When I launched the national vision for HOPE Inside and Project 5117 two years ago at our Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, I made some pretty bold pronouncements about what it would do, and the impact it would have. 

It’s been less than two years and many of those bold pronouncements are beginning to bear very real fruit, and show very real results. Major banks that have embraced our model have increased brand equity, increased positive engagement in community, secured deserved community reinvestment credit, moved from being in the ‘no business’ in certain neighborhoods to being in the ‘yes business’ in those same neighborhoods. 

Frankly, these banks are also finding new customers — as our dedicated team of HOPE Counselors helps to nurture and move credit scores from the 500 range into the 650 and 700 credit score range. 

One of these distinguished partners include First Horizon and its subsidiary First Tennessee Bank, led by Bryan Jordan, their chairman and CEO, who were early adopters of the model.  

I am pleased to join Bryan and his team tomorrow in Memphis, Tennessee, where they wil inaugurate another location — this time in a historic branch location. 

As you will see in this article, the bank has already found significant value in the model, and are ‘doubling down’ on their commitment to open additional HOPE Inside locations with us. From the sounds of this article, looks like we are going from six locations with them to about a dozen. Stand by Tennessee. We are coming to the rural communities as well. 

Find out more about our growing Project 5117 portfolio here, and specifically, HOPE Inside here.  We will become the nation’s private banker to the poor, the underserved and the struggling middle class. 

Let’s go…

John Hope Bryant

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