ex4-1.htm


Exhibit 4.1





 

ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

TO THE

RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

OF

FIRST GUARANTY BANCSHARES, INC.



 

Pursuant to Section 33 of the Louisiana Business Corporation Law and Article III, Section 3 of the Restated Articles of Incorporation, First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc., a Louisiana corporation (the “Corporation”), acting through its undersigned President and Secretary, does hereby
certify that the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to a duly called meeting of the Board of Directors on August 14, 2009, at which a quorum was present, duly adopted by unanimous vote resolutions approving an amendment to the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation to remove Article III, Section 4 of the Corporation’s Restated Articles of Incorporation and to replace Article III, Section 4 of the Corporation’s Restated Article of Incorporation with the following:





Section 4. Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A.  Pursuant
to the provisions of the Restated Articles of Incorporation and the bylaws of the Corporation and applicable law, a series of Preferred Stock, par value $1,000.00 per share, of the Corporation be and hereby is created, and the designation and
number of shares of such series, and the voting and other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, of the shares of such series, are as follows:





(a) Designation and Number of Shares. There is hereby created out of the authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock of the Corporation a series of preferred stock designated as the “Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual
Preferred Stock, Series A” (the “Designated Preferred Stock”). The authorized number of shares of Designated Preferred Stock shall be 2,070.





(b) Definitions. The following terms are used in this Article III, Section 4 (including the Standard Provisions in Article III, Section 4 (d) below):





(i) “Common Stock” means the common stock, par value $1.00 per
share, of the

Corporation.





(ii) “Dividend Payment Date” means February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15 of each year.





(iii) “Junior Stock” means the Common Stock and any other class or series of stock of the Corporation the terms of which expressly provide that it ranks junior to Designated Preferred Stock as to dividend rights and/or
as to rights on liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation.





(iv) “Liquidation Amount” means $10,000 per share of Designated Preferred Stock.





(v) “Minimum Amount” means $ 5,174,750.





(vi) “Parity Stock” means any class or series of stock of the Corporation (other than Designated Preferred Stock) the terms of which do not expressly provide that such class or series will rank senior or junior to Designated
Preferred Stock as to dividend rights and/or as to rights on liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation (in each case without regard to whether dividends accrue cumulatively or non-cumulatively). 





(vii) “Signing Date” means August 28, 2009.





(c) Certain Voting Matters. Holders of shares of Designated Preferred
Stock will be entitled to one vote for each such share on any matter on which holders of Designated Preferred Stock are entitled to vote, including any action by written consent.





(d) Standard Provisions.





(i) General Matters. Each share of Designated Preferred Stock shall be identical in all respects to every other share of Designated Preferred Stock. The Designated Preferred Stock shall be perpetual, subject to the provisions of
Article III, Section 4(d) (v). The Designated Preferred Stock shall rank equally with Parity Stock and shall rank senior to Junior Stock with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets in the event of any dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Corporation.





(ii) Standard Definitions. As used herein with respect to Designated Preferred 

Stock:





(1) “Applicable Dividend Rate” means (i) during the period from the Original Issue Date to, but excluding, the first day of the first Dividend Period commencing on or
after the fifth anniversary of the Original Issue Date, 5% per annum and (ii) from and after the first day of the first Dividend Period commencing on or after the fifth anniversary of the Original Issue Date, 9% per annum.





(2) “Appropriate Federal Banking Agency” means the “appropriate Federal banking agency” with respect to the Corporation as defined in Section 3(q) of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. Section 1813(q)), or any successor provision.





(3) “Business Combination” means a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar transaction that requires the approval of the Corporation’s stockholders.





(4) “Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York generally are authorized or required by law
or other governmental actions to close.





(5) “Bylaws” means the bylaws of the Corporation, as they may be amended from time to time.





(6) “Charter” means the Corporation’s certificate or articles of incorporation, articles of association, or similar organizational document.





(7) “Dividend Period” has the meaning set forth in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii) (1).





(8) “Dividend Record Date” has the meaning set forth in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii) (1).





(9) “Liquidation Preference” has the meaning set forth in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iv) (1).





(10) “Original Issue Date” means the date on which shares of Designated Preferred Stock are first issued.





(11) “Preferred Director” has the meaning set forth in Article III, Section 4 (d) (vii) (2).





(12) “Preferred Stock” means any and all series of preferred stock of the Corporation,

including the Designated Preferred Stock.





(13) “Qualified Equity Offering” means the sale and issuance for cash by the Corporation to persons other than the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries after the Original
Issue Date of shares of perpetual Preferred Stock, Common Stock or any combination of such stock, that, in each case, qualify as and may be included in Tier 1 capital of the Corporation at the time of issuance under the applicable risk-based capital guidelines of the Corporation’s Appropriate Federal Banking Agency (other than any such sales and issuances made pursuant to agreements or arrangements entered into, or pursuant to financing plans which were publicly announced, on or prior to November 17, 2008).





(14) “Standard Provisions” mean these Standard Provisions.





(15) “Successor Preferred Stock” has the meaning set forth in Article III, Section 4 (d) (v) (1).





(16) “Voting Parity Stock” means, with regard to any matter as to which the holders of Designated Preferred Stock are entitled to vote as specified in Article III, Section
4 (d) (vii) (1) and Article III, Section 4 (d) (vii) (2) of these Standard Provisions, any and all series of Parity Stock upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable with respect to such matter.





(iii) Dividends.





(1) Rate. Holders of Designated Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, on each share of Designated Preferred Stock if, as and when declared by the Board of Directors or any
duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors, but only out of assets legally available therefor, cumulative cash dividends with respect to each Dividend Period (as defined below) at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Dividend Rate on (i) the Liquidation Amount per share of Designated Preferred Stock and (ii) the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends for any prior Dividend Period on such share of Designated Preferred Stock, if any. Such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from the Original
Issue Date, shall compound on each subsequent Dividend Payment Date (i.e., no dividends shall accrue on other dividends unless and until the first Dividend Payment Date for such other dividends has passed without such other dividends having been paid on such date) and shall be payable quarterly in arrears on each Dividend Payment Date, commencing with the first such Dividend Payment Date to occur at least 20 calendar days after
the Original Issue Date. In the event that any Dividend Payment Date would otherwise fall on a day that is not a Business Day, the dividend payment due on that date will be postponed to the next day that is a Business Day and no additional dividends will accrue as a result of that postponement. The period from and including any Dividend Payment Date to, but excluding, the next Dividend Payment Date is a “Dividend Period”, provided that the initial Dividend Period shall be the period from and including
the Original Issue Date to, but excluding, the next Dividend Payment Date.





Dividends that are payable on Designated Preferred Stock in respect of any Dividend Period shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. The amount of dividends payable on Designated Preferred Stock on any date prior to the end of a Dividend Period, and
for the initial Dividend Period, shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, and actual days elapsed over a 30-day month.





Dividends that are payable on Designated Preferred Stock on any Dividend Payment Date will be payable to holders of record of Designated Preferred Stock as they appear on the stock register of the Corporation on the applicable record date, which shall be the 15th calendar day immediately preceding
such Dividend Payment Date or such other record date fixed by the Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors that is not more than 60 nor less than 10 days prior to such Dividend Payment Date (each, a “Dividend Record Date”). Any such day that is a Dividend Record Date shall be a Dividend Record Date whether or not such day is a Business Day.





Holders of Designated Preferred Stock shall not be entitled to any dividends, whether payable in cash, securities or other property, other than dividends (if any) declared and payable on Designated Preferred Stock as specified in this Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii) (1),  (subject
to the other provisions of this Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii)).





(2) Priority of Dividends. So long as any share of Designated Preferred Stock remains outstanding, no dividend or distribution shall be declared or paid on the Common Stock or any
other shares of Junior Stock (other than dividends payable solely in shares of Common Stock) or Parity Stock, subject to the immediately following paragraph in the case of Parity Stock, and no Common Stock, Junior Stock or Parity Stock shall be, directly or indirectly, purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired for consideration by the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries unless all accrued and unpaid dividends for all past Dividend Periods, including the latest completed Dividend Period (including, if applicable
as provided in Article III, Section 4(d)(iii)(1) above, dividends on such amount), on all outstanding shares of Designated Preferred Stock have been or are contemporaneously declared and paid in full (or have been declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof has been set aside for the benefit of the holders of shares of Designated Preferred Stock on the applicable record date). The foregoing limitation shall not apply to (i) redemptions, purchases or other acquisitions of shares of Common Stock or other
Junior Stock in connection with the administration of any employee benefit plan in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice; (ii) the acquisition by the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries of record ownership in Junior Stock or Parity Stock for the beneficial ownership of any other persons (other than the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries), including as trustees or custodians; and (iii) the exchange or conversion of Junior Stock for or into other Junior Stock or of Parity Stock
for or into other Parity Stock (with the same or lesser aggregate liquidation amount) or Junior Stock, in each case, solely to the extent required pursuant to binding contractual agreements entered into prior to the Signing Date or any subsequent agreement for the accelerated exercise, settlement or exchange thereof for Common Stock.





When dividends are not paid (or declared and a sum sufficient for payment thereof set aside for the benefit of the holders thereof on the applicable record date) on any Dividend Payment Date (or, in the case of Parity Stock having dividend payment dates different from the Dividend Payment Dates,
on a dividend payment date falling within a Dividend Period related to such Dividend Payment Date) in full upon Designated Preferred Stock and any shares of Parity Stock, all dividends declared on Designated Preferred Stock and all such Parity Stock and payable on such Dividend Payment Date (or, in the case of Parity Stock having dividend payment dates different from the Dividend Payment Dates, on a dividend payment date falling within the Dividend Period related to such Dividend Payment Date) shall be declared pro
rata so that the respective amounts of such dividends declared shall bear the same ratio to each other as all accrued and unpaid dividends per share on the shares of Designated Preferred Stock (including, if applicable as provided in Article III, Section 4(d)(iii)(1) above, dividends on such amount) and all Parity Stock payable on such Dividend Payment Date (or, in the case of Parity Stock having dividend payment dates different from the Dividend Payment Dates, on a dividend payment date falling within
the Dividend Period related to such Dividend Payment Date) (subject to their having been declared by the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors out of legally available funds and including, in the case of Parity Stock that bears cumulative dividends, all accrued but unpaid dividends) bear to each other. If the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors determines not to pay any dividend or a full dividend on a Dividend Payment Date, the Corporation
will provide written notice to the holders of Designated Preferred Stock prior to such Dividend Payment Date.





Subject to the foregoing, and not otherwise, such dividends (payable in cash, securities or other property) as may be determined by the Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors may be declared and paid on any securities, including Common Stock and other Junior
Stock, from time to time out of any funds legally available for such payment, and holders of Designated Preferred Stock shall not be entitled to participate in any such dividends.





(iv) Liquidation Rights.





(1) Voluntary or Involuntary Liquidation. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders
of Designated Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive for each share of Designated Preferred Stock, out of the assets of the Corporation or proceeds thereof (whether capital or surplus) available for distribution to stockholders of the Corporation, subject to the rights of any creditors of the Corporation, before any distribution of such assets or proceeds is made to or set aside for the holders of Common Stock and any other stock of the Corporation ranking junior to Designated Preferred Stock as to such
distribution, payment in full in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Liquidation Amount per share and (ii) the amount of any accrued and unpaid dividends (including, if applicable as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii)(1) above, dividends on such amount), whether or not declared, to the date of payment (such amounts collectively, the “Liquidation Preference”).





(2) Partial Payment. If in any distribution described in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iv)(1) above the assets of the Corporation or proceeds thereof are not sufficient to pay in full
the amounts payable with respect to all outstanding shares of Designated Preferred Stock and the corresponding amounts payable with respect of any other stock of the Corporation ranking equally with Designated Preferred Stock as to such distribution, holders of Designated Preferred Stock and the holders of such other stock shall share ratably in any such distribution in proportion to the full respective distributions to which they are entitled.





(3) Residual Distributions. If the Liquidation Preference has been paid in full to all holders of Designated Preferred Stock and the corresponding amounts payable with respect of
any other stock of the Corporation ranking equally with Designated Preferred Stock as to such distribution has been paid in full, the holders of other stock of the Corporation shall be entitled to receive all remaining assets of the Corporation (or proceeds thereof) according to their respective rights and preferences.





(4) Merger, Consolidation and Sale of Assets Not Liquidation. For purposes of this Article III, Section 4 (d) (iv), the merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any other
corporation or other entity, including a merger or consolidation in which the holders of Designated Preferred Stock receive cash, securities or other property for their shares, or the sale, lease or exchange (for cash, securities or other property) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, shall not constitute a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation.





(v) Redemption.





(1) Optional Redemption. Except as provided below, the Designated Preferred Stock may not be redeemed prior to the first Dividend Payment Date falling on or after the third anniversary
of the Original Issue Date. On or after the first Dividend Payment Date falling on or after the third anniversary of the Original Issue Date, the Corporation, at its option, subject to the approval of the Appropriate Federal Banking Agency, may redeem, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time, out of funds legally available therefor, the shares of Designated Preferred Stock at the time outstanding, upon notice given as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (v)(3) below, at a redemption price equal
to the sum of (i) the Liquidation Amount per share and (ii) except as otherwise provided below, any accrued and unpaid dividends (including, if applicable as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii)(1) above, dividends on such amount) (regardless of whether any dividends are actually declared) to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption.





Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to the first Dividend Payment Date falling on or after the third anniversary of the Original Issue Date, the Corporation, at its option, subject to the approval of the Appropriate Federal Banking Agency, may redeem, in whole or in part, at any time and from
time to time, the shares of Designated Preferred Stock at the time outstanding, upon notice given as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (v)(3) below, at a redemption price equal to the sum of (i) the Liquidation Amount per share and (ii) except as otherwise provided below, any accrued and unpaid dividends (including, if applicable as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii)(1) above, dividends on such amount) (regardless of whether any dividends are actually declared) to, but excluding, the date fixed
for redemption; provided that (x) the Corporation (or any successor by Business Combination) has received aggregate gross proceeds of not less than the Minimum Amount (plus the “Minimum Amount” as defined in the relevant certificate of designations for each other outstanding series of preferred stock of such successor that was originally issued to the United States Department of the Treasury (the “Successor
Preferred Stock”) in connection with the Troubled Asset Relief Program Capital Purchase Program) from one or more Qualified Equity Offerings (including Qualified Equity Offerings of such successor), and (y) the aggregate redemption price of the Designated Preferred Stock (and any Successor Preferred Stock) redeemed pursuant to this paragraph may not exceed the aggregate net cash proceeds received by the Corporation (or any successor by Business Combination) from such Qualified Equity Offerings (including
Qualified Equity Offerings of such successor).





The redemption price for any shares of Designated Preferred Stock shall be payable on the redemption date to the holder of such shares against surrender of the certificate(s) evidencing such shares to the Corporation or its agent. Any declared but unpaid dividends payable on a redemption date
that occurs subsequent to the Dividend Record Date for a Dividend Period shall not be paid to the holder entitled to receive the redemption price on the redemption date, but rather shall be paid to the holder of record of the redeemed shares on such Dividend Record Date relating to the Dividend Payment Date as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii) (1) above.





(2) No Sinking Fund. The Designated Preferred Stock will not be subject to any mandatory redemption, sinking fund or other similar provisions. Holders of Designated Preferred Stock
will have no right to require redemption or repurchase of any shares of Designated Preferred Stock.





(3) Notice of Redemption. Notice of every redemption of shares of Designated Preferred Stock shall be given by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the holders of record
of the shares to be redeemed at their respective last addresses appearing on the books of the Corporation. Such mailing shall be at least 30 days and not more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption. Any notice mailed as provided in this Subsection shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the holder receives such notice, but failure duly to give such notice by mail, or any defect in such notice or in the mailing thereof, to any holder of shares of Designated Preferred Stock
designated for redemption shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other shares of Designated Preferred Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if shares of Designated Preferred Stock are issued in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company or any other similar facility, notice of redemption may be given to the holders of Designated Preferred Stock at such time and in any manner permitted by such facility. Each notice of redemption given to a holder shall state: (1) the
redemption date; (2) the number of shares of Designated Preferred Stock to be redeemed and, if less than all the shares held by such holder are to be redeemed, the number of such shares to be redeemed from such holder; (3) the redemption price; and (4) the place or places where certificates for such shares are to be surrendered for payment of the redemption price.





(4) Partial Redemption. In case of any redemption of part of the shares of Designated Preferred Stock at the time outstanding, the shares to be redeemed shall be selected either pro
rata or in such other manner as the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof may determine to be fair and equitable. Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof shall have full power and authority to prescribe the terms and
conditions upon which shares of Designated Preferred Stock shall be redeemed from time to time. If fewer than all the shares represented by any certificate are redeemed, a new certificate shall be issued representing the unredeemed shares without charge to the holder thereof.





(5) Effectiveness of Redemption. If notice of redemption has been duly given and if on or before the redemption date specified in the notice all funds necessary for the redemption
have been deposited by the Corporation, in trust for the pro rata benefit of the holders of the shares called for redemption, with a bank or trust company doing business in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, and having a capital and surplus of at least $500 million and selected by the Board of Directors, so as to be and continue to be available solely therefor, then, notwithstanding that any certificate for any
share so called for redemption has not been surrendered for cancellation, on and after the redemption date dividends shall cease to accrue on all shares so called for redemption, all shares so called for redemption shall no longer be deemed outstanding and all rights with respect to such shares shall forthwith on such redemption date cease and terminate, except only the right of the holders thereof to receive the amount payable on such redemption from such bank or trust company, without interest. Any funds unclaimed
at the end of three years from the redemption date shall, to the extent permitted by law, be released to the Corporation, after which time the holders of the shares so called for redemption shall look only to the Corporation for payment of the redemption price of such shares.





(6) Status of Redeemed Shares. Shares of Designated Preferred Stock that are redeemed, repurchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation shall revert to authorized but unissued
shares of Preferred Stock (provided that any such cancelled shares of Designated Preferred Stock may be reissued only as shares of any series of Preferred Stock other than Designated Preferred

Stock).





(vi) Conversion. Holders of Designated Preferred Stock shares shall have no right to exchange or convert such shares into any other securities.





(vii) Voting Rights.





(1) General. The holders of Designated Preferred Stock shall not have any voting rights except as set forth below or as otherwise from time to time required by law.





(2) Preferred Stock Directors. Whenever, at any time or times, dividends payable on the shares of Designated Preferred Stock have not been paid for an aggregate of six quarterly
Dividend Periods or more, whether or not consecutive, the authorized number of directors of the Corporation shall automatically be increased by two and the holders of the Designated Preferred Stock shall have the right, with holders of shares of any one or more other classes or series of Voting Parity Stock outstanding at the time, voting together as a class, to elect two directors (hereinafter the “Preferred Directors” and
each a “Preferred Director”) to fill such newly created directorships at the Corporation’s next annual meeting of stockholders (or at a special meeting called for that purpose prior to such next annual meeting) and at each subsequent annual meeting of stockholders until all accrued and unpaid dividends for all past Dividend
Periods, including the latest completed Dividend Period (including, if applicable as provided in Article III, Section 4 (d) (iii) (1) above, dividends on such amount), on all outstanding shares of Designated Preferred Stock have been declared and paid in full at which time such right shall terminate with respect to the Designated Preferred Stock, except as herein or by law expressly provided, subject to revesting in the event of each and every subsequent default of the character above mentioned; provided that
it shall be a qualification for election for any Preferred Director that the election of such Preferred Director shall not cause the Corporation to violate any corporate governance requirements of any securities exchange or other trading facility on which securities of the Corporation may then be listed or traded that listed or traded companies must have a majority of independent directors. Upon any termination of the right of the holders of shares of Designated Preferred Stock and Voting Parity Stock as a class
to vote for directors as provided above, the Preferred Directors shall cease to be qualified as directors, the term of office of all Preferred Directors then in office shall terminate immediately and the authorized number of directors shall be reduced by the number of Preferred Directors elected pursuant hereto. Any Preferred Director may be removed at any time, with or without cause, and any vacancy created thereby may be filled, only by the affirmative vote of the holders a majority of the shares of Designated
Preferred Stock at the time outstanding voting separately as a class together with the holders of shares of Voting Parity Stock, to the extent the voting rights of such holders described above are then exercisable. If the office of any Preferred Director becomes vacant for any reason other than removal from office as aforesaid, the remaining Preferred Director may choose a successor who shall hold office for the unexpired term in respect of which such vacancy occurred.





(3) Class Voting Rights as to Particular Matters. So long as any shares of Designated Preferred Stock are outstanding, in addition to any other vote or consent of stockholders required
by law or by the Charter, the vote or consent of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the shares of Designated Preferred Stock at the time outstanding, voting as a separate class, given in person or by proxy, either in writing without a meeting or by vote at any meeting called for the purpose, shall be necessary for effecting or validating:





(A) Authorization of Senior Stock. Any amendment or alteration of the Charter to authorize or create or increase the authorized amount of, or any issuance of, any shares of, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or
exercisable for shares of, any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation ranking senior to Designated Preferred Stock with respect to either or both the payment of dividends and/or the distribution of assets on any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation;





(B) Amendment of Designated Preferred Stock. Any amendment, alteration or repeal of any provision of the Charter (including, unless no vote on such merger or consolidation is required by Article III, Section 4 (d) (vii) (3) (A)
below, any amendment, alteration or repeal by means of a merger, consolidation or otherwise) so as to adversely affect the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers of the Designated Preferred Stock; or





(C) Share Exchanges, Reclassifications, Mergers and Consolidations. Any consummation of a binding share exchange or reclassification involving the Designated Preferred Stock, or of a merger or consolidation of the Corporation
with another corporation or other entity, unless in each case (x) the shares of Designated Preferred Stock remain outstanding or, in the case of any such merger or consolidation with respect to which the Corporation is not the surviving or resulting entity, are converted into or exchanged for preference securities of the surviving or resulting entity or its ultimate parent, and (y) such shares remaining outstanding or such preference securities, as the case may be, have such rights, preferences, privileges and
voting powers, and limitations and restrictions thereof, taken as a whole, as are not materially less favorable to the holders thereof than the rights, preferences, privileges and voting powers, and limitations and restrictions thereof, of Designated Preferred Stock immediately prior to such consummation, taken as a whole;





provided, however, that for all purposes of this Article III, Section 4 (d) (vii) (3), any increase in the amount of the authorized Preferred Stock, including any increase
in the authorized amount of Designated Preferred Stock necessary to satisfy preemptive or similar rights granted by the Corporation to other persons prior to the Signing Date, or the creation and issuance, or an increase in the authorized or issued amount, whether pursuant to preemptive or similar rights or otherwise, of any other series of Preferred Stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any other series of Preferred Stock, ranking equally with and/or junior to Designated
Preferred Stock with respect to the payment of dividends (whether such dividends are cumulative or non-cumulative) and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation will not be deemed to adversely affect the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers, and shall not require the affirmative vote or consent of, the holders of outstanding shares of the Designated Preferred Stock.





(4) Changes after Provision for Redemption. No vote or consent of the holders of Designated Preferred Stock shall be required pursuant to Section 4 (d) (vii) (3) above if, at or
prior to the time when any such vote or consent would otherwise be required pursuant to such Section, all outstanding shares of the Designated Preferred Stock shall have been redeemed, or shall have been called for redemption upon proper notice and sufficient funds shall have been deposited in trust for such redemption, in each case pursuant to Article III, Section 4(d)(v) above.





(5) Procedures for Voting and Consents. The rules and procedures for calling and conducting any meeting of the holders of Designated Preferred Stock (including, without limitation,
the fixing of a record date in connection therewith), the solicitation and use of proxies at such a meeting, the obtaining of written consents and any other aspect or matter with regard to such a meeting or such consents shall be governed by any rules of the Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors, in its discretion, may adopt from time to time, which rules and procedures shall conform to the requirements of the Charter, the Bylaws, and applicable law and the rules of any
national securities exchange or other trading facility on which Designated Preferred Stock is listed or traded at the time.





(viii) Record Holders. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Corporation and the transfer agent for Designated Preferred Stock may deem and treat the record holder of any share of Designated Preferred Stock as
the true and lawful owner thereof for all purposes, and neither the Corporation nor such transfer agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.





(ix) Notices. All notices or communications in respect of Designated Preferred Stock shall be sufficiently given if given in writing and delivered in person or by first class mail, postage prepaid, or if given in such other manner
as may be permitted in this Article III, Section 4, in the Charter or Bylaws or by applicable law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if shares of Designated Preferred Stock are issued in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company or any similar facility, such notices may be given to the holders of Designated Preferred Stock in any manner permitted by such facility.





(x) No Preemptive Rights. No share of Designated Preferred Stock shall have any rights of preemption whatsoever as to any securities of the Corporation, or any warrants, rights or options issued or granted with respect thereto,
regardless of how such securities, or such warrants, rights or options, may be designated, issued or granted.





(xi) Replacement Certificates. The Corporation shall replace any mutilated certificate at the holder’s expense upon surrender of that certificate to the Corporation. The Corporation shall replace certificates that become
destroyed, stolen or lost at the holder’s expense upon delivery to the Corporation of reasonably satisfactory evidence that the certificate has been destroyed, stolen or lost, together with any indemnity that may be reasonably required by the Corporation.





(xii) Other Rights. The shares of Designated Preferred Stock shall not have any rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers or relative, participating, optional or other special rights, or qualifications, limitations or restrictions
thereof, other than as set forth herein or in the Charter or as provided by applicable law.









































These Articles of Amendment are executed as of the 28th day of August, 2009.





FIRST GUARANTY BANCSHARES, INC.









By:             /s/ Michael R. Sharp

Name:Michael R. Sharp

Title:  President and Chief Executive Officer









By:       /s/ Michele E. LoBianco

Name:Michele E. LoBianco

Title:  Secretary