Trust Division

The Tennessee Bankers Association is committed to providing our Trust Company membership with access to first-in-class legislative advocacy and professional development tools and resources. The TBA’s trust company members are invited and encouraged to participate in our flagship trust event, The Trust & Wealth Management Conference, held each fall in Nashville, Tenn. TBA also offers vast online learning resources in cooperation with the American Bankers Association for our trust membership. Finally, we encourage our trust members to actively engage in our government relations efforts, including the Bank Lawyers Committee, Government Relations Committee and Washington Conference.

Legislation

On May 10, 2019, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed TBA’s legislation—SB 699 / HB 676—into law as Public Chapter 340. Among several changes, Public Chapter 340 adds a new Part 13 to the Tennessee Uniform Trust Code. This new Part 13 represents a significant evolution of Tennessee trust law by permitting the creation of special purpose entities, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-15-1301(a)(6), to serve as Trust Advisors for trusts for which a Tennessee corporate fiduciary is serving as Trustee.

This law makes Tennessee one of the most favorable states for trust situs. For an overview of the new legislation and who can benefit from the change, click here. The article is written by Aaron Flinn, a partner on Waller’s Trusts & Estates team.

For a complete summary of the changes made by Public Chapter 340, click here.

We are proud of the legislative accomplishments we’ve made over the years to enhance and update our state’s trust laws, making Tennessee one of the nation’s leading trust jurisdictions. We will annually evaluate Tennessee’s trust laws to determine what, if any, updates and amendments are needed to maintain a top state.

Trust Committee

Michael Graves Chairman

First Horizon Bank

Members

Christopher Carlson Committee Member

Blue Trust, Inc.

Richard Tomichek Committee Member

Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC

Rob Lineberger Committee Member

Diversified Trust

Wick Ruehling Committee Member

Equitable Trust Company

James Jarman Committee Member

First Horizon Bank

Ward McBee Committee Member

First Horizon Bank - Oak Court Branch

Matthew Buyer Committee Member

Pinnacle Financial Partners

Stephen Russell Committee Member

Regions Bank

Jamie Nicholson Committee Member

Synovus Family Asset Management

Stacy Roettger Committee Member

The Trust Company of Tennessee

Spence Dabbs Committee Member

Truxton Trust

Chris Buckley Committee Member

Cumberland Trust and Investment Company

Derek Church Committee Member

Pendleton Square Trust Company, Inc.

Robert Malin Committee Member

Pinnacle Financial Partners

Trust Division Contact

Amy Heaslet, EVP/General Counsel, [email protected].
Penny Powlas, VP of Administration, [email protected].

Upcoming Events

2026 Legislative Reception

Credit Conference 2026

2026 Risk Management Forum Session 1

Trust Division

Legislation

Trust Committee

Members

Trust Division Contact