Laura Bunn, Executive Vice President & Mid-Atlantic Regional President, First Horizon Bank

Invest: sat down with Laura Bunn, Executive Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional President of First Horizon Bank, to discuss how the Triangle’s rapid growth is reshaping client needs and what it takes to stay responsive in a fast-moving banking environment. In her view, clients want speed, certainty, and a relationship team that understands local conditions, even as regulation, technology, and the economy keep shifting. Bunn described how First Horizon Bank combines local decision-making with the scale to deliver both capital and counsel. “We view the First Horizon Bank experience as the best of both worlds, local, community-centered decision makers, plus the scale and resources of a larger institution,” Bunn said.

What changes in financial services have shaped your work in the Triangle, and how are those influencing how First Horizon engages with local businesses and clients?

Over the past year, we have experienced strong growth and purposeful adaptation for First Horizon Bank and the Triangle. The region continues to attract business, talent, and innovation, and we’ve expanded our local team, deepening expertise and investing in client solutions.

We view First Horizon as the best of both worlds: local, community-centered decision makers, plus the scale and resources of a larger institution. Our agile model also lets us respond quickly as the market shifts to help support clients’ success.

How does the bank’s dual focus on capital and counsel play out in real time as clients navigate a complex economic environment?

At our core, the key values we bring to clients are centered around customized financial advice and ideas. We work closely with clients to understand the complexity of their business, the impact of the economic environment, the challenges they face, and their priorities.

With that understanding, we bring solutions that help them navigate complexity and achieve their goals, whether that means helping them think through timing, risk, or the practical tradeoffs that come with growth decisions. We operate with local deal teams and decision-making, so the teams our clients work with are empowered to design solutions and provide immediate support. That local decision-making helps us move quickly and with a sense of urgency to support our clients.

What trends are emerging in client expectations or behaviors that are shaping how your team operates?

The pace of change in regulation and technology modernization is accelerating, so we continue to invest in our associates and build flexible processes to stay client-first. We focus on agility and innovation to drive new partnerships, talent acquisition, and market growth, while keeping a strong emphasis on responsiveness and clear communication.

Over the last year, as clients have navigated uncertainty with tariffs and the interest rate environment, our job is to be on the ground, working closely with them to understand potential impacts and offer insights and advice to support their ability to navigate that uncertainty.

From an operational perspective, what strategies are you using to recruit and retain talent, and to grow expertise across the team?

We are always recruiting top talent in all areas of the bank, from relationship managers to portfolio managers, credit analysts, and credit risk managers, as well as specialized teams supporting digital innovation and fraud. We are constantly recruiting to add talent to support the ever-changing needs of the economic environment and of our clients.

Attracting and retaining top talent has always been a top priority, and in addition to recruiting, we must continue to invest in and develop our associates. We are always looking for opportunities to coach, teach, and support the development of our team so they can bring best-in-class solutions and services to our clients. That focus on development helps us stay consistent in how we serve clients, even as the needs of the market and the tools we use continue to evolve.

How are you leveraging innovation and digital tools to support both your team and your clients?

Many of our clients are early-stage, high-growth companies, and we provide customized guidance, flexible lending, and convenient banking services. We’re also active with incubators and mentorship programs to help founders scale.

For us, the outcome we see is entrepreneurs’ ability to contribute to our region’s vitality as a result of that support. When founders have the right guidance and banking services in place, they are better positioned to make hires, invest in operations, and keep building momentum as they scale.

What initiatives or partnerships is First Horizon pursuing to expand access to financial services for underrepresented businesses or communities?

Providing financial solutions and services to the entire community is a key priority for us, and we do this in a number of ways. One is through a partnership with Operation HOPE, where we offer credit counseling, credit support, financial literacy, and education to the underserved.

We also do this through community service and financial literacy that our associates teach throughout the region, starting with financial literacy in schools and through nonprofit organizations serving children. We partner with organizations to educate the community on matters such as improving your credit score, homeownership, budgeting, and saving for retirement, which are key areas to support the financial success of all demographics in our community.

What makes the Triangle a compelling market to do business in, expand in, and continue investing in?

We are fortunate to be in the Triangle. It is a fast-growth market with nearly 80 new residents entering the region every single day, which means more new business formation and heightened competition for talent and clients.

We’re home to a fabulous higher education system with multiple universities that create an output of educated talent to support the market. That talent pipeline, paired with steady growth and new business formation, continues to create opportunity, but it also raises the bar on how quickly companies need to make decisions and adapt. What we see is a recipe for success: fast growth, an educated pipeline of talent, and a collaborative market where Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill work closely together to support the economic success of the entire region.

Looking ahead, what’s next for First Horizon in the Triangle area, and what are your top priorities over the next three to five years?

Number one is growth. We are excited about the dynamics of the Triangle market and the role that we can play to support the success and growth of the community. Our priority is to keep expanding alongside the region and remain close to the businesses, founders, and organizations that are driving that growth.

We’ve also been excited about community partnerships we have announced over the last year, including our partnership with the North Carolina Courage professional women’s soccer team and our partnership with the Durham Performing Arts Center. They are opportunities to highlight professional women’s sports and to support culture and arts throughout the region.