Banking services include mortgages, loans, and account management that support personal and business financial needs. These services facilitate business growth and daily transactions. The First Horizon logo is associated with a bank that provides financial services to individual customers and entrepreneurs in the southern United States.
First Horizon was founded on March 25, 1864, by Frank S. Davis as the First National Bank of Memphis. It was the first bank in the city to be nationally registered. In 1895, the bank acquired the German Bank. In 1913, it helped implement the Federal Reserve Act, and in 1914, it became a co-founder of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In 1926, it merged with Central-State National Bank while retaining the First National name.
In 1942, the first suburban branch was opened. By 1952, there were seven branches in operation. By 1967, the bank had become the largest in the Mid-South region. In 1969, the holding company First National Holding Corporation was established. In 1971, it was renamed First Tennessee National Corporation. In 1972, the holding acquired five banks. In 1977, First National officially became First Tennessee Bank.
In 1981, First Express was established as the first national check-clearing service. In 1982, the company launched brokerage services. In 1993, it acquired MNC Mortgage. In 1994, Peoples Commercial Services was purchased. In 1995, the holding acquired Maryland National Mortgage and SNMC Management. After these transactions, the mortgage portfolio reached $ 6 billion. In 1999, the slogan “All Things Financial” was adopted.
In 2004, the holding changed its name to First Horizon National Corporation. This reflected the business’s interstate expansion. In 2007, Republic Mortgage was acquired. That same year, the company sold 34 branches outside Tennessee. In 2008, the mortgage business was sold to MetLife. The U.S. government invested $ 866 million, which the company repurchased in 2010.
In November 2019, First Horizon announced a merger with IberiaBank Corporation. The deal was completed in July 2020. In November 2020, the name was changed to First Horizon Corporation. In 2023, after the failed merger with Toronto-Dominion Bank and the regional banking crisis, the company’s stock declined.
The company remains a major banking holding in the southeastern United States. It manages assets through a branch network across several states and operates mortgage lending, corporate banking, and digital services.
Meaning and History
What is First Horizon?
An American banking holding company based in Memphis, Tennessee, operating a network of about 490 branches in 12 states. After merging with IBERIABANK Corporation, its assets reached $ 79 billion. The business includes four segments: regional banking with lending, deposits, and investment services; capital markets with bond and derivatives trading; corporate management and treasury; and consumer and mortgage lending projects. Through the FHN Financial brand, the holding serves financial institutions nationwide.
1999 – 2019
The bank’s history began on March 25, 1864. Entrepreneur Frank S. Davis came to Memphis from Ohio and founded First National Bank of Memphis. The organization received national charter No. 336. The bank’s funds supported the rebuilding of the city, commerce, and local business development during the American Civil War. The name identified its status as Memphis’s first national bank.
The organization adopted the name First Tennessee Bank in 1977. The new form reflected operations throughout the state and expanded the former connection with Memphis to all of Tennessee. The parent company was successively named First Tennessee Banks, Inc. and First Tennessee National Corporation. Retail branches continued operating as First Tennessee. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group began using First Horizon for mortgage and financial services in the national market.
Crawshaw Design developed the First Horizon brand. The agency associated Horizon with leadership, development, and the future. The slogan “All Things Financial” presented the company as a group offering various financial services. In 2000, the First Horizon promotional program received the Marketing Program of the Year award from American Banker.
The emblem had the form of a square with rounded corners. The upper area was red, while the lower area was blue. A thick white arc ran diagonally between them. It resembled a horizon line and represented the meaning of Horizon. A white five-pointed star with sharp rays appeared in the blue section. Its image came from a detail of the Tennessee state flag.
Red, white, and blue connected the group with the national market in the United States. The star and flag motif preserved a connection with Tennessee. The same emblem appeared with the First Tennessee and First Horizon names, showing that both brands belonged to the same banking group.
In the First Tennessee version, the square appeared to the left of a blue wordmark. The name occupied one line and used serif lettering. The initial letters “F” and “T” were enlarged. The remaining letters had elongated proportions with contrasting thin and thick strokes. In the First Horizon version, the group’s corporate name appeared beside the existing emblem.
First Tennessee National Corporation became First Horizon National Corporation on April 20, 2004. First Horizon began representing the parent organization, the national financial business, and investor materials. Tennessee branches continued operating under the First Tennessee Bank brand. The shared red, white, and blue emblem showed the connection between the two names.
2019 – today
First Horizon announced the consolidation of its regional brands under one corporate name on June 11, 2019. First Tennessee Bank and Capital Bank became First Horizon Bank. The advisory division FTB Advisors became First Horizon Advisors, while FTN Financial became FHN Financial. The red, white, and blue emblem preserved the new system’s connection with First Tennessee’s history and the state of Tennessee.
The new names came into use on the evening of October 25, 2019. The company then began replacing signs at bank branches. The unified name brought together the retail, advisory, and financial divisions that had previously operated under different brands.
The logo consists of a colored emblem on the left and the words FIRST HORIZON on the right. The emblem appears within a block with rounded lower corners. The upper section is red, while the lower section is blue. A thick white arc runs diagonally from the lower right toward the upper left. It resembles the horizon and represents the meaning of Horizon.
A white five-pointed star with a slight rightward slant appears in the blue area. The red background, blue stripe, white arc, and star refer to the Tennessee state flag. The regional motif recalls the bank’s origins, while First Horizon suits operations across different states.
The words FIRST HORIZON appear in blue uppercase letters set in an even sans-serif typeface. Both words occupy one line and have the same height. The primary version uses the shorter First Horizon name. Bank is added to branch names and banking materials. First Horizon Advisors and FHN Financial are used for other divisions.
First Horizon completed its merger with IBERIABANK Corporation on July 1, 2020. The parent company continued operating under the First Horizon name, retained its Memphis headquarters, and kept the existing emblem. After the banking systems were converted in 2021, IBERIABANK branches became First Horizon. The logo expanded to new branches across the southern United States.




