First Farmers and Merchants Bank
Columbia, Tennessee, Maury County
$1.8B in total assets, the 672nd largest of 4,309 US banks and 15th of 109 headquartered in Tennessee.
- FDIC certificate
- 1487
- Established
- 1909
- Owned by
- First Farmers&merchants Corp
- Primary regulator
- FED
- Website
- www.myfirstfarmers.com
At a glance
Compared with 27 banks headquartered in Tennessee with $1 billion to $10 billion in assets, as of June 30, 2026.
| Measure | This bank | Percentile | Peer range, middle 90% | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $1.8B | 59% | $1.6B | |
| Loans | $1.0B | 37% | $1.1B | |
| Deposits | $1.6B | 63% | $1.4B | |
| Return on assets | 1.19% | 33% | 1.40% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.65% | 44% | 3.79% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 61.7% | 70% | 55.8% | |
| Equity to assets | 10.12% | 56% | 10.05% | |
| Loans to deposits | 66% | 11% | 82% |
Growth
Total assets grew -1.2% a year over the last 5 years and 3.1% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2001 | Peoples and Union Bank Lewisburg, TN | $162M |
| Feb 1999 | Farmers & Merchants Bank White Bluff, TN | $22M |
| Sep 1985 | The Bank of Loretto Loretto, TN | $26M |
Where they operate
23 branches in 8 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maury County, TN | $913M | 43.7% | 1 of 9 |
| Lawrence County, TN | $277M | 28.4% | 1 of 10 |
| Hickman County, TN | $115M | 38.8% | 1 of 4 |
| Williamson County, TN | $95M | 0.7% | 24 of 35 |
| Marshall County, TN | $93M | 10.5% | 2 of 6 |
| Giles County, TN | $38M | 3.6% | 6 of 6 |
Deposits by branch from the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 2026. Rank among all banks with branches in that county.
Branch history since 2016
Net gain of 2 branches since 2016 (21 to 23, +9.5%). 4 opened, 0 acquired, 2 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 21 | |||
| 2016 | Opened Franklin | 1 | 0 | +1 | 22 |
| 2017 | Opened Brentwood and Franklin | 2 | 0 | +2 | 24 |
| 2018 | Opened Nashville | 1 | 0 | +1 | 25 |
| 2019 | Sold 1 branch to F&M Bank | 0 | 1 | −1 | 24 |
| 2026 through Q2 | Closed Franklin | 0 | 1 | −1 | 23 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate | 36% | 31% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 30% | 33% | |
| Construction and land | 12% | 11% | |
| Business (C&I) | 11% | 10% | |
| Multifamily | 4% | 4% | |
| Consumer | 1% | 6% | |
| Farmland | 1% | 2% | |
| Other | 6% | 3% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 57% | 49% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 31% | 17% | |
| Time deposits | 12% | 34% |
Brokered deposits are 3.4% of deposits (peers 7.6%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.12% | 0.35% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.00% | 0.03% |
| Reserves to loans | 0.78% | 1.15% |
| Leverage ratio | 11.19% | 9.92% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in Tennessee
Largest competitors in Maury County, TN
Figures as of June 30, 2026 from the bank's Call Report, FDIC structure and branch data, and the Federal Reserve. Short link: bankingstats.com/banks/first-farmers-merchants-bank-columbia-tn