First Federal Bank, headquartered in Lake City, Florida, is expanding its retail mortgage operations into Louisiana and Mississippi with the acquisition of NOLA Lending Group.

The mutual bank signed a definitive agreement to purchase NOLA Lending, a mortgage division of Louisiana-based Fidelity Bank, it announced in a press release Monday. 

The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

"Our mission is to provide mortgages from a financially stable institution that is a great place to work and bank," First Federal President and CEO John Medina said in the release. "This acquisition underscores our commitment to the residential mortgage sector. We look forward to serving NOLA Lending Group mortgage customers with the same excellence they have come to expect from their team."

Under the agreement, First Federal will continue to serve Fidelity's mortgage customers from existing locations in Louisiana, such as Baton Rouge, Bossier City, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Mandeville, Metairie and New Orleans, along with Pensacola, Florida, McComb, Mississippi, and Ridgeland, Mississippi. First Federal has operations in Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin, with its headquarters in Lake City, Florida.

The bank also plans to retain most of NOLA Lending's employees and its branding.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with a partner that will continue to allow our talented and dedicated team to focus on delivering exceptional mortgage banking solutions to customers in our core markets," Fidelity Bank President and CEO Chris Ferris said in the release. "Fidelity Bank's strategic plan for 2026 includes a renewed focus on sound execution of banking, which will support shareholder value."

The acquisition gives customers access to additional digital tools and an expanded product offering. The platform is expected to transition to First Federal within 60 days of closing.

"The NOLA Lending team uses largely the same technology as First Federal, which will make the transition simple for employees and customers," said Doug Brendel, residential division president at First Federal.

This is the second mortgage division First Federal has acquired over the past three years. The bank bought BNC National Bank's mortgage assets in 2023, expanding its footprint into the Midwest and Arizona.

First Federal, with more than $4.1 billion in assets, is owned by its customers and has 27 branches in the Southeast and operations in the Midwest.