Tennessee

As other banks de-emphasize mortgage lending, Citizens is spending half a billion dollars to buy a large originator with a big servicing portfolio.

James Ayers' stake in the Tennessee company will drop below 50% after a planned stock offering.

The Nashville company significantly reduced the 2018 earnings projection for its mortgage business.

Organizers of Studio Bank in Nashville have raised more than $40 million, satisfying the minimum amount set by regulators.

The company, which completed a major acquisition last year, said tax reform will help it generate a higher return on average assets.

The Alabama bank agreed to buy Peoples Bank for $23 million as part of a plan to target new Southeastern markets.

First Horizon CEO Bryan Jordan said the bank is still on track to meet cost-cutting targets from its November acquisition of Capital Bank in North Carolina.

TriStar Bank in Tennessee says a shortage of appraisers is slowing down its commercial real estate lending and raising the cost of appraisals. The claim has outraged appraisers, who argue that the bank is simply trying to avoid paying their fees.

Following its acquisition last November of Capital Bank in North Carolina, First Horizon will fund mortgage and small-business lending in low-income areas of the Southeast and expand its vendor relationships with minority-owned firms.

The company, which bought BNC Bancorp to enter North Carolina last year, recorded $19.1 million in merger-related expenses and an $8.3 million pretax loss tied to investment securities.