MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Tennessee Bank is partnering with national nonprofit Operation HOPE to assist residents affected by the recent wildfires in East Tennessee.
Starting Dec. 5, First Tennessee will staff its branch at 300 East Main St. in Sevierville, TN, with financial wellbeing coaches from HOPE Coalition America, Operation HOPE’s national emergency preparedness and financial recovery division. Services will include financial counseling, small business recovery, help obtaining destroyed documents and assistance with insurance claims and home inspection and repair contracts.
The counseling services will be free and available to the public at First Tennessee’s Sevierville branch weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
First Tennessee is supporting relief efforts in other ways, too:
- First Tennessee branches across the state are accepting donations from the public to support the East Tennessee relief efforts of the American Red Cross. The First Tennessee Foundation will match those contributions up to a total of $50,000. People may also mail checks payable to the American Red Cross to: Corporate Communications, First Tennessee, P.O. Box 84, Memphis, TN 38101.
- Loan customers in the Sevier County wildfire areas can apply for the First Tennessee Assistance Program for consumer and commercial clients. To learn more about the program, call (800) 382-5465.
- The Employee Relief Fund is available for First Tennessee employees impacted by the wildfires. More information is available on the bank’s Intranet.
“First Tennessee is deeply committed to the communities we serve and to assisting our customers and neighbors who have been affected by this tragedy,” said Bryan Jordan, chairman, president and CEO of First Tennessee’s parent company, First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN). “We are honored to be Tennessee’s bank, and we are dedicated to helping in the ongoing recovery efforts.”
About the First Tennessee Foundation and First Tennessee Bank
First Tennessee Bank was founded during the Civil War in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country. First Tennessee has one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country and the number one deposit market share in Tennessee. The First Tennessee Foundation is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation established in 1993. Both First Tennessee Bank and the First Tennessee Foundation are part of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN). First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation’s best employers by American Banker and Working Mother. More information is available at www.FirstTennessee.com and www.FirstTennesseeFoundation.com.
About Operation HOPE
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved. Through its core programs, the nonprofit has provided financial dignity and economic empowerment to over 2.6 million individuals worldwide, and $2 billion in economic activity for the disenfranchised—turning check cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners and minimum wage workers into living wage consumers. Project 5117 is HOPE’s multi-year four-pronged approach to combating economic inequality that aims to improve financial literacy, increase business role models and business internships for youth, and stabilize the American dream by boosting credit scores. Operation HOPE recently received its second consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator—further establishing it as a best-in-class organization. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org.
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Contact:James Dowd(901) 523-4305JEDowd@FirstTennessee.com Kim Cherry(901) 523-4380KCherry@FirstTennessee.com