Company Information
Regions Financial Corporation, with $120 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,700 banking offices and 2,100 ATMs.
 
Company Mission
Our mission is to achieve superior economic value for our shareholders over time by making life better for our customers, our associates and our communities and creating shared value as we help them meet their financial goals and aspirations.

Regions' five core values guide everything we do:
• Do What Is Right
• Put People First
• Reach Higher
• Focus On Your Customer
• Enjoy Life

Regions History
• Regions Financial Corporation was formed in 1971 as First Alabama Bancshares Inc., Alabama 's first multibank holding company. With the combination of three well-respected banks, the holding company began operations with a total of $543 million in assets and 40 banking locations in Birmingham , Huntsville and Montgomery.

• Regions Financial Corporation traces its roots back to three Alabama-based banks who became original affiliates of First Alabama Bancshares, Inc., chartered in 1970 as the first multi-bank holding company in the state of Alabama. Those three banks are: the First National Bank of Huntsville, chartered in 1856, the First National Bank of Montgomery, opened in 1871, and the Exchange Security Bank of Birmingham.

• The Exchange Bank, an institution organized in Birmingham during the spring of 1928, started with capital totaling $35,000 and in 1947 moved to Tenth Avenue and 20th Street South. The new building was the most modern bank structure in the city and brought Birmingham the first drive-in teller window and the first bank parking lot. It also set the standard for other banks by being one of the most modern and customer-focused banks in the South. The Exchange Bank had grown to more than $19 million in April of 1957 when it consolidated with the Security Commercial Bank to become the Exchange Security Bank.

• In 1970, a small group of Alabama bankers and businessmen got together to form the first multi-banking holding company in Alabama. Their proposal was grounded in one idea: sound banking principles and new growth opportunities could be combined to create a stronger financial institution for the state. These banking pioneers overcame legal and regulatory hurdles as well as opposition from the banking industry in the state. Finally, in July 1971, the three Alabama banks joined to form Alabama’s first multi-bank company. With the combination of three respected banks, the holding company began operations with a total of $543 million in assets and 40 locations in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery.

• The Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery banks formed the nucleus of what is now Regions, giving the company a strong presence in three of the four largest metropolitan areas of the state. The bank quickly expanded its market by acquiring more banks. In less than four years, First Alabama’s assets doubled – from $543 million in 1971 to $1.2 billion at the end of 1974.

• As the bank entered its second decade, the banking industry was changing. Changes in the laws and regulations, which govern banking, allowed it to offer customers new types of accounts, including certificates of deposit in 1978, followed by interest-bearing checking accounts in 1981 and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) in 1982. Also in 1981, the Alabama Legislature passed a law allowing multi-bank holding companies to merge their affiliate banks into one statewide bank. As a result, the bank’s management devised a new structure for the company, which strengthened and streamlined the chain of command while still emphasizing the importance of local involvement and understanding of local needs in each bank community.

• The passage of an interstate banking bill in 1986, which allowed Alabama banks to purchase out-of-state banks, opened the door to new possibilities. The company expanded into Florida first, then acquired additional strong banks in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas – all of which have retained the local autonomy encouraged and supported by Regions.

• The marriage of computers and telephone communication networks made possible an important development in banking – the introduction of automated teller machines (ATMs). In 1981, the bank established a statewide network of ATMs known as The Right Place banking machines. With one of the most extensive ATM networks in the state, the bank played a key role in the organization of a statewide-shared automated teller machine network, which went on line in April 1986.

• In 1987, Regions became the first bank in Alabama to provide customers with direct access to their account information via a computerized telephone inquiry service. Telephone banking continues to offer customers convenience today. By calling 1-800-REGIONS customers have access to automated account data and assistance from financial professionals.

• Years of growth and changes followed, culminating in a final name change on May 2, 1994 when the company became Regions Financial Corporation to better reflect its growing presence throughout the South. The company merged with Memphis, Tenn.-based Union Planters Corp. in July 2004 to create a new regional force in financial services that shares a rich history of customer and community commitment, as well as the strength and stability of one of the Top 15 financial services providers in the nation.

• In May 2006, Regions and Birmingham-based AmSouth Bancorporation announced plans to merge. Shareholders of each company approved the transaction in October and on November 4, 2006, the merger of Regions and AmSouth was completed. As a result, Regions Financial Corporation is now one of the top bank holding companies in the United States.

• AmSouth History
• The evolution of AmSouth Bank from a small local bank founded in the heyday of a bustling boomtown into a super-regional financial institution with a network of more than 650 branches serving customers in six states parallels almost exactly the story of the City of Birmingham. Founded in 1873 just two years after the birth of the Magic City itself, AmSouth grew through a series of strategic mergers and acquisitions that mirrored the growth and development of Birmingham over the years.

• The bank's more than a century of service has been marked by understanding the needs of its customers, meeting those needs, and building relationships that last a lifetime.

• The history of AmSouth Bank is really a story about more than 130 years of building relationships. AmSouth’s rich history dates back to the early pioneers who founded the City of Birmingham in 1871 and the National Bank of Birmingham in 1872. The AmSouth story begins in the heart and mind of a Swedish immigrant, a former seaman and adventurous businessman named Captain Charles Linn.

• The National Bank of Birmingham, later The First National Bank of Birmingham, was founded by Charles Linn, a seafarer and merchant born in Finland of Swedish parents. As a boy he ran away to sea, suffering first as a stowaway and later at the hands of brutal officers who did not understand his language. During his eventful career at sea, Linn rose from cabin boy to captain, crossing the Atlantic 53 times.

• Although a man of the 19th century, he has much to teach us in the 21st century about determination and the power of a positive attitude. Linn was a major player in Birmingham’s early and very difficult years, and he was often criticized for his optimistic outlook for the city's future. The greatest secret of his prosperity, he wrote, was the "punctuality of fulfilling promises."

• On October 17, 1872, this visionary founded the bank which would later become AmSouth. The bank opened for business on the first business day in January, 1873. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the bank grew rapidly through mergers with other banks. In 1884, it merged with City Bank of Birmingham and the bank became The First National Bank of Birmingham.

• The Great Depression hit Birmingham hard. First National played a vital role in helping the city survive that trying time. Most notably, through relationships with other financial institutions, First National saved a number of smaller banks from closing, and in 1935, six of these banks became First National's first branches.

• During the 1940s, 50s and 60s as the nation prospered, so did Birmingham’s economy, and the bank’s branch system was expanded throughout Jefferson County. Up to this point, the company operated as a single Birmingham bank. In 1968, the bank began looking into a new type of structure – a multi-bank holding company to help with growth and service in new markets in Alabama and beyond. When the Bank Holding Company Act was signed into law in 1971, the bank was ready to act.

• In December of 1971, First National shareholders approved formation of a holding company to be called Alabama Bancorporation. The holding company officially started a year later when First National reorganized itself to become the company's first affiliate. John Woods, president of First National at that time, was named the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer. Under his leadership, the corporation acquired over 20 affiliate banks in it first 10 years.

• By the beginning of the 1980s, Alabama Bancorporation had earned an enviable reputation in banking and investment circles for soundness, performance and growth. This reputation extended beyond Alabama to include the South and the nation, as well, so the company searched for a name that would more clearly reflect a wider geographic reach. The name AmSouth was adopted in April of 1981.

• Soon after the name change, AmSouth became the first bank holding company in Alabama to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In November of that year, it was announced that all affiliate banks would merge into a single, statewide bank called AmSouth Bank. The first bank to convert was First National Bank of Birmingham. By the end of 1983, AmSouth was one bank with over 100 offices in Alabama.

• In 1987, AmSouth took its first steps outside of Alabama, expanding into Florida. It acquired nine more banks in Florida over the next seven years. AmSouth entered the Tennessee market in 1991 and Georgia two years later. By the end of 1994, the company was a composite of over 50 different banks that had joined together with the common goal of becoming the premier banking institution in the South.

• AmSouth made no acquisitions from 1995 to 1999, dedicating itself totally to performance. Aggressive goals were set and achieved ahead of schedule. This resulted in continued growth and profitability that placed AmSouth squarely among the top performing banks in the nation.
• The year 1999 proved to be event-filled. In March of that year, AmSouth was added to the prestigious S&P 500 index. In June, plans were announce that AmSouth would acquire Nashville-based First American Corporation. First American was slightly larger than AmSouth in asset size and operated banks in seven Southeastern states. This was the largest acquisition in AmSouth's history – larger than all others made in 27 years combined.

• Since 2002, AmSouth opened more than 100 new branches. AmSouth's philosophy has attracted thousands of loyal customers and provided the foundation of business that is the hallmark of this $50 billion bank. AmSouth's more than a century of service has been marked by understanding the needs of its customers, meeting those needs and building relationships that last a lifetime.

• Union Planters History
• Since 1869 and with more than $34 billion in assets, Memphis-based Union Planters Corporation was Tennessee's largest bank holding company and was one of the 30 largest in the country.
• It operated more than 760 banking offices, concentrated in the core states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. The corporation's largest subsidiary and main banking entity was Union Planters, National Association. In addition Union Planters owned Capital Factors, Inc., which offered receivable-based commercial financing, as well as fee-based credit, collection, and management information services.