Missy Wallen Joins Pinnacle as Knoxville Chairman

Financial services veteran Missy Wallen, who retired last July as Tennessee president for BB&T, has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq/NGS: PNFP). She will serve as Pinnacle’s Knoxville chairman, leading its client services group and overseeing the firm’s soon-to-be five Knoxville-area offices.

Wallen served for 12 years with BB&T in Knoxville and from 2007 to 2013 was its Tennessee president. Her extensive financial services career included leadership positions at Valley Fidelity Bank, Bank of East Tennessee and BankFirst, which was acquired by BB&T in 2000.

“Missy brings more than 40 years of experience in the banking industry in Knoxville with her to Pinnacle,” Pinnacle Chairman Rob McCabe said. “With her addition, Pinnacle has amassed three of the senior-most bankers in the market from Regions, SunTrust and now BB&T.”

Harvey White, who retired from Regions before joining Pinnacle in 2009, will continue to lead Pinnacle’s Knoxville operation with the title of regional executive. He also has firm-wide responsibilities as chief credit officer. Mike DiStefano, the manager of Pinnacle’s Knoxville client advisory group, will become the firm’s Knoxville president. He managed the commercial banking programs for SunTrust Bank when he left to help launch Pinnacle in Knoxville in 2007.

“Pinnacle has been the fastest-growing bank in Knoxville since our opening. Under Missy’s leadership, BB&T was the second-fastest growing during her tenure,” White said. “We expect that her addition to the team will help us continue to accelerate our growth in this market.”

Wallen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and holds a graduate degree from Louisiana State University – School of Banking of the South.

She is a member of the UT College of Communication and Information board of visitors and serves on the board of the University of Tennessee Knoxville Alumni Association. Wallen also serves as vice chair of The Development Corporation of Knox County and is on the board of directors of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

Since expanding to East Tennessee in 2007, Pinnacle has become the sixth-largest bank out of 44 financial institutions in the Knoxville metropolitan statistical area (MSA), according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Pinnacle’s fifth Knoxville-area location is slated to open on Emory Road in the Powell area in the fourth quarter.

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution.

The firm began operations in a single downtown Nashville location in October 2000 and has since grown to $5.6 billion in assets at March 31, 2014. At March 31, 2014, Pinnacle is the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, with 29 offices in eight Middle Tennessee counties and four offices in Knoxville. Additionally, Great Place to Work^® named Pinnacle one of the best workplaces in the United States on its 2013 Best Small & Medium Workplaces list published in FORTUNE magazine. The American Banker also recognized Pinnacle as the best bank to work for in the country.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the NASDAQ Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.

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