Truist to boost hiring as Charlotte bank expands services for wealthy clients
Truist is unveiling an expanded focus aimed at high-wealth clients with significant assets offering dedicated support, tailored financial planning and banking perks.
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The Charlotte-based bank’s expansion also means hiring additional advisors, Truist said Tuesday.
Truist declined to disclose details about hiring targets and compensation, or how many advisors the bank employs. “We’re focused on attracting professionals who are passionate about building relationships and helping clients achieve their financial goals,” Truist told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.
Truist Premier targets customers with $100,000 or more in total assets with the Charlotte-based bank. It is designed to bridge the gap for everyday clients who need more than basic checking, but fall below the $1 million threshold required for traditional private wealth management, Truist said.
Truist’s rollout comes as major banks in Charlotte and nationally compete heavily to retain clients with growing balance sheets. Truist reported that deposit production has jumped 27% over the past year in this Premier tier.
Nearly all higher earners believe financial planning helps them reach their long-term goals, yet only 53% work with a professional advisor, according to research conducted by Truist.
Truist Premier aims to address that gap by pairing digital management tools with access to local advisors.
“Clients still value partnership and a personalized plan,” said Dontá Wilson, Truist’s chief consumer and small business banking officer.
Through Truist Premier, customers have access to planning, banking, borrowing and investment guidance with a relationship-based approach, according to the bank.
For Charlotte-area clients enrolled in Truist Premier, the primary features focus on expanded personal attention and upgraded account perks:
Truist also is redesigning branch layouts across its network to create dedicated spaces for sit-down consultations, while expanding AI-driven tools in its mobile app to provide real-time account insights.
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Charlotte’s hometown banking giants like Truist and Bank of America, as well as San Francisco’s Wells Fargo, are competing with aggressive out-of-state newcomers to capture clients.
Bank of America expanded its “Preferred” banking and wealth management segments. The bank has also widened its high-end options, introducing programs like its Alternative Investments Expanded Access Program to give wealth clients specialized access to private equity funds and emerging managers.
Holly O’Neill, Bank of America’s president of consumer, retail, and preferred banking, previously shared plans to open 150 new branches by 2027. O’Neill said physical branches remain critical for advisory conversations that apps and AI tools cannot duplicate.
At the same time, out-of-state competitor efforts are intensifying.
Ohio-based Huntington National Bank is in the middle of a massive Carolina expansion, committing to open 55 branches across the region by 2027, including locations in high-growth Charlotte hubs like SouthPark and South End. Huntington’s branches are being designed as smaller, intimate spaces tailored for conversational planning and wealth services rather than everyday transactions.
Even international institutions are betting big on Charlotte.
Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) is establishing its second U.S. headquarters in the Queen City with plans to hire 2,000 employees.
Truist has been sharpening its strategic focus on growth and performance.
Last year, Truist announced a five-year expansion plan with 100 new branches, enhanced digital tools and hiring more advisors to help customers with complex financial needs in its fast-growing affluent cities like Charlotte, Atlanta and Miami.
Clients are looking for a partner who grasps their objectives, assists with key financial choices, and adapts alongside them as their circumstances shift, said Scott Stearsman, head of Premier and branch banking at Truist.
Truist formed nearly seven years ago with the $66 billion merger of BB&T based in Winston-Salem and SunTrust Banks in Atlanta, and opened its new headquarters in Charlotte.
The bank has over 1,900 bank branches in 17 states, primarily in the Southeast as well as in Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Truist has about 40,000 employees companywide and more than 3,000 workers in the Charlotte area.
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Truist had $556 billion in total assets as of June 30.
This story was originally published August 27, 2026 at 5:05 AM.
