Ameris Bank Research
DATA QUALITY ISSUE: Not an M&A Advisory Firm
Ameris Bank is NOT an M&A advisory firm. This is a commercial/retail bank that provides traditional banking services (checking, savings, loans, mortgages) and commercial banking services (commercial loans, acquisition financing, treasury management). They do NOT provide M&A advisory services such as sell-side representation, buy-side representation, or M&A transaction advisory.
The presence of Ameris Bank in the M&A advisor database appears to be a data classification error. While they offer "Acquisition Loans" as a lending product (providing debt financing to companies making acquisitions), this is fundamentally different from M&A advisory services, which involve representing sellers or buyers in transactions, conducting buyer outreach, managing deal processes, and providing strategic M&A counsel.
What Ameris Bank Actually Is
Ameris Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, serving customers across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. Founded in 1971, the bank has grown through a series of strategic acquisitions of other regional banks (17 bank acquisitions between 1992-2019), including Fidelity Southern Corporation ($879M), Hamilton State Bancshares ($409M), Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation ($170M), and Jacksonville Bancorp ($95M).
The bank operates full-service locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with mortgage-only locations in Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. As of 2025, Ameris Bank has approximately $25+ billion in assets and employs 2,000+ professionals across 150+ branches.
Services Offered
Personal Banking: Checking accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, auto loans, home equity lines of credit, credit cards, digital banking, private banking
Business Banking: Business checking and savings, equipment financing, SBA loans, lines of credit, treasury management services, merchant services, payroll services
Commercial Banking: Commercial real estate financing, acquisition loans (debt financing for acquisitions), equipment financing, expansion loans, term loans, working capital and inventory loans, ACH services, lockbox services
Specialized Industries: The bank has dedicated banking teams for agribusiness, attorneys/law firms, veterinary practices, dental practices, healthcare, manufacturing, municipal entities, nonprofits, and professional services
Why This Is Not M&A Advisory
M&A advisory firms provide strategic advisory services including:
- Representing business owners in sell-side transactions (conducting buyer outreach, running competitive processes, negotiating deal terms)
- Representing buyers in buy-side transactions (identifying targets, conducting due diligence, structuring deals)
- Providing fairness opinions, valuation analysis, and strategic M&A counsel
Ameris Bank provides none of these services. Their "Acquisition Loans" product is simply debt financing—lending money to companies that are making acquisitions. This is a lending product, not an advisory service.
Executive Leadership
The executive team consists of traditional bank executives:
- H. Palmer Proctor Jr., CEO
- Lawton E. Bassett III, President
- Nicole S. Stokes, CFO
- Ross L. Creasy, CIO
- James A. LaHaise III, Chief Strategy Officer
- William D. McKendry, Chief Risk Officer
- Michael T. Pierson, Chief Governance Officer (previously oversaw the bank's own M&A activities at Fidelity Southern Corporation)
- Jody L. Spencer, Chief Legal Officer
- Douglas D. Strange, Chief Credit Officer
There are no Managing Directors, Investment Banking Heads, or M&A Advisory professionals on the leadership team.
Recommendation
This entity should be removed from the M&A advisor database. Ameris Bank is a legitimate regional bank providing valuable banking and lending services to businesses, but they are not an M&A advisory firm and should not be presented to business owners seeking M&A advisory representation.
If the platform intends to include financing sources (lenders that provide acquisition financing), Ameris Bank could be categorized separately as a "lender" or "financing source." However, they do not belong in a directory of M&A advisors.
Contact Information
- Website: https://www.amerisbank.com
- Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
- Routing Number: 061201754
- NMLS #: 408099
- Phone: 866-616-6020