A Mississippi bank of more than 120 years that doubled down on the Southeast by absorbing The First Bancshares, hit the profitability goals it set itself two years earlier, and lists 'process automation' and data analytics among its technology investments without naming AI.
How is Renasant using AI?
Renasant Corporation, the Tupelo, Mississippi parent of Renasant Bank, spent 2025 completing the biggest transaction in its history and 2026 proving it paid off. The all-stock merger with The First Bancshares closed on 1 April 2025, adding about $7.6 billion of assets and 116 locations across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida to create a Southeastern franchise of roughly $26 billion, with full systems conversion and integration completed in August 2025; the annual report says the conversion 'progressed smoothly'. President and CEO Kevin Chapman had set 'aspirational goals' for financial performance two years earlier and targeted the first quarter of 2026 as the milestone: net income was $88.2 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, return on assets 1.33%, return on tangible common equity 16.36% and the adjusted efficiency ratio 52.82%, down from 64.43% a year earlier, which he said 'exceeded the goals we set for ourselves'. The second quarter repeated it: net income $87.1 million, adjusted EPS $0.94, up 36% year on year, and a second dividend increase in six months. On technology the 2025 annual report says the bank 'continued investing in digital platforms, data analytics, cybersecurity, and process automation to enhance efficiency and improve the customer experience', and it has sold its insurance operations to focus on core banking and wealth. The glossy annual report and the earnings releases name no AI programme, leader, vendor or budget (the releases mention AI only in forward-looking-statement boilerplate), and no AI remark was made on the last four earnings calls. The 2025 10-K says more: a stand-alone risk factor states that 'the Company and its vendors, clients and counterparties have begun to incorporate AI technologies into certain business processes, services, and products', that the bank 'relies on AI models developed by third parties', and that it 'may not be aware of the use of AI solutions' by vendors before they enter its environment; another warns that AI has made it easier for fraudsters to create 'synthetic' instructions, documents and media, and new products or back-office processes that may involve AI must pass an information-security review overseen by the board's Technology Committee. The self-service channel runs on vendor software: in February 2025 NCR Atleos said Renasant had deployed its Activate Enterprise platform across its ATM and interactive-teller fleet, with the ITM programme expected to exceed 75 machines that year. Renasant Bank is a Mississippi state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve. Treat this as a thin record for a bank whose technology effort has been the conversion: AI is acknowledged as already in use somewhere in the business, but nothing about it has been described.
Thin public record: No AI remarks on its last four earnings calls (Q3 2025 to Q2 2026), no named AI tool, vendor, leader or budget, and AI appears only in 10-K risk factors (which say the bank and its vendors have begun to incorporate AI into certain processes) and forward-looking-statement boilerplate.
Lead bank
Renasant Bank
Assets (lead bank, Jun 30, 2026)
$27 billion
Charter
Mississippi state member bank (Federal Reserve)
Headquarters
Tupelo, MS
AI leadership
Kevin D. Chapman · Michelle Rivers
- No AI programme, leader, vendor or budget disclosed; technology investments named are digital platforms, data analytics, cybersecurity and process automation.
- The 2025 10-K's AI risk factor says the bank and its vendors have begun to incorporate AI into certain processes, services and products and that it relies on third-party AI models; another risk factor flags AI-enabled synthetic documents and media in fraud.
- Self-service channel on NCR Atleos Activate Enterprise; ITM fleet expected to exceed 75 machines in 2025.
- The First Bancshares merger closed 1 April 2025 (about $7.6 billion of assets, 116 locations); conversion and integration completed August 2025.
- Q1 2026 hit the two-year profitability goals: net income $88.2 million, EPS $0.94, ROA 1.33%, ROTCE 16.36%, adjusted efficiency ratio 52.82%.
- Q2 2026: net income $87.1 million; adjusted EPS $0.94, up 36% year on year; second dividend increase in six months.
- Portfolio simplification: insurance operations sold to concentrate on core banking and wealth management.
- Mortgage division generated $542.3 million of rate-lock volume in Q1 2026.
- The 2026 proxy statement (18 March 2026) adds AI to the board technology committee's remit: oversight of IT strategy 'including the implementation of artificial intelligence capabilities into the Bank's client-facing and back-office operations'. The 2025 proxy described the same committee without any reference to AI.
- Director Gary D. Butler, founder, chairman and CEO of the AI and data-analytics firm Camgian Corporation, is credited in the proxy with an AI background the board relies on 'as we develop strategies to deploy artificial intelligence and leverage data collected in our daily operations'. No chief information, data, risk or AI officer is named in any filing.
- Headcount fell from about 3,400 full-time equivalents (Renasant plus The First, mid-2024) to about 2,950 at 31 March 2026, a cut of 450; CEO Kevin Chapman attributed it to merger cost saves and performance accountability, and the call did not mention AI.
- None of the eight earnings calls from Q3 2024 to Q2 2026 contained an AI remark, including those led by Mitch Waycaster (CEO until 30 April 2025, now Executive Vice Chairman); the Q2 2026 analyst question about investments in 'people and technology' was answered on people only.
- AI language reached Renasant's results releases and 10-Qs only in Q1 2026 (release 28 April, 10-Q 7 May) as forward-looking-statement items on AI-enabled cyberattacks and AI technology change; the Q4 2025 release and the 10-Qs through Q3 2025 contain none, and the 2024 10-K mentions AI only as a fraud and cyber threat.
- Vendor controls are tiered: the information security team assesses a vendor's security programme before granting access, refuses vendors it is not satisfied with, and reviews vendors rated 'Critical' or 'Significant' every year (2025 10-K).
What AI partnerships and patents does Renasant have?
Renasant has not named an AI lab, cloud, model or data vendor, and no patent or published application assigned to Renasant was found. The 2025 annual report says the bank expanded partnerships with fintech providers in 2025 without naming them, and the 10-K says it relies on AI models developed by third parties, also unnamed. StrategyCorps, which describes Renasant Bank as a client, bought the AI-native Quantuma platform in September 2026; Renasant has not said it uses Quantuma.[3][7][28]
| Item | What it is | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed fintech providers | Partnerships the 2025 annual report says were expanded; no provider or AI use named | In production | 2026-03-16[3] |
| Third-party AI models | 10-K says the bank relies on AI models developed by third parties; no model or provider named | In production | 2026-03-02[7] |
| StrategyCorps | Vendor (CheckingScore, BaZing, MonetizeIQ relationship pricing) that names Renasant Bank as a client and bought the AI-native Quantuma platform; Renasant's use of Quantuma is not stated | Vendor; AI use not stated | 2026-09-17[28] |
What has Renasant done on AI, and when?
- Sep 17, 2026
Vendor StrategyCorps buys AI-native Quantuma[28]
StrategyCorps names Renasant Bank among its clients; Renasant has not said it uses Quantuma.
- Aug 5, 2026
Q2 2026 10-Q repeats the two AI references[14]
AI appears only in forward-looking-statement factors; Item 1A reports no material change from the 2025 10-K risk factors.
- Jul 29, 2026
Q2 2026 call: hiring and expense run-rate, no AI[25]
An analyst asked about investments in people and technology; management spoke of hiring (5 revenue producers in Q2, 7 so far in Q3) and a steady expense run-rate.
- Jul 28, 2026
Second-quarter 2026 results[5]
Net income $87.1 million; adjusted EPS $0.94; adjusted ROTCE 16.25%.
- May 7, 2026
- Apr 29, 2026
Q1 2026 call: headcount down 450 since mid-2024[24]
Chapman said combined FTEs fell from just under 3,400 to about 2,950; merger cost saves were achieved; 18 revenue producers hired; no AI remark.
- Apr 28, 2026
First-quarter 2026 results exceed two-year goals[4]
Net income $88.2 million; adjusted efficiency ratio 52.82%; dividend raised.
- Mar 18, 2026
2026 proxy gives the technology committee an AI remit[9]
Oversight now covers implementation of AI capabilities in client-facing and back-office operations; the skills matrix lists AI under information technology.
- Mar 16, 2026
2025 annual report[3]
Investment in digital platforms, data analytics, cybersecurity and process automation; smooth conversion.
- Mar 2, 2026
2025 10-K: stand-alone AI risk factor[7]
The bank and its vendors 'have begun to incorporate AI technologies into certain business processes, services, and products'; reliance on third-party models, incorrect or biased outputs and limited transparency named as risks.
- Jan 28, 2026
- Oct 29, 2025
- Aug 1, 2025
- May 1, 2025
Chapman becomes CEO; Waycaster Executive Vice Chairman[27]
Waycaster stays involved in strategic planning, investor relations and M&A, with board-level oversight.
- Apr 1, 2025
Merger with The First completed[2]
Conversion and integration scheduled for early August 2025.
- Mar 12, 2025
2025 proxy: technology committee remit has no AI[10]
The committee oversees IT strategy and operations and hears the CISO report; AI appears only in director Gary Butler's biography.
- Feb 26, 2025
2024 10-K treats AI only as a fraud and cyber threat[11]
AI appears as a forward-looking factor and as a tool that makes fraud and ransomware easier; there is no risk factor on the bank's own use of AI.
- Feb 24, 2025
NCR Atleos Activate Enterprise for ATMs and ITMs[8]
Expanded relationship: single software platform for the self-service fleet, contactless card tap; Atleos also runs field, managed and cash services.
- Oct 23, 2024
Q3 2024 call: conversion planned for August 2025[18]
Waycaster said the First merger should close in the first half of 2025 followed by conversion in August; no AI remark.
- Jul 29, 2024
Merger with The First Bancshares announced[1]
All-stock deal; one Renasant share per The First share.
- Jul 1, 2024
- Apr 23, 2024
Succession plan names Kevin Chapman the next CEO[26]
Chapman, then president and chief operating officer, was designated CEO effective May 2025; C. Mitchell Waycaster stays as Executive Vice Chairman.
Where does Renasant use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First systems conversion[3][2][6] | Largest merger, conversion and integration in company history, completed August 2025. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Process automation and data analytics investment[3] | Named in the annual report as efficiency and customer-experience investments. | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
| AI risk-factor disclosure[7] | Stand-alone 10-K risk factor on the bank's development and use of AI, including generative and agentic AI and machine learning: dependence on third-party models, faulty data, inadequate testing or human oversight, biased or incorrect outputs, limited explainability and uncertain regulation. | In production | Model risk management |
| AI-enabled fraud named as a threat[7] | The 10-K says AI has made it easier to mimic customer communications and signatures and to create synthetic instructions, documents and media; controls are described as preventive and responsive. | In production | Fraud detection |
| Security review for AI-involving products and processes[7] | New products, delivery methods or back-office processes, 'each of which may involve the incorporation of AI technologies', must be assessed for information-security implications; the board Technology Committee oversees IT strategy and receives the CISO's report. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| NCR Atleos Activate Enterprise (ATM/ITM software)[8] | Single platform managing the self-service fleet; Atleos also handles field services, managed services, security, cash management and cash in transit. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Cybersecurity investment[3] | Cited alongside digital platforms; cyber risk listed among key risk factors. | In production | Cybersecurity |
| Board technology committee given an AI remit[9][10] | The 2026 proxy says the Bank's technology committee oversees IT strategy and operations 'including the implementation of artificial intelligence capabilities into the Bank's client-facing and back-office operations, and related risks'; the 2025 proxy wording had no AI reference. The committee chair sits on the enterprise risk management committee. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| Enterprise risk committee oversight of AI use[9] | The board ERM committee and technology committee 'oversee risks related to our technological infrastructure, use of artificial intelligence, information security, cybersecurity' and report to the full board; a management risk committee led by the chief risk officer, with the CEO and business-line leaders as members, feeds the ERM committee. The proxy names no AI inventory or model-validation process. | In production | Model risk management |
| Risk-tiered vendor diligence[7] | Before a vendor gets system access, the information security team reviews its security policy, audits, service organisation reports and any regulatory examination reports, and declines the vendor if concerns stay open; vendors rated 'Critical' or 'Significant' are reviewed annually with the risk management services team. The 10-K adds that vendors' AI tools may reach the bank before it knows of them. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Standing fair lending compliance committee[9][7] | The proxy describes a standing committee that includes the chief risk officer and chief compliance officer and reports to the management ERM committee. The 10-K's AI risk factor cites fair access to financial services and fair treatment of consumers as AI concerns; neither document describes an AI lending model. | In production | Fair lending & discrimination |
| CISO reporting line to the board technology committee[7][9] | The chief information security officer, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, leads a team the 10-K credits with more than 50 years of combined experience, approves all remote access into the network, reports to the technology committee at every meeting and attends ERM committee meetings. The CISO is not named. | In production | Cybersecurity |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
What has Renasant disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 net income / diluted EPS | $88.2 million / $0.94[4] | Apr 28, 2026 |
| Adjusted efficiency ratio, Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025 | 52.82% vs 64.43%[4] | Apr 28, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 net income / adjusted EPS | $87.1 million / $0.94 (+36% year on year)[5] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Interactive teller machines expected in 2025 | > 75[8] | Feb 24, 2025 |
| The First Bancshares at closing | ≈ $7.6 billion assets; 116 locations[3] | Apr 1, 2025 |
| Full-time equivalent employees, Renasant plus The First: mid-2024 vs 31 March 2026 | ≈ 3,400 vs ≈ 2,950 (down 450)[24] | Apr 29, 2026 |
| Noninterest expense, Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026 | $183.2 million vs $161.5 million[17] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Adjusted efficiency ratio (non-GAAP), Q2 2026 (Q1 2026; Q2 2025) | 54.92% (52.82%; 57.07%)[17] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| New revenue-producing hires: Q3 2025 / Q4 2025 / Q1 2026 / Q2 2026 | 9 / 6 / 18 / 5 (7 more in July 2026 up to the call)[24][25] | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Mortgage division rate-lock volume, Q2 2026 | $611.6 million (up $69.3 million linked quarter)[17] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Full-time equivalent employees at 31 December 2025 | more than 3,000 (about 1,000 added through The First)[7] | Mar 2, 2026 |
| Earnings calls with an AI remark, Q3 2024 to Q2 2026 | 0 of 8[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] | Jul 29, 2026 |
“Two years ago, we challenged ourselves by setting aspirational goals to improve the financial performance of Renasant. The strong financial results for the first quarter exceeded the goals we set for ourselves.”[4]
Kevin D. Chapman · President and CEO · Apr 28, 2026
“In 2025, we continued investing in digital platforms, data analytics, cybersecurity, and process automation to enhance efficiency and improve the customer experience.”[3]
Renasant Corporation · 2025 annual report · Mar 16, 2026
“To effectively compete in this environment, the Company and its vendors, clients and counterparties have begun to incorporate AI technologies into certain business processes, services, and products.”[7]
Renasant Corporation · 2025 Form 10-K, risk factors · Mar 2, 2026
“The technology committee is responsible for the oversight of our strategies and operations with respect to information technology matters, including the implementation of artificial intelligence capabilities into the Bank’s client-facing and back-office operations, and related risks.”[9]
Renasant Corporation · 2026 proxy statement, board risk oversight · Mar 18, 2026
“His background in artificial intelligence and algorithms is invaluable to us as we develop strategies to deploy artificial intelligence and leverage data collected in our daily operations.”[9]
Renasant Corporation · 2026 proxy statement, director biography (Gary D. Butler) · Mar 18, 2026
“So we have carved out 450 employees over that time period. Not all of them were due to the cost saves of the merger.”[24]
Kevin D. Chapman · President and CEO · Apr 29, 2026
“As we discussed during our October call, systems conversion took place in the third quarter of this year, and we continue to build on the successful integration progress that has already occurred.”[23]
Kevin Chapman · President and CEO · Jan 28, 2026
“Furthermore, given the rapid pace of adoption of AI tools by vendors and service providers, we may not be aware of the use of AI solutions prior to such tools being introduced into our business environment.”[7]
Renasant Corporation · 2025 Form 10-K, risk factors · Mar 2, 2026
Who runs AI at Renasant?
Kevin D. ChapmanLinkedIn ↗
Michelle RiversLinkedIn ↗
EVP, Chief Experience Officer[8]
What AI roles is Renasant hiring for?
Data as of · 0 AI-titled postings · read from Renasant's own careers site, re-checked weekly
No open AI-titled postings on Renasant'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 Renasant's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve | Renasant Bank is a state member bank; Fed model-risk and third-party guidance govern process automation and any future AI. | SR 11-7 SR 23-4 |
| CFPB | Mortgage and consumer lending bring adverse-action and UDAAP duties to any automated decisioning. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) |
| 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 Renasant's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
Process automation is where AI would attach
The annual report already names automation and data analytics; the next disclosure should say which processes and whether models are involved.
02
The efficiency gain came from the merger, not AI
A 12-point efficiency improvement in a year is integration synergy; sustaining it will need technology the bank has not described.
03
Mortgage volume is a natural pilot
Half a billion dollars of quarterly rate locks is the kind of high-volume process where automation shows up first.
04
Simplification helps governance
Selling insurance and focusing on banking and wealth narrows the model inventory any AI programme would need to manage.
Where does the Renasant record go deeper?
Which leader rankings does Renasant appear in?
1 of the computed leaders rankings include Renasant, each ranked from the same sourced bank pages.
How does Renasant compare with its peers?
- How does Renasant Corporation compare with its peers on AI and technology?
- Renasant Corporation competitors and alternatives, by business line
Its peer group on this site, by business model and size:
Does Renasant Bank use AI?
Renasant has not disclosed an AI programme, leader, vendor or budget, and AI has not come up on its last four earnings calls. Its 2025 10-K, however, says the company and its vendors have begun to incorporate AI technologies into certain business processes, services and products, relying on AI models built by third parties, and treats that as a stand-alone risk factor. Its 2025 annual report describes investment in digital platforms, data analytics, cybersecurity and process automation; its earnings releases mention AI only in forward-looking-statement boilerplate.
How did the merger with The First Bancshares turn out?
The all-stock merger closed on 1 April 2025 and systems conversion finished in August 2025. By the first quarter of 2026 Renasant's adjusted efficiency ratio had improved to 52.82% from 64.43% a year earlier and return on tangible common equity reached 16.36%, exceeding the goals management set two years before.
Who leads AI at Renasant?
Renasant names no AI leader. No chief information, data, risk or information security officer appears by name in its 10-K or proxy. President and CEO Kevin D. Chapman (CEO since 1 May 2025, previously president and chief operating officer) speaks for the company, and Mitch Waycaster, CEO until 30 April 2025, is now Executive Vice Chairman. Since the 2026 proxy the board's technology committee oversees AI implementation in client-facing and back-office operations. Director Gary D. Butler, who runs the AI firm Camgian, supplies the board's AI expertise.
Has Renasant said anything about AI on earnings calls?
No. Transcripts of the Q3 2024, Q4 2024, Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025, Q1 2026 and Q2 2026 calls, and a summary of Q1 2025, contain no AI remark. Waycaster's remarks on the 2024 calls covered the First Bancshares merger and the planned August 2025 conversion. On the Q2 2026 call an analyst asked about investments in 'people and technology'; CFO Jim Mabry and Chapman answered about hiring and expense run-rate, not technology.
How did Renasant cut costs after the First Bancshares merger?
Mainly through headcount and merger synergies, not AI. Full-time equivalents fell from about 3,400 (Renasant plus The First, mid-2024) to about 2,950 at 31 March 2026. Quarterly noninterest expense dropped from $183.2 million in Q2 2025 to $161.5 million in Q2 2026, and the adjusted efficiency ratio reached 54.92% in Q2 2026 (52.82% in Q1). Mabry said the merger cost-save target was met; Chapman credited performance accountability that predated the deal.
- Renasant Corporation to Acquire The First Bancshares, Inc.
- Renasant Corporation Completes Merger with The First Bancshares, Inc.
- Renasant Corporation 2025 Annual Report
- Renasant Corporation Announces Earnings for the First Quarter of 2026 and an Increase in Its Quarterly Dividend
- Renasant Corporation Announces Earnings for the Second Quarter of 2026
- Renasant Corporation (RNST) Q3 FY2025 earnings call transcript
- Renasant Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Renasant Bank Deepens NCR Atleos Collaboration to Strengthen Self-Service Banking and Support Growth
- Renasant Corporation 2026 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A)
- Renasant Corporation 2025 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A)
- Renasant Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
- Renasant Corporation Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025
- Renasant Corporation Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026
- Renasant Corporation Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Renasant Corporation Announces Earnings for the Fourth Quarter of 2025 (Exhibit 99.1)
- Renasant Corporation Announces Earnings for the First Quarter of 2026 (Exhibit 99.1)
- Renasant Corporation Announces Earnings for the Second Quarter of 2026 (Exhibit 99.1)
- Renasant (RNST) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
- Renasant (RNST) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
- Earnings call transcript: Renasant beats Q1 2025 forecasts, stock surges
- Renasant (RNST) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- Renasant (RNST) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- Renasant (RNST) Q4 2025 Earnings Transcript
- Renasant (RNST) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- Earnings call transcript: Renasant beats Q2 2026 EPS forecast, revenue misses
- Renasant Announces Leadership Transition
- Chapman Becomes Chief Executive Officer of Renasant
- StrategyCorps Acquires Quantuma, an AI-Native Relationship Solution for Commercial Banking
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