Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) The BancAnalysts Association of Boston Conference 2026 summary

Growth and hiring model

• First-three-quarter loan growth was 11%; core deposits grew 9% excluding public funds, and Q3 core deposits grew $2.6 billion excluding public funds.

• 222 revenue producers were hired this year, with Q3 hiring up 57% YoY; team-member retention was 94% and revenue-producer retention was 95%.

• More than 50% of new revenue producers joined in legacy Synovus markets; producers average 18 years of experience. The 2027 hiring target is expected to exceed 222.

• Revenue producers must have 10 years’ experience and be validated by a current employee who has worked with them; hiring contributed more to growth than the macro economy, with production spreads widening sequentially.

• New-hire cohorts generated PPNR of 0.88x cash compensation in year one, 4x in years one to three and 9x in years three to five; some candidates are waiting for conversion, while potential M&A disruption may create recruiting opportunities.

Merger integration and conversion

• Core, digital and brand conversion is planned for March 12–15, 2027, after 15 months of preparation, two mock conversions and contingency testing; 140 call-center agents were added.

• YTD migrations include Client Care, mortgage origination, HSA and select Capital Markets capabilities; phased card reissuance and initial signage deployment are underway.

• November priorities include testing, digital mocks and client outreach; December focuses on training and defect remediation, followed by mock conversions in January and February.

• Conversion plans include 1,600+ embedded support points, AI-powered servicing, a digital client switch tool and a Synovus-built policy chat tool.

Culture, client momentum and incentives

• The growth model emphasizes relationship-led banker hiring, local decision authority and specialist collaboration; ~8,600 team members are on one core incentive plan, and 93% of surveyed employees said it is a great place to work.

• Client NPS was 68, up 2 points vs. 1Q26 and #1 among the expanded peer set.

• For clients with $10k+ in deposits, new-client count rose 4% 3Q YTD YoY, attrition fell 10% and balances increased 25%; deposit market share grew ~3x faster than the MSA footprint.

• Annual cash incentives cover ~94% of team members, weighted 75% to EPS growth and 25% to revenue growth, with an asset-quality qualifier; legacy Synovus bankers moved to higher base pay and less at-risk compensation, with total compensation maintained or potentially higher.

• Annual stock awards provide equity to all team members; executive equity uses three-year TBVPS growth and ROTCE measures weighted 50% each plus a TSR modifier, with full payout requiring a top-quartile peer ranking. Long-term performance share awards require 75th-percentile performance for target payout.