UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported):   April 23, 2019

 

Ameris Bancorp

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Georgia 001-13901 58-1456434
(State or Other (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer
Jurisdiction of   Identification No.)
Incorporation)    

 

310 First Street, S.E., Moultrie, Georgia 31768
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   (229) 890-1111

 

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

xWritten communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

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

 

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

 

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

Emerging growth company ¨

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Item 2.02Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

 

On April 23, 2019, Ameris Bancorp (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. A copy of that press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Report”) as Exhibit 99.1.

 

The information contained in this Item 2.02 and in Exhibit 99.1 attached to this Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of such section. Furthermore, such information shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

A copy of the investor presentation material that the Company will present regarding its earnings during the teleconference beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on April 23, 2019 is attached to this Report as Exhibit 99.2. The investor presentation material is also available on the “Investor Relations” page of the Company’s website (http://www.amerisbank.com).

 

The information contained in this Item 7.01 and in Exhibit 99.2 attached to this Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of such section. Furthermore, such information shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)Exhibits.

 

  99.1 Press release dated April 23, 2019
     
  99.2 Investor Presentation dated April 23, 2019

 

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

 

This Report contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate” and similar expressions and variations thereof identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they were made. The forward-looking statements in this Report are based on current expectations and are provided to assist in the understanding of potential future performance. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, without limitation, the following: general competitive, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, including, without limitation, movements in interest rates; competitive pressures on product pricing and services; the ability of the parties to the proposed Fidelity Southern Corporation (“Fidelity”) merger transactions to consummate the proposed merger transactions or satisfy the conditions to the completion of the proposed merger transactions, including, without limitation, the receipt of shareholder approval and the receipt of required regulatory approvals on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; the ability of the parties to the proposed Fidelity merger transactions to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the proposed merger transactions; the businesses of the Company and Fidelity may not be integrated successfully or such integration may take longer to accomplish than expected; the expected cost savings and any revenue synergies from the proposed merger transactions may not be fully realized within the expected timeframes; disruption from the proposed merger transactions may make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or others; diversion of management time to merger-related issues; dilution caused by the Company’s issuance of additional shares of its common stock in connection with the proposed merger transactions; and success and timing of other business strategies. For a discussion of some of the other risks and other factors that may cause such forward-looking statements to differ materially from actual results, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequently filed Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and none of the Company or Fidelity undertakes any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

 

 

 

 

Additional Information and Where to Find It

 

In connection with the proposed merger of the Company with Fidelity, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration Statement No. 333-229626) and a joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE MERGER AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on its website at http://www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders may also obtain free copies of the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Company on its website at http://www.AmerisBank.com and by Fidelity on its website at www.FidelitySouthern.com.

 

Participants in the Merger Solicitation

 

The Company and Fidelity, and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s shareholders and Fidelity’s shareholders in respect of the proposed merger transaction. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of the Company and Fidelity and other persons who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of the Company’s shareholders and Fidelity’s shareholders has been included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus for the Company’s meeting of shareholders and Fidelity’s meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, 2019. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company’s common stock can also be found in the Company’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2019, and other documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Information about Fidelity’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Fidelity common stock can also be found in Fidelity’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2019, and other documents subsequently filed by Fidelity with the Securities and Exchange Commission..

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

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

 

  AMERIS BANCORP
     
     
  By: /s/ Nicole S. Stokes
    Nicole S. Stokes
    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

  

Date: April 23, 2019