Senior Notes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Senior Notes

Senior NotesOn June 23, 2020, the Company completed a $60.0 million offering of senior notes with a coupon rate of 5.75% and a maturity date of June 30, 2025 (the “Senior Notes”). The net proceeds, after direct issuance costs of $1.6 million, totaled $58.4 million. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, these Senior Notes amounted to $59.4 million and $59.2 million, respectively, net of direct unamortized issuance costs of $0.6 million and $0.8 million, respectively. The Senior Notes are presented net of direct issuance costs in the consolidated financial statements. These costs have been deferred and are being amortized over the term of the Senior Notes of 5 years as an adjustment to yield. These Senior Notes are unsecured and unsubordinated, rank equally with all of our existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.Subordinated Notes

On March 9, 2022, the Company entered into a Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Amerant Florida Bancorp Inc (“Amerant Florida” or the “Guarantor”), and qualified institutional buyers pursuant to which the Company sold and issued $30.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.25% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due March 15, 2032 (the “Subordinated Notes”). Net proceeds were $29.1 million, after estimated direct issuance costs of approximately $0.9 million. Unamortized direct issuance costs are deferred and amortized over the term of the Subordinated Notes of 10 years. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, these Subordinated Notes amounted to $29.4 million and $29.3 million, respectively, net of direct unamortized issuance costs of $0.6 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

The Subordinated Notes will initially bear interest at a fixed rate of 4.25% per annum, from and including March 9, 2022, to but excluding March 15, 2027, with interest payable semi-annually in arrears. From and including March 15, 2027, to but excluding the stated maturity date or early redemption date, the interest rate will reset quarterly to an annual floating rate equal to the then-current benchmark rate, which will initially be the three-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus 251 basis points, with interest during such period payable quarterly in arrears. If the three-month SOFR cannot be determined during the applicable floating rate period, a different index will be determined and used in accordance with the terms of the Subordinated Notes.

These Subordinated Notes are unsecured, subordinated obligations of the Company and rank junior in right of payment to all of the Company’s current and future senior indebtedness. Prior to March 15, 2027, the Company may redeem the Subordinated Notes, in whole but not in part, only under certain limited circumstances. On or after March 15, 2027, the Company may, at its option, redeem the Subordinated Notes, in whole or in part, on any interest payment date, subject to the receipt of any required regulatory approvals. The Subordinated Notes have been structured to qualify as Tier 2 capital of the Company for regulatory capital purposes, and rank equally in right of payment to all of our existing and future subordinated indebtedness.

The Subordinated Notes were offered and sold by the Company in a private placement offering in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D under the Securities Act. In connection with the sale and issuance of the Subordinated Notes, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to take certain actions to provide for the exchange of the Subordinated Notes for subordinated notes that are registered under the Securities Act and will have substantially the same terms.

On June 21, 2022, the Company successfully completed the exchange of all of its outstanding Subordinated Notes for an equal principal amount of its registered 4.25% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2032 (the “Registered Subordinated Notes”). The terms of the Registered Subordinated Notes are substantially identical to the terms of the Subordinated Notes, except that the Registered Subordinated Notes are not subject to the transfer restrictions, registration rights and additional interest provisions (under the circumstances described in the registration rights agreement relating to our fulfillment of our registration obligations) applicable to the Subordinated Notes.

On August 2, 2022, the Company completed an intercompany transaction of entities under common control, pursuant to which the Guarantor, merged with and into the Company, with the Company as sole survivor. See ”Amerant Florida Merger” in the 2022 Form 10-K for more details.