TellerScore

First Farmers and Merchants Bank is a state-chartered bank (fed member) headquartered in Columbia, Tennessee, in business for about 117 years. At the end of Q2 2026 it reported $1.8B in total assets and $1.6B in deposits, with 23 offices.

Based on its Q2 2026 filing, First Farmers and Merchants Bank scores 79/100, which we describe as strong. That is higher than 88% of 897 banks with $1 billion – $10 billion. Among 109 banks headquartered in Tennessee, it ranks 19th. Its strongest component is problem-loan coverage (98/100; 0.8%), and its lowest is capital cushion (62/100; 11.19%).

TellerScore · Q2 2026

Scorecard

Capital cushion62/100
Tier 1 leverage ratio: 11.19%
Loan quality96/100
Noncurrent loans ÷ total loans: 0.12%
Earnings71/100
Return on assets (annualized): 1.27%
Funding & liquidity80/100
Loans ÷ deposits and uninsured-deposit share: 65.8% · 27.7% uninsured
Problem-loan coverage98/100
"Texas ratio": (noncurrent loans + foreclosed property) ÷ (equity + loan-loss reserves): 0.77%

The TellerScore is our own summary of the figures this institution reports publicly; it is not issued or endorsed by any government agency. It is not a prediction, and deposits within insurance limits are protected either way.

9 quarters

Health trend

From Q2 2025 to Q2 2026, the score rose 4 points (75 → 79), mostly because the earnings component improved by 9 points.

TellerScore
697479Q2 2024Q4 2024Q2 2025Q4 2025Q2 2026
Show as table
QuarterTellerScore
Q2 202469
Q3 202471
Q4 202472
Q1 202574
Q2 202575
Q3 202575
Q4 202576
Q1 202678
Q2 202679
Tier 1 leverage ratio
5.00%8.10%11.19%well-capitalized benchmarkQ2 2024Q4 2024Q2 2025Q4 2025Q2 2026
Show as table
QuarterTier 1 leverage ratio
Q2 20249.27%
Q3 20249.43%
Q4 20249.91%
Q1 202510.21%
Q2 202510.54%
Q3 202510.68%
Q4 202510.86%
Q1 202610.97%
Q2 202611.19%
Noncurrent loans
0.08%0.12%0.16%Q2 2024Q4 2024Q2 2025Q4 2025Q2 2026
Show as table
QuarterNoncurrent loans
Q2 20240.08%
Q3 20240.08%
Q4 20240.13%
Q1 20250.13%
Q2 20250.13%
Q3 20250.13%
Q4 20250.16%
Q1 20260.13%
Q2 20260.12%
Return on assets
0.79%1.03%1.27%Q2 2024Q4 2024Q2 2025Q4 2025Q2 2026
Show as table
QuarterReturn on assets
Q2 20240.79%
Q3 20240.82%
Q4 20240.90%
Q1 20251.04%
Q2 20251.05%
Q3 20251.08%
Q4 20251.08%
Q1 20261.25%
Q2 20261.27%
Quarter-by-quarter figures
QuarterScoreAssetsCapitalProblem loansROALoans/deposits
Q2 202679$1.8B11.19%0.12%1.27%65.8%
Q1 202678$1.8B10.97%0.13%1.25%62.8%
Q4 202576$1.8B10.86%0.16%1.08%62.7%
Q3 202575$1.7B10.68%0.13%1.08%64.7%
Q2 202575$1.7B10.54%0.13%1.05%63.6%
Q1 202574$1.8B10.21%0.13%1.04%62.0%
Q4 202472$1.8B9.91%0.13%0.90%61.8%
Q3 202471$1.9B9.43%0.08%0.82%63.8%
Q2 202469$1.9B9.27%0.08%0.79%68.6%

897 peers · $1 billion – $10 billion

How it compares with peers

Percentile against banks of similar size nationwide (100th = best among peers; for ratios where lower is better, the scale is flipped).

Capital ratio11.19%
64th
Total risk-based capital18.33%
88th
Problem loans0.12%
84th
Net charge-offs0.00%
76th
Return on assets1.27%
51st
Net interest margin3.65%
47th
Efficiency ratio61.7%
41st
Loans to deposits65.8%
89th
Uninsured deposits27.7%
60th
Loan-loss reserves0.78%
14th
Texas ratio0.8%
87th

Similar-size banks in Tennessee

InstitutionScoreAssetsCapitalProblem loansCompare
Security Bank and Trust CompanyBank Paris, TN79 out of 100, Strong$1.7B10.9%0.02%vs
Wellworth BankBank Lafayette, TN60 out of 100, Moderate$1.8B9.9%1.39%vs
Independent BankBank Memphis, TN67 out of 100, Moderate$1.9B10.6%0.85%vs
One Bank of TennesseeBank Cookeville, TN79 out of 100, Strong$1.7B9.1%0.01%vs
Citizens Tri-County BankBank Dunlap, TN70 out of 100, Strong$1.6B9.3%0.75%vs
Citizens National BankBank Sevierville, TN82 out of 100, Strong$2.0B11.2%0.04%vs

Deposit insurance

Is my money safe at First Farmers and Merchants Bank?

Yes. First Farmers and Merchants Bank is an FDIC-insured institution (FDIC certificate #1487). Deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.

An estimated 27.7% of deposits ($433.1M) are above the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit, below the peer median of 31%. Insured balances are protected regardless of the score.

The tier 1 leverage ratio is 11.19%, well above the 5% level regulators use as the "well capitalized" benchmark for this measure. Its total risk-based capital ratio is 18.33% (benchmark: 10%).

Check how much of your own balance is covered

23 locations

Branches

First Farmers and Merchants Bank lists 20 offices in 12 cities. Most locations:

All branch addresses and map

HMDA 2025

Mortgage lending

In 2025, First Farmers and Merchants Bank reported 383 home-loan applications under HMDA (LEI 254900VKT2R0R20CR104): 277 originated ($56,955,000 total), 64 denied, and 26 withdrawn or closed by the applicant. Its denial rate on decided applications was 17.9%, compared with 22.2% for all lenders nationwide.

Denial rates depend heavily on loan type and applicant mix and are not a measure of fairness or of your own odds.

Identity & history

Profile

Legal name
First Farmers and Merchants Bank
Former names
Farmers & Merchants Bank; First Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Columbia; Farmers and Merchants Bank
Type
State-chartered bank (Fed member)
FDIC certificate #
1487
RSSD ID
150035
Primary regulator
FED
Holding company
First Farmers&merchants Corp
Established
January 1, 1909
Headquarters
816 S Garden St, Columbia, TN 38401
Employees
261

Quick answers

First Farmers and Merchants Bank: common questions

Is First Farmers and Merchants Bank FDIC insured?

Yes. First Farmers and Merchants Bank is an FDIC-insured institution (FDIC certificate #1487). Deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.

What is First Farmers and Merchants Bank's TellerScore?

79 out of 100 (Strong), based on its Q2 2026 publicly reported figures. The TellerScore is our own summary and is not issued by any government agency.

Has First Farmers and Merchants Bank ever failed?

There is no failure record for FDIC certificate #1487 in the FDIC failed bank list.

How many branches does First Farmers and Merchants Bank have?

23 offices as of the latest FDIC data.

Nearby

Highest-scoring banks and credit unions with branches near Columbia

InstitutionScoreAssetsCapitalProblem loansCompare
Tennessee Department of Safety Credit UnionCredit union Nashville, TN93 out of 100, Very strong$12.0M26.6%0.00%vs
Heritage South Community Credit UnionCredit union Shelbyville, TN88 out of 100, Very strong$361.9M17.1%0.75%vs
Republic Bank & Trust CompanyBank Louisville, KY84 out of 100, Strong$7.1B14.8%0.56%vs
Ascend Federal Credit UnionCredit union Tullahoma, TN83 out of 100, Strong$4.8B14.6%0.49%vs
Peoples BankBank Clifton, TN79 out of 100, Strong$445.3M12.7%0.39%vs
First National Bank of PulaskiBank Pulaski, TN77 out of 100, Strong$1.5B11.3%0.24%vs