it more difficult to acquire the Company or the Bank than it might be to acquire control of another type of corporation.
Capital requirements
The Company and the Bank are required under federal law to maintain specified minimum levels of capital based on ratios of capital to total assets and to risk-weighted assets. The following minimum capital requirements are applicable to the Company and the Bank:
a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5%;
a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6%;
a total risk-based capital ratio of 8%;
a leverage ratio of 4%; and
a supplementary leverage ratio of 3%, resulting in a leverage ratio requirement of 7%
Banking regulators may determine, based on factors such as size, complexity, or level of risk that a covered banking organization must maintain capital levels above the minimum requirements.
Tier 1 Capital is defined to include two components: common equity Tier 1 Capital and additional Tier 1 Capital. The highest form of capital, Common Equity Tier 1 Capital, consists solely of common stock plus related surplus, retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, and minority interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries. In order to avoid restrictions on capital distributions or discretionary bonus payments to executives, a covered banking organization must maintain a capital conservation buffer on top of its minimum risk-based capital requirements. This buffer must consist solely of Tier 1 Common Equity, but the buffer applies to all three risk-based measurements (CET1 Capital, Tier 1 Capital and total capital). The capital conservation buffer consists of an additional amount of common equity equal to 2.5% of risk-weighted assets.
The U.S. Basel III Capital Rules also make important changes to the “prompt corrective action” framework. Federal law and regulations establish a capital-based regulatory scheme designed to promote early intervention for troubled banks and require the FDIC to choose the least expensive resolution of bank failures. The capital-based regulatory framework contains five categories of regulatory capital requirements, including “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” and “critically undercapitalized.” A well-capitalized insured depository institution is one (i) having a total risk-based capital ratio of 10% or greater, (ii) having a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8% or greater, (iii) having a CET1 capital ratio of 6.5% or greater, (iv) having a leverage capital ratio of 5% or greater and (v) that is not subject to any order or written directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure. An institution that fails to remain well-capitalized becomes subject to a series of restrictions that increase in severity as its capital condition weakens. Such restrictions may include a prohibition on capital distributions, restrictions on asset growth or restrictions on the ability to receive regulatory approval of applications.
As of December 31, 2024, the Bank had sufficient capital to qualify as “well capitalized” under the requirements contained in the applicable regulations, policies and directives pertaining to capital adequacy, and it is unaware of any material violation or alleged material violation of these regulations, policies or directives. Rapid growth, poor loan portfolio performance, or poor earnings performance, or a combination of these factors, could change the Bank’s capital position in a relatively short period of time, making additional capital infusions necessary.
Restrictions on dividends
The ability of the Company or the Bank to pay dividends, repurchase stock and make other capital distributions is limited by regulatory capital rules and other aspects of the regulatory framework. The Federal Reserve's policy regarding dividends is that a bank holding company should not declare or pay a cash dividend that would impose undue pressure on the capital of any bank subsidiary or would be funded only through borrowing or other arrangements that might adversely affect a bank holding company's financial position. As a general matter, the Federal Reserve has indicated that the board of directors of a bank holding company should consult with the Federal Reserve and eliminate, defer or significantly reduce the bank holding company's dividends if:
its net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid during that period, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends;
its prospective rate of earnings retention is not consistent with its capital needs and overall current and prospective financial condition; or
it will not meet, or is in danger of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios.
Should an insured depository institution controlled by a bank holding company be “significantly undercapitalized” under the applicable federal bank capital ratios, or if the bank subsidiary is “undercapitalized” and has failed to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan or has materially failed to implement such a plan, federal banking regulators (in the case of the Bank, the FDIC) may choose to require prior Federal Reserve approval for any capital distribution by the bank holding company.
Under Tennessee law, we are not permitted to pay cash dividends if, after giving effect to such payment, we would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business or our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus any amounts needed to satisfy any preferential rights if we were dissolving. In deciding whether or not to declare a dividend of any particular size, our Board of Directors must consider our current and prospective capital, liquidity, and other needs.
Additionally, Tennessee law places restrictions on the declaration of dividends by state-chartered banks to their shareholders, including, but not limited to, that the board of directors of a Tennessee-chartered bank may only make a dividend from the surplus profits arising from the business of the bank, and may not declare dividends in any calendar year that exceeds the total of its retained net income of that year combined with its retained net income of the preceding two (2) years without the prior approval of the TDFI commissioner. Furthermore, the FDIC and the TDFI also have authority to prohibit the payment of dividends by a Tennessee bank when it determines such payment to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice.
Transactions with affiliates and insiders
The Bank is subject to regulations of the Federal Reserve Act, or FRA, and the Federal Reserve’s Regulation W, as made applicable to state nonmember banks by the FDIA. An affiliate of a bank is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Bank, and, in our case, includes, among others, the Company as well as our former Chairman, James W. Ayers and the companies he controls. Accordingly, transactions between the Bank and the Company or Mr. Ayers or any of his affiliates, will be subject to a number of restrictions, including restrictions relating to extensions of credit, contracts, leases and purchases or sale of assets. Such restrictions and limitations prevent the Company or other affiliates from borrowing from the Bank unless the loans are secured by specified collateral of designated amounts. Furthermore, such secured loans by the Bank to the Company or other affiliates are limited, individually, to 10% of the Bank’s capital and surplus, and such secured loans are limited in the aggregate to 20% of the Bank’s capital and surplus.
All such transactions must be on terms that are no less favorable to the Bank than those that would be available from nonaffiliated third-parties. Federal Reserve policies also forbid the payment by bank subsidiaries of management fees which are unreasonable in amount or exceed the fair market value of the services rendered or, if no market exists, actual costs plus a reasonable profit.
Loans to executive officers, directors or to any person who directly or indirectly, or acting through or in concert with one or more persons, owns, controls or has the power to vote more than 10% of any class of voting securities of a bank, which the Bank refers to as “10% Shareholders,” as well as other similar groups as defined by the FRA and corresponding regulations, which are commonly referred to as Regulation O, are subject to regulatory requirements. Among other things, these loans must be made on terms substantially the same as those prevailing on transactions made to unaffiliated individuals and certain extensions of credit to those persons must first be approved in advance by a disinterested majority of the entire board of directors. Regulation O prohibits loans to any of those individuals where the aggregate amount exceeds an amount equal to 15% of an institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus plus an additional 10% of unimpaired capital and surplus in the case of loans that are fully secured by readily marketable collateral, or when the aggregate amount on all of the extensions of credit outstanding to all of these persons would exceed the Bank’s unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus. Regulations also identify limited circumstances in which the Bank is permitted to extend credit to executive officers.
FDIC Insurance
The Bank’s deposits are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC up to applicable legal limits. The FDIC charges deposit insurance assessments to FDIC-insured institutions, including the Bank, to fund and support the DIF. The rate of these deposit insurance assessments is based on, among other things, the risk characteristics of the Bank. The FDIC has the power to terminate the Bank’s deposit insurance if it determines the Bank is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices. Federal banking laws provide for the appointment of the FDIC as receiver in the event the Bank were to fail, such as in connection with undercapitalization, insolvency, unsafe or unsound conditions or other financial distress. In a receivership, the claims of the Bank’s depositors (and those of the FDIC as subrogee of the Bank) would have priority over other general unsecured claims against the Bank.
The FDIC imposes a risk-based deposit premium assessment system, which was amended pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005. Under this system, the amount of FDIC assessments paid by an individual insured depository institution, like the Bank, is based on the level of perceived risk incurred in its activities. The Bank's deposit accounts are currently insured by the DIF, generally up to a maximum of $250,000 per separately insured depositor. The Bank pays deposit insurance assessments to the FDIC to be insured by the DIF. Under the current assessment system, the FDIC assigns an institution to a risk category based on the institution's most recent supervisory and capital evaluations, which are designed to measure risk. Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate a bank's deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order, agreement or condition imposed by the FDIC. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has adopted regulations that base deposit insurance assessments on total assets less capital rather than deposit liabilities and include off-balance sheet liabilities of institutions and their affiliates in risk-based assessments. After an institution's average assets exceed $10 billion over four quarters, the assessment rate increases compared to institutions at lower average asset levels. In addition, for large institutions, the FDIC uses a performance score and a loss-severity score that are used to calculate an initial assessment rate. In calculating these scores, the FDIC uses a bank's capital level and supervisory ratings and certain financial measures to assess an institution's ability to withstand asset-related stress and funding-related stress. The FDIC has the ability to make discretionary adjustments to the total score based upon significant risk factors that are not adequately captured in the calculations.
In October 2022, the FDIC adopted a final rule, applicable to all insured depository institutions, to increase base deposit insurance assessment rate schedules uniformly by 2 basis points beginning in the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The FDIC has indicated that the new assessment rate schedules will remain in effect until the DIF reserve ratio meets or exceeds 2%.
In November 2023, the FDIC issued a final rule to implement a special assessment to recover losses to the DIF incurred as a result of the March 2023 bank failures and the FDIC's use of the systemic risk exception to cover certain deposits that were otherwise uninsured. The special assessment was based on estimated uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022, excluding the first $5.0 billion, and will be assessed at a quarterly rate of 3.36 basis points, over eight quarterly assessment periods, beginning in the first quarter of 2024. In June 2024, due to the increased estimate of losses, the FDIC announced that it projects that the special assessment will be collected for an additional two quarters beyond the initial eight-quarter collection period, at a lower rate. This updated assessment was made under the FDIC’s final rule whereby the estimated loss pursuant to the systemic risk determination can be periodically adjusted. The FDIC has also retained the ability to cease collection early, extend the special assessment collection period and impose a final shortfall special assessment. The special assessments are tax deductible. The extent to which any such additional future assessments will impact our future deposit insurance expense is currently uncertain.
Compensation and risk management
Under regulatory guidance applicable to banking organizations, incentive compensation policies must be consistent with safety and soundness principles. Under this guidance, financial institutions must review their compensation programs to ensure that they: (i) provide employees with incentives that appropriately balance risk and reward and that do not encourage imprudent risk, (ii) are compatible with effective controls and risk management, and (iii) are supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the banking organization’s board of directors. Monitoring methods and processes used by a banking organization should be commensurate with the size and complexity of the organization and its use of incentive compensation.
We are also subject to other rules regarding our compensation practices, including the “say-on-pay” and say-on-golden-parachute” requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act and the requirement to have an independent compensation committee, and the requirement to adopt policies mandating the clawback of excess incentive-based compensation earned by a current or former executive officer during the three fiscal years preceding the date the listed company is required to prepare an accounting restatement. The Company’s current clawback policy is included in “Part IV- Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules- Exhibit 97” of this Report.
Community Reinvestment Act
The CRA and its corresponding regulations are intended to encourage banks to help meet the credit needs of their service areas, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations. These regulations provide for regulatory assessment of a bank’s record in meeting the credit needs of its service area. Federal banking agencies are required to make public a rating of a bank’s performance under the CRA. The federal banking agencies consider a bank’s CRA rating when a bank submits an application to establish banking centers, merge, or acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of another bank. In the case of a bank holding company, the CRA performance record of all banks involved in the merger or acquisition are reviewed in connection with the filing of an application to acquire ownership or control of shares or assets of a bank or to merge with any other financial holding company. An unsatisfactory record can substantially delay, block or impose conditions on the transaction. The Bank received a satisfactory rating on its most recent CRA assessment.
In October 2023, the federal banking regulators issued a joint final rule to substantially revise how an insured depository institution's CRA performance is evaluated. The final rule is intended, among other things, to adapt to changes in the banking industry, including the expanded role of mobile and online banking, and to tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size and business models. The final rule introduces new tests under which the performance of banks with over $2 billion in assets will be assessed. The new rule also includes data collection and reporting requirements, some of which are applicable only to banks with over $10 billion in assets, such as FirstBank. Most provisions of the final rule will become effective on January 1, 2026, and the data reporting requirements will become effective on January 1, 2027. The final rule is currently enjoined while a federal court considers a challenge to the rule.
Anti-money laundering and economic sanctions
Federal anti-money laundering rules impose various requirements on financial institutions intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system to fund terrorist activities. These provisions include a requirement that financial institutions operating in the United States have anti-money laundering compliance programs, due diligence policies and controls to ensure the detection and reporting of money laundering. Such compliance programs supplement existing compliance requirements, also applicable to financial institutions, under the Bank Secrecy Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations. The Bank has established policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations.
Privacy and data security
The Bank is subject to regulations implementing the privacy protection provisions of GLBA. These regulations require the Bank to disclose its privacy policy, including identifying with whom it shares “nonpublic personal information,” to customers at the time of establishing the customer relationship and annually thereafter. The regulations also require the Bank to provide its customers with initial and annual notices that accurately reflect its privacy policies and practices. In addition, to the extent its sharing of such information is not covered by an exception, the Bank is required to provide its customers with the ability to “opt-out” of having the Bank share their nonpublic personal information with unaffiliated third-parties.
The Bank is subject to regulatory guidelines establishing standards for safeguarding customer information. The guidelines describe the federal bank regulatory agencies’ expectations for the creation, implementation and maintenance of an information security program, which would include administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the size and complexity of the institution and the nature and scope of its activities. The standards are intended to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information, protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such records and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such records or information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer. These guidelines, along with related regulatory materials, increasingly focus on risk management and processes related to information technology and the use of third- parties in the provision of financial services.
The federal bank regulatory agencies place reporting requirements on banks and banking service providers that experience cybersecurity incidents. Under this rule, banks must report these incidents within 36 hours to their primary federal regulator. In addition, banks are required to inform customers of any computer security incidents lasting more than four hours.
Consumer laws and regulations
We are subject to a broad array of federal and state laws designed to protect consumers in connection with our lending activities, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and, in some cases, their respective state law counterparts. The CFPB has broad regulatory, supervisory and enforcement authority over our offering and provision of consumer financial products and services under these laws.
We have established numerous controls and procedures designed to ensure that we fully comply with lending and other consumer protection laws, both federal and state, as they are currently interpreted (which interpretations are subject to change by the CFPB). In addition, our employees undergo at least annual training to ensure that they remain aware of consumer protection laws and the activities mandated, or prohibited, thereunder.
Mortgage regulation
In addition to the consumer laws and regulations above, the Dodd-Frank Act also imposes specific duties on mortgage lenders, including a duty to determine the borrower's ability to repay the loan, and imposed a requirement on mortgage securitizers to retain a minimum level of economic interest in securitized pools of certain mortgage types.
Interchange fees
The Dodd-Frank Act also included provisions (known as the “Durbin Amendment”), which restrict interchange fees to those which are “reasonable and proportionate” for certain debit card issuers and limits the ability of networks and issuers to restrict debit card transaction routing. In the final rules, interchange fees for debit card transactions were capped at $0.21 plus five basis points (plus $0.01 for fraud loss) in order to be eligible for a safe harbor such that the fee is conclusively determined to be reasonable and proportionate.
Regulatory enforcement authority
Federal and state banking laws grant substantial enforcement powers to federal and state regulators. This enforcement authority includes, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, to issue consent or removal orders and to initiate injunctive actions against banking organizations and “institution-affiliated parties,” such as management, employees and agents. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of laws, regulations and orders of regulatory authorities, or unsafe or unsound practices. Other actions or inactions, including filing false, misleading or untimely reports with regulatory authorities, may provide the basis for enforcement action. When issued by a banking regulator, consent and similar orders may, among other things, require affirmative action to correct any harm resulting from a violation or practice, including restitution, reimbursement, indemnifications or guarantees against loss. A bank may also be ordered to restrict its growth, dispose of certain assets, rescind agreements or contracts, or take other actions determined to be appropriate by the ordering regulatory agency.
Future legislative developments
Various legislative acts are from time to time introduced in Congress and the Tennessee legislature. This legislation may change banking statutes and the environment in which we operate in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot determine the ultimate effect that potential legislation, if enacted, or implementing regulations and interpretations with respect thereto, would have on our financial condition or results of operations.
The new presidential administration and many members of Congress have advocated for changes in financial services regulation, potentially including amendments to the Dodd-Frank Act and other federal banking laws, and structural changes to the CFPB. It is possible, though uncertain, that Congress and/or the relevant federal agencies may seek to roll back or modify some or much of the rulemaking and regulatory guidance issued under the previous presidential administration. Additionally, the full impact of the leadership changes at banking regulatory agencies on the enforcement and supervisory priorities of each agency is not fully known at this time. It is therefore unclear at the present time what effect the aforementioned changes will have on the banking industry as a whole or the Company specifically.
Available Information
Our website address is www.firstbankonline.com. We file or furnish to the Securities Exchange and Commission Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and Annual Reports to shareholders, and from time to time, amendments to these documents and other documents called for by the SEC. The reports and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC are available to investors on or through our website at https://investors.firstbankonline.com under the heading “Stock & Filings” and then under “SEC Filings.” These reports are available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with the SEC.
In addition to our website, the SEC maintains an internet site that contains our reports, proxy and information statements and other information we file electronically with the SEC at https://www.sec.gov.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.