Bank notes: FirstBank’s window onto Nashville construction pipeline

Nashville’s community banks give the rest of us a partial glimpse into the state of commercial real estate around here. They fund a lot of owner-occupied projects as well as small and mid-sized buildings that speak to longer-term residential and commercial demand.

So it’s worth noting CEO Chris Holmes’ response on FB Financial’s second-quarter earnings conference call Tuesday when asked about the chances FirstBank’s construction loan portfolio — 14 percent of its book — could shrink soon. Holmes was sanguine and pointed out that, while a number of bigger customers have begun to draw on their credit lines this past quarter, others won’t start doing so until late this year.