Acquisitions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Business Combination and Asset Acquisition [Abstract]

On January 1, 2023, the Company completed its acquisition of GrandSouth Bancorporation ("GrandSouth"), in an all-stock transaction pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the "Merger Agreement"), dated June 21, 2022, between the Company and GrandSouth. At the closing of the transaction, GrandSouth merged into the Company. Following the merger of the Company and GrandSouth, GrandSouth Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GrandSouth, merged into the Bank with the Bank being the surviving entity. The results of GrandSouth are included beginning on the January 1, 2023 acquisition date.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, each share of common and preferred stock of GrandSouth issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the acquisition was converted into 0.91 shares of the Company's common stock. As a result, the Company issued 5,032,834 shares of the Company common stock effective January 1, 2023. In addition, GrandSouth common stock options outstanding at the merger effective time were converted to options to acquire 0.91 shares of the Company's common stock resulting in 542,345 options with an average exercise price of approximately $20.14. The total consideration transferred at the close of the transaction was $229.5 million which was determined based on the number of shares issued and the closing market price of the Company's stock immediately prior to the merger effective time of $42.84. In addition to the stock issued, the fair value of the converted stock options calculated in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 805-30-55 was included in the total consideration of the transaction.

As a result of the merger, eight branches in South Carolina were added to the Company's branch network. The acquisition accomplished the Company's strategic initiative to expand its presence in South Carolina, specifically in the high-growth markets of the state including Greenville, Charleston and Columbia. Significant synergies were anticipated to be gained from the acquisition, with asset growth and revenue enhancement opportunities from the new markets and expanded customer base. Accordingly, the Company recognized goodwill in the transaction related primarily to the reasons noted, as well as the positive earnings of GrandSouth.

This transaction was accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations, and accordingly, the assets acquired, intangible assets identified, and liabilities assumed of GrandSouth were recorded based on estimates of fair values as of January 1, 2023. The determination of fair value requires management to make estimates about discount rates, future expected cash flows, market conditions, and other future events that are highly subjective in nature and subject to change. Estimated fair values were based on management’s best estimates, using the information available at the date of acquisition, including the use of third-party valuation specialists. Management has finalized the valuations of all acquired assets and liabilities assumed in the GrandSouth acquisition.

The following table summarizes the estimated fair value of acquired assets, identified intangible assets, and liabilities assumed as of January 1, 2023. Following the table is a discussion of valuation approaches utilized in estimating the fair values in accordance with ASC 805-10, "Business Combinations." The $114.5 million in goodwill that resulted from this transaction is non-deductible for tax purposes.


($ in thousands)	Fair Value Estimate
Assets acquired:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	22,610
Securities available for sale	112,363

Loans, gross	996,833
Allowance for loan losses	(5,610)
Premises and equipment	20,268
Core deposit intangible	28,840
Operating right-of-use lease assets	732
Other assets	27,163
Total	1,203,199
Liabilities assumed:
Deposits	1,045,308
Borrowings	38,800
Other liabilities	4,089
Total	1,088,197
Net identifiable assets acquired	115,002
Less: Total consideration	229,489
Goodwill recorded related to acquisition of GrandSouth	$	114,487

The following is a description of the methods used to determine the fair values of significant assets acquired and liabilities assumed included in the table above.

Cash and cash equivalents: This consists primarily of cash and due from banks, and interest-bearing deposits with banks. The carrying amount of these assets was a reasonable estimate of fair value based on the short-term nature of these assets.

Securities available for sale: Fair value of securities was measured based on quoted market prices, where available. If a quoted market price was not available, fair value was estimated using quoted market prices for similar securities and adjusted for differences between the quoted instrument and the instrument being valued. Substantially all of the securities acquired from GrandSouth were liquidated at their recorded fair value upon close of the transaction or shortly thereafter. There was no gain or loss recorded on the sale of acquired securities.

Loans: Fair value of loans acquired was based on a discounted cash flow methodology that considered factors including loan type and related collateral, classification status, remaining term of the loan, fixed or variable interest rate, amortization status, and current discount rates. Expected cash flows were derived using inputs consistent with management's assessment of credit risk for allowance measurement, including estimated future credit losses and estimated prepayments. A total fair value adjustment of $29.5 million was recorded. Purchased loans with financial deterioration ("PCD loans") were determined based primarily on internal grades, delinquency status, and other evidence of credit deterioration. The Company calculated the initial allowance of $5.6 million on PCD loans in accordance with its current expected credit loss model ("CECL") and reclassified that amount from the fair value adjustment to establish the initial allowance for credit losses ("ACL") on PCD loans. The following table presents additional information related to the acquired loan portfolio at the acquisition date:


($ in thousands)	January 1, 2023
PCD Loans:
Par value	$	152,487
Allowance for credit losses	(5,610)
Non-credit discount	(1,370)
Purchase price	145,507
Non-PCD Loans:
Fair Value	845,716
Gross contractual amounts receivable	865,132
Estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to be collected	22,542

Premises: Land and buildings held for use were valued at appraised values, which reflected considerations of recent disposition values for similar property types with adjustments for characteristics of individual properties.

Intangible assets: Core deposit intangible ("CDI") asset represents the value of the relationships with deposit customers. The fair value for the core deposit intangible asset was estimated based on a discounted cash flow methodology that gave appropriate consideration to expected customer attrition rates, cost of deposit base, net maintenance cost attributable to customer deposits and an estimate of the cost associated with alternative funding sources. The discount rates used for CDI assets were based on market rates. The CDI is being amortized over 10 years utilizing the sum of the months digits accelerated method, which results in a weighted-average amortization period of approximately 41 months.

Lease Assets and Lease Liabilities: Lease assets and lease liabilities were measured using a methodology that involved estimating the future lease payments over the remaining lease term with discounting using a discount rate. The lease term was determined for individual leases based on management's assessment of the probability of exercising existing renewal options.

Deposits: The fair values used for the demand and savings deposits by definition equal the amount payable on demand at the acquisition date. Fair values for time deposits were estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis applying interest rates currently offered to the contractual interest rates on such time deposits.

Borrowings: The fair values of long-term debt instruments were estimated based on quoted market prices for instrument if available, or for similar instruments if not available.