Office address: 38 Fountain Square Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45263
Website: 53.com
Year established: 1908
Company type: banking
Employees: 18,600+
Expertise: commercial banking, consumer banking, small business banking, wealth management, asset management, payments, treasury management, mortgage lending, equipment leasing, fintech partnerships
Parent company: Fifth Third Bancorp
Key people: Tim Spence (CEO), Kevin Lavender (vice chair), Kevin Khanna (head of commercial bank), Bridgit Chayt (head of commercial payments), Christian Gonzalez (chief legal officer), Bryan Preston (CFO), Jeffrey Thieman (head of investment banking)
Financing status: corporation
Fifth Third Bank is based in Cincinnati and reported $213 billion in assets as of December 2024. As a regional bank, it operates 1,089 banking centers and 2,080 ATMs in 11 Midwest and Southeast states. The bank aims to offer easy banking for people and companies.
In 1858, William W. Scarborough launched the Bank of the Ohio Valley in Cincinnati, the earliest form of Fifth Third Bank. Over the next decades, new banks formed and merged, including the Third National Bank in 1863 and the Fifth National Bank in 1888. By 1908, these two banks came together, giving rise to the name Fifth Third.
The merger of the two banks created Fifth-Third National Bank of Cincinnati. The bank’s name stood out, especially as the country debated prohibition, because “Fifth Third” sounded less like a liquor reference than “Third Fifth.” Over the years, the name evolved, finally becoming Fifth Third Bank in 1969.
The bank continued to grow and adapt throughout the twentieth century. In 1999, the bank acquired Emerald Financial for $204 million to expand its reach and services. It also navigated the financial crisis in 2008, receiving $3.4 billion from the US Treasury, which it repaid in 2011.
Recent years have brought new chapters for Fifth Third. In 2024, Fifth Third Bank welcomed a team of advisors in North Carolina who previously managed $1.8 billion at Truist Advisory Services. Launched in 2022, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors offers advisors office space, technology, and access to trust and planning services.
Fifth Third Bank continues to focus on building a strong regional network, ethical leadership, and accessible banking for people and businesses. Its shares trade on the NASDAQ under the symbol FITB, and the bank is well established in the US banking sector.
Fifth Third Bank provides many investment and wealth options for individuals and business clients:
Fifth Third Bank also provides digital tools and advisor support to help clients manage investments efficiently.
Fifth Third Bank describes its culture as focused on trust, improvement, and working together. The company highlights these core elements:
Fifth Third Bank also states it is committed to supporting employees’ growth and well-being in the workplace. According to the company, benefits are designed to help employees reach their best both personally and professionally:
Fifth Third Bank offers several early career paths for students and recent graduates. Programs include summer internships, co-op roles, and full-time leadership development. The Early Insights Program and entry-level positions help participants build skills and contribute to real projects.
Tim Spence is the chairman, president, and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, and also serves on several executive committees. Before these roles, Spence joined the bank in 2015 and became president in 2020, CEO in 2022, and chairman in 2023.
The following leaders guide Fifth Third Bank’s strategy and bring deep experience to their roles:
Fifth Third Wealth Advisors appointed Chris Osmond in 2025 as chief investment officer to strengthen its investment leadership. The firm manages over $6 billion and serves clients across major US markets. This hire supports Fifth Third Bank’s plan to expand its wealth management and offer more tailored solutions.
Building on this momentum, the deal between Fifth Third and Comerica will also create one of the largest US banks by 2026. The combined company will have a broader presence in fast-growing markets and a larger branch network. This merger is set to strengthen Fifth Third’s commercial payments and wealth management offerings for clients.
Meanwhile, Wells Fargo snags another rival wirehouse team in Atlanta, while another longtime LPL advisor joins other seceders to Cetera.
The merger between Fifth Third and Comerica aims to accelerate growth, diversify revenue streams, and strengthen the combined bank’s presence in the Southeast, Texas, and California.
Meanwhile, Fifth Third's RIA arm adds a former billion-dollar BNY trio in Boulder, Colorado, while a hybrid RIA opens a new North Carolina location with a former Raymond James-affiliated team.
New York-based Douglass Winthrop has also tapped a veteran leader from Northern Trust.
The firm's newest advisor additions in the Southeast come with 55 years of collective experience in the industry.
The bank-supported independent RIA is widening its reach with a Merrill Lynch alum and a new office in North Carolina.
The seasoned advisor brings more than two decades of industry experience.
Empower has distanced itself from its other competitors; the only one that matters is Fidelity, which is bigger and more profitable because of its ability to cross-sell wealth management services to participants as well as offer proprietary products.
The No. 2 record keeper added smaller adviser-sold plans as well as megaplans
The addition of WealthTrust's $6.4 billion in AUM lifts HighTower's total to nearly $46 billion, a nearly four-fold increase from four years ago.
After doing 10 deals in 2013, Adolf expects 2014 to be 'a very good year'
Risk-averse parents saving for their children's college education are flocking to conservative, low-risk financial products, and Section 529 college savings plans are taking action as their assets decline.
Jacqueline “Jackie” Williams, a leading figure in the Section 529 college savings plan industry, is leaving her job as executive director of the Columbus-based Ohio Tuition Trust Authority to become director of New America Foundation’s College Savings Initiative, effective June 1.
