8-K

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):   January 25, 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):

x Written 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 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On January 25, 2019, Ameris Bancorp (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing its unaudited financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. 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 7.01 Regulation 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 January 25, 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 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

99.1	Press release dated January 25, 2019.
99.2	Investor presentation dated January 25, 2019.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This Report contains forward-looking statements, as defined by federal securities laws, including, among other forward-looking statements, certain plans, expectations and goals, and including statements about the benefits of the proposed merger between the Company and Fidelity Southern Corporation (“Fidelity”). Words such as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “estimate,” “predict,” “continue” and “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, as well as similar expressions, are meant to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this Report are based on current expectations and are provided to assist in the understanding of potential future performance. Such forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements, 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 Company and Fidelity to consummate the proposed merger or satisfy the conditions to the completion of the proposed merger, including, without limitation, the receipt of required shareholder and regulatory approvals, on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; the parties’ ability to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the proposed merger; 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 may not be fully realized within the expected timeframes; disruption from the proposed merger 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; and the 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 and Fidelity’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and Fidelity’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither the Company nor Fidelity undertakes any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

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Additional Information and Where to Find It

The Company intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register the shares of the Company’s common stock that will be issued to Fidelity’s shareholders in connection with the proposed merger transaction. The registration statement will include 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 THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE MERGER AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY 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.

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of the Company and Fidelity are urged to read carefully the entire registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus when they become available, including any amendments thereto, because they will contain important information about the proposed merger transaction. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above.

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 will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus for the Company’s meeting of shareholders and Fidelity’s meeting of shareholders, which will be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 2018, 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 definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 3, 2018, and other documents subsequently filed by Fidelity with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents regarding the proposed merger transaction filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission when they become available.

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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: January 25, 2019

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Ameris Bancorp Announces 2018 Financial Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameris Bancorp (Nasdaq: ABCB) (the "Company") today reported net income of $121.0 million, or $2.80 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2018, compared with $73.5 million, or $1.98 per diluted share, for 2017. For the quarter ending December 31, 2018, reported results include net income of $43.5 million, or $0.91 per diluted share, compared with $9.2 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the same period in 2017.

The Company reported adjusted net income of $146.2 million, or $3.38 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2018, compared with $92.3 million, or $2.48 per diluted share, for 2017. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $45.9 million, or $0.96 per diluted share, compared with $23.6 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, for the same quarter of 2017. Adjusted net income for the 2018 fourth quarter and full year periods excludes after-tax merger and conversion charges, executive retirement benefits, restructuring charges related to recently announced branch consolidations, expenses related to Hurricane Michael, loss on the sale of bank premises and state tax credit related to the Company's 2017 income tax returns. In addition, the 2017 financial results included expenses related to compliance resolution, accelerated premium amortization on sold loans and a charge of $13.4 million to income tax expense, related to the valuation of the Company's deferred tax asset, due to recent tax legislation that reduced the Company's future corporate income tax rate.

Commenting on the Company's earnings, Dennis J. Zember Jr., the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "I am delighted with how we finished 2018 and the momentum we have going into 2019. We succeeded on the expense side, pushing our adjusted efficiency ratio down to 54% in the fourth quarter of 2018 and knowing we have more savings in the works. Despite the flat yield curve and enormous pressure on the margin, we reported the same margin, net of accretion, in 2018 that we did in 2017, notable especially given a 46% growth in total assets. Lastly, we closed and fully integrated two bank acquisitions, in addition to finalizing the purchase of US Premium Finance, and closed out the year with an announcement regarding a merger with Fidelity Bank that, once closed, will make Ameris the largest non-super regional bank in the Atlanta MSA."

Highlights of the Company's results for the fourth quarter of 2018 include the following:

• Increase of $1.05 in tangible book value per share to $18.83 at December 31, 2018, compared with $17.78 at September 30, 2018
• Improvement in adjusted efficiency ratio to 54.10%, compared with 54.42% in the third quarter of 2018 and 60.88% in the fourth quarter of 2017
• Adjusted return on average assets of 1.61%, compared with 1.53% in the third quarter of 2018 and 1.20% in the fourth quarter of 2017
• Adjusted return on average tangible common equity of 20.95%, compared with 20.50% in the third quarter of 2018 and 13.91% in the fourth quarter of 2017

Highlights of the Company's results for 2018 include the following:

• Growth in adjusted net earnings of $53.9 million, representing a 58.5% increase over 2017
• Organic growth in loans of $482.6 million, or 8.5%, compared with $941.0 million, or 20.3%, in 2017
• Adjusted return on average assets of 1.50%, compared with 1.26% in 2017
• Adjusted return on average tangible common equity of 19.18%, compared with 14.66% in 2017
• Stable net interest margin, excluding accretion, of 3.79% during 2018 and 2017
• Loan-to-deposit ratio at the end of 2018 of 88.2%, compared with 91.3% at the end of 2017
• Increase in total revenue of 26.7% to $461.8 million
• Annualized net charge-offs of 0.18% of average total loans and 0.27% of average non-purchased loans
• Year-over-year organic growth in non-interest bearing deposits of $183.5 million, or 10.3% 
• Improvement in nonperforming assets, decreasing to 0.55% of total assets

Following is a summary of the adjustments between reported net income and adjusted net income:

Adjusted Net Income Reconciliation
	Three Months Ended				Year Ended
	December 31,				December 31,
(dollars in thousands except per share data)	2018		2017		2018		2017
Net income available to common shareholders	$	43,536	$	9,150	$	121,027	$	73,548
Adjustment items:
Merger and conversion charges	997		421		20,499		915
Executive retirement benefits	2,005		—		8,424		—
Restructuring charge	754		—		983		—
Certain compliance resolution expenses	—		434		—		5,163
Accelerated premium amortization on loans sold from purchased    loan pools	—		456		—		456
Financial impact of hurricanes	882		—		882		410
Loss on sale of premises	250		308		1,033		1,264
Tax effect of adjustment items	(810)		(567)		(4,923)		(2,873)
After-tax adjustment items	4,078		1,052		26,898		5,335
Tax expense attributable to remeasurement of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities at reduced federal corporate tax rate	—		13,388		—		13,388
Reduction in state tax expense accrued in prior year, net of federal tax impact	(1,717)		—		(1,717)		—
Adjusted net income	$	45,897	$	23,590	$	146,208	$	92,271
Reported net income per diluted share	$	0.91	$	0.24	$	2.80	$	1.98
Adjusted net income per diluted share	$	0.96	$	0.63	$	3.38	$	2.48
Reported return on average assets	1.53%		0.47%		1.24%		1.00%
Adjusted return on average assets	1.61%		1.20%		1.50%		1.26%
Reported return on average common equity	12.09%		4.47%		10.27%		9.55%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity	20.95%		13.91%		19.18%		14.66%

Increase in Net Interest Income
Net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis increased 30.1% in 2018 to $347.5 million, up from $267.1 million for 2017. Growth in earning assets from the Company's two acquisitions in 2018, as well as internal sources, contributed to the increase. Average earning assets increased 31.1% in 2018 to $8.86 billion, compared with $6.76 billion for 2017. Although the Company's net interest income increased, net interest margin for 2018, including accretion, declined only slightly to 3.92%, compared with 3.95% for 2017. Yields on earning assets in 2018 were 4.71%, compared with 4.46% in 2017.

Accretion income for 2018 increased to $11.8 million, or 2.6% of total revenue, compared with $10.6 million, or 2.9%, respectively, for 2017. Excluding the effect of accretion, the Company's margin was stable at 3.79% for both 2018 and 2017. Management believes this is particularly notable given the material increase in average earning assets and intense pressure on deposit costs. Yields on all loans, excluding the effect of accretion, increased to 4.89% in 2018, compared with 4.63% in 2017.

The Company's net interest margin was 3.91% for the fourth quarter of 2018, down slightly from 3.92% reported for the third quarter of 2018 and 3.94% reported for the fourth quarter of 2017. Accretion income for the fourth quarter of 2018 increased to $4.1 million, compared with $3.7 million for the third quarter of 2018, and up from $2.2 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2017. Excluding the effect of accretion, the Company's margin for the fourth quarter of 2018 was 3.75%, a slight decrease compared with 3.77% for the third quarter of 2018 and 3.82% for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Yields on all loans, excluding the effect of accretion, increased to 5.00% during the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with 4.95% in the third quarter of 2018 and 4.70% during the fourth quarter of 2017. Loan production in the banking division during the fourth quarter of 2018 totaled $604.9 million, with weighted average yields of 5.74%, compared with $467.5 million and 5.51%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2018 and $419.8 million and 4.89%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2017. Loan production in the lines of business (to include retail mortgage, warehouse lending, SBA and premium finance) amounted to an additional $1.8 billion during the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $1.5 billion during the fourth quarter of 2017.

Total interest expense for 2018 was $69.9 million, compared with $34.2 million for 2017. Deposit costs increased during 2018 to 0.62%, compared with 0.34% for 2017. Noninterest-bearing deposits represented 27.5% of the total average deposits for 2018, compared with 28.6% for 2017. The Company has been successful in aggressive sales efforts that led strong growth in deposits while managing a flat margin through each rate increase. Management believes that current deposit pricing at the end of the year has reached a level that better supports management's growth goals and that slower increases in costs in 2019 will not reduce the impressive momentum in deposit growth rates that the Company is experiencing.

Interest expense during the fourth quarter of 2018 moved higher to $23.2 million, compared with $22.1 million in the third quarter of 2018 and $10.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The Company's total cost of funds moved 4 basis points higher to 0.94% in the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared with the third quarter of 2018. Deposit costs increased 10 basis points during the fourth quarter of 2018 to 0.79%, compared with 0.69% in the third quarter of 2018. Costs of interest-bearing deposits increased during the quarter from 0.93% in the third quarter of 2018 to 1.09% in the fourth quarter, with the material portion of the increase relating to NOW and MMDA accounts.

Non-interest Income
Non-interest income increased 13.4% in 2018 to $118.4 million, compared with $104.5 million for 2017, as a result of increased service charges and mortgage banking activity during 2018. Service charge revenue increased $4.1 million, or 9.7%, during 2018 due to the Company's increased number of deposit accounts from organic growth and the acquisitions completed in 2018.

Revenue in the retail mortgage group totaled $71.7 million in 2018, an increase of 18.5%, compared with $60.5 million in 2017. Total production in 2018 for the retail mortgage group amounted to $1.77 billion (87% purchase and 13% refinance), compared with $1.50 billion in 2017 (70% purchase and 30% refinance). Gain on sale spreads continued to improve in the fourth quarter of 2018, moving to 3.06% from 3.00% in the third quarter. Revenue and profitability, which traditionally slow in the fourth quarter each year, increased during the fourth quarter of 2018 due to recent recruiting efforts. Net income for the Company's retail mortgage division was $4.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $3.7 million in the third quarter of 2018 and $2.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Profitability in the Company's warehouse lending group continued to increase, as revenues from the division increased 45.9% during the year, from $7.6 million for 2017 to $11.1 million in 2018. Net income for the division increased 86.8% from $4.3 million in 2017 to $8.1 million in 2018. Loan production increased from $3.44 billion in 2017 to $4.52 billion in the current year. Net income for the Company's warehouse lending division was $2.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $2.2 million for the third quarter of 2018 and $1.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. The Company experienced zero losses in this division during 2017 or 2018.

Non-interest Expense
Non-interest expense increased $61.7 million, or 26.6%, to $293.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, compared with $231.9 million for 2017. During 2018, the Company recorded $31.8 million of charges to earnings, the majority of which were related to merger and conversion activity and executive retirement, compared to $7.8 million in 2017 that were mostly merger and compliance oriented. Excluding these charges, adjusted expenses increased approximately $37.6 million, or 16.8%, to $261.8 million in 2018, up from $224.2 million in 2017. Growth in operating expenses in 2018 amounted to 1.57% of growth in average assets, materially lower than the Company's gross overhead ratio for 2017 at 3.06%. Intense efforts to leverage administrative expenses alongside 2018's merger activity provided the Company with the opportunity to notably improve its operating efficiency ratio. The following table shows the detail of these charges and analysis:

Non-interest Expense Analysis
	Year Ended
	December 31,
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2017		$ Change		% Change
Total non-interest expense	$	293,647	$	231,936	$	61,711	26.6%
Less:
Merger and conversion charges	20,499		915		19,584		2,140.3%
Executive retirement benefits	8,424		—		8,424		NM
Restructuring charge	983		—		983		NM
Certain compliance resolution expenses	—		5,163		(5,163)		(100.0)%
Financial impact of hurricanes	882		410		472		115.1%
Loss on sale of premises	1,033		1,264		(231)		(18.3)%
Subtotal	261,826		224,184		37,642		16.8%
Less:
Retail mortgage division non-interest expense	50,332		41,084		9,248		22.5%
Operating expenses of branches acquired in Hamilton acquisition	13,344		—		13,344		NM
Comparative bank non-interest expense	$	198,150	$	183,100	$	15,050	8.2%
NM denotes not meaningful

The Company continues to focus on improving its operating efficiency ratio. The Company's adjusted efficiency ratio declined from 60.27% in 2017 to 56.19% in 2018. During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company's adjusted efficiency ratio declined to 54.10%, compared with 54.42% in the third quarter of 2018 and 60.88% in the fourth quarter of 2017. Management expects to continue improving efficiency in future quarters as a result of the Company's acquisitions completed in 2018 and its announced cost savings strategies and branch consolidation plan. Atlantic Coast Bank and Hamilton State Bank were fully integrated by the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, and full cost savings benefits have been realized. The Company's additional branch consolidation and cost saving initiatives will take effect the first quarter of 2019.

Income Tax Expense
The Company's effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2018 was 13.9%, compared with 24.3% in the third quarter of 2018. The reduced rate in the fourth quarter is a result of a large return to provision adjustment when the Company filed its 2017 income tax returns in the fourth quarter of 2018. These factors, determined in the fourth quarter, impacted the overall expected tax rate for the year and the full impact was realized in the fourth quarter. Excluding this benefit, which was removed in the adjusted net income amounts discussed above, the Company's tax rate for the fourth quarter of 21.4% was more in line with the year-to-date tax rate of 20.1%. This is significantly lower than the 2017 effective tax rate of 40.8% because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Balance Sheet Trends
Total assets increased $3.59 billion, or 45.7%, during 2018. Total loans, including loans held for sale, purchased loans and purchased loan pools, were $8.62 billion at the end of 2018, compared with $6.24 billion at the end of 2017. Excluding the effects of recent acquisitions, growth in core loans (including legacy and purchased non-covered loans) totaled $482.6 million, or 8.5%, during 2018, compared with $941.0 million, or 20.3%, in 2017. As management expected, loan growth rates in the fourth quarter of 2018 slowed due to the negative impact of early paydowns. Production remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2018, increasing by 29.4% from the third quarter of 2018 and by 44.1% from the fourth quarter of 2017.

At December 31, 2018, total deposits amounted to $9.65 billion, or 97.4% of total funding, compared with $6.63 billion and 94.8%, respectively, at December 31, 2017. Excluding the Company's recently completed acquisitions and brokered funds, deposits increased $549.7 million, or 8.6%. At December 31, 2018, noninterest-bearing deposit accounts were $2.52 billion, or 26.1% of total deposits, compared with $1.78 billion, or 26.8% of total deposits, at December 31, 2017. Non-rate sensitive deposits (including non-interest bearing, NOW and savings) totaled $4.60 billion at December 31, 2018, compared with $3.52 billion at the end of 2017. These funds represented 47.6% of the Company's total deposits at the end of 2018, compared with 53.1% at the end of 2017.

Stockholders' equity at December 31, 2018 totaled $1.46 billion, an increase of $651.9 million, or 81.0%, from December 31, 2017. The increase in stockholders' equity was the result of the issuance of new shares of common stock in the Company's recent acquisitions, plus earnings of $121.0 million during 2018. Tangible book value per share was $18.83 at the end of 2018, up from $17.78 at September 30, 2018 and $17.86 at the end of 2017. Tangible common equity as a percentage of tangible assets was 8.22% at the end of 2018, compared with 7.77% at the end of the third quarter of 2017 and 8.62% at the end of 2017.

Credit Quality
During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company recorded provision for loan loss expense of $3.7 million, compared with $2.1 million in the third quarter of 2018. The increase in provision expense is mostly attributable to increased general reserves on consumer and premium finance loans based on loss history and agricultural loans affected by Hurricane Michael. Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total assets decreased five basis points to 0.55% during the quarter. As management expected, the net charge-off ratio for non-purchased loans decreased, by 23 basis points, as the elevated charge offs in the prior quarter resulting from the premium finance division, which were provided for and discussed in the second quarter of 2018.

Conference Call
The Company will host a teleconference at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time today (January 25, 2019) to discuss the Company's results and answer appropriate questions. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-504-1190 (or 1-855-669-9657 for participants in Canada and 1-412-902-6630 for other international participants). The conference ID name is Ameris Bancorp ABCB. A replay of the call will be available one hour after the end of the conference call until February 8, 2019. To listen to the replay, dial 1-877-344-7529 (or 1-855-669-9658 for participants in Canada and 1-412-317-0088 for other international participants). The conference replay access code is 10127703. The conference call replay and the financial information discussed will also be available on the Investor Relations page of the Ameris Bank website at www.amerisbank.com.

About Ameris Bancorp
Ameris Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Moultrie, Georgia. The Company's banking subsidiary, Ameris Bank, had 125 locations in Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida and South Carolina at the end of the most recent quarter.

This news release contains certain performance measures determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Management of Ameris Bancorp (the "Company") uses these non-GAAP measures in its analysis of the Company's performance. These measures are useful when evaluating the underlying performance and efficiency of the Company's operations and balance sheet. The Company's management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide a greater understanding of ongoing operations, enhance comparability of results with prior periods and demonstrate the effects of significant gains and charges in the current period. The Company's management believes that investors may use these non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate the Company's financial performance without the impact of unusual items that may obscure trends in the Company's underlying performance. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, as defined by federal securities laws, including, among other forward-looking statements, certain plans, expectations and goals, and including statements about the benefits of the proposed merger between the Company and Fidelity Southern Corporation ("Fidelity"). Words such as "may," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "will," "should," "plan," "estimate," "predict," "continue" and "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, as well as similar expressions, are meant to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on current expectations and are provided to assist in the understanding of potential future performance. Such forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements, 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 Company and Fidelity to consummate the proposed merger or satisfy the conditions to the completion of the proposed merger, including, without limitation, the receipt of required shareholder and regulatory approvals, on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; the parties' ability to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the proposed merger; 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 may not be fully realized within the expected timeframes; disruption from the proposed merger 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; and the 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 and Fidelity's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and Fidelity's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither the Company nor Fidelity undertakes any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

The Company intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register the shares of the Company's common stock that will be issued to Fidelity's shareholders in connection with the proposed merger transaction. The registration statement will include 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 THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE MERGER AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY 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.

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of the Company and Fidelity are urged to read carefully the entire registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus when they become available, including any amendments thereto, because they will contain important information about the proposed merger transaction. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above.

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 will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus for the Company's meeting of shareholders and Fidelity's meeting of shareholders, which will be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 2018, 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 definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 3, 2018, and other documents subsequently filed by Fidelity with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents regarding the proposed merger transaction filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission when they become available.

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Financial Highlights																Table 1
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands except per share data)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
EARNINGS
Net income	$	43,536		$	41,444		$	9,387		$	26,660		$	9,150		$	121,027		$	73,548
Adjusted net income	$	45,897		$	43,292		$	29,239		$	27,780		$	23,590		$	146,208		$	92,271
COMMON SHARE DATA
Earnings per share available to common shareholders
Basic	$	0.92		$	0.87		$	0.24		$	0.70		$	0.25		$	2.81		$	2.00
Diluted	$	0.91		$	0.87		$	0.24		$	0.70		$	0.24		$	2.80		$	1.98
Adjusted diluted EPS	$	0.96		$	0.91		$	0.74		$	0.73		$	0.63		$	3.38		$	2.48
Cash dividends per share	$	0.10		$	0.10		$	0.10		$	0.10		$	0.10		$	0.40		$	0.40
Book value per share (period end)	$	30.66		$	29.58		$	28.87		$	22.67		$	21.59		$	30.66		$	21.59
Tangible book value per share (period end)	$	18.83		$	17.78		$	17.12		$	16.90		$	17.86		$	18.83		$	17.86
Weighted average number of shares
Basic	47,501,150			47,514,653			39,432,021			37,966,781			37,238,564			43,141,859			36,828,219
Diluted	47,593,252			47,685,334			39,709,503			38,250,122			37,556,335			43,247,796			37,144,139
Period end number of shares	47,499,941			47,496,966			47,518,662			38,327,081			37,260,012			47,499,941			37,260,012
Market data
High intraday price	$	47.25		$	54.35		$	58.10		$	59.05		$	51.30		$	59.05		$	51.30
Low intraday price	$	29.97		$	45.15		$	50.20		$	47.90		$	44.75		$	29.97		$	41.05
Period end closing price	$	31.67		$	45.70		$	53.35		$	52.90		$	48.20		$	31.67		$	48.20
Average daily volume	375,773			382,622			253,413			235,964			206,178			312,388			196,717
PERFORMANCE RATIOS
Return on average assets	1.53		%	1.47		%	0.44		%	1.38		%	0.47		%	1.24		%	1.00		%
Adjusted return on average assets	1.61		%	1.53		%	1.38		%	1.44		%	1.20		%	1.50		%	1.26		%
Return on average common equity	12.09		%	11.78		%	3.86		%	12.73		%	4.47		%	10.27		%	9.55		%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity	20.95		%	20.50		%	17.26		%	17.09		%	13.91		%	19.18		%	14.66		%
Earning asset yield (TE)	4.81		%	4.78		%	4.66		%	4.52		%	4.49		%	4.71		%	4.46		%
Total cost of funds	0.94		%	0.90		%	0.75		%	0.63		%	0.57		%	0.82		%	0.52		%
Net interest margin (TE)	3.91		%	3.92		%	3.95		%	3.92		%	3.94		%	3.92		%	3.95		%
Noninterest income excluding securities transactions, as a percent of total revenue (TE)	19.75		%	19.77		%	25.72		%	24.71		%	22.41		%	22.11		%	25.73		%
Efficiency ratio	58.30		%	56.00		%	80.50		%	62.04		%	63.74		%	63.59		%	63.62		%
Adjusted efficiency ratio (TE)	54.10		%	54.42		%	57.53		%	59.95		%	60.88		%	56.19		%	60.27		%
CAPITAL ADEQUACY (period end)
Shareholders' equity to assets	12.73		%	12.29		%	12.26		%	10.83		%	10.24		%	12.73		%	10.24		%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets	8.22		%	7.77		%	7.65		%	8.30		%	8.62		%	8.22		%	8.62		%
EQUITY TO ASSETS RECONCILIATION
Tangible common equity to tangible assets	8.22		%	7.77		%	7.65		%	8.30		%	8.62		%	8.22		%	8.62		%
Effect of goodwill and other intangibles	4.51		%	4.52		%	4.61		%	2.53		%	1.62		%	4.51		%	1.62		%
Equity to assets (GAAP)	12.73		%	12.29		%	12.26		%	10.83		%	10.24		%	12.73		%	10.24		%
OTHER DATA (period end)
Full time equivalent employees
Banking Division	1,370			1,432			1,477			1,072			1,085			1,370			1,085
Retail Mortgage Division	332			317			308			290			279			332			279
Warehouse Lending Division	8			8			7			7			8			8			8
SBA Division	22			23			22			21			20			22			20
Premium Finance Division	72			67			68			67			68			72			68
Total Ameris Bancorp FTE headcount	1,804			1,847			1,882			1,457			1,460			1,804			1,460
Assets per Banking Division FTE	$	8,353		$	7,981		$	7,577		$	7,484		$	7,241		$	8,353		$	7,241
Branch locations	125			125			126			97			97			125			97
Deposits per branch location	$	77,195		$	73,451		$	69,536		$	66,455		$	68,308		$	77,195		$	68,308

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Income Statement											Table 2
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
(dollars in thousands except per share data)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
Interest income
Interest and fees on loans	$	111,749	$	110,470	$	82,723	$	73,267	$	73,440	$	378,209	$	270,887
Interest on taxable securities	8,686		8,792		6,321		5,207		5,097		29,006		20,154
Interest on nontaxable securities	195		204		179		322		372		900		1,581
Interest on deposits in other banks	1,964		1,581		723		716		655		4,984		1,725
Interest on federal funds sold	155		72		—		—		—		227		—
Total interest income	122,749		121,119		89,946		79,512		79,564		413,326		294,347
Interest expense
Interest on deposits	18,858		15,630		7,794		6,772		6,398		49,054		19,877
Interest on other borrowings	4,337		6,451		6,153		3,939		3,643		20,880		14,345
Total interest expense	23,195		22,081		13,947		10,711		10,041		69,934		34,222
Net interest income	99,554		99,038		75,999		68,801		69,523		343,392		260,125
Provision for loan losses	3,661		2,095		9,110		1,801		2,536		16,667		8,364
Net interest income after provision for loan losses	95,893		96,943		66,889		67,000		66,987		326,725		251,761
Noninterest income
Service charges on deposits accounts	12,597		12,690		10,613		10,228		10,340		46,128		42,054
Mortgage banking activity	11,089		13,413		14,890		11,900		10,037		51,292		48,535
Other service charges, commissions and fees	810		777		697		719		735		3,003		2,872
Gain (loss) on securities	1		48		(123)		37		—		(37)		37
Other noninterest income	5,973		3,243		5,230		3,580		2,451		18,026		10,959
Total noninterest income	30,470		30,171		31,307		26,464		23,563		118,412		104,457
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	38,982		38,446		39,776		32,089		30,507		149,293		120,016
Occupancy and equipment expenses	7,945		8,598		6,390		6,198		6,010		29,131		24,069
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	8,293		8,518		6,439		7,135		7,219		30,385		27,869
Credit resolution related expenses(1)	1,174		1,248		1,045		549		614		4,016		3,493
Advertising and marketing expenses	1,633		1,453		1,256		1,229		1,519		5,571		5,131
Amortization of intangible assets	3,650		2,676		2,252		934		942		9,512		3,932
Merger and conversion charges	997		276		18,391		835		421		20,499		915
Other noninterest expenses	13,136		11,138		10,837		10,129		12,105		45,240		46,511
Total noninterest expense	75,810		72,353		86,386		59,098		59,337		293,647		231,936
Income before income tax expense	50,553		54,761		11,810		34,366		31,213		151,490		124,282
Income tax expense	7,017		13,317		2,423		7,706		22,063		30,463		50,734
Net income	$	43,536	$	41,444	$	9,387	$	26,660	$	9,150	$	121,027	$	73,548
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.91	$	0.87	$	0.24	$	0.70	$	0.24	$	2.80	$	1.98
(1) Includes expenses associated with problem loans and OREO, as well as OREO losses and writedowns.

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Period End Balance Sheet	Table 3
	Three Months Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017
Assets
Cash and due from banks	$	172,036	$	158,453	$	151,539	$	123,945	$	139,313
Federal funds sold and interest-bearing deposits in banks	507,491		470,804		273,170		210,930		191,345
Time deposits in other banks	10,812		11,558		11,558		—		—
Investment securities available for sale, at fair value	1,192,423		1,162,570		1,153,703		848,585		810,873
Other investments	14,455		35,929		44,769		32,227		42,270
Loans held for sale, at fair value	111,298		130,179		137,249		111,135		197,442
Loans	5,660,457		5,543,306		5,380,515		5,051,986		4,856,514
Purchased loans	2,588,832		2,711,460		2,812,510		818,587		861,595
Purchased loan pools	262,625		274,752		297,509		319,598		328,246
Loans, net of unearned income	8,511,914		8,529,518		8,490,534		6,190,171		6,046,355
Allowance for loan losses	(28,819)		(28,116)		(31,532)		(26,200)		(25,791)
Loans, net	8,483,095		8,501,402		8,459,002		6,163,971		6,020,564
Other real estate owned	7,218		9,375		8,003		9,171		8,464
Purchased other real estate owned	9,535		7,692		7,272		6,723		9,011
Total other real estate owned	16,753		17,067		15,275		15,894		17,475
Premises and equipment, net	145,410		145,885		144,484		116,381		117,738
Goodwill	503,434		505,604		504,764		208,513		125,532
Other intangible assets, net	58,689		54,729		53,561		12,562		13,496
Deferred income taxes, net	35,126		38,217		40,240		28,677		28,320
Cash value of bank owned life insurance	104,096		103,588		103,059		80,007		79,641
Other assets	88,397		93,009		98,324		70,001		72,194
Total assets	$	11,443,515	$	11,428,994	$	11,190,697	$	8,022,828	$	7,856,203
Liabilities
Deposits
Noninterest-bearing	$	2,520,016	$	2,333,992	$	2,356,420	$	1,867,900	$	1,777,141
Interest-bearing	7,129,297		6,847,371		6,405,173		4,578,265		4,848,704
Total deposits	9,649,313		9,181,363		8,761,593		6,446,165		6,625,845
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase	20,384		14,071		11,002		23,270		30,638
Other borrowings	151,774		656,831		862,136		555,535		250,554
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures	89,187		88,986		88,646		85,881		85,550
FDIC loss-share payable, net	19,487		18,740		18,716		9,255		8,803
Other liabilities	57,023		64,026		76,708		33,778		50,334
Total liabilities	9,987,168		10,024,017		9,818,801		7,153,884		7,051,724
Shareholders' Equity
Preferred stock	—		—		—		—		—
Common stock	49,015		49,012		49,012		39,820		38,735
Capital stock	1,051,584		1,050,752		1,049,283		559,040		508,404
Retained earnings	377,135		338,350		301,656		296,366		273,119
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(4,826)		(16,576)		(12,571)		(10,823)		(1,280)
Treasury stock	(16,561)		(16,561)		(15,484)		(15,459)		(14,499)
Total shareholders' equity	1,456,347		1,404,977		1,371,896		868,944		804,479
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$	11,443,515	$	11,428,994	$	11,190,697	$	8,022,828	$	7,856,203
Other Data
Earning assets	$	10,348,393	$	10,340,558	$	10,110,983	$	7,393,048	$	7,288,285
Intangible assets	562,123		560,333		558,325		221,075		139,028
Interest-bearing liabilities	7,390,642		7,607,259		7,366,957		5,242,951		5,215,446
Average assets	11,307,980		11,204,504		8,529,035		7,823,451		7,777,996
Average common shareholders' equity	1,428,341		1,395,479		974,494		849,346		812,264

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Asset Quality Information																Table 4
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
Allowance for Loan Losses
Balance at beginning of period	$	28,116		$	31,532		$	26,200		$	25,791		$	25,966		$	25,791		$	23,920
Provision for loan losses	3,661			2,095			9,110			1,801			2,536			16,667			8,364
Charge-offs	4,430			8,112			5,717			2,872			3,638			21,131			10,467
Recoveries	1,472			2,601			1,939			1,480			927			7,492			3,974
Net charge-offs (recoveries)	2,958			5,511			3,778			1,392			2,711			13,639			6,493
Ending balance	$	28,819		$	28,116		$	31,532		$	26,200		$	25,791		$	28,819		$	25,791
Net  Charge-off Information
Charge-offs
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	2,489		$	6,121		$	3,744		$	1,449		$	954		$	13,803		$	2,850
Real estate - construction and development	7			265			20			—			—			292			95
Real estate - commercial and farmland	169			27			—			142			440			338			853
Real estate - residential	76			293			204			198			120			771			2,151
Consumer installment	1,465			923			839			962			696			4,189			1,618
Purchased loans	224			483			910			121			1,428			1,738			2,900
Purchased loan pools	—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Total charge-offs	4,430			8,112			5,717			2,872			3,638			21,131			10,467
Recoveries
Commercial, financial and agricultural	927			939			1,247			656			571			3,769			1,270
Real estate - construction and development	3			1			2			114			2			120			246
Real estate - commercial and farmland	7			134			11			24			28			176			184
Real estate - residential	91			44			29			182			47			346			237
Consumer installment	137			178			117			67			38			499			116
Purchased loans	307			1,305			533			437			241			2,582			1,921
Purchased loan pools	—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Total recoveries	1,472			2,601			1,939			1,480			927			7,492			3,974
Net charge-offs (recoveries)	$	2,958		$	5,511		$	3,778		$	1,392		$	2,711		$	13,639		$	6,493
Non-Performing Assets
Nonaccrual loans (excluding purchased loans)	$	17,952		$	15,986		$	16,813		$	14,420		$	14,202		$	17,952		$	14,202
Nonaccrual purchased loans	24,107			27,764			33,557			15,940			15,428			24,107			15,428
Nonaccrual purchased loan pools	—			4,696			2,197			—			—			—			—
Other real estate owned	7,218			9,375			8,003			9,171			8,464			7,218			8,464
Purchased other real estate owned	9,535			7,692			7,272			6,723			9,011			9,535			9,011
Accruing loans delinquent 90 days or more (excluding purchased loans)	4,222			2,863			7,421			2,497			5,991			4,222			5,991
Accruing purchased loans delinquent 90 days or more	—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Total non-performing assets	$	63,034		$	68,376		$	75,263		$	48,751		$	53,096		$	63,034		$	53,096
Asset Quality Ratios
Non-performing assets as a percent of total assets	0.55		%	0.60		%	0.67		%	0.61		%	0.68		%	0.55		%	0.68		%
Net charge-offs as a percent of average loans (annualized)	0.14		%	0.26		%	0.23		%	0.09		%	0.18		%	0.18		%	0.12		%
Net charge-offs, excluding purchased loans as a percent of average loans (annualized)	0.21		%	0.44		%	0.26		%	0.14		%	0.13		%	0.27		%	0.13		%

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Loan Information	Table 5
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017
Loans by Type
Legacy loans
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	1,316,359	$	1,422,152	$	1,446,857	$	1,387,437	$	1,362,508
Real estate - construction and development	671,198		641,830		672,155		631,504		624,595
Real estate - commercial and farmland	1,814,529		1,804,265		1,640,411		1,636,654		1,535,439
Real estate - residential	1,403,000		1,275,201		1,245,370		1,080,028		1,009,461
Consumer installment	455,371		399,858		375,722		316,363		324,511
Total legacy loans	$	5,660,457	$	5,543,306	$	5,380,515	$	5,051,986	$	4,856,514
Purchased loans
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	372,686	$	413,365	$	397,517	$	64,612	$	74,378
Real estate - construction and development	227,900		219,882		268,443		48,940		65,513
Real estate - commercial and farmland	1,337,859		1,399,174		1,428,490		465,870		468,246
Real estate - residential	623,199		649,352		679,205		236,453		250,539
Consumer installment	27,188		29,687		38,855		2,712		2,919
Total purchased loans	$	2,588,832	$	2,711,460	$	2,812,510	$	818,587	$	861,595
Purchased loan pools
Real estate - residential	$	262,625	$	274,752	$	297,509	$	319,598	$	328,246
Total purchased loan pools	$	262,625	$	274,752	$	297,509	$	319,598	$	328,246
Total loan portfolio
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	1,689,045	$	1,835,517	$	1,844,374	$	1,452,049	$	1,436,886
Real estate - construction and development	899,098		861,712		940,598		680,444		690,108
Real estate - commercial and farmland	3,152,388		3,203,439		3,068,901		2,102,524		2,003,685
Real estate - residential	2,288,824		2,199,305		2,222,084		1,636,079		1,588,246
Consumer installment	482,559		429,545		414,577		319,075		327,430
Total loans	$	8,511,914	$	8,529,518	$	8,490,534	$	6,190,171	$	6,046,355
Troubled Debt Restructurings (excluding purchased loans)
Accruing troubled debt restructurings
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	256	$	180	$	38	$	39	$	41
Real estate - construction and development	145		384		150		176		417
Real estate - commercial and farmland	2,863		3,817		4,531		4,606		4,680
Real estate - residential	6,043		6,558		6,299		6,547		6,199
Consumer installment	16		4		5		7		5
Total accruing troubled debt restructurings	$	9,323	$	10,943	$	11,023	$	11,375	$	11,342
Nonaccrual troubled debt restructurings
Commercial, financial and agricultural	$	138	$	208	$	330	$	224	$	120
Real estate - construction and development	2		6		30		7		34
Real estate - commercial and farmland	426		306		196		2,127		204
Real estate - residential	1,119		742		709		838		1,508
Consumer installment	69		92		102		93		98
Total nonaccrual troubled debt restructurings	$	1,754	$	1,354	$	1,367	$	3,289	$	1,964
Total troubled debt restructurings (excluding purchased loans)	$	11,077	$	12,297	$	12,390	$	14,664	$	13,306

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Loan Information (continued)	Table 5
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017
Loans by Risk Grade
Legacy loans
Grade 1 - Prime credit	$	542,164	$	550,020	$	545,902	$	557,625	$	554,979
Grade 2 - Strong credit	523,101		645,612		660,495		673,591		688,481
Grade 3 - Good credit	2,408,128		2,289,584		2,211,703		2,050,717		2,033,979
Grade 4 - Satisfactory credit	2,047,688		1,939,518		1,820,884		1,676,308		1,487,781
Grade 5 - Fair credit	59,054		40,041		52,069		17,499		16,996
Grade 6 - Other assets especially mentioned	35,118		41,125		38,150		39,795		30,075
Grade 7 - Substandard	45,204		37,406		51,305		36,444		44,216
Grade 8 - Doubtful	—		—		7		7		7
Grade 9 - Loss	—		—		—		—		—
Total legacy loans	$	5,660,457	$	5,543,306	$	5,380,515	$	5,051,986	$	4,856,514
Purchased loans
Grade 1 - Prime credit	$	90,775	$	54,840	$	55,183	$	3,808	$	3,964
Grade 2 - Strong credit	84,617		132,454		139,683		97,448		101,098
Grade 3 - Good credit	656,289		463,307		449,317		243,730		259,872
Grade 4 - Satisfactory credit	1,586,377		1,828,090		1,908,143		367,997		385,080
Grade 5 - Fair credit	63,613		133,653		135,281		20,012		19,736
Grade 6 - Other assets especially mentioned	30,448		35,676		45,095		33,705		37,121
Grade 7 - Substandard	76,713		63,440		79,808		51,887		54,724
Grade 8 - Doubtful	—		—		—		—		—
Grade 9 - Loss	—		—		—		—		—
Total purchased loans	$	2,588,832	$	2,711,460	$	2,812,510	$	818,587	$	861,595
Purchased loan pools
Grade 3 - Good credit	$	262,625	$	270,056	$	295,312	$	318,696	$	327,342
Grade 7 - Substandard	—		4,696		2,197		902		904
Total purchased loan pools	$	262,625	$	274,752	$	297,509	$	319,598	$	328,246

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Average Balances											Table 6
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
Earning Assets
Federal funds sold	$	28,755	$	15,074	$	203	$	9	$	3	$	11,100	$	1
Interest-bearing deposits in banks	373,068		283,604		151,332		147,481		184,287		240,740		140,702
Time deposits in other banks	10,961		11,557		254		—		—		5,739		—
Investment securities - taxable	1,138,981		1,117,517		839,772		777,310		759,253		969,825		761,593
Investment securities - nontaxable	29,962		31,641		26,626		48,455		58,858		34,113		62,055
Other investments	18,494		36,067		42,384		34,654		32,706		32,884		37,541
Loans held for sale	129,664		151,396		141,875		138,129		138,468		140,273		113,657
Loans	5,819,684		5,703,921		5,198,301		4,902,082		4,692,997		5,415,757		4,188,378
Purchased loans	2,402,610		2,499,393		1,107,184		842,509		888,854		1,712,924		958,738
Purchased loan pools	268,568		287,859		310,594		325,113		446,677		297,850		496,844
Total Earning Assets	$	10,220,747	$	10,138,029	$	7,818,525	$	7,215,742	$	7,202,103	$	8,861,205	$	6,759,509
Deposits
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	2,570,783	$	2,320,851	$	1,973,910	$	1,780,738	$	1,805,996	$	2,164,171	$	1,670,499
NOW accounts	1,546,939		1,567,111		1,311,952		1,337,718		1,301,628		1,441,849		1,207,024
MMDA	2,590,194		2,440,086		1,950,601		1,970,571		1,964,437		2,240,115		1,690,091
Savings accounts	401,836		423,449		295,326		278,080		273,979		350,214		275,119
Retail CDs < $100,000	776,556		744,145		475,965		422,771		433,303		606,210		439,140
Retail CDs $100,000 and over	1,055,973		978,842		585,632		593,635		592,916		805,267		563,557
Brokered CDs	510,663		487,686		14,132		—		—		255,162		—
Total Deposits	9,452,944		8,962,170		6,607,518		6,383,513		6,372,259		7,862,988		5,845,430
Non-Deposit Funding
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase	14,670		12,529		14,762		20,909		25,970		15,692		28,694
FHLB advances	101,337		513,460		703,177		371,556		369,076		421,891		496,541
Other borrowings	145,494		145,513		86,302		75,553		75,571		113,496		68,726
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures	89,135		88,801		86,085		85,701		85,372		87,444		84,878
Total Non-Deposit Funding	350,636		760,303		890,326		553,719		555,989		638,523		678,839
Total Funding	$	9,803,580	$	9,722,473	$	7,497,844	$	6,937,232	$	6,928,248	$	8,501,511	$	6,524,269

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Interest Income and Interest Expense (TE)													Table 7
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
Interest Income
Federal funds sold	$	155	$	72	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	227	$	—
Interest-bearing deposits in banks	1,906		1,520		723		716		655		4,865		1,725
Time deposits in other banks	58		61		—		—		—		119		—
Investment securities - taxable	8,686		8,792		6,321		5,207		5,097		29,006		20,154
Investment securities - nontaxable (TE)	247		258		226		408		572		1,139		2,432
Loans held for sale	1,618		1,566		1,315		1,210		1,380		5,709		4,222
Loans (TE)	73,594		73,178		63,908		58,771		57,193		269,451		200,999
Purchased loans	35,413		34,692		16,130		11,762		13,150		97,997		57,136
Purchased loan pools	2,151		2,059		2,267		2,424		3,531		8,901		14,640
Total Earning Assets	$	123,828	$	122,198	$	90,890	$	80,498	$	81,578	$	417,414	$	301,308
Accretion income (included above)	$	4,077	$	3,656	$	2,652	$	1,444	$	2,183	$	11,829	$	10,614
Interest Expense
Deposits
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
NOW accounts	1,736		1,142		1,142		953		811		4,973		2,428
MMDA	7,991		5,885		3,953		3,526		3,288		21,355		9,150
Savings accounts	83		82		54		47		46		266		181
Retail CDs < $100,000	1,880		1,827		907		668		702		5,282		2,584
Retail CDs $100,000 and over	3,978		3,643		1,670		1,578		1,551		10,869		5,534
Brokered CDs	3,190		3,051		68		—		—		6,309		—
Total Deposits	18,858		15,630		7,794		6,772		6,398		49,054		19,877
Non-Deposit Funding
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase	5		4		5		9		12		23		56
FHLB advances	568		2,745		3,383		1,457		1,180		8,153		5,174
Other borrowings	2,222		2,180		1,320		1,134		1,144		6,856		4,044
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures	1,542		1,522		1,445		1,339		1,307		5,848		5,071
Total Non-Deposit Funding	4,337		6,451		6,153		3,939		3,643		20,880		14,345
Total Funding	$	23,195	$	22,081	$	13,947	$	10,711	$	10,041	$	69,934	$	34,222
Net Interest Income (TE)	$	100,633	$	100,117	$	76,943	$	69,787	$	71,537	$	347,480	$	267,086

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Yields(1)													Table 8
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
Earning Assets
Federal funds sold	2.14	%	1.89	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	2.05	%	0.00	%
Interest-bearing deposits in banks	2.03	%	2.13	%	1.92	%	1.97	%	1.41	%	2.02	%	1.23	%
Time deposits in other banks	2.10	%	2.09	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	2.07	%	0.00	%
Investment securities - taxable	3.03	%	3.12	%	3.02	%	2.72	%	2.66	%	2.99	%	2.65	%
Investment securities - nontaxable (TE)	3.27	%	3.24	%	3.40	%	3.41	%	3.86	%	3.34	%	3.92	%
Loans held for sale	4.95	%	4.10	%	3.72	%	3.55	%	3.95	%	4.07	%	3.71	%
Loans (TE)	5.02	%	5.09	%	4.93	%	4.86	%	4.84	%	4.98	%	4.80	%
Purchased loans	5.85	%	5.51	%	5.84	%	5.66	%	5.87	%	5.72	%	5.96	%
Purchased loan pools	3.18	%	2.84	%	2.93	%	3.02	%	3.14	%	2.99	%	2.95	%
Total Earning Assets	4.81	%	4.78	%	4.66	%	4.52	%	4.49	%	4.71	%	4.46	%
Deposits
Noninterest-bearing deposits	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%
NOW accounts	0.45	%	0.29	%	0.35	%	0.29	%	0.25	%	0.34	%	0.20	%
MMDA	1.22	%	0.96	%	0.81	%	0.73	%	0.66	%	0.95	%	0.54	%
Savings accounts	0.08	%	0.08	%	0.07	%	0.07	%	0.07	%	0.08	%	0.07	%
Retail CDs < $100,000	0.96	%	0.97	%	0.76	%	0.64	%	0.64	%	0.87	%	0.59	%
Retail CDs $100,000 and over	1.49	%	1.48	%	1.14	%	1.08	%	1.04	%	1.35	%	0.98	%
Brokered CDs	2.48	%	2.48	%	1.93	%	0.00	%	0.00	%	2.47	%	0.00	%
Total Deposits	0.79	%	0.69	%	0.47	%	0.43	%	0.40	%	0.62	%	0.34	%
Non-Deposit Funding
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase	0.14	%	0.13	%	0.14	%	0.17	%	0.18	%	0.15	%	0.20	%
FHLB advances	2.22	%	2.12	%	1.93	%	1.59	%	1.27	%	1.93	%	1.04	%
Other borrowings	6.06	%	5.94	%	6.13	%	6.09	%	6.01	%	6.04	%	5.88	%
Subordinated deferrable interest debentures	6.86	%	6.80	%	6.73	%	6.34	%	6.07	%	6.69	%	5.97	%
Total Non-Deposit Funding	4.91	%	3.37	%	2.77	%	2.89	%	2.60	%	3.27	%	2.11	%
Total Funding(2)	0.94	%	0.90	%	0.75	%	0.63	%	0.57	%	0.82	%	0.52	%
Net Interest Spread	3.87	%	3.88	%	3.91	%	3.89	%	3.92	%	3.89	%	3.94	%
Net Interest Margin(3)	3.91	%	3.92	%	3.95	%	3.92	%	3.94	%	3.92	%	3.95	%
(1) Interest and average rates are calculated on a tax-equivalent basis using an effective tax rate of 21% for 2018 and 35% for 2017.
(2) Rate calculated based on total average funding including noninterest-bearing deposits.
(3) Rate calculated based on average earning assets.

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Adjusted Net Income																Table 9A
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands except per share data)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
Net income available to common shareholders	$	43,536		$	41,444		$	9,387		$	26,660		$	9,150		$	121,027		$	73,548
Adjustment items:
Merger and conversion charges	997			276			18,391			835			421			20,499			915
Executive retirement benefits	2,005			962			5,457			—			—			8,424			—
Restructuring charge	754			229			—			—			—			983			—
Certain compliance resolution expenses	—			—			—			—			434			—			5,163
Accelerated premium amortization on loans sold from purchased loan pools	—			—			—			—			456			—			456
Financial impact of hurricanes	882			—			—			—			—			882			410
Loss on sale of premises	250			4			196			583			308			1,033			1,264
Tax effect of adjustment items (Note 1)	(810)			377			(4,192)			(298)			(567)			(4,923)			(2,873)
After tax adjustment items	4,078			1,848			19,852			1,120			1,052			26,898			5,335
Tax expense attributable to remeasurement of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities at reduced federal corporate tax rate	—			—			—			—			13,388			—			13,388
Reduction in state tax expense accrued in prior year net of federal tax impact	(1,717)			—			—			—			—			(1,717)			—
Adjusted net income	$	45,897		$	43,292		$	29,239		$	27,780		$	23,590		$	146,208		$	92,271
Weighted average number of shares - diluted	47,593,252			47,685,334			39,709,503			38,250,122			37,556,335			43,247,796			37,144,139
Net income per diluted share	$	0.91		$	0.87		$	0.24		$	0.70		$	0.24		$	2.80		$	1.98
Adjusted net income per diluted share	$	0.96		$	0.91		$	0.74		$	0.73		$	0.63		$	3.38		$	2.48
Average assets	$	11,307,980		$	11,204,504		$	8,529,035		$	7,823,451		$	7,777,996		$	9,744,001		$	7,330,974
Return on average assets	1.53		%	1.47		%	0.44		%	1.38		%	0.47		%	1.24		%	1.00		%
Adjusted return on average assets	1.61		%	1.53		%	1.38		%	1.44		%	1.20		%	1.50		%	1.26		%
Average common equity	$	1,428,341		$	1,395,479		$	974,494		$	849,346		$	812,264		$	1,178,275		$	770,296
Average tangible common equity	$	869,201		$	837,914		$	679,559		$	659,096		$	672,728		$	762,274		$	629,312
Return on average common equity	12.09		%	11.78		%	3.86		%	12.73		%	4.47		%	10.27		%	9.55		%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity	20.95		%	20.50		%	17.26		%	17.09		%	13.91		%	19.18		%	14.66		%
Note 1:  A portion of the 2Q18, 3Q18 and 4Q18 merger and conversion charges and the 2Q18 executive retirement benefits are nondeductible for tax purposes.
Net Interest Margin Excluding Accretion and Yield on Total Loans Excluding Accretion																Table 9B
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
Total interest income (TE)	$	123,828		$	122,198		$	90,890		$	80,498		$	81,578		$	417,414		$	301,308
Accretion income	4,077			3,656			2,652			1,444			2,183			11,829			10,614
Total interest income (TE) excluding accretion	119,751			118,542			88,238			79,054			79,395			405,585			290,694
Interest expense	23,195			22,081			13,947			10,711			10,041			69,934			34,222
Net interest income (TE) excluding accretion	$	96,556		$	96,461		$	74,291		$	68,343		$	69,354		$	335,651		$	256,472
Yield on total loans (TE) excluding accretion	5.00		%	4.95		%	4.81		%	4.75		%	4.70		%	4.89		%	4.63		%
Net interest margin (TE) excluding accretion	3.75		%	3.77		%	3.81		%	3.84		%	3.82		%	3.79		%	3.79		%

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Non-GAAP Reconciliations (continued)
Adjusted Efficiency Ratio (TE)																Table 9C
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
Adjusted Noninterest Expense
Total noninterest expense	$	75,810		$	72,353		$	86,386		$	59,098		$	59,337		$	293,647		$	231,936
Adjustment items:
Merger and conversion charges	(997)			(276)			(18,391)			(835)			(421)			(20,499)			(915)
Executive retirement benefits	(2,005)			(962)			(5,457)			—			—			(8,424)			—
Restructuring charge	(754)			(229)			—			—			—			(983)			—
Certain compliance resolution expenses	—			—			—			—			(434)			—			(5,163)
Financial impact of hurricanes	(882)			—			—			—			—			(882)			(410)
Loss on sale of premises	(250)			(4)			(196)			(583)			(308)			(1,033)			(1,264)
Adjusted noninterest expense	$	70,922		$	70,882		$	62,342		$	57,680		$	58,174		$	261,826		$	224,184
Total Revenue
Net interest income	$	99,554		$	99,038		$	75,999		$	68,801		$	69,523		$	343,392		$	260,125
Noninterest income	30,470			30,171			31,307			26,464			23,563			118,412			104,457
Total revenue	$	130,024		$	129,209		$	107,306		$	95,265		$	93,086		$	461,804		$	364,582
Adjusted Total Revenue
Net interest income (TE)	$	100,633		$	100,117		$	76,943		$	69,787		$	71,537		$	347,480		$	267,086
Noninterest income	30,470			30,171			31,307			26,464			23,563			118,412			104,457
Total revenue (TE)	131,103			130,288			108,250			96,251			95,100			465,892			371,543
Adjustment items:
Loss (gain) on securities	(1)			(48)			123			(37)			—			37			(37)
Accelerated premium amortization on loans sold from purchased loan pools	—			—			—			—			456			—			456
Adjusted total revenue (TE)	$	131,102		$	130,240		$	108,373		$	96,214		$	95,556		$	465,929		$	371,962
Efficiency ratio	58.30		%	56.00		%	80.50		%	62.04		%	63.74		%	63.59		%	63.62		%
Adjusted efficiency ratio (TE)	54.10		%	54.42		%	57.53		%	59.95		%	60.88		%	56.19		%	60.27		%
Tangible Book Value Per Share																Table 9D
	Three Months Ended															Year Ended
	Dec			Sep			Jun			Mar			Dec			Dec			Dec
(dollars in thousands except per share data)	2018			2018			2018			2018			2017			2018			2017
Total shareholders' equity	$	1,456,347		$	1,404,977		$	1,371,896		$	868,944		$	804,479		$	1,456,347		$	804,479
Less:
Goodwill	503,434			505,604			504,764			208,513			125,532			503,434			125,532
Other intangibles, net	58,689			54,729			53,561			12,562			13,496			58,689			13,496
Total tangible shareholders' equity	$	894,224		$	844,644		$	813,571		$	647,869		$	665,451		$	894,224		$	665,451
Period end number of shares	47,499,941			47,496,966			47,518,662			38,327,081			37,260,012			47,499,941			37,260,012
Book value per share (period end)	$	30.66		$	29.58		$	28.87		$	22.67		$	21.59		$	30.66		$	21.59
Tangible book value per share (period end)	$	18.83		$	17.78		$	17.12		$	16.90		$	17.86		$	18.83		$	17.86

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Segment Reporting											Table 10
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
Banking Division
Net interest income	$	84,399	$	84,041	$	61,759	$	55,359	$	55,193	$	285,558	$	210,719
Provision for loan losses	1,603		1,229		766		888		2,277		4,486		6,787
Noninterest income	15,784		16,524		13,287		13,099		12,442		58,694		51,416
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	25,882		26,120		26,646		22,068		20,100		100,716		78,857
Occupancy and equipment expenses	7,080		7,871		5,684		5,477		5,368		26,112		21,436
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	7,522		7,589		5,611		6,304		6,399		27,026		25,177
Other noninterest expenses	17,310		13,461		29,937		11,080		11,837		71,788		46,192
Total noninterest expense	57,794		55,041		67,878		44,929		43,704		225,642		171,662
Income before income tax expense	40,786		44,295		6,402		22,641		21,654		114,124		83,686
Income tax expense	5,493		11,156		1,716		5,242		18,717		23,607		36,518
Net income	$	35,293	$	33,139	$	4,686	$	17,399	$	2,937	$	90,517	$	47,168
Retail Mortgage Division
Net interest income	$	7,873	$	5,544	$	5,046	$	4,997	$	4,876	$	23,460	$	15,587
Provision for loan losses	(1)		122		246		217		154		584		771
Noninterest income	10,689		12,097		13,889		11,585		9,090		48,260		44,913
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	10,802		10,061		10,864		7,742		8,225		39,469		32,996
Occupancy and equipment expenses	684		618		545		593		533		2,440		2,217
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	306		347		383		389		429		1,425		1,611
Other noninterest expenses	1,661		1,828		1,778		1,731		1,230		6,998		4,260
Total noninterest expense	13,453		12,854		13,570		10,455		10,417		50,332		41,084
Income before income tax expense	5,110		4,665		5,119		5,910		3,395		20,804		18,645
Income tax expense	1,073		943		1,075		1,244		1,189		4,335		6,526
Net income	$	4,037	$	3,722	$	4,044	$	4,666	$	2,206	$	16,469	$	12,119
Warehouse Lending Division
Net interest income	$	2,438	$	2,469	$	2,326	$	1,855	$	1,983	$	9,088	$	5,877
Provision for loan losses	—		—		—		—		27		—		186
Noninterest income	386		503		735		397		399		2,021		1,739
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	145		136		128		138		127		547		530
Occupancy and equipment expenses	—		2		—		—		1		2		4
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	29		30		30		33		18		122		98
Other noninterest expenses	62		69		55		52		26		238		163
Total noninterest expense	236		237		213		223		172		909		795
Income before income tax expense	2,588		2,735		2,848		2,029		2,183		10,200		6,635
Income tax expense	544		574		598		426		763		2,142		2,322
Net income	$	2,044	$	2,161	$	2,250	$	1,603	$	1,420	$	8,058	$	4,313

AMERIS BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL TABLES
Segment Reporting (continued)											Table 10
	Three Months Ended										Year Ended
	Dec		Sep		Jun		Mar		Dec		Dec		Dec
(dollars in thousands)	2018		2018		2018		2018		2017		2018		2017
SBA Division
Net interest income	$	1,352	$	1,459	$	1,320	$	924	$	971	$	5,055	$	3,744
Provision for loan losses	112		41		447		537		(209)		1,137		(111)
Noninterest income	1,094		1,045		1,349		1,370		1,614		4,858		6,277
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	712		682		736		740		787		2,870		3,126
Occupancy and equipment expenses	63		58		55		58		56		234		215
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	—		1		9		9		9		19		21
Other noninterest expenses	401		210		290		236		205		1,137		738
Total noninterest expense	1,176		951		1,090		1,043		1,057		4,260		4,100
Income before income tax expense	1,158		1,512		1,132		714		1,737		4,516		6,032
Income tax expense	243		317		238		150		608		948		2,111
Net income	$	915	$	1,195	$	894	$	564	$	1,129	$	3,568	$	3,921
Premium Finance Division
Net interest income	$	3,492	$	5,525	$	5,548	$	5,666	$	6,500	$	20,231	$	24,198
Provision for loan losses	1,947		703		7,651		159		287		10,460		731
Noninterest income	2,517		2		2,047		13		18		4,579		112
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	1,441		1,447		1,402		1,401		1,268		5,691		4,507
Occupancy and equipment expenses	118		49		106		70		52		343		197
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	436		551		406		400		364		1,793		962
Other noninterest expenses	1,156		1,223		1,721		577		2,303		4,677		8,629
Total noninterest expense	3,151		3,270		3,635		2,448		3,987		12,504		14,295
Income before income tax expense	911		1,554		(3,691)		3,072		2,244		1,846		9,284
Income tax expense	(336)		327		(1,204)		644		786		(569)		3,257
Net income	$	1,247	$	1,227	$	(2,487)	$	2,428	$	1,458	$	2,415	$	6,027
Total Consolidated
Net interest income	$	99,554	$	99,038	$	75,999	$	68,801	$	69,523	$	343,392	$	260,125
Provision for loan losses	3,661		2,095		9,110		1,801		2,536		16,667		8,364
Noninterest income	30,470		30,171		31,307		26,464		23,563		118,412		104,457
Noninterest expense
Salaries and employee benefits	38,982		38,446		39,776		32,089		30,507		149,293		120,016
Occupancy and equipment expenses	7,945		8,598		6,390		6,198		6,010		29,131		24,069
Data processing and telecommunications expenses	8,293		8,518		6,439		7,135		7,219		30,385		27,869
Other noninterest expenses	20,590		16,791		33,781		13,676		15,601		84,838		59,982
Total noninterest expense	75,810		72,353		86,386		59,098		59,337		293,647		231,936
Income before income tax expense	50,553		54,761		11,810		34,366		31,213		151,490		124,282
Income tax expense	7,017		13,317		2,423		7,706		22,063		30,463		50,734
Net income	$	43,536	$	41,444	$	9,387	$	26,660	$	9,150	$	121,027	$	73,548

CONTACT: Nicole S. Stokes, Executive Vice President and CFO, (904) 486-7214

EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2 

Ameris Bancorp 4 th Quarter 2018 Results Investor Presentation

This presentation contains forward - looking statements, as defined by federal securities laws, including, among other forward - looking statements, certain plans, expectations and goals, and including statements about the benefits of the proposed merger between Ameris Bancorp (“Ameris”) and Fidelity Southern Corporation (“Fidelity”). Words such as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “estimate,” “predict,” “continue” and “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, as well as similar expressions, are meant to identify forward - looking statements. The forward - looking statements in this presentation are based on current expectations and are provided to assist in the understanding of potential future performance. Such forward - looking statements involve numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, without limitation, the following: the parties’ ability to consummate the proposed merger or satisfy the conditions to the completion of the proposed merger, including, without limitation, the receipt of required shareholder and regulatory approvals, on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; the parties’ ability to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the proposed merger; the businesses of Ameris 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 may not be fully realized within the expected timeframes; disruption from the proposed merger may make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or others; diversion of management time to merger - related issues; dilution caused by Ameris’s issuance of additional shares of its common stock in connection with the proposed merger; general competitive, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, including, without limitation, movements in interest rates; competitive pressures on product pricing and services; 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 Ameris’s and Fidelity’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including Ameris’s Annual Report on Form 10 - K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10 - Q and Current Reports on Form 8 - K, and Fidelity’s Annual Report on Form 10 - K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10 - Q and Current Reports on Form 8 - K. Forward - looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither Ameris nor Fidelity undertakes any obligation to update or revise forward - looking statements. Cautionary Statements 1

Additional Information and Where to Find It Ameris intends to file a registration statement on Form S - 4 with the SEC to register the shares of Ameris common stock that will be issued to Fidelity’s shareholders in connection with the proposed merger transaction. The registration statement will include 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 THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE MERGER AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY 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 SEC on its website at http://www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders may also obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Ameris on its website at http://www.AmerisBank.com and by Fidelity on its website at www.FidelitySouthern.com. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of Ameris and Fidelity are urged to read carefully the entire registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus when they become available, including any amendments thereto, because they will contain important information about the proposed merger transaction. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above. Participants in the Merger Solicitation Ameris 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 Ameris’s shareholders and Fidelity’s shareholders in respect of the proposed merger transaction. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Ameris and Fidelity and other persons who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of Ameris’s shareholders and Fidelity’s shareholders will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus for Ameris’s meeting of shareholders and Fidelity’s meeting of shareholders, which will be filed by Ameris with the SEC. Information about Ameris’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Ameris common stock can also be found in Ameris’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on April 2, 2018, and other documents subsequently filed by Ameris with the SEC. Information about Fidelity’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Fidelity common stock can also be found in Fidelity’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on April 3, 2018, and other documents subsequently filed by Fidelity with the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents regarding the proposed merger transaction filed with the SEC when they become available. Additional Information 2

• Focused management team on producing top quartile results ( 1 . 61 % Adjusted ROA + 20 . 95 % Adjusted ROTCE in 4 Q 2018 ) • Managed zero rate sensitivity in 2018 vs . 2017 despite 46 % growth in total assets and intense pressure on deposit costs • Strong, attractive Southeastern markets and attractive LOBs give us the ability to safely grow at a rapid pace • Multiple earnings catalysts announced and implemented for 2019 earnings goals • Growth prospects for TBV and Capital levels are very attractive . Consensus TBV at Dec 2019 is $ 22 . 52 per share, an increase of 20 % • CRE concentrations are moderate and forecasted to decline . Favorable ratios give the company room to grow in 2019 The Ameris Bancorp Story Top of Class Operating Results Leader in M&A in the Southeast • Recently announced acquisition of Fidelity Southern Corporation (LION), which will increase assets by $ 4 . 7 billion • Safe M&A strategy for our investors - Willing to pass on deals that do not fit our proven financial equation, to include meaningful EPS accretion, simple and reliable strategies that deliver promised economics to our top of class operating results • Successfully integrating acquisitions, including 3 deals in 2018 with $ 3 . 3 billion in new assets 3

Clear Path to Future Increase in EPS Confidence in 2019 financial expectations: • Maintain margin through funding expertise, capacity and better mix • Double - digit balance sheet growth in strong economic times; able to dial back if necessary in downturns to protect credit and balance sheet • Reliable and profitable growth in all segments of loan production • $20 million of operating efficiencies announced (to include data processing, branch realignment, etc.) • Growing pipelines in Orlando and Atlanta as 2018 acquisitions should provide additional growth 4

Investment Rationale Organic Growth Opportunities • Top quartile return on assets (> 1 . 60 % in 4 Q 18 ) • Strong ROTCE’s that support organic and M&A growth (over 20 % in 4 Q 18 ) • Efficiency ratio below 55 % with catalysts that are expected to drive us to 50 % over next 12 months Operating Performance Valuation • Material discount on earnings relative to Southeastern peer group suggests material upside and rare buying opportunity : – Current Price of $ 35 . 54 ( 1 ) is 8 . 5 x consensus estimates – Price to TBV of 1 . 89 x ; Price to consensus EOY 2019 TBV of 1 . 59 x – Expansion in multiples is likely as 2019 financial results and earnings are realized ( 1 ) Most recent closing price on January 22 , 2019 • Organic diversified growth opportunities while protecting credit in an economic downturn • Recently merged teams have settled into the Ameris culture and are gaining momentum • Competition for deposits is brisk ; however, we have out - paced our peer group while preserving our margin and managing deposit betas 5

2018 Financial Results

Earnings Summary – Adjusted Basis 6 Quarter to Date Results Year To Date Results 4Q 18 4Q 17 Change 2018 2017 Change Adjusted Earnings $ 45,897 $ 23,590 95% $ 146,208 $ 92,271 58% Adjusted Earnings Per Share $ 0.96 $ 0.63 52% $ 3.38 $ 2.48 36% Adjusted Return on Assets 1.61% 1.20% 34% 1.50% 1.26% 19% Adjusted Return on TCE 20.95% 13.91% 51% 19.18% 14.66% 31% NIM (net of accretion) 3.75% 3.82% - 2% 3.79% 3.79% - % Adjusted Efficiency Ratio 54.10% 60.88% - 11% 56.19% 60.27% - 7% Adjusted Net Overhead Ratio 1.42% 1.77% - 20% 1.47% 1.63% - 10%

4Q 2018 Operating Highlights • Growth in adjusted net earnings of 94.6% compared with 4Q 2017 • Adjusted efficiency ratio of 54.10% compared with 54.42% in 3Q18 and 60.88% in 4Q17 • Adjusted ROA of 1.61%, compared with 1.53% in 3Q18 and 1.20% in 4Q17 • Adjusted ROTCE of 20.95%, compared with 20.50% in 3Q18 and 13.91% in 4Q17 • Net Interest Margin (excluding accretion) of 3.75%, compared with 3.77% in 3Q18 • Total revenue of $130.0 million, growth of 39.7% compared with 4Q 2017 • Increase in TBV of $1.05 per share to $18.83 per share compared with $17.78 at the end of 3Q 2018 (Includes dividends and OCI impact) 7

2018 YTD Operating Highlights • Growth in adjusted net earnings of 58.5% compared with 2017 • Adjusted efficiency ratio of 56.19% during 2018, compared with 60.27% in 2017 • Year - over - year organic growth in noninterest bearing deposits of $183.5 million, or 10.3% • Adjusted ROA and ROTCE of 1.50% and 19.18%, compared with 1.26% and 14.66%, respectively, in 2017 • Stable net interest margin (excluding accretion) of 3.79% • Total revenue of $461.8 million, growth of 26.7% compared with 2017 • Legacy non - performing assets declined to 0.26% of total assets, compared with 0.36% at December 31, 2017 8

Operating Highlights (1) Asset growth is materially impacted in 2Q18 by the acquisitions of Atlantic Coast Bank and Hamilton State Bank (2) Core operating expenses exclude merger related charges, Executive retirement costs, restructuring charges, compliance resolution costs, financial impact of hurricanes and loss on sale of premises (3) Operating efficiency ratio is Core Operating Expenses divided by Net Interest Income (TE) and Non - Interest Income, excluding gain/loss on securities 9 For the quarter For the year to date period 4Q18 4Q17 2018 2017 Asset Growth (1) 14,521 206,383 3,587,312 964,172 Asset Growth Rate 0.51% 10.79% 45.66% 13.99% Organic Loan Growth (7,711) 138,216 482,613 940,971 Organic Loan Growth Rate - 0.38% 10.13% 8.48% 20.29% Total Revenue 130,024 93,086 461,804 364,582 Total Revenue Growth 39.68% 14.14% 26.67% 12.12% Core Operating Expenses (2) 70,922 58,174 261,826 224,184 Core OPEX Growth 21.91% 20.00% 16.79% 10.59% Operating Efficiency (3) 54.10% 60.88% 56.19% 60.27% Legacy NPAs / Assets 0.26% 0.36% Credit Related Costs 4,835 3,150 20,683 11,857

Total Revenue Spread Revenues • $2.10 billion, or 31.1%, growth in average year - to - date earning assets over 2017 • Stable margin despite strong growth and competitive rate environment. Margin (excluding accretion) of 3.79% in 2018 and 2017 Non - Interest Income • Mortgage revenue – increased $2.8 million, or 5.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017. Production increased 17.9% and offset the reduced gain on sale margins • Service charges – increased $4.1 million, or 9.7%, in 2018, compared with 2017, due to recent acquisitions and competitive service charge routines • SBA revenues – decreased 1.1% over 2017 due to decreased premium on sale. Production increased 19.2% to offset the reduced gain on sale and some loans were placed in portfolio until gain on sale margins improve 10

Net Interest Margin Spread Income and Margin supported by: • Growth in year - to - date average earning assets of $2.10 billion, or 31.1%, compared with 2017 • Margin (excluding accretion) lower by 2bps in the fourth quarter due to higher deposit costs. – Loan yields (excluding accretion) improved by 5bps – Deposit costs increased by 10bps Accretion income a small part of our revenues: • 2.6% of revenue in YTD 2018 • 2.9% of revenue in YTD 2017 • 4.3% of revenue in YTD 2016 Stable margins over the entire rate cycle. Loan Production Details Period Fixed Rate Variable Rate Total 4Q18 234.5 5.40% 370.3 5.96% 604.9 5.74% 3Q18 201.2 5.37% 266.3 5.62% 467.5 5.51% 2Q18 218.7 5.38% 220.6 5.55% 439.3 5.46% $56.0 $59.3 $61.9 $65.9 $69.4 $68.3 $74.3 $96.5 $96.6 3.73% 3.79% 3.77% 3.80% 3.82% 3.84% 3.81% 3.77% 3.75% 3.00% 3.50% 4.00% 4.50% 5.00% $20.0 $30.0 $40.0 $50.0 $60.0 $70.0 $80.0 $90.0 $100.0 4Q 16 1Q 17 2Q 17 3Q 17 4Q17 1Q18 2Q18 3Q18 4Q18 Net Interest Income (TE) before Accretion (in millions) 11

Expenses – 4Q18 • As expected, decline in 4 Q 18 core operating expenses at the Bank due to final realization of cost savings from Hamilton acquisition • Slight increase in 4 Q 18 core operating expenses in the lines of business as we hired additional mortgage bankers in our retail mortgage division • Continue to drive expense control behaviors throughout the Company and look for efficiencies in our administrative functions • Substantially all the increase in adjusted operating expenses during 2018 is related to compensation and occupancy costs from increased branch locations from recent acquisitions : – $ 13 . 3 million operating expenses related to Hamilton acquisition – $ 5 . 6 million increase in intangible amortization due to acquisitions 1 – Adjusted operating expenses exclude merger and conversion costs, executive retirement benefits, restructuring charges related to branch consolidation plan, compliance resolution expenses, financial impact of hurricanes and loss on sale of premises. OPEX Highlights: Steady, Adjusted Operating Expenses (1) 12 $14.4 $16.6 $15.6 $14.2 $18.5 $17.3 $18.0 $40.8 $41.9 $42.5 $43.5 $43.8 $53.6 $52.9 0.0 25.0 50.0 75.0 100.0 2Q 17 3Q 17 4Q 17 1Q 18 2Q 18 3Q 18 4Q18 Core Operating Expenses (in millions) LOBs Bank

Capital and TBV – 4Q18 • Historically, consistent growth in TBV • TBV increased $1.05 in 4Q18 Consistent Growth in TBV • TCE / TA at quarter end of 8.22%, up from 7.77% at end of 3Q18 • Excluding OCI changes, expect 20bps of TCE growth per quarter • 4Q 2018 Adjusted ROTCE of 20.95% • Normalized ROTCE in the range of 17% - 19% for 2019 Steady Capital Levels Support Growth Rate 13 $16.60 $17.24 $17.78 $17.86 $16.90 $17.12 $17.78 $18.83 $22.52 $10.0 $12.5 $15.0 $17.5 $20.0 $22.5 $25.0 1Q 17 2Q 17 3Q 17 4Q 17 1Q 18 2Q18 3Q18 4Q18 Proj 4Q19 Tangible Book Value Projected TBV uses consensus estimates less $0.40 per year of common dividends.

Credit Quality and Loan Diversification

Diversified Loan Portfolio YE2018 Loan Portfolio • Largest category of loans < 23% of total – well diversified Mortgage loans & HELOCs • Participations purchased < 1% of total loans • Average loan size = $81,000 (all loan types) • Only 10.4% of total loans in Construction or A&D • CRE and C&D concentrations are 250% and 78%, respectively at YE18 • Credit Admin Management consists of CCO, SCO and six Regional Credit Officers. Collectively, they have 70 years with Ameris and 256 years of banking experience • Additional credit support teams specifically for RRE construction management, CRE underwriting, agriculture lending and municipal loans. 14 Agriculture 2.4% C&I 16.8% Municipal 7.0% Consumer 5.6% Investor CRE 18.7% Owner Occupied CRE 12.2% AC&D 10.4% Multi - Family 4.5% Residential 22.6%

Portfolio Changes Since 2008 Loan Portfolio - 2008 Loan Portfolio - 2018 • New SFR Mortgage loans primarily retail production from Mortgage Division, which underwrites to Secondary Market standards • Greater diversification in C&I, Municipal and Consumer loans • Concentration of AC&D loans approximately one - half of YE08 level • Ratio of land/lots vs construction improved from 51/49 at YE08 to 22/78 in YE18 15 Agriculture 9.1% C&I 8.3% Municipal 0.7% Consumer 3.1% Investor CRE 17.5% Owner Occupied CRE 15.8% AC&D 20.2% Multi - Family 2.2% SFR Mortgage 23.3% Agriculture 2.4% C&I 16.8% Municipal 7.0% Consumer 5.6% Investor CRE 18.7% Owner Occupied CRE 12.2% AC&D 10.4% Multi - Family 4.5% SFR Mortgage 22.6%

Diversified Loan Portfolio 16 Relationship Groupings Total Committed Exposure (MM's) % of Total Portfolio Top 25 Relationships 819.6 $ 13.7% Top 50 Relationships 1,351.6 $ 22.6% Top 100 Relationships 2,076.6 $ 34.7% Top 250 Relationships 3,242.7 $ 54.1% Top 300 Relationships 3,493.0 $ 58.3% Individual Groupings Total Committed Exposure (MM's) Largest Relationship 49.4 $ 10th Largest 34.0 $ 50th Largest 18.3 $ 100th Largest 11.9 $ 200th Largest 6.5 $ 300th Largest 4.6 $ $49.4 $18.3 $11.9 $8.7 $6.5 $5.4 $4.6 $ - $10.0 $20.0 $30.0 $40.0 $50.0 $60.0 1 50 100 150 200 250 300 Relative Size of our Top 300 Relationships (MM’s)

Non - Performing Asset Trend • Non - Performing Assets have decreased from $87.6 million at YE14 to $63.0 million at YE18 (28% reduction) • Ameris has completed five acquisitions since YE14, resulting in an increase in Total Assets from $4.0B to $11.4B • As a % of Total Assets, NPAs declined from 2.17% at YE14 to 0.55% at YE18 17 2.00% 2.17% 1.09% 0.85% 0.68% 0.55% 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% $ - $10.0 $20.0 $30.0 $40.0 $50.0 $60.0 $70.0 $80.0 $90.0 $100.0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NPL - Legacy NPL - Purchased NPL - 90+ DPD OREO - Legacy OREO - Purchased NPA / Total Assets

Investor CRE Loans • 60% of CRE assets are concentrated in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, Columbia, Savannah and Charleston MSAs • At YE18, Past Due and Nonaccrual loans totaled 8 bps and 31 bps, respectively. 18 Investor CRE 18.7% AC&D 10.4% Multi - Family 4.5% Loan Type Outstanding Balance (in millions) % Nonaccruing Loans % PD (>30 DPD Accruing) Avg Loan Size (in thousands) Office $ 519.4 0.06% 0.01% $ 1,105.1 Multi - Family $ 382.9 0.09% 0.00% $ 1,772.7 Retail (inc Single - Tenant) $ 349.0 0.20% 0.06% $ 782.5 Warehouse / Industrial $ 289.4 0.06% 0.03% $ 890.3 Hotels / Motels $ 248.5 0.10% 0.00% $ 2,053.8 Strip Center, Non - Anchored $ 204.5 0.00% 0.00% $ 1,649.5 Strip Center, Anchored $ 204.0 0.00% 0.00% $ 3,290.6 RRE Construction - Spec $ 176.6 0.00% 0.02% $ 204.9 RRE Construction - Pre - Sold $ 142.4 0.00% 0.49% $ 204.3 Misc CRE (ALF, Church, etc) $ 135.4 0.00% 0.19% $ 1,611.7 All Other Types $ 206.4 3.42% 0.45% $ 159.1 $ 2,858.5 0.31% 0.08% $ 607.7

• Largest segment is US Premium Finance at $420.9 million • 2018 production = $1.0 billion • Weighted avg down payment = 19.6% • Weighted avg # installments = 9.7 • Remaining agency loans = $13.2 million • Mortgage Warehouse Division funded $4.5 billion of loans in 2018 – 29% increase over 2017 • Total approved guidance lines = $709.0 million • Average days on line = 17 days • No losses in 2017 or 2018 • Corporate Finance Group total commitments = $143.6 million • Provides LOCs to Auto - and Consumer - Finance Companies C & I Loans Lending Division Balance (in millions) % Portfolio % Nonaccruing Average Loan Size (in thousands) US Premium Finance $420.9 29.5% 0.88% $14.8 Mortgage Warehouse / MSR $369.9 25.9% 0.00% $368.0 Ameris Equipment Finance $145.5 10.2% 0.00% $400.0 Corporate Finance Group $117.9 8.3% 0.00% $3,461.3 Other C&I Loans $373.7 26.2% 0.56% $104.0 Totals $1,427.9 0.35% 19 C&I Loans 16.8%

Mortgage Loans • Portfolio Loans consist of: • Legacy - $812.3 million • Mortgage division - $685.4 million • Purchase mortgage pools - $262.6 million • Home Equity LOCs - $172.3 million • Mortgage division production is underwritten to secondary market standards. Originations in second half of 2018 are as follows: • Total net charge - offs in mortgage division in 2018 was $222,000, or 3 basis points. • There have been no charge - offs on any purchased pool. 3Q18 4Q18 Net Production $44.4MM $94.1MM Avg DTI 35.9% 36.1% Avg LTV 81.1% 81.1% Avg FICO 726 725 Overall Past Due 2.71% 2.07% Overall Non - Performing 1.10% 0.41% 20 SFR Mortgage 22.6%

Update on Acquisition of Fidelity Southern Corporation

2018 Acquisitions Update • Fidelity Southern Corporation – Announced pending merger on December 17, 2018 – Expected to close in the 2 nd Quarter of 2019, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals • Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation (“Atlantic”) – Forecasted $14.1 million of cost saves; Identified and realized $15.7 million – Merger and data conversion completed in 2Q18 – Customer base is stable and employees are focused on growing customer relationships in Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando – Added $873.9 million in total assets, $755.7 million in loans and $585.2 million in total deposits – Issued 2,631,520 shares of Ameris common stock at a value on the closing date of $147.8 million • Hamilton State Bancshares, Inc. (“Hamilton”) – Forecasted $14.5 million of cost saves; Identified and realized $15.3 million – Merger completed in 2Q18; Data conversion completed 4Q18 – Added $1.8 billion in total assets, $1.3 billion in loans and $1.6 billion in total deposits – Issued 6,548,385 shares of Ameris common stock at a value on the closing date of $349.4 million 21

Combined Leadership Strength The acquisition of Fidelity Southern Corporation strengthens our leadership: • Combined bank will be led by Dennis Zember and Palmer Proctor – Dennis J. Zember Jr. – Vice Chairman and CEO, Ameris Bancorp – H. Palmer Proctor Jr. – President, Ameris Bancorp / CEO, Ameris Bank – Lawton E. Bassett, III – President, Ameris Bank – Nicole S. Stokes – CFO, Ameris Bancorp / Ameris Bank – Remaining executive team of ABCB stays the same • Combined board will have 14 members – 9ABCB / 5 LION – James B. Miller Jr. – Executive Chairman – Daniel B. Jeter – Lead Independent Director • Headquarters – Executive Offices in Jacksonville, Florida – Ameris Bank Charter in Atlanta, Georgia 22

Transaction Rationale of Fidelity Merger • Strategic Rationale – Extremely valuable low - cost core deposit base, 25% less expensive than Ameris Bank’s – Reinforces our position as the premier banking franchise in the Southeast with one of the most recognizable brands – Further de - risks our balance sheet with core funding and a loan portfolio that outperformed in past down cycles • Financially Attractive – Mid single digit accretion with fully phased in cost saves – Less than 3% dilution to tangible book value per share earned back within approximately 2.5 years – Pro forma capital ratios remain “well - capitalized” – Revenue synergies identified but not included • Low Risk – Thorough due diligence process – Significant work already underway on integration planning – Management collaboration and continuity helps to lower execution risk – Economics achieved through balance sheet restructure and cost savings, both areas where we have had success 23

Proforma Company with Fidelity 24 Pro Forma Footprint Pro Forma Financial Highlights Pro Forma Deposits by Region Atlanta MSA 36% Florida 27% Other 37% 75 85 85 75 20 16 95 10 75 4 95 Note: Data as of or for the three months ended September 30, 2018. (1) Excludes purchase accounting adjustments. (2) Calculated using ABCB closing stock price of $34.02 as of December 14, 2018. Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. ABCB Branches (125) LION Branches (70) Assets $16.2 B Loans 12.7 Deposits 13.2 Branches 195 Market Cap $2.5 B

Proforma Loan Portfolio with Fidelity Ameris Bank Fidelity Bank Combined Bank 25 Agriculture 0.1% C&I 5.6% Municipal , 0.0% Consumer 42.7% Investor CRE 10.8% Owner Occupied CRE 10.9% AC&D 8.8% Multi - Family 1.0% SFR Mortgage 20.1% Agriculture 1.7% C&I 13.4% Municipal 4.9% Consumer 16.8% Investor CRE 17.1% Owner Occupied CRE 11.8% AC&D 9.9% Multi - Family 2.6% SFR Mortgage 21.9% Agriculture 2.4% C&I 16.8% Municipal 7.0% Consumer 5.6% Investor CRE 18.7% Owner Occupied CRE 12.2% AC&D 10.4% Multi - Family 4.5% SPF Mortgage 22.6%

Future Benefits of Fidelity Merger • Strongest community bank in our home markets • Concentrated deposits in top Atlanta market • Well diversified loan portfolio with lower CRE concentrations • Substantial mortgage opportunity and #1 provider of RRE construction loans in Atlanta MSA • Restructure of balance sheet expected to generate additional capital • Combined, we will have the most recognizable community banking franchise in the Southeast • Combined balance sheet will be better positioned for the future than either on a standalone basis 26

Ameris Bancorp Press Release & Financial Highlights December 31, 2018