Commercial Banker Chris Rutledge Joins Pinnacle

Pinnacle Financial Partners welcomed longtime SunTrust Bank (now Truist) commercial banker Chris Rutledge to the Chattanooga team. He is located at the Broad Street office.

“Chris’ local experience totals 26 years, and in that time he has gained the kind of wisdom and acumen that is typical of Pinnacle’s advisors,” said regional president Kenny Dyer. “Our clients expect advice from someone who has built their career in financial services, and is a steady presence under all economic conditions. We’re glad he picked Pinnacle.”

Across 26 years at SunTrust in Chattanooga, Rutledge served as a portfolio manager, commercial banker and senior credit officer. He also covered specialty sectors including nonprofit, government, healthcare, schools and universities, and senior housing. Rutledge earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and graduated from the Southeastern School of Banking at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School. He also completed the Graduate Leadership Program at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. Pinnacle earned a spot on FORTUNE's 2021 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., its fifth consecutive appearance. American Banker recognized Pinnacle as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For eight years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2020.

Pinnacle began serving Chattanooga in 2015 when it acquired CapitalMark Bank & Trust, a community institution with an excellent record of service and growth. Pinnacle continues that tradition: the firm is the fourth-largest bank in Chattanooga in terms of deposits and is also one of the fastest growing.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $35.3 billion in assets as of March 31, 2021. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in 12 primarily urban markets in Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia and Atlanta.  

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.