First Horizon Bank, the Memphis-based regional lender with USD 84.1 billion in assets, announced that Kevin Piker has joined as Commercial Relationship Manager serving the Acadiana Market in Louisiana, effective June 8, 2026. The appointment marks the latest addition to First Horizon's intensifying focus on Louisiana markets, where the company operates through the former IberiaBank footprint and has demonstrated sustained appetite for expanding regional commercial banking coverage through targeted senior hires.
Jerry Prejean, Acadiana Market President for First Horizon Bank, characterized Piker's arrival as strategically significant, stating that his background and relationship-building capabilities strengthen the institution's commercial banking presence in the region. The bank is advancing systematic team expansion in Louisiana; this announcement comes less than two months after First Horizon promoted Eddie Buttross to Commercial Banking Group Manager in the same market and added two other specialists to its Lafayette operations in April 2026. No search firm involvement was noted in the appointment announcement.
Piker brings more than 25 years of banking and commercial lending experience to the role, having held positions at three major financial institutions. His most recent experience includes roles at JPMorgan Chase as a Business Relationship Manager focused on cultivating client loyalty and providing financial advice, according to public records. He previously served as Commercial and Agriculture Lender Vice President at JD Bank and as Senior Business Banker at Capital One, where he developed business relationships and delivered financial solutions to clients. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Orleans, positioning him with deep regional knowledge relevant to Acadiana's business landscape.
First Horizon operates as a 12-state regional banking platform concentrated in the southern United States, holding leading deposit market positions in multiple Tennessee and Louisiana markets. The institution positions itself as the largest of the locals, maintaining small bank relationship-driven service while offering sophisticated capital markets and specialty lending products. In 2026, the company reported first-quarter net income of USD 257 million, up 21 percent year-over-year, and achieved a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 10.63 percent. First Horizon acquired IberiaBank in a USD 3.9 billion transaction that closed in 2020, merging the Lafayette-based lender into its platform and maintaining significant staffing and operational presence in South Louisiana.
The Piker hire reflects a broader pattern at First Horizon: methodical senior banker recruitment in key regional markets appears designed to support organic growth as the institution approaches the USD 100 billion asset threshold, which carries heightened regulatory and operational demands. This appointment, combined with concurrent hires in New Orleans and Charlotte, suggests management confidence in demand for localized relationship banking and portfolio expansion across its footprint. The timing also implies First Horizon believes regional commercial lending conditions remain conducive to growth despite broader macroeconomic complexities facing the banking sector in mid-2026.
