Nashville's FirstBank pairs 'the latest in financial products and capabilities with a century of hometown heart', ranks first in J.D. Power's South Central retail satisfaction study, and offers an Insights budgeting tool in its app, without a disclosed AI programme.
How is FirstBank using AI?
FB Financial Corporation, the Nashville parent of FirstBank with $16.8 billion of assets after the $381 million all-stock acquisition of Southern States Bancshares of Anniston, Alabama, closed on 1 July 2025 as its first deal in five years, competes on service and steady branch expansion rather than disclosed technology. On 31 March 2026 J.D. Power ranked FirstBank first in retail banking customer satisfaction in the South Central region, which president and CEO Christopher Holmes called 'a powerful validation of our vision to be the cornerstone that families and businesses turn to for financial peace of mind', crediting 'our approach of pairing the latest in financial products and capabilities with a century of hometown heart'. The digital offer includes an Insights tool in online and mobile banking that breaks down spending by category, builds budgets and tracks net worth, alongside Zelle, mobile wallets and alerts. Second-quarter 2026 net income was $58.6 million, or $1.13 per diluted share, adjusted $1.14, against $2.9 million a year earlier when securities losses weighed, with net interest income up to $149.0 million from $111.4 million and a 3.95% margin; management pointed to broad-based loan demand across the Southeast footprint and heightened competition in pricing, recruiting and customer acquisition, including for deposits and relationships. Earnings materials mention AI only in the forward-looking-statement risk list, and no call from Q3 2025 to Q2 2026 addressed it; on the third-quarter 2026 call, asked by an analyst whether AI would change deposit pricing, Holmes said a lot of banks' primary AI applications will be in efficiency, meaning how efficiently the bank transacts and carries out its business. No AI programme, leader, vendor or budget is disclosed; the 2024 10-K did cite 'AI-based monitoring tools' among that year's technology upgrades. The 2025 10-K is more specific than the investor materials: FB Financial says it makes 'limited use' of AI, including generative AI, confined to 'controlled, non-critical administrative or productivity-support purposes, such as research assistance, drafting, and data summarization', and does not rely on it for credit decisions, pricing or transaction approvals, while naming fintech partnerships for 'financial solutions supported by artificial intelligence' as part of its growth strategy; in April 2026 the CFO said no significant technology investments were planned. FirstBank is a Tennessee state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve. Treat this as a thin AI record for a bank whose stated edge is the combination of products and relationships.
Thin public record: AI came up on only one of its last five earnings calls (Q3 2026, in answer to an analyst), no named AI, data or technology leader, and a 10-K that describes AI use as limited to non-critical administrative and productivity tasks.
Lead bank
FirstBank
Assets (lead bank, Jun 30, 2026)
$17 billion
Charter
Tennessee state member bank (Federal Reserve)
Headquarters
Nashville, TN
AI leadership
Christopher T. Holmes · Michael Mettee · Scott J. Tansil · Aimee T. Hamilton · Wade Peery
- No AI programme, leader, vendor or budget disclosed; the 2025 10-K says AI use is limited to non-critical administrative and productivity support (research assistance, drafting, data summarisation) and is kept out of credit, pricing and transaction approvals.
- Growth strategy in the 10-K includes fintech partnerships for 'financial solutions supported by artificial intelligence'; none has been announced.
- CFO, April 2026: no significant technology investments planned; expense growth comes from performance-based pay.
- J.D. Power number one in South Central retail banking satisfaction (announced 31 March 2026); CEO cites 'the latest in financial products and capabilities' with 'hometown heart'.
- Insights tool in digital banking: spending by category, budgets and net-worth tracking.
- Southern States Bancshares acquired for $381 million in stock, closed 1 July 2025, the earliest possible closing date within its projected third-quarter window.
- Q2 2026 net income $58.6 million ($1.13; adjusted $1.14); net interest income $149.0 million; NIM 3.95%; total assets $16.8 billion.
- Competition intensifying in pricing, recruiting and customer acquisition, per management, including for deposits and relationships.
- The 2024 10-K (25 February 2025) listed 'the implementation of AI-based monitoring tools' among that year's key technology upgrades, 'designed to support greater operational efficiency and risk management'; the 2025 10-K does not repeat the phrase and describes AI use as limited.
- Q3 2026 call (13 October 2026): asked whether AI would change deposit pricing, CEO Christopher Holmes said the efficiency ratio measures how efficiently the bank transacts and carries out its business 'every day' and that a lot of banks' primary AI applications will be in that area; it was the only AI exchange on the last five calls.
- Scott Tansil, Chief Business and Operations Officer, oversees information technology and data management with loan and deposit operations and mortgage; Chief Risk Officer Aimee Hamilton oversees information security. Chief Innovations Officer Wade Peery left by January 2026.
- The 2025 10-K reports completed upgrades to the loan origination and BSA/AML platforms and data work that 'positioned the Company to support more advanced analytics use cases'; it does not say any of this uses AI.
- Southern States was converted to FirstBank systems over Labor Day weekend 2025 (opened as one brand on 2 September); merger and integration costs peaked at $16.1 million in Q3 2025 and 'should largely conclude by the end of the first quarter of 2026'.
- Q3 2026: net income $60.2 million ($1.20 per share), total assets $17.09 billion, NIM 3.83%; a $719,000 one-time charge covered moving mortgage origination platform subservicing arrangements, and mortgage banking income fell to $9.4 million from $11.2 million.
What has FirstBank done on AI, and when?
- Oct 13, 2026
Q3 2026 results and call: first AI exchange on a call[14][13]
Net income $60.2 million; adjusted efficiency ratio 54.3% versus 52.0%; a $719,000 charge for moving mortgage origination platform subservicing arrangements. Asked by an analyst how AI could change deposit pricing, Holmes frames efficiency as how the bank transacts and carries out business and expects a lot of banks' primary AI applications there; he also says the bank continues to invest in 'people, process improvement and technology'.
- Sep 16, 2026
Commercial fraud guidance published[24]
Advice to business customers on impersonation, verification before payment changes, dual control, multi-factor authentication and Positive Pay with Payee Match; the page does not describe AI-based detection.
- Sep 14, 2026
CEO on NYSE Live: digital and personal options[23]
Holmes, at the opening bell for the company's tenth year of listing, says clients can choose a personal or a digital relationship and that the bank adapts as technology changes; no AI remarks.
- Aug 3, 2026
Q2 2026 10-Q: AI appears only in the forward-looking-statement list[12]
The filing lists 'the impact, extent and timing of technological changes, including the adoption and use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies' among factors that could change results; the same sentence appears in the 13 July earnings release and presentation.
- Jul 13, 2026
- Jun 12, 2026
Insights financial tool promoted in digital banking[5]
Spending categories, budgets and net worth.
- Apr 14, 2026
Q1 2026 call: no significant technology investments planned[8]
The CFO attributes the expected rise in expenses to performance-based compensation rather than technology spending.
- Apr 6, 2026
Proxy statement names the executives who own technology, data and risk[11]
Tansil oversees information technology and data management; Chief Risk Officer Aimee Hamilton, in post since 2021, oversees information security; the Chief Risk Officer reports at least quarterly to the board Risk Committee. No chief technology, data or AI officer is listed among executive officers.
- Mar 31, 2026
- Feb 26, 2026
2025 10-K: loan origination and BSA/AML platforms upgraded[7]
Completes enterprise-wide Windows 11 upgrades and major enhancements to the loan origination and BSA/AML platforms, and continues data-quality work to support 'more advanced analytics use cases'. The cybersecurity section names a CISO, who briefs the board Risk Committee, with third-party risk management reporting to the CISO, and aligns the programme to NIST and the Cyber Risk Institute Profile.
- Feb 26, 2026
2025 10-K: limited, non-critical AI use disclosed[7]
AI, including generative AI, is used only for controlled administrative and productivity support such as research assistance, drafting and data summarisation, not for credit decisions, pricing or transaction approvals; AI may also be embedded in third-party software. The risk factor warns of inaccurate or biased outputs and AI-enabled fraud and phishing.
- Feb 4, 2026
FirstBank describes data-led marketing with OptimaFI[22]
SVP and head of client services Sean Sanchez says an outside data vendor, OptimaFI, helps mine the bank's own customer data for growth capacity and propensity; the bank is also exploring fintech partnerships to improve its digital customer experience. AI is not mentioned.
- Jan 7, 2026
Chief Innovations Officer Wade Peery moves to ICBA advisory role[21]
ICBA announces a consulting agreement with Peery, who 'most recently served as chief innovations officer at FirstBank', on digital-asset custody, stablecoins and tokenised deposits; no successor is named in the filings.
- Oct 14, 2025
Q3 2025 call: conversion costs peak[16]
Merger and integration costs of $16.1 million, mostly employee and vendor payments, peaked with the systems conversion; 50 per cent of deal synergies expected in the second half of 2025 and 100 per cent in 2026.
- Sep 24, 2025
Operations and finance roles realigned from 1 October[17]
Scott Tansil becomes Chief Business and Operations Officer, keeping operations and mortgage and adding procurement; the release credits him with efficiency through process optimisation and automation. Michael Mettee adds Chief Operating Officer to CFO.
- Sep 2, 2025
Southern States systems conversion completes[16]
Converted over Labor Day weekend; the combined bank opened on 2 September as one team and one brand, two months after the 1 July close.
- Jul 1, 2025
Southern States acquisition closes[3]
Closed on the earliest possible date within its projected third-quarter window.
- Apr 16, 2025
Branch expansion pace maintained alongside the deal[2]
'If anything, we want it to gain momentum.'
- Mar 31, 2025
Southern States Bancshares acquisition announced[1]
$381 million in stock; first deal since 2020; expansion toward Atlanta.
- Feb 25, 2025
2024 10-K: AI-based monitoring tools among 2024 technology upgrades[10]
Reports data-management and process-automation work, network upgrades and 'the implementation of AI-based monitoring tools' for efficiency and risk management; the plan is to maximise existing technology investments in support of 'FirstBank Way', a strategic improvement plan. The growth strategy already cited fintech partnerships for 'financial solutions supported by artificial intelligence'.
- May 15, 2024
FirstBank hosts Vanderbilt alumni fintech panel[20]
Chief Innovations Officer Wade Peery spoke alongside the founders of Meow Technologies on financial technology and innovation at FirstBank's Nashville office.
Where does FirstBank use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insights personal-finance tool[5] | Automated spending categorisation, budgets and net-worth tracking in the app. | In production | Customer-facing chatbots |
| Southern States integration[3] | Alabama and Georgia franchise absorbed from July 2025. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| No disclosed AI deployment[6][7] | Earnings materials mention AI only in the forward-looking-statement risk list; the 10-K discloses limited, non-critical internal use (see below). | Announced | AI governance (general) |
| Generative AI for administrative productivity[7] | Research assistance, drafting and data summarisation, in controlled, non-critical uses; not used for credit decisions, pricing or transaction approvals. | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
| AI risk factor[7] | AI tools 'may produce inaccurate, incomplete, biased, or misleading outputs that can be difficult to validate or explain'; reliance without human oversight could cause errors, customer harm or fair-lending issues; AI can enable more sophisticated fraud and phishing. | In production | Model risk management |
| Fintech partnerships including AI-supported solutions[7] | Part of the stated growth strategy, alongside blockchain-based products; AI functionality may also be embedded in third-party software the bank uses. No partner named. | Announced | Third-party & vendor AI |
| AI-based monitoring tools (2024)[10] | The 2024 10-K lists their implementation among that year's technology upgrades, with network improvements and compliance tracking, 'designed to support greater operational efficiency and risk management'. It does not say what they monitor or name a vendor, and the 2025 10-K does not repeat the phrase. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| BSA/AML and loan origination platform upgrades[7] | Completed in 2025, improving workflow efficiency and 'monitoring and reporting capabilities'; the 10-K does not say whether either platform uses AI. | In production | AML / KYC |
| Commercial customer fraud controls[24] | Guidance of 16 September 2026 points business customers to dual control, multi-factor authentication, Positive Pay with Payee Match and daily account monitoring; the page does not describe AI or machine-learning detection. | In production | Fraud detection |
| CISO-led programme with third-party risk under the CISO[7] | A Chief Information Security Officer, not named in the filing, briefs the board Risk Committee; the Third-Party Risk Management department reports directly to the CISO; the programme follows NIST guidelines and the Cyber Risk Institute Profile, and the bank reports no material cyber impact to date. | In production | Cybersecurity |
| OptimaFI data analytics for marketing[22] | Outside vendor used since about 2024 to mine the bank's own customer data for growth capacity and propensity and to guide campaign targeting and messaging, paid on results; described as data analytics, not AI. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Mortgage origination platform subservicing transition[14] | A $719,000 one-time conversion expense in Q3 2026 for moving subservicing arrangements on the mortgage origination platform; management expects the work to improve the customer experience. Vendors are not named. | Rolling out | Third-party & vendor AI |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
Which AI vendors and fintechs does FirstBank work with?
| Company | What FirstBank uses it for | Status | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapdocs | FirstBank (Nashville) selected Snapdocs as its digital closing partner in February 2022 and requires all loans to close through the Snapdocs eClosing platform (Snapdocs case study). | In production | Document AI |
Each vendor and fintech page cites the source for the relationship, and vendor pages list products, pricing and other bank customers. Compare AI tools for banks by category, or read the fintech and neobank AI dossiers.
What has FirstBank disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 net income / diluted EPS | $58.6 million / $1.13 (adjusted $1.14)[6][9] | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Net interest income / NIM, Q2 2026 | $149.0 million / 3.95%[6] | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Southern States acquisition | $381 million in stock; $2.8 billion assets[1] | Mar 31, 2025 |
| Total assets | $16.8 billion[6] | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Q3 2026 net income / diluted EPS | $60.2 million / $1.20 (adjusted $1.21), against $0.43 a year earlier[13] | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Total assets, 30 September 2026 | $17.09 billion[13] | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Loans held for investment / deposits, 30 September 2026 | $13.18 billion (+9.68% annualised) / $14.67 billion (+8.82% annualised)[13] | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Net interest margin, Q3 2026 | 3.83%, against 3.95% in Q2 2026[13] | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Adjusted efficiency ratio, Q3 2026 | 54.3% (banking segment 50.8%); 2026 banking-segment expense guidance $325 million to $335 million[14] | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Merger and integration costs, Q3 2025 | $16.1 million, peaking with the Southern States systems conversion[16] | Oct 14, 2025 |
| Southern States implied value at closing | $368.4 million (0.800 FB Financial shares per Southern States share)[19] | Jul 1, 2025 |
“Our current use of AI is confined to controlled, non-critical administrative or productivity-support purposes, such as research assistance, drafting, and data summarization.”[7]
FB Financial Corporation · 2025 Form 10-K · Feb 26, 2026
“It demonstrates that our approach of pairing the latest in financial products and capabilities with a century of hometown heart truly sets the FirstBank experience apart.”[4]
Christopher T. Holmes · President and CEO · Mar 31, 2026
“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.”[10]
FB Financial Corporation · 2024 Form 10-K · Feb 25, 2025
“AI tools can enable more sophisticated fraud, phishing, impersonation, or other cyber threats”[7]
FB Financial Corporation · 2025 Form 10-K · Feb 26, 2026
“There's not any expectations of huge like technology investments or anything like that.”[15]
Michael Mettee · Chief Financial and Operating Officer · Apr 14, 2026
“We think of it as how efficient are we transacting how efficient are we carrying out our business every day.”[14]
Christopher T. Holmes · President and CEO · Oct 13, 2026
“you can opt for a more personal relationship or a digital relationship. It's up to you, the customer.”[23]
Christopher T. Holmes · President and CEO · Sep 14, 2026
Who runs AI at FirstBank?
Christopher T. HolmesLinkedIn ↗
Michael Mettee
Chief Financial and Operating Officer[9]
Scott J. Tansil
Chief Business and Operations Officer (oversees bank operations, information technology and data management, mortgage and specialty lending; a new procurement function from October 2025; previously head of mortgage and capital markets at Citizens Financial Group)[11][17]
Aimee T. Hamilton
Chief Risk Officer since 2021 (oversees information security, risk governance, BSA compliance, credit review and consumer compliance)[11]
What AI roles is FirstBank hiring for?
Data as of · 0 AI-titled postings · read from FirstBank's own careers site, re-checked weekly
No open AI-titled postings on FirstBank's careers site as of Oct 25, 2026. A snapshot of current openings, not a source: postings close. Compare with other banks on which banks are hiring for AI.
Which regulators govern FirstBank's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve | FirstBank is a state member bank; Fed model-risk and third-party guidance govern digital tools and any AI. | SR 11-7 SR 23-4 |
| CFPB | Consumer digital tools and mortgage lending bring UDAAP and adverse-action duties. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) CFPB Chatbots in Consumer Finance (issue spotlight, 2023) |
| FDIC | Deposit-insurance supervision and interagency third-party guidance apply to vendor platforms. | FDIC FIL-29-2023 |
Side by side: SR 11-7 vs SR 26-2 · PRA SS1/23 vs SR 26-2 · MAS AI Risk Management Guidelines vs SR 26-2 · OCC vs CFPB on AI lending · all comparisons.
What does the public record suggest about FirstBank's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
Satisfaction leadership is the asset to protect
A number-one J.D. Power ranking sets the bar any AI in service must clear; measure AI against it.
02
Insights is a data foundation
Categorised spending and net-worth data are what personalisation models need; the bank has not said whether it uses them beyond display.
03
Deposit competition is acknowledged, not answered with AI
Management points to intensifying competition for deposits and relationships; a stated digital and AI plan would be one response.
04
Post-merger capacity is available
With Southern States integrated and no new deal announced, the technology team has room for a first AI use case.
Where does the FirstBank record go deeper?
How does FirstBank compare with its peers?
- How does FB Financial Corporation (FirstBank) compare with its peers on AI and technology?
- FB Financial Corporation (FirstBank) competitors and alternatives, by business line
Its peer group on this site, by business model and size:
Does FirstBank use AI?
Only in a limited way, by its own account. The 2025 10-K says FB Financial makes limited use of AI, including generative AI, for non-critical administrative and productivity support such as research assistance, drafting and data summarisation, and does not rely on it for credit decisions, pricing or transaction approvals. It has not disclosed an AI programme, leader, vendor or budget. Its digital banking includes an Insights tool for spending categorisation, budgets and net worth, and its CEO describes pairing modern products and capabilities with hometown service.
How did FB Financial perform in the second quarter of 2026?
Net income was $58.6 million, or $1.13 per diluted share, up from $2.9 million a year earlier when securities losses weighed, with net interest income of $149.0 million and a 3.95% net interest margin. Total assets were $16.8 billion after the July 2025 acquisition of Southern States Bancshares.
Who leads AI at FirstBank?
Nobody is named as head of AI, chief data officer or chief technology officer in FB Financial's filings. The April 2026 proxy gives Scott Tansil, Chief Business and Operations Officer, oversight of information technology, data management, operations and mortgage, and Aimee Hamilton, Chief Risk Officer since 2021, oversight of information security. CEO Christopher Holmes and Michael Mettee, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, set direction. Chief Innovations Officer Wade Peery, who worked on fintech and digital assets, had left by January 2026 for an ICBA advisory role, and no successor is named.
What has FirstBank's CEO said about AI?
On the 13 October 2026 call, an analyst asked whether AI could change deposit pricing. Christopher Holmes said he thinks of the efficiency ratio as how efficiently the bank transacts and carries out its business, and that a lot of banks' primary AI applications will be in that area; he did not announce a programme, vendor or budget. Earlier calls from Q3 2025 to Q2 2026 carried no AI remarks, and in April 2026 the CFO said no large technology investments were expected. The 2024 10-K had listed AI-based monitoring tools among that year's upgrades.
Which vendors and partners does FirstBank use for data and AI?
No AI vendor is named. The one named data partner is OptimaFI, an outside analytics firm the bank has used since about 2024 to target marketing from its own customer data, paid on results. The 10-K says AI functionality may be embedded in third-party software and lists fintech partnerships for AI-supported solutions as a growth aim, with no partner announced. Mortgage origination subservicing arrangements were changed in Q3 2026 at a $719,000 one-time cost, vendors unnamed. No AI patents are found under the bank's names.
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