# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001689731
**File Stem:** 0001628280-23-004603
**Filing Date:** 2023-2
**Character Count:** 10548
**Document Hash:** 9e80039138b20fed0f6860f5787184eb
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001628280-23-004603.hdr.sgml**: 20230222

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001628280-23-004603

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 8-K

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 15

**CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT**: 20230215

**ITEM INFORMATION**: Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers: Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

**ITEM INFORMATION**: Financial Statements and Exhibits

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20230222

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20230222

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Southern States Bancshares, Inc.
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001689731
- **STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:** STATE COMMERCIAL BANKS [6022]
- **IRS NUMBER:** 262518085
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** AL
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 8-K
- **SEC ACT:** 1934 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 001-40727
- **FILM NUMBER:** 23654461

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 615 QUINTARD AVENUE
- **CITY:** ANNISTON
- **STATE:** AL
- **ZIP:** 36201
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 205-820-8065

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 615 QUINTARD AVENUE
- **CITY:** ANNISTON
- **STATE:** AL
- **ZIP:** 36201

?xml version="1.0" ? ssbk-20230215

**UNITED STATES**

**SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION**

**WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549**

___________________________

**FORM 8-K**

___________________________

**CURRENT REPORT**

**PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)**

**OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934**

**Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 15, 2023**

___________________________

![ssbk-20230215_g1.jpg](ssbk-20230215_g1.jpg)

**Southern States Bancshares, Inc.**

**(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)**

___________________________

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Alabama** | **001-40727** | **26-2518085** |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction <br>of Incorporation) | (Commission <br>File Number) | (IRS Employer<br> Identification No.) |
| **615 Quintard Ave.** |  |  |
| **Anniston, AL** |  | **36201** |
| **(Address of Principal Executive Offices)** |  | **(Zip Code)** |

---

**Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (256) 241-1092**

**Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:**

___________________________

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **<u>Title of each class</u>** | **Trading** <br>**<u>Symbols(s)</u>** | **Name of exchange** <br>**<u>on which registered</u>** |
| **Common Stock, $5.00 par value** | **SSBK** | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC** |

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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e 4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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**Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.** 

On February 15, 2023, the board of directors (the "Board") of Southern States Bancshares, Inc. (the "Company") appointed Christine Hunsaker, Daniel A. Cummings and Jonathan Hinton to serve as directors of the Company effective February 15, 2023. Ms. Hunsaker, and Messrs. Cummings and Hinton will stand for re-election at the Company's 2023 annual meeting of shareholders. Ms. Hunsaker and Messrs. Cummings and Hinton have not been appointed to any committees of the Board at this time. The Company will file an amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days of the appointment of Ms. Hunsaker or Messrs. Cummings or Hinton to any committee of the Board.

There is no arrangement or understanding between Ms. Hunsaker or Messrs. Cummings or Hinton and any other person pursuant to which they were selected as directors of the Company, and there is no family relationship between Ms. Hunsaker or Messrs. Cummings or Hinton and any of the Company's other directors or executive officers. The Board has determined that Ms. Hunsaker and Mr. Hinton are independent under the applicable listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market and that Mr. Cummings is not independent under the applicable listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Ms. Hunsaker and Messrs. Cummings and Hinton do not have a material interest in any transaction that is required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K, other than deposits, loans, and other financial services related transactions with Southern States Bank (the "Bank") made in the ordinary course of business, on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral (where applicable), as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with persons not related to the Company or Bank, and do not involve more than a normal risk of collectability or present other features unfavorable to the Bank.

Ms. Hunsaker and Messrs. Cummings and Hinton will participate in the Company's non-employee director compensation program. A complete description of the Company's non-employee director compensation program is set forth in the Company's proxy statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2022.

**Item 9.01.**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Financial Statements and Exhibits.**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d)Exhibits

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Exhibit <br>No.** | **Description** |
| 99.1 | <u>[Press Release issued by Sout](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)[hern States Bancshares, In](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)[c](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)[, dated February](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)[22](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)[, 2023](ssbkpressrelease-newdirect.htm)</u> |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

**SIGNATURE**

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Dated: February 22, 2023 | **SOUTHERN STATES BANCSHARES, INC.** | **SOUTHERN STATES BANCSHARES, INC.** |
|  | By: | /s/ Lynn Joyce |
|  | Name: | Lynn Joyce |
|  | Title: | Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |

---

## Exhibit 99.1

![image_0.jpg](image_0.jpg)

**Southern States Bancshares, Inc. Announces Appointment of Three Directors, Deepening Board Experience in High-Growth Atlanta Region** 

ANNISTON, Ala., February 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Southern States Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSBK) ("Southern States" or the "Company"), the holding company for Southern States Bank, an Alabama state-chartered commercial bank (the "Bank"), today announced the appointment of three new directors, increasing the total number of independent directors to eight and the total number of directors to thirteen. Each new director also joined the Board of Southern States Bank.

Jonathan Hinton, Christine Hunsaker and Andy Cummings collectively bring decades of business, finance and real estate experience to the Southern States Board of Directors, adding leadership depth as the Bank gains scale and deepens its presence across key Southern markets. Importantly, all three are based in the Atlanta metropolitan area, a key growth market for Southern States over the past two years and one expected to play an important role in the Bank's future expansion efforts.

Hinton is the founder and CEO of RavenVolt, now a subsidiary of ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM). RavenVolt designs and builds turn-key microgrid projects across the United States. The company focuses on solar, battery, fuel cell, diesel and natural gas microgrids at national retailers, industrials, utilities and water treatment plants.

Hunsaker is the founder and president of Hunsaker Partners, a funeral services company that owns and operates cemeteries, funeral homes and crematories throughout Greater Atlanta. She is a veteran of the industry and previously held senior executive positions at leading funeral service companies.

Cummings has been a commercial real estate investor for more than 20 years in the Atlanta area. Earlier in his career, he worked for a regional financial institution, where he was responsible for the placement of more than $1 billion in debt and equity financing with local, regional, and national real estate operators.

"Each of our new directors bring exceptional leadership skills and significant management experience that will be of tremendous value to our Board as we continue to grow the franchise," said Stephen Whatley, Chairman and CEO of Southern States. "We look forward to their valuable insights and perspectives."

**About Southern States Bancshares, Inc.**

Headquartered in Anniston, Alabama, Southern States Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that operates primarily through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Southern States Bank. The Bank is a full service community banking institution, which offers an array of deposit, loan and other banking-related products and services to businesses and individuals in its communities. The Bank operates 13 branches in Alabama and Georgia and two loan production offices in Atlanta.

**Contact Information:** 

Lynn Joyce

(205) 820-8065

ljoyce@ssbank.bank

Kevin Dobbs

(310) 622-8245

ssbankir@finprofiles.com

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