Pinnacle Financial Partners and Synovus Financial Corp. named their market and specialty banking leaders across Florida as part of the next phase in their merger.
Pinnacle is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Synovus in Columbus, Georgia.
“Every leader we’ve named has deep roots in their community,” said Scott Keith, who will lead North and Central Florida once the merger closes, in an Oct.16 news release. Keith is Jacksonville market president for Pinnacle.
“They’ve earned the trust of local business owners and community leaders over decades, and they’ll bring together the expanded resources and capabilities of the combined firm to better serve even more clients across the state.”
In Jacksonville, Bryan Taylor will be regional president and Damon Olinto will be senior lending officer. Taylor is with Pinnacle and Olinto with Synovus.
“Growth starts with strong relationships,” Michael Walker, Synovus executive director of wholesale banking and South Florida geography leader for the combined firm, said in the release.
“Understanding the unique needs and ambitions of the businesses and communities we serve will be unmatched by our local team. That deep knowledge fosters trust and unlocks greater opportunity to accelerate growth together.”
The release said Pinnacle’s geographic model places control in the hands of local teams and leadership.
“Both Pinnacle and Synovus have built success by trusting experienced people to lead locally,” said Rob McCabe, Pinnacle founder and chairman and chief banking officer for the combined firm. “This model has driven extraordinary growth for both organizations. These local leaders will continue that trajectory by focusing on service, advice and extraordinary convenience for every client.”
The merger between Pinnacle and Synovus is expected to close early in 2026, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Both firms continue to operate independently until that time.
Pinnacle Financial Partners is the No. 1 bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin metropolitan statistical area, according to 2025 deposit data from the FDIC.
Synovus Financial Corp. has about $60 billion in assets. Synovus provides commercial and consumer banking and a full suite of specialized products and services, including wealth services, treasury management, mortgage services, premium finance, asset-based lending, structured lending, capital markets and international banking.
As of Sept. 30, 2025, Synovus has 244 branches in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.