Fifth Third Bancorp is deploying $200 million of capital across the state of Tennessee.

David Briggs Courtesy of Fifth Third

Over the next 12 to 18 months, Fifth Third will continue an aggressive Tennessee expansion with plans to open 20 new branches in the Knoxville, Clarksville and Nashville areas.

This expansion comes in the midst of the Cincinnati-based bank’s recently announced agreement to acquire Comerica in an all–stock transaction valued at $10.9 billion.

According to the company, the merger with Dallas-based Comerica will make Fifth Third the ninth largest U.S. bank, with $288 billion in assets, $224 billion in deposits and $174 billion in loans.

As the two organizations merge, company officials don’t expect an immediate impact in Tennessee, where Comerica doesn’t currentl

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