EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 351569
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 351569_10-K_2025_0000351569-25-000006.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
We are a financial holding company whose business is conducted primarily through our wholly owned banking subsidiary, Ameris Bank (the “Bank”), which provides a full range of banking services to its retail and commercial customers who are primarily concentrated in select markets in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Company’s executive office is located at 3490 Piedmont Road N.E., Suite 1550, Atlanta, Georgia 30305, our telephone number is (404) 639-6500 and our internet address is www.amerisbank.com. We operate 164 full-service domestic banking offices. We do not operate in any foreign countries. At December 31, 2024, we had approximately $26.26 billion in total assets, $21.27 billion in total loans, $21.72 billion in total deposits and $3.75 billion of shareholders’ equity. Our deposits are insured, up to applicable limits, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”).
We make our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act available free of charge on our website at www.amerisbank.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the SEC. These reports are also available without charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
The Parent Company
Our primary business as a bank holding company is to manage the business and affairs of the Bank. As a bank holding company, we perform certain shareholder and investor relations functions and seek to provide financial support, if necessary, to the Bank.
Ameris Bank
Our principal subsidiary is the Bank, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and operates branches primarily concentrated in select markets in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. These branches serve distinct communities in our business areas with autonomy but do so as one bank, leveraging our favorable geographic footprint in an effort to acquire more customers.
Strategy
We seek to increase our presence and grow the “Ameris” brand in the markets that we currently serve in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina and in neighboring communities that present attractive opportunities for expansion. Management has pursued this objective through a prudent operating and growth strategy. Our community banking philosophy emphasizes personalized service and building broad and deep customer relationships, which has historically provided us with a substantial base of low cost core deposits. Our markets are managed by senior level, experienced decision makers in a decentralized structure that differentiates us from our larger competitors. Management believes that this structure, along with involvement in and knowledge of our local markets, will continue to provide growth and assist in managing risk throughout our Company.
We have maintained our focus on a long-term strategy of expanding and diversifying our franchise in terms of revenues, profitability and asset size. Our growth historically has been enhanced significantly through both organic growth and acquisitions. We expect to continue to enhance our franchise through prudent acquisition activity when appropriate opportunities arise, and we intend to continue to prioritize organic growth in our business lines as well.
BANKING SERVICES
Lending Activities
General. The Company maintains a diversified loan portfolio by providing a broad range of commercial and retail lending services to business entities and individuals. We provide agricultural loans, commercial business loans, commercial and
residential real estate construction and mortgage loans, consumer loans, revolving lines of credit and letters of credit. The Company also originates first mortgage residential mortgage loans and generally enters into a commitment to sell these loans in the secondary market. In addition, the Company may buy loan participations or portions of national credits from time to time. We have not made or participated in foreign, energy-related or subprime loans.
At December 31, 2024, our loan portfolio totaled approximately $21.27 billion, representing approximately 81.0% of our total assets. For additional discussion of our loan portfolio, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Loans.”
Commercial Real Estate Loans. This portion of our loan portfolio has grown significantly over the past few years and represents the largest segment of our loan portfolio. Commercial real estate loans include loans secured by owner-occupied commercial buildings for office, storage, retail, farmland and warehouse space. They also include multifamily residential properties and non-owner occupied commercial buildings such as leased retail and office space. These loans also include extensions for the acquisition, development or construction of commercial properties. The loans are underwritten with an emphasis on the viability of the project, the borrower’s ability to meet certain minimum debt service requirements and an analysis and review of the collateral and guarantors, if any.
Residential Real Estate Mortgage Loans. Ameris originates adjustable and fixed-rate residential mortgage loans. These mortgage loans are generally originated under terms and conditions consistent with secondary market guidelines. Some of these loans will be placed in the Company’s loan portfolio; however, a majority are sold in the secondary market. The residential real estate mortgage loans that are included in the Company’s loan portfolio are usually owner-occupied and generally amortized over a 20- to 30-year period with three- to five-year maturity or repricing.
Commercial and Industrial Loans. Generally, commercial and industrial loans consist of loans made primarily to manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of goods, service companies, municipalities and other industries. These loans are made for acquisition, expansion, working capital and equipment financing and may be secured by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, personal guarantees or other assets. The Company monitors these loans by requesting submission of corporate and personal financial statements and income tax returns. The Company has also generated loans which are guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). SBA loans are generally underwritten in the same manner as conventional loans generated for the Bank’s portfolio. Periodically, a portion of the loans that are secured by the guaranty of the SBA will be sold in the secondary market. Management believes that making such loans helps the local community and also provides Ameris with a source of income and solid future lending relationships as such businesses grow and prosper. During 2021 and 2020, the Company participated in the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program, a temporary product under the SBA's 7(a) loan program created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The primary repayment risk for commercial loans is the failure of the business due to economic or financial factors. The Company also originates, administers and services commercial insurance premium finance loans made to borrowers throughout the United States.
Consumer Loans. Our consumer loans include home improvement, home equity, motor vehicle, loans secured by savings accounts and personal credit lines. The terms of these loans typically range from 12 to 240 months and vary based upon the nature of collateral and size of the loan. These loans are generally secured by various assets owned by the consumer.
Agricultural Loans. Our agricultural loans are extended to finance crop production, the purchase of farm-related equipment or farmland and the operations of dairies, poultry producers, livestock producers and timber growers. Agricultural loans typically involve seasonal balance fluctuations. Although we typically look to an agricultural borrower’s cash flow as the principal source of repayment, agricultural loans are also generally secured by a security interest in the crops or the farm-related equipment and, in some cases, an assignment of crop insurance and mortgage on real estate. The lending officer visits the borrower regularly during the growing season and re-evaluates the loan in light of the borrower’s updated cash flow projections. A portion of our agricultural loans is guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency Guaranteed Loan Program.
Credit Administration
We have sought to maintain a comprehensive lending policy that meets the credit needs of each of the communities served by the Bank, including low and moderate-income customers, and to employ lending procedures and policies consistent with this approach. All loans are subject to our corporate loan policy and financing guide, which are reviewed annually and updated as needed. Our lending policy requires, among other things, an analysis of the borrower's projected cash flow and ability to service the debt. The loan policy provides that lending officers have sole authority to approve loans of various amounts commensurate with their seniority, experience and needs within the market. Our local market presidents have discretion to approve loans in varying principal amounts up to established limits, and our regional credit officers review and approve loans that exceed such limits.
Individual lending authority is assigned by the Company’s Chief Credit Officer, as is the maximum limit of new extensions of credit that may be approved in each market. These approval limits are reviewed annually by the Company and adjusted as needed. All requests for extensions of credit in excess of any of these limits are reviewed by either a market or regional credit officer as appropriate. When the request for approval exceeds the authority level of the market or regional credit officer, the approval of the Company’s Chief Credit Officer and/or the Company’s loan committee is required. All new loans or modifications to existing loans in excess of $500,000 are reviewed monthly by the Company’s Credit Administration Department with the lender responsible for the credit. In addition, our ongoing loan review program subjects the portfolio to sampling and objective review by our ongoing internal loan review process which is independent of the originating loan officer.
Each lending officer has authority to make loans only in the market area in which his or her Bank office is located and its contiguous counties. Occasionally, our loan committee will approve making a loan outside of the market areas of the Bank, provided the Bank has a prior relationship with the borrower. Our lending policy requires analysis of the borrower’s projected cash flow and ability to service the debt.
The Bank originates loans outside of our market areas through our national lines of business, including equipment finance, premium finance and government guaranteed lending.
We actively market our services to qualified lending customers in both the commercial and consumer sectors. Our commercial lending officers actively solicit the business of new companies entering the market as well as longstanding members of that market’s business community. Through personalized professional service and competitive pricing, we have been successful in attracting new commercial lending customers. At the same time, we actively advertise our consumer loan products and continually seek to make our lending officers more accessible.
The Bank continually monitors its loan portfolio to identify areas of concern and to enable management to take corrective action when necessary. Local market presidents and lending officers meet periodically to review all past due loans, the status of large loans and certain other credit or economic related matters. Individual lending officers are responsible for collection of past due amounts and monitoring any changes in the financial status of the borrowers. Loans that are serviced by others, such as certain residential mortgage loans, are monitored by the Company’s credit officers, although ultimate collection of past due amounts is the responsibility of the servicing agents.
Investment Activities
Our investment policy is designed to maximize income from funds not needed to meet loan demand in a manner consistent with appropriate liquidity and risk management objectives. Under this policy, our Company may invest in U.S. Treasury obligations, securities issued by U.S. government-sponsored agencies, state and municipal obligations, mortgage-backed securities, corporate obligations and satisfactorily-rated trust preferred obligations. Investments in our portfolio must satisfy certain quality criteria. Our Company’s investments must be “investment-grade” as determined by a nationally recognized investment rating service. Investment securities where the Company has determined a certain level of credit risk are periodically reviewed to determine the financial condition of the issuer and to support the Company’s decision to continue holding the security. Our Company may purchase non-rated municipal bonds only if the issuer of such bonds is located in the Company’s general market area and such bonds are determined by the Company to have a credit risk no greater than the minimum ratings referred to above. Traditionally, the Company has purchased and held investment securities with very high levels of credit quality, favoring investments backed by direct or indirect guarantees of the U.S. government.
While our asset/liability management policy permits our Company to trade securities to improve the quality of yields or marketability or to realign the composition of the portfolio, the Bank historically has not done so to any significant extent.
Our Asset and Liability Committee (the “ALCO Committee”) implements the investment policy and portfolio strategies and monitors the portfolio. Reports on all purchases, sales, net profits or losses and market appreciation or depreciation of the bond portfolio are reviewed by our board of directors (the “Board”) each quarter. The written investment policy is reviewed annually by the Board and updated as needed.
The Company’s securities are held in safekeeping accounts at approved correspondent banks
Deposits
The Company provides a full range of deposit accounts and services to both retail and commercial customers. These deposit accounts have a variety of interest rates and terms and consist of interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts, including
commercial and retail checking accounts, regular interest-bearing savings accounts, money market accounts, individual retirement accounts and certificates of deposit. Our Bank obtains most of its deposits from individuals and businesses in its market areas.
Brokered deposits are deposits obtained by utilizing an outside broker that is paid a fee. The Bank utilizes brokered deposits to accomplish several purposes, such as (i) acquiring a certain maturity and dollar amount without repricing the Bank’s current customers which could increase or decrease the overall cost of deposits and (ii) acquiring certain maturities and dollar amounts to help manage interest rate risk.
Other Funding Sources
The Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) allows the Company to obtain advances through its credit program. These advances are secured by securities owned by the Company and held in safekeeping by the FHLB, FHLB stock owned by the Company and certain qualifying loans secured by real estate, including residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit and commercial real estate loans. The Company maintains credit arrangements with various other financial institutions to purchase federal funds. The Company participates in the Federal Reserve discount window borrowings program.
On September 28, 2020, the Company completed the public offering and sale of $110.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 3.875% Fixed-To-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030. The subordinated notes were sold to the public at par. The subordinated notes will mature on October 1, 2030 and through September 30, 2025 will bear a fixed rate of interest of 3.875% per annum. Beginning October 1, 2025, the interest rate on the subordinated notes resets quarterly to a floating rate per annum equal to the then-current three-month SOFR plus 3.753%.
On December 6, 2019, the Company completed the public offering and sale of $120.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 4.25% Fixed-To-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2029. The subordinated notes were sold to the public at par. The subordinated notes were scheduled to mature on December 15, 2029 and through December 14, 2024 bore a fixed rate of interest of 4.25% per annum. Beginning December 15, 2024, the interest rate on the subordinated notes was to reset quarterly to a floating rate per annum equal to the then-current three-month SOFR plus 2.94%. During 2024 and 2023, the Company repurchased on the open market and redeemed $2.3 million and $12.0 million, respectively, in aggregate principal of the 2029 subordinated notes. The Company elected to redeem all the outstanding notes on December 16, 2024.
The Company has long-term subordinated deferrable interest debentures with a net book carrying value of $132.3 million as of December 31, 2024. The majority of these trust preferred securities were assumed as liabilities in previous whole bank acquisitions.
The Company may also enter into repurchase agreements. These repurchase agreements are treated as short-term borrowings and are reflected on the Company’s balance sheet as such.
MARKET AREAS AND COMPETITION
The banking industry in general, and in the southeastern United States specifically, is highly competitive and dramatic changes continue to occur throughout the industry. While our select market areas in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina have experienced strong population growth in recent decades, intense market demands, national and local economic pressures, including a higher interest rate environment, and increased customer awareness of product and service differences among financial institutions have forced banks to diversify their services and become much more cost effective. Over the past few years, our Bank has faced strong competition in attracting deposits at profitable levels. Competition for deposits comes from other commercial banks, thrift institutions, savings banks, internet banks, credit unions, and brokerage and investment banking firms. Interest rates, online banking capabilities, convenience of office locations and marketing are all significant factors in our Bank’s competition for deposits.
Competition for loans comes from other commercial banks, thrift institutions, savings banks, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, credit unions, mortgage companies, leasing companies and other institutional and non-traditional lenders. In order to remain competitive, our Bank has varied interest rates and loan fees to some degree as well as increased the number and complexity of services provided. We have not varied or altered our underwriting standards in any material respect in response to competitor willingness to do so and in some markets have not been able to experience the growth in loans that we would have preferred. Competition is affected by the general availability of lendable funds, general and local economic conditions, current interest rate levels and other factors that are not readily predictable.
Competition among providers of financial products and services continues to increase with consumers having the opportunity to select from a growing variety of traditional and nontraditional alternatives, including FinTech firms. While technological innovation has been central to the development of the financial services industry and to our strategy, tech firms increasingly compete directly with banks for a variety of financial product offerings. Management expects that competition will become more intense in the future due to changes in state and federal laws and regulations and the entry of additional bank and non-bank competitors. Further, the industry continues to consolidate, which affects competition by eliminating some regional and local institutions, while strengthening the franchise of acquirers. See “Supervision and Regulation” under this Item.
HUMAN CAPITAL
At Ameris, we consider our teammates to be our greatest strength. At December 31, 2024, the Company employed 2,691 full-time-equivalent employees, primarily located in our core markets of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.
We take pride in listening to our employees, welcoming unique perspectives, supporting personal and professional growth and developing natural strengths. For example, each year the Company administers an employee engagement survey to gather meaningful insights and data which is used as we continue to make improvements at Ameris and build upon our strong culture. The input obtained from these surveys helps the Board and executive officers to execute on initiatives such as the Ameris Foundation, leadership training, inclusivity and career development initiatives.
Effective and frequent communication is critical to supporting our growing culture and teammate needs and is carried out through regular e-newsletters, executive announcements, and bulletins which provide access to information regarding Company news, alerts and updates, as well as educational opportunities and programs.
Support and Benefits
Providing employees with meaningful, competitive and supportive benefits to care for their lives and families is a top priority for the Company. We’re proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, paid time-off, 401(k) profit-sharing plan participation and an employee stock purchase plan. The Company’s 401(k) plan matches 50% of each employee’s elective deferral amount, up to the first 8% of the contribution.
The Company’s benefits programs also include access to a network of nearby providers with options for either in-person care or virtual visits at any time. Our behavioral health benefit offers support for such issues as alcohol and drug use recovery, medication management, coping with grief and loss, and depression, anxiety and stress management.
Personal and Professional Growth
At Ameris, our leaders develop action plans and provide mentorship to help employees reach their aspirations. Our teammates are encouraged to share their goals and dreams, and we take pride in offering professional growth opportunities through our robust learning and development initiatives.
Mentorship at all levels is encouraged throughout our organization, as it supports our culture of learning and commitment to our teammates, new ideas and leadership development. Mentor Ameris is the Bank’s formal mentorship program, whereby annually, high potential colleagues are identified as mentees and paired with a selected mentor at the Bank. A total of 26 mentees were selected to participate in the program in 2024. The program is a nine-month commitment that is designed to encourage a lifelong mentee-mentor relationship.
Launched at the end of 2020, our Leadership Development Program is a self-paced, three-tiered program available to all employees, with coursework specific to leading self, leading others and leading leaders. We believe that effective and meaningful leadership development will further elevate the Company and support us in continuing to attract and retain top talent. At the end of 2024, we had a total of 481 teammates who were enrolled in or completed the program.
The development of our employees’ skills and knowledge is critical to the success of the Company. Our educational assistance program, which provides for reimbursement of certain education expenses, encourages personal development through formal education such as a degree, licensing or certification, so that teammates can maintain and improve their skills or knowledge related to their current job or foreseeable-future position at Ameris. The importance of having career development discussions and guidance with employees is shared and reinforced during manager training sessions as well, as the Company recognizes these discussions are critical to establishing pathways for career growth.
We also focus on creating a culture that acknowledges and respects the various qualities, experiences and perspectives of every teammate. We aim to establish a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to contribute effectively and maximize their potential. Our objective is to ensure that all teammates, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities for success. We support open communication, teamwork, and active participation from all teammates, representing a wide range of viewpoints and experiences. By adopting these principles, we seek to develop a stronger, more innovative, and inclusive organization that serves our customers and communities efficiently.
SUPERVISION AND REGULATION
General
We are extensively regulated, supervised and examined under federal and state law. Generally, these laws and regulations are intended to protect our Bank’s depositors, the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”) and the broader banking system, and not our shareholders. These laws and regulations cover all aspects of our business, including lending and collection practices, treatment of our customers, safeguarding deposits, customer privacy and information security, capital structure, liquidity, dividends and other capital distributions, and transactions with affiliates. Such laws and regulations directly and indirectly affect key drivers of our profitability, including, for example, capital and liquidity, product offerings, risk management and costs of compliance. In addition, changes to these laws and regulations, including as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and regulations promulgated thereunder, have had, and may continue to have, a significant impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. As a result, the extensive laws and regulations to which we are subject and with which we must comply significantly impact our earnings, results of operations, financial condition and competitive position.
Set forth below is a summary of certain provisions of key federal and state laws that affect the regulation of bank holding companies and banks. The discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to applicable laws and regulations. Changes in such laws and regulations may have a material effect on our business and prospects.
Supervision and Examination Authorities
As a bank holding company and financial holding company, Ameris is subject to regulation, supervision and enforcement by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Our Bank has a Georgia state charter and is subject to regulation, supervision and enforcement by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (the “GDBF”). In addition, as a state non-member bank, the Bank is subject to regulation, supervision and enforcement by the FDIC as the Bank’s primary federal regulator. The Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the GDBF regularly examine the operations of the Company and the Bank and are given the authority to approve or disapprove mergers, consolidations, the establishment of branches and similar corporate actions. These agencies also have the power to prevent the continuance or development of unsafe or unsound banking practices or other violations of law.
In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the "CFPB") supervises the Bank with respect to consumer protection laws and regulations.
Federal Law Restrictions on the Company’s Activities and Investments
As a registered bank holding company, we are subject to regulation under the Bank Holding Company Act (the “BHCA”) and to the supervision, examination and reporting requirements of the Federal Reserve.
The BHCA and its implementing regulations prohibit bank holding companies from engaging in certain transactions without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve, including (i) acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any bank or bank holding company, (ii) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of any bank and (iii) merging or consolidating with any other bank holding company. In determining whether to approve such a transaction, the Federal Reserve is required to consider a variety of factors, including the competitive impact of the transaction; the financial condition, managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding companies and banks involved; the convenience and needs of the communities to be served, including the applicant’s record of performance under the Community Reinvestment Act; and the effectiveness of the parties in combating money laundering activities. The Bank Merger Act imposes similar review and approval requirements in connection with acquisitions and mergers involving banks.
On September 17, 2024, the FDIC finalized changes to its Statement of Policy on Bank Merger Transactions (the “Policy Statement”), which outlines factors that the FDIC will consider when evaluating a proposed bank merger transaction. Also on September 17, 2024, the United States Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) withdrew its 1995 Bank Merger Guidelines and
announced that it will instead evaluate the competitive impact of bank mergers using its 2023 Merger Guidelines that the DOJ applies to mergers in all industries. Compared to the 1995 Bank Merger Guidelines, the 2023 Merger Guidelines set forth more stringent concentration limits and add several largely qualitative bases on which the DOJ may challenge a merger. While the effect of these changes for particular transactions remains unclear, both the Policy Statement and the change in the DOJ’s bank merger antitrust policy may make it more difficult and/or costly for us to obtain regulatory approval for an acquisition or otherwise result in more onerous conditions to obtain approval for an acquisition.
Additionally, under the Change in Bank Control Act and the BHCA, a person or company that acquires control of a bank holding company or bank must obtain the non-objection or approval of the Federal Reserve in advance of the acquisition. For a publicly-traded bank holding company such as Ameris, control for purposes of the Change in Bank Control Act is presumed to exist if the acquirer will have 10% or more of any class of the company’s voting securities.
The BHCA generally prohibits a bank holding company and its subsidiaries from engaging in, or acquiring control of a company engaged in, activities other than managing or controlling banks, activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be closely related to banking and certain other permissible non-banking activities. However, a bank holding company that is qualified and has elected to be a financial holding company, as Ameris did in 2000, may engage in, or acquire control of a company engaged in, an expanded set of financial activities. As a result of our financial holding company election, we may engage in activities that are financial in nature or incidental or complementary to financial activities, including insurance underwriting, securities underwriting and dealing, and making merchant banking investments in commercial and financial companies, provided that we and the Bank continue to meet certain regulatory standards and comply with applicable regulatory notice requirements. If we or the Bank ceased to be “well capitalized” or “well managed” under applicable regulatory standards, or if the Bank received a rating of less than Satisfactory under the Community Reinvestment Act, our ability to conduct these broader financial activities would be limited.
A provision of the BHCA known as the Volcker Rule limits our and the Bank’s ability to engage in proprietary trading (i.e., engaging as principal in any purchase or sale of one or more financial instruments) or to acquire or retain as principal any ownership interest in or sponsor a covered fund, including private equity and hedge funds.
Source of Strength
As a bank holding company, we are expected to act as a source of financial strength for the Bank and to commit resources to support the Bank. This support may be required at times when we might not be inclined to provide it. In addition, any capital loans made by us to the Bank will be repaid only after the Bank’s deposits and various other obligations are repaid in full.
Payment of Dividends and Other Restrictions
Ameris is a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiaries. The principal source of our cash revenues is dividends from the Bank. Federal and state law limit the Bank’s ability to pay dividends to Ameris.
Under Georgia law, the prior approval of the GDBF is required before any cash dividends may be paid by a state bank if (i) total classified assets at the most recent examination of such bank exceed 80% of the bank’s Tier 1 capital (plus allowance for loan losses), (ii) the aggregate amount of dividends declared or anticipated to be declared by the bank in the calendar year exceeds 50% of its net profits for the previous calendar year, or (iii) the ratio of the bank’s Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets is less than 6%. As of December 31, 2024, there was approximately $196.0 million of retained earnings of our Bank available for payment of cash dividends under applicable regulations without obtaining regulatory approval.
Under federal law, the ability of an insured depository institution such as the Bank to pay dividends or other distributions is restricted or prohibited if (i) the institution would fail to satisfy the regulatory capital conservation buffer requirement following the distribution, (ii) the distribution would cause the institution to become undercapitalized or (iii) the institution is in default of its payment of deposit insurance assessments to the FDIC. In addition, the FDIC has the authority to prohibit the Bank from engaging in an unsafe or unsound banking practice. The payment of dividends could, depending upon the financial condition of the Bank, be deemed to constitute an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting the Bank’s business.
As a bank holding company, dividends paid by Ameris to its shareholders are subject to federal law limitations. The Federal Reserve has adopted the policy that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to cover the cash dividends and that the company’s rate of earning retention is consistent with the company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, a bank holding company is required to consult with or notify the Federal Reserve prior to purchasing or redeeming its outstanding equity securities in certain circumstances, including if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when aggregated with the net
consideration paid by the company for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of the company's consolidated net worth. A bank holding company that is well-capitalized, well-managed and not the subject of any unresolved supervisory issues is exempt from this notice requirement.
Capital Adequacy
Bank holding companies and banks are required to maintain minimum regulatory capital ratios imposed under both federal and state law. The Federal Reserve and the FDIC, the primary regulators of Ameris and the Bank, respectively, have adopted substantially similar regulatory capital frameworks, which use both risk-based and leverage-based measures of capital adequacy. Under these frameworks, Ameris and the Bank must each maintain a common equity Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 4.5%, a Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 6%, a total capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 8% and a leverage ratio of Tier 1 capital to average total consolidated assets of at least 4%. Ameris and the Bank are also required to maintain a capital conservation buffer of common equity Tier 1 capital of at least 2.5% of risk-weighted assets in addition to the minimum risk-based capital ratios in order to avoid certain restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments.
Under the capital rules, common equity Tier 1 capital generally includes certain common stock instruments (plus any related surplus), retained earnings and certain minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries (subject to certain limitations). Additional Tier 1 capital generally includes noncumulative perpetual preferred stock (plus any related surplus) and certain minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries (subject to certain limitations). Tier 2 capital generally includes certain subordinated debt (plus related surplus), certain minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries (subject to certain limitations) and a portion of the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”). Common equity tier 1 capital, additional Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital are each subject to various regulatory deductions and adjustments. In general, the risk-based capital standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements sensitive to differences in risk profile by risk weighting assets and off-balance-sheet exposures based on risk categories.
Failure to meet these capital requirements could subject Ameris and the Bank to a variety of enforcement actions, including the issuance of a capital directive, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC and certain other restrictions on our business. In addition, under the FDIC’s “prompt corrective action” framework, the FDIC may impose various restrictions, including limitations on growth and the payment of dividends, if the Bank becomes undercapitalized. Under this framework, the Bank is considered to be “well capitalized” if it has a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8% or greater, a total risk-based capital ratio of 10% or greater and a leverage ratio of 5% or greater, and is not subject to any order or written directive by the appropriate regulatory authority to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Act prohibits an insured bank from accepting brokered deposits or offering interest rates on any deposits significantly higher than the prevailing rate in the bank’s normal market area or nationally (depending upon where the deposits are solicited) unless it is “well-capitalized,” or is “adequately capitalized” and has received a waiver from the FDIC. A bank that is “adequately capitalized” and that accepts brokered deposits under a waiver from the FDIC may not pay an interest rate on any deposit in excess of 75 basis points over certain prevailing market rates. There are no such restrictions on a bank that is “well-capitalized.”
At December 31, 2024, the Company exceeded its minimum capital requirements, inclusive of the capital conservation buffer, on a consolidated basis with common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital and total capital equal to 12.65%, 12.65% and 15.37% of its total risk-weighted assets, respectively, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 10.74%. At December 31, 2024, the Bank exceeded its minimum capital requirements, inclusive of the capital conservation buffer, with common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital and total capital equal to 13.15%, 13.15% and 14.75% of its total risk-weighted assets, respectively, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 11.17%, and was “well-capitalized” for prompt corrective action purposes based on the ratios and guidelines described above.
Under a December 2018 final rule, banking organizations may elect to phase in the regulatory capital effects of the current expected credit losses (“CECL”) model, the new accounting standard for credit losses, over three years. In March 2020, the joint federal bank regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule effective March 31, 2020 that allows banking organizations that implemented CECL in 2020 to elect to mitigate the effects of the CECL accounting standard on their regulatory capital for two years. This two-year delay is in addition to the three-year transition period that the agencies had already made available in December 2018. Ameris and the Bank elected to defer the regulatory capital effects of CECL in accordance with the interim final rule. As a result, the effects of CECL on Ameris’s and the Bank’s regulatory capital were delayed through 2021 and have been phased-in over a three-year period from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024. Under the interim final rule, the amount of adjustments to regulatory capital deferred until the phase-in period includes both the initial impact of a banking
organization’s adoption of CECL at January 1, 2020 and 25% of subsequent changes in its allowance for credit losses during each quarter of the two-year period ended December 31, 2021.
Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders, Tying Arrangements and Lending Limits
The Bank is subject to certain restrictions in its dealings with Ameris and its affiliates. Transactions between banks and any affiliate are governed by Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act. An affiliate of a bank typically is any company or entity that controls or is under common control with the bank, including the bank’s parent holding company and non-bank subsidiaries of that holding company. Some but not all subsidiaries of a bank may be exempt from the definition of an affiliate. Generally, Sections 23A and 23B (i) limit the extent to which the bank or its subsidiaries may engage in “covered transactions” with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10% of the bank’s capital stock and surplus, and limit the aggregate of all such transactions with all affiliates to an amount equal to 20% of such capital stock and surplus, and (ii) require that all such transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the bank or subsidiary, as those that would be provided to a non-affiliate. The term “covered transaction” includes the making of a loan to an affiliate, the purchase of assets from an affiliate, the issuance of a guarantee on behalf of an affiliate and several other types of transactions. Extensions of credit to an affiliate usually must be over-collateralized.
Under section 22 of the Federal Reserve Act, as implemented by the Federal Reserve’s Regulation O, restrictions also apply to extensions of credit by a bank to its executive officers, directors, principal shareholders and their related interests, and to similar individuals at the holding company or affiliates. In general, such extensions of credit (i) may not exceed certain dollar limitations, (ii) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with third parties and (iii) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features. Certain extensions of credit to these insiders also require the approval of the bank’s board of directors. Additionally, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Georgia law limit asset sales and purchases between a bank and its insiders.
Under anti-tying rules of federal law, a bank may not extend credit, lease, sell property or furnish any service or fix or vary the consideration for them on the condition that (i) the customer obtain or provide some additional credit, property or service from or to the bank or its holding company or their subsidiaries (other than those related to and usually provided in connection with a loan, discount, deposit or trust service) or (ii) the customer not obtain some other credit, property or service from a competitor, except to the extent reasonable conditions are imposed to assure the soundness of the credit extended. The federal banking agencies have, however, allowed banks to offer combined-balance products and otherwise to offer more favorable terms if a customer obtains two or more traditional bank products. The law authorizes the Federal Reserve to grant additional exceptions by regulation or order.
Under Georgia law, a state bank is generally prohibited from making loans, having obligations or having credit exposure as a counterparty in a derivative transaction to any one borrower in an amount exceeding 15% of the bank’s statutory capital base, or 25% of the bank’s statutory capital base if the entire amount is secured by good collateral or other ample security (as defined by law).
Reserves
Pursuant to regulations of the Federal Reserve, an insured depository institution must maintain reserves against its transaction accounts. Because required reserves generally must be maintained in the form of vault cash, with a pass-through correspondent bank, or in the institution’s account at a Federal Reserve Bank, the effect of the reserve requirement may be to reduce the amount of an institution’s assets available for lending or investment. During 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve reduced all reserve requirement ratios to zero. The Federal Reserve indicated that it may adjust reserve requirement ratios in the future if conditions warrant.
FDIC Insurance Assessments
The Bank’s deposits are insured to the maximum extent permitted by the DIF. The Bank is required to pay quarterly premiums, known as assessments, for this deposit insurance coverage. The FDIC uses a risk-based assessment system that imposes insurance premiums as determined by multiplying an insured bank’s assessment base by its assessment rate. A bank’s deposit insurance assessment base is generally equal to its total assets minus its average tangible equity during the assessment period. The Bank’s regular assessments are determined within a range of base assessment rates based in part on the Bank’s CAMELS composite rating, taking into account other factors and adjustments. The CAMELS rating system is a supervisory rating system developed to classify a bank’s overall condition by taking into account capital adequacy, assets, management capability, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market and interest rate risk. The methodology that the FDIC uses to calculate assessment
amounts is also based on the FDIC’s designated reserve ratio, which is currently 2%. Under the current methodology, the Bank’s assessment rates are based on an initial base assessment rate of 5 to 32 cents per $100 of insured deposits, subject to certain adjustments, and may range from 2.5 to 42 cents after applying adjustments. These rates will remain in effect until the designated reserve ratio meets or exceeds 2%, absent further FDIC action.
The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any insured depository institution, including the Bank, if the FDIC determines after a hearing that the institution has engaged or is engaging in unsafe or unsound banking practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation or order or any condition imposed by an agreement with the FDIC. The FDIC also may suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for the permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital. Management is not aware of any existing circumstances that would result in termination of the Bank’s deposit insurance.
On November 16, 2023, the FDIC approved a final rule to implement a special assessment to recover the loss to the DIF resulting from the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The special assessment was determined based on an annual rate of 13.4 basis points applied to an institution's estimated uninsured deposits in excess of $5 billion over an anticipated eight quarterly assessment periods. The FDIC retains the ability to cease collection early or impose an extended special assessment collection period after the initial eight-quarter collection period to collect the difference between losses and the amounts collected, and impose a one-time final shortfall special assessment after both receiverships terminate. The Company recognized an expense of $11.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 related to the special assessment. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the FDIC provided an updated estimated loss to the DIF resulting from the receiverships of approximately $18.9 billion from the original estimate of $16.3 billion. As a result of the increased loss estimate, the FDIC currently intends to collect additional losses over a two-quarter collection period following the initial eight-quarter collection period. Loss estimates will be periodically updated based on losses incurred and recoveries received. The amount of any additional assessment to the Company is unknown and will be recognized, if applicable, when it becomes reasonably estimable.
On July 30, 2024, the FDIC issued a proposed rule that would revise the FDIC’s regulations governing the classification and treatment of brokered deposits. The proposal would require many insured depository institutions to classify a greater amount of their deposits obtained with the involvement of third parties as brokered deposits. An increase in the amount of brokered deposits on an insured depository institution’s balance sheet could, among other consequences, increase the institution’s deposit insurance assessment costs.
Federal Home Loan Bank System
Our Company has a correspondent relationship with the FHLB of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that administer the home financing credit function of banking institutions. Each FHLB is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB system and makes advances to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB and subject to the oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. All advances from an FHLB are required to be fully secured by sufficient collateral as determined by the FHLB.
The FHLB of Atlanta offers certain services to our Company, such as processing checks and other items, buying and selling federal funds, handling money transfers and exchanges, shipping coin and currency, providing security and safekeeping of funds or other valuable items, and furnishing limited management information and advice. As compensation for these services, our Company maintains certain balances with the FHLB of Atlanta in interest-bearing accounts.
Real Estate Lending Evaluations
The federal regulators have adopted uniform standards for evaluations of loans secured by real estate or made to finance improvements to real estate. Banks are required to establish and maintain written internal real estate lending policies consistent with safe and sound banking practices, and appropriate to the size of the institution and the nature and scope of its operations. The regulations establish loan-to-value ratio limitations on real estate loans. Our Company’s loan policies establish limits on loan-to-value ratios that are equal to or less than those established in such regulations.
Commercial Real Estate Concentrations
Under guidance issued by the federal banking regulators, a financial institution will be considered to have a significant commercial real estate (“CRE”) concentration risk, and will be subject to enhanced supervisory expectations to manage that risk, if (i) total reported loans for construction, land development and other land (“C&D”) represent 100% or more of the institution’s tier 1 capital plus the allowance for credit losses attributable to loans and leases or (ii) total CRE loans represent
300% or more of the institution’s tier 1 capital plus the allowance for credit losses attributable to loans and leases and the outstanding balance of the institution’s CRE loan portfolio has increased by 50% or more during the prior 36 months.
As of December 31, 2024, our C&D concentration as a percentage of capital totaled 63.3% and our CRE concentration, net of owner-occupied loans, as a percentage of capital totaled 267.9%.
Branching
The Bank has branch offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Current federal law authorizes interstate acquisitions of banks and bank holding companies without geographic limitation, so long as the acquirer satisfies certain conditions, including that it is “well capitalized” and “well managed.” Furthermore, a “well capitalized” and “well managed” bank with its main office in one state is generally authorized to merge with a bank with its main office in another state, subject to certain deposit-percentage limitations, aging requirements and other restrictions. After a bank has established branches in a state through an interstate merger transaction, the bank may establish and acquire additional branches at any location in the state where a bank headquartered in that state could have established or acquired branches under applicable federal or state law.
Community Reinvestment Act
The Community Reinvestment Act (the “CRA”) requires federal bank regulatory agencies to encourage financial institutions to meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income borrowers in their local communities. The agencies periodically examine the CRA performance of each of the institutions for which they are the primary federal regulator and assign one of four ratings: Outstanding; Satisfactory; Needs to Improve; or Substantial Noncompliance. In order for an insured depository institution and its parent holding company to take advantage of certain regulatory benefits, such as expedited processing of applications and the ability of the holding company to engage in new financial activities, the insured depository institution must maintain a rating of Outstanding or Satisfactory. An institution’s size and business strategy determines the type of examination that it will receive. The FDIC evaluates the Bank as a large, retail-oriented institution and applies performance-based lending, investment and service tests. In its most recent CRA evaluation, as of October 31, 2022, the Bank was rated Satisfactory under the CRA.
In October 2023, the federal regulatory agencies issued a joint final rule to modernize the CRA regulatory framework. The final rule is intended, among other things, to adapt to changes in the banking industry, including the expanded role of mobile and online banking, and to tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size and business models. The final rule introduces new tests under which the performance of banks with over $2 billion in assets will be assessed. The new rule also includes data collection and reporting requirements, some of which are applicable only to banks with over $10 billion in assets, such as the Bank. Most provisions of the final rule are scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2026, and the data reporting requirements are scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2027. Industry organizations have challenged the final rule in court, and on March 29, 2024, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted an injunction and stay of the final rule. The final outcome of such challenge is uncertain, and we are monitoring the status of the litigation.
Debit Interchange Fee Limitations
Under the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act and the Federal Reserve’s implementing regulations, the debit card interchange fee that the Bank charges merchants must be reasonable and proportional to the cost of clearing the transaction. The maximum permissible interchange fee is capped at the sum of $0.21 plus five basis points of the transaction value for many types of debit interchange transactions. The Bank may also recover $0.01 per transaction for fraud prevention purposes if it complies with certain fraud-related requirements. The Federal Reserve also has established rules governing routing and exclusivity that require debit card issuers to offer two unaffiliated networks for routing transactions on each debit or prepaid product.
In October 2023, the Federal Reserve issued a proposal under which the maximum permissible interchange fee for an electronic debit transaction would be the sum of 14.4 cents per transaction and 4 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction. In addition, the fraud-prevention adjustment would increase from a maximum of 1 cent to 1.3 cents. The proposal would adopt an approach for future adjustments to the interchange fee cap, which would occur every other year based on issuer cost data gathered by the Federal Reserve from large debit card issuers.
Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Compliance
The Bank Secrecy Act, (the "BSA") the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and other federal laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other things, to institute and maintain an effective anti-money laundering (“AML”) program. Under these
laws and regulations, the Bank is required to take steps to prevent the use of the Bank to facilitate the flow of illegal or illicit money, to report large currency transactions and to file suspicious activity reports. In addition, the Bank is required to develop and implement a comprehensive AML compliance program, as well as have in place appropriate “know your customer” policies and procedures.
The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the Department of the Treasury, in addition to other bank regulatory agencies, is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of these requirements and has recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts with state and federal banking regulators, in addition to the U.S. Department of Justice, the CFPB, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. Violations of AML requirements can also lead to criminal penalties. In addition, the federal banking agencies are required to consider the effectiveness of a financial institution’s AML activities when reviewing proposed bank mergers and bank holding company acquisitions.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) is responsible for administering economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, foreign nationals and others, as defined by various Executive Orders and in various pieces of legislation. OFAC publishes lists of persons, organizations and countries suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts. If we or the Bank find a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, we or the Bank must freeze or block such account or transaction, file a suspicious activity report and notify the appropriate authorities. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences.
We and the Bank maintain policies, procedures and other internal controls designed to comply with these AML requirements and sanctions programs.
Consumer Protection Laws
The Bank is subject to a number of federal and state laws designed to protect customers and promote lending to various sectors of the economy and population. These consumer protection laws apply to a broad range of our activities and to various aspects of our business, and include laws relating to interest rates, fair lending, disclosures of credit terms and estimated transaction costs to consumer borrowers, debt collection practices, the use of and the provision of information to consumer reporting agencies, and the prohibition of unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices in connection with the offer, sale or provision of consumer financial products and services. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as their state law counterparts. At the federal level, most consumer financial protection laws are administered by the CFPB, which supervises the Bank. Among other things, the CFPB has promulgated many mortgage-related rules, including rules related to the ability to repay and qualified mortgage standards, mortgage servicing standards, loan originator compensation standards, high-cost mortgage requirements, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act requirements and appraisal and escrow standards for higher priced mortgages. The mortgage-related final rules issued by the CFPB have materially restructured the origination, servicing and securitization of residential mortgages in the United States, and have imposed significant compliance obligations and costs on mortgage lenders, including the Bank.
The CFPB has identified certain areas of concern for consumers, including, for example, what the CFPB considers to be excessive and/or unexpected fees. On December 12, 2024, the CFPB issued a final rule governing overdraft fees for financial institutions with $10 billion or more in assets, such as the Bank. The final rule provides that a covered financial institution may only charge overdraft fees in the amount of $5 or less, charge overdraft fees based on a calculation of allowed costs and losses associated with operating overdraft programs or offer overdraft loans in compliance with the requirements of Regulation Z, including mandatory disclosures. Industry organizations have challenged the final rule in court and the litigation is ongoing. If the challenge is not successful, as a covered financial institution, the Bank must comply with the rule beginning October 1, 2025. We are monitoring the status of the litigation and evaluating the impact of this rule.
Violations of applicable consumer protection laws can result in significant potential liability, including actual damages, restitution and injunctive relief, from litigation brought by customers, state attorneys general and other plaintiffs, as well as enforcement actions by banking regulators and reputational harm.
Financial Privacy and Cybersecurity
Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, a financial institution must provide to its customers, at the inception of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act also provides that, with certain limited exceptions, an institution may not provide such personal information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that such
information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure. Federal law makes it a criminal offense, except in limited circumstances, to obtain or attempt to obtain customer information of a financial nature by fraudulent or deceptive means.
The federal banking agencies pay close attention to the cybersecurity practices of banks, and the agencies include review of an institution’s information technology and its ability to thwart cyberattacks in their examinations. An institution’s failure to have adequate cybersecurity safeguards in place can result in supervisory criticism, monetary penalties and reputational harm.
Interagency rules require a bank to report certain computer-security incidents to its primary federal regulatory as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the bank determines that an incident requiring notification has occurred. In addition, bank service providers must notify any affected banking organization customer as soon as possible when the bank service provider determines that it has experienced a computer-security incident that has materially disrupted or degraded, or is reasonably likely to materially disrupt or degrade, services provided to such banking organization for a period of four or more hours.
In July 2023, the SEC issued a final rule that requires disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents, as well as cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance. Under this rule, banking organizations that are SEC registrants must generally disclose information about a material cybersecurity incident within four business days of determining it is material, with periodic updates as to the status of the incident in subsequent filings as necessary.
State regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations. Recently, several states adopted regulations requiring certain financial institutions to implement cybersecurity programs, while others recently implemented or modified their data breach notification, information security and data privacy requirements. We expect this trend of state-level activity in these areas to continue, and we routinely monitor developments in the states in which our customers are located.
On October 22, 2024, the CFPB released a final rule to implement Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Under the final rule, financial institutions are required, upon request, to make available to a consumer or third party authorized by the consumer certain information the Bank has concerning a consumer financial product or service covered by the rule, such as a credit card or a deposit account. In issuing this rule, the CFPB said that the rule will move the U.S. closer to an “open banking” system that will allow consumers to switch banks or other providers more easily. The final rule also requires, among other things, covered data providers, such as the Bank, to establish a developer interface that satisfies certain performance and data security specifications through which the data provider can receive requests for, and provide, specific types of data covered by the rule in electronic, usable form to authorized third parties directly or through data aggregators. Under the final rule, the Bank will be prohibited from charging fees for maintaining the developer interface or providing access to such data. The Bank may also act as an authorized third party to request and access covered data under the final rule from other financial institutions that are covered data providers. The final rule places data security, authorization and other obligations on those authorized third parties, including limitations on secondary uses of the data received. Industry organizations have challenged the final rule in court and the litigation is ongoing. If the challenge is not successful, as a data provider, the Bank must comply with the rule beginning April 1, 2027. We are monitoring the status of the litigation and evaluating the impact of this rule.
Climate-Related and Other ESG Developments
In recent years, federal, state and international lawmakers and regulators have increased their focus on financial institutions' and other companies' risk oversight, disclosures and practices in connection with climate change and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters. In March 2024, the SEC adopted a rule on the enhancement and standardization of climate-related disclosures for investors that would require public issuers, including us, to significantly expand the scope of climate-related disclosures included in issuers' SEC filings. In April 2024, the SEC stayed the climate-related disclosure rules pending the completion of judicial review. The SEC has also announced plans in the past to propose rules to require enhanced disclosure regarding human capital management.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our Common Stock is subject to risks inherent in our business. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes currently affect Ameris are described below. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or focused on or that management currently deems immaterial may also impair the Company’s business operations. This Annual Report is qualified in its entirety by these risk factors.
If any of the following risks or uncertainties actually occurs, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of the Common Stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Strategic Risk
We are subject to significant industry competition which may have adversely affect our success.
We operate in a highly competitive financial services environment, with our profitability dependent upon our ability to compete successfully based on such factors as brand recognition and reputation, client relationships, product offerings, pricing, convenience, technology, accessibility and customer service. We face significant pricing competition for loans and deposits. For us to successfully compete for borrowers and depositors, we may be required to offer loan and deposit products on terms that are less favorable to us, such as lower interest rates on loans and higher interest rates on deposits.
Certain competitors are larger and may have more resources than we do. We face competition in our regional market areas from other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, internet banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, brokerage and investment banking firms, fintechs and other financial intermediaries that offer similar services. Some of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations that govern us or the Bank and may have greater flexibility in competing for business.
Another competitive factor is that the financial services market, including banking services, continues to undergo rapid changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. Our future success may depend, in part, on our ability to use technology competitively to provide products and services that provide convenience to customers and create additional efficiencies in our operations.
Our growth and financial performance may be negatively impacted if we are unable to successfully execute our growth plans, including with respect to any strategic acquisitions we may choose to pursue.
Economic conditions and other factors, such as our ability to identify appropriate markets for expansion, our ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, our ability to fund earning asset growth at a reasonable and profitable level, sufficient capital to support our growth initiatives, competitive factors and banking laws, will impact our success.
We may seek to supplement our internal growth through acquisitions. We cannot predict with certainty the number, size or timing of acquisitions, or whether any such acquisitions will occur at all. Our acquisition efforts have traditionally focused on targeted banking entities in markets in which we currently operate and markets in which we believe we can compete effectively, as well as non-bank entities that we feel can successfully supplement our existing lines of business. However, as consolidation of the financial services industry continues, the competition for suitable acquisition candidates may increase. We may compete with other financial services companies for both bank and non-bank acquisition opportunities, and many of these competitors have greater financial resources than we do and may be able to pay more for an acquisition than we are able or willing to pay. We also may need additional debt or equity financing in the future to fund acquisitions. We may not be able to obtain additional financing or, if available, it may not be in amounts and on terms acceptable to us. If we are unable to locate suitable acquisition candidates willing to sell on terms acceptable to us, or we are otherwise unable to obtain additional debt or equity financing necessary for us to continue making acquisitions, we would be required to find other methods to grow our business and we may not grow at the same rate we have in the past, or at all.
Generally, we must receive federal regulatory approval before we can acquire a bank or bank holding company. In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition, federal bank regulators will consider, among other factors, the effect of the acquisition on the competition, financial condition and future prospects. The regulators also review current and projected capital ratios and levels, the competence, experience and integrity of management and its record of compliance with laws and
regulations, the convenience and needs of the communities to be served (including both institutions’ CRA performance history), and the effectiveness of the acquiring institution in combating money laundering activities. We cannot be certain when or if, or on what terms and conditions, any required regulatory approvals will be granted. We may also be required to sell banks or branches as a condition to receiving regulatory approval, which condition may not be acceptable to us or, if acceptable to us, may reduce the benefits of any acquisition.
In the past, we have utilized de novo branching in new and existing markets as a way to supplement our growth. De novo branching and any acquisition carry with it numerous risks, including the following:
•the inability to obtain all required regulatory approvals;
•significant costs and anticipated operating losses associated with establishing a de novo branch or a new bank;
•the inability to secure the services of qualified senior management;
•the local market may not accept the services of a new bank owned and managed by a bank holding company headquartered outside of the market area of the new bank;
•economic downturns in the new market;
•the inability to obtain attractive locations within a new market at a reasonable cost; and
•the additional strain on management resources and internal systems and controls.
We have experienced to some extent many of these risks with our de novo branching to date.
Changes in the policies of monetary authorities and other government action could materially adversely affect our profitability.
Banking is a business which depends on interest rate differentials for success. In general, the difference between the interest paid by a bank on its deposits and its other borrowings, and the interest received by a bank on its loans and securities holdings, constitutes the major portion of a bank’s earnings. Thus, our earnings and growth will be subject to the influence of economic conditions generally, both domestic and foreign, and also to the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies, particularly the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve administers monetary policy by setting target interest rates that it attempts to effect, primarily through open market dealings in United States government securities. The Federal Reserve also may specifically target banking institutions through the discount rate at which banks may borrow from the Federal Reserve Banks and the reserve requirements on deposits. The nature and timing of any changes in such policies and their effect on Ameris cannot be known at this time, but could adversely affect our results of operations.
Fiscal policy, the other principal tool of the federal government to oversee the national economy, is largely in the hands of Congress through its authority to make taxation and budget decisions, subject to Presidential approval. These decisions may have a significant impact on the economic sectors in which we operate and could adversely affect our results of operations.
We engage in acquisitions of other businesses from time to time. These acquisitions may not produce revenue or earnings enhancements or cost savings at levels or within timeframes originally anticipated and may result in unforeseen integration difficulties.
When appropriate opportunities arise, we will engage in acquisitions of other businesses. Difficulty in integrating an acquired business or company may cause us not to realize expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases in geographic or product presence or other anticipated benefits from any acquisition. The integration could result in higher than expected deposit attrition (run-off), loss of key employees, disruption of our business or the business of the acquired company, or otherwise adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers and employees or achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. We will likely need to make additional investments in equipment and personnel to manage higher asset levels and loan balances as a result of any significant acquisition, which may materially adversely impact our earnings. Also, the negative effect of any divestitures required by regulatory authorities in acquisitions or business combinations may be greater than expected.
Depending on the condition of any institution that we may acquire, any acquisition may, at least in the near term, materially adversely affect our capital and earnings and, if not successfully integrated following the acquisition, may continue to have such effects.
Credit and Liquidity Risk
Our revenues are highly correlated to market interest rates.
Our assets and liabilities are primarily monetary in nature, and as a result, we are subject to significant risks tied to changes in interest rates. Our ability to operate profitably is largely dependent upon net interest income. In 2024, net interest income made up 74.3% of our revenue. Unexpected movement in interest rates, that may or may not change the slope of the current yield curve, could cause our net interest margins to decrease, subsequently decreasing net interest income. In addition, such changes could materially adversely affect the valuation of our assets and liabilities.
At present our one-year interest rate sensitivity position is asset sensitive, such that a gradual increase in interest rates during the next twelve months should have a positive impact on net interest income during that period. However, as with most financial institutions, our results of operations are affected by changes in interest rates and our ability to manage this risk. The difference between interest rates charged on interest-earning assets and interest rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities may be affected by changes in market interest rates, changes in relationships between interest rate indices and changes in the relationships between long-term and short-term market interest rates. In addition, the mix of assets and liabilities could change as varying levels of market interest rates might present our customer base with more attractive options.
Certain changes in interest rates, inflation, deflation or the financial markets could affect demand for our products and our ability to deliver products efficiently.
Loan originations, and potentially loan revenues, could be materially adversely impacted by sharply rising interest rates. Conversely, sharply falling rates could increase prepayments within our loan and securities portfolios lowering interest earnings from those assets and investments. Rising inflation could cause our operating costs related to salaries and benefits, technology and supplies to increase at a faster pace than our revenues. Recently, inflation has been at a higher level than experienced in many decades, which has increased costs and impacted operations for the Company and many of its customers.
The fair market value of our securities portfolio and the investment income from these securities also fluctuate depending on general economic and market conditions. In addition, actual net investment income and/or cash flows from investments that carry prepayment risk, such as mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, may differ from those anticipated at the time of investment as a result of interest rate fluctuations. Our capital position could be adversely impacted by declines in the fair market value of our securities portfolio.
If we lose or are unable to grow and retain our deposits, we may be subject to liquidity risk and higher funding costs.
We require liquidity to meet our deposit and debt obligations as they come due. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy generally. Factors that could reduce our access to liquidity sources include a downturn in the economy in the southeastern United States, difficult credit markets or adverse regulatory actions against us. Our access to deposits may also be affected by the liquidity needs of our depositors. A substantial majority of our liabilities are demand, savings, interest checking and money market deposits, which are payable on demand or upon several days’ notice, while by comparison, a substantial portion of our assets are loans, which cannot be called or sold in the same timeframe. We may not be able to replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary in the future, especially if a large number of our depositors sought to withdraw their accounts, regardless of the reason.
Our access to deposits may be negatively impacted by, among other factors, periods of low interest rates or higher interest rates which could promote increased competition for deposits, including from new financial technology competitors, or provide customers with alternative investment options. Additionally, negative news about us or the banking industry in general could negatively impact market and/or customer perceptions of the Company, which could lead to a loss of depositor confidence and an increase in deposit withdrawals, particularly among those with uninsured deposits. Furthermore, as banking organizations experienced in recent years, the failure of other financial institutions may cause deposit outflows as customers spread deposits among several different banks so as to maximize their amount of FDIC insurance, move deposits to banks deemed “too big to fail” or remove deposits from the banking system entirely. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 46.8% of our deposits were uninsured, and we rely on these deposits for liquidity. A failure to maintain adequate liquidity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face additional risks due to our mortgage banking activities that could negatively impact our liquidity and earnings.
One of our primary business operations is mortgage banking, in connection with which residential mortgage loans are sold by the Bank in the secondary market under agreements that contain representations and warranties related to, among other things, the origination and characteristics of the mortgage loans. The sale of these loans generates noninterest income and can be a source of liquidity for the Bank. Disruption in the market for residential mortgage loans as well as declines in real estate values, among other economic variables, could lead to one or more of the following:
•rising interest rates causing a decline in mortgage originations, which could negatively impact our earnings;
•reductions in real estate values could decrease the potential for mortgage originations, which could negatively impact our earnings;
•our inability to sell mortgage loans on the secondary market could negatively impact our liquidity position;
•if it is determined that loans were made in breach of our representations and warranties to the secondary market, we could incur significant losses associated with the loans, including requirements to either repurchase the outstanding principal balance of a loan or make the purchaser whole for the anticipated economic benefits of a loan; and
•increased compliance requirements could result in higher compliance costs, higher foreclosure proceedings or lower loan origination volume, all which could negatively impact future earnings.
We rely on dividends from the Bank for most of our revenue.
Ameris is a separate and distinct legal entity from its subsidiaries. It receives substantially all of its revenue from dividends from the Bank. These dividends are the principal source of funds to pay dividends on the Common Stock and interest and principal on the Company’s debt. Various federal and state laws and regulations limit the amount of dividends that the Bank may pay to the Company. Also, the Company’s right to participate in a distribution of assets upon a subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s creditors. In the event the Bank is unable to pay dividends to the Company, the Company may not be able to service debt, pay obligations or pay dividends on the Common Stock and its business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. Consequently, cash-based activities, including further investments in the Bank or in support of the Bank, could require borrowings or additional issuances of common or preferred stock.
Our allowance for credit losses may be insufficient.
We maintain allowances for credit losses on loans, securities and off-balance sheet credit exposures. In the case of loans and securities, allowances for credit losses are contra-asset valuation accounts that are deducted from the amortized cost basis of these assets to present the net amount expected to be collected. In the case of off-balance-sheet credit exposures, the allowance for credit losses is a liability account reported as a component of other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. The amount of each allowance account represents management's best estimate of current expected credit losses on these financial instruments considering available information, from internal and external sources, relevant to assessing exposure to credit loss over the contractual term of the instrument. Relevant available information includes historical credit loss experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. As a result, the determination of the appropriate level of allowance for credit losses inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates related to current and expected future credit risks and trends, all of which may undergo material changes.
Deterioration in economic conditions, including the possibility of a recession, affecting borrowers and securities issuers; inflation; rising interest rates; new information regarding existing loans, credit commitments and securities holdings; natural disasters and risks related to climate change; and identification of additional problem loans, ratings downgrades and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require an increase in the allowances for credit losses on loans, securities and off-balance sheet credit exposures.
In addition, bank regulatory agencies periodically review our allowance for credit losses and may require an increase in credit loss expense or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on judgments different than those of management. Furthermore, if any charge-offs related to loans, securities or off-balance sheet credit exposures in future periods exceed our allowances for credit losses on loans, securities or off-balance sheet credit exposures, we will need to recognize additional credit loss expense to increase the applicable allowance. Any increase in the allowance for credit losses on loans, securities and/or off-balance sheet credit exposures will result in a decrease in net income and, possibly, capital, and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Unrealized losses in our securities portfolio could affect liquidity.
As market interest rates have increased, we have experienced unrealized losses on our available for sale securities portfolio. Unrealized losses related to available for sale securities are reflected in accumulated other comprehensive income in our consolidated balance sheets and reduce the level of our book capital and tangible common equity. However, such unrealized losses do not affect our regulatory capital ratios. We actively monitor our available for sale securities portfolio and do not currently anticipate the need to realize material losses from the sale of securities for liquidity purposes. Furthermore, we believe it is unlikely that we would be required to sell any such securities before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity. Nonetheless, our access to liquidity sources could be affected by unrealized losses if securities must be sold at a loss; tangible capital ratios decline from an increase in unrealized losses or realized credit losses; the FHLB or other funding sources reduce capacity; or bank regulators impose restrictions on us that impact the level of interest rates we may pay on deposits or our ability to access brokered deposits. Additionally, significant unrealized losses could negatively impact market and/or customer perceptions of the Company, which could lead to a loss of depositor confidence and an increase in deposit withdrawals, particularly among those with uninsured deposits.
We may need to rely on the financial markets to provide needed capital.
Our Common Stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”). If the liquidity of the NYSE market should fail to operate at a time when we may seek to raise equity capital, or if conditions in the capital markets are adverse, we may be constrained in raising capital. Downgrades in the opinions of the analysts that follow our Company may cause our stock price to fall and significantly limit our ability to access the markets for additional capital. Should these risks materialize, our ability to further expand our operations through internal growth or acquisition may be limited.
We may be unable to pay dividends on our Common Stock.
Holders of our Common Stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our Board may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Although we have consistently paid dividends on our Common Stock in recent years, the payment of dividends could be suspended at any time.
We may borrow funds or issue additional debt and equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, any of which may be senior to our Common Stock as to distributions and in liquidation, which could negatively affect the value of our Common Stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by entering into debt or debt-like financing that is unsecured or secured by all or up to all of our assets, or by issuing additional debt or equity securities, which could include issuances of secured or unsecured commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior notes, subordinated notes, preferred stock, common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities. In the event of our liquidation, our lenders and holders of our debt and preferred securities would receive a distribution of our available assets before distributions to the holders of our Common Stock. Because our decision to incur debt and issue securities in our future offerings will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate with certainty the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings and debt financings. Further, market conditions could require us to accept less favorable terms for the issuance of our securities in the future. In addition, the borrowing of funds or issuance of debt would increase our leverage and decrease our liquidity, and the issuance of additional equity securities would dilute the interests of our existing shareholders.
Holders of the Company’s debt obligations and any shares of the Company’s preferred stock that may be outstanding in the future will have priority over the Company’s common stock with respect to payment in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up and with respect to the payment of interest and preferred dividends.
In the event of any winding up and termination of the Company, our Common Stock would rank below all claims of the holders of the Company’s debt and any preferred stock then outstanding. As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding trust preferred securities and accompanying junior subordinated debentures with a carrying value of $132.3 million and other subordinated notes payable with a carrying value of $108.8 million.
Upon the winding up and termination of the Company, holders of our Common Stock will not be entitled to receive any payment or other distribution of assets until after all of our obligations to our debt holders have been satisfied and holders of our senior debt, subordinated debt and junior subordinated debentures issued in connection with trust preferred securities have received any payments and other distributions due to them. In addition, we are required to pay interest on our senior debt,
subordinated debt and junior subordinated debentures issued in connection with the Company’s trust preferred securities before we pay any dividends on our Common Stock.
Operational Risk
Cyberattacks or other security breaches could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In the normal course of business, we collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential information regarding our customers. We also have arrangements in place with other third parties through which we share and receive information about their customers who are or may become our customers. Although we devote significant resources and management focus to ensuring the integrity of our systems through information security and business continuity programs, our facilities and systems, and those of third-party service providers, are vulnerable to external or internal security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or human errors or other similar events. Additionally, information security may be adversely affected by the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, acts of terrorism or other geopolitical events.
Information security risks for financial institutions like us continue to increase in part because of new technologies, the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies (including mobile devices) to conduct financial and other business transactions and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, perpetrators of fraud, hackers, terrorists and others. In addition to cyberattacks or other security breaches involving the theft of sensitive and confidential information, hackers continue to engage in attacks against financial institutions. These attacks include denial of service attacks designed to disrupt external customer facing services and ransomware attacks designed to deny organizations access to key internal resources or systems. We are not able to anticipate or implement effective preventive measures against all security breaches of these types, especially because the techniques used change frequently and because attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources. We employ detection and response mechanisms designed to contain and mitigate security incidents, but early detection may be thwarted by sophisticated attacks and malware designed to avoid detection.
We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Accordingly, we also face risks related to cyberattacks and other security breaches in connection with our own and third-party systems, processes and data, including credit and debit card transactions that typically involve the transmission of sensitive information regarding our customers through various third parties, including merchant acquiring banks, payment processors, payment card networks (e.g., Visa, MasterCard) and our processors. Some of these parties have in the past been the target of security breaches and cyberattacks, and because the transactions involve third parties and environments such as the point of sale that we do not control or secure, future security breaches or cyberattacks affecting any of these third parties could impact us through no fault of our own, and in some cases we may have exposure and suffer losses for breaches or attacks relating to them. We also rely on numerous other third-party service providers to conduct other aspects of our business operations and face similar risks relating to them. While we conduct security reviews on these third parties, we cannot be sure that their information security protocols are sufficient to withstand a cyberattack or other security breach.
The access by unauthorized persons to, or the improper disclosure by us of, confidential information regarding our customers or our own proprietary information, software, methodologies and business secrets could result in significant legal and financial exposure, supervisory liability, damage to our reputation or a loss of confidence in the security of our systems, products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, our industry continues to experience well-publicized attacks or breaches affecting others in our industry that have heightened concern by consumers generally about the security of using credit and debit cards, which have caused some consumers, including our customers, to use our credit and debit cards less in favor of alternative methods of payment and has led to increased regulatory focus on, and potentially new regulations relating to, these methods. Further cyberattacks or other breaches in the future, whether affecting us or others, could intensify consumer concern and regulatory focus and result in reduced use of our cards, increased costs and regulatory penalties, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent we are involved in any future cyberattacks or other breaches, our brand and reputation could be affected, which could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We face risks related to our operational, technological and organizational infrastructure.
Our ability to grow and compete is dependent on our ability to build or acquire the necessary operational and technological infrastructure and to manage the cost of that infrastructure while we expand. Similar to other large corporations, in our case, operational risk can manifest itself in many ways, such as errors related to failed or inadequate processes, faulty or disabled computer systems, fraud by employees or persons outside of our Company and exposure to external events. We are dependent on our operational infrastructure to help manage these risks. In addition, we are heavily dependent on the strength and capability of our technology systems which we use both to interface with our customers and to manage our internal financial
and other systems. Our ability to develop and deliver new products that meet the needs of our existing customers and attract new customers depends in part on the functionality of our technology systems. Additionally, our ability to run our business in compliance with applicable laws and regulations is dependent on these infrastructures.
We continuously monitor our operational and technological capabilities and make modifications and improvements when we believe it will be cost effective to do so. In some instances, we may build and maintain these capabilities ourselves. We also outsource some of these functions to third parties. These third parties may experience errors or disruptions that could adversely impact us and over which we may have limited control. We also face risk from the integration of new infrastructure platforms and/or new third party providers of such platforms into our existing businesses.
Fraud remains an elevated risk for us and for all banks, and we may experience increased losses due to fraud.
In recent years, fraud risk has continued to be a significant risk for us and for all banks. Card fraud and deposit fraud (such as check kiting and wire fraud) continue to be significant sources of fraud attempts and losses in our consumer banking business. Moreover, our commercial clients have experienced increased levels of financial fraud risk as well, often requiring our involvement and assistance because of our banking relationship with these clients. The methods used to perpetrate and combat fraud continue to evolve as technology changes and more tools for access to financial services emerge, such as real-time payments. In addition to cybersecurity risks, new techniques have made it easier for bad actors to obtain and use client personal information, mimic signatures and otherwise create false documents that look genuine. Fraud schemes are broad and can include debit card/credit card fraud, check fraud, mechanical devices attached to ATM machines, social engineering and phishing attacks to obtain personal information, impersonation of our clients through the use of falsified or stolen credentials, employee fraud, information fraud and other malfeasance. Criminals are regularly turning to new sources to steal personally identifiable information in order to impersonate our clients to commit fraud. Our regulators require us to report fraud promptly, and regulators often advise banks of new schemes to enable the entire industry to adapt as quickly as possible. However, some level of fraud loss is unavoidable, and the risk of loss cannot be eliminated.
Our anti-fraud actions are both preventative (anticipating lines of attack, educating employees and clients, and implementing operational changes) and responsive (remediating attacks). We have established policies, processes and procedures designed to identify, measure, monitor, mitigate, report and analyze these risks. We continue to invest in systems, resources and controls designed to detect and prevent fraud. There are inherent limitations, however, to risk management strategies, systems and controls as they may exist, or develop in the future. We may not appropriately anticipate, monitor or identify these risks. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses, we may have to expend resources detecting and correcting the failure in our systems, and we may be subject to potential claims from third parties and government agencies. We may also suffer reputational damage. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
If our enterprise risk management framework is not effective at mitigating risk and loss to us, we could suffer unexpected losses and our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our enterprise risk management framework seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return, which is critical to optimizing shareholder value. We have established processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, monitor, report and analyze the types of risk to which we are subject, including strategic, market, credit, liquidity, capital, cybersecurity, operational, regulatory compliance and litigation, among others. However, as with any risk management framework, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies as there may exist, or develop in the future, risks that we have not appropriately anticipated or identified. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses and our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.
Third parties provide key components of our business operations such as our core technology infrastructure, cloud-based operations, data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections and network access. We have selected these third-party vendors carefully and have conducted the due diligence consistent with regulatory guidance and best practices. While we have ongoing programs to review third-party vendors and assess risk, we do not control their actions. Any problems caused by these third parties, including those resulting from disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, issues at a third-party vendor of a vendor, failure of a vendor to handle current or higher volumes, cyberattacks and security breaches at a vendor, failure of a vendor to provide services for any reason, or poor performance of services, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our clients and otherwise conduct our business.
Financial or operational difficulties of a third-party vendor could also hurt our operations if those difficulties interfere with the vendor's ability to serve us. Furthermore, our vendors could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints. Replacing these third-party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to our business operations. Our digital services growth initiatives, core technology upgrades and digital asset initiatives constitute specific increases in third-party risk as such initiatives are distinctly dependent on the performance of our third-party partners.
The adoption of artificial intelligence tools by us and our third-party vendors and service providers may increase the risk of errors, omissions, unfair treatment or fraudulent behavior by our employees, clients or counterparties, or other third parties.
Our adoption of artificial intelligence, including generative artificial intelligence, machine learning and similar tools and technologies that collect, aggregate, analyze or generate data or other materials or content (collectively, “AI”), for limited internal use has increased our efficiency, and we expect to continue to adopt such tools as appropriate. In addition, we expect our third-party vendors and service providers to increasingly develop and incorporate AI into their product offerings faster than we are able to do so independently. There are significant risks involved in utilizing AI and no assurance can be provided that our or our third-party vendors’ or service providers’ use of AI will enhance our or our third-party vendors’ or service providers’ products or services or produce the intended results. The adoption and incorporation of such tools can lead to concerns around safety and soundness, fair access to financial services, fair treatment of consumers and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Such risk can result from models being poorly designed or faulty data being used, inadequate model testing or validation, narrow or limited human oversight, inadequate planning or due diligence, inappropriate or controversial data practices by developers or end-users, and other factors adversely affecting public opinion of AI and the acceptance of AI solutions. Furthermore, given the pace of rapid adoption of such tools by vendors and service providers, we may not be aware of the addition of AI solutions prior to such tools being introduced into our environment. Failure to adequately manage AI risks can result in erroneous results and decisions made by misinformation, unwanted forms of bias, unauthorized access to sensitive, confidential, proprietary or personal information and violations of applicable laws and regulations, leading to operational inefficiencies, competitive harm, reputational harm, ethical challenges, legal liability, losses, fines and other adverse impacts on our business and financial results. If we do not have sufficient rights to use the data or other material or content on which the AI tools we use rely, or to use the output of such AI tools, we also may incur liability through the violation of applicable laws and regulations, third-party intellectual property, privacy or other rights or contracts to which we are a party.
In addition, regulation of AI is rapidly evolving as federal and state legislators and regulators are increasingly focused on these powerful emerging technologies. The technologies underlying AI and its uses are subject to a variety of laws and regulations, including intellectual property, data privacy and cybersecurity, consumer protection, competition, equal opportunity and fair lending laws, and are expected to be subject to increased regulation and new laws or new applications of existing laws and regulations. AI is the subject of ongoing review by various U.S. governmental and regulatory agencies, and various U.S. states are applying, or are considering applying, existing laws and regulations to AI or are considering general legal frameworks for AI. We may not be able to anticipate how to respond to these rapidly evolving frameworks, and we may need to expend resources to adjust our operations or offerings in certain jurisdictions if the legal frameworks are inconsistent across jurisdictions. Moreover, because AI technology itself is highly complex and rapidly developing, it is not possible to predict all of the legal, operational or technological risks that may arise relating to the use of AI.
Financial services companies, like Ameris, depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about customers and counterparties.
In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions, the Company may rely on information furnished by or on behalf of customers and counterparties, including financial statements, credit reports and other financial information. The Company may also rely on representations of those customers, counterparties or other third parties, such as independent auditors, as to the accuracy and completeness of that information. Reliance on inaccurate or misleading financial statements, credit reports or other financial information could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business and, in turn, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
Our business could suffer if we fail to attract and retain experienced people and maintain our culture.
Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to attract and retain competent, experienced people. Our strategic goals in particular require that we be able to attract qualified and experienced retail and commercial banking officers, mortgage loan officers and lenders in our various business lines, both in our existing markets and those markets in which we may want to expand, who share our relationship banking philosophy and have those customer relationships that will allow us to grow successfully. We also need to attract and retain qualified and experienced technology, risk and back-office personnel to operate our business. Many of our competitors are pursuing the same relationship banking strategy in our markets and are looking to
hire and retain qualified technology, risk and back-office personnel, which increases the competition to identify, hire and retain talented employees.
In addition, the loss or replacement of key employees and the regular integration of newly hired employees creates an additional risk to the Company’s culture. If we fail to consider and appropriately account for these challenges, we will face increased difficulty in creating and maintaining a cohesive culture. Our failure to successfully compete for experienced, qualified employees or to maintain our culture and attractive working environment may have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our financial goals and thus adversely affect our future results of operations.
There may be risks resulting from the extensive use of models in our business.
We rely on quantitative models to measure risks, estimate certain financial values and inform certain business decisions. Models may be used in such processes as determining the pricing of various products, grading and underwriting loans, measuring interest rate and other market risks, predicting or estimating losses, assessing capital adequacy, developing strategic initiatives, calculating regulatory capital levels and estimating the value of financial instruments and balance sheet items. Models generally predict or infer certain financial outcomes, leveraging historical data and assumptions as to the future, often with respect to macroeconomic conditions. Development and implementation of some of these models requires us to make difficult, subjective and complex judgments. Poorly designed or implemented models, or incorrectly used models, present the risk that certain business decisions we make may be adversely affected by inappropriate model output. In addition, information we provide to the public or to our regulators based on poorly designed or implemented models, or incorrectly used models, could be misleading or inaccurate.
Regulatory and Compliance Risk
Legislation and regulatory proposals, including those enacted in response to market, economic and political conditions, may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The banking industry is heavily regulated. We are subject to examinations, supervision and comprehensive regulation by various federal and state agencies. Our compliance with these regulations is costly and restricts certain of our activities. Banking regulations are primarily intended to protect the broader banking system, the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund and depositors, not shareholders. The burden imposed by federal and state regulations puts banks at a competitive disadvantage compared to less regulated competitors such as finance companies, mortgage banking companies and leasing companies.
In addition, from time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, or by regulatory agencies, that may impact the Company or the Bank. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change the operating environment of Ameris in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions and other financial institutions. The Company cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Company or the Bank could have a material effect on the business of the Company.
Moreover, we expect the Trump administration will seek to implement a regulatory reform agenda that is significantly different than that of the Biden administration, impacting the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities of the federal banking agencies.
We are subject to extensive regulation and supervision by various federal and state entities.
We are subject to the regulations of the SEC, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the GDBF, the CFPB and other governmental agencies and regulatory bodies. New regulations issued by these agencies may adversely affect our ability to carry on our business activities. We are also subject to numerous federal and state laws. Noncompliance with certain of these laws and regulations may impact our business plans, including our ability to branch, complete acquisitions, offer certain products or services or execute existing or planned business strategies.
In recent years, the Company and other large financial institutions have become subject to increased scrutiny, more intense supervision and regulation, and more supervisory findings and actions, with increased operational costs, as well as impacts on geographic expansion and acquisitions. The financial services industry also continues to face a stricter and more aggressive interpretation and enforcement of laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels, particularly in connection with business
and other practices that may harm or appear to harm consumers or affect the financial system more broadly. Financial institutions often are less inclined to litigate with governmental authorities because of the regulatory and supervisory framework. The Company expects that its businesses will remain subject to extensive regulation and supervision. Any potential new laws or regulations or modifications to existing laws or regulations would likely necessitate changes to the Company’s existing regulatory compliance and risk management infrastructure.
We are also subject to the accounting rules and regulations of the SEC and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Changes in accounting rules could materially adversely affect the reported financial statements or our results of operations and may also require extraordinary efforts or additional costs to implement. Any of these rules or regulations may be modified or changed from time to time, and we cannot be assured that such modifications or changes will not adversely affect us.
We may become subject to enforcement actions even though noncompliance was inadvertent or unintentional.
The financial services industry is subject to intense scrutiny from bank supervisors in the examination process and aggressive enforcement of federal and state regulations, particularly with respect to mortgage-related practices and other consumer compliance matters, and compliance with anti-money laundering, BSA and OFAC regulations, and economic sanctions against certain foreign countries and nationals. Enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of laws and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. We maintain systems and procedures designed to ensure that we comply with applicable laws and regulations; however, some legal and regulatory frameworks provide for the imposition of fines or penalties for noncompliance even though the noncompliance was inadvertent or unintentional and even though there were systems and procedures designed to ensure compliance in place at the time.
The Bank is subject to additional requirements included in the consent order entered into with the DOJ concerning our Jacksonville, Florida market.
On October 19, 2023, the Bank entered into a consent order with the DOJ that resolved alleged violations of fair lending laws in the Jacksonville, Florida metropolitan area from 2016 to 2021. The consent order was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on November 7, 2023. Under the terms of the consent order, in addition to complying with various obligations of an administrative nature, the Bank will provide $7.5 million in mortgage loan subsidies over a five-year period in Majority Black and Hispanic Census Tracts (“MBHCTs”) in Jacksonville and will also commit, for the same five-year period in the Jacksonville MBHCT communities, $900,000 for focused advertising and outreach and $600,000 for community development partnerships providing services related to credit, financial education, homeownership and foreclosure prevention. In addition, the Bank will open a new full-service branch in a Jacksonville MBHCT community. The settlement includes no civil penalties levied against Ameris.
Although we are committed to full compliance with the consent order, achieving such compliance will require significant management attention from us and may cause the Company to incur unanticipated costs and expenses. Actions taken to achieve compliance with the consent order may affect our financial performance and may require us to reallocate resources away from existing businesses or to undertake significant changes to our businesses, operations, products and services, and risk management practices. In addition, Ameris and the Bank could be subject to other enforcement or adverse regulatory actions or constraints relating to the alleged violations resolved by the consent order. Any of these results could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and stock price.
We may be a defendant from time to time in a variety of litigation and other actions, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We may be involved from time to time in a variety of litigation matters arising out of our business. Our insurance may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us, and any claims asserted against us, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, may harm our reputation. Should the ultimate judgments or settlements in any litigation exceed our insurance coverage, they could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we may not be able to obtain appropriate types or levels of insurance in the future or obtain adequate replacement policies with acceptable terms.
We could be subject to changes in tax laws, regulations and interpretations or challenges to our income tax provision.
We compute our income tax provision based on enacted tax rates in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Any change in enacted tax laws, rules or regulatory or judicial interpretations, or any change in the pronouncements relating to accounting for income taxes, could adversely affect our effective tax rate, tax payments and results of operations. The taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we operate may challenge our tax positions, which could increase our effective tax rate and harm our
financial position and results of operations. We are subject to audit and review by U.S. federal and state tax authorities. Any adverse outcome of such a review or audit could have a negative effect on our financial position and results of operations. In addition, changes in enacted tax laws, such as adoption of a lower income tax rate in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could impact our ability to obtain the future tax benefits represented by our deferred tax assets. Also, the determination of our provision for income taxes and other liabilities requires significant judgment by management. Although we believe that our estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax outcome may differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and could have a material adverse effect on our financial results in the period or periods for which such determination is made.
Market and General Risk
Our business is highly correlated to local economic conditions in a geographically concentrated part of the United States.
Unlike larger organizations that are more geographically diversified, our banking offices are primarily concentrated in select markets in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. As a result of this geographic concentration, our financial results depend largely upon economic conditions in these market areas. Deterioration in economic conditions in the markets we serve could result in one or more of the following: an increase in loan delinquencies; an increase in problem assets and foreclosures; a decrease in the demand for our products and services; and a decrease in the value of collateral for loans, especially real estate, in turn reducing customers’ borrowing power, the value of assets associated with problem loans and collateral coverage.
Our concentration of real estate loans subjects the Company to risks that could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The majority of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate, including commercial and industrial, construction and commercial real estate mortgage loans. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default and are typically larger than residential real estate loans or consumer loans. Because our loan portfolio contains a significant number of commercial and industrial, construction and commercial real estate loans with relatively large balances, the deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a significant increase in non-performing loans. Declines in real estate values could cause the revenue stream from those loans to come under stress and require additional provision to the allowance for loan losses. In addition, our ability to dispose of foreclosed real estate and resolve credit quality issues is dependent upon real estate activity and real estate prices, both of which can be highly unpredictable. Increases in non-performing loans have resulted in a net loss of earnings from particular loans, an increase in credit loss expense and an increase in loan charge-offs, and these and future instances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to risk arising from conditions in the commercial real estate market.
Commercial real estate mortgage loans generally involve a greater degree of credit risk than residential real estate mortgage loans because they typically have larger balances and are more affected by adverse conditions in the economy. Because payments on loans secured by commercial real estate often depend upon the successful operation and management of the properties and the businesses which operate from within them, repayment of such loans may be affected by factors outside the borrower’s control, such as adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy or changes in government regulations. Also, high vacancy rates in commercial properties may affect the value of commercial real estate, including by causing the value of properties securing commercial real estate loans to be less than the amounts owed on such loans. Elevated interest rates also may make it more difficult for borrowers to refinance maturing loans. Any of these or other events could increase the level of defaults on commercial real estate loans and result in higher credit losses to the Company. Failures in our risk management policies, procedures and controls could adversely affect our ability to manage this portfolio going forward and could result in an increased rate of delinquencies in, and increased losses from, this portfolio. Any of these results could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Damage to our reputation could significantly harm our business, including our competitive position and business prospects.
We are dependent on our reputation within our market area, as a trusted and responsible financial services company, for all aspects of our business, with customers, employees, vendors, third-party service providers and others with whom we conduct business. Negative public opinion about the financial services industry generally, including with respect to the types of banking products and services we provide, or us specifically could adversely affect our reputation and our ability to keep and attract customers and employees. In addition, adverse reputational impacts on third parties with whom we have important relationships may also adversely impact our reputation. Our actual or perceived failure to address various issues could give rise to negative public opinion and reputational risk that could cause harm to us and our business prospects. These issues include, but are not
limited to, legal and regulatory requirements; properly maintaining customer and employee personal information; record keeping; money-laundering; sales and trading practices; ethical issues; appropriately addressing potential conflicts of interest; and the proper identification of legal, credit, liquidity, market and other risks inherent in our products. Failure to appropriately address any of these issues could also give rise to additional regulatory restrictions and legal risks, which could, among other consequences, increase the size and number of litigation claims and damages asserted or subject us to enforcement actions, fines and penalties and cause us to incur related costs and expenses.
In addition, the proliferation of social media websites utilized by us and other third parties, as well as the personal use of social media by our employees and others, including personal blogs and social network profiles, also may increase the risk that negative, inappropriate or unauthorized information may be posted or released publicly that could harm our reputation or have other negative consequences, including as a result of our employees interacting with our customers in an unauthorized manner in various social media outlets. Any damage to our reputation could affect our ability to retain and develop the business relationships necessary to conduct business, which in turn could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our Common Stock.
Inflationary pressures and rising prices could negatively impact our business, our profitability and our stock price.
Inflation rose significantly in recent years to levels not seen in decades. Although inflation has moderated somewhat, the economic outlook remains uncertain and the impact of inflation continues to persist. Prolonged periods of inflation may impact our profitability by negatively impacting our fixed costs and expenses, including increasing funding costs and expense related to talent acquisition and retention, and negatively impacting the demand for our products and services. Additionally, rising inflation may lead to a decrease in consumer and client purchasing power and negatively affect the need or demand for our products and services. If inflation persists, our business could be negatively affected by, among other things, increased default rates leading to credit losses which could decrease our appetite for new credit extensions. These inflationary pressures could adversely impact our earnings, potentially causing our stock price to suffer.
Natural disasters, geopolitical events, public health crises and other catastrophic events beyond our control could adversely affect us.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, wildfires, extreme weather conditions and other acts of nature, geopolitical events such as those involving civil unrest, changes in government regimes, terrorism or military conflict, pandemics and other public health crises, and other catastrophic events could adversely affect our business operations and those of our customers, counterparties and service providers, and cause substantial damage and loss to real and personal property, including damage to or destruction of mortgaged properties or our own banking facilities and offices. Natural disasters, geopolitical events, public health crises and other catastrophic events, or concerns about the occurrence of any such events, could impair our borrowers’ ability to service their loans, decrease the level and duration of deposits by customers, erode the value of loan collateral, including mortgaged properties, result in an increase in the amount of our non-performing loans and a higher level of non-performing assets, including real estate owned, net charge-offs and provision for loan losses, lead to other operational difficulties and impair our ability to manage our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the value of our common stock. We also could be adversely affected if our key personnel or a significant number of our employees were to become unavailable due to a public health crisis (such as an outbreak of a contagious disease), natural disaster, war, act of terrorism, accident or other reason. Additionally, financial markets may be adversely affected by the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, acts of terrorism or other geopolitical events.
The stock price of financial institutions, like Ameris, can be volatile.
The volatility in the stock prices of companies in the financial services industry, such as Ameris, may make it more difficult for shareholders to resell our Common Stock at attractive prices in a timely manner. Our stock price can fluctuate significantly in response to a variety of factors, including factors affecting the financial industry as a whole, such as the bank failures that occurred in March 2023. Specific factors affecting financial stocks generally and our stock price in particular may include the following:
•actual or anticipated variations in earnings;
•changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections;
•operating and stock performance of other companies deemed to be our peers;
•perception in the marketplace regarding the Company, our competitors or the industry as a whole;
•significant acquisitions or business combinations involving the Company or our competitors;
•changes in government regulation;
•failure to integrate acquisitions or realize anticipated benefits from acquisitions; and
•volatility affecting the financial markets in general.
General market fluctuations, the potential for breakdowns on electronic trading or other platforms for executing securities transactions, industry factors and general economic and political conditions could also cause our stock price to decrease regardless of operating results.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Company’s corporate headquarters is located at 3490 Piedmont Road N.E., Suite 1550, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. The Company occupies approximately 19,200 square feet at this location plus an additional 82,600 square feet approximately used for a branch location and support services for banking operations, including credit, marketing and operational support. The Company also leases approximately 15,000 square feet in Jacksonville, Florida used for additional corporate support services. Inclusive of the branch at its headquarters, Ameris operates 164 branch locations. Of the 164 branch locations, 137 are owned and 27 are subject to either building or ground leases. Ameris also operates 30 mortgage and loan production offices, all of which are subject to building leases. At December 31, 2024, there were no significant encumbrances on the offices, equipment or other operational facilities owned by Ameris and the Bank. We believe that our properties are suitable for the purposes of our operations.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Disclosure concerning legal proceedings can be found in Item 8. "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 18. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities" under the caption, "Litigation and Regulatory Contingencies," which is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market for Our Common Stock
The Common Stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “ABCB”. As of February 21, 2025, there were approximately 2,423 holders of record of the Common Stock. We believe a portion of Common Stock outstanding is held either in nominee name or street name brokerage accounts; therefore, the Company is unable to determine the number of beneficial owners of the Common Stock.
The amount of and nature of any dividends declared on our Common Stock will be determined by our Board in its sole discretion. The Company is required to comply with the restrictions on the payment of dividends in respect of the Common Stock discussed in the section of Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report captioned “Payment of Dividends and Other Restrictions.”
Performance Graph
Set forth below is a line graph comparing the change in the cumulative total shareholder return on the Common Stock against the cumulative return of the NYSE Composite Index, the Nasdaq Composite Index, KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index and the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index for the five-year period commencing December 31, 2019 and ending December 31, 2024. This line graph assumes an investment of $100 on December 31, 2019, and reinvestment of dividends and other distributions to shareholders.
In 2023, because our Common Stock was traded on Nasdaq, we used the Nasdaq Composite Index as our broad equity market index. As previously disclosed, we voluntarily transferred the listing of our Common Stock to the NYSE on July 23, 2024. As a result, we have changed our broad equity market index for purposes of disclosure in the stock performance graph to the NYSE Composite Index and have included returns in the stock performance graph based on both of these indices. In future periods, we will no longer reference the Nasdaq Composite Index in comparing total shareholder returns on the Common Stock.
We have also changed our line-of-business index from the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index, which we used in 2023, to the KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index, which consists of a peer group of companies that is used by the Company in our executive compensation program. We have included returns in the stock performance graph based on both of these indices. In future periods, we will no longer reference the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index in comparing total shareholder returns on the Common Stock.
Period Ending
Index 12/31/2019 12/31/2020 12/31/2021 12/31/2022 12/31/2023 12/31/2024
Ameris Bancorp 100.00 91.70 121.06 116.42 133.04 158.80
NYSE Composite Index 100.00 106.99 129.11 117.04 133.16 154.19
Nasdaq Composite Index 100.00 144.92 177.06 119.45 172.77 223.87
KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index 100.00 91.29 124.74 116.10 115.64 130.90
KBW Nasdaq Bank Index 100.00 89.69 124.06 97.52 96.65 132.60
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
Pursuant to the regulations of the SEC, this performance graph is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed filed with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing of the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
During 2024, the Company reported net income of $358.7 million, or $5.19 per diluted share, compared with $269.1 million, or $3.89 per diluted share, in 2023. The Company’s net income as a percentage of average assets for 2024 and 2023 was 1.38% and 1.06%, respectively, while the Company’s net income as a percentage of average shareholders’ equity was 10.01% and 8.12%, respectively. Reported net income for the year ended December 31, 2024 includes $58.8 million in provision for credit losses, primarily related to updated economic forecasts and organic growth, partially offset by a reduction in unfunded commitments and the related allowance, compared with a provision of $142.7 million in 2023 resulting from organic growth in loans and the updated economic forecast. Results for the year ended December 31, 2023 also includes $11.6 million related to the FDIC special assessment.
Highlights of the Company’s performance in 2024 include the following:
•Growth in tangible book value per share1 of 14.7%, from $33.64 at the end of 2023 to $38.59 at the end of 2024
•Organic growth in loans of $470.6 million, or 2.32%
•Growth in total deposits of $1.01 billion, or 4.90%
•Total non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets declined to 0.47% at December 31, 2024, compared with 0.69% at December 31, 2023
•Increase in the allowance for credit losses to 1.63% of loans, from 1.52% at December 31, 2023, due to forecasted economic conditions and organic loan growth
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures can be found in the following tables.
Adjusted Net Income Reconciliation
Year Ended
December 31,
(dollars in thousands except per share data) 2024 2023
Net income available to common shareholders $ 358,685 $ 269,105
Adjustment items:
Gain on sale of mortgage servicing rights (10,494) -
Gain on conversion of Visa Class B-1 stock (12,554) -
FDIC special assessment 1,455 11,566
Natural disaster expenses 550 -
Gain on BOLI proceeds (1,464) (486)
Loss (gain) on disposition of premises 1,203 (1,903)
Tax effect of adjustment items (Note 1) 4,166 (2,029)
After-tax adjustment items (17,138) 7,148
Tax expense attributable to BOLI restructuring 5,093 -
Adjusted net income $ 346,640 $ 276,253
Total shareholders' equity $ 3,751,522 $ 3,426,747
Less:
Goodwill 1,015,646 1,015,646
Other intangibles, net 70,761 87,949
Total tangible shareholders' equity $ 2,665,115 $ 2,323,152
Period end number of shares 69,068,609 69,053,341
Book value per share $ 54.32 $ 49.62
Tangible book value per share $ 38.59 $ 33.64
Note 1: Tax effect is calculated utilizing a 21% rate for taxable adjustments. Gain on BOLI proceeds is non-taxable and no tax effect is included.
Non-performing Portfolio Assets Reconciliation
Year Ended
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
Nonaccrual portfolio loans $ 90,206 $ 60,961
Other real estate owned 2,433 6,199
Repossessed assets 9 17
Accruing loans delinquent 90 days or more 17,733 16,988
Non-performing portfolio assets $ 110,381 $ 84,165
Serviced GNMA-guaranteed mortgage nonaccrual loans 12,012 90,156
Total non-performing assets $ 122,393 $ 174,321
Total assets 26,262,050 25,203,699
Non-performing portfolio assets as a percent of total assets 0.42 % 0.33 %
Total non-performing assets as a percent of total assets 0.47 % 0.69 %
Adjusted Efficiency Ratio Reconciliation
Year Ended
December 31,
(dollars in thousands except per share data) 2024 2023
Adjusted Noninterest Expense
Total noninterest expense $ 607,794 $ 578,281
Adjustment items:
FDIC special assessment (1,455) (11,566)
Natural disaster expenses (550) -
(Loss) gain on disposition of premises (1,203) 1,903
Adjusted noninterest expense $ 604,586 $ 568,618
Total Revenue
Net interest income $ 849,190 $ 835,044
Noninterest income 293,257 242,828
Total revenue $ 1,142,447 $ 1,077,872
Adjusted Total Revenue
Net interest income (TE) $ 853,020 $ 838,824
Noninterest income 293,257 242,828
Total revenue (TE) 1,146,277 1,081,652
Adjustment items:
(Gain) loss on securities (12,304) 304
Gain on sale of mortgage servicing rights (10,494) -
Gain on BOLI proceeds (1,464) (486)
Adjusted total revenue (TE) $ 1,122,015 $ 1,081,470
Efficiency ratio 53.20 % 53.65 %
Adjusted efficiency ratio (TE) 53.88 % 52.58 %
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Ameris has established certain accounting and financial reporting policies to govern the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) in the preparation of its financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by management which have a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities; management considers these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The judgments and assumptions used by management are based on historical experience and other factors which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Because of the nature of the judgments and assumptions made by management, actual results could differ from the judgments and estimates adopted by management which could have a material impact on the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the results of our operations. We believe the following accounting policies applied by Ameris represent critical accounting policies.
Allowance for Credit Losses
We believe the allowance for credit losses ("ACL") is a critical accounting policy that requires significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. The ACL is a valuation allowance estimated at each balance sheet date in accordance with GAAP that is deducted from financial assets measured at amortized cost to present the net amount expected to be collected on those assets. Management uses a systematic methodology to determine its ACL for loans and certain off-balance-sheet credit exposures. Management considers relevant information including past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts on the collectability of the loan portfolio. The Company’s estimate of its ACL involves a high degree of judgment; therefore, management’s process for determining expected credit losses may result in a range of expected credit losses. It is possible that others, given the same information, may at any point in time reach a different reasonable conclusion.
Loans which share common risk characteristics are pooled for the purposes of determining the ACL. Management uses the discounted cash flow method or the PD×LGD method, which may be adjusted for qualitative factors, in measuring the ACL for pooled loans. Loans which do not share common risk characteristics are evaluated on an individual basis. When repayment is
expected to be from the operation of the collateral, expected credit losses are calculated as the amount by which the amortized cost basis of the loan exceeds the present value of expected cash flows from the operation of the collateral. The expected credit losses may also be calculated, in the alternative, as the amount by which the amortized cost basis of the loan exceeds the estimated fair value of the collateral. When repayment is expected to be from the sale of the collateral, expected credit losses are calculated as the amount by which the amortized cost basis of the loan exceeds the fair value of the underlying collateral less estimated cost to sell.
Management believes that the ACL is adequate. While management uses available information to recognize expected losses on loans, future additions to the ACL may be necessary based on changes in economic conditions. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination processes, periodically review the Company’s ACL. Such agencies may require the Company to recognize additions to the ACL based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination.
As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, Management determined the ACL on loans at December 31, 2024 utilizing a weighting of two economic forecasts from Moody's. The Moody's baseline scenario was weighted at 75% and the downside 75th percentile S-2 scenario was weighted at 25%. Results by scenario can vary significantly from period to period as both the scenario assumptions and the portfolio composition are changing. If Management utilized the downside 96th percentile S-4 scenario from Moody's holding all other assumptions constant, the quantitative portion of the ACL on loans would have increased approximately $111.7 million. The S-4 scenario is a downside scenario such that there is a 96% probability that the economy will perform better than the forecast and a 4% probability that the economy will perform worse.
Income Taxes
As required by GAAP, we use the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes and provide deferred income taxes for all significant income tax temporary differences. See Note 11, “Income Taxes,” in the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional details.
As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as the provision for credit losses and gains on FDIC-assisted transactions, for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities that are included in our consolidated balance sheet.
We must also assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance or adjust this allowance in a period, we must include an expense within the tax provisions in the statement of income.
NET INCOME AND EARNINGS PER SHARE
The Company’s net income during 2024 was $358.7 million, or $5.19 per diluted share, compared with $269.1 million, or $3.89 per diluted share, in 2023, and $346.5 million, or $4.99 per diluted share, in 2022.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company recorded net income of $94.4 million, or $1.37 per diluted share, compared with $65.9 million, or $0.96 per diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, and $82.2 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2022.
EARNING ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Average earning assets were approximately $23.97 billion in 2024, compared with approximately $23.26 billion in 2023. The earning asset and interest-bearing liability mix is regularly monitored to maximize the net interest margin and, therefore, increase return on assets and shareholders’ equity.
The following statistical information should be read in conjunction with the remainder of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report and in the documents incorporated herein by reference.
The following tables set forth the amount of average balance, interest income or interest expense, and average interest rate for each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, net interest spread and net interest margin on average interest-earning assets. Federally tax-exempt income is presented on a taxable-equivalent basis assuming a 21% federal tax rate.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022
(dollars in thousands) Average
Balance
Interest
Income/
Expense
Average
Yield/
Rate Paid
Average
Balance
Interest
Income/
Expense
Average
Yield/
Rate Paid
Average
Balance
Interest
Income/
Expense
Average
Yield/
Rate Paid
Assets
Interest-earning assets:
Interest-bearing deposits in banks $ 930,145 $ 49,906 5.37 % $ 914,818 $ 47,936 5.24 % $ 1,993,672 $ 23,008 1.15 %
Federal funds sold - - - - - - 10,836 77 0.71
Investment securities - taxable 1,690,053 61,518 3.64 1,664,184 59,002 3.55 1,123,681 34,656 3.08
Investment securities - nontaxable 41,419 1,694 4.09 41,679 1,690 4.05 39,779 1,489 3.74
Loans held for sale 547,190 34,532 6.31 484,070 29,711 6.14 718,599 29,699 4.13
Loans 20,759,247 1,234,464 5.95 20,154,321 1,145,876 5.69 17,521,461 808,826 4.62
Total interest-earning assets 23,968,054 1,382,114 5.77 23,259,072 1,284,215 5.52 21,408,028 897,755 4.19
Noninterest-earning assets 2,068,627 2,145,801 2,236,726
Total assets $ 26,036,681 $ 25,404,873 $ 23,644,754
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Interest-bearing deposits
NOW Accounts $ 3,824,094 $ 81,228 2.12 % $ 3,878,034 $ 69,584 1.79 % $ 3,675,586 $ 14,367 0.39 %
MMDA 6,395,883 231,065 3.61 5,382,865 162,718 3.02 5,128,497 33,143 0.65
Savings Accounts 776,273 3,780 0.49 936,454 6,349 0.68 1,005,752 1,287 0.13
Retail CDs 2,440,891 102,672 4.21 2,031,828 63,650 3.13 1,604,978 7,308 0.46
Brokered CDs 1,274,933 65,928 5.17 1,024,606 53,716 5.24 - - -
Total Interest-Bearing Deposits 14,712,074 484,673 3.29 13,253,787 356,017 2.69 11,414,813 56,105 0.49
Non-deposit funding
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase - - - - - - 1,477 4 0.27
FHLB advances 335,056 16,581 4.95 1,210,242 59,302 4.90 279,409 9,710 3.48
Other borrowings 298,372 14,313 4.80 325,260 16,870 5.19 393,393 19,209 4.88
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures 131,302 13,527 10.30 129,310 13,202 10.21 127,316 7,832 6.15
Total non-deposit funding 764,730 44,421 5.81 1,664,812 89,374 5.37 801,595 36,755 4.59
Total interest-bearing liabilities 15,476,804 529,094 3.42 14,918,599 445,391 2.99 12,216,408 92,860 0.76
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits 6,567,855 6,771,464 8,005,201
Other liabilities 408,632 401,449 340,064
Shareholders' equity 3,583,390 3,313,361 3,083,081
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 26,036,681 $ 25,404,873 $ 23,644,754
Interest rate spread 2.35 % 2.53 % 3.43 %
Net interest income $ 853,020 $ 838,824 $ 804,895
Net interest margin 3.56 % 3.61 % 3.76 %
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Net Interest Income
Net interest income represents the amount by which interest income on interest-earning assets exceeds interest expense incurred on interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is the largest component of our income and is affected by the interest rate environment and the volume and composition of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Our interest-earning assets include loans, investment securities, other investments, interest-bearing deposits in banks and federal funds sold. Our interest-bearing liabilities include deposits, securities sold under agreements to repurchase, other borrowings and subordinated deferrable interest debentures.
2024 compared with 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024, interest income was $1.38 billion, an increase of $97.8 million, or 7.6%, compared with the same period in 2023. Average earning assets increased $709.0 million, or 3.0%, to $23.97 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $23.26 billion for 2023. Yield on average earning assets on a taxable-equivalent basis increased during 2024 to 5.77%, compared with 5.52% for the year ended December 31, 2023. Average yields on all interest-earning asset categories increased from 2023 to 2024 as market interest rates increased.
Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $529.1 million, an increase of $83.7 million, or 18.8%, compared with $445.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. During 2024 average interest-bearing liabilities were $15.48 billion as compared with $14.92 billion for 2023, an increase of $558.2 million, or 3.7%. During 2024, average noninterest-bearing deposit accounts were $6.57 billion and comprised 30.9% of average total deposits, compared with $6.77 billion, or 33.8% of average total deposits, during 2023. Costs of interest-bearing deposits increased during 2024 to 3.29%, compared with 2.69% for 2023. This increase reflects a shift in mix of deposits based on customer behavior and increased competition in the market for deposits. The cost of non-deposit funding increased to 5.81% in 2024, compared with 5.37% resulting from an increase in market interest rates.
On a taxable-equivalent basis, net interest income for 2024 was $853.0 million, compared with $838.8 million in 2023, an increase of $14.2 million, or 1.7%. The Company’s net interest margin, on a tax equivalent basis, decreased five basis points to 3.56% for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with 3.61% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
2023 compared with 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, interest income was $1.28 billion, an increase of $386.5 million, or 43.2%, compared with the same period in 2022. Average earning assets increased $1.85 billion, or 8.6%, to $23.26 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $21.41 billion for 2022. Yield on average earning assets on a taxable equivalent basis increased during 2023 to 5.52%, compared with 4.19% for the year ended December 31, 2022. Average yields on all interest-earning asset categories increased from 2022 to 2023 as market interest rates increased.
Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $445.4 million, an increase of $352.5 million, or 379.6%, compared with $92.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. During 2023 average interest-bearing liabilities were $14.92 billion as compared with $12.22 billion for 2022, an increase of $2.70 billion, or 22.1%. During 2023, average noninterest-bearing deposit accounts were $6.77 billion and comprised 33.8% of average total deposits, compared with $8.01 billion, or 41.2% of average total deposits, during 2022. Costs of interest-bearing deposits increased during 2023 to 2.69%, compared with 0.49% for 2022. This increase reflects a shift in mix of deposits based on customer behavior and increased competition in the market for deposits. The cost of non-deposit funding increased to 5.37% in 2023, compared with 4.59% resulting from an increase in market interest rates.
On a taxable-equivalent basis, net interest income for 2023 was $838.8 million, compared with $804.9 million in 2022, an increase of $33.9 million, or 4.2%. The Company’s net interest margin, on a tax equivalent basis, decreased 15 basis points to 3.61% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with 3.76% for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The summary of changes in interest income and interest expense on a fully taxable equivalent basis resulting from changes in volume and changes in rates for each category of earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 are shown in the following table:
2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Increase Changes Due To Increase Changes Due To
(dollars in thousands) (Decrease) Rate Volume (Decrease) Rate Volume
Increase (decrease) in:
Income from earning assets:
Interest on interest-bearing deposits in banks $ 1,970 $ 1,167 $ 803 $ 24,928 $ 37,379 $ (12,451)
Interest on federal funds sold - - - (77) - (77)
Interest on investment securities - taxable 2,516 1,599 917 24,346 7,676 16,670
Interest on investment securities - nontaxable 4 15 (11) 201 130 71
Interest on loans held for sale 4,821 947 3,874 12 9,705 (9,693)
Interest and fees on loans 88,588 54,195 34,393 337,050 215,512 121,538
Total interest income 97,899 57,923 39,976 386,460 270,402 116,058
Expense from interest-bearing liabilities:
Interest expense on interest-bearing deposits
Interest on NOW accounts 11,644 12,612 (968) 55,217 54,426 791
Interest on MMDA accounts 68,347 37,725 30,622 129,575 127,931 1,644
Interest on savings accounts (2,569) (1,483) (1,086) 5,062 5,151 (89)
Interest on retail time deposits 39,022 26,207 12,815 56,342 54,398 1,944
Interest on brokered time deposits 12,212 (912) 13,124 53,716 - 53,716
Total interest expense on interest-bearing deposits 128,656 74,149 54,507 299,912 241,906 58,006
Interest expense on non-deposit funding
Interest on federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase - - - (4) - (4)
Interest on FHLB advances (42,721) 163 (42,884) 49,592 17,244 32,348
Interest on other borrowings (2,557) (1,162) (1,395) (2,339) 988 (3,327)
Interest on trust preferred securities 325 122 203 5,370 5,247 123
Total interest expense on non-deposit funding (44,953) (877) (44,076) 52,619 23,479 29,140
Total interest expense 83,703 73,272 10,431 352,531 265,385 87,146
Net interest income $ 14,196 $ (15,349) $ 29,545 $ 33,929 $ 5,017 $ 28,912
Provision for Credit Losses
The Company's provision for credit losses on loans during 2024 amounted to $69.8 million, compared with $153.5 million for 2023 and $52.6 million for 2022. The decreased provision for 2024 was primarily attributable to the updated economic forecast. Net charge-offs in 2024 were 0.19% of average loans, compared with 0.25% in 2023 and 0.08% in 2022. Included in charge-offs for 2023 were $5.6 million in charge-offs on acquired loans which were fully reserved at acquisition. Excluding those charge-offs, the net charge-off rate for 2023 would have been 0.22%.
At December 31, 2024, non-performing assets amounted to $122.4 million, or 0.47% of total assets, compared with $174.3 million, or 0.69% of total assets, at December 31, 2023. Included in non-performing assets were serviced GNMA-guaranteed residential mortgage loans totaling $12.0 million and $90.2 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Non-performing assets, excluding GNMA-guaranteed loans, represented 0.42% of total assets at December 31, 2024, compared with 0.33% of total assets at December 31, 2023. Other real estate was approximately $2.4 million as of December 31, 2024, compared with $6.2 million at December 31, 2023.
The Company’s allowance for credit losses on loans at December 31, 2024 was $338.1 million, or 1.63% of loans compared with $307.1 million, or 1.52%, and $205.7 million, or 1.04%, at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in the allowance for credit losses on loans as a percentage of loans compared with December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to among other things, a negative trend in forecast levels of commercial real estate prices and increased unemployment, partially offset by improvements in forecast levels of home prices and gross domestic product compared with the forecast at December 31, 2023.
The Company's provision for unfunded commitments during 2024 amounted to a release of $11.0 million, compared with a release of $10.9 million for 2023 and a provision of $19.2 million for 2022. The allowance for unfunded commitments on off-balance sheet credit exposures is estimated by loan segment at each balance sheet date under the current expected credit loss
model using the same methodologies as portfolio loans, taking into consideration the likelihood that funding will occur as well as any third-party guarantees. The decrease in the provision for unfunded commitments was primarily due to a reduction in unfunded commitments during 2024 resulting from completion of existing commitments. The Company recorded no provision for other credit losses during 2024, compared with releases of $6,000 for 2023 and $139,000 for 2022.
Noninterest Income
Following is a comparison of noninterest income for 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023 2022
Service charges on deposit accounts $ 50,893 $ 46,575 $ 44,499
Mortgage banking activity 160,475 139,885 184,904
Other service charges, commissions and fees 4,758 4,401 3,875
Net gain (loss) on securities 12,304 (304) 203
Equipment finance activity 21,664 23,349 19,178
Other noninterest income 43,163 28,922 31,765
Total noninterest income $ 293,257 $ 242,828 $ 284,424
2024 compared with 2023. Total noninterest income in 2024 was $293.3 million, compared with $242.8 million in 2023, reflecting an increase of 20.8%, or $50.4 million.
Service charges on deposit accounts increased $4.3 million, or 9.3%, to $50.9 million during 2024 compared with 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in corporate services charges compared with 2023.
Income from mortgage banking activities increased $20.6 million, or 14.7%, to $160.5 million during 2024 compared with 2023. This increase was a result of increases in production and gain on sale spreads compared with 2023. Total production in the retail mortgage division increased to $4.6 billion for 2024, compared with $4.3 billion for 2023, while gain on sale spreads increased in 2024 to 2.37% from 2.07% in 2023. Noninterest income from the Company's warehouse lending division was $4.2 million for 2024 compared with $3.5 million for 2023.
Other service charges, commission and fees increased by $357,000 to $4.8 million during 2024, an increase of 8.1% compared with 2023 due primarily to an increase in check cashing fees.
Gain on securities during 2024 was $12.3 million compared with a loss of $304,000 during 2023. The gain in 2024 was primarily due to a gain on conversion of Visa Class B stock of $12.6 million during the year.
Income from equipment finance activity decreased $1.7 million to $21.7 million during 2024, a decrease of 7.2% compared with 2023. This decrease largely being due to a $900,000 insurance settlement received in 2023.
Other noninterest income increased by $14.2 million, or 49.2%, to $43.2 million during 2024 compared with 2023. This is mostly due to a gain on sale of MSR of $10.5 million during 2024, compared with no such gain in 2023. Additionally, income on bank owned life insurance increased $3.5 million in 2024 due to the restructure of those policies during 2024 and the gain on sale of SBA loans increased by $2.6 million during 2024.
2023 compared with 2022. Total noninterest income in 2023 was $242.8 million, compared with $284.4 million in 2022, reflecting a decrease of 14.6%, or $41.6 million.
Service charges on deposit accounts increased $2.1 million, or 4.7%, to $46.6 million during 2023 compared with 2022. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in corporate services charges compared with 2022.
Income from mortgage banking activities decreased $45.0 million, or 24.3%, to $139.9 million during 2023 compared with 2022. This decrease was a result of a decline in production and tightening of gain on sale spreads compared with 2022. Also contributing to the decrease was a reduction in recovery of prior mortgage servicing right impairment of $21.8 million compared with 2022. Total production in the retail mortgage division decreased to $4.3 billion for 2023, compared with $5.5 billion for 2022, while gain on sale spreads decreased in 2023 to 2.07% from 2.27% in 2022. The decrease in gain on sale spread is primarily related to competitive pricing pressure from non-bank originators. Noninterest income from the Company's warehouse lending division was $3.5 million for 2023 compared with $4.5 million for 2022.
Other service charges, commission and fees increased by $526,000 to $4.4 million during 2023, an increase of 13.6% compared with 2022 due primarily to an increase in ATM fees.
Income from equipment finance activity increased $4.2 million to $23.3 million during 2023, an increase of 21.7% compared with 2022. This increase largely being due to an increase of $3.0 million in gain on sale of lease equipment during 2023, as well as a $900,000 insurance settlement received during 2023.
Other noninterest income decreased by $2.8 million, or 9.0%, to $28.9 million during 2023 compared with 2022. This decrease was primarily due to a reduction in trust income of $4.4 million in 2023 after exiting this business at the end of 2022. Additionally, gains on sale of SBA loans decreased $4.0 million in 2023 compared to 2022. These decreases were partially offset by increases in BOLI income, SBA servicing income, merchant fee income and credit card interchange income of $1.9 million, $1.1 million, $771,000 and $760,000, respectively.
Noninterest Expense
Following is a comparison of noninterest expense for 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023 2022
Salaries and employee benefits $ 347,641 $ 320,110 $ 319,719
Occupancy and equipment 48,784 51,450 51,361
Advertising and marketing 12,612 11,638 12,032
Amortization of intangible assets 17,189 18,244 19,744
Data processing and communications expenses 59,699 53,486 49,228
Legal and other professional fees 16,737 17,726 16,439
Credit resolution-related expenses 2,487 80 29
Merger and conversion charges - - 1,212
FDIC insurance 15,499 26,940 8,063
Loan servicing expenses 36,157 35,283 36,835
Other noninterest expenses 50,989 43,324 45,993
Total noninterest expense $ 607,794 $ 578,281 $ 560,655
2024 compared with 2023. Total noninterest expense increased to $607.8 million in 2024, compared with $578.3 million in 2023. Total noninterest expense for 2024 includes approximately $1.5 million in FDIC special assessment, $1.5 million in losses on disposition of bank premises and $550,000 in natural disaster expenses. Total noninterest expense for 2023 includes approximately $11.6 million in FDIC special assessment and $1.9 million in gains on disposition of bank premises. Excluding these amounts, expenses in 2024 increased by $36.0 million, or 6.33%, compared with 2023 levels.
Salaries and benefits increased from $320.1 million in 2023 to $347.6 million in 2024. This increase was attributable to an increase in variable pay resulting from increased production levels in our retail mortgage division along with an increase in health insurance costs in 2024. Salaries and benefits in our mortgage division increased $12.1 million, or 15.1%, to $92.4 million in 2024. Full time equivalent employees decreased from 2,765 at December 31, 2023 to 2,691 at December 31, 2024.
Amortization of intangible assets decreased $1.1 million, or 5.8%, to $17.2 million for 2024 compared with $18.2 million for 2023. This reduction was attributable to a reduction in core deposit intangible amortization.
Data processing and communication expenses increased $6.2 million, or 11.6%, to $59.7 million in 2024, compared with $53.5 million for 2023. This increase is primarily related to technology enhancements implemented utilizing cost saves identified from other areas of the Company.
FDIC insurance decreased $11.4 million, or 42.5%, to $15.5 million in 2024, compared with $26.9 million in 2023. Included in FDIC insurance for 2023 was $11.6 million related to the FDIC special assessment pursuant to the systemic risk determination following the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March 2023, compared with $1.5 million in 2024.
Other noninterest expense increased $7.7 million, or 17.7%, to $51.0 million in 2024 from $43.3 million in 2023. This increase is primarily attributable to a reduction in deferred loan origination costs and an increase in tax and license expenses. These
items were partially offset by decreases in fraud and forgery losses, credit reporting expenses related to our equipment finance division, ATM expense and brokerage commissions.
2023 compared with 2022. Total noninterest expense increased to $578.3 million in 2023, compared with $560.7 million in 2022. Total noninterest expense for 2023 includes approximately $11.6 million in FDIC special assessment and $1.9 million in gains on sale of bank premises. Total noninterest expense for 2022 includes approximately $1.2 million in merger-related charges, $151,000 in natural disaster expense and $45,000 in gains on sale of bank premises. Excluding these amounts, expenses in 2023 increased by $9.3 million, or 1.7%, compared with 2022 levels.
Salaries and benefits increased slightly from $319.7 million in 2022 to $320.1 million in 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to a decrease in deferred costs resulting from decreased loan production, nearly offset by a decrease in variable pay resulting from decreased production levels in our retail mortgage division. Salaries and benefits in our mortgage division decreased $27.5 million, or 25.5%, to $80.3 million in 2023. Full time equivalent employees decreased from 2,847 at December 31, 2022 to 2,765 at December 31, 2023.
Amortization of intangible assets decreased $1.5 million, or 7.6%, to $18.2 million for 2023 compared with $19.7 million for 2022. This reduction was attributable to a reduction in core deposit intangible amortization.
Data processing and communication expenses increased $4.3 million, or 8.6%, to $53.5 million in 2023, compared with $49.2 million for 2022. This increase is primarily related to technology enhancements implemented utilizing cost saves identified from other areas of the Company.
FDIC insurance increased $18.9 million, or 234.1%, to $26.9 million in 2023, compared with $8.1 million in 2022. Included in FDIC insurance for 2023 was $11.6 million related to the FDIC special assessment pursuant to the systemic risk determination following the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March 2023. Also contributing to the increase in 2023 was an increase in the base assessment rates which took effect during 2023.
Merger and conversion charges were $1.2 million in 2022, compared with no such charges recorded for 2023. Merger and conversion charges for 2022 were primarily related to the acquisition of Balboa Capital Corporation in December 2021.
Other noninterest expense decreased $2.7 million, or 5.8%, to $43.3 million in 2023 from $46.0 million in 2022, resulting primarily from an increase in deferred costs related to our equipment finance division production and net gains on sale of bank premises and a decrease in tax and license expense. These items were partially offset by increases in mortgage indemnification expense and credit reporting expenses related to our equipment finance division.
Income Taxes
Income tax expense is influenced by statutory federal and state tax rates, the amount of taxable income, the amount of tax-exempt income and the amount of non-deductible expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded income tax expense of approximately $117.2 million, compared with $87.8 million recorded in 2023 and $106.6 million recorded in 2022. The Company’s effective tax rate was 24.6%, 24.6% and 23.5% for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
BALANCE SHEET COMPARISON
LOANS
Management believes that our loan portfolio is adequately diversified. The loan portfolio contains no foreign loans or significant concentrations in any one industry. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 72.3% of our loan portfolio was secured by real estate, compared with 74.2% at December 31, 2023.
The amount of loans outstanding at the indicated dates is shown in the following table according to type of loans.
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
Commercial and industrial $ 2,953,135 $ 2,688,929
Consumer 221,735 275,809
Mortgage warehouse 965,053 818,728
Municipal 441,408 492,668
Premium finance 1,155,614 946,562
Real estate - construction and development 1,998,506 2,129,187
Real estate - commercial and farmland 8,445,958 8,059,754
Real estate - residential 4,558,497 4,857,666
Loans, net of unearned income $ 20,739,906 $ 20,269,303
The Company seeks to diversify its loan portfolio across its geographic footprint and in various loan types. Also, the Company’s in-house lending limit for a single loan is $40.0 million for construction loans and $50.0 million for term loans with stabilized cash flows, which would normally prevent a concentration with a single loan project. Certain lending relationships may contain more than one loan and, consequently, exceed the in-house lending limit. The Company regularly monitors its largest loan relationships to avoid a concentration with a single borrower. The largest 25 loan relationships as of December 31, 2024 based on committed amount are summarized below by type.
(dollars in thousands) Committed
Amount Average
Rate Average
Maturity
(months) %
Unsecured % in
Nonaccrual
Status
Commercial and industrial $ 234,113 7.22 % 15 64.37 % - %
Mortgage warehouse 744,006 6.93 % 16 - - %
Real estate - construction and development 503,851 6.38 % 37 - - %
Real estate - commercial and farmland 993,413 5.80 % 30 - - %
Total $ 2,475,383 6.39 % 26 6.09 % - %
Total loans as of December 31, 2024, are shown in the following table according to their contractual maturity.
Contractual Maturity in:
(dollars in thousands) One Year
or Less Over
One Year
through
Five Years Over
Five Years through Fifteen Years Over
Fifteen Years Total
Commercial and industrial $ 464,967 $ 1,908,400 $ 561,813 $ 17,955 $ 2,953,135
Consumer 44,267 105,005 71,633 830 221,735
Mortgage warehouse 447,915 517,138 - - 965,053
Municipal 5,097 51,939 295,618 88,754 441,408
Premium finance 1,120,485 35,129 - - 1,155,614
Real estate - construction and development 860,364 1,020,659 103,271 14,212 1,998,506
Real estate - commercial and farmland 1,301,116 4,868,138 2,110,884 165,820 8,445,958
Real estate - residential 48,758 222,149 409,366 3,878,224 4,558,497
Total $ 4,292,969 $ 8,728,557 $ 3,552,585 $ 4,165,795 $ 20,739,906
Total loans which have maturity dates after one year are summarized below by those loans that have predetermined interest rates and those loans that have floating or adjustable interest rates.
(dollars in thousands) December 31, 2024
Predetermined interest rates
Commercial and industrial $ 1,978,379
Consumer 97,656
Municipal 436,053
Premium finance 35,129
Real estate - construction and development 398,679
Real estate - commercial and farmland 5,038,179
Real estate - residential 2,698,635
$ 10,682,710
Floating or adjustable interest rates
Commercial and industrial $ 509,789
Consumer 79,812
Mortgage warehouse 517,138
Municipal 258
Real estate - construction and development 739,463
Real estate - commercial and farmland 2,106,663
Real estate - residential 1,811,104
$ 5,764,227
Commercial and farmland real estate (“CRE”) represents the Company's largest loan category. The Company regularly monitors its CRE portfolio against regulatory concentration limits. Additionally, the Company manages its risk in the CRE portfolio through, among other things, established policy limits on loan-to-value or loan-to-cost at or below applicable regulatory guidance, use of internal lending limits on single loans to minimize exposure to a given project, annual reviews of borrowers and guarantors above certain total credit exposure thresholds, minimum required debt service coverage ratios and borrower equity levels. Exceptions to policy must be approved by an individual or committee with appropriate approval authority.
A summary of the Company's CRE portfolio by loan type and credit quality indicator as of December 31, 2024 is below:
(dollars in thousands) Pass Other Assets Especially Mentioned Substandard Total
Farmland $ 137,503 $ 2,169 $ 1,192 $ 140,864
Multifamily residential 1,454,772 - - 1,454,772
Owner occupied CRE 1,839,329 11,826 28,905 1,880,060
Non-owner occupied CRE 4,872,745 82,341 15,176 4,970,262
Total real estate - commercial and farmland $ 8,304,349 $ 96,336 $ 45,273 $ 8,445,958
Investor CRE, which includes multifamily residential and non-owner occupied CRE loans, has several dynamics which individually, or in combination, pose potential challenges to the portfolio. These include levels of interest rates above those at origination for loan renewals and changes to occupancy rates as firms reevaluate space needs as hybrid or remote work has expanded. The primary repayment source for these loans is cash flows from the securing property. The Company in normal course performs periodic evaluations of its portfolio for continued soundness and appropriate risk ratings. These reviews include evaluation of current financials, stressed cash flows at increased interest rates and evaluation of property values at various occupancy levels and cap rates. The Company's CRE portfolio continues to perform favorably with modest levels of past-due loans, such that past-due loans represented approximately 18 basis points of CRE loans at December 31, 2024.
The Company's multifamily residential portfolio is diversified geographically with the majority residing within our five-state footprint. Below is a summary of the multifamily residential portfolio by significant MSAs or state as of December 31, 2024:
(dollars in thousands) Atlanta Other Georgia Tampa Jacksonville Other Florida South Carolina North Carolina Alabama Other Total
Multifamily residential $ 239,371 $ 237,679 $ 150,344 $ 147,590 $ 208,835 $ 158,247 $ 85,517 $ 53,933 $ 173,256 $ 1,454,772
The Company's non-owner occupied portfolio is well diversified. Below is a summary of the non-owner occupied CRE portfolio by property type and significant MSAs or state as of December 31, 2024:
(dollars in thousands) Atlanta Other Georgia Jacksonville Orlando Other Florida South Carolina North Carolina Alabama Other Total
Retail $ 481,751 $ 169,255 $ 231,823 $ 175,140 $ 228,464 $ 344,985 $ 135,078 $ 106,166 $ 147,454 $ 2,020,116
Office 515,359 26,469 74,001 136,099 168,620 186,856 73,247 4,243 62,062 1,246,956
Warehouse / industrial 277,679 13,433 46,838 11,900 72,919 76,785 80,222 679 109,808 690,263
Hotel 43,500 27,383 102,186 47,249 104,365 73,960 12,204 2,369 16,248 429,464
Mini storage warehouse 51,505 37,427 32,432 40,441 41,402 39,118 33,204 18,035 67,552 361,116
Assisted living facilities 69,402 - 4,641 19 39,618 455 - - - 114,135
Miscellaneous 38,514 13,491 9,945 17,388 11,537 7,477 7,432 1,158 1,270 108,212
Total non-owner occupied CRE $ 1,477,710 $ 287,458 $ 501,866 $ 428,236 $ 666,925 $ 729,636 $ 341,387 $ 132,650 $ 404,394 $ 4,970,262
ALLOWANCE AND PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES
The following table sets forth the breakdown of the allowance for credit losses on loans by loan category for the periods indicated. Management believes the allowance can be allocated only on an approximate basis. The allocation of the allowance to each category is not necessarily indicative of future losses and does not restrict the use of the allowance to absorb losses in any other category.
December 31,
2024 2023 2022
(dollars in thousands) Amount % of Loans to Total Loans Amount % of Loans to Total Loans Amount % of Loans to Total Loans
Commercial and industrial $ 87,242 14 % $ 64,053 13 % $ 39,455 13 %
Consumer 7,327 1 3,952 1 5,587 3
Mortgage warehouse 2,262 5 1,678 4 2,118 5
Municipal 58 2 345 2 357 3
Premium finance 736 5 602 5 1,025 5
Real estate - construction and development 60,421 10 61,017 11 32,659 11
Real estate - commercial and farmland 118,377 41 110,097 40 67,433 38
Real estate - residential 61,661 22 65,356 24 57,043 22
Total $ 338,084 100 % $ 307,100 100 % $ 205,677 100 %
The following table provides an analysis of the net charge-offs (recoveries) by loan category for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.
2024 2023 2022
Net charge-offs (recoveries) Average Balance Rate Net charge-offs (recoveries) Average balance Rate Net charge-offs (recoveries) Average balance Rate
Commercial and industrial $ 36,537 $ 2,848,632 1.28 % $ 43,646 $ 2,687,805 1.62 % $ 8,681 $ 2,116,723 0.41 %
Consumer 2,592 242,512 1.07 3,853 375,783 1.03 3,264 392,467 0.83
Mortgage warehouse - 948,484 - - 963,035 - - 891,285 -
Municipal - 464,259 - - 502,849 - - 531,324 -
Premium finance 474 1,102,157 0.04 766 982,442 0.08 387 922,551 0.04
Real estate - construction and development (59) 2,197,079 - (949) 2,162,424 (0.04) (865) 1,761,853 (0.05)
Real estate - commercial and farmland (603) 8,216,256 (0.01) 3,693 7,811,671 0.05 3,349 7,155,542 0.05
Real estate - residential (84) 4,739,868 - (628) 4,668,312 (0.01) (301) 3,749,716 (0.01)
$ 38,857 $ 20,759,247 0.19 % $ 50,381 $ 20,154,321 0.25 % $ 14,515 $ 17,521,461 0.08 %
The following table provides an analysis of the allowance for credit losses on loans held for investment.
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023 2022
Allowance for credit losses on loans at end of period $ 338,084 $ 307,100 $ 205,677
Loan balances:
End of period 20,739,906 20,269,303 19,855,253
Allowance for credit losses on loans as a percentage of end of period loans 1.63 % 1.52 % 1.04 %
Nonaccrual loans as a percentage of end of period loans 0.49 % 0.75 % 0.68 %
Allowance for credit losses to nonaccrual loans at end of period 330.75 % 203.22 % 152.57 %
At December 31, 2024, the allowance for credit losses on loans totaled $338.1 million, or 1.63% of loans, compared with $307.1 million, or 1.52% of loans, at December 31, 2023. The increase in the allowance for credit losses on loans as a percentage of loans compared with December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to declines in forecast economic conditions, particularly levels of commercial real estate prices, compared with 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our net charge off ratio as a percentage of average loans decreased to 0.19%, compared with 0.25% for the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily a result of decreased charge-offs in our commercial and industrial portfolio. Included in net charge-offs for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $5.6 million in charge-offs on loans which were fully reserved upon acquisition. Excluding those charge-offs, net charge-offs for 2023 would have been 0.22%.
The provision for credit losses on loans for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $69.8 million, compared with $153.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease primarily resulted from the updated economic forecast during 2024, partially offset by organic loan growth during the year. As of December 31, 2024 our ratio of nonperforming assets to total assets had decreased to 0.47% from 0.69% at December 31, 2023. Included in non-performing assets were serviced GNMA-guaranteed residential mortgage loans totaling $12.0 million and $90.2 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Non-performing assets, excluding GNMA-guaranteed loans, represented 0.42% of total assets at December 31, 2024, compared with 0.33% of total assets at December 31, 2023.
NONPERFORMING LOANS
A loan is placed on nonaccrual status when, in management’s judgment, the collection of the interest income appears doubtful. Interest receivable that has been accrued and is subsequently determined to have doubtful collectability is reversed against interest income. Interest on loans that are classified as nonaccrual is recognized when received. Past due loans are placed on nonaccrual status when principal or interest is past due 90 days or more unless the loan is well secured and in the process of collection. In some cases, where borrowers are experiencing financial difficulties, loans may be restructured to provide terms significantly different from the original contractual terms. The following table presents an analysis of loans accounted for on a nonaccrual basis and loans contractually past due 90 days or more as to interest or principal payments and still accruing.
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
Nonaccrual loans
Commercial and industrial $ 11,875 $ 8,059
Consumer 782 1,452
Real estate - construction and development 3,718 282
Real estate - commercial and farmland 11,960 11,295
Real estate - residential(1)
73,883 130,029
Total $ 102,218 $ 151,117
Loans contractually past due 90 days or more as to interest or principal payments and still accruing $ 17,733 $ 16,988
(1) Included in real estate - residential were $12.0 million and $90.2 million of serviced GNMA-guaranteed nonaccrual loans at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
LIQUIDITY AND INTEREST RATE SENSITIVITY
Liquidity management involves the matching of the cash flow requirements of customers, who may be either depositors desiring to withdraw funds or borrowers needing assurance that sufficient funds will be available to meet their credit needs, and the ability of our Company to meet those needs. We seek to meet liquidity requirements primarily through management of short-term investments (principally interest-bearing deposits in banks) and monthly amortizing loans. Another source of liquidity is the repayment of maturing single payment loans. In addition, our Company maintains relationships with correspondent banks, including the FHLB and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which could provide funds on short notice, if needed.
A principal objective of our asset/liability management strategy is to minimize our exposure to changes in interest rates by matching the maturity and repricing horizons of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. This strategy is overseen in part through the direction of our ALCO Committee which establishes policies and monitors results to control interest rate sensitivity.
As part of our interest rate risk management policy, the ALCO Committee examines the extent to which its assets and liabilities are “interest rate sensitive” and monitors its interest rate-sensitivity “gap.” An asset or liability is considered to be interest rate sensitive if it will reprice or mature within the time period analyzed, usually one year or less. The interest rate-sensitivity gap is the difference between the interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities scheduled to mature or reprice within such time period. A gap is considered positive when the amount of interest rate-sensitive assets exceeds the amount of interest rate-sensitive liabilities. A gap is considered negative when the amount of interest rate-sensitive liabilities exceeds the interest rate-sensitive assets. During a period of rising interest rates, a negative gap would tend to adversely affect net interest income, while a positive gap would tend to result in an increase in net interest income. During a period of falling interest rates, a negative gap would tend to result in an increase in net interest income, while a positive gap would tend to adversely affect net interest income. If our assets and liabilities were equally flexible and moved concurrently, the impact of any increase or decrease in interest rates on net interest income would be minimal.
A simple interest rate “gap” analysis by itself may not be an accurate indicator of how net interest income will be affected by changes in interest rates. Accordingly, the ALCO Committee also evaluates how the repayment of particular assets and liabilities is impacted by changes in interest rates. Income associated with interest-earning assets and costs associated with interest-bearing liabilities may not be affected uniformly by changes in interest rates. In addition, the magnitude and duration of changes in interest rates may have a significant impact on net interest income. For example, although certain assets and liabilities may have similar maturities or periods of repricing, they may not react identically to changes in market interest rates. Interest rates on certain types of assets and liabilities fluctuate in advance of changes in general market interest rates, while interest rates on other types may lag behind changes in general market rates. In addition, certain assets, such as adjustable rate mortgage loans, have features (generally referred to as “interest rate caps”) which limit changes in interest rates on a short-term basis and over the life of the asset. In the event of a change in interest rates, prepayment and early withdrawal levels also could deviate significantly from those assumed in calculating the interest rate gap. The ability of many borrowers to service their debts also may decrease in the event of an interest rate increase.
We manage the mix of asset and liability maturities in an effort to control the effects of changes in the general level of interest rates on net interest income. Except for its effect on the general level of interest rates, inflation does not have a material impact on the balance sheet due to the rate variability and short-term maturities of its earning assets. In particular, approximately
43.0% of earning assets mature or reprice within one year or less. Mortgage loans, generally our loan category with the longest maturity, are usually made with fifteen to thirty year maturities, but a portion is at a variable interest rate with an adjustment between origination date and maturity date.
The following table sets forth the distribution of the repricing of our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities as of December 31, 2024, the interest rate sensitivity gap (i.e., interest rate sensitive assets minus interest rate sensitive liabilities), the cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap, the interest rate sensitivity gap ratio (i.e., interest rate sensitive assets divided by interest rate sensitive liabilities) and the cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap ratio. The table also sets forth the time periods in which earning assets and liabilities will mature or may reprice in accordance with their contractual terms. However, the table does not necessarily indicate the impact of general interest rate movements on the net interest margin since the repricing of various categories of assets and liabilities is subject to competitive pressures and the needs of our customers. In addition, various assets and liabilities indicated as repricing within the same period may in fact reprice at different times within such period and at different rates.
December 31, 2024
Maturing or Repricing Within
(dollars in thousands) Zero to
Three
Months Three
Months to
One Year One to
Five
Years Over
Five
Years Total
Interest-earning assets:
Interest-bearing deposits in banks $ 975,397 $ - $ - $ - $ 975,397
Investment securities 101,292 332,062 836,782 565,801 1,835,937
Loans held for sale 528,599 - - - 528,599
Loans 6,823,764 1,585,523 6,335,331 5,995,288 20,739,906
8,429,052 1,917,585 7,172,113 6,561,089 24,079,839
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Interest-bearing demand deposits 4,083,818 - - - 4,083,818
Money market deposit accounts 7,143,306 - - - 7,143,306
Savings 764,373 - - - 764,373
Time deposits 1,625,711 1,511,243 95,626 78 3,232,658
FHLB advances 65,000 - 15,000 18,296 98,296
Other borrowings 10,000 183,492 - - 193,492
Trust preferred securities 132,309 - - - 132,309
13,824,517 1,694,735 110,626 18,374 15,648,252
Interest rate sensitivity gap $ (5,395,465) $ 222,850 $ 7,061,487 $ 6,542,715 $ 8,431,587
Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap $ (5,395,465) $ (5,172,615) $ 1,888,872 $ 8,431,587
Interest rate sensitivity gap ratio 0.61 1.13 64.83 357.09
Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap ratio 0.61 0.67 1.12 1.54
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
Following is a summary of the carrying value of debt securities available-for-sale as of the end of each reported period:
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
U.S. Treasuries $ 796,464 $ 720,877
U.S. government-sponsored agencies 994 985
State, county and municipal securities 24,740 28,051
Corporate debt securities 10,283 10,027
SBA pool securities 70,482 51,516
Mortgage-backed securities 768,297 591,488
Total debt securities available-for-sale $ 1,671,260 $ 1,402,944
Following is a summary of the carrying value of debt securities held-to-maturity as of the end of each reported period:
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
State, county and municipal securities $ 33,623 $ 31,905
Mortgage-backed securities 131,054 109,607
Total debt securities held-to-maturity $ 164,677 $ 141,512
The amounts of securities available-for-sale and held-to in each category as of December 31, 2024 are shown in the following table according to contractual maturity classifications: (i) one year or less, (ii) after one year through five years, (iii) after five years through ten years and (iv) after ten years.
Securities available-for-sale (1) U.S. Treasuries U.S. Government-sponsored Agencies State, County and
Municipal Securities
(dollars in thousands) Amount Yield
(2)
Amount Yield
(2)
Amount Yield
(2)(3)
One year or less $ 298,391 2.93 % $ 994 2.16 % $ 5,799 4.23 %
After one year through five years 449,104 3.63 % - - % 12,270 3.86 %
After five years through ten years 48,969 4.36 % - - % 6,671 3.93 %
After ten years - - % - - % - - %
$ 796,464 3.41 % $ 994 2.16 % $ 24,740 3.96 %
Securities available-for-sale (1) Corporate Debt
Securities SBA Pool Securities Mortgage-backed Securities
Amount Yield
(2)
Amount Yield
(2)
Amount Yield
(2)
One year or less $ 499 4.31 % $ 2,192 2.49 % $ 26,357 2.89 %
After one year through five years 8,381 6.36 % 1,955 2.29 % 266,839 3.07 %
After five years through ten years - - % 57,872 5.21 % 72,675 3.86 %
After ten years 1,403 7.80 % 8,463 3.19 % 402,426 3.97 %
$ 10,283 6.51 % $ 70,482 4.78 % $ 768,297 3.61 %
Securities held-to-maturity (1) State, County and
Municipal Securities Mortgage-backed Securities
Amount Yield
(2)(3)
Amount Yield
(2)
One year or less $ - - % $ - - %
After one year through five years - - % 25,152 2.89 %
After five years through ten years - - % 59,030 2.52 %
After ten years 33,623 3.94 % 46,872 3.43 %
$ 33,623 3.94 % $ 131,054 2.92 %
(1)The amortized cost and fair value of debt securities are presented based on contractual maturities. Actual cash flows may differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to prepay obligations without prepayment penalties.
(2)Yields were computed using coupon interest, adding discount accretion or subtracting premium amortization, as appropriate, on a ratable basis over the life of each security. The weighted average yield for each maturity range was computed using the amortized cost of each security in that range.
(3)Yields on securities of state and political subdivisions are stated on a taxable-equivalent basis, using a tax rate of 21%.
The investment portfolio includes securities which are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in accumulated other comprehensive income, net of the related deferred tax effect. Securities classified as held-to-maturity are recorded at amortized cost.
The amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts are recognized in interest income using methods approximating the interest method over the life of the securities. Realized gains and losses, determined on the basis of the cost of specific securities sold, are included in earnings on the trade date.
Management and the ALCO Committee evaluates available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position on at least a quarterly basis, and more frequently when economic or market concerns warrant such evaluation, to determine if credit-related impairment exists. Management first evaluates whether they intend to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell an impaired security before recovering its amortized cost basis. If either criteria is met, the entire amount of unrealized loss is recognized in earnings with a corresponding adjustment to the security's amortized cost basis. If either of the above criteria is not met, management evaluates whether the decline in fair value is attributable to credit or resulted from other factors. The Company does not intend to sell these investment securities at an unrealized loss position at December 31, 2024, and it is more
likely than not that the Company will not be required to sell these securities prior to recovery or maturity. Based on the results of management's review, at December 31, 2024, management determined $69,000 was attributable to credit impairment and maintained the allowance for credit losses accordingly. The remaining $39.0 million in unrealized loss was determined to be from factors other than credit. The Company's held-to-maturity securities have no expected credit losses and no related allowance for credit losses has been established.
DEPOSITS
We rely on deposits by our customers as the primary source of funds for the continued growth of our loan and investment securities portfolios. Customer deposits are categorized as either noninterest-bearing deposits or interest-bearing deposits. Noninterest-bearing deposits (or demand deposits) are transaction accounts that provide us with “interest-free” sources of funds. Interest-bearing deposits include NOW, money market, savings and time deposits.
During 2024, total deposits increased $1.01 billion, or 4.9%, to $21.72 billion at December 31, 2024, compared with $20.71 billion at December 31, 2023. This growth was primarily attributable to an increase of $1.18 billion in money market accounts, partially offset by a decrease in brokered time deposits of $339.7 million. Non-interest bearing deposits increased $6.7 million, or 0.1%, to $6.50 billion at December 31, 2024. Interest-bearing deposits increased $1.01 billion, or 7.1%, to $15.22 billion at December 31, 2024.
Average amount of various deposit classes and the average rates paid thereon are presented below.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(dollars in thousands) Amount Rate Amount Rate
Noninterest-bearing demand $ 6,567,855 - % $ 6,771,464 - %
NOW 3,824,094 2.12 3,878,034 1.79
Money market 6,395,883 3.61 5,382,865 3.02
Savings 776,273 0.49 936,454 0.68
Retail time deposits 2,440,891 4.21 2,031,828 3.13
Brokered time deposits 1,274,933 5.17 1,024,606 5.24
Total deposits $ 21,279,929 2.28 % $ 20,025,251 1.78 %
At December 31, 2024, the Company had brokered deposits of $810.1 million. The amounts of time certificates of deposit issued in amounts of more than $250,000 as of December 31, 2024, are shown below by category, which is based on time remaining until maturity of (i) three months or less, (ii) over three through six months, (iii) over six months through one year and (iv) over one year.
(dollars in thousands) December 31, 2024
Three months or less $ 311,841
Over three months through six months 331,698
Over six months through one year 184,299
Over one year 15,941
Total $ 843,779
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had estimated uninsured deposits of $10.24 billion and $9.13 billion, respectively. These estimates were derived using the same methodologies and assumptions used for the Bank's regulatory reporting. Approximately $3.49 billion, or 34.0%, of the uninsured deposits at December 31, 2024 were for municipalities which are collateralized with investment securities or letters of credit.
OFF-BALANCE-SHEET ARRANGEMENTS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
In the ordinary course of business, our Bank has granted commitments to extend credit to approved customers. Generally, these commitments to extend credit have been granted on a temporary basis for seasonal or inventory requirements or for construction period financing and have been approved within the Bank’s credit guidelines. Our Bank has also granted commitments to approved customers for financial standby letters of credit. These commitments are recorded in the financial statements when funds are disbursed or the financial instruments become payable. The Bank uses the same credit policies for
these off-balance-sheet commitments as it does for financial instruments that are recorded in the consolidated financial statements. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitment amounts expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.
The following table summarizes commitments outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023.
December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2024 2023
Commitments to extend credit $ 3,578,227 $ 4,412,818
Unused home equity lines of credit 437,304 386,574
Financial standby letters of credit 39,507 37,546
Mortgage interest rate lock commitments 192,528 171,750
Mortgage forward contracts with positive fair value - notional amount 1,153,717 -
Mortgage forward contracts with negative fair value - notional amount - 663,015
$ 5,401,283 $ 5,671,703
The following table summarizes short-term borrowings for the periods indicated.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022
(dollars in thousands) Average
Balance Average
Rate Average
Balance Average
Rate Average
Balance Average
Rate
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreement to repurchase $ - - % $ - - % $ 1,477 0.27 %
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022
(dollars in thousands) Total
Balance Total
Balance Total
Balance
Total maximum short-term borrowings outstanding at any month-end during the year $ - $ - $ 6,924
As of December 31, 2024, letters of credit issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank totaling $1.33 billion were used to guarantee the Bank’s performance related to a portion of its public fund deposit balances.
The following table sets forth certain information about contractual cash obligations as of December 31, 2024.
Payments Due After December 31, 2024
(dollars in thousands) Total 1 Year
or Less 1-3
Years 4-5
Years >5
Years
Deposits without a stated maturity $ 18,489,790 $ 18,489,790 $ - $ - $ -
Time certificates of deposit 3,232,658 3,136,954 73,910 21,716 78
Other borrowings 292,179 75,000 15,000 - 202,179
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures 154,390 - - - 154,390
Operating lease obligations 57,672 10,246 18,055 12,508 16,863
Total contractual cash obligations $ 22,226,689 $ 21,711,990 $ 106,965 $ 34,224 $ 373,510
At December 31, 2024, estimated costs to complete construction projects in progress and other binding commitments for capital expenditures were not a material amount.
CAPITAL ADEQUACY
Capital Regulations
The capital resources of the Company are monitored on a periodic basis by state and federal regulatory authorities. During 2024, the Company’s capital increased $324.8 million, primarily due to net income of $358.7 million, which was partially offset by the cash dividends declared on common shares of $45.2 million and share repurchases of $8.0 million. During 2023, the Company’s capital increased $229.3 million, primarily due to net income of $269.1 million, which was partially offset by the cash dividends declared on common shares of $41.7 million and share repurchases of $20.3 million. For both 2024 and 2023, other capital related transactions, such as share-based compensation, common stock issuances through the exercise of stock options, and issuances of shares of restricted stock accounted for only a small change in the capital of the Company.
Under the regulatory capital frameworks adopted by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC, Ameris and the Bank must each maintain a common equity Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 4.5%, a Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 6%, a total capital to total risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 8% and a leverage ratio of Tier 1 capital to average total consolidated assets of at least 4%. Ameris and the Bank are also required to maintain a capital conservation buffer of common equity Tier 1 capital of at least 2.5% of risk-weighted assets in addition to the minimum risk-based capital ratios in order to avoid certain restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments.
In March 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC issued an interim final rule that delays the estimated impact on regulatory capital stemming from the implementation of CECL. The interim final rule provides banking organizations that implement CECL in 2020 the option to delay for two years an estimate of CECL’s effect on regulatory capital, relative to the incurred loss methodology’s effect on regulatory capital, followed by a three-year transition period. As a result, the Company and Bank elected the five-year transition relief allowed under the interim final rule effective March 31, 2020.
The following table summarizes the regulatory capital levels of Ameris at December 31, 2024.
Actual Required Excess
(dollars in thousands) Amount Percent Amount Percent Amount Percent
Tier 1 Leverage Ratio (tier 1 capital to average assets)
Consolidated $ 2,729,727 10.74 % $ 1,016,543 4.00 % $ 1,713,184 6.74 %
Ameris Bank $ 2,834,667 11.17 % $ 1,015,484 4.00 % $ 1,819,183 7.17 %
CET1 Ratio (common equity tier 1 capital to risk weighted assets)
Consolidated $ 2,729,727 12.65 % $ 1,510,315 7.00 % $ 1,219,412 5.65 %
Ameris Bank $ 2,834,667 13.15 % $ 1,509,040 7.00 % $ 1,325,627 6.15 %
Tier 1 Capital Ratio (tier 1 capital to risk weighted assets)
Consolidated $ 2,729,727 12.65 % $ 1,833,954 8.50 % $ 895,773 4.15 %
Ameris Bank $ 2,834,667 13.15 % $ 1,832,406 8.50 % $ 1,002,261 4.65 %
Total Capital Ratio (total capital to risk weighted assets)
Consolidated $ 3,316,661 15.37 % $ 2,265,473 10.50 % $ 1,051,188 4.87 %
Ameris Bank $ 3,179,067 14.75 % $ 2,263,560 10.50 % $ 915,507 4.25 %
The required CET1 Ratio, Tier 1 Capital Ratio, and the Total Capital Ratio reflected in the table above include a capital conservation buffer of 2.50%.
INFLATION
The consolidated financial statements and related consolidated financial data presented herein have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and practices within the banking industry which require the measurement of financial position and operating results in terms of historical dollars without considering the changes in the relative purchasing power of money over time due to inflation. Unlike most industrial companies, virtually all the assets and liabilities of a financial institution are monetary in nature. As a result, interest rates have a more significant impact on a financial institution’s performance than the effects of general levels of inflation.
QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following table sets forth certain consolidated quarterly financial information of the Company. This information is derived from unaudited consolidated financial statements, which include, in the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments which management considers necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such periods.
Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share data) December 31, 2024 September 30, 2024 June 30, 2024 March 31, 2024
Selected Income Statement Data:
Interest income $ 346,363 $ 355,146 $ 347,323 $ 329,452
Interest expense 124,542 141,086 135,402 128,064
Net interest income 221,821 214,060 211,921 201,388
Provision for credit losses 12,808 6,107 18,773 21,105
Net interest income after provision for credit losses 209,013 207,953 193,148 180,283
Noninterest income 68,959 69,709 88,711 65,878
Noninterest expense 151,949 151,777 155,357 148,711
Income before income taxes 126,023 125,885 126,502 97,450
Income tax 31,647 26,673 35,717 23,138
Net income $ 94,376 $ 99,212 $ 90,785 $ 74,312
Per Share Data:
Basic earnings per common share $ 1.37 $ 1.44 $ 1.32 $ 1.08
Diluted earnings per common share 1.37 1.44 1.32 1.08
Common dividends - cash 0.20 0.15 0.15 0.15
Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands) December 31, 2023 September 30, 2023 June 30, 2023 March 31, 2023
Selected Income Statement Data:
Interest income $ 332,214 $ 330,553 $ 321,952 $ 295,716
Interest expense 126,113 122,802 112,412 84,064
Net interest income 206,101 207,751 209,540 211,652
Provision for credit losses 22,952 24,459 45,516 49,729
Net interest income after provision for credit losses 183,149 183,292 164,024 161,923
Noninterest income 56,248 63,181 67,349 56,050
Noninterest expense 149,011 141,446 148,403 139,421
Income before income taxes 90,386 105,027 82,970 78,552
Income tax 24,452 24,912 20,335 18,131
Net income $ 65,934 $ 80,115 $ 62,635 $ 60,421
Per Share Data:
Basic earnings per common share $ 0.96 $ 1.16 $ 0.91 $ 0.87
Diluted earnings per common share 0.96 1.16 0.91 0.87
Common dividends - cash 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are exposed only to U.S. Dollar interest rate changes and, accordingly, we manage exposure by considering the possible changes in the net interest margin. We do not have any trading instruments nor do we classify any portion of the investment portfolio as trading. Finally, we have no exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk, commodity price risk or other market risks.
Interest rates play a major part in the net interest income of a financial institution. The sensitivity to rate changes is known as “interest rate risk.” The repricing of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities can influence the changes in net interest income. As part of our asset/liability management program, the timing of repriced assets and liabilities is referred to as gap management.
Interest Rate Risk Management
As indicated by the table below, we are mildly asset sensitive in relation to changes in market interest rates in the one-year and two-year time horizons. Being asset sensitive would result in net interest income increasing in a rising rate environment and decreasing in a declining rate environment.
We use simulation analysis to monitor changes in net interest income due to changes in market interest rates. The simulation of rising, declining and flat interest rate scenarios allow management to monitor and adjust interest rate sensitivity to minimize the impact of market interest rate swings. The analysis of the impact on net interest income over a twelve-month period is subjected to an instantaneous 100 basis point increase or 100 basis point decrease in market rates on net interest income and is monitored on a quarterly basis. Our most recent model projects net interest income would increase if rates rise 100 basis points over the next year.
The following table presents the earnings simulation model’s projected impact of a change in interest rates on the projected baseline net interest income for the 12- and 24-month periods commencing January 1, 2025. This change in interest rates assumes parallel shifts in the yield curve and does not take into account changes in the slope of the yield curve.
Earnings Simulation Model Results
Change in % Change in Projected Baseline
Interest Rates Net Interest Income
(in bps) 12 Months 24 Months
400 1.7% 11.0%
300 1.5% 9.9%
200 1.1% 7.0%
100 0.7% 3.9%
(100) (0.7)% (4.0)%
(200) (1.3)% (8.4)%
(300) (2.2)% (13.6)%
In the event of a shift in interest rates, we may take certain actions intended to mitigate the negative impact to net interest income or to maximize the positive impact to net interest income. These actions may include, but are not limited to, restructuring of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, seeking alternative funding sources or investment opportunities and modifying the pricing or terms of loans, leases and deposits.
Impact of Inflation and Changing Prices
The consolidated financial statements and related notes presented elsewhere in this report have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. This requires the measurement of financial position and operating results in terms of historical dollars without considering the changes in the relative purchasing power of money over time due to inflation. Unlike most industrial companies, the vast majority of our assets and liabilities are monetary in nature. As a result, interest rates have a greater impact on our performance than do the effects of general levels of inflation. Interest rates do not necessarily move in the same direction or to the same extent as the prices of goods and services.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Balance Sheets - December 31, 2024 and 2023
Consolidated Statements of Income - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, as required by paragraph (b) of Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15 of the Exchange Act. Based on such evaluation, such officers have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting is set forth on page of this Annual Report.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, there was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15 of the Exchange Act that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, no director or Section 16 officer of the Company adopted or terminated any Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or any non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (in each case, as defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K).

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information set forth under the captions “Matters To Be Voted On - Proposal 1 - Election of Directors,” “Governance - Director Independence,” “Governance - Director Nomination Process” “Board of Directors - Board Members,” “Board of Directors - Board Committees,” “Board of Directors - Director Compensation,” “Information About Our Executive Officers,” “Executive Compensation - Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Other Compensation Program Aspects - Insider Trading Policy; Hedging Restrictions,” “Executive Compensation - Employment Agreements,” “Audit Matters - Audit Committee Report,” and “Related Party Transactions” in the Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Ameris has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that is applicable to all employees, including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and controller. The code of business conduct and ethics is available on our website at www.amerisbank.com.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information set forth under the captions “Board of Directors - Board Committees - Compensation Committee,” “Board of Directors - Director Compensation” and “Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information set forth under the caption “Stock Ownership” in the Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.
Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to securities to be issued under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2024.
Plan Category Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (1) Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (1) Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (2)
(a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 168,785 $ - 2,175,577
(1)Represents shares issuable upon the vesting of performance stock units ("PSUs") granted under the 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan at target. PSUs are not taken into account in column (b).
(2)Consists of our 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan, which provides for the granting to directors, officers and certain other employees of qualified or nonqualified stock options, stock units, stock awards, stock appreciation rights, dividend equivalents and other stock-based awards.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information set forth under the captions “Governance - Director Independence,” “Board of Directors - Board Committees” and “Related Party Transactions” in the Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information set forth under the caption “Matters To Be Voted On - Proposal 2 - Ratification of Appointment of Our Registered Independent Public Accounting Firm,” “Board of Directors - Board Committees - Audit Committee” and “Audit Matters - Fees and Services” in the Proxy Statement to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the SEC, is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
1. Financial statements:
(a)Ameris Bancorp and Subsidiaries:
(i)Consolidated Balance Sheets - December 31, 2024 and 2023;
(ii)Consolidated Statements of Income - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022;
(iii)Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022;
(iv)Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022;
(v)Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022; and
(vi)Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
(b)Ameris Bancorp (parent company only):
Parent company only financial information has been included in Note 21 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
2. Financial statement schedules:
All schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the financial statements or related notes.
3. A list of the Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K to be filed as a part of this Annual Report is shown on the “Exhibit Index” filed herewith.
4. Ameris Bancorp and certain of its consolidated subsidiaries are parties to long-term debt instruments with respect to trust preferred securities under which the total amount of securities authorized does not exceed 10% of the total assets of Ameris Bancorp and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Pursuant to paragraph (b)(4)(iii)(A) of Item 601 of Regulation S-K, Ameris Bancorp agrees to furnish a copy of such instruments to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.