As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 3, 2015January 29, 2016

Registration No333-201993No. 333-208753

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

PRE-EFFECTIVE

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-4

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

RENASANT CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Mississippi 6022 64-0676974

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

(662) 680-1001

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

E. Robinson McGraw

Renasant Corporation

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

(662) 680-1001

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Copies to:

Mark A. Fullmer, Esq.

Mark. W. Jeanfreau, Esq.

Phelps Dunbar LLP

365 Canal Street, Suite 2000

New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

(504) 566-1311

 

O. Leonard Dorminey
James F. Pope

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.
KeyWorth Bank

721 N. Westover Boulevard
11655 Medlock Bridge Road

Albany,Johns Creek, Georgia 31707
(229) 420-0000
30097

(770) 418-2772

 

Mark C. Kanaly, Esq.

Alston & Bird LLP

One Atlantic Center

1201 West Peachtree Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30309

(404) 881-7000

David A. Brown, Esq.

Julie A. Mediamolle, Esq.
Alston & Bird LLP

The Atlantic Building

950 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 239-3463

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the securities to the public:

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement and the satisfaction

or waiver of all other conditions to the proposed merger described in the enclosed proxy statement/prospectus.

 

 

If the securities being registered on this Form are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box.¨

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer x Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer ¨  (Do(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company ¨

If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:

Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)  ¨

Exchange Act Rule 143-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)  ¨

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


Information contained herein is subject to completion or amendment. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These securities may not be sold prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This document shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer or sale is not permitted.would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

PRELIMINARY—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION—DATED APRIL 3, 2015JANUARY 29, 2016

 

LOGO

  

LOGO

LOGO

MERGER PROPOSED—YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT

Dear Stockholder:Shareholder:

On December 10, 2014,October 20, 2015, Renasant Corporation (“Renasant”) and Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank (“Heritage”KeyWorth”) announced a strategic business combination inthe execution of an agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which HeritageKeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant. We believe the proposed merger will result inRenasant Bank, a stronger financial institution, with a diverse revenue stream, a well-balanced loan portfolio and an attractive funding base.wholly-owned subsidiary of Renasant. The combined company, which will retain the Renasant Bank name, will have approximately $7.8$8.2 billion in assets and operate over 160175 branches across Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. We are sending you this joint proxy statement/prospectus to invite you to attend a special meeting of stockholdersshareholders being held by each companyKeyWorth to allow you to vote on the merger agreement and certain other matters.agreement.

If the merger is completed, holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, par value $0.01$5.00 per share, will receive 0.92660.4494 of a share of Renasant common stock, par value $5.00 per share, in exchange for each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock held immediately prior to the merger, subject to the payment of cash in lieu of fractional shares. The number of shares of Renasant common stock that Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders will receive in the merger for each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock is fixed. However, the market value of the consideration Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders will receive in the merger will change depending on changes in the market price of Renasant common stock and will not be known at the time Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders vote on the merger. Based on the 20-day average closing price of Renasant’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, as of December 9, 2014,October 19, 2015, the 0.92660.4494 exchange ratio represented approximately $27.00$15.00 in value for each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock. Based on Renasant’s closing price on, 2015 January 27, 2016 of $$30.82 per share, the 0.92660.4494 exchange ratio represented approximately $$13.85 in value for each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock. Based on the 0.92660.4494 exchange ratio and the number of shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock outstanding as of, 2015, January 28, 2016, the maximum number of shares of Renasant common stock issuable in the merger is approximately. 1,639,009.We urge you to obtain a current market quotationsquotation for Renasant (trading symbol “RNST”) and Heritage (trading symbol “HBOS”) on Nasdaq.

The merger is intended to be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and Heritage stockholdersholders of KeyWorth common stock are not expected to recognize any gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes on the exchange of shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock in the merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock.

At the special meeting of Renasant stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders to be held on June 16, 2015, Renasant stockholdersMarch 17, 2016, holders of KeyWorth common stock will be asked to vote to approve the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger, including the merger. Approval of the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger requires the affirmative vote of a majoritythe holders of at least two-thirds of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present.

outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock.

This joint proxy statement/prospectus is dated, 2015, and it is first being mailed to Renasant stockholders and Heritage stockholders, along withThe KeyWorth board of directors unanimously recommends that KeyWorth shareholders vote “FOR” the enclosed form of proxy card, on or about, 2015.


At the special meeting of Heritage stockholders to be held on June 16, 2015, holders of Heritage common stock will be asked to vote to approve the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger, including the merger. Holders of Heritage common stock will also be asked to approve, on an advisory (nonbinding) basis, the compensation that may be paid or become payable to Heritage’s named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger, which we refer to in this joint proxy statement/prospectus as the “Heritage merger-related compensation proposal.” Approvalapproval of the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Heritage common stock, and approval of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present.merger.

The Renasant board of directors unanimously recommends that Renasant stockholders vote “FOR” the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger and “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal.

The Heritage board of directors unanimously recommends that Heritage stockholders vote “FOR” the agreement and plan of merger and the transactions contemplated by the agreement and plan of merger, “FOR” the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and “FOR” the Heritage adjournment proposal.

This joint proxy statement/prospectus describes the special meetings,meeting, the merger, the documents related to the merger and other related matters.Please carefully read this entire document, including “Risk Factors” beginning on page 16 for a discussion of the risks relating to the proposed merger and owning Renasant common stock after the merger. You also can obtain information about our companiesRenasant from documents that each of usRenasant has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

E. Robinson McGraw

O. Leonard Dorminey/s/ James F. Pope

Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and James F. Pope
Chief Executive Officer Renasant Corporation
President and Chief Executive Officer Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission or bank regulatory agency has approved or disapproved of the Renasant common stock to be issued under this document or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The shares of Renasant common stock to be issued in the merger are not savings or deposit accounts or other obligations of any bank or savings association and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.

This proxy statement/prospectus is dated ●, 2016, and it is first being mailed to KeyWorth shareholders, along with the enclosed form of proxy card, on or about ●, 2016.


REFERENCESLOGO

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To be held on March 17, 2016

On March 17, 2016, KeyWorth Bank (“KeyWorth”) will hold a Special Meeting of Shareholders at the Duluth Financial Center, 6515 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097 at 5:30 p.m., local time, to consider and vote upon the following matters:

a proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 20, 2015, by and among Renasant Corporation (“Renasant”), Renasant Bank and KeyWorth Bank (“KeyWorth”), as it may be amended from time to time (referred to as the “merger agreement”), as more fully described in the attached proxy statement/prospectus, which we refer to as the merger proposal;

a proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, in the event that there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to approve the merger proposal, which we refer to as the adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The KeyWorth board of directors has fixed the close of business on January 28, 2016, as the record date for the special meeting. Only KeyWorth shareholders of record at that time are entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting, or any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting. Approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock. The adjournment proposal will be approved if a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote are voted in favor of the proposal, assuming a quorum is present.

The KeyWorth board of directors has adopted and approved the merger agreement and determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby are advisable and in the best interests of KeyWorth and its shareholders and unanimously recommends that KeyWorth shareholders vote “FOR” the merger proposal and “FOR” the adjournment proposal.

Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please submit your proxy with voting instructions. Please vote as soon as possible by accessing the internet site listed on the KeyWorth proxy card, by calling the toll-free number listed on the KeyWorth proxy card, or by submitting your proxy card by mail. To submit your proxy by mail, please complete, sign, date and return the accompanying proxy card in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. This will not prevent you from voting in person, but it will help to secure a quorum and avoid added solicitation costs. Any holder of record of KeyWorth common stock who is present at the special meeting may vote in person instead of by proxy, thereby canceling any previous proxy. In any event, a proxy may be revoked in writing at any time before the special meeting in the manner described in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus.

The attached proxy statement/prospectus describes the terms and conditions of the merger agreement and includes the complete text of the merger agreement as Annex A. We urge you to read the enclosed materials carefully for a complete description of the merger agreement and the merger. The accompanying proxy statement/prospectus forms a part of this notice.

As required under the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia and the provisions of the Georgia Business Corporation Code referenced thereby, KeyWorth hereby notifies all shareholders entitled to vote on the merger agreement that you are or may be entitled to dissenters’ rights under Georgia law. A copy of the Georgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights is included with the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus as Annex C. See also “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus.

By Order of the Board of Directors

/s/ James F. Pope

Chief Executive Officer

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING IN PERSON, PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES PROMPTLY.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

4

SUMMARY

6

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF RENASANT

13

COMPARATIVE PER SHARE DATA

15

RISK FACTORS

16

Risks Related to the Merger

16

Risks Related to the Combined Company after the Merger

19

KEYWORTH SPECIAL MEETING

21

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

21

Matters to Be Considered

21

Record Date and Quorum

21

Proxies

21

Revocation of Proxies

22

Vote Required

22

Recommendation of the KeyWorth Board of Directors

23

Solicitation of Proxies

23

Dissenters’ Rights

23

Attending the Special Meeting

23

Other Matters

24

THE KEYWORTH PROPOSALS

24

Proposal No. 1 – Merger Proposal

24

Proposal No. 2 – Adjournment Proposal

24

THE MERGER

25

General

25

Background of the Merger

25

KeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the KeyWorth Board of Directors

28

Opinion of KeyWorth’s Financial Advisor

30

Renasant’s Reasons for the Merger

41

Renasant Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger

43

Interests of Certain KeyWorth Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

43

Regulatory and Third-Party Approvals

45

Public Trading Markets

46

Dissenters’ Rights

46

Accounting Treatment of the Merger

48

THE MERGER AGREEMENT

49

Terms of the Merger

49

Effective Time of the Merger

49

Merger Consideration; Treatment of KeyWorth Stock Options, Warrants and Other Equity-Based Awards of KeyWorth

49

Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates

50

Dividends and Distributions

50

Representations and Warranties

51

Material Adverse Effect

52

i


Page

Covenants and Agreements

53

No Solicitation of Other Offers

55

Board Recommendation

57

Reasonable Best Efforts

57

Employee Matters

58

Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification

59

Voting Agreements

60

Conditions to the Completion of the Merger

60

Termination of the Merger Agreement

61

Expense and Termination Fee

62

Amendment and Waiver

63

Expenses

63

MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

64

Qualification of the Merger as a “Reorganization”

65

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

66

Certain Reporting Requirements

66

Tax Consequences if the Merger Does Not Qualify as a “Reorganization”

66

DESCRIPTION OF RENASANT CAPITAL STOCK

67

COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF SHAREHOLDERS OF KEYWORTH AND RENASANT

70

COMPARATIVE PER SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION

79

ABOUT RENASANT CORPORATION

80

ABOUT KEYWORTH BANK

81

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF KEYWORTH COMMON STOCK BY MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF KEYWORTH

83

EXPERTS

84

LEGAL MATTERS

84

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

85

Annex A

Agreement and Plan of MergerA

Annex B

Opinion of BSP Securities, LLCB

Annex C

Georgia Dissenters’ Rights StatutesC

ii


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This joint proxy statement/prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about Renasant and Heritage from documents that Renasant and Heritage, respectively, havehas filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and that havehas not been included in or delivered with this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This information is available to you without charge upon your written or oral request. You can obtain documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus by requesting them in writing or by telephone or email from Renasant or Heritage, as the case may be, at the following addresses:address:

Renasant Corporation

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

Attn: Kevin D. Chapman

         Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (662) 680-1450

Email: KChapman@renasant.com

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

721 N. Westover Boulevard

Albany, Georgia 31707

Attn: T. Heath Fountain

         Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (229) 878-2055

Email: hfountain@eheritagebank.com

You will not be charged for any of these documents that you request.To obtain timely delivery of these documents, you must request them no later than five business days before the date of the applicable special meeting. This means that Renasant stockholders and Heritage stockholders requesting documents must do so by June 9, 2015 in order to receive them before the Renasant special meeting or the Heritage special meeting, respectively. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST DOCUMENTS, PLEASE DO SO PRIOR TO MARCH 10, 2016 IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THEM BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETING.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this document. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this document. This document is dated, 2015, ●, 2016, and you should assume that the information in this document is accurate only as of such date or such other date as is specified. You should assume that the information incorporated by reference into this document is only accurate as of the date of such document or such other date as is specified. Neither the mailing of this document to Heritage stockholders or Renasant stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders nor the issuance by Renasant of shares of Renasant common stock in connection with the merger will create any implication to the contrary.

Information on the websites of Renasant or Heritage,KeyWorth, or any subsidiary of Renasant, or Heritage, is not part of this document. You should not rely on that information in deciding how to vote.

This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Except where the context otherwise indicates, information contained in this document regarding HeritageKeyWorth has been provided by HeritageKeyWorth and information contained in this document regarding Renasant as well as all pro forma financial information, has been provided by Renasant.

See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page of this joint proxy statement/prospectus for more information about the documents referred to in this joint proxy statement/prospectus.


LOGO

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To be held on June 16, 2015

On June 16, 2015, Renasant Corporation (“Renasant”) will hold a Special Meeting of Stockholders at the Marriott Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge, 4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama 35226 at 11:00 a.m., local time, to consider and vote upon the following matters:

a proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 10, 2014, by and among Renasant, Renasant Bank, Heritage Financial Group, Inc. (“Heritage”) and HeritageBank of the South, as it may be amended from time to time (referred to as the “merger agreement”), as more fully described in the attached joint proxy statement/prospectus, and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, which we refer to as the Renasant merger proposal;

a proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, in the event that there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to approve the Renasant merger proposal, which we refer to as the Renasant adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The Renasant board of directors has fixed the close of business on April 21, 2015, as the record date for the special meeting. Only Renasant stockholders of record at that time are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting, or any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting. Approval of each of the proposals requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present.

The Renasant board of directors has adopted and approved the merger agreement and determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby are advisable and in the best interests of Renasant and its stockholders and unanimously recommends that Renasant stockholders vote “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal and “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please submit your proxy with voting instructions. Please vote as soon as possible by accessing the internet site listed on the Renasant proxy card, by calling the toll-free number listed on the Renasant proxy card, or by submitting your proxy card by mail. To submit your proxy by mail, please complete, sign, date and return the accompanying proxy card in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. This will not prevent you from voting in person, but it will help to secure a quorum and avoid added solicitation costs. Any holder of record of Renasant common stock who is present at the special meeting may vote in person instead of by proxy, thereby canceling any previous proxy. In any event, a proxy may be revoked in writing at any time before the special meeting in the manner described in the accompanying joint proxy statement/ prospectus.

The attached joint proxy statement/prospectus describes the terms and conditions of the merger agreement and includes the complete text of the merger agreement as Annex A. We urge you to read the enclosed materials carefully for a complete description of the merger agreement and the merger. The accompanying joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part of this notice.

By Order of the Board of Directors
LOGO
E. Robinson McGraw
Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING IN PERSON, PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES PROMPTLY.


LOGO

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To be held on June 16, 2015

On June 16, 2015, Heritage Financial Group, Inc. (“Heritage”) will hold a Special Meeting of Stockholders at the Merry Acres Event Center, 1500 Dawson Road, Albany, Georgia 31707 at 10:00 a.m., local time, to consider and vote upon the following matters:

a proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 10, 2014, by and among Renasant Corporation (“Renasant”), Renasant Bank, Heritage and HeritageBank of the South, as it may be amended from time to time (referred to as the “merger agreement”), as more fully described in the attached joint proxy statement/prospectus, and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, which we refer to as the Heritage merger proposal;

a proposal to approve, on an advisory (nonbinding) basis, the compensation that may be paid or become payable to certain executive officers of Heritage that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger, which we refer to as the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal;

a proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, in the event that there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to approve the Heritage merger proposal, which we refer to as the Heritage adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The Heritage board of directors has fixed the close of business on April 21, 2015, as the record date for the special meeting. Only Heritage stockholders of record at that time are entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting, or any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting. Approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Heritage common stock. The Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal will each be approved if a majority of the votes cast on each such proposal at the Heritage special meeting are voted in favor of such proposal, assuming a quorum is present.

The Heritage board of directors has adopted and approved the merger agreement and determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby are advisable and in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders and unanimously recommends that Heritage stockholders vote “FOR” the Heritage merger proposal, “FOR” the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and “FOR” the Heritage adjournment proposal.

Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please submit your proxy with voting instructions. Please vote as soon as possible by accessing the internet site listed on the Heritage proxy card, by calling the toll-free number listed on the Heritage proxy card, or by submitting your proxy card by mail. To submit your proxy by mail, please complete, sign, date and return the accompanying proxy card in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. This will not prevent you from voting in person, but it will help to secure a quorum and avoid added solicitation costs. Any holder of record of Heritage common stock who is present at the special meeting may vote in person instead of by proxy, thereby canceling any previous proxy. In any event, a proxy may be revoked in writing at any time before the special meeting in the manner described in the accompanying joint proxy statement/prospectus.

The attached joint proxy statement/prospectus describes the terms and conditions of the merger agreement and includes the complete text of the merger agreement as Annex A. We urge you to read the enclosed materials carefully for a complete description of the merger agreement and the merger. The accompanying joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part of this notice.


By Order of the Board of Directors

LOGO

O. Leonard Dorminey

President and Chief Executive Officer

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING IN PERSON, PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES PROMPTLY.

2


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

7

SUMMARY

9

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF RENASANT

17

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF HERITAGE

19

UNAUDITED SELECTED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

22

COMPARATIVE PER SHARE DATA

24

RISK FACTORS

25

Risks Related to the Merger

25

Risks Related to the Combined Company after the Merger

29

THE HERITAGE SPECIAL MEETING

31

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

31

Matters to Be Considered

31

Record Date and Quorum

31

Proxies

31

Revocation of Proxies

32

Vote Required

32

Recommendation of the Heritage Board of Directors

33

Solicitation of Proxies

33

Attending the Special Meeting

33

Other Matters

34

THE HERITAGE PROPOSALS

35

Proposal No. 1 — Heritage Merger Proposal

35

Proposal No. 2 — Heritage Merger-Related Compensation Proposal

35

Proposal No. 3 — Heritage Adjournment Proposal

36

THE RENASANT SPECIAL MEETING

37

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

37

Matters to Be Considered

37

Record Date and Quorum

37

Proxies

37

Revocation of Proxies

38

Vote Required

38

Recommendation of the Renasant Board of Directors

39

Solicitation of Proxies

39

Attending the Special Meeting

39

Other Matters

39

THE RENASANT PROPOSALS

40

Proposal No. 1 — Renasant Merger Proposal

40

Proposal No. 2 — Renasant Adjournment Proposal

40

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANIES

41

Renasant Corporation

41

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

41

i


Page

THE MERGER

42

General

42

Background of the Merger

42

Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Heritage Board of Directors

48

Renasant’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Renasant Board of Directors

50

Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor

52

Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor

63

Renasant Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger

72

Interests of Renasant’s Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

72

Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

72

Regulatory and Third-Party Approvals

79

Public Trading Markets

80

Heritage Stockholders Do Not Have Dissenters’ Rights in the Merger

80

Accounting Treatment of the Merger

81

Litigation Relating to the Merger

81

THE MERGER AGREEMENT

82

Terms of the Merger; Effective Time

82

Effective Time of the Merger

82

Merger Consideration; Treatment of Heritage Stock Options and Other Equity-Based Awards of Heritage

82

Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates

83

Dividends and Distributions

84

Representations and Warranties

84

Material Adverse Effect

85

Covenants and Agreements

86

No Solicitation of Other Offers

89

Board Recommendations

90

Reasonable Best Efforts

90

Employee Matters

91

Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification

91

Lock-Up Agreements

93

Conditions to the Completion of the Merger

93

Termination of the Merger Agreement

94

Termination Fee

95

Amendment and Waiver

96

Expenses

96

UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

97

Qualification of the Merger as a “Reorganization”

98

Tax Consequences if the Merger Does Not Qualify as a “Reorganization”

99

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

99

Certain Reporting Requirements for Significant Holders

99

COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERS OF HERITAGE AND RENASANT

100

COMPARATIVE PER SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION

112

EXPERTS

113

LEGAL MATTERS

113

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

113

Renasant

113

Heritage

114

ii


Page

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

115

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

118

Annex A Agreement and Plan of Merger

A-1

Annex B Opinion of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.

B-1

Annex C Opinion of Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

C-1

 

iii


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The following are answers to certain questions that you may have regarding the Renasant special meeting, the Heritage special meeting and the merger. We urge you to read carefully the remainder of this joint proxy statement/prospectus (including the risk factors beginning on page) because the information in this section may not provide all of the information that might be important to you in determining how to vote. Additional important information is also contained in the annexes to, and the documents incorporated by reference into, this document.

Q: What are Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders being asked to vote on?

A: Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders are being asked to vote (1) to approve (1) an agreement and plan of merger by and among Renasant, Renasant Bank Heritage and HeritageBank of the South (“HeritageBank”),KeyWorth, which we refer to as the Heritage merger proposal, (2) to approve, on an advisory (nonbinding) basis, the compensation that may be paid or become payable to Heritage’s “named executive officers” (as determined under Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, regulations) that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger, which we refer to as the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal, and (3) to approve(2) the adjournment of the special meeting of Heritage stockholders, which we refer to as the Heritage special meeting,KeyWorth shareholders, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the approval of the Heritage merger proposal, which we refer to as the Heritage adjournment proposal.

Throughout the remainder of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, the agreement and plan of merger is referred to as the “merger agreement.” In the merger, Heritage will merge with and into Renasant, with Renasant being the surviving corporation. Immediately thereafter, HeritageBankKeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank beingas the surviving banking association. References to the “merger” refer to the merger of Heritage with and into Renasant, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Q: What are Renasant stockholders being asked to vote on?

A: Renasant stockholders are being asked to vote (1) to approve the merger agreement, which we refer to as the Renasant merger proposal, and (2) to approve the adjournment of the special meeting of Renasant stockholders, which we refer to as the Renasant special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the approval of the Renasant merger proposal, which we refer to as the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Q: What do Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders need to do now?

A: After you have carefully read this document and have decided how you wish to vote your shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, indicate on your proxy card how you want your shares to be voted with respect to the Heritage merger proposal, the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal. When complete, please sign, date and mail your proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or through the internet. Submitting your proxy by internet, telephone or mail or directing your bank or broker to vote your shares will ensure that your shares are represented and voted at the Heritage special meeting. Your proxy card must be received prior to the special meeting on June 16, 2015March 17, 2016 in order to be counted. If you would like to attend the Heritage special meeting, see “Can I attend the Heritage special meeting and vote my shares in person?”

Q: What do Renasant stockholders need to do now?

A: After you have carefully read this document and have decided how you wish to vote your shares of Renasant common stock, indicate on your proxy card how you want your shares to be voted with respect to the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal. When complete, sign, date and mail your proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or

1


through the internet. Submitting your proxy by internet, telephone or mail or directing your bank or broker to vote your shares will ensure that your shares are represented and voted at the Renasant special meeting. Your proxy card must be received prior to the special meeting on June 16, 2015 in order to be counted. If you would like to attend the Renasant special meeting, see “Can I attend the Renasant special meeting and vote my shares in person?”

Q: Why is my vote as a Heritage stockholderKeyWorth shareholder important?

A: If you do not vote by proxy, telephone or internet or vote in person at the Heritage special meeting, it will be more difficult for HeritageKeyWorth to obtain the necessary quorum to hold its special meeting. In addition, approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majorityat least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, while approval of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal each requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast,shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote, assuming a quorum is present. Because approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Heritage common stock, failure to vote on the Heritage merger proposal will have the same effect as a vote “against” the proposal.

The HeritageKeyWorth board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR”to approve the Heritage merger proposal, the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal.

Q: Why is my vote as a Renasant stockholder important?

A: If you do not vote by proxy, telephone or internet or vote in person at the Renasant special meeting, it will be more difficult for Renasant to obtain the necessary quorum to hold its special meeting. In addition, approval of the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal each requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present.

The Renasant board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Q: What will happen if Heritage stockholders do not approve the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal at the Heritage special meeting?

A: Approval of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal is not a condition to completion of the merger. The vote on this proposal is an advisory vote and will not be binding on Heritage (or the combined company that results from the merger) regardless of whether the merger agreement is approved. Accordingly, because Heritage is contractually obligated to pay the compensation if the merger agreement is approved and the merger is consummated, it is expected that the compensation will be payable, subject only to the conditions applicable thereto, regardless of the outcome of the advisory vote.

Q: If my shares are held in street name“street name” by mya broker, bank or other holder of record, will my brokershares automatically vote my sharesbe voted for me?

A: No. Your broker cannotBanks, brokers or other holders of record who hold shares of KeyWorth common stock in “street name” for customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares may not give a proxy to vote yourthose customers’ shares withoutin the absence of specific instructions from you.those customers. You should instruct your brokerthe street name holder as to how to vote your shares, following the directions your broker providesprovided to you. Please checkShares of KeyWorth common stock present but not voted on any particular matter, or a “broker non-vote,” will be counted for the voting form used by your broker. Without instructions, your shares will not be voted, which will have the effect described below.purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Q: What if I abstain from voting or fail to instruct my broker?

A: If you are a Heritage stockholderKeyWorth shareholder and you abstain from voting or fail toa broker non-vote is submitted because you did not instruct yourthe broker, to votebank or other holder of record of your shares andas to how the broker submits an unvoted proxy, referredshares were to as a broker non-vote,be voted, the abstention or broker non-vote will be counted toward a quorum at the Heritage special meeting. However, because approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majorityat least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of

2


Heritage KeyWorth common stock, an abstention or failure to vote your shares will have the same effect as a vote against the Heritageapproval of the merger proposal. An abstention or failure to vote your shares will have no effect on the vote to approve the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal or the Heritage adjournment proposal.

If you are a Renasant stockholder and you abstain from voting or fail to instruct your broker to vote your shares and the broker submits an unvoted proxy, the abstention or broker non-vote will be counted toward a quorum at the Renasant special meeting, but it will have no effect on the vote to approve the Renasant merger proposal or to approve the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Q: How do I votewill my shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock allocated to me in the Heritage employee stock ownershipKeyWorth 401(k) plan or the Heritage 401(k) plan?be voted?

A: If onAs authorized by the record dateKeyWorth 401(k) plan, the administrative committee of the Heritage special meeting, Heritage common stock is allocated to your accounts in the employee stock ownership plan or the 401(k) plan maintained by Heritage, you are entitled to provide voting instructions towill direct how the trusteeshares of each plan, who will cast your votes at the Heritage special meeting. If you do not timely provide instructions, your shares will be voted by the trustee in the same proportion as shares for which the trustee has received voting instructions. The proxy card you receive with respect to the HeritageKeyWorth common stock allocated to your account will contain instructions on how to vote such shares.

Q. How do I vote sharesas of Renasant common stock allocated to me in the Renasant employee stock ownership plan or the Renasant 401(k) plan?

A: If on the record date of the Renasant special meeting shares of Renasant common stock, or units representing shares of such stock, are allocated to your accounts in the employee stock ownership plan or the 401(k) plan maintained by Renasant, you are entitled to provide voting instructions to the trustee of each plan, Renasant Bank, who will cause your votes to be cast at the Renasant special meeting. If you do not timely provide instructions, your plan shares or units will be voted by the trustee in the same proportion as plan shares for which the trustee has received voting instructions. The proxy card you receive with respect to the Renasant common stock, or units representing shares of such stock, allocated to your accounts in the employee stock ownership plan or the 401(k) plan will contain instructions on how to vote such shares.its discretion.

Q: Can I attend the Heritage special meeting and vote my shares in person?

A: Yes. All Heritage stockholders,KeyWorth shareholders, including stockholdersshareholders of record and stockholdersshareholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers nominees or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the Heritage special meeting. StockholdersShareholders of record as of the record date can vote in person at the Heritage special meeting. If you choose to vote in person at the special meeting and if you are a stockholdershareholder of record, you should bring the enclosed proxy card and proof of identity. If you hold your shares in street name, you must obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or other holder of record and proof of identity. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the conduct of the meeting, which will be printed on the meeting agenda. At the appropriate time during the special meeting, the stockholdersshareholders present will be asked whether anyone wishes to vote in person. You should raise your hand at this time to receive a ballot to record your vote. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, Heritage encourages you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

Q: Can I attend the Renasant special meeting and vote my shares in person?

A: Yes. All Renasant stockholders, including stockholders of record and stockholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers, nominees or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the Renasant special meeting. Renasant stockholders as of the record date can vote in person at the Renasant special meeting except as to shares held in the Renasant 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans. If you choose to vote in person at the special meeting and if you are a stockholder of record, you should bring the enclosed proxy card and proof of

3


identity. If you hold your shares in street name, you must obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or other holder of record and proof of identity. Please show this documentation at the meeting registration desk. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the conduct of the meeting, which will be printed on the meeting agenda. At the appropriate time during the special meeting, the stockholders present will be asked whether anyone wishes to vote in person. You should raise your hand at this time to receive a ballot to record your vote. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, RenasantKeyWorth encourages you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

Q: Is the merger expected to be taxable to Heritage stockholders?KeyWorth shareholders?

A: Generally, no. The merger is intended to be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the “Code,”Code, and holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock are not expected to recognize any gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes on the exchange of shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock in the merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock. You should read “United“Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” beginning on page for a more complete discussion of the United States federal income tax consequences of the merger. Tax matters can be complicated and the tax consequences of the merger to you will depend on your particular tax situation. You should consult your tax advisor to determine the specific tax consequences of the merger to you.

Q: If I am a Heritage stockholder,KeyWorth shareholder, can I change or revoke my vote?

A: Yes. You may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voted in any of the following ways: (1) by personally appearing and choosing to vote at the Heritage special meeting, if you are the stockholdershareholder of record or you obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or the holder of record and, in all cases, you bring proof of identity; (2) by written notification to HeritageKeyWorth which is received prior to the exercise of the proxy; or (3) by a subsequent proxy executed by the person executing the prior proxy and presented at the special meeting. Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders may send their written revocation letter to Heritage Financial Group, Inc.,KeyWorth Bank, 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097, Attention: Corporate Secretary, 721 N. Westover Boulevard, Albany, Georgia 31707.James F. Pope. If you have voted your shares through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your

shares through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the HeritageKeyWorth proxy card and recording a different vote or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

Any stockholdershareholder entitled to vote in person at the Heritage special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a stockholdershareholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.

Q: If I am a Renasant stockholder, can I change or revoke my vote?Will KeyWorth shareholders have dissenters’ rights?

A: Yes. YouIf you are a holder of shares of KeyWorth common stock and if you follow the procedures prescribed by Georgia law, you may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voteddissent from the merger agreement and have the fair value of your KeyWorth common stock paid to you in anycash. If you follow these procedures, you will not receive Renasant common stock. Instead, the fair value of your KeyWorth common stock, determined in the manner prescribed by Georgia law, will be paid to you in cash. That amount could be more or less than the merger consideration or the market value of Renasant common stock as of the following ways: (1) by personally appearing and choosing to vote at the Renasant special meeting, if you are the stockholder of record, or you obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or the holder of record and, in all cases, you bring proof of identity; (2) by written notification to Renasant which is received prior to the exerciseclosing date of the proxy; or (3) bymerger. For a subsequentmore complete description of these dissenters’ rights, see “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ● and Annex C to this proxy executed bystatement/prospectus, which contains a copy of the person executing the prior proxy and presented at the special meeting. Renasant stockholders may send their written revocation letter to Renasant Corporation, Attention: Secretary, 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827. If you have voted your shares through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your shares through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the Renasant proxy card and recording a different vote or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

4


Any stockholder entitled to vote in person at the Renasant special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a stockholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.Georgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights.

Q: If I am a Heritage stockholderKeyWorth shareholder with shares represented by stock certificates, should I send in my HeritageKeyWorth stock certificates now?

A: No. You should not send in your HeritageKeyWorth stock certificates at this time. After completion of the merger, Renasant will cause instructions to be sent to you for exchanging HeritageKeyWorth stock certificates for shares of Renasant common stock in book-entry form and cash to be paid in lieu of anya fractional share of Renasant common stock. The shares of Renasant common stock that Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders will receive in the merger will be issued in book-entry form. Please do not send in your stock certificates with your proxy card.

Q: What should I do if I hold my shares of Heritage common stock in book-entry form?

A: You are not required to take any specific actions if you hold your shares of Heritage common stock in book-entry form. After the completion of the merger, shares of Heritage common stock held in book-entry form will automatically be exchanged for shares of Renasant common stock in book-entry form and cash to be paid in lieu of any fractional share of Renasant common stock.

Q: Can I place my Heritage stock certificate(s) into book-entry form prior to the merger?

A: Yes, Heritage stock certificates can be placed into book-entry form prior to the merger. For more information, please contact Heritage’s transfer agent, Computershare, Inc., at (800) 368-5948.

Q: Whom can I contact if I cannot locate my HeritageKeyWorth stock certificate(s)?

A: If you are unable to locate your original HeritageKeyWorth stock certificate(s), you should contact Heritage’s transfer agent, Computershare, Inc.,Laura T. Dempsey at (800) 368-5948.(770) 418-2767.

Q: When do you expect to complete the merger?

A: We currently expect to complete the merger during the thirdfirst quarter of 2015.2016. However, we cannot assure you when or if the merger will occur. We must, among other things, first obtain the approvalsapproval of Heritage stockholders and Renasant stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders at their respectivethe special meetingsmeeting and the required regulatory approvals described below in “The Merger—Regulatory and Third Party Approvals” beginning on page.

Q: If I hold Heritage common stock through the 401(k) plan maintained by Heritage, can I sell these shares?

A: Yes. You can sell any shares of Heritage common stock allocated to your plan account before the effective time of the merger, subject to any limitations imposed under the 401(k) plan. Heritage common stock must be allocated to your plan account at the effective time of the merger to receive the merger consideration. ●.

Q: How do I receive the merger consideration if I hold my HeritageKeyWorth common stock in the employee stock ownership plan or 401(k) plan maintained by Heritage?KeyWorth?

A: You will be entitled to receive the merger consideration for HeritageKeyWorth common stock that is allocated to your plan accounts at the effective time of the merger. You do not have to take any action; the trustee of eachthe 401(k) plan will exchange HeritageKeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock (or cash in lieu of fractional shares) and allocate the shares to your plan accounts.account.

5


Q: Whom should I call with questions?

A: Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders should contact T. Heath Fountain, Heritage’sJames F. Pope, KeyWorth’s Chief FinancialExecutive Officer, by telephone at (229) 878-2055.

Renasant stockholders should contact Kevin D. Chapman, Renasant’s Chief Financial Officer, by telephone at (662) 680-1450.(770) 418-2772.

6


SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This joint proxy statement/prospectus and the documents that are made part of this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference to other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, include various forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Congress passed the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in an effort to encourage companies to provide information about their anticipated future financial performance. This act provides a safe harbor for such disclosure, which protects a company from unwarranted litigation if actual results are different from management expectations. This document reflects the current views and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results of the management of Renasant and Heritage.KeyWorth. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties which could cause Renasant’s, Heritage’sKeyWorth’s or the combined company’s actual results and experience to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither Renasant nor HeritageKeyWorth assumes any duty to update forward-looking statements, unless required by applicable law.statements. In addition to factors previously disclosed in Renasant’s and Heritage’s reports filed with the SEC and those identified elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about (1) the expected benefits of the transaction between Renasant and Heritage and between Renasant Bank and HeritageBank,KeyWorth, including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues and the expected market position of the combined company that may be realized from the transaction, and (2) Renasant’s and Heritage’sKeyWorth’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this document that are not historical facts. Other statements identified by words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projects” or words of similar meaning generally are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Renasant’s and Heritage’sKeyWorth’s management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond their respective control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material.

The following risks, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:

 

the businesses of Renasant Bank and HeritageKeyWorth may not be integrated successfully or the integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected;

 

the expected growth opportunities or costs savings from the transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected;

 

revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected as a result of losses of customers or other reasons, including issues arising in connection with Heritage’s integration of Alarion Financial Services, Inc. which we refer to as Alarion, and its acquisition of the Norcross, Georgia, branch of The PrivateBank and Trust Company, which we refer to as The PrivateBank;reasons;

 

deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption following the transaction, including difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than expected;

 

Renasant’sgovernmental approvals of the transaction may not be obtained on the proposed terms or Heritage’s stockholdersexpected timeframe;

KeyWorth’s shareholders may fail to approve the transaction;

 

the terms of the proposed transaction may need to be modified to satisfy such approvals or conditions;

 

reputational risks and the reaction of the companies’ customers to the transaction;

 

diversion of management time on merger relatedmerger-related issues;

 

changes in asset quality and credit risk;

 

inflation;

7


the cost or availability of capital;

 

customer acceptance of the combined company’s products and services;

 

customer borrowing, repayment, investment and deposit practices;

the outcome of pending litigation against, among others, Heritage, the current members of its board of directors, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank;

 

the introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of business initiatives;

 

the impact, extent and timing of technological changes;

 

severe catastrophic events in the companies’ respective geographic area;

 

a weakening of the economies in which the combined company will conduct operations may adversely affect its operating results;

 

the U.S. legal and regulatory framework, including those associated with the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, could adversely affect the operating results of the combined company;

 

the interest rate environment may compress margins and adversely affect net interest income; and

 

competition from other financial services companies in the companies’ markets could adversely affect operations.

Additional factors that could cause Renasant’s and Heritage’s results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Renasant’s and Heritage’s reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Renasant, HeritageKeyWorth or the proposed merger or other matters and attributable to Renasant, HeritageKeyWorth or any person acting on either of their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as may be required by applicable law.made.

8


SUMMARY

This summary highlights the material information from this joint proxy statement/prospectus. It may not contain all of the information that is important to you. We urge you to carefully read the entire document and the other documents to which we refer in order to fully understand the merger and the related transactions, including the risk factors set forth on page. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page. We have included page references parenthetically to direct you to a more complete description of the topics presented in this summary.

In theThe Merger Heritage Stockholders Will Have a Right to Receive 0.9266 of a Share of Renasant Common Stock per Share of Heritage Common Stock (page)Agreement

Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth are proposing the merger of Heritage withKeyWorth and into Renasant.Renasant Bank. If the merger is completed, HeritageKeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank being the surviving corporation, and Heritage common stock will no longer be publicly traded.banking association. The merger agreement betweenby and among Renasant, Renasant Bank and HeritageKeyWorth governs the merger. The merger agreement is included in this document as Annex A. Please read the merger agreement carefully. All descriptions in this summary and elsewhere in this document of the terms and conditions of the merger are qualified by reference to the merger agreement.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Heritage stockholders will have a right to receive 0.9266 (the “exchange ratio”) of a share of Renasant common stock for each share of Heritage common stock held immediately prior to the merger, which we refer to as the merger consideration. Renasant will not issue any fractional shares of Renasant common stock in the merger. Instead, a Heritage stockholder who otherwise would have received a fraction of a share of Renasant common stock will receive an amount in cash. This cash amount will be determined by multiplying the fraction of a share of Renasant common stock to which the holder would otherwise be entitled by the weighted average closing sale prices of one share of Renasant common stock as reported by Nasdaq for the 15 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date on which the merger is completed, and then rounded to the nearest cent.

Example: If you hold 100 shares of Heritage common stock, you will have a right to receive 92 shares of Renasant common stock and a cash payment instead of the 0.66 of a share of Renasant common stock that you otherwise would have received.

Treatment of Heritage Restricted Stock, Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (page)

Upon completion of the merger, and with no action required by the holder thereof, each share of non-vested Heritage restricted stock and each Heritage stock option, stock appreciation right or similar right to purchase Heritage common stock granted under Heritage’s equity incentive plans or otherwise outstanding immediately prior to the merger will vest in full. Each share of vested Heritage restricted stock outstanding immediately prior to the merger will be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration, reduced by applicable tax withholding (except that no withholding will be made in respect of restricted stock held by non-employee members of the Heritage board of directors). Each in-the-money option to purchase Heritage stock will be converted into the right to receive a cash payment, the amount of which will be equal to (1) the total number of shares subject to such Heritage stock option multiplied by (2) the difference between $27.00 and the exercise price of the Heritage stock option, less applicable tax withholding (except that no withholding will be made for cash payments to non-employee directors of Heritage). Out-of-the-money Heritage stock options and stock appreciation rights will be cancelled for no consideration.

9


The Heritage Board of Directors Recommends that Heritage Stockholders Vote “FOR” the Heritage Merger Proposal (page)

The Heritage board of directors believes that the merger is in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders and has approved the merger and the merger agreement. The Heritage board of directors unanimously recommends that Heritage stockholders vote “FOR” the Heritage merger proposal. In reaching its decision, the Heritage board considered a number of factors, which are described in more detail in “The Merger—Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Heritage Board of Directors” on page. The Heritage board of directors did not assign relative weights to the factors described in that section or the other factors considered by it. In addition, the Heritage board of directors did not reach any specific conclusion on each factor considered, but conducted an overall analysis of these factors. Individual members of the Heritage board of directors may have given different weights to different factors.

Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor (page and Annex B)

In connection with the merger, Heritage’s financial advisor, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., which we refer to as KBW, delivered a written opinion, dated December 9, 2014, to the Heritage board of directors as to the fairness, from a financial point of view and as of the date of the opinion, to the holders of Heritage common stock of the exchange ratio in the merger. The full text of the opinion, which describes the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by KBW in preparing the opinion, is attached to this document as Annex B.

The opinion was for the information of, and was directed to, the Heritage board of directors (in its capacity as such) in connection with its consideration of the financial terms of the merger. The opinion did not address the underlying business decision of Heritage to engage in the merger or enter into the merger agreement or constitute a recommendation to the Heritage board of directors in connection with the merger, and it does not constitute a recommendation to any holder of Heritage common stock or any shareholder of any other entity as to how to vote in connection with the merger or any other matter.

The Renasant Board of Directors Recommends that Renasant Stockholders Vote “FOR” the Renasant Merger Proposal (page)

The Renasant board of directors believes that the merger is in the best interests of Renasant and its stockholders and has approved the merger and the merger agreement. The Renasant board of directors unanimously recommends that Renasant stockholders vote “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal. In reaching its decision, the Renasant board considered a number of factors, which are described in more detail in “The Merger—Renasant’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Renasant Board of Directors” on page. The Renasant board of directors did not assign relative weights to the factors described in that section or the other factors considered by it. In addition, the Renasant board of directors did not reach any specific conclusion on each factor considered, but conducted an overall analysis of these factors. Individual members of the Renasant board of directors may have given different weights to different factors.

Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor (page and Annex C)

In connection with the merger, Renasant’s financial advisor, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., which we refer to as Raymond James, delivered to the Renasant board of directors at its December 10, 2014 meeting its written opinion as to the fairness, as of December 10, 2014, from a financial point of view, to Renasant of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the merger agreement, based upon and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and other matters considered in connection with the preparation of its opinion. The full text of Raymond James’s written opinion, which sets forth, among other things, the various qualifications, assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken in connection with the opinion, is attached to this document as Annex C.

10


The opinion was provided for the information of Renasant’s board of directors (solely in its capacity as such) in connection with, and for purposes of, its consideration of the merger and the opinion only addressed whether the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the mergeragreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Renasant. The opinion did not address any other term or aspect of the merger agreement or the merger contemplated thereby. The opinion does not constitute a recommendation to the board or to any holder of Renasant common stock as to how the board, such stockholder or any other person should vote or otherwise act with respect to the merger or any other matter.

For further information, please see the section entitled “The Merger—Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor” beginning on page.

Risk Factors RelatedParties to the Merger (page)

You should consider all of the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus in deciding how to vote for the proposals presented in this document. In particular, you should consider the factors under “Risk Factors.”

Comparative Market Prices and Share Information (pages and)

Renasant common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “RNST.” Heritage common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “HBOS.” The following table shows the closing sale prices of Renasant common stock and Heritage common stock as reported by Nasdaq on December 9, 2014, the last trading day before we announced the merger, and on April, 2015, the last practicable trading day before the distribution of this document. This table also shows the implied value of the merger consideration proposed for each share of Heritage common stock on December 9, 2014 and April, 2015, which we calculated by multiplying the 20-day average closing price of Renasant common stock as of as of those dates, which was $29.14 and $, respectively, by the exchange ratio.

   Renasant
Common Stock
   Heritage
Common Stock
   Implied Value of
One Share of
Heritage
Common Stock
 

December 9, 2014

  $29.76    $21.69    $27.00  

April, 2015

  $    $    $  

The market price of Renasant common stock and Heritage common stock will fluctuate prior to the completion of the merger. Heritage stockholders and Renasant stockholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares prior to making any decision with respect to the merger.

Heritage Will Hold its Special Meeting on June 16, 2015 (page)

The Heritage special meeting will be held on June 16, 2015, at the Merry Acres Event Center, 1500 Dawson Road, Albany, Georgia 31707 at 10:00 a.m., local time. At the special meeting, Heritage stockholders will be asked to approve the Heritage merger proposal, the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal and to vote on any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date. Only holders of record of Heritage common stock at the close of business on April 21, 2015 will be entitled to vote at the special meeting. Each share of Heritage common stock is entitled to one vote. As of the record date, there were shares of Heritage common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting.

11


Required Vote. Approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Heritage common stock. Approval of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal, in each case, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present. With respect to the vote to approve the Heritage merger proposal, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have the same effect as a vote against the Heritage merger proposal. With respect to the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect on the approval of either proposal, assuming a quorum is present.

All of the directors of Heritage and HeritageBank have entered into agreements with Renasant pursuant to which they have agreed, in their capacity as Heritage stockholders, to vote all of their shares in favor of the approval of the merger agreement. As of the record date, these directors of Heritage and their affiliates had the right to vote shares of Heritage common stock, or approximately% of the outstanding Heritage shares entitled to vote at the special meeting. We expect these individuals to vote their Heritage common stock in favor of the approval of the Heritage merger proposal in accordance with those agreements. As of the record date, all directors and executive officers of Heritage, including their affiliates, had the right to vote shares of Heritage common stock, or approximately% of the outstanding Heritage shares entitled to vote at the special meeting, and held options to purchase shares of Heritage common stock.

As of the record date, neither Renasant nor any of its affiliates held any shares of Heritage common stock (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted), and Renasant’s directors and executive officers and their affiliates also did not hold any shares of Heritage common stock.

Renasant Will Hold its Special Meeting on June 16, 2015 (page)

The Renasant special meeting will be held on June 16, 2015, at the Marriott Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge, 4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama 35226 at 11:00 a.m., local time. At the special meeting, Renasant stockholders will be asked to approve the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal and to vote on any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date. Only holders of record at the close of business on April 21, 2015 will be entitled to vote at the special meeting. Each share of Renasant common stock is entitled to one vote. As of the record date, there were shares of Renasant common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting.

Required Vote. Approval of the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal, in each case, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present. Assuming a quorum is present, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect on the approval of either proposal.

As of the record date, directors and executive officers of Renasant and their affiliates had the right to vote approximately shares of Renasant common stock, or approximately% of the outstanding Renasant common stock entitled to be voted at the special meeting. We currently expect that each of these individuals will vote their shares of Renasant common stock in favor of the proposals to be presented at the special meeting.

As of the record date, neither Heritage nor any of its affiliates held any shares of Renasant common stock (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted), and Heritage’s directors and executive officers and their affiliates also did not hold any shares of Renasant common stock.

12


Renasant Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger (page)

Upon completion of the merger, the number of directors constituting Renasant’s and Renasant Bank’s respective boards of directors will be increased by one, and one individual who is currently a director of Heritage will be appointed to complete the larger boards. The Heritage board of directors has recommended that Fred F. Sharpe be appointed to the Renasant and Renasant Bank boards. Subject to the approval of the recommendation by the Renasant board of directors, Mr. Sharpe will be appointed to each board following the completion of the merger.

Heritage’s Directors and Executive Officers May Receive Additional Benefits from the Merger (page)

When considering the information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including the recommendation of the board of directors of Heritage to vote to approve the Heritage merger proposal, Heritage stockholders should be aware that the executive officers and members of the board of directors of Heritage may have interests in the merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of Heritage stockholders generally. The board of directors of Heritage was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the merger agreement and the merger (to the extent these interests were in existence at the time of the evaluation and negotiation of the merger agreement and the merger), and in recommending that the merger agreement be adopted and approved by Heritage stockholders. For information concerning these interests, please see the discussion under the caption “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” on page.

Heritage Stockholders Do Not Have Dissenters’ Rights (page)

Heritage stockholders do not have dissenters’ rights in connection with the merger. Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, a stockholder of a Maryland corporation does not have dissenters’ rights in connection with a merger or other extraordinary transaction if the corporation’s outstanding stock is listed on a national securities exchange on the record date of the meeting to approve such merger or other extraordinary transaction and the stockholder will receive stock of the successor corporation in the merger (or cash in lieu of fractional shares). Because (1) Heritage common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, and is expected to continue to be so listed on the record date for the Heritage special meeting, and (2) Heritage stockholders will receive Renasant common stock (or cash in lieu of fractional shares) in the merger, Heritage stockholders do not have dissenters’ rights. For more information, see “The Merger—Heritage Stockholders Do Not Have Dissenters’ Rights in the Merger” beginning on page.

The Merger Is Intended to Be Tax-Free to Heritage Stockholders as to the Shares of Renasant Common Stock They Receive (page)

The merger is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and it is a condition to our respective obligations to complete the merger that each of Renasant and Heritage receive a legal opinion to that effect. Based upon the treatment of the merger as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, the merger generally will be tax-free to Heritage stockholders for United States federal income tax purposes as to the shares of Renasant common stock received in the merger, except for any gain or loss that may result from the receipt of cash in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock that would otherwise be received. See “United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” on page.

The United States federal income tax consequences described above may not apply to all Heritage stockholders. Your tax consequences will depend on your individual situation. Accordingly, Heritage strongly urges you to consult your tax advisor for a full understanding of the particular tax consequences of the merger to you.

13


Nasdaq Listing (page)

Renasant will cause the shares of its common stock to be issued to Heritage stockholders in the merger to be approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, subject to notice of issuance, prior to the effective time of the merger.

Accounting Treatment of Merger (page)

Renasant will account for the merger under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations under United States generally accepted accounting principles.

Conditions Exist That Must Be Satisfied or Waived for the Merger to Occur (page)

Currently, Renasant and Heritage expect to complete the merger during the third quarter of 2015. As more fully described in this document and in the merger agreement, the completion of the merger depends on a number of conditions being satisfied or, where legally permissible, waived. These conditions include, among others, receipt of the requisite approvals of each company’s stockholders, the receipt of all required regulatory approvals (including approval by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), and the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance), and the receipt of legal opinions by each company regarding the United States federal income tax treatment of the merger. As noted below, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance already have approved the merger.

Renasant and Heritage cannot be certain when, or if, the conditions to the merger will be satisfied or waived, or that the merger will be completed.

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger (page)

Heritage and Renasant have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to obtain all regulatory approvals, including all antitrust clearances, required to complete the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. The required regulatory approvals include approval from the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the United States Department of Justice, the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance, state securities authorities and various other federal and state regulatory authorities and self-regulatory organizations. As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, Heritage and Renasant have received all necessary regulatory approvals of the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance for the completion of the merger.

Heritage or Renasant May Terminate the Merger Agreement Under Certain Circumstances (page)

Heritage and Renasant may mutually agree to terminate the merger agreement before completing the merger, even after Heritage stockholder approval and/or Renasant stockholder approval, as long as the termination is approved by each of the Heritage and Renasant board of directors.

The merger agreement may also be terminated by either party in the following circumstances:

if the merger has not been completed on or before September 30, 2015, unless the required regulatory approvals are pending and have not been finally resolved or any stockholder litigation relating to the merger has not been dismissed, settled or otherwise resolved, in which event such date shall be automatically extended to December 31, 2015, unless the failure to complete the merger by that date is due to the breach of the merger agreement by the party seeking to terminate;

14


Heritage’s or Renasant’s stockholders do not approve the merger agreement at the applicable special meeting;

30 days pass after any application for regulatory or governmental approval is denied or withdrawn at the request or recommendation of the governmental entity, unless within such 30-day period a petition for rehearing or an amended application is filed. A party may terminate 30 or more days after a petition for rehearing or an amended application is denied. No party may terminate when the denial or withdrawal is due to that party’s failure to observe or perform its covenants or agreements set forth in the merger agreement;

if there has been a final, non-appealable order enjoining the completion of the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement;

if there is a breach of or failure to perform any of the representations, warranties, covenants or undertakings under the merger agreement by one party that prevents it from satisfying any of the closing conditions to the merger and such breach or failure to perform cannot or has not been cured within 30 days after the breaching party receives written notice of such breach;

if prior to receipt of the other party’s stockholder approval, that other party, its board or any committee of its board (1) withdraws, or modifies or qualifies in a manner adverse to Renasant or Heritage, as applicable, or refuses to make, the recommendation that its stockholders approve the merger agreement, (2) adopts, approves, recommends, endorses or otherwise declares advisable certain business combination proposals, or (3) fails to call and hold its special stockholders’ meeting; and

after receipt of certain business combination proposals, Renasant advises Heritage that it has elected not to propose revisions to the merger agreement to match or better such other business combination proposal.

In addition, Heritage may terminate the merger agreement if its board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that it would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law (1) to hold the Heritage special meeting, recommend the merger agreement or fail to withdraw, modify or change such recommendation; or (2) not to terminate the merger agreement and Renasant in light of certain proposed acquisition transactions with an entity other than Renasant, even after considering changes to the merger agreement proposed by Renasant in light of such proposed acquisition transaction.

For a further description of the termination provisions contained in the merger agreement see “The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement” beginning on page.

Expenses and Termination Fees (page)

In general, each of Heritage and Renasant will be responsible for all expenses incurred by it in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, subject to specific exceptions discussed in this document. Upon termination of the merger agreement under specified circumstances, Heritage may be required to pay Renasant a termination fee equal to $10.3 million plus up to $750,000 of expenses incurred by Renasant in connection with the merger agreement and the merger. See “The Merger Agreement—Termination Fee” beginning on page for a complete discussion of the circumstances under which termination fees will be required to be paid.

Litigation Relating to the Merger (page)

On December 31, 2014, a putative stockholder class action lawsuit,Stein v. Heritage Financial Group, Inc. et al., was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, Civil Division, against Heritage, the members

15


of its board of directors, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank. The complaint, which was amended on February 18, 2015, alleges that the Heritage directors breached their fiduciary duties and/or violated Maryland law in connection with the negotiation and approval of the merger agreement by failing to maximize shareholder value and failing to disclose material information in the February 9, 2015 preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, and that Heritage, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank aided and abetted those alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. In addition to monetary damages in an unspecified amount and other remedies, the lawsuit seeks to enjoin Heritage stockholders from voting on the Heritage merger proposal at the Heritage special meeting and Renasant stockholders from voting on the Renasant merger proposal at the Renasant special meeting and to otherwise enjoin the directors from consummating the merger.

Heritage and Renasant believe the claims asserted are without merit and intend to vigorously defend against the lawsuit. For more information, see “The Merger—Litigation Relating to the Merger” on page.

The Rights of Heritage Stockholders Will Change as a Result of the Merger (page)

The rights of Heritage stockholders are governed by Maryland law, as well as Heritage’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended (which we refer to as the Heritage Articles), and Heritage’s Bylaws. After completion of the merger, the rights of former Heritage stockholders will be governed by Mississippi law and by Renasant’s

Articles of Incorporation, as amended (which we refer to as the Renasant Articles), and Renasant’s Restated Bylaws, as amended (which we refer to as the Renasant Bylaws). This document contains descriptions of the material differences in stockholder rights beginning on page.

Information about the Companies (page)

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank

Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation, is the holding company of its wholly-owned subsidiary, HeritageBank of the South,KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia savings bank. Heritagebanking corporation, is a community-oriented bank serving primarily Georgia, Florida and Alabama through 36operating four banking locations 21 mortgageand two lending offices and 5 investment offices.

in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The principal executive offices of HeritageKeyWorth are located at 721 N. Westover Boulevard, Albany,11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 31707,30097, and its telephone number at that location is (229) 420-0000. Additional information about Heritage and its business and subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.(770) 418-2772.

Renasant Corporation

Renasant Corporation is a Mississippi corporation and a registered bank holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Renasant currently operates more than 120 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices throughout north and central Mississippi, Tennessee, north and central Alabama and north Georgia through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Renasant Bank. Through Renasant Bank, Renasant is also the owner of Renasant Insurance Agency, Inc.

The principal executive offices of Renasant are located at 209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827 and its telephone number at

Attn: Kevin D. Chapman

         Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (662) 680-1450

Email: KChapman@renasant.com

You will not be charged for any of these documents that location is (662) 680-1001. Additionalyou request. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST DOCUMENTS, PLEASE DO SO PRIOR TO MARCH 10, 2016 IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THEM BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETING.

You should rely only on the information about Renasant and its business and subsidiaries is included in documentscontained or incorporated by reference into this document. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this document. This document is dated ●, 2016, and you should assume that the information in this document is accurate only as of such date or such other date as is specified. You should assume that the information incorporated by reference into this document is only accurate as of the date of such document or such other date as is specified. Neither the mailing of this document to KeyWorth shareholders nor the issuance by Renasant of shares of Renasant common stock in connection with the merger will create any implication to the contrary.

Information on the websites of Renasant or KeyWorth, or any subsidiary of Renasant, is not part of this document. You should not rely on that information in deciding how to vote.

This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Except where the context otherwise indicates, information contained in this document regarding KeyWorth has been provided by KeyWorth and information contained in this document regarding Renasant has been provided by Renasant.

See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page. ● of this proxy statement/prospectus for more information about the documents referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus.

 

16iii


SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF RENASANTQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Set forth belowThe following are highlights from Renasant’s consolidated financial data asanswers to certain questions that you may have regarding the special meeting and the merger. We urge you to read carefully the remainder of and forthis proxy statement/prospectus (including the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010. The selected consolidated financial data forrisk factors beginning on page) because the years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010 is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of Renasant. You should not assume that the results for any periods indicate results for any future period. You should read this information in conjunction with Renasant’s consolidated financial statementsthis section may not provide all of the information that might be important to you in determining how to vote. Additional important information is also contained in the annexes to, and related notes included in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which isdocuments incorporated by reference into, this joint proxy statement/prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.

(In thousands, except share data) (Unaudited)(1)document.

   As of and for the years ended
December 31,
 
   2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 
Summary of Operations      

Interest income

  $226,409   $180,604   $159,313   $170,687   $165,483  

Interest expense

   23,780    23,403    25,975    41,401    60,277  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income

 202,629   157,201   133,338   129,286   105,206  

Provision for loan losses

 6,167   10,350   18,125   22,350   30,665  

Noninterest income

 80,620   71,971   68,711   64,699   92,692  

Noninterest expense

 191,195   173,076   150,459   136,960   120,540  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

 85,887   45,746   33,465   34,675   46,693  

Income taxes

 26,305   12,259   6,828   9,043   15,018  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

$59,582  $33,487  $26,637  $25,632  $31,675  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Dividend payout

 36.17 55.74 64.15 66.67 49.28

Per Common Share Data

Net income — Basic

$1.89  $1.23  $1.06  $1.02  $1.39  

Net income — Diluted

 1.88   1.22   1.06   1.02   1.38  

Book value at December 31

 22.56   21.21   19.80   19.44   18.75  

Closing price(2)

 28.93   31.46   19.14   15.00   16.91  

Cash dividends declared and paid

 0.68   0.68   0.68   0.68   0.68  

Financial Condition Data

Assets

$5,805,129  $5,746,270  $4,178,616  $4,202,008  $4,297,327  

Loans, net of unearned income

 3,987,874   3,881,018   2,810,253   2,581,084   2,524,590  

Securities

 983,747   913,329   674,077   796,341   834,472  

Deposits

 4,838,418   4,841,912   3,461,221   3,412,237   3,468,151  

Borrowings

 188,825   171,875   164,706   254,709   316,436  

Stockholders’ equity

 711,651   665,652   498,208   487,202   469,509  

Selected Ratios

Return on average:

Total assets

 1.02 0.71 0.64 0.60 0.80

Stockholders’ equity

 8.61 6.01 5.39 5.34 7.16

Average stockholders’ equity to average assets

 11.89 11.78 11.96 11.27 11.21

Actual stockholders’ equity to actual assets

 12.26 11.58 11.92 11.59 10.93

Allowance for loan losses to total loans, net of unearned income(3)

 1.29 1.65 1.72 1.98 2.07

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans(3)

 209.49 248.90 146.90 127.00 84.32

Nonperforming loans to total loans, net of unearned income(3)

 0.62 0.66 1.17 1.56 2.46

(1)

Selected consolidated financial data includes the effect of mergers and other acquisition transactions from the date of each merger or other transaction. On September 1, 2013, Renasant Corporation acquired First

17


M&F Corporation, a Mississippi corporation, headquartered in Kosciusko, Mississippi. On February 4, 2011, Renasant Bank acquired specified assets and assumed specified liabilities of American Trust Bank, a Georgia-chartered bank headquartered in Roswell, Georgia (“American Trust”), from the FDIC, as receiver for American Trust. On July 23, 2010, Renasant Bank acquired specified assets and assumed specified liabilities of Crescent Bank & Trust Company, a Georgia-chartered bank headquartered in Jasper, Georgia (“Crescent”), from the FDIC, as receiver for Crescent. Refer to Item 1, Business, and Note B, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein, for additional information about the transactions involving First M&F, American Trust and Crescent.
(2)Reflects the closing price on Nasdaq on the last trading day of Renasant’s fiscal year.
(3)Excludes assets acquired from First M&F and assets covered under loss-share agreements with the FDIC.

18


SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF HERITAGEQ: What are KeyWorth shareholders being asked to vote on?

Set forth belowA: KeyWorth shareholders are highlights from Heritage’s consolidated financial data asbeing asked to vote to approve (1) an agreement and plan of merger by and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010. The selected consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010 is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of Heritage. You should not assume that the results for any periods indicate results for any future period. You should read this information in conjunction with Heritage’s consolidated financial statementsamong Renasant, Renasant Bank and related notes included in Heritage’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.

   December 31, 
   2014   2013   2012   2011   2010 
   (In thousands) 

Selected Financial Condition Data:

          

Total assets

  $1,705,615    $1,380,925    $1,097,506    $1,089,852    $755,436  

Loans held for sale

   161,104     110,669     15,608     7,471     225  

Loans, net

   1,075,439     789,798     660,943     553,126     410,896  

Acquired credit impaired loans covered

   42,404     50,891     72,425     107,457     —    

Securities available for sale, at fair value

   269,678     294,299     221,406     259,017     238,377  

Total other real estate owned

   8,405     10,535     12,709     13,409     3,689  

Acquired other real estate owned covered

   5,107     7,053     9,467     10,047     —    

FDIC loss-share receivable

   23,837     41,306     60,731     83,901     —    

Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost

   8,510     7,342     4,330     4,067     3,703  

Other equity securities, at cost

   1,010     1,010     1,010     1,010     1,010  

Deposits

   1,322,109     1,076,421     869,554     884,187     534,243  

Other borrowings

   159,247     131,394     60,000     35,000     62,500  

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under repurchase agreements

   43,339     37,648     33,219     35,049     32,421  

Stockholders’ equity

   160,018     125,063     120,649     124,136     119,340  

19


   Year Ended December 31, 
   2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 
   (In thousands) 

Selected Operations Data:

      

Total interest income

  $71,412   $65,651   $54,738   $39,449   $28,439  

Total interest expense

   8,265    7,385    7,613    10,350    8,274  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income

 63,147   58,266   47,125   29,099   20,165  

Provision for loan losses

 1,569   1,735   5,930   2,800   5,500  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

 61,578   56,531   41,195   26,204   14,665  

Fees and service charges

 10,565   9,518   8,305   7,719   6,177  

Mortgage banking activities

 21,861   10,509   4,768   2,377   —    

Impairment loss on securities

 —     —     —     (43 —    

Gain on sales of securities

 956   85   2,838   684   294  

Life insurance proceeds

 —     —     —     32   916  

Gain (loss) on acquisitions

 —     4,188   (56 4,217   2,722  

Accretion of FDIC loss-share receivable

 (10,426 (9,293 (4,325 381   —    

Other noninterest income

 3,642   3,407   2,869   2,100   2,375  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total noninterest income

 26,598   18,414   14,399   17,467   12,484  

Total noninterest expense

 77,354   58,951   46,252   38,746   26,049  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before tax expense (benefit)

 10,822   15,994   9,342   4,925   1,099  

Income tax expense (benefit)

 3,254   4,679   2,585   1,100   (307
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

$ 7,568  $ 11,315  $ 6,757  $ 3,825  $ 1,406  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 

Selected Financial Ratios and Other Data:

      

Performance Ratios:

      

Return on average assets

   0.50  0.87  0.63  0.39  0.22

Return on average equity

   5.46  9.37  5.42  3.12  2.09

Dividend payout ratio

   25.01  0.00  41.91  25.80  49.08

Net interest spread

   4.62  5.17  5.30  3.58  3.55

Net interest margin

   4.70  5.24  5.35  3.62  3.66

Efficiency ratio

   83.15  76.44  74.89  83.21  79.79

Total loans to total deposits

   82.10  74.20  77.05  63.41  78.43

Asset Quality Ratios (excluding acquired credit impaired loans)(1) :

      

Nonperforming assets to total assets at end of period

   0.39  0.81  1.58  0.95  1.80

Nonperforming loans to total non-acquired loans

   0.76  1.38  2.51  1.62  2.49

Allowance for loan losses to non-performing loans

   164.47  94.91  61.73  106.40  81.79

Allowance for loan losses to total non-acquired loans

   1.25  1.31  1.55  1.72  2.04

Net charge offs to average non-acquired loans outstanding(1)

   0.04  0.26  0.19  0.91  0.87

Capital Ratios:

      

Tangible equity to tangible assets at end of period

   8.32  8.75  10.61  10.95  15.41

Equity to total assets at end of period

   9.38  9.06  10.99  11.39  15.80

Average equity to average assets

   9.12  9.32  12.63  12.42  10.46

20


   Year Ended December 31, 
   2014   2013   2012   2011   2010 

Common Share Data and Other Ratios:

          

Gross shares outstanding at period end(3)

   9,238,973     7,834,537     8,172,486     8,712,031     8,710,511  

Less treasury stock(3)

   —       —       —       —       —    
  

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net shares outstanding at period end(3)

 9,238,973   7,834,537   8,172,486   8,712,031   8,710,511  

Shares owned by Heritage MHC(2)(3)

 —     —     —     —     —    

Public shares outstanding(3)

 9,238,973   7,834,537   8,172,486   8,712,031   8,710,511  

Unearned ESOP shares(3)

 279,234   332,535   385,837   439,138   492,320  

Book value per share(3)

$17.86  $16.67  $15.49  $15.01  $14.52  

Tangible book value per share(3)

$15.83  $16.10  $14.95  $14.42  $14.17  

Basic income per share(3)

$0.97  $1.52  $0.85  $0.47  $0.17  

Diluted income per share(3)

$0.95  $1.50  $0.85  $0.47  $0.17  

Cash dividends paid on public shares outstanding

$1,892,968  $-  $2,832,185  $ 986,434  $ 690,125  

Cash dividends paid to Heritage MHC(2)

 —     —     —     —     30,600  

Cash dividends waived by Heritage MHC

 —     —     —     —     2,802,195  
  

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma cash dividends that would have been paid without waiver(2)(3)

$1,892,968  $—    $2,832,185  $ 986,434  $3,522,920  

Cash dividends per share (excluding shares held by Heritage MHC)(2)(3)

$0.28  $0.00  $0.36  $0.12  $0.43  

Pro forma cash dividends per share (on all outstanding shares with no waiver by Heritage MHC)(3)

$0.28  $0.00  $0.36  $0.12  $0.08  

1.Acquired credit impaired loans are recorded in our assets at a discount from the contractual principal value.
2.Effective November 30, 2010, Heritage MHC, the predecessor to Heritage, was eliminated in the second-step conversion, and all dividends declared from that date are paid to all stockholders.
3.All common share data and per share calculations predating the November 30, 2010 second-step conversion have been adjusted to reflect the 0.8377 share exchange occurring on that date.

21


UNAUDITED SELECTED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following unaudited selected pro forma condensed combined financial information presents how the combined financial statements of Renasant and Heritage may have appeared had their businesses actually been combined at the dates presented. This information is based on the separate historical financial statements of Renasant and Heritage after giving effect to (1) the announced merger with Heritage and the issuance of Renasant common stock in connection therewith, (2) Heritage’s acquisition of Alarion, which was completed on September 30, 2014, and (3) Heritage’s acquisition of a branch from The PrivateBank, which was completed on January 20, 2015,KeyWorth, which we refer to collectively as the “transactions,” as well asmerger proposal, and (2) the assumptions and adjustments describedadjournment of the special meeting of KeyWorth shareholders, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the explanatory notes accompanying the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements appearing elsewhere in this document. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” on page. Under the termsapproval of the merger agreement between Renasant and Heritage,proposal, which was announced on December 10, 2014, Heritagewe refer to as the adjournment proposal.

In the merger, KeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank as the surviving corporation. Upon completionbanking association.

Q: What do KeyWorth shareholders need to do now?

A: After you have carefully read this document and have decided how you wish to vote your shares of the merger, each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, willindicate on your proxy card how you want your shares to be converted into 0.9266 of a share of Renasant common stock.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet information gives effect to the transactions as if they had occurred on December 31, 2014. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined income statement information for the year ended December 31, 2014 gives effect to the transactions as if they had been completed on January 1, 2014. The historical consolidated financial information has been adjusted to reflect factually supportable items that are directly attributable to the Heritage merger or the other transactions and,voted with respect to the income statements only, expected to have a continuing impact on the consolidated company’s results of operations.

The unaudited selected pro forma condensed combined financial information has been derived from and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statementsmerger proposal and the related notes of both Renasantadjournment proposal. When complete, please sign, date and Heritagemail your proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope as ofsoon as possible. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or through the internet. Submitting your proxy by internet, telephone or mail or directing your bank or broker to vote your shares will ensure that your shares are represented and forvoted at the year ended December 31, 2014, which are incorporatedspecial meeting. Your proxy card must be received prior to the special meeting on March 17, 2016 in this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference, and in conjunction with the more detailed unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information, including the notes thereto, appearing elsewhere in this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page and “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” on page.

The unaudited selected pro forma condensed combined financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only. This pro forma information is not necessarily, and should not be assumedorder to be indicative ofcounted. If you would like to attend the financial results thatspecial meeting, see “Can I attend the combined company would have achieved had the companies actually been combinedspecial meeting and vote my shares in person?”

Q: Why is my vote as a KeyWorth shareholder important?

A: If you do not vote by proxy, telephone or internet or vote in person at the beginning ofspecial meeting, it will be more difficult for KeyWorth to obtain the period presented nor indicative of the financial results that may be achieved in the future. The pro forma information does not reflect the impact of possible business model changes as a result of current market conditions which may impact revenues, expense efficiencies, asset dispositions, share repurchases and other factors. The preparation of unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information required Renasant’s managementnecessary quorum to make certain assumptions and estimates.

22


   As of
December 31, 2014
 

Balance Sheet (in thousands)

  

Cash and due from banks

  $258,321  

Net loans

   5,023,877  

Total assets

   7,744,200  

Total deposits

   6,270,015  

Total borrowed funds

   396,338  

Total stockholders’ equity

   964,367  

Regulatory Capital Ratios

  

Tier 1 capital to average assets (leverage)

   8.33

Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets

   11.13

Total capital to risk-weighted assets

   11.97

   Year Ended
December 31, 2014
 

Income Statement (in thousands)

  

Net interest income

  $267,914  

Noninterest income

   121,588  
  

 

 

 

Total revenue

 389,502  

Provision for loan losses

 7,786  

Noninterest expense

 276,785  
  

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

 104,931  

Provision for income taxes

 32,613  
  

 

 

 

Net income

 72,318  

23


COMPARATIVE PER SHARE DATA

The following table sets forth for Renasant common stock and Heritage common stock certain historical, pro forma and pro forma-equivalent per share financial information as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014. The unaudited pro forma and pro forma-equivalent per share information gives effect to the merger as well as Heritage’s acquisition of Alarion andhold its acquisition of a branch of The PrivateBank as if such transactions had been effective as of the dates presented, in the case of the book value data, and as if they had become effective on January 1, 2014, in the case of the net income and dividends declared data. The unaudited pro forma data in the table assumes that the merger is accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting, with Renasant as the acquiror, and represents a current estimate based on available information of the combined company’s results of operations. The pro forma financial adjustments record the assets and liabilities of Heritage at their estimated fair values and are subject to adjustment as additional information becomes available and as additional analyses are performed. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” on page. The information in the following table is based on, and should be read together with, the historical financial information that Renasant and Heritage have presented in their respective prior filings with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.

We anticipate that the merger will provide the combined company with financial benefits that include reduced operating expenses and revenue enhancement opportunities. The unaudited pro forma information, while helpful in illustrating the financial characteristics of the combined company under one set of assumptions, does not reflect the impact of possible business model changes as a result of current market conditions which may impact revenues, expense efficiencies, asset dispositions, share repurchases and other factors. It also does not necessarily reflect what the historical results of the combined company would have been had the companies been combined during these periods nor is it indicative of the results of operations in future periods or the future financial position of the combined company. The Comparative Per Share Data table for the year ended December 31, 2014 combines the historical income per share data of Renasant and subsidiaries and Heritage and subsidiaries giving effect to the transactions as if the merger, using the acquisition method of accounting, and Heritage’s Alarion and The PrivateBank transactions had become effective on January 1, 2014. The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and certain assumptions that Renasant’s management believes are reasonable. Upon completionspecial meeting. In addition, approval of the merger proposal requires the operating resultsaffirmative vote of Heritage will be reflectedthe holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, while approval of the adjournment proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the consolidated financial statementsspecial meeting and entitled to vote, assuming a quorum is present.

The KeyWorth board of Renasant on a prospective basis.

   December 31, 2014 
   (12 months) 
   Earnings
Per Share*
   Book Value –
Common**
   Cash Dividends –
Common
 

Renasant Historical

  $1.88    $22.56    $0.68  

Heritage Historical

   0.95     17.86     0.28  

Pro Forma Combined

   1.79     24.05     0.68  

Per Equivalent Heritage Share***

   1.66     22.28     0.63  

*Earnings per share is calculated on a fully diluted basis.
**Book Value per share is calculated on the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the period.
***Per Equivalent Heritage Share is pro forma combined multiplied by the exchange ratio of 0.9266.

24


RISK FACTORS

In addition to the general investment risks and other information included in or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including the matters addressed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page and the matters discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed by Renasant (as updated by subsequently filed Forms 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC), Renasant and Heritage stockholders should carefully consider the matters described below in determining whetherdirectors unanimously recommends that you vote to approve the merger agreement.proposal and the adjournment proposal.

Q: If any of the following risksmy shares are held in “street name” by a broker, bank or other risks that haveholder of record, will my shares automatically be voted for me?

A: No. Banks, brokers or other holders of record who hold shares of KeyWorth common stock in “street name” for customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares may not been identified, or that Renasant and Heritage currently believe are immaterial or unlikely, actually occur,give a proxy to vote those customers’ shares in the business, financial condition and resultsabsence of operations of the combined company could be harmed. Many factors, including those described below, could cause actual results to differ materiallyspecific instructions from those discussed in forward-looking statements.

Risks Relatedcustomers. You should instruct the street name holder as to how to vote your shares, following the Merger

Because the market pricedirections provided to you. Shares of RenasantKeyWorth common stock present but not voted on any particular matter, or a “broker non-vote,” will fluctuate, Heritage stockholders cannot be surecounted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Q: What if I abstain from voting or fail to instruct my broker?

A: If you are a KeyWorth shareholder and you abstain from voting or a broker non-vote is submitted because you did not instruct the market valuebroker, bank or other holder of record of your shares as to how the shares were to be voted, the abstention or broker non-vote will be counted toward a quorum at the special meeting. However, because approval of the merger consideration theyproposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, an abstention or failure to vote your shares will receive.

Upon completionhave the same effect as a vote against the approval of the merger each shareproposal. An abstention or failure to vote your shares will have no effect on the vote to approve the adjournment proposal.

Q: How will my shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock allocated in the KeyWorth 401(k) plan be voted?

A: As authorized by the KeyWorth 401(k) plan, the administrative committee of the 401(k) plan will be converted intodirect how the right to receive the merger consideration consistingshares of 0.9266 of a share of RenasantKeyWorth common stock and cash in lieu of the issuance of any fractional shares of Renasant common stock. The market value of the merger consideration may vary from the closing price of Renasant common stock on the date we announced the merger, on the date that this document was mailedallocated to Heritage stockholders, on the date of the special meeting of the Heritage stockholders and on the date we complete the merger and thereafter. Any change in the market price of Renasant common stock prior to completion of the merger will affect the market value of the merger consideration that Heritage stockholders will receive upon completion of the merger. Accordingly, at the time of the Heritage special meeting, Heritage stockholders will not know or be able to calculate the market value of the merger consideration they would receive upon completion of the merger. Neither company is permitted to terminate the merger agreement or resolicit the vote of Heritage stockholders solely because of changes in the market prices of either company’s stock. There will be no adjustment to the merger consideration for changes in the market price of either shares of Renasant common stock or shares of Heritage common stock. Stock price changes result from a variety of factors, including general market and economic conditions, changes in our respective businesses, operations and prospects, and regulatory considerations. Many of these factors are beyond our control. You should obtain current market quotations for Renasant common stock and for Heritage common stock before you vote.

Heritage stockholders do not have dissenters’ rights in the merger.

Dissenters’ rights are statutory rights that, if applicable under law, enable stockholders of a Maryland corporation such as Heritage to dissent from an extraordinary transaction, such as a merger, and demand and receive payment of the fair value of the stockholder’s stock from the successor corporation instead of receiving the consideration offered to stockholders in connection with the extraordinary transaction. Under the MGCL, Heritage stockholders do not have dissenters’ rights with respect to their shares of Heritage common stock, assuming that Heritage continues to be listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange,your account as of the record date will be voted in its discretion.

Q: Can I attend the special meeting and vote my shares in person?

A: Yes. All KeyWorth shareholders, including shareholders of record and shareholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the special meeting. Shareholders of record as of the record date can vote in person at the special meeting. If you choose to vote in person at the special meeting and if you are a shareholder of record, you should bring the enclosed proxy card and proof of identity. If you hold your shares in street name, you must obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or other holder of record and proof of identity. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the Heritageconduct of the meeting, which will be printed on the meeting agenda. At the appropriate time during the special meeting, the shareholders present will be asked whether anyone wishes to vote in person. You should raise your hand at this time to receive a ballot to record your vote. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, KeyWorth encourages you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

Heritage stockholders will have a reduced ownership and voting interest afterQ: Is the merger and will exercise less influence over management.expected to be taxable to KeyWorth shareholders?

Heritage stockholders currently have the right to vote in the election of the Heritage board of directors and on other matters affecting Heritage. When the merger occurs, each Heritage stockholder that receives shares of Renasant common stock will become a Renasant stockholder with a percentage ownership of the combined organization that is smaller than such stockholder’s current percentage ownership of Heritage. Because of this, Heritage stockholders will have less influence on the management and policies of Renasant than they now have on the management and policies of Heritage.

25


Heritage will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the merger is pending.

Heritage’s employees and customers may be uncertain about the effect on Heritage of the merger, and this uncertainty may adversely affect Heritage’s ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel until the merger is completed. In addition, customers, vendors and other third parties could seek to alter their existing business relationships with Heritage on account of the merger. Because of uncertainty about their future employment with

Renasant following the merger, retention of certain employees by Heritage may be challenging while the merger is pending. If key employees depart for any reason, Heritage’s business, both while the merger is pending and after its completion, could be negatively impacted. In addition, Heritage has agreed to certain contractual restrictions on the operation of its business prior to closing. See “The Merger Agreement—Covenants and Agreements” on page for a discussion of the restrictive covenants applicable to Heritage.

The merger agreement limits Heritage’s ability to pursue an alternative acquisition proposal and requires Heritage to pay a termination fee of $10.3 million plus up to $750,000 of Renasant’s expenses under limited circumstances relating to alternative acquisition proposals.

The merger agreement prohibits Heritage from, among other things, soliciting, initiating or facilitating certain alternative acquisition proposals with any third party unless Heritage’s directors determine in good faith (after consultation with financial advisors and outside legal counsel) that (1) their failure to take such action would be inconsistent with their fiduciary duties under applicable law and (2) such alternative transaction would result in a transaction more favorable to Heritage’s stockholders from a financial point of view than the merger with Renasant and is reasonably likely to be consummated. See “The Merger Agreement—No Solicitation of Other Offers” on page. The merger agreement also provides for the payment by Heritage of a termination fee in the amount of $10.3 million plus up to $750,000 of Renasant’s expenses in the event that either party terminates the merger agreement for certain reasons. These provisions might discourage a potential competing acquiror that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant part of Heritage from considering or proposing such an acquisition, even if this third party was willing to pay consideration with a higher per share value than the consideration payable in the merger with Renasant. Similarly, such a competing acquiror might propose a price lower than it might otherwise have been willing to offer because of the potential added expense of the termination fee that may become payable to Renasant in certain circumstances under the merger agreement. See “The Merger Agreement—Termination Fee” on page.

The boards of directors of Renasant and Heritage have not obtained updated fairness opinions from Raymond James and KBW, respectively, reflecting changes in circumstances that may have occurred since the signing of the merger agreement.

The boards of directors of Renasant and Heritage have not obtained updated fairness opinions as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus from Raymond James and KBW, which are Renasant’s and Heritage’s respective financial advisors. Changes in the operations and prospects of Renasant or Heritage, general market and economic conditions and other factors which may be beyond the control of Renasant and Heritage may have altered the value of Renasant or Heritage or the prices of Renasant common stock and Heritage common stock as of the date of this document, or may alter such values and prices by the time the merger is completed. The opinions do not speak as of any date other than the dates of those opinions. For a description of the opinions that the Renasant and Heritage boards of directors received from the parties’ respective financial advisors, please refer to “The Merger—Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor” beginning on page and “The Merger—Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor” beginning on page. For a description of the other factors considered by Renasant’s board of directors in determining to approve the merger, please refer to “The Merger—Renasant’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Renasant Board of Directors” beginning on page. For a description of the other factors considered by Heritage’s board of directors in determining to approve the merger, please refer to “The Merger—Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Heritage Board of Directors” beginning on page.

26


The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements included in this document are preliminary, and the actual financial condition and results of operations after the merger may differ materially.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements in this joint proxy statement/prospectus are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of what Renasant’s actual financial condition or results of operations would have been had the merger been completed on the dates indicated. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements reflect adjustments to illustrate the effect of the merger had it been completed on the dates indicated, which are based upon preliminary estimates, to record the Heritage identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value and the resulting goodwill recognized. The purchase price allocation for the merger reflected in this document is preliminary, and final allocation of the purchase price will be based upon the actual purchase price and the fair value of the assets and liabilities of Heritage as of the date of the completion of the merger. Accordingly, the final acquisition accounting adjustments may differ materially from the pro forma adjustments reflected in this document. For more information, see “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” beginning on page.

Certain of Heritage’s directors and executive officers have interests in the merger that may differ from the interests of Heritage’s stockholders including, if the merger is completed, the receipt of financial and other benefits.

Heritage’s executive officers and directors have interests in the merger that are in addition to, and may be different from, the interests of Heritage stockholders generally. These interests include, among others:

the “cash-out” of vested and unvested in-the-money options and the acceleration of vesting of restricted stock, as provided under the merger agreement;

certain severance payment and other benefits that may be paid pursuant to employment agreements with those executive officers of Heritage whose employment with Heritage or the surviving corporation is terminated under certain circumstances;

the right to continued indemnification and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage by Heritage after the completion of the merger; and

with respect to Mr. Dorminey, an inducement award of 35,000 shares of Renasant restricted stock, which will vest in four equal annual installments beginning on December 31, 2015, on the first day after the completion of the merger.

See “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” beginning on page for a discussion of these interests. One director will be appointed to Renasant and Renasant Bank’s respective boards of directors upon completion of the merger, although this individual has not been selected as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

A: Generally, no. The merger is subjectintended to the receipt of consents and approvals from government entities that may impose conditions that could delay the completion of the merger or have an adverse effect on the combined company following the merger.

Before the merger may be completed, various approvals or consents must be obtained from the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and various domestic bank, securities and other regulatory authorities. As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, each of the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance have approved the merger. However, it is possible that, on account of a change in circumstances affecting Renasant, Heritage or both companies or for other reasons, any of these regulatory approvals could be withdrawn in its entirety or made subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Although unlikely, the occurrence of such an event could have the effect of delaying completion of the merger or imposing additional costs on, or limiting the revenues of, the combined company following the merger, any of which might have an adverse effect on the combined company following the merger.

27


The merger is subject to certain closing conditions that, if not satisfied or waived, will result in the merger not being completed, which may cause the market price of Renasant common stock or Heritage common stock to decline.

The merger is subject to customary conditions to closing, including the approval of Renasant’s and Heritage’s stockholders. If any condition to the merger is not satisfied or waived (to the extent waiver is legally permitted at all), the merger will not be completed. In addition, Renasant and Heritage may terminate the merger agreement under certain circumstances even if the merger is approved by Renasant’s and Heritage’s stockholders, including, but not limited to, if the merger has not been completed on or before September 30, 2015. If Renasant and Heritage do not complete the merger, the market price of Renasant common stock or Heritage common stock may decline to the extent that the current market prices of those shares reflect a market assumption that the merger will be completed. In addition, neither company would realize any of the expected benefits of having completed the merger. If the merger is not completed, additional risks could materialize, which could materially and adversely affect the business, financial results, financial condition and stock prices of Renasant or Heritage. For more information on closing conditions to the merger agreement, see the section entitled “Merger Agreement—Conditions to the Completion of the Merger” on page.

Some of the performing loans in the Heritage loan portfolio being acquired by Renasant may be under-collateralized, which could affect Renasant’s ability to collect all of the loan amount due.

In an acquisition transaction, the purchasing financial institution may be acquiring under-collateralized loans from the seller. Under-collateralized loans are risks that are inherent in any acquisition transaction and are mitigated through the loan due diligence process that the purchaser performs and the estimated fair market value adjustment that the purchaser places on the seller’s loan portfolio. The year a loan was originated can impact the current value of the collateral. Many banks with locations in Florida have performing loans that are under-collateralized because of the decline in real estate values in Florida during the 2006 through 2010 economic downturn. While real estate values generally commenced stabilizing in 2011, and in some markets began to increase in recent years, nonetheless like other financial services institutions, Heritage’s loan portfolio has under-collateralized loans that are still performing.

When it acquires another loan portfolio, Renasant will place what is referred to as a fair market value adjustment on the acquired loan portfolio to address certain risks, including those relating to under collateralized loans. With respect to the Heritage loan portfolio, Renasant has placed a preliminary $43.4 million fair value adjustment which Renasant believes is adequate to mitigate the risk of under-collateralized performing loans. There can be no assurance that the adjustment that Renasant has placed on the Heritage loan portfolio to mitigate against under-collateralized performing loans will be adequate or that Renasant will not incur losses that could be greater than this adjustment.

If the merger is not completed, Renasant and Heritage will have incurred substantial expenses without realizing the expected benefits of the merger.

Each of Renasant and Heritage has incurred substantial expenses in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, as well as the costs and expenses of filing, printing and mailing this joint proxy statement/prospectus and all filing and other fees paid to the SEC in connection with the merger. If the merger is not completed, Renasant and Heritage would have to recognize these expenses without realizing the expected benefits of the merger.

The merger may have adverse tax consequences.

The parties intend that the merger be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the Code, and they will receive legal opinions to that effect from their respective tax counsel. These tax opinions

28


represent the legal judgmentholders of counsel rendering the opinion andKeyWorth common stock are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts. If the merger wereexpected to fail to qualify as a “reorganization,” then a Heritage stockholder generally would recognize any gain or loss as applicable, equal tofor United States federal income tax purposes on the difference between (1) the sumexchange of the fair market valueshares of theKeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock andin the merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional sharesshare of Renasant common stock received by the Heritage stockholder in the merger; and (2) the Heritage stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its Heritage stock. See “UnitedYou should read “Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” beginning on page.

Pending litigation relating to ● for a more complete discussion of the merger could result in an injunction preventing completionUnited States federal income tax consequences of the merger.

On December 31, 2014, a putative stockholder class action lawsuit,Stein v. Heritage Financial Group, Inc. et al., was filed in Tax matters can be complicated and the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, Civil Division, against Heritage, the members of its board of directors, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank. The complaint, which was amended on February 18, 2015, alleges that the Heritage directors breached their fiduciary duties and/or violated Maryland law in connection with the negotiation and approvaltax consequences of the merger agreement by failing to maximize shareholder value and failingyou will depend on your particular tax situation. You should consult your tax advisor to disclose material information indetermine the February 9, 2015 preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, and that Heritage, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank aided and abetted those alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. In addition to monetary damages in an unspecified amount and other remedies, the lawsuit seeks to enjoin Heritage stockholders from voting on the Heritage merger proposal at the Heritage special meeting and Renasant stockholders from voting on the Renasant merger proposal at the Renasant special meeting and to otherwise enjoin the directors from consummating the merger.

One of the conditions to the closingspecific tax consequences of the merger is that no judgment, decree, injunction or other order by any court of competent jurisdiction is in effect that prohibits the completion of the merger. If this plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting the defendants from holding their respective special meetings of stockholders or other relief, then such injunction or other relief may prevent the merger from becoming effective, or from becoming effective within the expected time frame. If completion of the merger is prevented or delayed, it could result in substantial costs to Renasant and Heritage. In addition, Renasant and Heritage could incur costs associated with the indemnification of Heritage’s directors. See “The Merger—Litigation Relating to the Merger” beginning on page and “The Merger Agreement—Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification” beginning on page for a discussion of these matters.

Risks Related to the Combined Company after the Mergeryou.

Renasant may not be able to successfully integrate HeritageQ: If I am a KeyWorth shareholder, can I change or realize the anticipated benefits of the merger.revoke my vote?

Renasant’s merger with Heritage involves the combination of two bank holding companies that previously have operated independently. A successful combination of the operations of the two entities will depend substantially on Renasant’s ability to consolidate operations, systems and procedures and to eliminate redundancies and costs. Renasant may not be able to combine the operations of Heritage with its operations without encountering difficulties, such as:

the loss of key employees and customers;

the disruption of operations and business;

inability to maintain and increase competitive presence;

deposit attrition, customer loss and revenue loss;

possible inconsistencies in standards, control procedures and policies;

unexpected problems with costs, operations, personnel, technology and credit; and/or

problems with the assimilation of new operations, sites or personnel, which could divert resources from regular banking operations.

Additionally, general market and economic conditions and governmental actions affecting the financial industry generally may inhibit Renasant’s successful integration of Heritage.

29


Further, Renasant entered into the merger agreement with the expectation that the merger will result in various benefits including, among other things, benefits relating to enhanced revenues, a strengthened market position for the combined company throughout Renasant’s footprint, cross-selling opportunities, technology, cost savings and operating efficiencies. Achieving the anticipated benefits of the merger is subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether Renasant integrates Heritage in an efficient and effective manner, and general competitive factors in the marketplace. Renasant also believes that its ability to successfully integrate Heritage with its operations will depend to a large degree upon its ability to retain Heritage’s existing management personnel. Although Renasant expects to assume existing Heritage employment agreements with certain key employees of Heritage, there can be no assurances that these key employees will not subsequently depart. See “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” beginning on page .

Renasant’s failure to achieve these anticipated benefits could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy and could materially impact its business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, the attention and effort devoted to the integration of Heritage with Renasant’s existing operations may divert management’s attention from other important issues and could seriously harm its business. Finally, any cost savings that are realized may be offset by losses in revenues or other charges to earnings.

Heritage’s recent acquisitions may fail to provide benefits anticipated by Heritage in making the acquisitions.

On September 30, 2014, Heritage completed its acquisition of Alarion Financial Services, Inc., the holding company for Alarion Bank, which operated six branches in Ocala, Gainesville and Alachua, Florida. On January 20, 2015, Heritage completed its acquisition of the Norcross, Georgia, branch of The PrivateBank and Trust Company, which resulted in the transfer of approximately $37 million in performing loans and approximately $107 million in deposits to Heritage. The success of these acquisitions depends on many of the same factors as described immediately above with respect to Heritage’s merger with Renasant. If Heritage is not able to fully realize the anticipated benefits of its acquisition of Alarion or The PrivateBank branch, the financial condition and results of operations of the combined company following the merger of Heritage into Renasant may also be negatively impacted.

The market price of Renasant common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the Heritage or Renasant common stock.

The businesses of Renasant and Heritage differ in some respects and, accordingly, the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of Renasant’s common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the independent results of operations of Renasant and Heritage. For a discussion of the businesses of Renasant and Heritage and of certain factors to consider in connection with those businesses, see the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus and referred to under “WhereA: Yes. You Can Find More Information” beginning on page.

The shares of Renasant common stock to be received by Heritage stockholders as a result of the merger will have different rights from the shares of Heritage common stock.

Upon completion of the merger, Heritage stockholders will become Renasant stockholders and their rights as stockholders will be governed by the Renasant Articles, the Renasant Bylaws and Mississippi law. The rights associated with Heritage common stock are different from the rights associated with Renasant common stock. Please see “Comparison of Rights of Stockholders of Heritage and Renasant” beginning on page for a discussion of the different rights associated with Renasant common stock.

30


THE HERITAGE SPECIAL MEETING

This section contains information about the special meeting of Heritage stockholders that has been called to consider and vote on the merger agreement and certain other matters. Together with this joint proxy statement/prospectus, Heritage is also sending its stockholders a notice of the special meeting and a form of proxy that the Heritage board of directors is soliciting.

On or about, 2015, Heritage commenced mailing this document and the enclosed form of proxy card to its stockholders entitled to vote at the Heritage special meeting.

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

The Heritage special meeting will be held on June 16, 2015, at the Merry Acres Event Center, 1500 Dawson Road, Albany, Georgia 31707 at 10:00 a.m., local time.

Matters to Be Considered

The purpose of the Heritage special meeting is to vote on:

the Heritage merger proposal;

the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal;

the Heritage adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date and Quorum

The close of business on April 21, 2015 has been fixed as the record date for determining the Heritage stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Heritage special meeting. At that time, shares of Heritage common stock were outstanding, held by approximately holders of record.

In order to conduct voting at the Heritage special meeting, there must be a quorum. A quorum is the number of shares that must be present, either in person or by proxy, in order to conduct business at the meeting. The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of at least one-third of the shares of Heritage common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting will constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Proxies

The form of proxy accompanying this joint proxy statement/prospectus contains instructions for voting Heritage common stock by mail, through the internet or by telephone. If you hold Heritage common stock in your name as a stockholder of record and are voting by mail, you should complete, sign, date and return the proxy card accompanying this document in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope to ensure that your vote is counted at the special meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting, regardless of whether you plan to attend the special meeting. You may also vote your Heritage common stock through the internet or by calling the toll-free number listed on the Heritage proxy card. Instructions and applicable deadlines for voting through the internet or by telephone are set forth in the enclosed proxy card.

If you hold your Heritage common stock in “street name” through a bank or broker, you must direct your bank or broker to vote in accordance with the instructions you have received from your bank or broker.

31


If you hold your Heritage common stock through the Heritage employee stock ownership plan or 401(k) plan, you will receive voting instructions with respect to all the shares of Heritage common stock allocated to your account. You must provide separate voting instructions to the trustee of each plan, who will act as your proxy and cause your votes to be cast. The trustee will vote all of the shares of each plan even if less than 100% of participants respond, proportionally according to the voting instructions received.

All shares represented by valid proxies that Heritage receives through this solicitation, and that are not revoked, will be voted in accordance with the instructions on the proxy card or as instructed via internet or telephone. If you make no specification on your proxy card how you want your Heritage common stock voted before signing and returning it, your proxy will be voted “FOR” the Heritage merger proposal, “FOR” the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and “FOR” the Heritage adjournment proposal.

Revocation of Proxies

If you hold Heritage common stock in your name as a stockholder of record, you may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voted in any of the following ways: (1) by signingpersonally appearing and returningchoosing to vote at the special meeting, if you are the shareholder of record or you obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or the holder of record and, in all cases, you bring proof of identity; (2) by written notification to KeyWorth which is received prior to the exercise of the proxy; or (3) by a subsequent proxy card with a later date, delivering aexecuted by the person executing the prior proxy and presented at the special meeting. KeyWorth shareholders may send their written revocation letter to Heritage’s Corporate Secretary, or by attending the special meeting in person and voting by ballot at the special meeting.KeyWorth Bank, 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097, Attention: James F. Pope. If you have voted your Heritage common stockshares through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your Heritage common stock

shares through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the HeritageKeyWorth proxy card and recording a different vote or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

Any Heritage stockholdershareholder entitled to vote in person at the special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a stockholdershareholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.

Written noticesQ: Will KeyWorth shareholders have dissenters’ rights?

A: Yes. If you are a holder of revocation and other communications about revoking a Heritage proxy should be addressed to:

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

Attn: Corporate Secretary

721 N. Westover Boulevard

Albany, Georgia 31707

If your Heritageshares of KeyWorth common stock is held in “street name” by a bank or broker,and if you should follow the instructionsprocedures prescribed by Georgia law, you may dissent from the merger agreement and have the fair value of your bank or broker regarding the revocation of proxies. If your HeritageKeyWorth common stock is allocatedpaid to an account maintained foryou in cash. If you follow these procedures, you will not receive Renasant common stock. Instead, the fair value of your benefitKeyWorth common stock, determined in the Heritage employee stock ownership plan or 401(k) plan, you should follow the instructions thatmanner prescribed by Georgia law, will be providedpaid to you regardingin cash. That amount could be more or less than the revocationmerger consideration or the market value of proxies.

Vote Required

Approval of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of HeritageRenasant common stock while each of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, assuming a quorum is present. You are entitled to one vote for each share of Heritage common stock you hold as of the record date.

Because approvalclosing date of the Heritage merger proposal requires the affirmative votemerger. For a more complete description of these dissenters’ rights, see “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ● and Annex C to this proxy statement/prospectus, which contains a copy of the holdersGeorgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights.

Q: If I am a KeyWorth shareholder with shares represented by stock certificates, should I send in my KeyWorth stock certificates now?

A: No. You should not send in your KeyWorth stock certificates at this time. After completion of the merger, Renasant will cause instructions to be sent to you for exchanging KeyWorth stock certificates for shares of Renasant common stock and cash to be paid in lieu of a majorityfractional share of the outstandingRenasant common stock. The shares of HeritageRenasant common stock your abstention or failure to vote your shares or a broker

32


non-votethat KeyWorth shareholders will have the same effect as a vote against the Heritage merger proposal. Since approval of each of the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and the Heritage adjournment proposal by Heritage stockholders requires only the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect on either such proposal.

The Heritage board of directors urges you to promptly vote your Heritage common stock by: accessing the internet site listedreceive in the merger will be issued in book-entry form. Please do not send in your stock certificates with your proxy card instructionscard.

Q: Whom can I contact if voting through the internet; calling the toll-free number listed on the proxy card if voting by telephone; or completing, dating and signing the accompanying proxy card and returning it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope if voting by mail. If you hold your Heritage commonI cannot locate my KeyWorth stock in “street name” through a bank or broker, please vote by following the voting instructions of your bank or broker.certificate(s)?

A: If you are unable to locate your original KeyWorth stock certificate(s), you should contact Laura T. Dempsey at (770) 418-2767.

Q: When do you expect to complete the registered holdermerger?

A: We currently expect to complete the merger during the first quarter of your Heritage common stock2016. However, we cannot assure you when or youif the merger will occur. We must, among other things, first obtain a broker representation letter from your bank, broker or other holderthe approval of record of your Heritage common stock and in all cases you bring proof of identity, you may vote your Heritage common stock in person by ballot at the special meeting. Votes properly castKeyWorth shareholders at the special meeting and the required regulatory approvals described below in person or by proxy, will be tallied by Heritage’s inspector of elections.“The Merger—Regulatory and Third Party Approvals” beginning on page ●.

As ofQ: How do I receive the record date, and assuming no stock options are exercised, directors and executive officers of Heritage had the right to vote approximately shares of Heritage common stock, or approximately% of the outstanding Heritage common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting. All of Heritage’s directors have entered into agreements with Renasant pursuant to which they have agreed, in their capacity as Heritage stockholders, to vote all of their Heritagemerger consideration if I hold my KeyWorth common stock in favorthe 401(k) plan maintained by KeyWorth?

A: You will be entitled to receive the merger consideration for KeyWorth common stock that is allocated to your plan accounts at the effective time of the approvalmerger. You do not have to take any action; the trustee of the merger proposal. We expect these individuals to vote their Heritage401(k) plan will exchange KeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock (or cash in accordance with these agreements.lieu of fractional shares) and allocate the shares to your plan account.

Q: Whom should I call with questions?

A: KeyWorth shareholders should contact James F. Pope, KeyWorth’s Chief Executive Officer, by telephone at (770) 418-2772.

RecommendationSPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This proxy statement/prospectus and the documents that are made part of this proxy statement/prospectus by reference to other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, include various forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Heritage BoardPrivate Securities Litigation Reform Act of Directors

The Heritage board1995 about Renasant and KeyWorth that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Congress passed the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of directors has adopted1995 in an effort to encourage companies to provide information about their anticipated future financial performance. This act provides a safe harbor for such disclosure, which protects a company from unwarranted litigation if actual results are different from management expectations. This document reflects the current views and approved the merger agreementestimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Heritage board of directors determined that the merger, merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are advisable and in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders and unanimously recommends that you vote your Heritage common stock “FOR” the Heritage merger proposal, “FOR,” on an advisory (nonbinding) basis, the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal and “FOR” the Heritage adjournment proposal. See “The Merger—Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendationfinancial results of the Heritage Boardmanagement of Directors” on page forRenasant and KeyWorth. These forward-looking statements are subject to a more detailed discussionnumber of factors and uncertainties which could cause Renasant’s, KeyWorth’s or the combined company’s actual results and experience to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the Heritage board of directors’ recommendation.

Solicitation of Proxies

Heritage will bear the entire cost of soliciting proxies from its stockholders.date they are made, and neither Renasant nor KeyWorth assumes any duty to update forward-looking statements. In addition to solicitationfactors previously disclosed in Renasant’s reports filed with the SEC and those identified elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus, these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about (1) the expected benefits of proxies by mail, Heritage will requestthe transaction between Renasant Bank and KeyWorth, including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues and the expected market position of the combined company that banks, brokers,may be realized from the transaction, and (2) Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other record holders send proxiesstatements contained in this document that are not historical facts. Other statements identified by words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projects” or words of similar meaning generally are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and proxy materialexpectations of Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s management and are inherently subject to the beneficial ownerssignificant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties, many of Heritage common stock and securewhich are beyond their voting instructions. Heritage will reimburse the record holders for their reasonable expenses in takingrespective control. In addition, these actions. If necessary, Heritage may use several of its regular employees, who will not be specially compensated,forward-looking statements are subject to solicit proxies from Heritage stockholders, either personally or by telephone, facsimile, letter or other electronic means.

Attending the Special Meeting

All holders of Heritage common stock, including stockholders of record and stockholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers, nominees or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the special meeting. Heritage reserves the right to refuse admittance to anyone without proper proof of share ownership and without proper photo identification. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the conduct of the meeting. These rules will be printed on the meeting agenda. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, we encourage you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

33


Other Matters

As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, management of Heritage was unaware of any other matters to be brought before the Heritage special meeting other than those set forth herein. However, if any other matters are properly brought before the Heritage special meeting, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy for Heritage will have discretionary authority to vote all proxiesassumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements, and such mattersdifferences may be material.

The following risks, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in accordance with their best judgment.

the forward-looking statements:

 

the businesses of Renasant Bank and KeyWorth may not be integrated successfully or the integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected;

34

the expected growth opportunities or costs savings from the transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected;


revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected as a result of losses of customers or other reasons;

THE HERITAGE PROPOSALS

deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption following the transaction, including difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than expected;

Proposal No. 1 –Heritage Merger Proposal

governmental approvals of the transaction may not be obtained on the proposed terms or expected timeframe;

Heritage is asking its stockholders

KeyWorth’s shareholders may fail to approve the merger agreementtransaction;

the terms of the proposed transaction may need to be modified to satisfy such approvals or conditions;

reputational risks and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. We urge Heritage stockholders to read this joint proxy statement/prospectus carefully and in its entirety, including the annexes, for more detailed information concerning the merger agreement and the merger of Heritage with and into Renasant. A copyreaction of the merger agreement is attachedcompanies’ customers to this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Annex A.the transaction;

diversion of management time on merger-related issues;

changes in asset quality and credit risk;

inflation;

After careful consideration,

the Heritage boardcost or availability of directors adoptedcapital;

customer acceptance of the combined company’s products and approved services;

customer borrowing, repayment, investment and deposit practices;

the merger agreementintroduction, withdrawal, success and approved timing of business initiatives;

the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Heritage boardimpact, extent and timing of directors determined that the merger, merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are advisable andtechnological changes;

severe catastrophic events in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders. See “The Merger—Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendationcompanies’ respective geographic area;

a weakening of the Heritage Board of Directors” included elsewhereeconomies in this joint proxy statement/prospectus for a more detailed discussion ofwhich the Heritage board recommendation.combined company will conduct operations may adversely affect its operating results;

Heritage’s board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR”

the Heritage merger proposal.

Proposal No. 2 –Heritage Merger-Related Compensation Proposal

In accordanceU.S. legal and regulatory framework, including those associated with the Dodd-FrankDodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, of 2010, Section 14Acould adversely affect the operating results of the Exchange Actcombined company;

the interest rate environment may compress margins and Rule 14a-21(c) promulgated underadversely affect net interest income; and

competition from other financial services companies in the Exchange Act, Heritagecompanies’ markets could adversely affect operations.

Additional factors that could cause Renasant’s results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Renasant’s reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Renasant, KeyWorth or the proposed merger or other matters and attributable to Renasant, KeyWorth or any person acting on either of their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Renasant and KeyWorth do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

SUMMARY

This summary highlights material information from this proxy statement/prospectus. It may not contain all of the information that is providing its stockholdersimportant to you. We urge you to carefully read the opportunityentire document and the other documents to cast an advisory (nonbinding) vote on the compensation that may be paid or become payablewhich we refer in order to the named executive officers of Heritage in connection withfully understand the merger and the agreements and understandings pursuantrelated transactions, including the risk factors set forth on page. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page. We have included page references parenthetically to which such compensation may be paid or become payable, as disclosed in the table in the sectiondirect you to a more complete description of the proxy statement/prospectus entitled “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directorstopics presented in this summary.

The Merger Agreement

Renasant and Executive Officers in the Merger—Potential Change in Control Payments to Named Executive Officers of Heritage,” including the associated narrative discussion. As required by those rules, Heritage is asking its stockholders to vote on the approval of the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation that may be paid or become payable to Heritage’s named executive officers in connection withKeyWorth are proposing the merger of KeyWorth and Renasant Bank. If the agreements or understandings pursuant to which such compensation may be paid or become payable,merger is completed, KeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank being the surviving banking association. The merger agreement by and among Renasant, Renasant Bank and KeyWorth governs the merger. The merger agreement is included in each casethis document as disclosed pursuant to Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K in “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger—Potential Change in Control Payments to Named Executive Officers of Heritage,” is hereby APPROVED.”

The vote on the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal is a vote separate and apart from the vote to approve the Heritage merger proposal. Accordingly, you may vote your Heritage common stock to approve the Heritage merger proposal and vote not to approve the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal, or vice versa. Because the vote on the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal is advisory only, it will not be binding on either Heritage or Renasant. Accordingly, because Heritage is contractually obligated to pay the compensation, ifAnnex A. Please read the merger agreement is approvedcarefully. All descriptions in this summary and elsewhere in this document of the terms and conditions of the merger is consummated, it is expected that the compensation will be payable, subject onlyare qualified by reference to the conditions applicable thereto, regardless ofmerger agreement.

The Parties to the outcome of the advisory vote.

Heritage’s board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the Heritage merger-related compensation proposal.

35


Merger (pageProposal No. 3 – Heritage Adjournment Proposal)

If there are insufficient votes at the time of the Heritage special meeting to adopt the Heritage merger proposal, the Heritage special meeting may be adjourned to another time or place, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies. If the number of shares of Heritage common stock present in person or by proxy at the Heritage special meetingKeyWorth Bank

KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia banking corporation, is a community-oriented bank operating four banking locations and voting in favor of the Heritage merger proposal is insufficient to adopt such proposal, Heritage intends to move to adjourn the special meeting so that the Heritage board of directors may solicit additional proxies for approval of the merger. In that event, Heritage will ask its stockholders to vote only upon the Heritage adjournment proposal and not the other proposals presented to its stockholders.

In this proposal, Heritage is asking its stockholders to authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by the Heritage board on a discretionary basis to vote in favor of adjourning the Heritage special meeting to another time and place for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from Heritage stockholders who have previously voted.

Heritage’s board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the Heritage adjournment proposal.

36


THE RENASANT SPECIAL MEETING

This section contains information about the special meeting of Renasant stockholders that has been called to consider and vote on the merger agreement and certain other matters. Together with this joint proxy statement/prospectus, Renasant is also sending its stockholders a notice of the special meeting and a form of proxy that the Renasant board of directors is soliciting.

On or about, 2015 Renasant commenced mailing this document and the enclosed form of proxy card to its stockholders entitled to vote at the Renasant special meeting.

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

The Renasant special meeting will be held on June 16, 2015, at the Marriott Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge, 4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama 35226 at 11:00 a.m., local time.

Matters to Be Considered

The purpose of the Renasant special meeting is to vote on:

the Renasant merger proposal;

the Renasant adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date and Quorum

The close of business on April 21, 2015 has been fixed as the record date for determining the Renasant stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Renasant special meeting. At that time, shares of Renasant common stock were outstanding, held by approximately holders of record.

In order to conduct voting at the Renasant special meeting, there must be a quorum. A quorum is the number of shares that must be present at the meeting, either in person or by proxy. The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of a majority of the shares of Renasant common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting will constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Proxies

The form of proxy accompanying this joint proxy statement/prospectus contains instructions for voting Renasant common stock by mail, through the internet or by telephone. If you hold Renasant common stock in your name as a stockholder of record and are voting by mail, you should complete, sign, date and return the proxy card accompanying this documenttwo lending offices in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope to ensureAtlanta metropolitan area. The principal executive offices of KeyWorth are located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097, and its telephone number at that your votelocation is counted at the special meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting, regardless of whether you plan to attend the special meeting. You may also vote your Renasant common stock through the internet or by calling the toll-free number listed on the Renasant proxy card. Instructions and applicable deadlines for voting through the internet or by telephone are set forth in the enclosed proxy card.(770) 418-2772.

If you hold your Renasant common stock in “street name” through a bank or broker, you must direct your bank or broker to vote in accordance with the instructions you have received from your bank or broker. If Renasant common stock is allocated to your accounts in the Renasant employee stock ownership plan or 401(k) plan, you must instruct the trustee of each plan to vote your shares; if you do not provide timely instructions, the trustee will vote your shares in the same proportion as shares with respect to which instructions are received.

37


All shares represented by valid proxies that Renasant receives through this solicitation, and that are not revoked, will be voted in accordance with the instructions on the proxy card or as instructed via internet or telephone. If you make no specification on your proxy card how you want your Renasant common stock voted before signing and returning it, your proxy will be voted “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal and “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Revocation of Proxies

If you hold Renasant common stock in your name as a stockholder of record, you may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voted by signing and returning a proxy card with a later date, delivering a written revocation letter to Renasant’s Corporate Secretary, or by attending the special meeting in person and voting by ballot at the special meeting. If you have voted your Renasant common stock through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your Renasant common stock through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the Renasant proxy card and recording a different vote, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

Any Renasant stockholder entitled to vote in person at the special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a stockholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.

Written notices of revocation and other communications about revoking a Renasant proxy should be addressed to:

Renasant Corporation

Attn: Secretary

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

Attn: Kevin D. Chapman

         Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (662) 680-1450

Email: KChapman@renasant.com

You will not be charged for any of these documents that you request. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST DOCUMENTS, PLEASE DO SO PRIOR TO MARCH 10, 2016 IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THEM BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETING.

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this document. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this document. This document is dated ●, 2016, and you should assume that the information in this document is accurate only as of such date or such other date as is specified. You should assume that the information incorporated by reference into this document is only accurate as of the date of such document or such other date as is specified. Neither the mailing of this document to KeyWorth shareholders nor the issuance by Renasant of shares of Renasant common stock in connection with the merger will create any implication to the contrary.

Information on the websites of Renasant or KeyWorth, or any subsidiary of Renasant, is not part of this document. You should not rely on that information in deciding how to vote.

This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Except where the context otherwise indicates, information contained in this document regarding KeyWorth has been provided by KeyWorth and information contained in this document regarding Renasant has been provided by Renasant.

See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ● of this proxy statement/prospectus for more information about the documents referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus.

iii


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The following are answers to certain questions that you may have regarding the special meeting and the merger. We urge you to read carefully the remainder of this proxy statement/prospectus (including the risk factors beginning on page) because the information in this section may not provide all of the information that might be important to you in determining how to vote. Additional important information is also contained in the annexes to, and the documents incorporated by reference into, this document.

Q: What are KeyWorth shareholders being asked to vote on?

A: KeyWorth shareholders are being asked to vote to approve (1) an agreement and plan of merger by and among Renasant, Renasant Bank and KeyWorth, which we refer to as the merger proposal, and (2) the adjournment of the special meeting of KeyWorth shareholders, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the approval of the merger proposal, which we refer to as the adjournment proposal.

In the merger, KeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank as the surviving banking association.

Q: What do KeyWorth shareholders need to do now?

A: After you have carefully read this document and have decided how you wish to vote your shares of KeyWorth common stock, indicate on your proxy card how you want your shares to be voted with respect to the merger proposal and the adjournment proposal. When complete, please sign, date and mail your proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or through the internet. Submitting your proxy by internet, telephone or mail or directing your bank or broker to vote your shares will ensure that your shares are represented and voted at the special meeting. Your proxy card must be received prior to the special meeting on March 17, 2016 in order to be counted. If you would like to attend the special meeting, see “Can I attend the special meeting and vote my shares in person?”

Q: Why is my vote as a KeyWorth shareholder important?

A: If you do not vote by proxy, telephone or internet or vote in person at the special meeting, it will be more difficult for KeyWorth to obtain the necessary quorum to hold its special meeting. In addition, approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, while approval of the adjournment proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote, assuming a quorum is present.

The KeyWorth board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote to approve the merger proposal and the adjournment proposal.

Q: If my shares are held in “street name” by a broker, bank or other holder of record, will my shares automatically be voted for me?

A: No. Banks, brokers or other holders of record who hold shares of KeyWorth common stock in “street name” for customers who are the beneficial owners of such shares may not give a proxy to vote those customers’ shares in the absence of specific instructions from those customers. You should instruct the street name holder as to how to vote your shares, following the directions provided to you. Shares of KeyWorth common stock present but not voted on any particular matter, or a “broker non-vote,” will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Q: What if I abstain from voting or fail to instruct my broker?

A: If you are a KeyWorth shareholder and you abstain from voting or a broker non-vote is submitted because you did not instruct the broker, bank or other holder of record of your shares as to how the shares were to be voted, the abstention or broker non-vote will be counted toward a quorum at the special meeting. However, because approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, an abstention or failure to vote your shares will have the same effect as a vote against the approval of the merger proposal. An abstention or failure to vote your shares will have no effect on the vote to approve the adjournment proposal.

Q: How will my shares of KeyWorth common stock allocated in the KeyWorth 401(k) plan be voted?

A: As authorized by the KeyWorth 401(k) plan, the administrative committee of the 401(k) plan will direct how the shares of KeyWorth common stock allocated to your account as of the record date will be voted in its discretion.

Q: Can I attend the special meeting and vote my shares in person?

A: Yes. All KeyWorth shareholders, including shareholders of record and shareholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the special meeting. Shareholders of record as of the record date can vote in person at the special meeting. If you choose to vote in person at the special meeting and if you are a shareholder of record, you should bring the enclosed proxy card and proof of identity. If you hold your shares in street name, you must obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or other holder of record and proof of identity. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the conduct of the meeting, which will be printed on the meeting agenda. At the appropriate time during the special meeting, the shareholders present will be asked whether anyone wishes to vote in person. You should raise your hand at this time to receive a ballot to record your vote. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, KeyWorth encourages you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

Q: Is the merger expected to be taxable to KeyWorth shareholders?

A: Generally, no. The merger is intended to be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the Code, and holders of KeyWorth common stock are not expected to recognize any gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes on the exchange of shares of KeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock in the merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock. You should read “Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” beginning on page ● for a more complete discussion of the United States federal income tax consequences of the merger. Tax matters can be complicated and the tax consequences of the merger to you will depend on your particular tax situation. You should consult your tax advisor to determine the specific tax consequences of the merger to you.

Q: If I am a KeyWorth shareholder, can I change or revoke my vote?

A: Yes. You may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voted in any of the following ways: (1) by personally appearing and choosing to vote at the special meeting, if you are the shareholder of record or you obtain and bring a broker representation letter in your name from your bank, broker or the holder of record and, in all cases, you bring proof of identity; (2) by written notification to KeyWorth which is received prior to the exercise of the proxy; or (3) by a subsequent proxy executed by the person executing the prior proxy and presented at the special meeting. KeyWorth shareholders may send their written revocation letter to KeyWorth Bank, 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097, Attention: James F. Pope. If you have voted your shares through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your

shares through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the KeyWorth proxy card and recording a different vote or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

Any shareholder entitled to vote in person at the special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a shareholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.

Q: Will KeyWorth shareholders have dissenters’ rights?

A: Yes. If you are a holder of shares of KeyWorth common stock and if you follow the procedures prescribed by Georgia law, you may dissent from the merger agreement and have the fair value of your KeyWorth common stock paid to you in cash. If you follow these procedures, you will not receive Renasant common stock. Instead, the fair value of your KeyWorth common stock, determined in the manner prescribed by Georgia law, will be paid to you in cash. That amount could be more or less than the merger consideration or the market value of Renasant common stock as of the closing date of the merger. For a more complete description of these dissenters’ rights, see “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ● and Annex C to this proxy statement/prospectus, which contains a copy of the Georgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights.

Q: If I am a KeyWorth shareholder with shares represented by stock certificates, should I send in my KeyWorth stock certificates now?

A: No. You should not send in your KeyWorth stock certificates at this time. After completion of the merger, Renasant will cause instructions to be sent to you for exchanging KeyWorth stock certificates for shares of Renasant common stock and cash to be paid in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock. The shares of Renasant common stock that KeyWorth shareholders will receive in the merger will be issued in book-entry form. Please do not send in your stock certificates with your proxy card.

Q: Whom can I contact if I cannot locate my KeyWorth stock certificate(s)?

A: If you are unable to locate your original KeyWorth stock certificate(s), you should contact Laura T. Dempsey at (770) 418-2767.

Q: When do you expect to complete the merger?

A: We currently expect to complete the merger during the first quarter of 2016. However, we cannot assure you when or if the merger will occur. We must, among other things, first obtain the approval of KeyWorth shareholders at the special meeting and the required regulatory approvals described below in “The Merger—Regulatory and Third Party Approvals” beginning on page ●.

Q: How do I receive the merger consideration if I hold my KeyWorth common stock in the 401(k) plan maintained by KeyWorth?

A: You will be entitled to receive the merger consideration for KeyWorth common stock that is allocated to your plan accounts at the effective time of the merger. You do not have to take any action; the trustee of the 401(k) plan will exchange KeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock (or cash in lieu of fractional shares) and allocate the shares to your plan account.

Q: Whom should I call with questions?

A: KeyWorth shareholders should contact James F. Pope, KeyWorth’s Chief Executive Officer, by telephone at (770) 418-2772.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This proxy statement/prospectus and the documents that are made part of this proxy statement/prospectus by reference to other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, include various forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Renasant and KeyWorth that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Congress passed the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in an effort to encourage companies to provide information about their anticipated future financial performance. This act provides a safe harbor for such disclosure, which protects a company from unwarranted litigation if actual results are different from management expectations. This document reflects the current views and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results of the management of Renasant and KeyWorth. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties which could cause Renasant’s, KeyWorth’s or the combined company’s actual results and experience to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither Renasant nor KeyWorth assumes any duty to update forward-looking statements. In addition to factors previously disclosed in Renasant’s reports filed with the SEC and those identified elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus, these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about (1) the expected benefits of the transaction between Renasant Bank and KeyWorth, including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues and the expected market position of the combined company that may be realized from the transaction, and (2) Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this document that are not historical facts. Other statements identified by words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projects” or words of similar meaning generally are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond their respective control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material.

The following risks, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:

the businesses of Renasant Bank and KeyWorth may not be integrated successfully or the integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected;

the expected growth opportunities or costs savings from the transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected;

revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected as a result of losses of customers or other reasons;

deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption following the transaction, including difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than expected;

governmental approvals of the transaction may not be obtained on the proposed terms or expected timeframe;

KeyWorth’s shareholders may fail to approve the transaction;

the terms of the proposed transaction may need to be modified to satisfy such approvals or conditions;

reputational risks and the reaction of the companies’ customers to the transaction;

diversion of management time on merger-related issues;

changes in asset quality and credit risk;

inflation;

the cost or availability of capital;

customer acceptance of the combined company’s products and services;

customer borrowing, repayment, investment and deposit practices;

the introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of business initiatives;

the impact, extent and timing of technological changes;

severe catastrophic events in the companies’ respective geographic area;

a weakening of the economies in which the combined company will conduct operations may adversely affect its operating results;

the U.S. legal and regulatory framework, including those associated with the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, could adversely affect the operating results of the combined company;

the interest rate environment may compress margins and adversely affect net interest income; and

competition from other financial services companies in the companies’ markets could adversely affect operations.

Additional factors that could cause Renasant’s results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Renasant’s reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Renasant, KeyWorth or the proposed merger or other matters and attributable to Renasant, KeyWorth or any person acting on either of their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Renasant and KeyWorth do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

SUMMARY

This summary highlights material information from this proxy statement/prospectus. It may not contain all of the information that is important to you. We urge you to carefully read the entire document and the other documents to which we refer in order to fully understand the merger and the related transactions, including the risk factors set forth on page. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page. We have included page references parenthetically to direct you to a more complete description of the topics presented in this summary.

The Merger Agreement

Renasant and KeyWorth are proposing the merger of KeyWorth and Renasant Bank. If the merger is completed, KeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, with Renasant Bank being the surviving banking association. The merger agreement by and among Renasant, Renasant Bank and KeyWorth governs the merger. The merger agreement is included in this document as Annex A. Please read the merger agreement carefully. All descriptions in this summary and elsewhere in this document of the terms and conditions of the merger are qualified by reference to the merger agreement.

The Parties to the Merger (page)

KeyWorth Bank

KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia banking corporation, is a community-oriented bank operating four banking locations and two lending offices in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The principal executive offices of KeyWorth are located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097, and its telephone number at that location is (770) 418-2772.

Renasant Corporation

Renasant Corporation is a Mississippi corporation and a registered bank holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Through Renasant Bank, its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Renasant currently operates more than 170 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Through Renasant Bank, Renasant is also the owner of Renasant Insurance Agency, Inc.

The principal executive offices of Renasant are located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827, and its telephone number at that location is (662) 680-1001. Additional information about Renasant and its business and subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ●.

In the Merger, KeyWorth Shareholders Will Have a Right to Receive 0.4494 of a Share of Renasant Common Stock per Share of KeyWorth Common Stock (page)

Under the terms of the merger agreement, KeyWorth shareholders will have a right to receive 0.4494 (the “exchange ratio”) of a share of Renasant common stock for each share of KeyWorth common stock held immediately prior to the merger, which we refer to as the merger consideration. Renasant will not issue any fractional shares of Renasant common stock in the merger. Instead, a KeyWorth shareholder who otherwise would have received a fraction of a share of Renasant common stock will receive an amount in cash. This cash amount will be determined by multiplying the fraction of a share of Renasant common stock to which the holder would otherwise be entitled by the closing sale price of one share of Renasant common stock as reported on Nasdaq as of the end of the last trading day prior to the effective time of the merger, and then rounded to the nearest cent.



Example: If you hold 100 shares of KeyWorth common stock, you will have a right to receive 44 shares of Renasant common stock and a cash payment instead of the 0.94 of a share of Renasant common stock that you otherwise would have received.

Treatment of KeyWorth Stock Options and Warrants (page)

Upon completion of the merger, any options to purchase KeyWorth common stock granted under KeyWorth’s 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (whether vested or unvested) and warrants to purchase shares of KeyWorth common stock (whether exercisable or unexercisable) that are outstanding immediately prior to the effective time will vest in full and be converted into the right to receive a cash payment. The amount of this cash payment will be equal to (1) the total number of shares subject to the stock option or warrant multiplied by (2) the difference between $15.00 and the exercise price of the option or warrant, less applicable tax withholdings. Stock options and warrants with an exercise price equal to or greater than $15.00 will be forfeited and cancelled.

Comparative Market Prices and Share Information (pages and)

Renasant common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “RNST.” Shares of KeyWorth common stock are not publicly traded. The following table shows the closing sale price of Renasant common stock as reported on Nasdaq on October 19, 2015, the last trading day before Renasant and KeyWorth announced the merger, and on January 27, 2016, the last practicable trading day before the distribution of this document. This table also shows the implied value of the merger consideration proposed for each share of KeyWorth common stock on October 19, 2015 and January 27, 2016, which we calculated by multiplying the 20-day average closing price of Renasant common stock as of those dates, which was $33.38 and $32.24, respectively, by the exchange ratio.

Renasant
Common Stock
KeyWorth
Common Stock
Implied Value of
One Share of
KeyWorth
Common Stock

October 19, 2015

$34.35$12.30(1)$15.00(2)

January 27, 2016

$30.82$12.43(3)$14.49(4)

(1)Represents the unaudited book value per share of KeyWorth common stock as of September 30, 2015.
(2)Represents the per share merger consideration to a KeyWorth shareholder as of October 19, 2015.
(3)Represents the unaudited book value per share of KeyWorth common stock as of December 31, 2015.
(4)Represents the per share merger consideration to a KeyWorth shareholder as of January 27, 2016.

The market price of Renasant common stock will fluctuate prior to the merger. KeyWorth shareholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for Renasant shares prior to making any decision with respect to the merger.

The KeyWorth Board of Directors Unanimously Recommends that KeyWorth Shareholders Vote “FOR” the Approval of the Merger Proposal (page)

The KeyWorth board of directors believes that the merger is in the best interests of KeyWorth and its shareholders and has approved the merger and the merger agreement. The KeyWorth board of directors unanimously recommends that KeyWorth shareholders vote “FOR” the approval of the merger proposal. In reaching its decision, the KeyWorth board considered a number of factors, which are described in more detail in “The Merger—KeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the KeyWorth Board of Directors” on page ●. The KeyWorth board of directors did not assign relative weights to the factors described in that section or the other factors considered by it. In addition, the KeyWorth board did not reach any specific conclusion on each factor considered, but conducted an overall analysis of these factors. Individual members of the KeyWorth board of directors may have given different weights to different factors.



Opinion of KeyWorth’s Financial Advisor (page and Annex B)

In connection with the merger, KeyWorth’s financial advisor, BSP Securities, LLC, which we refer to as BSP, delivered a written opinion, dated October 20, 2015, to the KeyWorth board of directors as to the fairness, from a financial point of view and as of the date of the opinion, to the holders of KeyWorth common stock of the merger consideration payable in the merger. The full text of the opinion, which describes the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by BSP in preparing the opinion, is attached to this document as Annex B.

The opinion was for the information of, and was directed to, the KeyWorth board of directors (in its capacity as such) in connection with its consideration of the financial terms of the merger. The opinion did not address the underlying business decision of KeyWorth to engage in the merger or enter into the merger agreement or constitute a recommendation to the KeyWorth board of directors in connection with the merger, and it does not constitute a recommendation to any holder of KeyWorth common stock or any shareholder of any other entity as to how to vote in connection with the merger or any other matter.

Risk Factors Related to the Merger (page)

You should consider all of the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus in deciding how to vote for the proposals presented in this document. In particular, you should consider the factors under “Risk Factors.”

KeyWorth Will Hold its Special Meeting on March 17, 2016 (page)

The special meeting will be held on March 17, 2016, at the Duluth Financial Center, 6515 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097 at 5:30 p.m., local time. At the special meeting, KeyWorth shareholders will be asked to approve the merger proposal and the adjournment proposal and to vote on any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date. Only holders of record of KeyWorth common stock at the close of business on January 28, 2016 will be entitled to vote at the special meeting. Each share of KeyWorth common stock is entitled to one vote. As of the record date, there were 3,647,106 shares of KeyWorth common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting.

Required Vote. Approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock entitled to vote on such matter. Approval of the adjournment proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote, assuming that a quorum is present. With respect to the vote to approve the merger proposal, your failure to vote or abstention or a broker non-vote will have the same effect as a vote against the merger agreement. With respect to the adjournment proposal, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect on the approval of the adjournment proposal. With respect to the shares allocated in the KeyWorth 401(k) plan as of the record date, the administrative committee of the 401(k) plan will have the authority to direct how those shares will be voted in its discretion.

All of the directors of KeyWorth have entered into agreements with Renasant pursuant to which they have agreed, in their capacity as KeyWorth shareholders, to vote all of their shares in favor of the approval of the merger proposal. As of the record date, these directors of KeyWorth and their affiliates had the right to vote 550,894 shares of KeyWorth common stock, or approximately 15.1% of the outstanding KeyWorth shares entitled to vote at the special meeting. We expect these individuals to vote their KeyWorth common stock in favor of the approval of the merger proposal in accordance with those agreements. As of the record date, all directors and executive officers of KeyWorth, including their affiliates, had the right to vote 565,294 shares of KeyWorth common stock, or approximately 15.5% of the outstanding KeyWorth shares entitled to vote at the special meeting, and held options or warrants to purchase 564,763 shares of KeyWorth common stock.



As of the record date, neither Renasant nor any of its affiliates held any shares of KeyWorth common stock (other than shares held in in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted), and Renasant’s directors and executive officers and their affiliates also did not hold any shares of KeyWorth common stock.

Renasant Bank’s Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger (page)

Upon completion of the merger, the board of directors of Renasant Bank immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be the surviving bank’s board of directors after the merger. Further, there will be no change to Renasant’s board of directors as a result of the merger.

KeyWorth’s Directors and Executive Officers May Receive Additional Benefits from the Merger (page)

When considering the information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus, including the recommendation of KeyWorth’s board of directors to vote to adopt and approve the merger agreement, KeyWorth shareholders should be aware that KeyWorth’s executive officers and members of KeyWorth’s board of directors may have interests in the merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of KeyWorth shareholders generally. KeyWorth’s board of directors was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the merger agreement and the merger (to the extent these interests were in existence at the time of the evaluation and negotiation of the merger agreement and the merger), and in recommending that the merger agreement be adopted and approved by KeyWorth’s shareholders. For information concerning these interests, please see the discussion under the caption “The Merger—Interests of Certain KeyWorth Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” on page ●.

Dissenters’ Rights (page)

Under Title 7, Chapter 1, of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as amended, which we refer to as the “Financial Institutions Code of Georgia,” and the provisions of the Georgia Business Corporation Code referenced thereby, holders of KeyWorth common stock may dissent from the merger and have the fair value of their KeyWorth common stock paid in cash. To do this, a KeyWorth shareholder must follow certain procedures, including filing certain notices with KeyWorth and refraining from voting the shareholder’s shares of KeyWorth common stock in favor of the merger agreement. If a KeyWorth shareholder properly dissents from the merger agreement, that shareholder’s shares of KeyWorth common stock will not be exchanged for shares of Renasant common stock in the merger, but rather, that shareholder’s only right will be to receive the fair value of the shareholder’s shares in cash. Persons having beneficial interests in KeyWorth common stock held of record in the name of another person, such as a broker, bank or other holder of record, must act promptly to cause the record holder to take the actions required under Georgia law to exercise their dissenter’s rights.

For more information, see “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ● and Annex C to this proxy statement/prospectus, which sets forth the full text of the Georgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights. If you intend to exercise dissenters’ rights, please read Annex C carefully and consult with your own legal counsel. Please note that, if you return a signed proxy card but do not provide instructions as to how to vote your shares of KeyWorth common, you will be considered to have voted in favor of the merger proposal.In that event, you will not be able to assert dissenters’ rights.

The Merger Is Intended to Be Tax-Free to KeyWorth Shareholders as to the Shares of Renasant Common Stock They Receive (page)

The merger is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and it is a condition to our respective obligations to complete the merger that each of Renasant and KeyWorth receive a legal opinion to that effect from their respective tax counsel. Based upon the treatment of the merger as



a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, holders of KeyWorth common stock are not expected to recognize any gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes on the exchange of shares of KeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock in the merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Renasant common stock. See “Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” on page ●.

The United States federal income tax consequences described above may not apply to all KeyWorth shareholders. Your tax consequences will depend on your individual situation. Accordingly, KeyWorth strongly urges you to consult your tax advisor for a full understanding of the particular tax consequences of the merger to you.

Nasdaq Listing (page)

Renasant will cause the shares of its common stock to be issued to KeyWorth shareholders in the merger to be approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, subject to notice of issuance, prior to the effective time of the merger.

Accounting Treatment of Merger (page)

Renasant will account for the merger under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations under United States generally accepted accounting principles.

Conditions Exist That Must Be Satisfied or Waived for the Merger to Occur (page)

Currently, Renasant and KeyWorth expect to complete the merger during the first quarter of 2016. As more fully described in this document and in the merger agreement, the completion of the merger depends on a number of conditions being satisfied or, where legally permissible, waived. These conditions include, among others, receipt of the requisite approval of KeyWorth’s shareholders, the receipt of all required regulatory approvals (including approval by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance), and the receipt of legal opinions by each company regarding the United States federal income tax treatment of the merger. In addition, holders of no more than 5% of KeyWorth’s outstanding common stock shall have exercised their statutory dissenters’ rights.

Renasant and KeyWorth cannot be certain when, or if, the conditions to the merger will be satisfied or waived, or that the merger will be completed.

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger (page)

KeyWorth and Renasant have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to obtain all regulatory approvals, including all antitrust clearances, required to complete the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. The required regulatory approvals include approval from the FDIC, the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, state securities authorities and various other federal and state regulatory authorities and self-regulatory organizations. Renasant has filed, or will file promptly following the date of this document, applications and notifications to obtain the required regulatory approvals.

Although we do not know of any reason why we cannot obtain all regulatory approvals in a timely manner, we cannot be certain when or if we will obtain them.



KeyWorth or Renasant May Terminate the Merger Agreement Under Certain Circumstances (page)

KeyWorth and Renasant may mutually agree to terminate the merger agreement before completing the merger, even after KeyWorth shareholder approval, as long as the termination is approved by the KeyWorth and Renasant boards of directors.

The merger agreement may also be terminated by either party in the following circumstances:

if the merger has not been completed on or before June 30, 2016, unless the required regulatory approvals are pending and have not been finally resolved or the failure to complete the merger by that date is due to the breach of the merger agreement by the party seeking to terminate;

KeyWorth’s shareholders do not approve the merger agreement at the special meeting, unless the failure to obtain shareholder approval is due to the breach of the merger agreement by KeyWorth;

30 days pass after any application for regulatory or governmental approval is denied or withdrawn at the request or recommendation of the governmental entity, unless within such 30-day period a petition for rehearing or an amended application is filed. A party may terminate 30 or more days after a petition for rehearing or an amended application is denied. No party may terminate when the denial or withdrawal is due to that party’s failure to observe or perform its covenants or agreements set forth in the merger agreement;

if there has been a final, non-appealable denial of required regulatory approvals or an injunction prohibiting the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; or

if there is a breach of or failure to perform under the merger agreement by the other party that prevents it from satisfying any of the closing conditions to the merger and such breach or failure to perform cannot or has not been cured within 30 days after the breaching party receives written notice of such breach.

In addition, KeyWorth may terminate the merger agreement at any time prior to the approval of the merger agreement by KeyWorth’s shareholders, for the purpose of entering into a definitive agreement with respect to a superior proposal (as described in more detail later in this document), provided that KeyWorth is not in material breach of any of its obligations under the merger agreement to not solicit other acquisition proposals and to recommend that KeyWorth shareholders approve the merger agreement and the merger. Also, no such purported termination shall be effective until KeyWorth has paid the termination fee and the expense fee described below.

Renasant may terminate the merger agreement,

if prior to receipt of KeyWorth’s shareholder approval, KeyWorth, its board or any committee of its board (1) withdraws, or modifies or qualifies in a manner adverse to Renasant, the recommendation that its shareholders approve the merger agreement, (2) after making the recommendation that its shareholders approve the merger agreement, KeyWorth makes a change in such recommendation, (3) KeyWorth’s board authorizes, recommends, or publicly announces its intention to authorize or recommend, an acquisition proposal by a third party, or (4) fails to call and hold its special shareholders meeting;

after receipt of certain business combination proposals, Renasant advises KeyWorth that it has elected not to propose revisions to the merger agreement to match or better such other business combination proposal; and

if holders of more than 5% of the shares of KeyWorth’s common stock outstanding at any time prior to the closing date of the merger exercise and maintain dissenters’ rights.



For a further description of the termination provisions contained in the merger agreement see “The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement” beginning on page ●.

Expense and Termination Fees (page)

In general, each of KeyWorth and Renasant will be responsible for all expenses incurred by it in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, subject to specific exceptions discussed in this document. Upon termination of the merger agreement under specified circumstances, KeyWorth may be required to pay Renasant a termination fee equal to $2.35 million. Also, upon termination of the merger agreement under specified circumstances, KeyWorth or Renasant may be required to pay an expense fee to the other party of up to $750,000 of expenses incurred by Renasant or KeyWorth in connection with the merger agreement and the merger. See “The Merger Agreement—Expense and Termination Fees” beginning on page ● for a complete discussion of the circumstances under which termination and expense fees will be required to be paid.

The Rights of KeyWorth Shareholders Will Change as a Result of the Merger (page)

The rights of KeyWorth shareholders are governed by Georgia law, as well as KeyWorth’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended (which we refer to as the KeyWorth Articles), and KeyWorth’s Bylaws. After completion of the merger, the rights of former KeyWorth shareholders will be governed by Mississippi law and by Renasant’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended (which we refer to as the Renasant Articles), and Renasant’s Restated Bylaws, as amended (or, the Renasant Bylaws). This document contains descriptions of the material differences in shareholder rights beginning on page ●.



SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF RENASANT

Set forth below are highlights from Renasant’s consolidated financial data as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 and as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010. The selected consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010 is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of Renasant. The selected consolidated financial data as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 is derived from the unaudited consolidated financial statements of Renasant. Renasant’s management prepared the unaudited consolidated financial statements on the same basis as it prepared Renasant’s audited consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of Renasant’s management, this unaudited financial information reflects all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of these data for those dates. The selected consolidated income data for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year ending December 31, 2015, nor should you assume that the results for any periods indicate results for any future period.

You should read this information in conjunction with Renasant’s consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and in Renasant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, each of which is incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ●.

(In thousands, except share data) (Unaudited)(1)

  Nine months
ended
September 30,
  Nine months
ended
September 30,
  As of and for the years ended
December 31,
 
  2015  2014  2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 

Summary of Operations

       

Interest income

 $185,235   $170,812   $226,409   $180,604   $159,313   $170,687   $165,483  

Interest expense

  16,043    18,200    23,780    23,403    25,975    41,401    60,277  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income

  169,192    152,612    202,629    157,201    133,338    129,286    105,206  

Provision for loan losses

  3,000    5,117    6,167    10,350    18,125    22,350    30,665  

Noninterest income

  76,938    60,650    80,620    71,971    68,711    64,699    92,692  

Noninterest expense

  174,675    145,216    191,195    173,076    150,459    136,960    120,540  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

  68,455    62,929    85,887    45,746    33,465    34,675    46,693  

Income taxes

  21,601    18,944    26,305    12,259    6,828    9,043    15,018  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

 $46,854   $43,985   $59,582   $33,487    26,637    26,632    31,675  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Dividend payout

  37.78  36.69  36.17  55.74  64.15  66.67  49.28

Per Common Share Data

       

Net income – Basic

 $1.36   $1.40   $1.89   $1.23    1.06    1.02    1.39  

Net income – Diluted

  1.35    1.39    1.88    1.22    1.06    1.02    1.38  

Book value

  25.65    22.21    22.56    21.21    19.80    19.44    18.75  

Closing price(2)

  32.85    27.05    28.93    31.46    19.14    15.00    16.91  

Cash dividends declared and paid

  0.51    0.51    0.68    0.68    0.68    0.68    0.68  

Financial Condition Data

       

Assets

 $7,918,732   $5,751,711   $5,805,129   $5,746,270   $4,178,616   $4,202,008   $4,297,327  

Loans, net of unearned income

  5,277,960    3,957,439    3,987,874    3,881,018    2,810,253    2,581,084    2,524,590  

Securities

  1,139,553    980,328    983,747    913,329    674,077    796,341    834,472  

Deposits

  6,234,561    4,763,670    4,838,418    4,841,912    3,461,221    3,412,237    3,468,151  

Borrowings

  551,740    227,664    188,825    171,875    164,706    254,709    316,436  

Shareholders’ equity

  1,032,699    700,475    711,651    665,652    498,208    487,202    469,509  



  Nine months
ended
September 30,
  Nine months
ended
September 30,
  As of and for the years ended
December 31,
 
  2015  2014  2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 

Selected Ratios

       

Return on average:

       

Total assets

  0.72  0.75  1.02  0.71  0.64  0.60  0.80

Shareholders’ equity

  5.67  6.41  8.61  6.01  5.39  5.34  7.16

Average shareholders’ equity to average assets

  12.66  11.74  11.89  11.78  11.96  11.27  11.21

Shareholders’ equity to assets

  13.04  12.18  12.26  11.58  11.92  11.59  10.93

Allowance for loan losses to total loans, net of unearned income(3)

  1.17  1.41  1.29  1.65  1.72  1.98  2.07

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans(3)

  270.83  169.81  209.49  248.90  146.90  127.00  84.32

Nonperforming loans to total loans, net of unearned income(3)

  0.43  0.83  0.62  0.66  1.17  1.56  2.46

(1)Selected consolidated financial data includes the effect of mergers and other acquisition transactions from the date of each merger or other transaction. On July 1, 2015, Renasant Corporation acquired Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Heritage”), headquartered in Albany, Georgia. On September 1, 2013, Renasant Corporation acquired First M&F Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“First M&F”), headquartered in Kosciusko, Mississippi. On February 4, 2011, Renasant Bank acquired specified assets and assumed specified liabilities of American Trust Bank, a Georgia-chartered bank headquartered in Roswell, Georgia (“American Trust”), from the FDIC, as receiver for American Trust. On July 23, 2010, Renasant Bank acquired specified assets and assumed specified liabilities of Crescent Bank & Trust Company, a Georgia-chartered bank headquartered in Jasper, Georgia (“Crescent”), from the FDIC, as receiver for Crescent. Refer to Note M, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 1, Financial Statements, and to Item 2, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in Renasant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2015, filed with the SEC on November 9, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein, for additional information about the Heritage transaction. Refer to Item 1, Business, and Note B, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein, for additional information about the transactions involving First M&F, American Trust and Crescent.
(2)Reflects the closing price on Nasdaq on the last trading day of Renasant’s third fiscal quarter or its fiscal year, as applicable.
(3)Excludes assets acquired in the previously-disclosed transactions related to Heritage, First M&F, American Trust and Crescent.



COMPARATIVE PER SHARE DATA

The following table sets forth for Renasant common stock and KeyWorth common stock certain historical, pro forma and pro forma-equivalent per share financial information as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014 and as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (which is unaudited). The unaudited pro forma and pro forma-equivalent per share information gives effect to the merger as well as Renasant’s acquisition of Heritage (which was completed effective July 1, 2015) as if the acquisitions had been effective as of the dates presented, in the case of the book value data, and as if they had become effective on January 1, 2014, in the case of the net income and dividends declared data. The unaudited pro forma data in the table assumes that the merger is accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting, with Renasant as the acquiror, and represents a current estimate based on available information of the combined company’s results of operations. The pro forma financial adjustments record the assets and liabilities of KeyWorth at their estimated fair values and are subject to adjustment as additional information becomes available and as additional analyses are performed; in addition, Renasant is still finalizing its determination of the fair values of the assets and liabilities of Heritage. The information in the following table is based on, and should be read together with, the historical financial information that Renasant has presented in its prior filings with the SEC that are incorporated herein by reference and the selected historical financial data of Renasant in this proxy statement/prospectus. See “Selected Historical Financial Data of Renasant” beginning on page ● and “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ●.

We anticipate that the merger will provide the combined company with financial benefits that include reduced operating expenses and revenue enhancement opportunities. The unaudited pro forma information, while helpful in illustrating the financial characteristics of the combined company under one set of assumptions, does not reflect the impact of possible business model changes as a result of current market conditions which may impact revenues, expense efficiencies, asset dispositions, share repurchases and other factors. It also does not necessarily reflect what the historical results of the combined company would have been had the companies been combined during these periods nor is it indicative of the results of operations in future periods or the future financial position of the combined company. The Comparative Per Share Data table for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and for the year ended December 31, 2014 combines the historical income per share data of Renasant and subsidiaries and KeyWorth giving effect to the transactions as if the merger and Renasant’s acquisition of Heritage, using the acquisition method of accounting, had become effective on January 1, 2014. The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and certain assumptions that Renasant’s management believes are reasonable. Upon completion of the merger, the operating results of KeyWorth will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements of Renasant on a prospective basis.

   

September 30, 2015

(9 months)

   

December 31, 2014

(12 months)

 
  Income*   Book Value –
Common**
   Cash
Dividends –
Common
   Income*   Book Value –
Common**
   Cash Dividends –
Common
 

Renasant Historical

  $ 1.35    $ 25.65    $ 0.51    $ 1.88    $ 22.56    $ 0.68  

KeyWorth Historical

   0.53     12.30     0.08     0.61     11.70     0.08  

Pro Forma Combined

   1.25     26.01     0.51     1.86     25.84     0.68  

Per Equivalent KeyWorth Share***

   0.56     11.69     0.23     0.83     11.61     0.31  

*Income per share is calculated on diluted shares.
**Book Value per share is calculated on the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the period.
***Per Equivalent KeyWorth Share is pro forma combined multiplied by the exchange ratio of 0.4494.



RISK FACTORS

In addition to the general investment risks and other information included in or incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus, including the matters addressed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page and the matters discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed by Renasant (as updated by subsequently filed Forms 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC), KeyWorth shareholders should carefully consider the matters described below in determining whether to approve the merger agreement. If any of the following risks or other risks that have not been identified, or that Renasant and KeyWorth currently believe are immaterial or unlikely, actually occur, the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company could be harmed. Many factors, including those described below, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in forward-looking statements.

Risks Related to the Merger

Because the market price of Renasant common stock will fluctuate, KeyWorth shareholders cannot be sure of the market value of the merger consideration they will receive.

Upon completion of the merger, each share of KeyWorth common stock will be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration consisting of 0.4494 of a share of Renasant common stock and cash in lieu of the issuance of any fractional share of Renasant common stock. The market value of the merger consideration may vary from the closing price of Renasant common stock on the date we announced the merger, on the date that this document was mailed to KeyWorth shareholders, on the date of the special meeting of the KeyWorth shareholders and on the date we complete the merger and thereafter. Any change in the market price of Renasant common stock prior to completion of the merger will affect the market value of the merger consideration that KeyWorth shareholders will receive upon completion of the merger. Accordingly, at the time of the special meeting, KeyWorth shareholders will not know or be able to calculate the market value of the merger consideration they would receive upon completion of the merger. Neither company is permitted to terminate the merger agreement or resolicit the vote of KeyWorth shareholders solely because of changes in the market price of Renasant’s stock. There will be no adjustment to the merger consideration for changes in the market price of shares of Renasant common stock. Stock price changes result from a variety of factors, including general market and economic conditions, changes in our respective businesses, operations and prospects, and regulatory considerations. Many of these factors are beyond our control. You should obtain a current market quotation for Renasant common stock before you vote.

The price of Renasant’s common stock might decrease after the merger.

The value of the shares of Renasant’s common stock you will receive in the merger in exchange for your shares of KeyWorth common stock will increase or decrease as the market price for Renasant’s common stock changes. During the twelve-month period ended on January 27, 2016 (the most recent practicable date before the printing of the proxy statement/prospectus), the closing price of Renasant’s common stock varied from a low of $26.16 to a high of $37.13, and ended that period at $30.82. The market value of Renasant’s common stock fluctuates based upon general market and economic conditions, Renasant’s business and prospects and other factors.

KeyWorth shareholders will have a reduced ownership and voting interest after the merger and will exercise less influence over management.

KeyWorth shareholders currently have the right to vote in the election of the KeyWorth board of directors and on other matters affecting KeyWorth. When the merger occurs, each KeyWorth shareholder that receives shares of Renasant common stock will become a Renasant shareholder with a percentage ownership of the combined organization that is smaller than such shareholder’s current percentage ownership of KeyWorth.

Because of this, KeyWorth shareholders will have less influence on the management and policies of Renasant than they now have on the management and policies of KeyWorth.

KeyWorth will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the merger is pending.

KeyWorth’s employees and customers may be uncertain about the effect on KeyWorth of the merger, and this uncertainty may adversely affect KeyWorth’s ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel until the merger is completed. In addition, customers, vendors and other third parties could seek to alter their existing business relationships with KeyWorth on account of the merger. Because of uncertainty about their future employment with Renasant following the merger, retention of certain employees by KeyWorth may be challenging while the merger is pending. If key employees depart for any reason, KeyWorth’s business, both while the merger is pending and after its completion, could be negatively impacted. In addition, KeyWorth has agreed to certain contractual restrictions on the operation of its business prior to closing. See “The Merger Agreement—Covenants and Agreements” on page ● for a discussion of the restrictive covenants applicable to KeyWorth.

The merger agreement limits KeyWorth’s ability to pursue an alternative acquisition proposal and requires KeyWorth to pay a termination fee of $2.35 million plus an expense fee of up to $750,000 of Renasant’s expenses under limited circumstances relating to alternative acquisition proposals.

The merger agreement prohibits KeyWorth from, among other things, soliciting, initiating or facilitating certain alternative acquisition proposals with any third party unless KeyWorth’s directors conclude in good faith (after consultation with its financial advisor (as to financial matters) and outside legal counsel) that (1) their failure to take such action would be inconsistent with their fiduciary duties under applicable law and (2) such alternative transaction is or is reasonably likely to result in a transaction more favorable to KeyWorth’s shareholders from a financial point of view than the merger with Renasant and is reasonably likely to be consummated. See “The Merger Agreement—No Solicitation of Other Offers” on page ●. The merger agreement also provides for the payment by KeyWorth of a termination fee in the amount of $2.35 million plus an expense fee of up to $750,000 of Renasant’s expenses in the event that either party terminates the merger agreement for certain reasons. These provisions might discourage a potential competing acquiror that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant part of KeyWorth from considering or proposing such an acquisition, even if this third party was willing to pay consideration with a higher per share value than the consideration payable in the merger with Renasant. Similarly, such a competing acquiror might propose a price lower than it might otherwise have been willing to offer because of the potential added expense of the termination fee that may become payable to Renasant in certain circumstances under the merger agreement. See “The Merger Agreement—Termination Fee” on page ●.

KeyWorth has not obtained an updated fairness opinion from BSP Securities, LLC reflecting changes in circumstances that may have occurred since the signing of the merger agreement.

KeyWorth has not obtained an updated opinion as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus from BSP Securities, LLC, which is KeyWorth’s financial advisor, regarding the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the consideration to be paid in connection with the merger. Changes in the operations and prospects of Renasant or KeyWorth, general market and economic conditions and other factors which may be beyond the control of Renasant and KeyWorth, and on which the fairness opinion was based, may have altered the value of Renasant or KeyWorth or the price of Renasant stock as of the date of this document, or may alter such values and price by the time the merger is completed. The opinion does not speak as of any date other than the date of that opinion. For a description of the opinion that KeyWorth received from its financial advisor, please refer to “The Merger—Opinion of KeyWorth’s Financial Advisor” beginning on page ●. For a description of the other factors considered by KeyWorth’s board of directors in determining to approve the merger, please refer to “The Merger—KeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the KeyWorth Board of Directors” beginning on page ●.

Certain of KeyWorth’s directors and executive officers have interests in the merger that may differ from the interests of KeyWorth’s shareholders including, if the merger is completed, the receipt of financial and other benefits.

KeyWorth’s executive officers and directors have interests in the merger that are in addition to, and may be different from, the interests of KeyWorth shareholders generally. These interests include, among others, the following:

payments attributable to the cash out of vested and unvested options previously granted under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan, as provided under the merger agreement;

certain cash payments that will be made upon closing pursuant to the termination of employment agreements and supplemental executive retirement agreements previously entered into by some KeyWorth executive officers;

the right to continued indemnification and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage by KeyWorth after the completion of the merger; and

with respect to Messrs. Pope and Stevens, employment with Renasant Bank after the closing under certain terms and conditions set forth in employment agreements that will become effective upon the closing.

See “The Merger—Interests of Certain KeyWorth Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” beginning on page ● for a discussion of these interests.

The merger is subject to the receipt of consents and approvals from government entities that may impose conditions that could delay the completion of the merger or have an adverse effect on the combined company following the merger.

Before the merger may be completed, various approvals or consents must be obtained from the FDIC and various domestic bank, securities and other regulatory authorities. These government entities may request additional information regarding Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s regulatory applications and notices and they may impose conditions on the completion of the merger or require changes to the terms of the merger. Although Renasant and KeyWorth do not currently expect that any material conditions or changes would be imposed, there can be no assurances that they will not be. Such conditions or changes could have the effect of delaying completion of the merger or imposing additional costs on, or limiting the revenues of, the combined company following the merger, any of which might have an adverse effect on the combined company following the merger. See “The Merger—Regulatory and Third Party Approvals” beginning on page ● for a discussion of these approvals.

The merger is subject to certain closing conditions that, if not satisfied or waived, will result in the merger not being completed.

The merger is subject to customary conditions to closing, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the approval of KeyWorth’s shareholders. If any condition to the merger is not satisfied or waived (to the extent waiver is legally permitted at all), the merger will not be completed. In addition, Renasant and KeyWorth may terminate the merger agreement under certain circumstances even if the merger is approved by KeyWorth’s shareholders, including but not limited to if the merger has not been completed on or before June 30, 2016. KeyWorth would realize any of the expected benefits of having completed the merger. If the merger is not completed, additional risks could materialize, which could materially and adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of KeyWorth. For more information on closing conditions to the merger agreement, see the section entitled “Merger Agreement—Conditions to Completion of the Merger” on page ●.

Renasant and KeyWorth may waive one or more of the conditions to the merger without re-soliciting KeyWorth shareholder approval for the merger agreement.

Each of the conditions to the obligations of Renasant and KeyWorth to complete the merger may be waived, in whole or in part, to the extent permitted by applicable law, by agreement of Renasant and KeyWorth, if the condition is a condition to both parties’ obligation to complete the merger, or by the party for which such condition is a condition of its obligation to complete the merger. The boards of directors of Renasant and KeyWorth will evaluate the materiality of any such waiver to determine whether amendment of this proxy statement/prospectus and the re-solicitation of the approval of the merger by KeyWorth shareholders is necessary. Renasant and KeyWorth, however, generally do not expect any such waiver to be significant enough to require re-solicitation of KeyWorth’s shareholders. In the event that any such waiver is not determined to be significant enough to require re-solicitation of KeyWorth’s shareholders, the companies will have the discretion to complete the merger without seeking further shareholder approval.

If the merger is not completed, KeyWorth will have incurred substantial expenses without realizing the expected benefits of the merger.

KeyWorth has incurred substantial expenses in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, as well as a portion of the costs and expenses of filing, printing and mailing this proxy statement/prospectus and all filing and other fees paid to the SEC in connection with the merger. If the merger is not completed, KeyWorth would have to recognize these expenses without realizing the expected benefits of the merger.

The merger may have adverse tax consequences.

The merger is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and each of Renasant and KeyWorth will receive a legal opinion to that effect from their respective tax counsel. These tax opinions represent the legal judgment of counsel rendering the opinion and are not binding on the IRS or the courts. If the merger fails to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, the merger will be a fully taxable transaction to the holders of KeyWorth common stock. In such case, each holder of KeyWorth common stock will recognize gain or loss measured by the difference between the total consideration received in the merger and such holder’s tax basis in the shares of KeyWorth common stock surrendered in the merger. See “Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger” beginning on page ●.

Risks Related to the Combined Company after the Merger

Renasant may not be able to successfully integrate KeyWorth or realize the anticipated benefits of the merger.

Renasant Bank’s merger with KeyWorth involves the combination of two banks that previously have operated independently. A successful combination of the operations of the two entities will depend substantially on Renasant’s ability to consolidate operations, systems and procedures and to eliminate redundancies and costs. Renasant may not be able to combine the operations of KeyWorth with Renasant Bank’s operations without encountering difficulties, such as:

the loss of key employees and customers;

the disruption of operations and business;

inability to maintain and increase competitive presence;

deposit attrition, customer loss and revenue loss;

possible inconsistencies in standards, control procedures and policies;

unexpected problems with costs, operations, personnel, technology and credit; and/or

problems with the assimilation of new operations, sites or personnel, which could divert resources from regular banking operations.

Additionally, general market and economic conditions of governmental actions affecting the financial industry generally may inhibit Renasant’s successful integration of KeyWorth.

Further, Renasant entered into the merger agreement with the expectation that the merger will result in various benefits including, among other things, benefits relating to enhanced revenues, a strengthened market position for the combined company in the metro Atlanta, Georgia, market, cross-selling opportunities, technology, cost savings and operating efficiencies. Achieving the anticipated benefits of the merger is subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether Renasant integrates KeyWorth in an efficient and effective manner, and general competitive factors in the marketplace. Renasant also believes that its ability to successfully integrate KeyWorth with Renasant Bank’s operations will depend to a large degree upon its ability to retain KeyWorth’s existing management personnel. Although Renasant expects to enter into employment agreements with certain key employees of KeyWorth, there can be no assurances that these key employees will not subsequently depart. See “The Merger—Interests of Certain KeyWorth Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger” beginning on page ●.

Renasant’s failure to achieve these anticipated benefits could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy and could materially impact its business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, the attention and effort devoted to the integration of KeyWorth with Renasant Bank’s existing operations may divert management’s attention from other important issues and could seriously harm its business. Finally, any cost savings that are realized may be offset by losses in revenues or other charges to earnings.

The market price of Renasant common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting Renasant common stock.

The businesses of Renasant and KeyWorth differ in some respects and, accordingly, the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of Renasant’s common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the independent results of operations of Renasant and KeyWorth. For a discussion of the business of Renasant and of certain factors to consider in connection with the business, see the documents incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus and referred to under “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page ●.

The shares of Renasant common stock to be received by KeyWorth shareholders as a result of the merger will have different rights from the shares of KeyWorth common stock.

Upon completion of the merger, KeyWorth shareholders will become Renasant shareholders and their rights as shareholders will be governed by the Renasant Articles, the Renasant Bylaws and Mississippi law. The rights associated with KeyWorth common stock are different from the rights associated with Renasant common stock. Please see “Comparison of Rights of Shareholders of KeyWorth and Renasant” beginning on page ● for a discussion of the different rights associated with Renasant common stock.

KEYWORTH SPECIAL MEETING

This section contains information about the special meeting of KeyWorth shareholders that has been called to consider and vote on the merger proposal and the adjournment proposal. Together with this proxy statement/prospectus, KeyWorth is also sending its shareholders a notice of the special meeting and a form of proxy that the KeyWorth board of directors is soliciting.

On or about ●, 2016, KeyWorth commenced mailing this document and the enclosed form of proxy card to its shareholders entitled to vote at the special meeting.

Date, Time and Place of Meeting

The special meeting will be held on March 17, 2016, at the Duluth Financial Center, 6515 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097 at 5:30 p.m., local time.

Matters to Be Considered

The purpose of the special meeting is to vote on:

the merger proposal;

the adjournment proposal; and

any other business properly brought before the special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Record Date and Quorum

The close of business on January 28, 2016 has been fixed as the record date for determining the KeyWorth shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the special meeting. At that time, 3,647,106 shares of KeyWorth common stock were outstanding, held by approximately 350 holders of record.

In order to conduct voting at the special meeting, there must be a quorum, which is the number of shares that must be present at the meeting, either in person or by proxy. The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of at least a majority of KeyWorth common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting will constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

Proxies

The form of proxy accompanying this proxy statement/prospectus contains instructions for voting KeyWorth common stock by mail, through the internet or by telephone. If you hold KeyWorth common stock in your name as a shareholder of record and are voting by mail, you should complete, sign, date and return the proxy card accompanying this document in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope to ensure that your vote is counted at the special meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement of the special meeting, regardless of whether you plan to attend the special meeting. You may also vote your KeyWorth common stock through the internet or by calling the toll-free number listed on the KeyWorth proxy card. Instructions and applicable deadlines for voting through the internet or by telephone are set forth in the enclosed proxy card.

If you hold your KeyWorth common stock in “street name” through a bank or broker, you must direct your bank or broker to vote in accordance with the instructions you have received from your bank or broker. Shares of KeyWorth common stock that are allocated to your account in the KeyWorth 401(k) plan will be voted in accordance with instructions provided by the plan’s administrative committee in its discretion.

All shares represented by valid proxies that KeyWorth receives through this solicitation, and that are not revoked, will be voted in accordance with the instructions on the proxy card or as instructed via internet or telephone. If you make no specification on your proxy card how you want your KeyWorth common stock voted before signing and returning it, your proxy will be voted “FOR” approval of the merger proposal and “FOR” the approval of the adjournment proposal.

Revocation of Proxies

If you hold KeyWorth common stock in your name as a shareholder of record, you may revoke any proxy at any time before it is voted by signing and returning a proxy card with a later date, delivering a written revocation letter to KeyWorth’s Chief Executive Officer, or by attending the special meeting in person and voting by ballot at the special meeting. If you have voted your KeyWorth common stock through the internet, you may revoke your prior internet vote by recording a different vote using internet voting, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last internet vote. If you have voted your KeyWorth common stock through a telephone call, you may revoke your prior telephone vote by calling the toll-free number listed on the KeyWorth proxy card and recording a different vote, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone vote.

Any KeyWorth shareholder entitled to vote in person at the special meeting may vote in person regardless of whether a proxy has been previously given, but the mere presence of a shareholder at the special meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy.

Written notices of revocation and other communications about revoking a KeyWorth proxy should be addressed to:

KeyWorth Bank

11655 Medlock Bridge Road

Johns Creek, Georgia 30097

Attn: James F. Pope

If your RenasantKeyWorth common stock is held in “street name” by a bank, broker or broker,other holder of record, you should follow the instructions of your bank, broker or brokerother holder of record regarding the revocation of proxies.

Vote Required

Approval of the Renasant merger proposal andrequires the Renasantaffirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, while the adjournment proposal each requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast,shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote, assuming a quorum is present. You are entitled to one vote for each share of RenasantKeyWorth common stock you hold as of the record date.

Because approval of the merger proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock, an abstention or failure to vote your shares will have the same effect as a vote against the approval of the merger proposal. Since approval of each of the Renasant merger proposal and the Renasant adjournment proposal by Renasant stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders requires only the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast,shares represented, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting and entitled to vote, your failure to vote, an abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect on eitherthe adjournment proposal.

The RenasantKeyWorth board of directors urges you to promptly vote your RenasantKeyWorth common stock by: accessing the internet site listed in the proxy card instructions if voting through the internet; calling the toll-free number listed on the proxy card if voting by telephone; or completing, dating and signing the accompanying proxy card and returning it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope if voting by mail. If you hold your RenasantKeyWorth common stock in “street name” through a bank, broker or broker,other holder of record, please vote by following the voting instructions of your bank, broker or broker.other holder of record.

38


If you are the registered holder of your RenasantKeyWorth common stock or you obtain a broker representation letter from your bank, broker or other holder of record of your RenasantKeyWorth common stock and in all cases you bring proof of identity, you may vote your RenasantKeyWorth common stock in person by ballot at the special meeting. Votes properly cast at the special meeting, in person or by proxy, will be tallied by Renasant’sKeyWorth’s inspector of elections.

As of the record date, and assuming no stock options are exercised, directors and executive officers of RenasantKeyWorth had the right to vote approximately 565,294 shares of RenasantKeyWorth common stock, or approximately% 15.5% of the outstanding RenasantKeyWorth common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting. All of KeyWorth’s directors, who own approximately 15.1% of the outstanding KeyWorth common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting, have entered into agreements with Renasant pursuant to which they have agreed, in their capacity as KeyWorth shareholders, to vote all of their KeyWorth common stock in favor of the approval of the merger agreement. We expect these individuals to vote their KeyWorth common stock in accordance with these agreements.

Recommendation of the RenasantKeyWorth Board of Directors

The RenasantKeyWorth board of directors has adopted and approved the merger agreement and the transactions it contemplates, including the merger. The RenasantKeyWorth board of directors determined that the merger, merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are advisable and in the best interests of RenasantKeyWorth and its stockholdersshareholders and unanimously recommends that you vote your RenasantKeyWorth common stock “FOR” approval of the Renasant merger proposal and “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal. See “The Merger—Renasant’sKeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the RenasantKeyWorth Board of Directors” on page for a more detailed discussion of the RenasantKeyWorth board of directors’ recommendation.

Solicitation of Proxies

RenasantKeyWorth will bear the entire cost of soliciting proxies from its stockholders.shareholders. In addition to solicitation of proxies by mail, RenasantKeyWorth will request that banks, brokers and other record holders send proxies and proxy material to the beneficial owners of RenasantKeyWorth common stock and secure their voting instructions. Renasant will reimburse the record holders for their reasonable expenses in taking these actions. If necessary, RenasantKeyWorth may use several of its regular employees, who will not be specially compensated, to solicit proxies from Renasant stockholders,KeyWorth shareholders, either personally or by telephone, facsimile, letter or other electronic means.

Dissenters’ Rights

Holders of KeyWorth common stock who comply with the provisions of the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia and the provisions of the Georgia Business Corporation Code referenced thereby are entitled to dissent from the merger and receive payment of the fair value of their shares of KeyWorth common stock if the merger is consummated. A copy of the Georgia statutes governing dissenters’ rights is attached as Annex C to this proxy statement/prospectus. Please see the section entitled “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ● for a summary of the procedures to be followed in asserting dissenters’ rights. A dissenting shareholder will be entitled to payment only if written notice of intent to demand payment is delivered to KeyWorth before the vote is taken and the shareholder does not vote in favor of the merger agreement.

Attending the Special Meeting

All holders of RenasantKeyWorth common stock, including stockholdersshareholders of record and stockholdersshareholders who hold their shares through banks, brokers, nominees or any other holder of record, are invited to attend the special meeting. RenasantKeyWorth reserves the right to refuse admittance to anyone without proper proof of share ownership and without proper photo identification. Everyone who attends the special meeting must abide by the rules for the conduct of the meeting. These rules will be printed on the meeting agenda. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, we encourage you to vote by telephone, internet or mail so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the special meeting.

Other Matters

As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, management of RenasantKeyWorth was unaware of any other matters to be brought before the Renasant special meeting other than those set forth herein. However, if any other matters are properly brought before the Renasant special meeting, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy for RenasantKeyWorth will have discretionary authority to vote all proxies with respect to such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

39


THE RENASANTKEYWORTH PROPOSALS

Proposal No. 1 – Renasant 1—Merger Proposal

RenasantKeyWorth is asking its stockholdersshareholders to approve the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. We urge Renasant stockholdersthereby. KeyWorth urges KeyWorth shareholders to read this joint proxy statement/prospectus carefully and in its entirety, including the annexes, for more detailed information concerning the merger agreement and the merger of HeritageKeyWorth with and into Renasant.Renasant Bank. A copy of the merger agreement is attached to this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Annex A.

After careful consideration, the RenasantKeyWorth board of directors adopted and approved the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement,it contemplates, including the merger. The RenasantKeyWorth board of directors determined that the merger, merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are advisable and in the best interests of RenasantKeyWorth and its stockholders.shareholders. See “The Merger—Renasant’sKeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the RenasantKeyWorth Board of Directors” included elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus for a more detailed discussion of the RenasantKeyWorth board recommendation.

The RenasantKeyWorth’s board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal.

Proposal No. 2 – Renasant 2—Adjournment Proposal

If there are insufficient votes at the time of the Renasant special meeting to adopt the Renasant merger proposal, the Renasant special meeting may be adjourned to another time or place, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies. If the number of shares of RenasantKeyWorth common stock present in person or by proxy at the Renasant special meeting and voting in favor of the Renasant merger proposal is insufficient to adopt such proposal, RenasantKeyWorth intends to move to adjourn the special meeting so that the RenasantKeyWorth board of directors may solicit additional proxies for approval of the merger. In that event, RenasantKeyWorth will ask its stockholdersshareholders to vote only upon the Renasant adjournment proposal and not the Renasant merger proposal.

In this proposal, RenasantKeyWorth is asking its stockholdersshareholders to authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by the RenasantKeyWorth board on a discretionary basis to vote in favor of adjourning the Renasant special meeting to another time and place for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from Renasant stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders who have previously voted.

Renasant’sKeyWorth’s board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal.

40


INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Renasant Corporation

Renasant Corporation is a Mississippi corporation and a registered bank holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Renasant was organized in 1982 under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and the laws of the State of Mississippi. Renasant currently operates more than 120 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices throughout north and central Mississippi, Tennessee, north and central Alabama and north Georgia through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Renasant Bank. Through Renasant Bank, Renasant is also the owner of Renasant Insurance Agency, Inc. As of December 31, 2014, Renasant had total assets of approximately $5.8 billion and total deposits of approximately $4.84 billion.

The principal executive offices of Renasant are located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827, and its telephone number at this location is (662) 680-1001. Additional information about Renasant and its business and subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation, is the holding company of its wholly-owned subsidiary, HeritageBank of the South, a Georgia savings bank. Heritage is a community-oriented bank serving primarily Georgia, Florida and Alabama through 36 banking locations, 21 mortgage offices and 5 investment offices. Heritage was formed by its federally chartered predecessor, Heritage Financial Group, in connection with a second-step conversion and public offering conducted in the latter half of 2010 in which the predecessor corporation merged into Heritage and converted from a mutual holding company structure to a stock holding company structure.

The principal executive offices of Heritage are located at 721 N. Westover Boulevard, Albany, Georgia 31707, and its telephone number at that location is (229) 420-0000. Additional information about Heritage and its business and subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this document. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page.

41


THE MERGER

The discussion in this joint proxy statement/prospectus of the merger and the principal terms of the merger agreement is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the merger agreement, a copy of which accompanies this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Annex A and is incorporated into this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference. References in this discussion and elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus to the “merger” are to the merger of Heritage into Renasant, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

General

On December 10, 2014, each ofOctober 20, 2015, the HeritageKeyWorth and Renasant board of directors, respectively, adopted and approved the merger agreement and approved the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. If all of the conditions set forth in the merger agreement are satisfied or waived (to the extent waiver is permitted by law) and if the merger is otherwise completed, Heritage will merge with and into Renasant, and Renasant will be the surviving corporation. Immediately after the merger of Heritage with and into Renasant, HeritageBankKeyWorth will merge with and into Renasant Bank, and Renasant Bank will be the surviving banking association. At the effective time of the merger, each outstanding share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, par value $0.01$5.00 per share (excluding shares owned by Heritage,KeyWorth, Renasant or any of their respectiveRenasant’s subsidiaries, unless such shares are held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted)contracted, and shares held by dissenting shareholders), will be converted into the right to receive 0.92660.4494 (the “exchange ratio”) of a share of Renasant common stock, par value $5.00 per share.

Background of the Merger

As part of Heritage’s long-term strategic planning process, Heritage’s board of directors and senior management have regularly reviewed and assessed the near-term and long-term strategy, performance, positioning and operating prospects of Heritage with a view toward enhancing stockholder value. These reviews have included consideration, from time to time, of potential strategic alternatives and transactions to enhance stockholder value, including a sale transaction.

As to Renasant, itsRenasant’s strategic plans include growing its franchise through, among other things, acquisition opportunities, whether negotiated or FDIC-assisted transactions, that Renasant senior management identifies internally or has presented to it. As part of this ongoing process, Renasant’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, E. Robinson McGraw, and its Chief Financial Officer, Kevin D. Chapman,management team identified Heritage,KeyWorth, along with a number of other financial institutions whose geographic footprint and other characteristics appeared complementary to Renasant’s based on publicly-available information, as a potential merger partner, butalthough no detailed analysis with respect to a strategic transaction with HeritageKeyWorth was undertaken.

From time to time, the board of directors of KeyWorth engaged in reviews and discussions of KeyWorth’s long-term strategies and objectives, considering ways in which the company might enhance shareholder value and performance in light of competitive and other relevant factors. Generally, these reviews centered on strategies to improve KeyWorth’s financial condition, earnings and existing operations or to pursue opportunities in new markets or lines of business. On occasion, these discussions centered on merging with another banking organization as a means to enhance or improve shareholder value.

In Maylate 2013, the board of directors of KeyWorth determined that it would be appropriate to consider merging with a suitable merger partner as a possible means of enhancing long-term shareholder value. KeyWorth communicated this decision to BSP Securities, LLC, which had been KeyWorth’s financial advisor since September 2011, and BSP was authorized to explore potential interest from several leading acquirers.

By the time of BSP’s authorization, KeyWorth and BSP had already received requests for meetings and information from potential interested acquirers. Through the end of 2014, Mr. McGrawKeyWorth and O. Leonard Dorminey,BSP shared due diligence information and facilitated meetings between several interested parties and KeyWorth management to discuss strategies, cultures and personnel. During this time, KeyWorth and BSP received informal indications from multiple parties and discussed them with KeyWorth’s management, the Chief Executive Officerexecutive committee of KeyWorth’s board of directors and the entire board. These indications were based on limited due diligence by the interested parties and not actionable, but they gave KeyWorth preliminary insight into the bank’s potential range of values in a sales transaction.

One of the parties KeyWorth had discussions with at this time was Heritage Financial Group, Inc. KeyWorth viewed Heritage as the potential acquirer that had the best mix of a strong currency, the ability to pay

an attractive price, comparable banking cultures and opportunity for the KeyWorth franchise to be a meaningful addition to the combined company’s strategy. A nondisclosure agreement was signed with Heritage inFebruary 2014, and preliminary diligence information was exchanged. The executive committee of KeyWorth’s board of directors authorized BSP to continue discussions with Heritage on KeyWorth’s behalf while continuing to evaluate other potential acquirers who expressed interest as well.

During the second half of 2014, KeyWorth management and BSP met for dinner after attending an industry conference duringwith Heritage on multiple occasions to discuss preliminary deal structuring topics; however, talks slowed and Heritage subsequently announced on December 10, 2014 that it would be acquired by Renasant.

In December 2014, BSP introduced KeyWorth management to another potential acquirer with whom there had been no previous discussions (referred to as “Company A”). Company A expressed preliminary interest in pursuing a transaction with KeyWorth. Due to other priorities, representatives of Company A asked KeyWorth to consider negotiating a sales transaction in the day. Mr. McGrawsecond half of 2015, which KeyWorth and Mr. Dorminey had known eachBSP agreed to consider. KeyWorth made it clear that it was not running a specific sales process but rather having ongoing conversations and that it would continue to field incoming interest from other for several years through their involvement in trade organizationsinterested parties and participation in industry events. Duringmonitor all of its strategic options. Over the course of the dinner,first half of 2015, KeyWorth management had several in-person meetings and phone discussions with Company A. A nondisclosure agreement was executed and a virtual data room was established to share diligence information.

In early 2015 key executives of Heritage communicated to KeyWorth that, although their company was in the process of selling to Renasant, the executives still believed that a merger with KeyWorth would be an attractive franchise expansion for the combined company. As a result, even as the Heritage sale to Renasant approached completion in mid-2015, key Renasant and Heritage executives initiated a combined dialogue with KeyWorth and held multiple meetings in the first half of 2015. At that time, Renasant signed a nondisclosure agreement with KeyWorth, and Renasant and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (“Raymond James”), Renasant’s financial advisor, were subsequently given access to a virtual data room to facilitate Renasant’s potential non-binding indication of interest.

On September 2, 2015, Mr. Pope met with E. Robinson McGraw, Renasant’s Chairman, President and Mr. Dorminey discussedChief Executive Officer, to discuss the possibilitygeneral merits of a potential transaction betweencombination of the two organizations. As it became evident that Renasant’s interest was bona fide and actionable, BSP reached out to representatives of Company A to notify them that KeyWorth was likely to receive an offer from Renasant (although Renasant’s name was not disclosed). Company A reaffirmed its interest and reiterated that its preferred timing would be late third quarter or fourth quarter 2015. KeyWorth authorized BSP to have advanced discussions with both Renasant and Heritage. AlthoughCompany A.

Once it became apparent that Renasant intended to deliver a written indication of interest to KeyWorth, BSP notified Company A that timing was critical to receive a competing written indication if it intended to submit one. Representatives of Company A pledged to deliver an indication but ultimately decided it would not be able to do so given other opportunities it was evaluating. BSP reached out to other interested parties that had contacted KeyWorth in the two previous years and urged them to make their interest known. Renasant delivered a non-binding written indication of interest to purchase the common stock of KeyWorth by merger on September 8, 2015. No other parties submitted written indications of interest. Company A separately announced a transaction in another market.

During this time, Renasant conducted due diligence through in-person meetings with a limited number of KeyWorth executives. Shortly after KeyWorth received Renasant’s non-binding indication of interest, KeyWorth’s outside counsel, Alston & Bird LLP (“Alston & Bird”), discussed with members of the KeyWorth’s executive committee the legal standards applicable to the board’s decisions and actions with respect to a potential business combination transaction. Based on detailed discussions with members of the senior management team of KeyWorth, and representatives of Alston & Bird and BSP regarding the merger process, the KeyWorth board

of directors determined on September 15, 2015 that Renasant was not pursuedan appropriate merger partner and that Renasant’s preliminary proposal offered substantial value to KeyWorth and its shareholders and was attractive for strategic reasons. Accordingly, the board authorized KeyWorth to enter into a limited exclusivity agreement with Renasant. The parties negotiated the preliminary terms for a potential agreement in earnest at that time, after the meeting,a non-binding indication of interest during September 2015. On September 18, 2015, Renasant and Heritage mutually contacted KBW, which had existing relationships with Heritage and Renasant and disclosed those existing relationships to Heritage and Renasant, regarding their discussion of a potential transaction between Renasant and Heritage. Mr. McGraw also discussed the potential for a strategic transaction with Heritage with John M. Creekmore, Renasant’s lead independent director. However, because the discussions were very preliminary, no further Renasant board action was taken at that time.

In late May 2014, Heritage began initial discussions with another publicly traded bank holding company (“Company A”) regarding a potential merger whereby Company A would acquire Heritage in a stock-for-stock merger. Heritage engaged KBW as its financial advisor in connection with a possible sale of Heritage.

42


In late June 2014, Mr. McGraw contacted Mr. Dorminey to follow-up on their initial meeting in May. During the conversation, Mr. Dorminey explained that it was not the right time to pursue a potential transaction with Renasant, but the parties agreed to discuss again a possible transaction in the near future.

On June 28, 2014, Heritage receivedKeyWorth executed a non-binding letter of intent from Company A expressing an interest to acquire Heritage in an all-stock merger at the equivalent price of approximately $23.50-$25.00 per share of Heritage common stock, subject to due diligence. The independent directors of Heritage met to discuss Company A’s letter of intent and its proposed terms. The board of directors of Heritage determined that it was in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders to enter into the letter of intent and continue discussions regarding a potential transaction with Company A. On July 1, 2014, Heritage entered into the non-binding letter of intent with Company A.

Negotiations with Company A continued from July through late August 2014. During that period, both parties conducted due diligence and discussed various matters regarding a potential transaction. On August 19, 2014, Heritage received a revised non-binding letter of intent from Company A expressing an interest to acquire Heritage in an all-stock merger at the equivalent price of $25.00 per share of Heritage common stock. However, in early September 2014, prior to negotiating and executing a definitive agreement, Heritage and Company A mutually decided to terminate negotiations.

In early September 2014, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Dorminey had a telephone call and agreed to meet at an upcoming industry conference. In mid-September 2014, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Dorminey met at an industry conference and briefly discussed a potential transaction between Renasant and Heritage.

Following the early September 2014 phone call with Mr. Dorminey, Mr. McGraw and the other members of the executive committee of Renasant’s board of directors held a regularly-scheduled meeting during which Mr. McGraw and Mr. Chapman provided a high-level overview of the potential benefits to Renasant of a combination with Heritage as well as summarized for the committee the statusacquisition of discussions with Heritage to date. The committee authorized Mr. McGraw to proceed with entering into a nondisclosureKeyWorth, which included an exclusivity agreement in order to begin due diligenceending on Heritage.November 30, 2015.

On September 12, 2014, Heritage and Renasant entered into a mutual non-disclosure agreement and began preliminary due diligence. On28, 2015, following the same day, Renasant contacted Raymond James to assist in performing a financial analysis of a combination of Heritage and Renasant and to assist in negotiations if discussions with Heritage progressed.

On September 17, 2014, Heritage’s board of directors convened a special meeting at Heritage’s offices in Albany, Georgia to discuss whether Heritage should enter into discussions with Renasant regarding a possible combination. After discussion, the Heritage board determined to proceed with discussions with Renasant.

On September 19, 2014, Mr. Dorminey and T. Heath Fountain, the Chief Financial Officer of Heritage, traveled to Mississippi to meet with Mr. McGraw and Mr. Chapman. During the meeting, the parties discussed in more detail a potential transaction between Heritage and Renasant and the general strategic rationale for a possible combination.

On October 3, 2014, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Dorminey had a phone conversation and during the call Mr. McGraw said he would be meeting with Renasant’s executive committee on October 8, 2014 and would follow up with Mr. Dorminey after that meeting with a potential price per share range that Renasant would consider offering in the transaction.

In advance of Renasant’s October 8, 2014 executive committee meeting, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Chapman conferred with representatives of Raymond James regarding pro forma financial results of the combined company in a variety of assumed scenarios. At the October 8, 2014 meeting of Renasant’s executive committee, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Chapman provided the committee with Raymond James’s detailed analysis of the impact

43


on Renasant’s key financial metrics from a merger with Heritage in a variety of pricing scenarios and with varying assumptions to be validated with further due diligence. Raymond James’s analysis included information about recent bank and thrift merger and acquisition transactions, including prices paid, estimated cost savings realized and the potential impact on an acquiror’s stock prices upon announcement of the acquisition. After a lengthy discussion of this information, the Renasant executive committee authorized management to offer a price of between $26.00-$27.00 per share of Heritage common stock in an all-stock transaction, subject to due diligence.

On October 8, 2014, Mr. McGraw contacted Mr. Dorminey and advised him that Renasant would be willing to offer a price of between $26.00-$27.00 per share of Heritage common stock in the transaction.

On October 17, 2014, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Dorminey had a follow-up phone conversation during which they continued to discuss Renasant’s proposed offer.

On October 21, 2014, Heritage’s board of directors convened a special meeting at Heritage’s offices in Albany, Georgia. During the meeting, Mr. Dorminey provided the directors with an update on the status of his discussions with Mr. McGraw. After discussion, Heritage’s board of directors determined that it was in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders to explore a potential transaction between Heritage and Renasant and directed Mr. Dorminey to continue discussions with Renasant. Also, at this meeting, Heritage’s board of directors considered that KBW had provided services to Renasant prior to its engagement as Heritage’s financial advisor in connection with Renasant’s preliminary consideration of potential business combinations with a number of different entities, including Heritage. Heritage’s board of directors concluded that KBW’s prior relationship with Renasant would not compromise KBW’s ability to act as Heritage’s financial advisor.

At a regular meeting of the Renasant board of directors held on October 21, 2014, Mr. McGraw updated the Renasant board of directors regarding the status of the negotiations between Renasant and Heritage.

On October 29, 2014, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Chapman traveled to Albany, Georgia to meet with Mr. Dorminey and Mr. Fountain. During the meeting, the parties discussed the results of their preliminary due diligence and other matters related to the overall timing of a potential transaction.

On October 31, 2014, Renasant delivered to Heritage an initial draft of a non-binding letter of intent with the equivalent share price of $27.00 per share for Heritage common stock, with the exact exchange ratio to be determined upon signing a definitive merger agreement.

Mr. Dorminey informed the board of directors of Heritage that he received the draft letter of intent from Renasant. In addition to providing updates to the board on an ongoing basis, Mr. Dorminey provided the chairman of the board on at least a weekly basis with updates on his discussions with Renasant regarding the potential transaction.

Between October 31, 2014 and November 7, 2014, Renasant and Heritage discussed and negotiated the terms of the letter of intent. By November 7, 2014, Renasant and Heritage had orally agreed to the terms of the letter of intent, though it ultimately was not signed by both parties because the parties proceeded to the negotiation and execution of a definitive merger agreement.

In early November, 2014, Mr. Dorminey,Pope invited Mr. FountainMcGraw and other representativesmembers of Heritage traveled to Tupelo, Mississippithe Renasant executive management team to meet with the KeyWorth board of directors. At this meeting, Mr. McGraw provided a history of Renasant Bank, its growth plans and the advantages of the merger between KeyWorth and Renasant. Mr. ChapmanMcGraw emphasized the positive cultural fit between the two institutions and otherthe desire to grow Renasant’s presence in the Atlanta market.

Renasant began its credit due diligence review of KeyWorth in October 2015. Based on discussions between the parties, KeyWorth populated an electronic data room for Renasant to review its on-going due diligence requests and KeyWorth’s responses during this period. Upon the conclusion of its preliminary review of KeyWorth’s loan portfolio, representatives of RenasantRaymond James communicated to discussrepresentatives of BSP Renasant’s continued interest in a strategic business combination and gave additional detail on the potential transaction, diligence matters and the impact the transaction would have on specific operations and dealingsterms of the combined company.Renasant’s proposal.

On November, 7, 2014, Alston & BirdOctober 1, 2015, Phelps Dunbar LLP, Renasant’s outside legal counsel, to Heritage (“Alston & Bird”), received acirculated an initial draft of the merger agreement, from Phelps Dunbar LLP, outside counsel to Renasant (“Phelps Dunbar”).

44


On November 14, 2014,based on the board of directors of Heritage convened a special meeting to discuss the proposed transaction with Renasant. Representatives of Heritage’s management team were also present for the meeting. During the meeting, the board of directors further considered and discussed whether the timing was appropriate to continue discussions with Renasant, whether a strategic transaction wasterms outlined in the best interestsletter of Heritageintent, to Alston & Bird. Over the course of the following weeks, Renasant and its stockholders at that time or if Heritage should continue to stay a separate operating entity,representatives continued negotiations with KeyWorth and whether entering into merger discussions would expose Heritage to other risks. After further discussion,its representatives on the board of directors authorized Mr. Dorminey to continue his discussions with Renasant and move forward with negotiating the definitive agreement.

During late October and November, 2014, representatives of Renasant, Raymond James, Phelps Dunbar and HORNE, LLP, Renasant’s independent registered public accountants, conducted due diligence regarding Heritage. Additionally, representatives of Heritage, with the assistance of Alston & Bird and Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC (“MJ”), Heritage’s independent registered public accountants, conducted due diligence regarding Renasant. Representatives of KBW and Raymond James also attended discussions between Heritage and Renasant regarding the business operations, financial condition and prospectsterms of the two companies.

Between November 7, 2014transaction and December 10, 2014, representatives of Phelps Dunbar and Alston & Bird,worked to reconcile differing views with the direction of and consultation with their respective clients, negotiated the terms and conditionsrespect to various aspects of the merger agreement. Additionally, during this period, Phelps Dunbar and separate counsel for certain employees of Heritage who would be employeesThese issues included the exchange ratio, the respective covenants of the combined company after the merger transaction negotiated the terms and conditions of the employment arrangements for such employees. During this period, Mr. McGraw and Mr. Dorminey also discussed the terms of the merger agreement, the relationship with Heritage’s mortgage company after theparties pending closing of the transaction, the rights and issues relatedobligations of the parties in the event the merger agreement is terminated prior to the terms and conditionsconsummation of the employment arrangements of certain employees who would be employees ofmerger, the combined company.

On December 6, 2014, Alston & Bird provided Phelps Dunbar an initial draft of Heritage’s disclosure schedules to the merger agreement.

On the morning of December 8, 2014, thelimitations on KeyWorth’s management and board of directors in exercising their options and warrants, and the new employment agreements by Renasant for Mr. Pope and Mr. Stevens. Both parties continued to conduct their respective due diligence during this time by submitting due diligence request lists to each other.

During the course of Heritage convened a special meeting at Heritage’s offices in Albany, Georgia to discussdiscussions regarding the proposed transaction with Renasant. Representativesdraft merger agreement, representatives of Heritage’s management, KBW and Alston & Bird were also present or participating by telephone. Mr. Dorminey first reviewed with the directors the most recent discussions and negotiations with Renasant. KBW then discussed with Heritage’s board of directors the financial aspects of the merger on a preliminary basis.

Alston & Bird then explained the directors’ fiduciary duties in considering and approving a merger transaction with Renasant and respondedKeyWorth also discussed their expectation that KeyWorth’s directors would enter into customary support agreements in their capacity as shareholders of KeyWorth agreeing to further questions from the directorsvote their shares of KeyWorth stock in that regard. Alston & Bird then provided the board of directors of Heritage an overview of the material terms of the proposed merger agreement and the timing and process of the transaction if the board approved the transaction and Heritage entered into the merger agreement. Representatives of Alston & Bird responded to numerous questions from directors. Alston & Bird also reviewed with Heritage’s board of directors, for purposes of identifying areas of potential conflicts of interest, the interests of Heritage’s officers and directors in the proposed transaction. Alston & Bird then reviewed the status of its current negotiations with Phelps Dunbar regarding various terms of the merger agreement, including the “no-shop” provision, the termination fee, the possibility of a reverse termination fee and the conditions to closing of the transaction. Alston & Bird went into further detail regarding the “no-shop” provision and the 4.25% termination fee that was in the current draftfavor of the merger agreement and described the impact the provision and fee would have on Heritage’s ability to solicit and pursue alternative transactions after the merger agreement is executed. In that regard, in light of the amount of the consideration offered with the exchange ratio and the premium it represented to the market priceprovided for Heritage’s common stock and the board of directors’ view that other competing proposals at a price per share in excess or $27.00 were not likely to be received, the board of directors determined that the “no shop” provision and termination fee proposed by Renasant were appropriate under the circumstances. Heritage’s board of directors, however, instructed Mr. Dorminey to continue to negotiate with Mr. McGraw on the open issues in the merger agreement, along with entering into certain restrictive covenant agreements in their individual capacity. Also during this period, KeyWorth’s and to push for a lower termination fee.

45


In addition,Renasant’s respective senior management, discussed with Heritage’s boardadvisors and outside counsel regularly updated their respective boards of directors on the proposed compositionstatus of negotiations.

On October 9, 2015, representatives of KeyWorth met with representatives of Renasant at Renasant’s management team followingoffices to discuss the merger, revised employment agreements for a number of Heritage employeestransaction and the proposal that one Heritage director be added to the board of directors of the combined company.

Following this discussion, the board of Heritage engaged in further discussion of the proposed transaction. Alston & Bird then described the terms of the lock-up agreements for directors whereby, if the merger agreement was approved, the directors (in their capacities as holders of Heritage common stock) would agree to vote their shares in favor of the proposed merger. The directors discussed the differences between the version of these agreements for non-employee directors, which contained a non-competition covenant, and for directors who were also employees of Heritage, which did not contain a non-competition covenant.

Alston & Bird also discussed itsconduct on-site due diligence findings at the special meeting. After discussion, the boardreview of directors of Heritage agreed to meet again on December 9, 2014 to further discuss the potential transactionRenasant. During these meetings, Renasant’s representatives answered questions from KeyWorth’s representatives regarding Renasant’s business and any events that occur during the day.

certain financial, legal and regulatory matters. During the course offollowing week, the day on December 8, 2014, Mr. Dorminey and Mr. McGraw had several discussions relating to the terms of the potential transaction. Alston & Bird and Phelps Dunbarparties continued to negotiate the terms of the merger agreement.a transaction.

On December 9, 2014, representativesOctober 14, 2015, KeyWorth’s board of Heritage, Renasant, KBW, Raymond James, MJ,directors held a special meeting to consider, based on presentations from BSP and Alston & Bird and Phelps Dunbar participated in a telephone call to discuss several outstanding items indiscussions with senior management, the merger agreement, including the treatmentstatus of the employee benefit plans and certain accounting issues related to certain payments due under the existing employment arrangements of certain executives.

During the course of the day on December 9, 2014,proposed transaction with Renasant. Mr. Dorminey had several conversations with Mr. McGraw to discuss the open items in the merger agreement, including the amount of the termination fee and the reverse termination fee and certain other closing conditions and the terms of employment arrangementsPope further reviewed for certain officers of Heritage. In these conversations, Mr. McGraw agreed to a 4.0% termination fee, and Mr. Dorminey agreed to strike the reverse termination fee. Alston & Bird also had several conversations with Phelps Dunbar regarding the merger agreement, the lock-up agreements and the disclosure schedules for both Heritage and Renasant.

In the late afternoon on December 9, 2014, the board of directors the background of Heritage convened a special meeting at Heritage’s offices in Albany, Georgia to discussdiscussions with Renasant and the proposed transaction.progress of negotiations. Representatives of Heritage management, KBW and Alston & Bird were also present or participating by telephone.

Mr. Dorminey provided the board of directors of Heritage an update of his discussions with Mr. McGraw since his previous update to them on December 8, 2014. Thereafter, Alston & Bird provided an update on the status of the merger agreement and the ongoing discussions with Phelps Dunbar and Mr. Dorminey provided an update on the status of the employment arrangements for certain Heritage employees.

At this meeting, KBWBSP reviewed the financial aspects of the proposed merger noting that Renasant and Heritage had fixed the exchange ratio in the merger at 0.9266x, and rendered to the Heritage board ana written opinion to the effect that, as of such date and subject to the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by KBW

BSP as set forth in itssuch opinion, the exchange ratiomerger consideration in the proposed merger was fair, from a financial point of view, to the holdersshareholders of Heritage common stockKeyWorth. In addition, representatives of Alston & Bird reviewed with the directors the most recent draft of the proposed merger agreement and related transaction documents as more fully described below underwell as the caption “Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor.”

Afterlegal standards applicable to the board’s decisions and actions with respect to the proposed transaction, as they had previously done. Following further discussion, the board of directors of Heritage agreed to meet again on December 10, 2014 to further discussKeyWorth unanimously approved the merger agreement and any eventsrecommended that occurred duringit be submitted to the evening of December 9, 2014.

46


On December 9, 2014, Alston & Bird sent a revised draft of the merger agreement as well as a revised draft of Heritage’s disclosure schedules to Phelps Dunbar. Phelps Dunbar also sent an initial draft of Renasant’s disclosure schedules to Alston & Bird.

On the morning of December 10, 2014, Renasant’s board of directors convenedKeyWorth shareholders for approval at a special meeting withof shareholders.

Over the next several days, representatives of Raymond JamesKeyWorth and Phelps Dunbar present or participating by telephone. Mr. McGrawRenasant had multiple telephone conference calls to finalize the definitive agreement and Mr. Chapman first reported to Renasant’s boardthe ancillary agreements, complete the disclosure schedules and address the roles for certain individuals of directors on the status of the negotiations with Heritage and its due diligence findings, including with respect to potential credit deterioration and expense savings. Next, Phelps Dunbar provided an overview of the material terms of the merger agreement toKeyWorth management in a potentially combined business.

On October 20, 2015, the board of directors and addressedmanagement of KeyWorth met again with Alston & Bird to review the directors’ fiduciary duties in connection with evaluating a strategic transaction. The representative of Phelps Dunbar addressed questions fromchanges that had been made to the board, including regarding the proposalproposed agreements. At that one current Heritage director would be added to Renasant’s board. Following Phelps Dunbar’s presentation,meeting, representatives of Raymond James presented a detailed analysis, which included written materials prepared for the Renasant board, of the financial aspects of the proposed merger and orally delivered Raymond James’s opinion (subsequentlyBSP confirmed in writing)writing its October 14, 2015 opinion that, as of such date and subject to the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered and qualifications andan limitations on the review undertaken by Raymond JamesBSP as set forth in itssuch opinion, the merger consideration was fair, from a financial point of view, to Renasant, as more fully describedthe shareholders of KeyWorth. The board approved the changes and executed all ancillary agreements to the merger agreement, including the voting and non-competition agreements and the joinder agreements.

Concurrently on October 20, 2015, Renasant’s board of directors met in “Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor” below. After further discussionspecial session to review and deliberation, including questions to Raymond Jamesconsider the merger agreement and Renasant’s management regarding the financial aspectstransactions and agreements contemplated by it. At the meeting, Phelps Dunbar LLP reviewed for the directors the terms and conditions of the merger agreement, the assumptions underlyingmerger and the various agreements to be signed in connection with the merger agreement, along with the fiduciary duties of the board members, and engaged in discussions with the board members on such matters. As a part of the meeting, representatives of Raymond James reviewed the principal terms of the proposed transaction and the financial analysisimpact of the merger and answered the results of Renasant’s due diligence,board’s questions with respect to such matters. After additional discussion, the Renasant board of directors havingunanimously adopted and approved the draft merger agreement and the transactions and agreements contemplated by it (subject to no material terms or conditions being revised) and determined that the terms of the merger, the related merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger,by it were in the best interests of Renasant and its stockholders, approvedshareholders.

Later in the day on October 20, 2015, Renasant and declared advisableKeyWorth executed the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby,other transaction documents. A press release announcing the transaction was released that afternoon following the close of trading in Renasant common stock.

KeyWorth’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the KeyWorth Board of Directors

In the course of evaluating the direction of KeyWorth’s business, management and KeyWorth’s board have periodically considered various strategic alternatives to enhance its market and customer opportunities, including the merger. The Renasantpartnership arrangements, strategic combinations with other banks and a sale of KeyWorth. At a meeting of KeyWorth’s board of directors authorized Mr. McGraw to sign the merger agreement on behalf of RenasantOctober 20, 2015, after careful consideration that included consultation with financial and Renasant Bank, directedlegal advisors, KeyWorth’s board determined that the merger agreement be submitted to Renasant’s stockholders for adoption and approval and recommended that stockholders vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger.

Also on December 10, 2014, Phelps Dunbar sent a revised draft of the merger agreement to Alston & Bird.

In the early afternoon on December 10, 2014, the board of directors of Heritage convened a special meeting at Heritage’s offices in Albany, Georgia. All of the members of the board participated in the meeting. Members of Heritage management and representatives of KBW and Alston & Bird also participated in the meeting. Mr. Dorminey described for the board his additional discussions with Mr. McGraw since his previous update to them on December 9, 2014. Alston & Bird then provided an update on the status of the merger agreement. Mr. Dorminey also provided an update on the employment arrangements for certain of the officers of Heritage.

After further discussion and deliberation, the Heritage board of directors determined that it had the appropriate information upon which to evaluate Renasant’s proposal and to conclude that the terms of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, were fair toare advisable and in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders. Theshareholders. KeyWorth’s board having determined that the terms of Renasant’s proposal, the related merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, were fair to and in the best interests of Heritage and its stockholders, unanimously approved and declared advisable the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, and authorized the execution and delivery of the merger agreement and directed that the merger agreement be submitted to Heritage’s stockholders for adoption and approval, and recommended that stockholders vote in favor of the approval and adoption of the merger agreement andby its shareholders.

In the approvalcourse of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger.

Later that afternoon, Renasant and Heritage executed the merger agreement. After market close on December 10, 2014, the proposed merger was publicly announced.

47


Heritage’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Heritage Board of Directors

After thorough review and careful consideration, the Heritage board of directors determined that the terms ofreaching its decision to approve the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated byto recommend that its shareholders adopt the merger agreement, including the merger, were fair to and in the best interests of Heritage andKeyWorth’s board consulted with its stockholders. Accordingly, the Heritage board of directors has approved and adopted the merger agreement and approved the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, and unanimously recommends that Heritage stockholders vote “FOR” approval and adoption of the merger agreement and approval of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger.

In reaching its decision to adopt and approve the merger and the merger agreement, and recommend that its stockholders approve the merger agreement, the Heritage board of directors evaluated the merger and merger agreement in consultation with Heritage’s senior management, team, as well as Heritage’s outsidefinancial advisors and legal and financial advisors,counsel, reviewed a significant amount of information and considered a number of factors, including, among others, the following material factors (not in any relative order of importance):following:

 

the extensive review undertaken by the board and management, with the assistance of financial and legal advisors, with respect to strategic alternatives available to KeyWorth;

its knowledgeview that the size of Heritage’s business,the institution and related economies of scale were becoming increasingly important to KeyWorth’s continued success in the current financial condition,services environment, including on account of the increased expenses of regulatory compliance, and that a merger with a larger bank holding company could provide those economies of scale, increase efficiencies of operations industry, competitors and prospects as a standalone company, including management’senhance customer products and services;

the results that KeyWorth could expect to achieve operating independently, and the boardlikely risks and benefits to KeyWorth shareholders of directors’that course of action, as compared to the value of the merger consideration to be received from Renasant;

its understanding of the current and prospective environment in which HeritageKeyWorth and Renasant operate, including national and local economic conditions, the interest rate environment, the competitive and regulatory environments for financial institutions generally, and the likely effect of these factors on Heritage both with and without the merger;

the substantial management, financial and employee resources required to execute Heritage’s stand-alone strategic plan, the fact that full execution of the strategic plan would take an extended period of time, and the risks of and challenges inherent in a successful execution of the strategic plan;

the review undertaken by the board of directors of Heritage and management with respect to the potential strategic alternatives available to Heritage;

the fact that (as of the date of the board’s decision) the merger would combine two established banking franchises to create a bank with over $7.5 billion in assets, $5.2 billion in gross loans and $6.1 billion in deposits with 171 banking, mortgage, insurance, wealth management and investment offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida;

the expanded possibilities, including organic growth and future acquisitions, that would be available to the combined company, given its increased size, asset base, capital and footprint;

the structure of the transaction as a stock-for-stock merger, which would allow Heritage stockholders to participate in the future performance of the combined company and synergiesincreasing operating costs resulting from the merger;

the fact that the exchange ratio is fixed, which the Heritage board of directors believed was consistent with market practice for transactions of this typeregulatory initiatives and with the strategic purpose of the transaction;

the value to Heritage stockholders represented by the merger consideration, which represented a premium of approximately 27.4% based on the closing share price of Heritage common stock on December 9, 2014, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the merger agreement;

the historical performance of Renasant’s common stock, the stock’s liquidity in terms of average daily trading volume and the level of future cash dividends anticipated to be received by Heritage stockholders;

the anticipated pro forma impact of the merger on the combined company, including the expected impact on financial metrics of the combined company including earnings and tangible equity per share and on regulatory capital levels;

the understanding that the transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Renasant’s estimated earnings per share with the estimated tangible book value dilution being earned back in less than two years;

48


the effect on Heritage’s customers and the communities served by Heritage;

the continued representation of certain of Heritage’s management on the management team of the combined entity and the presence of a representative of Heritage on the board of directors of the combined entity;

the complementary nature of the capital and balance sheet structures, business strategies, customers, cultures and geographic markets of the two companies, which, along with Renasant’s acquisition experience, Heritage’s management believed should provide the opportunity to mitigate integration risks and increase potential returns; including, in particular, that:

the geographic scope of the two companies contains relatively little overlap, enabling them both to expand their businesses and for Heritage to preserve retail jobs;

the nature of the capital structures, business strategies, customers and markets of the two companies would enable Heritage to achieve business goals it would have independently attempted to pursue in connection with its strategic plan; and

the similarities in the two companies’ operating model and culture, and Renasant’s commitment to supporting the local communities it serves as exemplified by its “Satisfactory” Community Reinvestment Act examination rating for many years;

the nature of the proposal, the absence of any actionable proposals by other third parties (other than noted above with respect to Company A) and the fact that, in a consolidating industry, institutions with an interest in merging with another institution typically make that interest known;

the previous experience of the board of directors of Heritage exploring a potential merger with a third party prior to entering into negotiations with Renasant;

the ability of Renasant to complete a merger transaction from a financial and regulatory perspective;

the financial presentation, dated December 9, 2014, of KBW to the Heritage board of directors and the opinion, dated December 9, 2014, of KBW to the Heritage board of directors as to the fairness, from a financial point of view and as of the date of the opinion, to the holders of Heritage common stock of the exchange ratio in the merger, as more fully described below under “Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor;” and

its review with Alston & Bird LLP of the terms of the merger agreement, including the fixed exchange ratio, expected tax treatment of the merger as a “reorganization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, deal protection provisions and the termination fee provisions.

The Heritage board of directors also considered a variety of risks and other factors associated with the merger agreement and the merger to Heritage and its stockholders, which it determined did not outweigh the expected benefits of the merger agreement and the merger, including the following (not in any relative order of importance):

the fact that, because the merger consideration is a fixed exchange ratio of shares of Renasant common stock to Heritage common stock, Heritage stockholders could be adversely affected by a decrease in the trading price of Renasant common stock during the pendency of the merger;

the fact that, while Heritage expects that the merger will be consummated, there can be no assurance that all conditions to the parties’ obligations to complete the transaction will be satisfied, including the risk that certain regulatory approvals, the receipt of which are conditions to the consummation of the merger, might not be obtained, and, as a result, the merger may not be consummated;

the risk that potential benefits and synergies sought in the merger may not be realized or may not be realized within the expected time period, and the risks associated with the integration of the two companies;

the significant risks and costs involved in connection with entering into and completing the merger, or failing to complete the merger in a timely manner, or at all, including as a result of any failure to obtain

49


required regulatory approvals, such as the risks and costs relating to diversion of management and employee attention, potential employee attrition, and the potential effect on business and customer relationships;

the restrictions imposed by the merger agreement on the conduct of Heritage’s business prior to the consummation of the merger;

the fact that the merger agreement contains provisions that limit Heritage’s ability to actively solicit or pursue alternatives to the merger;

the fact that certain of Heritage’s directors and executive officers may ultimately have interests in the transactions that may be different from, or in addition to, those of other Heritage stockholders;

the fact that Heritage stockholders would not be entitled to dissenters’ rights in connection with the merger; and

the possibility of litigation in connection with the merger.

The foregoing discussion of the information and factors considered by the Heritage board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but it includes the material factors considered by the board of directors. In view of the variety of factors considered in connection with its evaluation of the merger, the Heritage board of directors did not find it practicable to, and did not, quantify or otherwise assign relative weights to the specific factors considered in reaching its determination and recommendation. In addition, individual directors may have given different weights to different factors. The Heritage board of directors did not undertake to make any specific determination as to whether any factor, or any particular aspect of any factor, supported or did not support its ultimate determination. The Heritage board of directors based its recommendation on the totality of the information presented.

It should be noted that this explanation of the reasoning of Heritage’s board of directors and other information presented in this section is forward-looking in nature and, therefore, should be read in light of the factors discussed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

The Heritage board of directors unanimously recommends that Heritage stockholders vote “FOR” approval and adoption of the merger agreement and approval of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger.

Renasant’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of the Renasant Board of Directors

In reaching its decision to adopt and approve the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, and to recommend that its stockholders approve the Renasant merger proposal, the Renasant board of directors consulted with Renasant management, as well as Raymond James and Phelps Dunbar, and considered a number of factors, including the following material factors:

each of Renasant’s and Heritage’s business, operations, financial condition, asset quality, earnings and prospects. In reviewing these factors, the Renasant board of directors considered that the merger (1) will expand Renasant’s business into new demographically attractive markets such as Auburn, Alabama, and Gainesville, Florida, as well as enhance its presence in the metro markets of Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, with minimal existing overlap; (2) will increase Renasant’s core deposit base, an important funding source; (3) will provide Renasant with an experienced management team and quality bank branches in Alabama, Georgia and Florida; and (4) will provide Renasant with the opportunity to sell Renasant’s broad array of products to Heritage’s client base, thereby increasing non-interest income through enhanced fee-based services;

its understanding of the current and prospective environment in which Renasant and Heritage operate, including national and local economic conditions,compliance mandates, the competitive environment for financial institutions generally, and the likely effect of these factors on RenasantKeyWorth both with and without the proposed transaction;

 

50


management’s expectations regarding cost synergies, accretion, dilution and internal rateeach of return that will ultimately be to the benefit ofKeyWorth’s, Renasant’s and the combined company’s stockholders, includingbusiness, operations, financial condition, asset quality, earnings and prospects. In reviewing these factors, the expectations that:

Renasant will realize cost savingsKeyWorth board considered its view that Renasant’s business and operations complement those of 20%, or approximately $15.8 million, onKeyWorth and that the merger would result in a pre-tax basis,combined company with 75%diversified revenue sources, enhanced lending capabilities, a well-balanced loan portfolio and an attractive funding base, as evidenced by a significant portion of such savings realized in 2015 and 100% fully realized in 2016 and thereafter;core deposit funding;

 

the transaction will be immediately accretive to earnings in 2015 (excluding the impactbroad experience of one-time merger-related expenses) and double-digit accretive in 2016 when cost synergies are expected to be fully phased in;

tangible book value dilution will be earned back in less than two years; and

the transaction will have an internal rate of return of approximately 20%;

its review and discussions with Renasant’s management concerning the due diligence examination of Heritage;team and its particular experience in managing and supporting its subsidiary bank with an emphasis on local decision-making and authority;

 

the complementary nature of the credit cultures of the two companies, which management believes should facilitate integration and implementation of the transaction;

 

management’s expectation that Renasantthe combined company will retain itshave a strong capital position upon completion of the transaction, with regulatory capital ratios exceeding “well-capitalized” requirements and a tangible common equity ratio of approximately 6.8% after restructuring charges;transaction;

 

the writtenfinancial terms of recent business combinations in the financial services industry and a comparison of the multiples of selected combinations with the terms of the proposed acquisition by Renasant;

the opinion of Raymond James, Renasant’sBSP, KeyWorth’s financial advisor, dated as of December 10, 2014, delivered to the RenasantKeyWorth’s board, of directors to the effect that, as of thatthe date and subject to and based on the various assumptions and qualifications set forth in the opinion, the merger consideration under the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Renasant;

the financial analyses and presentations provided by Raymond James to the Renasant board, including the presentation and analyses underlying Raymond James’ fairness opinion;

the financial and other terms of the merger agreement, including the fixed exchange ratio, tax treatment and deal protection and termination fee provisions, which it reviewed with Raymond James and Phelps Dunbar;

the regulatory and other approvals required in connection with the merger and the expectation that such regulatory approvals will be received in a timely manner and without the imposition of unacceptable conditions.

In its deliberations, Renasant’s board of directors also considered a variety of risks associated with the merger agreement and the merger, including the following (not in any relative order of importance):

the risk that potential benefits and cost synergies and other savings sought in the merger may not be realized or may not be realized within the expected time period, and the risks associated with the integration of Heritage’s business, operations and workforce with those of Renasant;

the significant risks and costs involved in connection with entering into and completing the merger, or failing to complete the merger in a timely manner, or at all, including as a result of any failure to obtain required regulatory approvals, such as the risks and costs relating to diversion of management and employee attention, potential employee attrition, and the potential effect on business and customer relationships; and

the possibility of litigation in connection with the merger.

The foregoing discussion of the information and factors considered by the Renasant board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but includes the material factors considered by the Renasant board of directors. In reaching its decision to approve the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, the Renasant board of directors did not quantify or assign any relative weights to the factors

51


considered, and individual directors may have given different weights to different factors. The Renasant board of directors considered all these factors as a whole, including discussions with, and questioning of, Renasant’s management and Renasant’s financial advisor and outside legal counsel, and overall considered the factors to be favorable to, and to support, its determination.

It should be noted that this discussion of the information and factors considered by the Renasant board of directors in this section is forward-looking in nature and, therefore, should be read in light of the factors discussed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

For the reasons set forth above, the Renasant board of directors determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are advisable and in the best interests of Renasant and its stockholders and adopted and approved the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Renasant board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the Renasant merger proposal and “FOR” the Renasant adjournment proposal.

Opinion of Heritage’s Financial Advisor

Heritage engaged Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., which we refer to as KBW, to render financial advisory and investment banking services to Heritage, including an opinion to the Heritage board of directors as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, to the holders of Heritage common stock of the exchange ratio in the proposed merger of Heritage with and into Renasant. Heritage selected KBW because KBW is a nationally recognized investment banking firm with substantial experience in transactions similar to the merger. As part of its investment banking business, KBW is continually engaged in the valuation of financial services businesses and their securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions.

As part of its engagement, representatives of KBW attended telephonically the meeting of the Heritage board held on December 9, 2014, at which the Heritage board evaluated the proposed merger. At this meeting, KBW reviewed the financial aspects of the proposed merger and rendered to the Heritage board an opinion to the effect that, as of such dateopinion, and subject to the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by KBWBSP as set forth in itssuch opinion, the exchange ratio in the proposed merger wasconsideration is fair, from a financial point of view, to KeyWorth and its shareholders, as more fully described below in the holderssection entitled “The Merger—Opinion of Heritage common stock.KeyWorth’s Financial Advisor”;

The description

the likely impact of the merger on the employees and customers of KeyWorth;

the historic and prospective business of KeyWorth;

the historical trading ranges for Renasant common stock;

the merger consideration will consist of shares of Renasant common stock, which would allow KeyWorth shareholders to participate in a significant portion of the future performance of the combined KeyWorth and Renasant business and synergies resulting from the merger, and the value to KeyWorth shareholders represented by that consideration;

Renasant has historically paid cash dividends on its common stock;

the greater liquidity in the trading market for Renasant common stock relative to the market for KeyWorth common stock due to the listing of Renasant’s shares on Nasdaq; and

the trends in the banking industry, including industry consolidation and competition.

In the course of its deliberations, the KeyWorth board also considered a variety of risks and other potentially negative factors, including the following:

a portion of the merger consideration will be paid through the issuance of a fixed number of shares of Renasant common stock and any decrease in the market price of Renasant common stock will result in a reduction in the value of the aggregate merger consideration to be received by KeyWorth’s shareholders at the time of completion of the merger;

KeyWorth’s shareholders will not necessarily know or be able to calculate the actual value of the merger consideration that they would receive upon completion of the merger;

pursuant to the merger agreement, KeyWorth must generally conduct its business in the ordinary course and is subject to a variety of other restrictions on the conduct of its business prior to closing of the merger or termination of the merger agreement, which may delay or prevent it from pursuing business opportunities that may arise or preclude actions that would be advisable if KeyWorth were to remain independent;

the possible disruption to KeyWorth’s business that may result from the announcement of the merger and the resulting distraction of management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of KeyWorth’s business;

the risks and contingencies related to the announcement and pendency of the merger, including the impact of the merger on its customers, employees, suppliers and its relationships with other third parties, including the potential negative reaction of these parties to the fact that KeyWorth would be merging with Renasant;

the potential risks associated with achieving anticipated cost synergies and savings and successfully integrating Renasant’s business, operations and workforce with those of KeyWorth;

the risk that the merger might not receive necessary regulatory approvals and clearances to complete the merger or that governmental authorities could attempt to condition the merger on one or more of the parties’ compliance with certain burdensome terms or conditions thereby permitting Renasant not to proceed with the closing;

under the terms of the merger agreement, KeyWorth cannot solicit other acquisition proposals;

the “break-up” fee provisions in the merger agreement could have the effect of discouraging superior proposals for a business combination between KeyWorth and third parties; and

the conditions to Renasant’s obligation to complete the merger and the right of Renasant to terminate the merger agreement in certain circumstances, including breaches of KeyWorth’s representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in the merger agreement.

The foregoing discussion of the reasons that led the KeyWorth board to approve the merger and recommend that KeyWorth’s shareholders vote in favor of the merger is not intended to be exhaustive, but is believed to include all of the material reasons for the KeyWorth board’s decision. In reaching its determination to approve and recommend the transaction, the KeyWorth board based its recommendation on the totality of the information presented to it and did not assign any relative or specific weights to the reasons considered in reaching that determination. After deliberating with respect to the merger with Renasant Bank, considering, among other things, the matters discussed above and the opinion of BSP referred to above and discussed immediately below, the KeyWorth board unanimously approved and adopted the merger agreement and the merger as being in the best interests of KeyWorth and its shareholders.

Opinion of KeyWorth’s Financial Advisor

Pursuant to its engagement, KeyWorth requested that BSP render a written opinion to the KeyWorth board of directors as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant

to KeyWorth shareholders as set forth hereinin the merger agreement. BSP is qualifiedan investment banking firm that specializes in providing investment banking services to financial institutions. BSP has been involved in numerous bank-related business combinations. No limitations were imposed by KeyWorth upon BSP with respect to rendering its entirety by referenceopinion.

At the October 14, 2015 meeting at which the KeyWorth board of directors considered and approved the draft merger agreement, BSP delivered to the board its written opinion which was further confirmed in writing at the meeting of the KeyWorth board of directors on October 20, 2015 when the board approved the final merger agreement. It was BSP’s opinion that as of October 20, 2015, the merger consideration was fair to KeyWorth shareholders from a financial point of view.

The full text of theBSP’s opinion which is attached as Annex B to this document and is incorporated herein by reference, and describesproxy statement/prospectus. The opinion outlines the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by KBWBSP in preparingrendering its opinion. The description of the opinion set forth below is qualified in its entirety by reference to the opinion. We urge you to read the entire opinion carefully in connection with your consideration of the proposed merger.

KBW’sThe opinion speaks only as of the date of the opinion. The opinion was for the information of, and was directed to the HeritageKeyWorth’s board of directors (in its capacity as such) in connection with its consideration of the financial terms of the merger. The opinion addressedand is directed only to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the exchange ratio in the merger consideration to the holders of Heritage common stock.KeyWorth’s shareholders. It diddoes not address theKeyWorth’s underlying business decision of Heritage to engage in the merger or enter into the merger agreement or constitute a recommendation to the Heritage boardany other aspect of directors in connection with the merger and it doesis not constitute a recommendation to any holder of Heritage common stock or any stockholder of any other entityshareholder as to how tosuch shareholder should vote in connection withat the merger or any other matter, nor does it constitute a recommendation on whether or not any such stockholder should enter into a voting, stockholders’ or affiliates’ agreementspecial meeting with respect to the merger or exercise any dissenters’ or appraisal rights that may be available to such stockholder.other matter.

KBW’sFor purposes of the opinion was reviewed and approved by KBW’s Fairness Opinion Committee in conformityconnection with its policies and procedures established under the requirements of Rule 5150review of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

52


In connection with the opinion, KBW reviewed, analyzed and relied upon material bearing upon the financial and operating condition of Heritage and Renasant and the merger, including,proposed transactions, BSP, among other things:things, did the following:

 

a draft dated December 9, 2014Reviewed the terms of the merger agreement (the most recent draft then made available to KBW);dated October 20, 2015;

 

theEvaluated KeyWorth’s and Renasant’s financial condition, asset quality, capital position and historical and projected earnings;

Reviewed KeyWorth’s audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and Annual Reports2012 and its internal, unaudited financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2015;

Reviewed Renasant’s publicly available, unaudited financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2015 and recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual report on Form 10-K for the three fiscal yearsyear ended December 31, 2013 of Heritage;

the audited financial statements and Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 of Renasant;

the unaudited financial statements and2014, as well as quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, June2015, September 30, 2014 and June 30, 2014;

Reviewed KeyWorth’s bank-level and Renasant’s bank-level and holding company-level call report filings with federal banking regulators for the periods ended June 30, 2015, March 31, 2015, December 31, 2014, September 30, 2014 of Heritage;and June 30, 2014;

 

Reviewed certain financial forecasts and projections of KeyWorth, prepared by its management, as well as the unaudited financial statementsestimated cost savings, transaction expenses and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q forother assumptions related to the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014 of Renasant;merger;

 

Analyzed certain other interim reportsaspects of KeyWorth’s and other communicationsRenasant’s financial performance and condition and compared such financial performance with similar data of Heritage and Renasantpublicly traded companies BSP deemed similar to their respective stockholders; and

other financial information concerning the businesses and operations of Heritage and Renasant furnished to KBW by Heritage and Renasant or which KBW was otherwise directed to use for purposes of KBW’s analyses.

KBW’s consideration of financial information and other factors that it deemed appropriate under the circumstances or relevant to its analyses included, among other things, the following:

the historical and current financial position and results of operations of HeritageKeyWorth and Renasant;

 

the assetsReviewed historical trading activity and liabilities of Heritage and Renasant;analysts’ consensus estimates for Renasant’s future performance;

 

Compared the nature andproposed financial terms of the merger with the financial terms of certain other recent merger and acquisition transactions and business combinations in the banking industry;

a comparison of certain financial and stock market information of Heritage and Renasant withinvolving companies that BSP deemed similar information for certain other companies the securities of which were publicly traded;

financial and operating forecasts and projections of Heritage (which information reflected the estimated pro forma impact of Heritage’s pending publicly announced acquisition of a branch from The PrivateBank and Trust Company, referred to in this section as the PrivateBank Acquisition) that were prepared by, and provided to KBW and discussed with KBW by, Heritage management and that were used and relied upon by KBW at the direction of such management with the consent of the Heritage board of directors;

publicly available consensus “street estimates” of Renasant for 2014 through 2016 that were discussed with KBW by Renasant management and used and relied upon by KBW at the direction of such management with the consent of the Heritage board of directors;KeyWorth; and

 

estimates regarding certain pro formaPerformed such other analyses and considered such other information, financial effects of the merger on Renasant (including, without limitation, the cost savingsstudies, and related expenses expected to result from the merger), that were prepared by Renasant management,investigations and provided to KBWfinancial, economic and discussed with KBW by such management, and usedmarket criteria as BSP deemed relevant.

BSP assumed and relied, without independent verification, upon by KBW at the direction of such management with the consent of the Heritage board of directors.

KBW also performed such other studies and analyses as it considered appropriate and took into account its assessment of general economic, market and financial conditions and its experience in other transactions, as well as its experience in securities valuation and knowledge of the banking industry generally. KBW also held discussions with senior management of Heritage and Renasant regarding the past and current business operations, regulatory relations, financial condition and future prospects of their respective companies and such other matters

53


that KBW deemed relevant to its inquiry. KBW was not requested to, and did not, assist Heritage with soliciting indications of interest from third parties other than Renasant regarding a potential transaction with Heritage.

In conducting its review and arriving at its opinion, KBW relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all of the financial and other information provided to it or that was publicly availableby KeyWorth, Renasant and did not independently verify the accuracy or completeness of any such information or assume any responsibility or liability for such verification, accuracy or completeness. KBW relied upon management of Heritage as to the reasonablenesstheir respective representatives and achievability of the financial and operating forecasts and projections of Heritage (and the assumptions and bases therefor) that were prepared by, and provided to KBW and discussed with KBW by, such management, and KBW assumed that such forecasts and projections were reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of such management and that such forecasts and projections would be realized in the amounts and in the time periods estimated by such management.

KBW further relied, with the consent of Heritage, upon Renasant management as to the reasonableness and achievability of the publicly available consensus “street estimates” of Renasant referred to aboveinformation that KBW was directedreviewed by such management to use as well as the estimates regarding certain pro forma financial effects of the merger on Renasant (and the assumptions and bases therefor, including, without limitation, the cost savings and related expenses expected to result from the merger) that were prepared by and provided to KBW by such management, all of which information was discussed with KBW by such management. KBW assumed, with the consent of Heritage, that all such information was consistent with (in the case of the Renasant “street estimates” referred to above), or was otherwise reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting, the best currently available estimates and judgments of Renasant management and that the forecasts, projections and estimates reflected in such information would be realized in the amounts and in the time periods estimated. KBW expressed no view or opinion as to the PrivateBank Acquisition (or any terms, aspects or implications thereof) and assumed, with the consent of Heritage, that the PrivateBank Acquisition would be consummated as described to KBW by Heritage management in the fourth quarter of 2014.

It is understood that the forecasts, projections and estimates of Heritage and Renasant provided to KBW were not prepared with the expectation of public disclosure, that all such information, together with the publicly available consensus “street estimates” of Renasant referred to above, were based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain, including, without limitation, factors related to general economic and competitive conditions and that, accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in such forecasts, projections and estimates. KBW assumed, based on discussions with the respective managements of Heritage and Renasant, that such forecasts, projections and estimates of Heritage and Renasant referred to above, provided a reasonable basis upon which KBW could form its opinion and KBW expressed no view as to any such information or the assumptions or bases therefor. KBW relied on all such information without independent verification or analysis and did not in any respect assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness thereof.

KBW also assumed that there were no material changes in the assets, liabilities, financial condition, results of operations, business or prospects of either Heritage or Renasant since the date of the last financial statements of each such entity that were made available to KBW. KBWBSP. BSP is not an expert in the independent verification of the adequacyevaluation of allowances for loan losses and KBWdid not independently verify such allowances; it relied on and assumed without independent verification and with Heritage’s consent, that the aggregatesuch allowances for loan losses for Heritageof KeyWorth and Renasant were adequate to cover such losses.losses and complied fully with applicable law, regulatory policy and sound banking practice as of the date of such financial statements. BSP was not retained to and did not conduct a physical inspection of any of the properties or facilities of KeyWorth or Renasant, did not make any independent evaluation or appraisal of the assets, liabilities or prospects of KeyWorth or Renasant, was not furnished with any such evaluation or appraisal other than third party loan reviews, and did not review any individual credit files. BSP’s opinion was necessarily based on economic, market and other conditions in effect on, and the information made available to it, as of October 14, 2015 and October 20, 2015.

BSP, as part of its investment banking business, is regularly engaged in the valuation of banks and bank holding companies, thrifts and thrift holding companies, and various other financial services companies, in connection with mergers and acquisitions, private placements of securities, and valuations for other purposes. In rendering its fairness opinion, KBW did not make or obtain any evaluations or appraisals or physical inspectionBSP acted on behalf of the property, assets or liabilities (contingent or otherwise)KeyWorth’s board of Heritage or Renasant, the collateral securing any of such assets or liabilities, or the collectability of any such assets, nor did KBW examine any individual loan or credit files, nor did it evaluate the solvency, financial capability or fair value of Heritage or Renasant under any state or federal laws, including those relatingdirectors.

BSP’s opinion is limited to bankruptcy, insolvency or other matters. Estimates of values of companies and assets do not purport to be appraisals or necessarily reflect the prices at which companies or assets may actually be sold. Because such estimates are inherently subject to uncertainty, KBW assumed no responsibility or liability for their accuracy.

54


KBW assumed, in all respects material to its analyses:

that the merger would be completed substantially in accordance with the terms set forth in the merger agreement (the final terms of which KBW assumed would not differ in any respect material to KBW’s analyses from the draft reviewed) with no adjustments to the exchange ratio or additional forms of consideration;

that any related transactions (including the merger of HeritageBank with Renasant Bank and the PrivateBank Acquisition) would be completed substantially in accordance with the terms set forth in or as contemplated by the merger agreement or as otherwise described to KBW by representatives of Heritage;

that the representations and warranties of each party in the merger agreement and in all related documents and instruments referred to in the merger agreement were true and correct;

that each party to the merger agreement and all related documents would perform all of the covenants and agreements required to be performed by such party under such documents;

that there were no factors that would delay or subject to any adverse conditions, any necessary regulatory or governmental approval for the merger or any related transaction and that all conditions to the completion of the merger and any related transaction would be satisfied without any waivers or modifications to the merger agreement; and

that in the course of obtaining the necessary regulatory, contractual, or other consents or approvals for the merger and any related transaction, no restrictions, including any divestiture requirements, termination or other payments or amendments or modifications, would be imposed that would have a material adverse effect on the future results of operations or financial condition of Heritage, Renasant or the combined entity or the contemplated benefits of the merger, including the cost savings and related expenses expected to result from the merger.

KBW assumed that the merger would be consummated in a manner that complied with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and all other applicable federal and state statutes, rules and regulations. KBW further assumed that Heritage relied upon the advice of its counsel, independent accountants and other advisors (other than KBW) as to all legal, financial reporting, tax, accounting and regulatory matters with respect to Heritage, Renasant, the merger, any related transaction (including the merger of HeritageBank with Renasant Bank and the PrivateBank Acquisition), and the merger agreement. KBW did not provide advice with respect to any such matters.

KBW’s opinion addressed only the fairness, from a financial point of view, as of the datemerger consideration to be paid to holders of the opinion, of the exchange ratioKeyWorth common stock in the merger and does not address the ability of the merger to be consummated, the satisfaction of the conditions precedent contained in the merger agreement or the likelihood of the merger receiving regulatory approval. Although BSP was retained on behalf of KeyWorth’s board of directors, its opinion does not constitute a recommendation as to how any shareholder should vote with respect to the merger agreement (and did not constitute a recommendation to any KeyWorth director as to how such KeyWorth director should vote).

Based upon and subject to the foregoing and based on BSP’s experience as investment bankers, BSP’s activities as described above, and other factors they deemed relevant, BSP rendered its opinion that, as of October 20, 2015, the merger consideration to be paid to the holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock. KBW expressed no view or opinion as to any other terms or aspects of the merger or any related transaction (including the merger of HeritageBank with Renasant Bank and the PrivateBank Acquisition), including without limitation, the form or structure of the merger or any related transaction, any consequences of the merger to Heritage, its stockholders, creditors or otherwise, or any terms, aspects or implications of any voting, support, stockholder or other agreements, arrangements or understandings contemplated or entered into in connection with the merger or otherwise. KBW’s opinion was necessarily based upon conditions as they existed and could be evaluated on the date of such opinion and the information made available to KBW through such date. Developments subsequent to the date of KBW’s opinion may have affected, and may affect, the conclusion reached in KBW’s opinion and KBW did not and does not have an obligation to update, revise or reaffirm its opinion. KBW’s opinion did not address, and KBW expressed no view or opinion with respect to:

the underlying business decision of Heritage to engagestock in the merger or enter into the merger agreement;

the relative meritsis fair, from a financial point of the merger as compared to any strategic alternatives that are, have been or may be available to or contemplated by Heritage or the Heritage board of directors;

55


the fairness of the amount or nature of any compensation to any of Heritage’s officers directors or employees, or any class of such persons, relative to any compensationview, to the holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock;

the effect of the merger or any related transaction on, or the fairness of the consideration to be received by, holders of any class of securities of Heritage, other than the Heritage common stock (solely with respect to the exchange ratio, as set forth in KBW’s opinion, and not relative to the consideration to be received by any other class of Heritage securities), or any class of securities of Renasant, or any other party to any transaction contemplated by the merger agreement;

the actual value of the Renasant common stock to be issued in the merger;

the prices, trading range or volume at which Heritage common stock or Renasant common stock would trade following the public announcement of the merger or the prices, trading range or volume at which Renasant common stock would trade following consummation of the merger;

any advice or opinions provided by any other advisor to any of the parties to the merger or any other transaction contemplated by the merger agreement; or

any legal, regulatory, accounting, tax or similar matters relating to Heritage, Renasant, their respective stockholders, or relating to or arising out of or as a consequence of the merger or any related transaction (including the merger of HeritageBank with Renasant Bank and the PrivateBank Acquisition), including whether or not the merger would qualify as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes.

In performing its analyses, KBW made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, which are beyond the control of KBW, Heritage and Renasant. Any estimates contained in the analyses performed by KBW are not necessarily indicative of actual values or future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by these analyses. Additionally, estimates of the value of businesses or securities do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices at which such businesses or securities might actually be sold. Accordingly, these analyses and estimates are inherently subject to substantial uncertainty. In addition, the KBW opinion was among several factors taken into consideration by the Heritage board of directors in making its determination to approve the merger agreement and the merger. Consequently, the analyses described below should not be viewed as determinative of the decision of the Heritage board of directors with respect to the fairness of the exchange ratio. The type and amount of consideration payable in the merger were determined through negotiation between Heritage and Renasant and the decision to enter into the merger agreement was solely that of the Heritage board of directors.stock.

The following is a summary of the material financial analyses presentedperformed by KBW to the Heritage board of directorsBSP in connection with its opinion.opinion to the KeyWorth board of directors on October 20, 2015. The summary isdoes not purport to be a complete description of the financial analyses underlying the opinion or the presentation made by KBW to the Heritage board of directors,performed but summarizes the material analyses performed and presented in connection with such opinion. The financial analyses summarized below include information presented in tabular format. The tables alone do not constitute a complete description

Summary of the Proposed Merger

BSP reviewed the financial analyses. The preparationterms of a fairness opinion is a complex analytic process involving various determinations as to appropriatethe proposed transaction. In accordance with the terms of the merger agreement, each share of KeyWorth common stock issued and relevant methods of financial analysis and the application of those methodsoutstanding immediately prior to the particular circumstances. Therefore, a fairness opinion is not readily susceptible to partial analysis or summary description. In arriving at its opinion, KBW did not attribute any particular weight to any analysis or factor that it considered, but rather made qualitative judgmentsEffective Time, as to the significance and relevance of each analysis and factor. Accordingly, KBW believes that its analyses and the summary of its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting portions of its analyses and factors or focusing on the information presented below in tabular format, without considering all analyses and factors or the full narrative description of the financial analyses, including the methodologies and assumptions underlying the analyses, could create a misleading or incomplete view of the process underlying its analyses and opinion. For purposes of the financial

56


analyses described below, KBW utilized an implied transaction value for the proposed merger of $27.58 per share of Heritage common stock based on the 0.9266x exchange ratiodefined in the merger agreement (excluding shares owned by KeyWorth, Renasant or any of Renasant’s subsidiaries, unless such shares are held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the closing pricelike or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted, and shares held by dissenting shareholders) shall be converted into the right to receive 0.4494 of a share of Renasant common stock (the “merger consideration”), plus cash in lieu of fractional shares. Based on December 9, 2014. In additionRenasant’s closing stock price of $34.35 on October 19, 2015, total implied merger consideration (excluding cash payable to the financial analyses described below, KBW reviewed with the Heritage boardholders of directors for informational purposes, among other things, implied transaction statistics for the proposed merger of 24.0x, 14.9xoptions and 12.6x Heritage’s estimated 2014, 2015 and 2016 earnings per share,warrants to acquire KeyWorth common stock) is $56.2 million, or EPS, respectively, using consensus “street estimates” for Heritage and based on the implied transaction value for the proposed merger of $27.58$15.44 per share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock.

Selected Companies Analyses. Using publicly available information, KBW compared BSP summarized the financial performance, financial condition and market performance of Heritage to the following 15 selected banks and thrifts headquartered in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee that were tradedmerger terms, based on Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange or NYSE MKT with total assets between $1.0 billion and $4.0 billion:

Ameris Bancorp

C1 Financial, Inc.

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc.

Colony Bankcorp, Inc.

CenterState Banks, Inc.

Palmetto Bancshares, Inc.

Fidelity Southern Corporation

Carolina Financial Corporation

State Bank Financial Corporation

First Security Group, Inc.

Capital City Bank Group, Inc.

Charter Financial Corporation

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Southern First Bancshares, Inc.

Stonegate Bank

To perform this analysis, KBW used most recent quarter (“MRQ”) profitability data and otherKeyWorth’s financial information as of or for the fiscal quarter or, where indicated, the latest 12 months (“LTM”) ended, SeptemberJune 30, 2014 and market price information as of December 9, 2014. KBW also used 2014, 2015, and 2016 EPS estimates of Heritage and the selected companies taken from consensus “street estimates.” Certain financial data prepared by KBW, as referenced in the tables presented below, may not correspond to the data presented in Heritage’s historical financial statements, or the data prepared by Raymond James presented under the section “The Merger—Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor,” as a result of the different assumptions and methods used by KBW to compute the financial data presented.

KBW’s analysis showed the following concerning the financial performance of Heritage and the selected companies:table below.

 

   HBOS  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

MRQ Core Return on Average Assets (1)

   0.86  0.57  0.75  0.85  1.05

MRQ Core Return on Average Equity (1)

   9.60  5.22  7.70  8.09  10.42

MRQ Net Interest Margin

   4.84  3.52  3.69  3.88  4.01

MRQ Efficiency Ratio

   74.2  62.5  69.2  69.7  78.1
  RNST Offer
Per Exchange
Formula
  Formula Lock
x Last Close In
RNST Stock
 
  

Renasant Share Value

  $33.38      $34.35    

Date of Value

  10/19/15    10/19/15  

Valuation Method

  
 
20-day closing
average,
  
  
  
 
Fixed Exchange
x RNST Close
  
  
  10/19/15    on 10/19/15  
  

Value Per KeyWorth Share

  $15.00    $15.44  

Form of Payment

  100% Stock    100% Stock  

Exchange Ratio

  0.4494    0.4494  

Total Transaction Value (“TTV”)

  

Common Transaction Value ($mm)

  54.6    56.2  

Options/Warrants Cash ($mm)

  4.1    4.1  

Total Transaction Value ($mm)

  58.7    60.3  

Multiples (As of 06/30/15 figures)

  

TTV/TBV

  136.2%    139.9%  

TTV/LTM Earnings (x)

  21.0    21.6  

TTV/ Assets

  15.1%    15.5%  

TTV Premium/ Core Deposits

  5.3%    5.8%  

(1)Core income excludes extraordinary items, non-recurring items and gains / (losses) on sale of securities.

57


KBW’s analysis also showed the following concerning the financial condition of Heritage and the selected companies:

   HBOS (1)  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

Tangible Common Equity / Tangible Assets

   7.62  8.38  8.93  10.36  10.94

Leverage Ratio

   9.23  9.79  10.75  11.40  11.66

Total Capital Ratio

   12.00  13.49  15.45  16.75  17.92

Loans / Deposits(2)

   87.1  79.2  86.3  85.9  91.6

Loan Loss Reserve / Gross Loans

   0.81  1.42  1.28  1.26  1.13

Nonperforming Assets / Loans + OREO(3)

   1.32  4.37  2.53  3.19  1.82

LTM Net Charge-Offs / Average Loans

   0.04  0.34  0.15  0.19  (0.02%) 

(1)Reflects capital and balance sheet data of Heritage pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition provided to KBW by Heritage management.
(2)Includes loans held for investment and loans held for sale.
(3)Asset quality ratios adjusted to exclude loans and OREO covered by FDIC loss share agreements; nonperforming assets include nonaccrual loans, restructured loans and OREO.

In addition, KBW’s analysis showed the following concerning the market performance of Heritage and, to the extent publicly available, the selected companies (excluding the impact of the LTM and 2014 EPS multiples for selected companies considered to be not meaningful because they were either negative or greater than 30.0x):

   HBOS  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

One-Year Stock Price Change

   17.1  8.5  13.5  19.0  25.9

One-Year Total Return

   18.8  9.1  13.5  19.7  26.7

Stock Price / Book Value per Share(1)

   124.6  121.1  135.6  140.5  158.7

Stock Price / Tangible Book Value per Share(1)

   140.1  129.2  145.9  150.2  161.1

Stock Price / LTM EPS

   19.4  14.2  17.5  19.2  25.4

Stock Price / 2014 EPS

   18.9  14.8  19.5  19.8  24.2

Stock Price / 2015 EPS

   11.7  13.3  15.6  16.5  19.8

Stock Price / 2016 EPS

   10.0  11.7  12.2  13.4  16.2

Dividend Yield(2)

   1.3  0.0  0.6  0.7  1.0

Dividend Payout(3)

   26.9  0.0  11.8  15.4  16.7

(1)Reflects book value and tangible book value data of Heritage pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition provided to KBW by Heritage management.
(2)MRQ dividend annualized as a percentage of stock price.
(3)MRQ dividend annualized as a percentage of annualized MRQ EPS.

Using publicly available information, KBW compared the financial performance, financial condition and market performance of Renasant to the following 12 selected banks and thrifts headquartered in the Southeast (defined as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) that were traded on Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange or NYSE MKT with total assets between $4.0 billion and $8.0 billion:

South State Corporation

WesBanco, Inc.

United Community Banks, Inc.

FCB Financial Holdings, Inc.

Home BancShares, Inc.

Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.

Union Bankshares Corporation

TowneBank

Capital Bank Financial Corp.

Simmons First National Corporation

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.

Yadkin Financial Corporation

58


To perform this analysis, KBW used MRQ profitability data and other financial information as of, or for the fiscal quarter or, where indicated, the latest 12 months ended September 30, 2014 and market price information as of December 9, 2014. KBW also used 2014, 2015 and 2016 EPS estimates of Renasant and the selected companies taken from consensus “street estimates.” Certain financial data prepared by KBW, as referenced in the tables presented below, may not correspond to the data presented in Renasant’s historical financial statements, or the data prepared by Raymond James presented under the section “The Merger—Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor,” as a result of the different assumptions and methods used by KBW to compute the financial data presented.

KBW’s analysis showed the following concerning the financial performance for Renasant and the selected companies:

   RNST  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

MRQ Core Return on Average Assets (1)

   1.05  0.92  1.07  1.14  1.22

MRQ Core Return on Average Equity (1)

   8.70  7.80  9.15  9.00  9.83

MRQ Net Interest Margin

   4.15  3.59  4.16  4.21  4.66

MRQ Efficiency Ratio

   61.4  56.1  59.7  57.9  63.6

(1)Core income excludes extraordinary items, non-recurring items and gains / (losses) on sale of securities.

KBW’s analysis also showed the following concerning the financial condition of Renasant and the selected companies:

   RNST  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

Tangible Common Equity / Tangible Assets

   7.37  8.16  9.26  9.74  10.27

Leverage Ratio

   9.31  9.34  10.13  10.71  11.61

Total Capital Ratio

   13.43  13.37  13.78  14.40  14.25

Loans / Deposits(1)

   83.7  85.7  89.5  87.3  92.6

Loan Loss Reserve / Gross Loans

   1.12  1.10  1.03  0.97  0.71

Nonperforming Assets / Loans + OREO(2)

   2.04  2.24  1.55  1.64  1.22

LTM Net Charge-Offs / Average Loans

   0.22  0.20  0.16  0.18  0.13

(1)Includes loans held for investment and loans held for sale.
(2)Asset quality ratios adjusted to exclude loans and OREO covered by FDIC loss share agreements; nonperforming assets include nonaccrual loans, restructured loans and OREO.

59


In addition, KBW’s analysis showed the following concerning the market performance of Renasant and, to the extent publicly available, the selected companies (excluding the impact of the LTM EPS multiple for one of the selected companies considered to be not meaningful because it was greater than 30.0x):

   RNST  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

One-Year Stock Price Change

   (0.2%)   1.7  9.4  9.3  14.3

One-Year Total Return

   2.2  4.2  9.4  10.7  16.3

Stock Price / Book Value per Share

   134.0  116.9  140.7  158.9  165.3

Stock Price / Tangible Book Value per Share

   233.5  150.0  189.6  214.9  258.6

Stock Price / LTM EPS

   17.0  18.1  21.3  20.8  24.5

Stock Price / 2014 EPS

   15.8  17.3  19.2  20.8  25.3

Stock Price / 2015 EPS

   14.3  13.7  14.9  15.5  16.5

Stock Price / 2016 EPS

   13.1  12.2  13.5  13.9  14.9

Dividend Yield(1)

   2.3  0.5  1.3  1.3  2.2

Dividend Payout(2)

   34.7  7.8  25.3  21.8  33.1

(1)MRQ dividend annualized as a percentage of stock price.
(2)MRQ dividend annualized as a percentage of annualized MRQ EPS.

No company used as a comparison in the above selected companies analyses is identical to Heritage or Renasant. Accordingly, an analysis of these results is not mathematical. Rather, it involves complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operating characteristics of the companies involved.

Select Transactions Analysis. KBW reviewed publicly available information related to 19 selected bank and thrift transactions announced after January 1, 2013 with transaction values between $100 million and $500 million with acquirors that were traded on Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange or NYSE MKT and targets headquartered in the Southeast. Terminated transactions, mergers of equals and acquisitions of targets in bankruptcy were excluded from the selected transactions. The selected transactions included in the group were:

Acquiror:

Acquired Company:

IBERIABANK Corporation

Georgia Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

BNC Bancorp

Valley Financial Corporation

IBERIABANK Corporation

Old Florida Bancshares, Inc.

BB&T Corporation

Bank of Kentucky Financial Corporation

TowneBank

Franklin Financial Corporation

Eagle Bancorp, Inc.

Virginia Heritage Bank

Valley National Bancorp

1st United Bancorp, Inc.

Simmons First National Corporation

Community First Bancshares, Inc.

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.

Summit Bancorp, Inc.

CenterState Banks, Inc.

First Southern Bancorp, Inc.

Yadkin Financial Corporation

VantageSouth Bancshares, Inc.

IBERIABANK Corporation

Teche Holding Company

BancorpSouth, Inc.

Ouachita Bancshares Corp.

First Federal Bancshares of Arkansas, Inc.

First National Security Company

Home BancShares, Inc.

Liberty Bancshares, Inc.

Union First Market Bankshares

StellarOne Corporation

SCBT Financial Corporation

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

Renasant Corporation

First M&F Corporation

United Bankshares, Inc.

Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc.

60


For each selected transaction, KBW derived the following implied transaction statistics, in each case based on the transaction consideration value per common share paid for the acquired company and the latest publicly available financial statements for the acquired company available prior to the announcement of the acquisition:

Price to tangible book value per share of the acquired company;

Tangible equity premium to core deposits (total deposits less time deposits greater than $100,000), referred to as core deposit premium; and

Price to LTM EPS of the acquired company.

KBW also reviewed the price per common share paid for the acquired company for each selected transaction in which the acquired company was publicly traded as a premium to the closing price of the acquired company one day prior to the announcement of the acquisition (expressed as a percentage and referred to as the one-day market premium). The above transaction statistics for the selected transactions were compared with the corresponding transaction statistics for the proposed merger based on the implied transaction value for the proposed merger of $27.58 per share of Heritage common stock and using financial information for Heritage as of September 30, 2014 (pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition as provided by Heritage management in the case of capital and balance sheet data of Heritage) and the closing price of Heritage common stock on December 9, 2014.

The results of the analysis (excluding the impact of the LTM EPS multiples for selected transactions considered to be not meaningful because they were either negative or greater than 30.0x) are set forth in the following table:

   HBOS (1)  Selected Companies 
   25th
Percentile
  Median  Average  75th
Percentile
 

Price / Tangible Book Value per Share

   178  140  177  167  188

Core Deposit Premium

   12.3  5.6  8.0  8.7  11.8

Price / LTM EPS

   24.6  13.2  15.9  16.6  18.9

One-Day Market Premium

   27.1  12.8  20.3  24.8  33.1

(1)Reflects balance sheet data of Heritage pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition provided to KBW by Heritage management.

No company or transaction used as a comparison in the above selected transaction analysis is identical to Heritage or the proposed merger. Accordingly, an analysis of these results is not mathematical. Rather, it involves complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operating characteristics of the companies involved.

61


Relative Contribution Analysis. KBW analyzed

BSP reviewed the relative standalone contributioncontributions of KeyWorth and Renasant and Heritage (pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition) to various pro forma balance sheet and income statement items and the pro forma market capitalization of the combined entity.company with respect to certain financial and operating measurements. This analysis excluded purchase accounting adjustments. To perform this analysis, KBW used (i) balance sheet data for Renasant and Heritage (pro forma forwas based on the PrivateBank Acquisition as provided by Heritage management) asprojected financial statements of September 30, 2014, (ii) net income consensus “street estimates” for Renasant and net income estimates for Heritage provided by Heritage management and (iii) market price databoth parties as of December 9, 2014. 31, 2015, using KeyWorth management projections and the mean analyst projections at the time for Renasant. BSP then compared these contributions to the pro forma stock ownership interests of KeyWorth and Renasant shareholders based on the exchange ratio.

The following table indicates what KeyWorth’s and Renasant’s percentage contributions would have been on a pro forma basis to the combined company, excluding merger synergies and merger accounting adjustments, in the categories listed:

                   
   

Renasant

                ($000)

  KeyWorth
             ($000)
  

Combined
(Unmarked)

                ($000)

  

Seller

    Contribution

    

Total Assets at 12/31/15

  7,915,125    413,831    8,328,956    5.0%    

Gross Loans at 12/31/15

  5,350,000    269,744    5,619,744    4.8%    

TCE at 12/31/15

  1,000,000    45,174    1,045,174    4.3%    

2015 Core Net Income

  76,500    3,084    79,584    3.9%    

2016 Net Income

  98,000    3,299    101,299    3.3%    

2017 Net Income

  105,500    

 

4,157

 

  

 

  109,657    3.8%    

Average Contribution:

     4.2%    
  

Seller Pro Forma Common Ownership:

  

   3.9%    

Seller Pro Forma Ownership, Assuming Options and Warrants Rolled Forward:

  

  4.7%    
                   

Selected Peer Group Analysis – KeyWorth

BSP used publicly available information to compare selected financial information for KeyWorth to four peer groups of publicly traded financial institutions that BSP deemed relevant for purposes of its analysis. BSP compared selected operating results of KBW’s analysis are set forthKeyWorth to (a) 34 banks in a nine-state Southeast region with Total Assets between $300 million and $500 million and last-12-months earnings of more than $0 as of the most recent period available (“Asset Size Peers”); (b) 16 banks in the followingnine-state Southeast region with Total Assets between $300 million and $500 million and last-12-months Return on Average Equity of between 4.0% and 8.0% (“Earnings Performance Peers”); (c) 11 banks in the nine-state Southeast region with Total Assets between $300 million and $500 million and Tangible Common Equity ratios between 10.0% and 14.0% as of the most recent period available (“Capitalization Peers”); and (d) 12 banks in the nine-state Southeast region with Total Assets between $300 million and $500 million and Nonperforming Assets-To-Total Assets ratios of less than 2.0% as of the most recent period available (“Asset Quality Peers”).

Applying these peer median trading multiples, as shown in the table which also comparesbelow, to KeyWorth relevant financial metrics implied a range of values, including a 10.0% marketability discount adjustment, of $8.77 to $11.78 per share.

   Price/
TBVPS
06/30/15
TBV
  Price/
Earnings
LTM EPS
 

  Asset Size Peer Group Median

   98.3  12.7  

  Implied KeyWorth Valuation

  $10.48   $8.77  

  Earnings Performance Peer Group Median

   98.9  17.1  

  Implied KeyWorth Valuation

  $10.54   $11.78  

  Capitalization Peer Group Median

   106.8  16.6  

  Implied KeyWorth Valuation

  $11.38   $11.46  

  Asset Quality Peer Group Median

   107.3  16.6  

  Implied KeyWorth Valuation

  $11.43   $11.46  

No company used in the selected peer group analysis described above is identical to KeyWorth. Accordingly, an analysis of the results of KBW’s analysisthe foregoing necessarily involves complex considerations and judgements concerning financial and operating characteristics and other factors that could affect the merger, public trading or other values of the companies to which they are being compared.

Selected Mergers Analysis

BSP used publicly available information to compare the resulting pricing metrics for the merger to the metrics of five groups of announced merger transactions that BSP deemed relevant for purposes of its analysis. First, BSP compared the total transaction value at announcement to those reported for whole bank and bank-holding-company mergers for sellers in Georgia with less than $1 billion in Total Assets (announced since the implied pro forma ownership percentagesbeginning of Renasant and Heritage respective stockholders2013). The results were as shown in the combined company based on the 0.9266x exchange ratiotable below.

              Transaction Price/      Target Announcement Financials    
   

Buyer Name/ Target Name

 

 

Announce
Date

 

  Merger
Value
($mm)
  Earnings
(x)
  Tangible
Book
(%)
  Assets
(%)
  Premium/
Core
Deposits
(%)
  Total
Assets
($000)
  Tangible
Equity
Ratio
(%)
  LTM
ROAE
(%)
  NPAs/
Assets
(%)
    
              
  

 Renasant Corp./KeyWorth Bank

      60.3��   21.6    139.9    15.5    5.8    388,931    11.04    6.59    0.60    
              
  

 Median

   25.4    17.9    137.3    15.4    5.5    163,403    11.68    6.67    2.39    
  

 25th Percentile

   19.0    13.2    111.6    13.8    3.0    144,203    10.45    5.21    1.24    
  

 75th Percentile

   34.5    24.3    141.5    17.7    7.7    201,560    12.78    8.16    4.51    
  

 Southern States Bancshares/ Columbus Community Bank

  07/21/15    21.4    17.9    140.2    17.5    9.3    122,154    12.50    8.14    1.87    
  

 Hamilton State Bancshares/ Highland Financial

  05/15/15    20.1    24.3    143.4    15.5    7.1    129,628    10.77    6.36    1.28    
  

 Community & Southern/ Community Business Bank

  01/30/15    27.4    27.0    140.9    18.4    9.4    149,061    13.05    5.39    0.35    
  

 ServisFirst Bancshares/ Metro Bancshares

  10/20/14    41.2    37.4    153.8    19.5    11.1    211,296    11.66    4.67    2.29    
  

 State Bank Financial/ Georgia-Carolina Bancshares

  06/24/14    82.3    16.9    138.3    15.7    6.9    523,083    11.37    8.23    2.48    
  

 Community & Southern / Alliance Bancshares

  05/16/14    15.5    NM    136.2    9.9    5.1    156,762    9.50    7.01    2.57    
  

 State Bank Financial/ Atlanta Bancorp.

  04/28/14    25.2    4.1    98.6    12.7    (0.5  198,314    12.69    29.15    4.45    
  

 Ameris Bancorp/ Coastal Bankshares

  03/11/14    37.3    NM    192.1    14.2    5.9    432,787    4.46    3.09    5.54    
  

 South Georgia Bank/ Dooly Bancshares

  11/08/13    15.0    20.6    102.3    14.9    0.5    100,848    14.92    6.58    7.29    
  

 Community & Southern/ Verity Capital Group

  09/04/13    25.6    9.4    128.1    15.2    5.0    169,288    11.69    14.31    1.11    
  

 Hamilton State Bancshares/ Cherokee Banking Co.

  08/27/13    8.5    13.2    100.8    7.2    0.1    168,004    5.03    6.76    4.67    
  

 First Community/ Savannah River Financial

  08/14/13    33.6    NM    114.7    21.1    3.8    158,801    13.67    3.42    0.62    
                                             

BSP also compared selected operating results of KeyWorth to (a) 20 bank mergers in the proposed merger:nine-state Southeast region announced after January 1, 2014 involving sellers with Total Assets between $200 million and $500 million as of the most recent period prior to announcement (“Asset Size Peer Transactions”); (b) 19 bank mergers in the nine-state Southeast region announced after January 1, 2014 involving sellers with Total Assets between $200 million and $500 million and sellers’ last-12-months Return on Average Equity between 4% and 8% as of the most recent period prior to announcement (“Earnings Performance Peer Transactions”); (c) 14 bank mergers in the nine-state Southeast region announced after January 1, 2014 involving sellers with Total Assets between $200 million and $500 million and sellers’ Nonperforming Assets-To-Total Assets ratios between 0.50% and 1.25% as of the most recent period prior to announcement (“Asset Quality Peer Transactions”); and (d) 19 bank mergers in the nine-state Southeast region announced after January 1, 2014 involving sellers with Total Assets between $200 million and $500 million and sellers’ Tangible Equity ratios between 10.0% and 12.0% as of the most recent period prior to announcement (“Tangible Equity Peer Transactions”). BSP evaluated the 25th percentile, 75th percentile and median transaction multiples from those peer transactions, as shown in the table below.

 

   RNST
as a %
of Total
  HBOS
as a %

of Total
 

Balance Sheet:

   

Assets

   75.3  24.7

Gross Loans

   78.2  21.8

Deposits

   78.9  21.1

Equity

   81.4  18.6

Tangible Common Equity

   73.9  26.1

Net Income to Common:

   

LTM GAAP Net Income

   86.7  13.3

2015 Estimated GAAP Net Income

   78.9  21.1

2016 Estimated GAAP Net Income

   77.7  22.3

Market Capitalization:

   

Current Market Capitalization

   82.5  17.5

Ownership:

   

100% stock at 0.9266x exchange ratio

   78.8  21.2
                         
      P/E
(x),
LTM
EPS
   P/TBV
(%)
   Price/
Assets
(%)
   Core
Deposit
Premium
(%)
    
            
  

Asset Size Peers Median

   20.2     142.9     13.6     5.9    
  

Asset Size 25th Percentile

   15.6     132.9     12.5     4.7    
  

Asset Size 75th Percentile

   25.0     156.1     16.8     7.3    
            
  

Earnings Performance Peers Median

   23.5     136.6     13.4     5.9    
  

Earnings Performance 25th Percentile

   18.2     117.1     12.5     3.7    
  

Earnings Performance 75th Percentile

   26.0     152.2     17.1     8.7    
            
  

Asset Quality Peers Median

   20.2     126.9     15.3     5.2    
  

Asset Quality 25th Percentile

   14.8     115.2     12.4     2.5    
  

Asset Quality 75th Percentile

   25.7     158.5     18.1     8.2    
            
  

Tangible Equity Peers Median

   20.1     136.6     14.2     5.9    
  

Tangible Equity 25th Percentile

   16.3     113.8     12.1     2.8    
  

Tangible Equity 75th Percentile

   24.8     155.1     17.0     8.7    
                         

Pro Forma Financial Impact Analysis. KBW performed a pro forma financial impact analysis that combined projected income statement and balance sheet information of Renasant and Heritage. Using closing balance sheet estimates as of June 30, 2015 for Renasant and Heritage (pro forma forNo company used in the PrivateBank Acquisition) provided by Renasant management, net income consensus “street estimates” for Renasant, net income estimates for Heritage provided by Renasant management and pro forma assumptions (including certain purchase accounting adjustments, cost savings and related expenses) provided by Renasant management, KBW analyzed the potential financial impactselected merger groups described above is identical to KeyWorth. Accordingly, an analysis of the merger on certain projected financial results of Renasant. This analysis indicatedthe foregoing necessarily involves complex considerations and judgements concerning financial and operating characteristics and other factors that could affect the merger, could be accretive to Renasant’s 2015 estimated EPS, accretive to Renasant’s 2016 estimated EPS, accretive to Renasant’s estimated book value per share as of June 30, 2015 and dilutive to Renasant’s estimated tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2015. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that, pro forma for the proposed merger, each of Renasant’s tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio, Leverage Ratio, Tier 1 Common Ratio, Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital Ratio and Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio as of June 30, 2015 could be lower. For allpublic trading or other values of the above, the actual results achieved by Renasant following the merger may vary from the projected results, and the variations may be material.companies to which they are being compared.

Discounted Cash Flow Analysis.Present Value Analysis – KeyWorth KBW

BSP performed a discounted cash flowpresent value analysis to estimate a range for the implied equityof present values of KeyWorth’s projected 2018 terminal value, of Heritage (pro forma for the PrivateBank Acquisition). In this analysis, KBW used financial forecasts and projections relating to theon a standalone basis, based upon management’s internal earnings and assets of Heritage (pro formabalance sheet forecast for the PrivateBank Acquisition) prepared, and provided to KBW, by Heritage management, and assumed discount rates ranging from 12.0% to 17.0%. The ranges of values were derived by adding (i)2015 through 2018. In determining the present value of the estimated free cash flows that Heritage could generate over the period from Q4 2014 to 2018 asKeyWorth’s common stock, BSP utilized a standalone company, and (ii) the present value of Heritage’s implied terminal value at the end of such period. KBW assumed that Heritage would maintain a tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio of 8.00% and would retain sufficient earnings

62


to maintain that level. In calculating the terminal value of Heritage, KBW appliedbased on a range of 11.0xterminal earnings multiples of 10x to 16.0x estimated 2019 earnings. This discounted cash flow analysis resulted in16x terminal year earnings and a range of terminal tangible book value multiples of 110% to 140% of terminal year tangible book value, respectively. The terminal value was then discounted to the present using an estimated discount rate range of 11% to 15%, chosen to reflect the risk of the current operating environment and the risk of KeyWorth based on BSP’s experience as a financial advisor.

As illustrated in the tables below, the range of total franchise values, on a present value basis, based on the assumptions regarding terminal earnings multiples and discount rates ranged from $31.8 million to $57.5 million.

The range of total franchise values, on a present value basis, based on the assumptions regarding terminal tangible book value multiples and discount rates ranged from $39.1 million to $56.3 million. Both of these ranges were less than the implied values per sharetotal transaction value on October 20, 2015, the date of Heritage common stockthe announcement of approximately $19.07 per share to $31.96 per share.the merger.

The

Franchise
Value
   Terminal Tangible Book Multiples
  110%  120%  130%  140%

LOGO

   11%    44,240  48,262  52,284  56,306
   12%    42,873  46,770  50,668  54,566
   13%    41,560  45,338  49,116  52,894
   14%    40,298  43,961  47,624  51,288
   15%    39,084  42,638  46,191  49,744

Franchise

Value

   Terminal Earnings Multiples
  10.0  12.0  14.0  16.0

LOGO

   11%    35,943  43,132  50,320  57,509
   12%    34,832  41,799  48,765  55,732
   13%    33,765  40,518  47,272  54,025
   14%    32,740  39,288  45,836  52,384
   15%    31,754  38,105  44,456  50,807

BSP noted that the discounted cash flow analysis is a widely used valuation methodology, but the results of such methodology are highly dependent onupon the numerous assumptions that must be made, including asset and earnings growth rates, terminal values, dividend payout rates, and discount rates. The analysis didthe results thereof are not purport to benecessarily indicative of the actual values or expectedfuture results.

Selected Peer Group Analysis – Renasant

BSP used publicly available information to compare selected financial information for Renasant to a group of 19 publicly traded, liquid financial institutions that BSP deemed relevant for purposes of its analysis. The primary attributes that BSP used in selecting the peer banks was southeastern-based banks with Total Assets of $2.5 billion to $10.0 billion and average daily trading volume of more than 10,000 shares. BSP compared selected operating results at or for the 12 months ended June 30, 2015 and trading metrics based on the closing stock price on October 19, 2015 for Renasant to those of the peer group members. The results of the comparison are shown in the table below:

            Financial and Performance Figures  Trading Data  

 

                                        Price/  

Current
Div.
Yield

(%)

    

 

  

 

 Company Name Ticker State 

Total
Assets

($000)

  

NPAs/
Assets

(%)

  

TCE
Ratio

(%)

  

ROAE

(%)

  

NIM

(%)

  

Eff’ncy
Ratio

(%)

  

ADV

(shares)

  LTM
EPS
(x)
  2015E
EPS
(x)
  2016E
EPS
(x)
  

MRQ
TBV

(%)

  

MRQ
Assets

(%)

   
                   
  

Renasant Corp.

 RNST MS  5,899,190    1.30    7.78    8.64    4.10    61.6    143,870    17.7    16.4    14.3    249.2    18.7    1.85    
                   
  

Median

    4,327,052    1.14    9.30    6.73    3.73    62.5    107,897    20.0    17.1    15.3    172.1    18.2    0.85    
  

25th Percentile

    3,337,623    0.70    8.46    5.10    3.49    57.6    81,251    17.5    15.9    13.9    159.9    15.8    0.52    
  

75th Percentile

    6,561,871    1.57    10.25    9.69    4.40    67.3    140,982    24.2    21.0    17.0    217.8    21.7    1.61    
  
  

United Community Banks

 UCBI GA  8,246,303    1.18    9.69    9.45    3.31    57.2    289,733    17.5    16.0    14.2    159.5    16.4    1.11    
  

South State Corp.

 SSB SC  8,084,984    0.71    8.56    9.04    4.68    62.5    85,850    20.9    18.6    16.9    282.5    23.0    1.29    
  

Union Bankshares Corp.

 UBSH VA  7,497,706    0.69    9.30    6.19    4.01    62.5    127,178    19.0    17.0    15.3    172.1    15.6    2.89    
  

Capital Bank Financial

 CBF FL  7,054,501    1.01    13.15    4.84    4.02    67.7    116,986    29.3    25.1    20.1    162.0    21.0    0.00    
  

FCB Financial Holdings

 FCB FL  6,607,198    0.91    11.80    1.45    3.58    52.6    199,997    NM    17.3    14.5    172.6    22.4    0.00    
  

Pinnacle Financial Partners

 PNFP TN  6,516,544    0.51    9.50    10.11    3.69    54.1    147,050    22.9    20.8    17.6    319.6    27.1    0.85    
  

TowneBank

 TOWN VA  6,055,181    1.40    10.52    7.81    3.43    65.2    92,345    17.3    16.4    15.6    170.5    18.6    2.16    
  

Ameris Bancorp

 ABCB GA  5,205,734    2.54    7.46    8.04    4.41    62.3    154,506    24.2    21.2    12.3    242.0    20.7    0.60    
  

ServisFirst Bancshares

 SFBS AL  4,492,539    0.36    8.85    13.59    3.73    38.7    76,651    18.0    17.1    14.8    251.3    25.1    0.52    
  

Yadkin Financial

 YDKN NC  4,327,052    0.92    9.16    6.73    4.43    59.4    88,596    20.0    15.5    13.7    183.3    18.2    1.60    
  

BNC Bancorp

 BNCN NC  4,278,588    1.50    7.66    9.93    4.39    57.9    76,575    19.1    15.1    12.9    226.9    18.2    0.81    
  

CenterState Banks

 CSFL FL  3,873,209    1.14    9.98    6.60    4.49    66.5    134,913    22.4    16.9    14.1    175.5    17.9    0.52    
  

Cardinal Financial

 CFNL VA  3,765,274    0.03    9.65    12.25    3.49    56.3    120,103    16.3    15.8    15.8    208.7    20.4    1.79    
  

Fidelity Southern Corp.

 LION GA  3,374,938    1.63    8.36    14.79    3.40    69.7    88,176    12.1    11.6    12.3    160.4    14.4    1.83    
  

State Bank Financial

 STBZ GA  3,300,308    0.61    14.81    5.36    5.04    59.1    151,965    NM    29.3    17.1    155.1    24.0    1.23    
  

Seacoast Banking Corp.

 SBCF FL  3,233,588    1.51    9.21    4.36    3.48    72.9    107,897    34.6    20.0    15.9    167.6    16.0    0.00    
  

First Bancorp

 FBNC NC  3,211,519    2.83    8.24    6.63    4.22    67.0    31,844    14.7    14.0    13.3    139.2    12.1    1.62    
  

HomeTrust Bancshares

 HTBI NC  2,783,114    1.92    12.62    2.12    3.64    75.3    64,798    46.3    31.9    30.4    108.8    14.0    0.00    
  

Capital City Bank Group

 CCBG FL  2,654,144    3.28    7.29    3.17    3.35    84.7    21,095    30.3    30.6    22.7    141.6    10.4    0.75    

No company used in the selected peer group analysis described above is identical to Renasant. Accordingly, an analysis of the results of the foregoing necessarily involves complex considerations and judgements concerning financial and operating characteristics and other factors that could affect the merger, public trading or other values of Heritage.the companies to which they are being compared.

Miscellaneous.Discounted Cash Flow Analysis – RenasantKBW acted

BSP performed a discounted cash flow analysis to estimate a range of present values of after-tax cash flows that Renasant could provide to its shareholders through year-end 2018. BSP estimated the present value of the future stream of dividends that Renasant could produce through the end of 2018 and a terminal value of Renasant 2018 earnings and Tangible Common Equity based upon analyst mean estimates at the time for 2015 to 2017. In the absence of enough analyst projections for 2018, BSP assumed 10% EPS growth for Renasant in that period. BSP assumed Renasant’s current $0.68 annual dividend rate was held constant through 2018.

In determining the present value of Renasant’s common stock, BSP acknowledged Renasant’s trading multiple history to utilize a range of terminal earnings multiples of 17x to 20x terminal year earnings and a range of terminal tangible book value multiples of 235% to 265% of terminal year tangible book value, respectively. The terminal value was then discounted to the present using an estimated discount rate range of 11% to 15%, chosen to reflect the risk of the current operating environment and the risk of Renasant based on BSP’s experience as a financial advisoradvisor.

As shown below, the range of values per share of Renasant common stock, on a present value basis, based on the assumptions regarding terminal earnings multiples and discount rates ranged from $31.20 to Heritage in connection with$41.15. The range of values per share of Renasant common stock, on a present value basis, based on the proposed mergerassumptions regarding terminal tangible book value multiples and diddiscount rates ranged from $28.62 to $36.21.

Per Share  Terminal Tangible  Book Multiples
  235%  245%  255%  265%
LOGO 11%  $32.30  $33.61  $34.91  $36.21
 12%  $31.33  $32.59  $33.85  $35.12
 13%  $30.39  $31.61  $32.84  $34.06
 14%  $29.49  $30.67  $31.86  $33.05
 15%  $28.62  $29.77  $30.92  $32.07
         

Per Share

  Terminal Earnings Multiples
  17.0  18.0  19.0  20.0
LOGO 11%  $35.23  $37.20  $39.18  $41.15
 12%  $34.16  $36.08  $37.99  $39.90
 13%  $33.14  $34.99  $36.85  $38.70
 14%  $32.15  $33.95  $35.75  $37.54
 15%  $31.20  $32.95  $34.69  $36.43

BSP noted that the discounted cash flow analysis is a widely used valuation methodology, but the results of such methodology are highly dependent upon the numerous assumptions that must be made, and the results thereof are not act as an advisor tonecessarily indicative of actual values or agentfuture results.

Total Return Analysis

BSP evaluated the Total Return performance of anyRenasant stock versus certain other person. As part of its investment banking business, KBW is continually engagedbroader market indicators during several discrete periods. The results are shown in the valuationtables below. BSP noted that past performance is not an indication of bank and bank holding company securities in connection with acquisitions, negotiated underwritings, secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private placements and valuations for various other purposes. As specialists infuture results.

LOGO

LOGO

Conclusion

Based on the securities of banking companies, KBW has experience in, and knowledgeresults of the valuation of banking enterprises. In the ordinary course of KBW’s business as a broker-dealer and further to existing sales and trading relationships between KBW and its affiliates and each of Heritage and Renasant, KBW and its affiliates from time to time purchased securities from, and sold securities to, Heritage and Renasant. As a market maker in securities, KBW may from time to time have a long or short position in, and buy or sell, debt or equity securities of Heritage and Renasant for its own account and for the accounts of its customers.

Pursuant to the KBW engagement agreement, Heritage agreed to pay KBW a total cash fee equal to 0.70% of the aggregate merger consideration, $250,000 of which became payable to KBW upon the rendering of its opinion and the balance of which is contingent upon the consummation of the merger. Heritage also agreed to reimburse KBW for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and disbursements incurred in connection with its retention and to indemnify KBW against certain liabilities relating to or arising out of KBW’s engagement or KBW’s role in connection therewith. In addition to this present engagement, in the past two years, KBW has provided investment banking and financial advisory services to Heritage and received compensation for such services. KBW served as financial advisor to Heritage in connection with its acquisition of Frontier Bank in March 2013. In the past two years, KBW has provided investment banking and financial advisory services to Renasant but has not received compensation for such services. Those have included services provided by KBW to Renasant prior to its engagement as Heritage’s financial advisor in connection with Renasant’s preliminary consideration of potential business combinations with a number of different entities, including Heritage. KBW may in the future provide investment banking and financial advisory services to Heritage or Renasant and receive compensation for such services.

Opinion of Renasant’s Financial Advisor

Renasant retained Raymond James as its financial advisor on November 14, 2014. Pursuant tovarious analyses described above, BSP concluded that engagement, Renasant’s board of directors requested that Raymond James evaluate the fairness, from a financial point of view, to Renasant of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant pursuant toreceived under the merger agreement. In selecting Raymond James as its financial advisor, Renasant’s board of directors considered, among other things, Raymond James’s reputation as a nationally recognized investment banking, financial advisory and securities firm with substantial experience advising companies in the financial services industry. Raymond James is actively involved in the investment banking business and regularly undertakes the valuation of investment securities in connection with business combinations, public offerings, private placements and similar transactions.

At the December 10, 2014 meeting of Renasant’s board of directors, Raymond James rendered its oral opinion (subsequently confirmed in writing) as to the fairness, as of December 10, 2014, from a financial point of view, to Renasantterms of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the merger agreement based upon and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and other matters considered in connection with the preparation of its opinion.

63


The full text of the written opinion of Raymond James, which describes the various qualifications, assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken in connection with the opinion, is attached as Annex C to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated herein by reference. Raymond James’s opinion was approved by the opinion committee of Raymond James in conformity with its policies and procedures established under the requirements of Rule 5150 of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The following summary of the opinion of Raymond James is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such written opinion. Stockholders are urged to read this opinion carefully and in its entirety in connection with their consideration of any merger proposal.

Raymond James provided its opinion for the information of Renasant’s board of directors (solely in its capacity as such) in connection with, and for purposes of, its consideration of the merger and its opinion only addressed whether the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Renasant. KeyWorth shareholders.

The opinion of Raymond James does not address anyexpressed by BSP was based upon market, economic and other term or aspectrelevant considerations as they existed and could be evaluated as of the merger agreement or the merger contemplated thereby. The Raymond James opinion does not constitute a recommendation to the board or to any holder of Renasant common stock as to how the board, such stockholder or any other person should vote or otherwise act with respect to the merger or any other matter. Raymond James does not express any opinion as to the likely trading range of Renasant’s common stock following the merger, which may vary depending on numerous factors that generally impact the price of securities or on the financial condition of Renasant at that time.

In connection with its reviewdate of the proposed merger andopinion. Events occurring after the preparationdate of its opinion, Raymond James, among other things:

reviewed the financial terms and conditions as stated in the draftissuance of the merger agreement dated December 8, 2014;

reviewed certain information related to the historical, current and future operations, financial condition and prospects of Heritage made available to Raymond James by Renasant,opinion, including but not limited to, financial projections prepared by Heritage and as adjusted bychanges affecting the managementsecurities markets or the results of Renasant relating to Heritage for the periods ending December 31, 2019 as approved for Raymond James’s use by Renasant (the “Projections”);

reviewed Heritage’s recent public filings and certain other publicly available information regarding Heritage;

reviewed financial, operating and other information regarding Heritage and the industryoperations or material changes in which it operates;

reviewed the financial and operating performance of Heritage and those of other selected public companies that Raymond James deemed to be relevant;

considered the publicly available financial terms of certain transactions Raymond James deemed to be relevant;

reviewed the current and historical market prices for the common shares, and the current market prices of the publicly traded securities of certain other companies that Raymond James deemed to be relevant;

conducted such other financial studies, analyses and inquiries and considered such other information and factors as Raymond James deemed appropriate; and

discussed with members of the senior management of Renasant and Heritage certain information relating to the aforementioned and any other matters which Raymond James deemed relevant to its inquiry.

With Renasant’s consent, Raymond James assumed and relied upon the accuracy and completeness of all information supplied by or on behalf of Renasant, or otherwise reviewed by or discussed with Raymond James,

64


and Raymond James did not undertake any duty or responsibility to, nor did Raymond James, independently verify any of such information. Raymond James did not make or obtain an independent appraisal of the assets of KeyWorth or liabilities (contingent or otherwise)Renasant, could materially affect the assumptions used in preparing the opinion.

As described above, BSP’s opinion was among the many factors taken into consideration by KeyWorth’s board of Heritage. Raymond James is not an expertdirectors in making its determination to approve the evaluation of loan and lease portfolios formerger agreement. For purposes of assessing the adequacy of the allowances for loan losses; accordingly, Raymond Jamesrendering its opinion, BSP assumed that, such allowances for losses are in the aggregate adequate to cover such losses. Based upon the terms specified in the merger agreement, Raymond James assumed that the merger will qualify as a reorganization under the provisions of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Raymond James relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, that the final form of the merger agreement would be substantially similar to the draft agreement reviewed by Raymond James in all respects material to its analysis, and that analyses:

the merger wouldwill be consummated in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement without waiver, ofmodification or amendment toof any of the conditions thereto. Furthermore, Raymond James assumed, in all respects material to its analysis, that term, condition or agreement thereof;

the representations and warranties of each party contained in the merger agreement wereand in all related documents and instruments referred to in the merger agreement are true and correctcorrect;

each party to the merger agreement and that each partyall related documents will perform all of the covenants and agreements required to be performed by itsuch party under such documents;

all conditions to the completion of the merger agreementwill be satisfied without being waived. Raymond James also relied uponany waivers; and assumed, without independent verification, that (i)

in the merger would be consummated in a manner that complies in all respects with all applicable federal and state statutes, rules and regulations, and (ii) all governmental,course of obtaining the necessary regulatory, contractual or other consents andor approvals necessary for the consummationmerger, no restrictions, including any divestiture requirements, termination or other payments or amendments or modifications, will be imposed that will have a material adverse effect on the future results of operations or financial condition of the combined entity or the contemplated benefits of the merger.

We cannot provide assurance as to when or if all of the conditions to the merger can or will be satisfied or, if applicable, waived by the appropriate party. As of the date of this proxy statement, BSP has no reason to believe that any of these conditions will not be satisfied.

Compensation to BSP

BSP was paid a fee of $75,000 for providing KeyWorth’s board of directors with its fairness opinion, which was paid upon rendering of the opinion. BSP has also been paid certain fees for its services as KeyWorth’s financial advisor over the years and for this merger, and will receive a fee equal to 1.0% of the total transaction value at closing (less $30,000, which was paid upon the execution of the merger would be obtained and that no delay, limitations, restrictions or conditions would be imposed or amendments, modifications or waivers made that would have an effect on the merger, Renasant, or Heritage that would be materialagreement), contingent upon closing. In addition, KeyWorth has agreed to its analysis or opinion.

The Projections prepared by Heritage’s management and as adjusted by management of Renasant that were made available to Raymond James by Renasant were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure or compliance with the guidelines of the SEC or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The Projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain, including, without limitation, factors related to general economic and competitive conditions. Therefore, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in the Projections. With respect to the Projections, as well as any other information and data provided to or otherwise reviewed by or discussed with Raymond James, Raymond James, with Renasant’s consent, assumed that the Projections and such other information and data were reasonably prepared in good faith on bases reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of management of Renasant. Raymond James relied on all such information without independent verification or analysis and did not in any respect assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness thereof. Raymond James relied upon Renasant to advise Raymond James promptly if any information previously provided became inaccurate or was required to be updated during the period of its review. Raymond James expressed no opinion with respect to the Projections or the assumptions on which they were based.

Raymond James expressed no opinion as to the underlying business decision to effect the merger, the structure or tax consequences of the merger, or the availability or advisability of any alternatives to the merger. The Raymond James opinion is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view, to Renasant of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the merger agreement. Raymond James expressed no opinion with respect to any other reasons (legal, business, or otherwise) that may support the decision of Renasant’s board of directors to approve or consummate the merger. Furthermore, no opinion, counsel or interpretation was intended by Raymond James on matters that require legal, accounting or tax advice. Raymond James assumed that such opinions, counsel or interpretations had been or would be obtained from appropriate professional sources. Furthermore, Raymond James relied, with the consent of Renasant, on the fact that Renasant was assisted by legal, accounting and tax advisors, and, with the consent of Renasant, relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of the assessments by Renasantindemnify BSP and its advisors, as to all legal, accountingdirectors, officers and tax matters with respect to Renasant and the merger.

In formulating its opinion, Raymond James considered only the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant, and Raymond James did not consider, and its opinion did not address, the fairness of the amount or nature of any compensation to be paid or payable to any of the officers, directors or employees, of Heritage, or

65


such class of persons,from liability in connection with the merger, whether relative to the merger consideration or otherwise. Raymond James was not requested to opine as to, and its opinion did not express an opinion as to or otherwise address, among other things: (1) the fairness of the merger to the holders of any class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of Renasant, or to any other party, except and only to the extent expressly set forth in the last sentence of its opinion, or (2) the fairness of the merger to any one class or group of Renasant’s or any other party’s security holders or other constituents vis-à-vis any other class or group of Renasant’s or such other party’s security holders or other constituents. Raymond James expressed no opinion as to the impact of the merger on the solvency or viability of Renasant or the ability of Renasant to pay its obligations when they come due.

Material Financial Analyses

The following summarizes the material financial analyses reviewed by Raymond James with the Renasant board of directors on December 10, 2014, which analyses were considered by Raymond James in rendering its opinion. No company or transaction used in the analyses described below is identical or directly comparable to Renasant, Heritage or the contemplated merger.

Selected Companies Analysis.Raymond James analyzed the relative valuation multiples of 18 publicly-traded depository institutions that it deemed relevant, including:

•    Access National Corporation

•    Monarch Financial Holdings, Inc.

•    American National Bankshares Inc.

•    NewBridge Bancorp

•    C&F Financial Corporation

•    Park Sterling Corporation

•    Charter Financial Corporation

•    Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.

•    Community Bankers Trust Corporation

•    Square 1 Financial, Inc.

•    First Bancshares, Inc.

•    State Bank Financial Corporation

•    First Community Bancshares, Inc.

•    Stonegate Bank

•    First Security Group, Inc.

•    Southern First Bancshares, Inc.

•    Middleburg Financial Corporation

•    WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc.

Raymond James calculated various valuation multiples for each company, including (1) market value (including, if available, the in-the-money value of stock options, if any) compared to tangible common equity, for the most recent period ended September 30, 2014; (2) market value (including, if available, the in-the-money value of stock options, if any) compared to core earnings, for the most recent twelve month period ended September 30, 2014, referred to as “LTM”; and (3) market value (including, if available, the in-the-money value of stock options, if any) compared to Wall Street Analysts’ 2015 consensus earnings estimates. Raymond James reviewed the mean, median, lower (25th percentile) quartile and upper (75th percentile) quartile relative valuation multiples of the selected public companies and compared them to corresponding valuation multiples for Heritage as of December 8, 2014 and implied by the merger consideration. The results of the selected public companies analysis are summarized below:

Price /
Tangible Book Value
Price /
LTM Core Earnings
Price /
LTM Pro Forma
Core Earnings 
(1)
Price /
2015E Earnings

25th Percentile

12912.9x12.9x12.3x

Mean

14417.1x17.1x13.8x

Median

13813.9x13.9x14.2x

75th Percentile

15719.9x19.9x14.7x

Heritage as of December 8, 2014

14119.4x16.1x12.0x

Merger Consideration

17524.6x20.5x15.3x

(1)Heritage LTM pro forma core earnings takes into account previously announced or closed acquisitions not reflected in reported LTM figures

66


Furthermore, Raymond James applied the mean, median, lower quartile and upper quartile valuation multiples for each of the metrics to Heritage’s actual, pro forma, and projected financial results and determined the implied equity price per share of Heritage common stock and then compared those implied equity values per share to the trading value of Heritage as of December 8, 2014 and to the merger consideration of $27.00 per share. The results of this analysis are summarized below:

  Price /
Tangible Book Value
  Price /
LTM Core Earnings
  Price /
LTM Pro Forma
Core Earnings 
(1)
  Price /
2015E Earnings
 

25th Percentile

 $20.16   $14.67   $17.47   $21.96  

Mean

 $22.38   $19.04   $22.73   $24.52  

Median

 $21.42   $15.66   $18.66   $25.17  

75th Percentile

 $24.32   $21.98   $26.27   $26.00  

Heritage as of December 8, 2014

 $21.42   $21.42   $21.42   $21.42  

Merger Consideration

 $27.00   $27.00   $27.00   $27.00  

(1)Heritage LTM pro forma core earnings takes into account previously announced or closed acquisitions not reflected in reported LTM figures

Selected Transaction Analysis—National.Raymond James analyzed publicly available information relating to 16 selected acquisitions of depository institutions announced since January 1, 2014 in which the transaction values were between $150 million and $500 million and in which the sellers had LTM return on average assets (“ROAAs”) between 0.00% and 1.50% and ratio of non-performing assets (“NPAs”) to assets of less than 4.00%. Raymond James prepared a summary of the aggregate price to tangible book value, aggregate price to LTM core earnings, premium to core deposit multiples, and 1-day trading premiums paid in these transactions. The selected transactions used in the analysis included (buyer / seller):

•    IBERIABANK Corporation / Georgia Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

•    Valley National Bancorp / 1st United Bancorp, Inc.

•    S&T Bancorp, Inc. / Integrity Bancshares, Inc.

•    Simmons First National Corporation / Community First Bancshares, Inc.

•    WesBanco, Inc. / ESB Financial Corporation

•    Southside Bancshares, Inc. / OmniAmerican Bancorp, Inc.

•    IBERIABANK Corporation / Old Florida Bancshares, Inc.

•    Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. / Summit Bancorp, Inc.

•    BB&T Corporation / Bank of Kentucky Financial Corporation

•    BancorpSouth, Inc. / Central Community Corporation

•    Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. / Intervest Bancshares Corporation

•    TriCo Bancshares / North Valley Bancorp

•    Eagle Bancorp, Inc. / Virginia Heritage Bank

•    IBERIABANK Corporation / Teche Holding Company

•    Simmons First National Corporation / Liberty Bancshares, Inc.

•    Old National Bancorp / United Bancorp, Inc.

Raymond James examined valuation multiples of the aggregate transaction value (including, if available, the value of options, if any) compared to the target companies’ tangible common equity and core earnings, in each case for twelve months ended prior to announcement of the transaction, where such information was publicly available. Raymond James also examined the premium of the aggregate transaction value over tangible common equity as a percentage of core deposits. Finally, Raymond James examined the premium paid when comparing the per share deal price to the target companies’ per share market value one day prior to announcement for transactions involving publicly-traded targets. Raymond James reviewed the mean, median, lower quartile and upper quartile relative valuation multiples of the selected transactions and compared them to corresponding

67


valuation multiples for Heritage implied by the merger consideration. Furthermore, Raymond James applied the mean, median, lower quartile and upper quartile relative valuation multiples to Heritage’s actual results to determine the implied equity price per share and then compared those implied equity values per share to the merger consideration of $27.00 per share. The results of the selected transactions analysis are summarized below:

   Deal Value /
Tangible Book Value
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   184 $28.23  

Mean

   194 $29.79  

Median

   199 $30.46  

75th Percentile

   213 $32.56  

Merger Consideration

   175 $27.00  
   Deal Value /
LTM Core Earnings
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   15.0 $16.80  

Mean

   19.8 $21.95  

Median

   17.8 $19.78  

75th Percentile

   21.6 $23.81  

Merger Consideration

   24.6 $27.00  
   Deal Value /
LTM Pro Forma
Core Earnings (1)
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   15.0 $20.03  

Mean

   19.8 $26.23  

Median

   17.8 $23.62  

75th Percentile

   21.6 $28.47  

Merger Consideration

   20.5 $27.00  
   Transaction
Premium /

Core Deposits
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   11.5 $27.61  

Mean

   13.1 $29.31  

Median

   13.1 $29.25  

75th Percentile

   14.7 $31.00  

Merger Consideration

   10.9 $27.00  
   1-Day Premium Paid  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   31.2 $28.09  

Mean

   43.6 $30.76  

Median

   33.9 $28.68  

75th Percentile

   49.1 $31.94  

Merger Consideration

   26.1 $27.00  

(1)Heritage LTM pro forma core earnings takes into account previously announced or closed acquisitions not reflected in reported LTM figures

68


Selected Transaction Analysis—Regional.Raymond James analyzed publicly available information relating to 11 selected acquisitions of depository institutions headquartered in the southeast (WV, VA, NC, SC, TN, AR, MS, AL, GA, FL) announced since January 1, 2014 in which the transaction values were between $75 million and $500 million and in which the sellers had LTM ROAAs between 0.00% and 1.50% and ratio of NPAs to assets of less than 4.00%. Raymond James prepared a summary of the aggregate price to tangible book value, aggregate price to LTM core earnings, premium to core deposit multiples, and 1-day trading premiums paid in these transactions. The selected transactions used in the analysis included (buyer / seller):

IBERIABANK Corporation / Georgia Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

BNC Bancorp / Valley Financial Corporation

IBERIABANK Corporation / Old Florida Bancshares, Inc.

First Horizon National Corporation / TrustAtlantic Financial Corporation

IBERIABANK Corporation / Florida Bank Group, Inc.

State Bank Financial Corporation / Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc.

Eagle Bancorp, Inc. / Virginia Heritage Bank

Valley National Bancorp / 1st United Bancorp, Inc.

Simmons First National Corporation / Community First Bancshares, Inc.

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida / BANKshares, Inc.

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. / Summit Bancorp, Inc.

Raymond James examined valuation multiples of the aggregate transaction value (including, if available, the value of options, if any) compared to the target companies’ tangible common equity and core earnings, in each case for the 12 months ended prior to announcement of the transaction, where such information was publicly available. Raymond James also examined the premium of the aggregate transaction value over tangible common equity as a percentage of core deposits. Finally, Raymond James examined the premium paid when comparing the per share deal price to the target companies’ per share market value one day prior to announcement for transactions involving publicly-traded targets. Raymond James reviewed the mean, median, lower quartile and upper quartile relative valuation multiples of the selected transactions and compared them to corresponding valuation multiples for Heritage implied by the merger consideration. Furthermore, Raymond James applied the mean, median, lower quartile and upper quartile relative valuation multiples to Heritage’s actual results to determine the implied equity price per share and then compared those implied equity values per share to the merger consideration of $27.00 per share. The results of the selected transactions analysis are summarized below:

   Deal Value /
Tangible Book Value
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   153 $23.77  

Mean

   173 $26.62  

Median

   177 $27.27  

75th Percentile

   186 $28.57  

Merger Consideration

   175 $27.00  
   Deal Value /
LTM Core Earnings
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   17.3 $19.21  

Mean

   21.9 $24.15  

Median

   20.0 $22.08  

75th Percentile

   24.8 $27.13  

Merger Consideration

   24.6 $27.00  

69


   Deal Value /
LTM Pro Forma
Core Earnings (1)
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   17.3 $22.93  

Mean

   21.9 $28.88  

Median

   20.0 $26.39  

75th Percentile

   24.8 $32.47  

Merger Consideration

   20.5 $27.00  
   Transaction Premium /
Core Deposits
  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   7.9 $23.94  

Mean

   10.7 $26.88  

Median

   10.8 $26.94  

75th Percentile

   11.6 $27.73  

Merger Consideration

   10.9 $27.00  
   1-Day Premium Paid  Implied Equity Value
Per Share
 

25th Percentile

   30.0 $27.85  

Mean

   42.3 $30.49  

Median

   44.0 $30.83  

75th Percentile

   56.3 $33.47  

Merger Consideration

   26.1 $27.00  

(1)Heritage LTM pro forma core earnings takes into account previously announced or closed acquisitions not reflected in reported LTM figures

Discounted Cash Flow Analysis.Raymond James analyzed the discounted present value of Heritage’s projected free cash flows for the six months ending December 31, 2015 and the years ending December 31, 2016 through 2019 as adjusted for the transaction both with and without projected cost savings. The projected cost savings and merger adjustments to the Projections were provided by Renasant for Raymond James’s use. Raymond James estimated cash flows based on projected excess tangible common equity available to dividend to stockholders, defined as the tangible common equity in excess of a minimum 8.0% tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio.

The discounted cash flow analysis was based on the Projections. Consistent with the periods included in the Projections, Raymond James used calendar year 2019 as the final year for the analysis and applied multiples, ranginghold BSP harmless from 12.0x to 16.0x, to calendar year 2019 adjusted earnings in order to derive a range of terminal values for Heritage in 2019.

The projected free cash flows and terminal values were discounted using rates ranging from 12.5% to 14.5%, which reflected the cost of equity capital estimated for Renasant using the 20-year treasury rate as of December 8, 2014 and the 2014 Duff & Phelps Valuation Handbook which considers the risk-free rate, equity risk premium, industry beta, and size premium. The resulting range of present equity values was divided by the number of diluted shares outstanding in order to arrive at a range of present values per Heritage share. Raymond James reviewed the range of per share prices derived in the discounted cash flow analysis and compared them to the price per share for Heritage implied by the merger consideration. The results of the discounted cash flow analysis are summarized below:

   Equity Value Per Share
(adjusted with cost savings)
   Equity Value Per Share
(adjusted without cost savings)
 

Minimum

  $28.10    $18.28  

Maximum

  $39.14    $26.18  

Merger Consideration

  $27.00    $27.00  

70


Additional Considerations.The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex process and is not susceptible to a partial analysisany losses, actions, claims, damages, expenses or summary description. Raymond James believes that its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting portions of its analyses, without considering the analyses taken as a whole, would create an incomplete view of the process underlying its opinion. In addition, Raymond James considered the results of all such analyses and did not assign relative weightsliabilities related to any of the analyses, but ratherBSP’s acts or decisions made qualitative judgments as to significancein good faith and relevance of each analysis and factor, so the ranges of valuations resulting from any particular analysis described above should not be taken to be the view of Raymond James as to the actual value of Heritage.

In performing its analyses, Raymond James made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, general business, economic and regulatory conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond the control of Renasant. The analyses performed by Raymond James are not necessarily indicative of actual values, trading values or actual future results which might be achieved, all of which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by such analyses. Such analyses were provided to Renasant’s board of directors (solely in its capacity as such) and were prepared solely as part of the analysis of Raymond James of the fairness, from a financial point of view, to Renasant of the merger consideration to be paid by Renasant in the merger pursuant to the merger agreement. The analyses do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices at which companies may actually be sold, and such estimates are inherently subject to uncertainty. The opinionbest interest of Raymond James was one of many factors taken into account by Renasant’s board in making its determination to approve the merger. Neither Raymond James’s opinion nor the analyses described above should be viewed as determinative of Renasant’s board of directors’ or management’s views with respect to Renasant, Heritage or the merger. Renasant placed no limits on the scope of the analysis performed, or opinion expressed, by Raymond James.

The Raymond James opinion was necessarily based upon market, economic, financial and other circumstances and conditions existing and disclosed to it on December 8, 2014, and any material change in such circumstances and conditions may affect the opinion of Raymond James, but Raymond James does not have any obligation to update, revise or reaffirm that opinion. Raymond James relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, that there had been no change in the business, assets, liabilities, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects of Heritage since the respective dates of the most recent financial statements and other information, financial or otherwise, provided to Raymond James that would be material to its analyses or its opinion, and that there was no information or any facts that would make any of the information reviewed by Raymond James incomplete or misleading in any material respect.

Pursuant to the terms of Raymond James’s engagement letter, Renasant agreed to pay Raymond James a transaction fee of $1,000,000 for advisory services in connection with the merger, all of which is contingent upon the closing of the merger. Renasant also agreed to pay Raymond James an additional fee of $250,000 for services rendered in connection with the delivery of its opinion, which Renasant paid following Raymond James’s delivery of its opinion to Renasant’s board of directors. Finally, Renasant agreed to reimburse Raymond James for up to $20,000 of its expenses incurred in connection with its services, including the fees and expenses of its counsel, and to indemnify Raymond James against certain liabilities arising out of its engagement.

KeyWorth. During the two years preceding the date of Raymond James’s writtenthe opinion, Raymond JamesBSP has provided investment banking and financialadvisory services to KeyWorth, for which it received approximately $10,000 in compensation. During the two years preceding the date of the opinion, BSP did not provide advisory services to Renasant butwhere compensation was received or that it has notcontemplates will be received compensationafter closing of the merger.

Renasant’s Reasons for those services.the Merger

In reaching its decision to adopt and approve the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, the Renasant board of directors consulted with Renasant management, as well as Raymond James, its financial advisor, and Phelps Dunbar, LLP, its outside legal counsel, and considered a number of factors, including the following material factors:

each of Renasant’s and KeyWorth’s business, operations, financial condition, asset quality, earnings and prospects. In reviewing these factors, the Renasant board of directors considered that the merger (1) will enhance its presence in the metro market of Atlanta, Georgia, with no existing overlap; (2) will increase Renasant’s core deposit base, an important funding source; (3) will provide Renasant with an experienced management team and quality bank branches in Atlanta; and (4) will provide Renasant with the opportunity to sell Renasant’s broad array of products to KeyWorth’s client base, thereby increasing non-interest income through enhanced fee-based services;

its understanding of the current and prospective environment in which Renasant and KeyWorth operate, including national and local economic conditions, the competitive environment for financial institutions generally, and the likely effect of these factors on Renasant both with and without the proposed transaction;

management’s expectations regarding cost synergies, accretion, dilution and internal rate of return that will ultimately be to the benefit of the combined company’s shareholders, including the expectations that:

Renasant will realize cost savings of approximately 25%, or approximately $2.5 million, on a pre-tax basis;

the transaction will be immediately accretive to earnings per share (excluding the impact of one-time merger-related expenses) and tangible book value per share; and

the transaction will have an internal rate of return of approximately 19%;

its review and discussions with Renasant’s management concerning the due diligence examination of KeyWorth;

the complementary nature of the cultures of the two companies, which management believes should facilitate integration and implementation of the transaction;

management’s expectation that Renasant will retain its strong capital position upon completion of the transaction, with regulatory capital ratios exceeding “well-capitalized” requirements and a tangible common equity ratio of approximately 7.5% after restructuring charges;

the financial and other terms of the merger agreement, including the fixed exchange ratio, tax treatment and deal protection and termination fee provisions, which it reviewed with Raymond James and certain affiliates have received compensation from Renasant during Phelps Dunbar, LLP; and

the past two years for non-investment banking services,regulatory and Raymond James is currently providing Renasant investment banking services unrelated toother approvals required in connection with the merger and the expectation that such regulatory approvals will be received in a timely manner and without the imposition of Heritageunacceptable conditions.

In its deliberations, Renasant’s board of directors also considered a variety of risks associated with Renasant. In the ordinary coursemerger agreement and the merger, including the following (not in any relative order of business, Raymond James may trade in importance):

the securities of Renasantrisk that potential benefits and Heritage for its own account and for the accounts of its customers and, accordingly, may at any time hold a long or short position in such securities. Raymond James may provide investment banking, financial advisorycost synergies and other financial services to Renasant and/or Heritage or other participantssavings sought in the merger may not be realized or may not be realized within the expected time period, and the risks associated with the integration of KeyWorth’s business, operations and workforce with those of Renasant;

the significant risks and costs involved in connection with entering into and completing the future, for which Raymond Jamesmerger, or failing to complete the merger in a timely manner, or at all, including as a result of any failure to obtain required regulatory approvals, such as the risks and costs relating to diversion of management and employee attention, potential employee attrition, and the potential effect on business and customer relationships; and

the possibility of litigation in connection with the merger.

The foregoing discussion of the information and factors considered by the Renasant board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but includes the material factors considered by the Renasant board of directors. In reaching its decision to approve the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, the Renasant board of directors did not quantify or assign any relative weights to the factors considered, and individual directors may receive compensation.have given different weights to different factors. The Renasant board of directors considered all these factors as a whole, including discussions with, and questioning of, Renasant’s management and Renasant’s financial advisor and outside legal counsel, and overall considered the factors to be favorable to, and to support, its determination.

It should be noted that this discussion of the information and factors considered by the Renasant board of directors in this section is forward-looking in nature and, therefore, should be read in light of the factors discussed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

71


Renasant Bank’s Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger

Upon completion of the merger, the number of directors constituting Renasant’s and Renasant Bank’s respective boardsboard of directors will be increased by one, and one individual who is currently a director of Heritage and HeritageBank will be appointed to fillstay the newly-created vacancy on each board. The Heritage board of directors has recommended that Fred F. Sharpe be appointed to fill the newly-created vacancy on each board. When this recommendation is formally approved by the Renasant board of directors and following the completion of the merger, Mr. Sharpe will be appointed to fill such vacancies.same. Information about the current directors and senior executive officers of Renasant Bank, who are the same as the directors and executive officers of Renasant, can be found in the documents under the heading “Renasant SEC Filings” in the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” on page •. Information regarding Mr. Sharpe is set forth below.

Fred F. Sharpe, age 66, has served as a director of HeritageBank since 2007. Mr. Sharpe is the president and owner of U-Save-It-Pharmacy, Inc., a pharmacy with more than 35 locations in the southeast, since 1979. He is a member and past district president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association and a member of the●. In addition, there will be no change to Renasant’s board of directors as a result of the Academy of Independent Pharmacists. Mr. Sharpe is also a member of The Albany Symphony Association Board. Mr. Sharpe has previously served on the boards of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, School of Pharmacy and has also served in the United States Army.

Interests of Renasant’s Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

None of the directors or executive officers of Renasant has any interest in the merger different from, or in addition to, those of Renasant stockholders generally.merger.

Interests of Certain HeritageKeyWorth Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

When considering the recommendation of the Heritage board of directors of KeyWorth to approve the merger agreement, Heritage stockholdersshareholders should be aware that the executive officers and non-employee members of the board of directors of HeritageKeyWorth may have interests in the merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders generally, which may create potential conflicts of interest. The HeritageKeyWorth board of directors was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in reaching its decision to adopt and approve the merger agreement. The interests of the HeritageKeyWorth board of directorsmembers and its executive officers include thosethe interests described in this section.

Treatment of Restricted Stock, Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.Warrants.Immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, each unvested shareoutstanding warrant to purchase common stock of restricted stock awarded under an equity incentive planKeyWorth (whether or arrangement of Heritage will, without any action on the part of the holder thereof, vest in full, all restrictions otherwise applicable to such shares will lapse, and each such share of restricted stocknot exercisable) will be converted intoto the right to receive a cash payment equal to (1) the merger consideration, less applicable tax withholding (except that taxes will not be withheld in respecttotal number of shares subject to such warrant multiplied by (2) the difference between $15.00 and the exercise price of restricted stock held byeach warrant ($10.00 per share). Certain executive officers and non-employee directors).directors of KeyWorth hold outstanding warrants. The aggregate amounts payable to warrant holders (assuming no outstanding warrant is exercised prior to closing) are as follows:

   

Number of

warrants issued

   Aggregate warrant
consideration
 

Raymond B. Bachman

   12,882    $64,410  

Robert E. Binion

   12,953    $64,765  

C. Peyton Day

   56,435    $282,175  

Dexter R. Floyd

   40,624    $203,120  

Patrick Henry

   28,765    $143,825  

Charles Machemehl, III

   36,671    $183,355  

James F. Pope

   20,859    $104,295  

Russell S. Reece

   12,953    $64,765  
William Stark, Jr.   28,765    $143,825  

Stock Options. Immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, each unvested option and stock appreciation right granted under an equity incentive plan or arrangement of Heritagethe 2007 Stock Incentive Plan will vest in full. Withoutfull, without any action on the part of thea holder thereof, each in-the-moneythereof. Each outstanding option will then be converted intoto the right to receive a cash payment in an amount equal to (1) the total number of shares subject to such option multiplied by (2) the difference between $27.00 (as provided in the merger agreement)$15.00 and the exercise price of sucheach option, less applicable tax withholding (except that taxes will not be withheld from cash payments to non-employee directors).withholdings. Outstanding stock appreciation rights and options that are not in-the-moneywith an exercise price greater than $15.00 will be canceled,cancelled and forfeited, in their entirety, without compensation.

Each of Heritage’sour executive officers and non-employee directors hold unvested restricted stock awards andholds vested and unvested options, and stock appreciation rights.all of which have an exercise price of less than $15.00. The number and value of the unvested restricted stock awards and in-the-money options held by the namedaggregate amounts payable to executive officers is quantified below(prior to withholding and assuming no options are exercised prior to closing) if all options are cashed out at closing are as follows:

   

Number of

options issued

   Aggregate option
consideration
 

James F. Pope

   185,000    $925,000  

Neil Stevens

   75,500    $377,500  

Paul Kirtley

   59,000    $295,000  

Supplemental Executive Retirement Agreements. KeyWorth maintains Supplemental Executive Retirement Agreements with Messrs. Pope, Stevens, and Kirtley (collectively, the “SERPs”). The SERPs provide for monthly installment payments in a defined amount to be paid upon the executive’s early or normal retirement (as defined in the table entitled “Golden Parachute Compensation” on page •. TheSERPs). In addition, if within twelve months following table includesa change in control (as defined in the number and value of unvested shares of restricted stock and in-the-money options held by each non-employee director, as well as Mr. Brian D. Schmitt, whoSERPs), the executive either is an executive officer of Heritage but not a named executive officer.

72


   Number of shares
of unvested
restricted stock (#)
   Restricted
stock
consideration
($)(1)
   Number of in-the-
money options (#)
   Stock option
consideration
($) (2)
 

Joseph C. Burger, Jr.

   3,276     82,948     43,551     585,973  

J. Keith Land

   3,276     82,948     43,551     585,973  

Antone D. Lehr

   3,276     82,948     43,551     585,973  

Douglas J. McGinley

   3,276     82,948     12,288     185,057  

J. Lee Stanley

   3,276     82,948     43,551     585,973  

Brian D. Schmitt

   5,000     126,600     12,500     95,250  

(1)Based on a price per share of $25.32, the average per-share closing price of Heritage’s common stock over the first five business days following December 10, 2014, the date of Heritage’s first public announcement of the transactions.
(2)Determined by multiplying the number of in-the-money options by the excess of $27.00 over the exercise price of each option.

Amended and Restated Employment Agreements with Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey. As a condition to execution of the merger agreement, Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey amended and restated their employment agreements with Heritage and Heritage Bank, which amended and restated agreements will be assumed by Renasant upon the closing of the merger. The amended and restated employment agreements are contingent upon the closing of the merger and will be effective as of the close of business on the business day preceding the effective time of the merger. If the merger does not occur, Mr. Dorminey’s and Ms. Slappey’s amended and restated employment agreement will be deemed void and of no effect, and their prior employment agreements with Heritage and Heritage Bank will remain in force and effect. The amended and restated employment agreements provide for varying amounts of cash severance and other benefits in connection with each executive’s qualifying termination of employment. The table entitled “Golden Parachute Compensation” on page • quantifies the estimated value of cash severance and benefits assuming the named executive officer had a qualifying termination of employment immediately following the merger. Terms of each agreement providing for the payment of severance are summarized below:

In the event Mr. Dorminey’s employment is terminated without cause (as defined in histhe executive’s employment agreement) or (2) voluntarily resigns, then he terminateswill receive a lump sum payment equal to the present value of his normal retirement benefit, payable within 30 days following the executive’s qualifying separation. As of the closing date, the SERPS will be terminated and liquidated. As of the date of this document, the estimated present value of the payments to each executive is as follows: Mr. Pope will receive $1,795,515; Mr. Kirtley will receive $789,816, and Mr. Stevens will receive $554,596.

Employment Agreements with KeyWorth. Messrs. Pope, Stevens, and Kirtley currently have employment agreements with KeyWorth that provide for anycash payments in the event of a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control. If the executive is terminated without “cause” or resigns for “good reason, or no reason,” either occurring within 12 months following a “change in control” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement), then he would be entitled to receive a lump sum payment in amount equal to a multiple (Mr. Pope, 2.99x and Messrs. Stevens and Kirtley, 2x) of the sum of (1) his then-current base salary and (2) the average of his annual bonuses for the three calendar years prior to his termination. As of the closing date, the employment agreements will be terminated, and each executive will be entitled to the payments described above as if he experienced a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control. As of the date of this document, the estimated value of the payments to each executive is as follows: Mr. Pope will receive $1,105,432; Mr. Stevens will receive $515,637; and Mr. Kirtley will receive $491,456. Payment of these amounts is conditioned upon each executive signing a waiver and release in favor of KeyWorth and its successor entity (Renasant).

Each of the followingemployment agreements contains a “best net” provision, pursuant to which aggregate payments and benefits: (1) continuation of his base salarymade in effect as of his termination, payableconnection with the merger will be valued in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practices, during the four-year period following his termination; (2) an amount equal to the average of the last three annual bonuses paid to Mr. Dorminey prior to the date of his termination, payable each year during the four-year period following his termination at the time or times that an annual bonus would otherwiseCode Section 280G and either be payable; (3) premiums for continuation coverage under the Heritage group medical plan, or a successor thereto, for Mr. Dorminey and his dependents, paid monthly during the four-year period following his termination; and (4) an amount representing the aggregate annual cost of certain perquisites, including premiums for the welfare benefit plans in which he participates at the time of his termination, Heritage contributions to the retirement plans based on the contributions made on his behalf for the calendar year prior to his termination, and his car allowance and country club dues, such amounts payable each year during the four-year period following his termination in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practices. Mr. Dorminey’s agreement also includes a gross up provision whereby Mr. Dorminey’s total payments and benefits in the event of the merger will either (A) be(1) reduced to the limit imposed under Section 280G of the Code, minus $1.00, to avoid an excise tax liability, or (B)(2) paid in full such that the executive will incur and pay the excise tax, to the extent he would be in a better position financially than he would have been had the payments been reduced to the limit imposed under Code Section 280G. Payments that the value of suchmust be aggregated include payments and benefits would exceed the Section 280G limit by more than $100,000, be paid in full, including an additional cash payment in an amount sufficient to pay any excise tax in respect of suchthe options, the SERPs and the employment agreements. As of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, we expect that the payments and benefits, increased by the income or excise tax attributablemade to each executive will be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of the excise tax payment.tax.

Employment Agreements with Renasant. Messrs. Pope and Stevens have entered into employment agreements with Renasant Bank, which become effective if and when the closing occurs. Mr. Kirtley has not entered into an employment agreement with Renasant or any of its affiliates. The terms of the employment agreements with Messrs. Pope and Stevens are summarized below:

Mr. Pope will be employed as the Chairman of the Atlanta Metro Market and will receive a base salary of $300,000. Mr. Stevens will be employed as the President of the Atlanta Metro Market and will receive a base salary of $230,000.

The agreements have a two-year initial term commencing as of the effective time of the merger. Thereafter, the agreements are automatically renewed for successive one-year terms unless either the executive or the bank provides written notice that the agreement will not be renewed.

Each executive is eligible for additional compensation under Renasant Bank’s annual cash bonus plan and long-term equity incentive plan. In addition, certain transportation reimbursements and vacation benefits will be provided.

 

In the event Ms. Slappey’s employmenteither executive is “constructively terminated” or is terminated without cause“cause” (as such terms are defined in her agreement) or due to her death or disability, or she terminates her employment for good reason (as defined in her agreement)the agreements), shethen he will be entitled to receive (1) a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to his base compensation for the following paymentsremainder of the employment term; and benefits: (1) continuation of her(2) any

73


 

base salary in effect as of her termination, payable in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practicesincentive bonus accrued for Renasant Bank’s fiscal year preceding the remainder of the calendar year in which her employment terminates, plus three full calendar years if her employment is terminated without cause, or for three years if she terminates her employment for good reason (we refer to such period, as applicable, as the “severance period”); (2) an amount equal to the average annual bonus paid to Ms. Slappey for the three years prior to her termination such amount payable each year during the three- or four-year period following her termination at the time or times that an annual bonus would otherwise be payable; (3) the value of premiums for continuation coverage under the Heritage group medical plan, or any successor thereto, for Ms. Slappey and her dependents, payable monthly during the severance period; and (4) an amount representing the aggregate annual cost of certain perquisites, including premiums for the welfare benefit plans in which she participates at the time of her termination, Heritage contributions to the retirement plans based on the contributions made on her behalf for the calendar year prior to her termination, and her car allowance and country club dues, such amount payable each year over the severance period in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practices. Ms. Slappey’s agreement also includes a gross up provision whereby Ms. Slappey’s total payments and benefits in the event of the merger will either (A) be reduced to the limit imposed under Section 280G of the Code, minus $1.00, to avoid an excise tax liability, or (B)occurs, to the extent not then paid. In the aggregate amount of theevent either executive is terminated for cause, he will not be entitled to any payments other than those accrued and benefits would exceed the Section 280G limitpayable by more than $50,000, be paid in full, including an additional cash payment in an amount sufficient to pay any excise tax in respect such payments and benefits, increased by any income or excise tax attributable to the excise tax payment.law.

Mr. Dorminey’s employment agreement has a four-year term, and Ms. Slappey’s employment agreement has a term that ends December 31, 2016. Upon expiration of the term, the executive’s employment under his or her respective employment agreement will cease and the executive will be entitled to receive the amounts and benefits described above.

 

The employment agreements contain confidentiality and trade secret covenants that apply during employment and for the four-year periodat all times following termination, as well astermination. The agreements also impose covenants regarding the non-solicitation of customercustomers and employees and noncompetition that apply during employment through expiration of the employment term and, if the executive is terminated for cause, for two years following termination.

Under the terms of their prior agreements with Heritage and Heritage Bank, each of Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey would have been entitled to amounts and benefits in excess of those described above, including base salary, bonus and perquisite payments for a period of eight years and full tax gross up payments.

Employment Agreements with Messrs. Fountain, Schmitt, Smith and Durland. Heritage also maintains employment agreements with each of Messrs. Fountain, Schmitt, Smith and Durland. These agreements will be assumed by Renasant upon the closing of the merger. These agreements provide for varying amounts of cash severance and other benefits in the event of a qualifying termination of employment in connection with the merger. The table entitled “Golden Parachute Compensation” on page • quantifies the estimated value of cash severance and benefits payable to Messrs. Fountain, Schmitt, Smith and Durland, each of whom is a named executive officer, except for Mr. Schmitt. Terms of each agreement providing for the payment of severance are summarized below:

In the event the employment of either of Mr. Fountain or Mr. Smith is terminated without cause (as defined in their respective agreements), or either terminates his employment for good reason (as defined in their respective agreements), during the 24-month period following the merger, each will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits: (1) continued payment of base salary during the two-year period following his termination in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practices; (2) an amount equal to the average annual bonus paid for the three-year period prior to termination, in the case of Mr. Fountain, and the average annual bonus paid during the term of his employment, in the case of Mr. Smith, payable at the end of each year during the two-year period following termination; and (3) continuation of the welfare benefits and payment of other benefits under which he was covered

74


at the time of termination for the two-year period following his termination. Each of their employment agreements has been amended to include a “best net” provision whereby total payments and benefits provided in the event of the merger will either (A) be reduced to the limit imposed under Section 280G of the Code, minus $1.00, to avoid an excise tax liability, or (B) paid in full such that each of Mr. Fountain and Mr. Smith will incur and pay the excise tax and be in a better position financially than he would have been had the payments and benefits been reduced to the limit imposed under Section 280G.

In the event the employment of either of Mr. Durland or Mr. Schmitt is terminated without cause (as defined in their respective agreements) or either terminates his employment for good reason (as defined in their respective agreements), during the 12-month period following the merger, each will be entitled to receive the following payments: (1) continued payment of base salary during the 12-month period following his termination in accordance with Heritage’s regular payroll practices; and (2) an amount equal to the average annual bonus paid during the term of his employment with Heritage, payable at the end of the 12-month period following his termination.

The employment agreements contain confidentiality and trade secretnon-competition covenants that apply during employment and for the two-yearone-year period following termination, as well as covenants regarding the non-solicitation of customer and employees and noncompetition that apply during employment and for one year, in the case of the non-solicitation of customers and non-competition covenant, or two years, in the case of the non-solicitation of employees, following termination. Mr. Fountain’s employment agreement does not contain a non-solicitation of customers covenant.

Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan.Heritage maintains a non-qualified executive deferral and excess/matching contribution program, or the Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan, under which accounts are maintained for Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey. Heritage makes annual matching contributions of up to 8% of each participant’s income (less any match made under the Heritage 401(k) plan) and an amount equal to amounts Heritage is unable to contribute for each participant under its tax-qualified plans because of federal tax law limits, including limits on compensation that may be taken into account. Interest is credited to each participant’s account on a quarterly basis at the U.S. Government rate on 10-year Treasury notes at the prior-quarter end, which rate is not at above-market levels. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, the Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan will be terminated and, in connection with such termination, Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey will receive payment of their accounts. While the termination of the plan accelerates payment of the executive’s accounts, it does not enhance the benefits payable under the plan.

Compensatory Arrangements with Renasant. If the merger is completed and Mr. Dorminey executes an agreement providing for the assumption by Renasant of his amended and restated employment agreement in the form prescribed by Renasant, then on the first business day after the merger and in lieu of any other award under Renasant equity compensation plans, Mr. Dorminey will receive an inducement award of 35,000 shares of Renasant restricted stock, which will vest in four equal annual installments beginning on December 31, 2015. If Mr. Dorminey’s employment is terminated without cause or by reason of his death or disability, then the restricted shares will vest in full as of the date of his termination. In the event of a change in control of Renasant, the restricted shares will vest in full as of the date of the change in control. If Mr. Dorminey is terminated for cause or he terminates his employment without good reason, the restricted shares will be forfeited. In addition, Mr. Dorminey will enter into Renasant’s standard form of change in control agreement. As of the date of this proxy statement, we do not expect any of the other named executive officers of Heritage to receive an inducement award or otherwise enter into a new compensatory arrangement with Renasant.

75


Potential Change in Control Payments to Named Executive Officers of Heritage. The information below is intended to comply with Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K, which requires the disclosure of information about the compensation that is or may become payable to Heritage’s named executive officers that is based on , or may otherwise be payable on account of, the merger. For 2015, the named executive officers of Heritage are as follows:

O. Leonard Dorminey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage and President of HeritageBank;

T. Heath Fountain, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Heritage and HeritageBank;

Carol W. Slappey, Executive Vice President of Heritage and Chief Retail Officer of HeritageBank;

O. Mitchell Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Heritage and HeritageBank; and

David A. Durland, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of Heritage and HeritageBank.

The compensation quantified below is referred to as “golden parachute” compensation by applicable SEC disclosure rules, and such compensation is subject to a non-binding, advisory vote of Heritage’s stockholders, as described above in the section “The Heritage Proposals — Proposal No. 2 — Heritage Merger-Related Compensation Proposal.” The estimated value of the payments and benefits that the named executive officers of Heritage may receive in connection with the merger is quantified in the table below, which amounts have been calculated based on the following estimates and assumptions, in addition to those described in the footnotes to the table:

the employment of each named executive officer will be terminated without cause immediately following consummation of the merger;

the effective time of the merger will be;

calculations related to the value of unvested restricted stock awards are based on a price per share of $25.32, the average per-share closing price of Heritage’s common stock over the first five business days following December 10, 2014, the date of Heritage’s first public announcement of the transactions;

calculations related to the value of the in-the-money stock options are based on a price per share of $27.00, which is the price provided in the merger agreement with respect to such stock options; and

payments for unvested restricted stock awards and in-the-money options are based on the holdings of each named executive officer as of the date of this document.

Golden Parachute Compensation

  Cash ($)(1)  Equity ($) (2)  Pension/
NQDC ($) (3)
  Perquisites/
benefits ($) (4)
  Tax
reimbursement ($) (5)
  Other ($)  Total ($)(6) 

O. Leonard Dorminey

  2,177,160    2,050,309    —      877,869    1,285,953    —      6,391,291  

T. Heath Fountain

  613,741    201,504    —      270,064    —      —      1,085,309  

Carol W. Slappey

  930,351    1,059,932    —      223,199    —      —      2,213,481  

O. Mitchell Smith

  461,939    125,940    —      355,792    —      —      943,671  

David A. Durland

  306,553    163,590    —      58,852    —      —      470,143  

(1)

Reflects the following severance payments, all of which are “double trigger” payments that are contingent upon the termination of the named executive officer’s employment without cause (or the executive’s resignation for good reason), with the exception of Mr. Dorminey’s payments, which are “modified single trigger” payments that are contingent upon his termination of employment without cause or by Mr. Dorminey for any reason or no reason, as follows: Mr. Dorminey, the aggregate value of base salary

76


continuation ($1,668,600) and the aggregate value of his bonus continuation ($508,560); Mr. Fountain, the aggregate value of his base salary continuation ($453,200) and the aggregate value of his bonus continuation ($160,541); Ms. Slappey, the aggregate value of her base salary continuation ($726,150) and the aggregate value of her bonus continuation ($204,201); Mr. Smith, the aggregate value of his base salary continuation ($360,500) and the aggregate value of his bonus continuation ($101,439); Mr. Durland, the continuation of his base compensation ($252,350) and the payment of his average bonus ($54,203). All of the foregoing payments are payable under the respective employment agreements of these named executive officers, which agreements are described above under the heading “Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger.”
(2)Reflects the consideration payable with respect to unvested restricted stock that will vest at the effective time of the merger and the cash payments to be made in consideration of the cancellation of in-the-money stock options, each of which is a “single trigger” payment that is payable upon consummation of the merger, as detailed in the following table:

   Number of shares of
unvested restricted
stock (#)
   Restricted stock
consideration ($)
   Number of in-the-
money stock
options (#)
   In-the money
stock option
consideration ($)
 

O. Leonard Dorminey (a)

   16,000     405,120     115,962     1,645,189  

T. Heath Fountain

   3,200     81,024     8,000     120,480  

Carol W. Slappey

   8,000     202,560     61,840     857,372  

O. Mitchell Smith

   2,000     50,640     5,000     75,300  

David A. Durland

   2,000     50,640     7,500     112,950  

(a)The restricted stock award that Mr. Dorminey will receive from Renasant, which award is described above under the heading “Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger—Compensatory Arrangements with Renasant,” is not reflected in this table because such award is payable by Renasant in consideration for post-closing services and, accordingly, is not considered “golden parachute compensation” under Regulation S-K Item 402(t).

For further information regarding the treatment of the Heritage restricted stock and stock options, see the information under “Treatment of Restricted Stock, Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights” above.

(3)As described above, pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, the Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan will be terminated and, in connection with such termination, Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey will receive payment of their accounts. While the termination of the plan will accelerate payment of their accounts, the consummation of the merger does not enhance the benefits payable under the Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan. In addition, the parties anticipate that the Heritage pension plan will be terminated.
(4)Reflects the value of “double trigger” perquisites and benefits that the named executive officer would be entitled to receive pursuant to his or her employment agreement described above, with the exception of Mr. Dorminey’s payments which are made pursuant to a “modified single trigger” arrangement:

  Group
Medical
and
Dental($) (a)
  Insurance
Plans($) (b)
  Plan
Contributions($) (c)
  Car
Allowance($)
  Club
Dues($)
  Other($)(d) 

O. Leonard Dorminey

  39,479    47,615    763,094    4,000    23,682    —    

T. Heath Fountain

  23,929    2,839    225,349    2,000    8,247    7,700  

Carol W. Slappey

  38,749    12,573    168,877    3,000    —      —    

O. Mitchell Smith

  38,064    8,818    298,542    2,000    8,367    —    

David A. Durland

  —      —      —      —      —      —    

(a)Reflects the estimated value of aggregate premiums for continuation coverage under the Heritage group medical and dental plan, which amounts would be payable during the applicable post-termination severance period, based on premium values as of December 31, 2014.

77


(b)Reflects the estimated value of aggregate premiums for the Heritage long-term and excess disability plans, life insurance and long-term care insurance plans, which amounts would be payable during the applicable post-termination severance period, based on premium values as of December 31, 2014.
(c)Reflects the estimated value of aggregate contributions by Heritage on behalf of the executive to the Heritage employee stock ownership plan, 401(k) plan and, with respect to Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey, the Heritage Deferred Compensation Plan and, with respect to Mr. Dorminey, Ms. Slappey and Mr. Smith, the Heritage pension plan, all of which amounts would be payable during the applicable post-termination severance period, based on contributions calculated as of December 31, 2014.
(d)Reflects the estimated value of the use of a Heritage-owned condo by Mr. Fountain, based on the value determined as of December 31, 2014.

All of the foregoing payments are payable under the respective employment agreements of these named executive officers, which agreements are described above under the heading “Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Officers in the Merger.”

(5)As described above, Mr. Dorminey’s and Ms. Slappey’s employment agreement includes a gross up provision whereby the executive’s total payments and benefits in the event of the merger will either (A) be reduced to the limit imposed under Section 280G of the Code, minus $1.00, to avoid an excise tax liability, or (B) to the extent that the value of such payments and benefits would exceed the Section 280G limit by more than $100,000, in the case of Mr. Dorminey, or $50,000, in the case of Ms. Slappey, be paid in full, including an additional cash payment in an amount sufficient to pay any excise tax in respect of such payments and benefits, increased by the income or excise tax attributable to the excise tax payment. As of the date of this proxy statement, Heritage expects that Mr. Dorminey would receive a gross-up payment approximating the value reflected in the table and that Ms. Slappey would not be entitled to receive a tax gross-up payment, pursuant to such provisions of their employment agreements. None of the other named executive officers are entitled to a “gross-up” to offset any such excise taxes.
(6)The following table quantifies, for each named executive officer, the portion of the total estimated amount of compensation that is payable upon consummation of the merger, referred to as a “single trigger,” and the portion of the total amount of compensation that is payable only after both consummation of the merger and a termination of the named executive officer’s employment by the surviving corporation, referred to as a “double trigger,” or, in the case of Mr. Dorminey, a “modified single trigger”:

   Single Trigger   Double Trigger 

O. Leonard Dorminey

  $2,050,309    $4,340,982  

T. Heath Fountain

   201,504     833,805  

Carol W. Slappey

   1,059,932     1,153,549  

O. Mitchell Smith

   125,940     817,731  

David A. Durland

   163,590     306,553  

Renasant Board of Directors. When the merger is completed, one current member of Heritage’s board of directors will be appointed to Renasant’s and Renasant Bank’s respective boards of directors. Upon appointment, this individual, whom Renasant and Heritage have not selected as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, will be entitled to receive customary fees from Renasant or Renasant Bank, as applicable, for his or her service as a director in accordance with Renasant’s and Renasant Bank’s respective director compensation policies.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers; Insurance. The merger agreement provides that for a period of six years following the closing date of the merger Renasant will indemnify and hold harmless from liability each current or former director and officer of Heritage and any of its subsidiaries (as well as their heirs and estates). Current Heritage directors and officers are entitled to indemnity only if such persons sign a joinder agreement with Renasant allowing Renasant to participate in or completely assume the defense of any claim for which indemnification may be sought. The indemnification applies to acts or omissions occurring at, prior to or after the closing date of the merger.

78


Renasant has also agreed to indemnify and hold harmless Heritage and HeritageBank and each of the directors, officers and controlling persons of either against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities arising under the Securities Act. Renasant will indemnify such individuals only insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect of any of the foregoing) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement, or arising out of or based upon the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements in such document not misleading.

Finally, Heritage has also agreed to obtain a six year “tail” prepaid directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy or policies. The insurance policy(ies) must cover acts or omissions occurring prior to the closing date of the merger. The policy(ies) must be on terms and in amounts substantially similar to those in effect for Heritage on the date of the merger agreement. However, Heritage is not permitted to pay an aggregate premium for such insurance coverage in excess of 300% of the premium for such coverage as currently held by Heritage. In such event, Heritage shall purchase as much coverage as reasonably practicable for 300% of the premium amount.

For more information about the indemnification and insurance arrangements in favor of Heritage’s directors and officers, see “The Merger Agreement—Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance and Indemnification” on pages through.

Regulatory and Third-Party Approvals

Completion of the merger is subject to prior receipt of all approvals and consents required to be obtained from applicable governmental and regulatory authorities. Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth have also agreed to cooperate and use all reasonable best efforts to prepare as promptly as possible all documentation, to make all requisite regulatory filings and to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations of governmental entities necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement as soon as practicable. As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, Heritage and Renasant have received all necessary

There can be no assurance that regulatory approvals will be obtained, that such approvals will be received on a timely basis, or that such approvals will not impose conditions or requirements that, individually or in the aggregate, would or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Mississippi Departmentoperations, assets or business of Banking and Consumer Finance for theRenasant or KeyWorth following completion of the merger.

Although all regulatory approvals have been obtained, nevertheless there There can likewise be no assurance that any state attorney general or other domestic regulatory authority will not attempt to challenge the merger on antitrust grounds or for other reasons, or, if such a challenge is made, as to the result thereof. The merger is conditioned upon the receipt of all consents, approvals and actions of governmental authorities and the filing of all other notices with such authorities in respect of the merger. See “The Merger Agreement—Conditions to the Completion of the Merger” on pages through •.● of this proxy statement/prospectus.

Federal Reserve Approval.FDIC Approval The Federal Reserve notified Renasant that it had approved the merger on January 20, 2015.. The merger wasof KeyWorth with and into Renasant Bank is subject to the prior approval of the Federal Reserve underFDIC pursuant to Section 3(a)(5)18(c) of the Bank Holding CompanyFederal Deposit Insurance Act, of 1956, as amended, and related federal regulations. Renasant Bank has filed an application for approval with the FDIC, but this application is still pending. In reviewing the transactions under the applicable statutes and regulations, the Federal Reserve considered,FDIC will consider, among other factors, the competitive impact of the merger. The Federal ReserveFDIC will also consideredconsider the financial and managerial resources of the companies and their subsidiary banksfinancial institutions and the convenience and needs of the communities to be served as well as the companies’ effectiveness of the financial institutions in combatingcombatting money-laundering activities. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve was required toFDIC will take into consideration the extent to which the proposed acquisition would result in greater or more concentrated risks to the stability of the United States banking or financial system. In connection with theirits review, the Federal Reserve providedFDIC will provide an opportunity for public comment on the application for the merger and wasis authorized to hold a public meeting or other proceeding if it determineddetermines that such action would be appropriate (no such public meeting was held).appropriate.

79


Under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, as amended, the Federal ReserveFDIC must take into account the record of performance of each of RenasantKeyWorth and HeritageRenasant in meeting the credit needs of the entire communities, including low-low-income and moderate-income neighborhoods served by the companies and their subsidiaries.them. As of their last respective examinations, Renasant Bankexamination, KeyWorth was rated “satisfactory” and HeritageBankRenasant was rated “satisfactory.” Applications or notifications may also be required to be filed with various other regulatory authorities in connection with the merger.

FDIC Approval. The FDIC notified Renasant Bank that it had approved the merger of HeritageBank with and into Renasant Bank on March 10, 2015. The bank merger was subject to the prior approval of the FDIC pursuant to Section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended, and related federal regulations. The FDIC considered factors generally similar to those considered by the Federal Reserve. The FDIC application process also included publication and an opportunity for comment by the public.“satisfactory”.

State Bank Regulatory Approvals.Approvals. Renasant also receivedhas filed or will file applications for approval of the bank merger fromor notices with the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance.Finance and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance with respect to the merger. In reviewing the merger of the banks, the department was required towill take competitive considerations into account, as well as the capital adequacy, the quality of management and earnings prospects (in terms of both quality and quantity).

Other Applications and Notices. Other applications and notices are being filed with various regulatory authorities and self-regulatory organizations in connection with the merger, including applications and notices in connection with the indirect change in control, as a result of the merger, of certain subsidiaries directly or indirectly owned by Heritage.merger.

Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth are not aware of any governmental approvals or compliance with banking laws and regulations that are required for the merger to become effective other than those described above. Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth intend to seek any other approval and to take any other action that may be required to complete the merger. There can be no assurance that any required approval or action can be obtained or taken prior to the meeting.

If the approval of the merger by any of the authorities mentioned above is subject to compliance with any conditions, there can be no assurance that the parties or their subsidiaries will be able to comply with such conditions or that compliance or non-compliance will not have adverse consequences for the combined company after consummation of the merger. See “The Merger Agreement—Reasonable Best Efforts” beginning on page ● below for a discussion of Renasant’s rights if any regulatory approval is subject to a “burdensome condition.” The parties believe that the proposed merger is compatible with the applicablesuch regulatory requirements.

Third-Party Approvals. The merger is conditioned upon the receipt of all consents and approvals of third parties with respect to specified agreements, such as real property leases, unless the failure to obtain any such consent or approval would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on Renasant or Heritage.KeyWorth. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to obtain all consents, approvals and waivers from third parties necessary in connection with the completion of the merger.

Public Trading Markets

Renasant common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “RNST.” Heritage common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “HBOS.” Upon completion of the merger, Heritage common stock will be delisted from Nasdaq and deregistered under the Exchange Act. The newly issued Renasant common stock issuable pursuant to the merger agreement will be listed on Nasdaq, subject to notice of issuance.

Heritage Stockholders Do Not Have Dissenters’ Rights

KeyWorth is a Georgia bank, and under Section 7-1-537 of the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia, holders of KeyWorth common stock who desire to object to the merger and to receive the fair value of their KeyWorth common stock in cash, referred to as “dissenting shareholders,” may do so by complying with the provisions of Georgia law pertaining to the exercise of dissenters’ rights. Section 7-1-537 of the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia provides that a dissenting shareholder of a Georgia bank has the same rights and remedies as a dissenting shareholder of a corporation incorporated under Georgia law. Accordingly, the following discussion addresses the provisions of the Georgia Business Corporation Code, or the GBCC, relating to dissenters’ rights, which provisions are contained in Article 13 of the GBCC, Sections 14-2-1301 through 14-2-1332.

THE FOLLOWING IS INTENDED AS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF THE GBCC REQUIRED TO BE FOLLOWED BY A HOLDER OF KEYWORTH COMMON STOCK IN ORDER TO PROPERLY DISSENT FROM THE MERGER AND PERFECT THE SHAREHOLDER’S DISSENTERS’ RIGHTS. THIS SUMMARY, HOWEVER, IS NOT A COMPLETE STATEMENT OF ALL APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS AND IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO ARTICLE 13 OF THE GBCC, THE FULL TEXT OF WHICH APPEARS AS ANNEX C OF THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS.

This proxy statement/prospectus constitutes notice to holders of KeyWorth common stock of the applicable statutory provisions of Article 13 of the GBCC. Any KeyWorth shareholder who wishes to assert his or her dissenters’ rights or who wishes to preserve his or her right to do so should review the following discussion and Annex C carefully. If a shareholder fails to comply timely and properly with the procedures discussed below and specified in Article 13, the shareholder will lose his or her dissenters’ rights under Georgia law. Persons having beneficial interests in KeyWorth common stock held of record in the Merger

Dissenters’ rights are statutory rights that, if applicable under law, enable stockholders to dissent from an extraordinary transaction,name of another person, such as a broker or bank, must act promptly to cause the record holder to take the actions required under Georgia law to exercise their dissenter’s rights.

A holder of KeyWorth common stock is entitled to dissent and obtain payment in cash for the “fair value” of his or her shares. Article 13 of the GBCC defines “fair value” to mean the value of the dissenting shares immediately before the consummation of the merger, andexcluding any appreciation or depreciation in anticipation of the merger. In order to exercise his or her dissenters’ rights with respect to the merger, a KeyWorth shareholder must:

deliver to KeyWorth, before the vote to approve the merger proposal is taken at the special meeting, written notice of his or her intent to demand and receive payment of the fair cash value for their

of his or her shares of KeyWorth common stock if the merger is consummated; and

 

80


not vote, or cause or permit to be voted, any of his shares from the successor corporation, either as agreed by the stockholder and the corporation or as determined by a courtof KeyWorth common stock in a judicial proceeding, instead of receiving the consideration offered to stockholders in connection with the extraordinary transaction. Dissenters’ rights are not available in all circumstances, and exceptions to these rights are provided under the MGCL.

Section 3-202favor of the MGCL provides that a stockholdermerger proposal.

A KeyWorth shareholder who does not satisfy both of these requirements is not entitled to payment for his or her shares under Georgia law. Please note that, if you return a signed proxy but fail to provide voting instructions, your shares will be deemed to have dissenters’ rights and is bound by the termsbeen voted in favor of the transaction if, among other things, the stock is listed on a national securities exchange on the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on the matter, unless the stock is to be changed or converted in whole or in part in the merger into anything of value except stock of the successor or cash in lieu of fractional shares of stock. Heritage common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, and is expected to continue to be so listed on the record date for the Heritage special meeting. Heritage stockholders will receive Renasant common stock (or cash in lieu of fractional shares) in the merger.proposal. As a result, Heritage stockholdersyou will not be entitled to assert dissenters’ rights.

Assuming KeyWorth shareholders approve the merger proposal, KeyWorth must send to each shareholder who has perfected dissenters’ rights in accordance with the steps explained above a written dissenters’ notice no later than 10 days after the merger is completed. The dissenters’ notice will state where a dissenting shareholder must send his or her payment demand described in the next paragraph and where and when stock certificates for dissenting shares must be deposited. It will also set the deadline by which KeyWorth must receive the payment demand (this deadline may not be fewer than 30 nor more than 60 days after the date KeyWorth delivers the dissenters’ notice). A copy of Article 13 of the GBCC will be included with KeyWorth’s dissenters’ notice.

After receiving the dissenters’ notice, a dissenting shareholder must make a first payment demand for his or her shares by written notice to KeyWorth and deposit his or her stock certificates, each in accordance with the terms of the written dissenters’ notice received from KeyWorth. If a dissenting shareholder fails to submit a first payment demand or to deposit his or her shares in accordance with the procedures set forth in the dissenters’ notice from KeyWorth, such dissenting shareholder will lose his or her rights to dissent and shall not be entitled to payment under Article 13 of the GBCC. Instead, he or she will receive the merger consideration.

Within ten days of the later of the closing of the merger or KeyWorth’s receipt of the first payment demand, KeyWorth (or Renasant, as its successor) must offer to pay the dissenting shareholders who have complied with the provisions of Article 13 of the GBCC the amount KeyWorth (or its successor) estimates to be the fair value of the dissenting shareholders’ shares, plus accrued interest. The offer of payment must be accompanied by:

recent KeyWorth financial statements;

a statement of KeyWorth’s estimate of the fair value of the shares;

an explanation of how the interest was calculated;

a statement of the dissenting shareholder’s right to demand payment of a different amount if the dissenting shareholder is dissatisfied with the offer; and

a copy of Article 13 of the GBCC.

If a dissenting shareholder accepts KeyWorth’s offer by providing written notice to KeyWorth within 30 days after the date the offer is made, or if he or she fails to respond at all to KeyWorth’s offer within this 30-day period, KeyWorth (or its successor) must make payment for the dissenting shareholder’s shares within 60 days after the later of the date KeyWorth (or its successor) made the offer of payment or the date on which the merger occurs.

If we have not completed the merger within 60 days after the first payment demand and the deposit of stock certificates, KeyWorth must return the deposited stock certificates. If we complete the merger after the return of stock certificates, KeyWorth must send a new dissenters’ notice and repeat the payment demand procedure described above.

A dissenting shareholder may make a second payment demand to KeyWorth in writing of his or her own estimate of the fair value of his or her shares and the amount of interest due if the dissenting shareholder is dissatisfied with KeyWorth’s offer of payment of fair value or the merger does not occur and KeyWorth does not return the deposited certificates within the required 60-day period. This second payment demand must be made within 30 days after the date KeyWorth (or its successor) makes its offer, or the dissenting shareholder will be deemed to have waived his or her right to demand payment of a different amount than that offered by KeyWorth (or its successor) and to have accepted the amount offered by KeyWorth (or its successor).

If a dissenting shareholder’s second payment demand is unsettled 60 days after receipt by KeyWorth (or its successor), KeyWorth (or its successor) shall commence a nonjury equitable valuation proceeding in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, to determine the fair value of the shares and accrued interest. All dissenting shareholders whose second payment demands remain unsettled will be made parties to this proceeding. In the valuation proceeding, the court will fix a value of the shares and may appoint one or more appraisers to receive evidence and recommend a decision on the question of fair value. The costs of the appraisal proceeding (including the costs of any appraisers the court appoints) will be assessed against KeyWorth (or its successor), except that some of these costs may be assessed against a dissenting shareholder if the court finds the dissenters acted arbitrarily, vexatiously or not in good faith. The court also has the power to assess attorneys’ fees against KeyWorth, if it does not substantially comply with the requirements of Article 13, or against a dissenting shareholder, if such shareholder acted arbitrarily, vexatiously or not in good faith. If KeyWorth (or its successor) does not commence this proceeding within 60 days after receiving a dissenting shareholder’s second payment demand, it must pay each dissenting shareholder whose second payment demand remains unsettled the amount demanded by each dissenting shareholder in his or her second payment demand.

Any KeyWorth shareholder who has duly asserted dissenters’ rights in compliance with Section 7-1-537 of the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia and Article 13 of the GBCC will not, after the consummation of the merger, be entitled to vote such shares for any purpose or be entitled to the payment of dividends or other distributions on those shares.

Any shareholder who properly asserts dissenters’ rights but then fails to perfect, or effectively withdraws such assertion or loses, such rights will have his or her shares converted into the right to receive the consideration receivable with respect to theirsuch dissenting shares of Heritage common stock.in accordance with the merger agreement.

Accounting Treatment of the Merger

Renasant will account for the merger using the acquisitionpurchase method of accounting, for business combinations, with Renasant as the acquiror. The assets (including identifiable intangible assets) and liabilities (including executory contracts and other commitments) of HeritageKeyWorth will be recorded, as of completion of the merger, at their respective fair values and added to those of Renasant. Any excess of the purchase price over fair values will be recorded as goodwill. Consolidated financial statements and reported results of operations of Renasant issued after completion of the merger will reflect these values, but will not be restated retroactively to reflect the historical financial position or results of operations of Heritage.

Litigation Relating to the Merger

On December 31, 2014, a putative stockholder class action lawsuit,Stein v. Heritage Financial Group, Inc. et al., was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, Civil Division, against Heritage, the members of its board of directors, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank. The complaint, which was amended on February 18, 2015, alleges that the Heritage directors breached their fiduciary duties and/or violated Maryland law in connection with the negotiation and approval of the merger agreement by failing to maximize shareholder value and failing to disclose material information in the February 9, 2015 preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus and that Heritage, HeritageBank, Renasant and Renasant Bank aided and abetted those alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. In addition to monetary damages in an unspecified amount and other remedies, the lawsuit seeks to enjoin Heritage stockholders from voting on the Heritage merger proposal at the Heritage special meeting and Renasant stockholders from voting on the Renasant merger proposal at the Renasant special meeting and to otherwise enjoin the directors from consummating the merger.

Heritage and Renasant believe the claims asserted are without merit and intend to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.KeyWorth.

81


THEMERGERTHE MERGER AGREEMENT

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the merger agreement. This description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the agreement and plan of merger, agreement, a copy of which is attached as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and incorporated by reference herein. This summary may not contain all of the information about the merger agreement that may be important to you. We urge you to read the merger agreement carefully and in its entirety, as it is the legal document governing the merger.

Terms of the Merger; Effective TimeMerger

Each of the Renasant board of directors and the HeritageKeyWorth board of directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement, which provides for the merger of Heritage with and into Renasant. Renasant will be the surviving corporation in the merger. Immediately after the merger, HeritageBank will mergeKeyWorth with and into Renasant Bank, withBank. Renasant Bank aswill be the surviving banking association in the merger. Under the merger agreement, Renasant may elect to forgo the consummation of the bank merger, so long as such decision will not have an impact on the fulfillment of the conditions to the completion of the merger of Heritage into Renasant or otherwise delay the closing of such merger.

The Renasant ArticlesBank Charter of Incorporation and Renasant Bylaws as in effect immediately prior to the completion of the merger will be the articlescharter of incorporation and bylaws of the surviving corporation.bank. As described in “The Merger—Renasant Bank’s Board of Directors Following Completion of the Merger,” one current director of Heritage will join Renasant’sthe board of directors whichof Renasant Bank immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be the surviving corporation’sbank’s board of directors.directors after the merger. Each of Renasant’sRenasant Bank’s officers immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be the officers of the surviving corporationbank from and after the merger. O. Leonard Dorminey, Heritage’s President andJames F. Pope, KeyWorth’s Chief Executive Officer, will serve as Renasant’s RegionalChairman of Renasant Bank’s Atlanta Metro Division. Neil Stevens, KeyWorth’s President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Atlanta Division Metro President for Georgia.Renasant Bank.

Effective Time of the Merger

The merger will be completed no later than the fifth business day, or such later date as the parties mutually agree, following the receipt of all necessary approvals and consents of all governmental entities, the expiration of all statutory waiting periods and the satisfaction or waiver of all other conditions to the merger set forth in the merger agreement. See “Conditions to the Completion of the Merger” below. Articles of Merger to be filed with the Mississippi Commissioner of Banking and Consumer Finance and thereafter with the Mississippi Secretary of State as required under the corporation laws of Mississippi and with the Maryland StateGeorgia Department of AssessmentsBanking and TaxationFinance as required under the corporation laws of MarylandGeorgia will establish the effective time of the merger. It is currently is anticipated that the completion of the merger will occur in the thirdfirst quarter of 2015,2016, subject to the receipt of the approval of KeyWorth’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, but neither Renasant nor HeritageKeyWorth can guarantee when or if the merger will be completed.

Merger Consideration; Treatment of HeritageKeyWorth Stock Options, Warrants and Other Equity-Based Awards of Heritage

General. Each share of HeritageKeyWorth common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the completion of the merger, except for shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock held by HeritageKeyWorth in its treasury, and shares owned by Renasant or any subsidiary of Heritage or Renasant (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted), and shares held by dissenting shareholders, will be converted into the right to receive 0.92660.4494 of a share of Renasant common stock, which we refer to herein as the exchange ratio. If the number of shares of common stock of Renasant or HeritageKeyWorth changes before the merger is completed because of a reclassification, recapitalization, stock dividend, or stock distribution, stock split, reverse stock split or similar event, then a proportionate adjustment will be made to the exchange ratio.

Fractional Shares. Renasant will not issue fractional shares of Renasantits common stock in connection with the merger. Instead, Renasant will make a cash payment (without interest) to each Heritage stockholderKeyWorth shareholder who would

otherwise have received a fractional share of Renasant common stock. The amount of this cash payment

82


will equal the product of (1) the fraction of a share of Renasant common stock otherwise issuable to such stockholder and (2)shareholder by the weighted average closing sale pricesprice of a share of Renasant common stock as reported byon Nasdaq foras of the 15 consecutiveend of the last trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the closing dateeffective time of the merger.

Restricted Stock, Stock Options and Other Equity-Based AwardsWarrants. The merger agreement provides that, upon completion of the merger, each share of unvested restrictedin-the-money stock unvested stock option and unvested stock appreciation right or similar right to purchase HeritageKeyWorth common stock granted under Heritage’s equity incentive plansKeyWorth’s 2007 Stock Incentive Plan or otherwise that is outstanding immediately priorand each warrant to the effective timepurchase shares of the mergerKeyWorth’s common stock will vest in full without any action on the part of the holder thereof. Shares of restricted stock will be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration, less applicable tax withholding (except that withholding will not be made in respect of restricted stock held by non-employee directors of Heritage). Each in-the-money stock option willand be converted into the right to receive a cash payment (without interest), thepayment. The amount of whichthis cash payment will be equal to (1) the total number of shares of Heritage common stock subject to such stock option or warrant multiplied by (2) the difference between $27.00 (as provided in the merger agreement)$15.00 and the exercise price of the option or warrant, less applicable tax withholding (except that no withholding will be made in respect of cash payments to Heritage non-employee directors).withholdings. Out-of-the-money HeritageKeyWorth stock options and stock appreciation or similar rightswarrants will be cancelled for no consideration.

Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates

The conversion of HeritageKeyWorth common stock into the right to receive the merger consideration will occur automatically upon completion of the merger. Renasant hasand Renasant Bank have appointed Computershare, Inc., its transfer agent, to serve as the exchange agent under the merger agreement Renasant’s transfer agent, Computershare, Inc., which we refer to herein as the exchange agent. As soonpromptly as reasonably practicable after the completion of the merger, the exchange agent will mail a letter of transmittal to each holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock (other than shares held by shareholders who have exercised and maintained their dissenters’ rights) at the effective time of the merger. This mailing will contain instructions on how to surrender HeritageKeyWorth common stock represented in certificated formcertificates in exchange for the applicable merger consideration. Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders should not send in their stock certificates until they receive the letter of transmittal and instructions. Any holder of book-entry shares of Heritage common stock will not be required to deliver a certificate or an executed letter of transmittal to receive the merger consideration. Instead, a holder of book-entry shares will automatically at the effective time of the merger be entitled to receive the merger consideration, which will be paid as soon as practicable by the exchange agent.

Upon surrender to the exchange agent of the certificate(s) representing his her or itsher shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, accompanied by a properly completed letter of transmittal, a Heritage stockholderKeyWorth shareholder will be entitled to receive after the effective time of the merger the merger consideration (including any cash in lieu of fractional shares). Until surrendered, each such certificate will represent after the effective time of the merger, for all purposes, only the right to receive, without interest, the merger consideration (including any cash in lieu of fractional shares) and any dividends or distributions to which such holder is entitled pursuant to the merger agreement.

If a certificate for HeritageKeyWorth common stock has been lost, stolen or destroyed, the exchange agent will issue the consideration properly payable under the merger agreement upon receipt of an affidavit of that fact by the claimant and, if required by Renasant or the exchange agent, the posting of a bond in such amount as Renasant or the exchange agent determines is reasonably necessary as indemnity.

Each of Renasant and the exchange agent will be entitled to deduct and withhold from the cash in lieu of fractional shares payable to any holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock the amounts it is required to deduct and withhold under any federal, state, local or foreign tax law. If Renasant or the exchange agent withholds any amounts, these amounts will be treated for all purposes as having been paid to the stockholdersshareholders from whom they were withheld.

83


Dividends andDistributionsand Distributions

Until shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock represented by certificates or held in book-entry are surrendered for exchange, any dividends or other distributions with a record date on or after the effective time of the merger with respect to Renasant common stock into which shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock may have been converted will accrue but will not be paid. Renasant will pay to former Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders any unpaid dividends or other distributions with respect to Renasant common stock, without interest and less any taxes withheld, only after they have duly surrendered their HeritageKeyWorth shares.

Heritage

KeyWorth has agreed that, prior to the completion of the merger, it will not declare or pay any dividend or distribution on its stock, other than:

dividends from one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries to Heritage or another of its wholly-owned subsidiaries; or

than regular quarterly cash dividends on its common stock not in excess of $0.07$0.03 per share per quarter with record and payment dates consistent with past practice (provided that itpractice. KeyWorth will not declare a quarterly dividend with respect to the quarter in which the merger is expected to be completed unless such completion date is anticipated to be after the record date for the dividend).
dividend.

Representations and Warranties

The representations, warranties and covenants by Renasant, Renasant Bank Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth described below and included in the merger agreement were made only for purposes of the merger agreement and as of specific dates. These representations, warranties and covenants were made solely for the benefit of Heritage, HeritageBank,KeyWorth, Renasant and Renasant Bank; may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties instead of establishing these matters as facts; and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those generally applicable to investors. You are not a third-party beneficiary under the merger agreement and in reviewing the representations, warranties and covenants contained in the merger agreement, as described below, it is important to bear in mind that such representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions were not intended by the parties to the merger agreement to be characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of Renasant, HeritageRenasant Bank, KeyWorth or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Such representations and warranties are not intended to amend, supplement or supersede any statement contained in any reports or documents filed by Renasant or Heritage with the SEC. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the merger agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Renasant’s and Heritage’s public disclosures. For the foregoing reasons, the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions of those provisions should not be read alone and should instead be read in conjunction with the other information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and in the reports, statements and filings that Renasant and Heritage publicly filefiles with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page. ●.

Each of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth has made customary representations and warranties related to their respective businesses regarding, among other things:

 

corporate matters, including due organization and qualification;

its subsidiaries

 

capitalization;

 

authority relative to execution and delivery of the merger agreement and the absence of conflicts with, or violations of, organizational documents or other obligations as a result of the merger;

 

required governmental filings and consents;

 

SEC reports, financial statements and the absence of undisclosed liabilities;

 

84


the accuracy of information supplied for inclusion in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and other similar documents;

 

the absence of certain changes or events;

 

legal proceedings;

 

compliance with applicable laws permits and Nasdaq rules;permits;

 

tax matters, including that the applicable partyKeyWorth, Renasant or any of itsRenasant’s subsidiaries hashave not taken or agreed to take any action that might cause the merger not to constitute a “reorganization” under Section 368(a) of the Code or impede or delay the receipt of regulatory approval;

 

employee benefit matters;

 

certain material contracts;

broker’s fees payable in connection with the merger;

deposit insurance and other bank regulatory matters;

 

Community Reinvestment Act compliance; and

 

the receipt of an opinion of its financial advisor.

The merger agreement includes additional representations of HeritageKeyWorth regarding, among other things:

 

its employees and labor matters;

 

real and personal property and insurance matters;

 

environmental matters;

 

matters relating to loans, (including mortgage loans held for sale), the allowance for loan losses and other real estate owned;

 

its loss-share agreements with the FDIC;

its disclosure controls and procedures and its internal control over financial reporting;

 

its risk management instruments;

 

its investment securities and bank-owned life insurance;

 

intellectual property matters;

 

inapplicability of state takeover laws;

derivative instruments and transactions; and

 

transactions with affiliates.

The merger agreement includes additional representations of Renasant regarding, among other things:

its subsidiaries;

compliance with Nasdaq rules;

SEC reports;

certain material contracts;

its loss-share agreements with the FDIC;

its disclosure controls and procedures; and

its holding of capital sufficient to complete the merger.

None of the parties’ representations and warranties in the merger agreement survive the effective time of the merger.

Material Adverse Effect

Certain representations and warranties of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth are qualified as to a “material adverse effect.” For purposes of the merger agreement, a “material adverse effect,” when used in reference to Renasant or Heritage,KeyWorth, means any change, state of facts, circumstance, event or development that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, assets, liabilities, condition (financial or financial conditionotherwise) or results of the applicable partyoperations of KeyWorth or Renasant and its subsidiaries, as applicable, taken individually or as a whole. In determining whether a material adverse effect has occurred or would reasonably be expected to occur, Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth will disregard:

 

 (1)

any effects resulting from the impact of (A)(a) any action taken by HeritageKeyWorth or Renasant or any of their respectiveRenasant’s subsidiaries taken with the prior written consent of the other party or required expressly by

85


the merger agreement or (B)(b) any action not taken by HeritageKeyWorth or Renasant or any of their respectiveRenasant’s subsidiaries to the extent taking such action is expressly prohibited by the merger agreement without the prior written consent of the other party and such consent has not been given;

 (2)changes in laws or interpretations thereof that are generally applicable to the banking industry;

 

 (3)changes in generally accepted accounting principles or regulatory accounting requirements applicable to banks andor their holding companies generally;

 

 (4)expenses incurred in connection with the merger agreement and the merger, including payments to be made pursuant to employment and severance agreements and the termination of other benefit plans;

 

 (5)changes attributable to or resulting from changes that are the result of factors generally affecting financial institutions, including changes in interest rates;

 

 (6)changes in general economic, market, political or regulatory conditions in the United States;

 

 (7)the failure to meet earnings projections or internal financial forecasts and, as to Renasant, changes in the trading price of Heritage’s or Renasant’s common stock as applicable, but, as to any of the foregoing, not including the causes thereof;

 

 (8)any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declared or undeclared acts of war or terrorism; or

 

 (9)the impact of the announcement of the merger agreement, the mergers and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; oragreement.

(10)the departure of any employees of Heritage’s mortgage division and any changes related to Heritage’s integration of Alarion Financial Services, Inc.

For Heritage only, a material adverse effect will also be deemed to have occurred if any event or occurrence, including the merger and the bank merger, results, or is reasonably likely to result, in the loss of any material amount of Heritage’s loss-share coverage from the FDIC. Finally, withWith respect to items (2), (3), (5), (6) and (8) above, a material adverse effect on HeritageKeyWorth or Renasant, as the case may be, will be deemed to exist if the effect on the party is disproportionate to the effect that the relevant item has on financial institutions or their holding companies generally.

The representations and warranties of Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth are generally contained in Article 3 of the merger agreement. The representations and warranties of Renasant and Renasant Bank are generally contained in Article 4 of the merger agreement.

Covenants and Agreements

HeritageKeyWorth has agreed that, prior to the effective time of the merger, it will and will cause each of its subsidiaries to, conduct its business only in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice and prudent banking practices. Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth must use their bestits commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past practices to maintain and preserve intact its business organization, rights, franchises and other authorizations issued by governmental entities and its current relationships with customers, regulators, employees and others. Renasant and Renasant Bank also agreed to conduct their business in the ordinary course consistent with past practices and to maintain their franchise and relationships, except to the extent a change would not have a material adverse effect on Renasant. In addition Heritage and HeritageBank may not take any action intended to or that would reasonably be expected to adversely affect or materially delay the ability of any of the parties to obtain any regulatory approvals required for the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement or to perform their respective obligations under the merger agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. In addition to these general covenants, HeritageKeyWorth has agreed to promptly notify Renasant and Renasant Bank as promptly as practicable if it makes or acquires any loan, issues any commitment (including the renewal or extension of any existing commitment) or amends or restructures any existing loan relationship where Heritage’sKeyWorth’s total exposure to the borrower and its affiliates is or would be in excess of $2 million.

86


Each of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth has undertaken customary covenants that place restrictions on itKeyWorth, Renasant and its respectiveRenasant’s subsidiaries until the completion of the merger. Each of Renasant, Renasant Bank and HeritageKeyWorth has agreed not to, and Renasant will not permit its subsidiaries to:

 

knowingly take any action or knowingly fail to take any action that would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or delay its ability to perform its respective covenants and agreements on a timely basis under the merger agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement;

 

knowingly take any action or knowingly fail to take any action that wouldcould reasonably be expected to result in any of its representations and warranties contained in the merger agreement not being true and correct in any material respect at the effective time of the merger;time;

knowingly take any action that would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or delay its ability to obtain any necessary regulatory approvals, consents or waivers with respect to the merger or that wouldcould reasonably be expected to result in any such approvals, consents or waivers containing any condition or restriction that would materially impair the value of the merger;

 

change any provision of its articles of incorporation or bylaws or comparable organizational document;

 

change its financial accounting or tax reporting methods or systems of internal accounting controls or revalue in any material respect any of its assets (including writing off notes or accounts receivable), except in each case insofar as may have been required by a change in generally accepted accounting principles as concurred in by its independent accounts; or

agree to take, make any commitment to take, or adopt any board resolutions in supportfavor of any of the actions restricted under the merger agreement;agreement.

change any provision of its articles of incorporation or bylaws or other governing instrument; or

other than changes required by generally accepted accounting principles as agreedIn addition to by its independent auditors, make any change in its accounting methods or practices or systems of internal accounting controls, revalue in any material respect any of its assets, or change any of its methods of reporting income and deductions for federal income tax purposes, except as required by changes in law.

Heritagethe general covenants above, KeyWorth has also agreed that, subject to specified exceptions and except with respect to all reasonable activities reasonably necessary to effectuate the opening of a branch in Marietta, Georgia and consistent with KeyWorth’s past practices in opening branches or with Renasant’s prior written consent Heritage(or deemed consent, as provided in the merger agreement), KeyWorth will not, and will not permit its subsidiaries to, among other things, undertake any of the following actions:

 

except for the issuance of HeritageKeyWorth common stock pursuant to the present terms of the outstanding HeritageKeyWorth stock options, KeyWorth equity incentive plans and KeyWorth warrants, (1) change the number of shares of its authorized or issued stock, (2) issue or grant (or commit to issue or grant) any shares of its stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or any option, warrant, call, commitment, subscription, award, right to purchase or agreement of any character relating to its authorized or issued stock or other equity interests, as applicable, any security convertible into shares of such stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or any stock or equity appreciation right, restricted unit or other equity-based compensation, (3) split, combine or reclassify any shares of its stock or other equity interests, as applicable, (4) redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of its stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or (5) enter into any agreement, undertaking or arrangement with respect to the sale or voting of its stock or other equity interests, as applicable;

 

subject to certain exceptions relating to actions within the ordinary course of Heritage’sKeyWorth’s business, create or incur any indebtedness for borrowed money (which includes any Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Services products with maturities in excess of 120 days) or assume or guarantee the long-term indebtedness of a third party;

 

declare or pay any dividends or other distributions on any shares of its stock, except as set forth above in “The Merger Agreement—Dividends and Distributions”;

 

except as required under applicable law or as contemplated by the merger agreement, enter into, establish, adopt, amend, modify, renew or terminate a HeritageKeyWorth employee benefit plan or grant or accelerate the vesting of any equity-based award, except that Heritage will terminate on or before the effective time of the merger its tax-qualified employee stock ownership plan, defined benefit pension plan and 401(k) plan;award;

 

87


except as contemplated by the merger agreement, (1) grant any severance or termination pay to, or enter into any employment, consulting, compensation or compensationretention agreement with, any of its directors, officers, employees or consultants, (2) grant any salary increase or increase employee benefits except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice (and subject in any case to a 3.0% cap on increases), (3) hire, transfer, promote or terminate any employee who has a target annual compensation of $75,000$60,000 or more or (4) pay any bonus of any kind or amount to any director, officer, employee or consultant except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

 

sell, lease, transfer, mortgage, encumber or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets, including transfers of any automobiles owned as of October 31, 2014 to its employees, except for sales of loans and other real estate owned in the ordinary course of business (a sale of a loan or of other real estate owned for less than 90% of its carrying value or appraised value, as applicable, will not be considered to have occurred in the ordinary course) or as required by contracts or agreements in force;

pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations other than in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice;

 

make, or commit to make, any capital expenditures in excess of $150,000$100,000 in the aggregate, other than pursuant to binding commitments existing on the date of the merger agreement and expenditures necessary to maintain existing assets in good repair;

 

permit the commencement of any construction of new structures or facilities upon, or purchase or lease, any of its real property in respect of any branch or other facility, or file any application, or otherwise take any action, to establish, relocate or terminate the operation of any banking office;

 

other than as required by law or regulatory agreement, enter into any new line of business or materially change its lending, deposit, investment, underwriting, pricing, originating, acquiring, selling, servicing, hedging, risk and asset-liability management and other material banking or operating policies in any material respect;respect other than as required by law or regulatory agreement;

 

make, change or revoke any material tax election, change an annual tax accounting period or adopt or change any tax accounting method, file any amended tax return or settle or compromise any tax claim, audit, assessment or dispute or surrender any right to claim a refund of taxes;

 

engage in any transaction with any of its “affiliates” other than in the ordinary course of business and in compliance with Regulation O;

 

enter into any leveraged arbitrage programs, any futures contract, option or other agreement, or take any action for purposes of hedging the exposure of its interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities to changes in market rates of interest;

 

(1) materially restructure or materially change its investment securities portfolio, through purchases, sales or otherwise, or the manner in which the portfolio is classified or reported, (2) invest in any mortgage-backed or mortgage related securities which would be considered “high-risk” securities under applicable regulatory pronouncements or (3) purchase or otherwise acquire any debt security with a remaining term as of the date of such purchase or acquisition of greater than five years for Heritage’s or HeritageBank’sKeyWorth’s own account;

knowingly take any action that is intended to or would be reasonably expected to result in any of the conditions to the closing of the merger set forth in the merger agreement not being satisfied or materially delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, except as may be required by law;

 

(1) acquire direct or indirect control over any business or other entity, whether by stock purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, including the incorporation or organization of any subsidiary, or (2) with certain exceptions, make any other investment either by purchase of stock or securities, contributions to capital, property transfers or purchase of any property or assets of any other person or entity; or

 

88


(1) settle any claim, action or proceeding other than claims, actions or proceedings in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice involving solely money damages not in excess of $75,000 individually or $150,000 in the aggregate, (excluding in connection with a loan that is a covered asset under a loss-share agreement), or waive, compromise, assign, cancel or release any material rights or claims or (2) agree or consent to the issuance of any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction restricting or otherwise affecting its business or operations; or

agree to take, make any commitment to take, or adopt any board resolutions in support of any of the actions restricted under the merger agreement.operations.

No Solicitation of Other Offers

Heritage has agreedThe merger agreement provides, subject to limited exceptions described below, that neither it or HeritageBank, nor any of their respectiveKeyWorth will not, and will not authorize its officers, directors managers, trustees,or employees or representatives, including any investment banker, financial advisor, attorney, accountant or accountantother representative retained by Heritageit to, directly or HeritageBank, may indirectly, any of the following actions:

solicit, initiate, or holdknowingly facilitate or encourage (including by way of furnishing information or assistance), or take any other action designed to solicit, initiate, facilitate or encourage any inquiries or the making of any proposal that constitutes, or is reasonably likely to lead to any acquisition proposal, which is defined in the next paragraph;

participate in any discussions, negotiations or communications regarding any acquisition proposal; or

provide any confidential or nonpublic information or data to any person relating to an acquisition proposal.

KeyWorth has also agreed not to release any third party from, or to waive any provisions of, any confidentiality or standstill agreements to which it is a party with respect to any acquisition proposal. Finally, KeyWorth was required under the merger agreement to immediately cease, and cause its officers, directors, employees and representatives to cease, any discussions or negotiations with or provide any other party regarding an acquisition proposal, and if requested by Renasant, KeyWorth must request the return and destruction of all confidential information provided to any person, entity or group concerning any acquisition transaction. An “acquisition transaction” is defined inthird person.

For purposes of the merger agreement, the term “acquisition proposal” means any inquiry, proposal or offer, filing of any regulatory application or notice or disclosure of an intention to mean an offerdo any of the foregoing from any person relating to any (1) direct or proposal by a person or entity other than Renasant or Renasant Bank for (1) a merger, tender offer, recapitalization or consolidation or similar transaction involving Heritage or HeritageBank, (2) a purchase, lease or otherindirect acquisition or assumptionpurchase of all or substantially alla business that constitutes a substantial portion of the net revenues, net income or assets of HeritageKeyWorth, (2) direct or HeritageBank, (3) aindirect acquisition or purchase or other acquisition of beneficial ownershipany class of equity securities representing 51%20% or more of the voting power of HeritageKeyWorth or 20% or more of the assets of KeyWorth, (3) tender offer or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any person beneficially owning 20% or more of the voting power of Key Worth, or (4) any substantiallymerger, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction.transaction involving KeyWorth, other than transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

The merger agreement does not prevent Heritage, or its board of directors, from, prior toNotwithstanding the receipt of Heritage stockholder approval:

(1)participating in discussions with a person regarding an unsolicited bona fide written proposal to engage in any acquisition transaction, which we refer to as an “acquisition proposal,” solely to clarify the terms of such acquisition proposal;

(2)providing information in response to an acquisition proposal after receipt from such person of an executed confidentiality agreement;

(3)engaging in any negotiations or discussions with a person who has made an acquisition proposal;

(4)failing to recommend, or withdrawing or changing its recommendation of, the merger agreement and the merger and/or failing to hold the special meeting to approve the merger agreement; or

(5)recommending an acquisition proposal to the stockholders of Heritage.

With respect to items (3), (4) and (5)restrictions described above, however, the board of directors of HeritageKeyWorth may, only undertakeprior to the special meeting, participate in any of the actions covered by such itemsdiscussions, negotiations or communications or provide any confidential or nonpublic information or data in response to an unsolicited bona fide written acquisition proposal after it has determinedconcluded in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisoradvisers (as to financial matters) and outside legal counsel, that (a)(1) failure to take such actionactions would be inconsistent with the board of directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law and (b)(2) taking into account the likelihood of the consummation of such transaction on the terms set forth in the acquisition proposal and all legal, financial, regulatory and regulatoryother aspects of the acquisition proposal and the person making it (including any applicable termination fees, expense reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation) that would be payable to Renasant) that theKeyWorth’s board of directors deems relevant, such acquisition proposal (as defined above, but substituting 50% for 20% in the definition) both is more favorable to Heritage’s stockholdersKeyWorth’s shareholders from a financial point of view than the merger with Renasant and is reasonably likelycapable of being completed on the terms proposed. Any acquisition proposal that meets the criteria set forth in subpart (2) of the preceding sentence is referred to be consummated. Any proposal satisfying (a) and (b) isas a “superior proposal” underproposal.” Prior to providing any nonpublic information pursuant to the merger agreement.foregoing exception, KeyWorth must provide notice to Renasant and Renasant Bank of its intention to provide such information to the third party as well as to Renasant and Renasant Bank, and KeyWorth must have entered into a confidentiality agreement with such third party on customary terms and conditions.

HeritageKeyWorth must notify Renasant in writing (1) the termsas promptly as practicable (and in no event more than 48 hours) after receipt of any acquisition proposal, it receives (which notice must include copies of theany request for nonpublic information relating to KeyWorth that could reasonably be expected to lead to an acquisition proposal, and all information providedor any inquiry from any person seeking to have discussions, negotiations or other communications relating to a possible acquisition proposal. Such notice shall indicate the identity of the person making the acquisition proposal)proposal, inquiry or request and (2)the material terms and conditions of any inquiries, requests, proposals or offers (including a copy of the acquisition proposal, if in writing), except to the extent that Heritage’ssuch material both constitutes confidential information of the third party making such acquisition proposal under an effective confidentiality agreement and is not related to the terms and conditions of such acquisition proposal. KeyWorth must also keep Renasant informed on a reasonably current basis of the status and terms of any such proposal, offer, information request, negotiations or discussions (including any amendments or modifications to such proposal, offer or request).

Board Recommendation

The merger agreement requires KeyWorth’s board of directors has determined to (a)recommend the approval of the merger agreement and the merger, which recommendation is set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus. Neither the KeyWorth board of directors nor any board committee shall:

withhold, withdraw, amend, modify or qualify (or propose publicly to withhold, withdraw, amend, modify or qualify), in a manner adverse in any respect to Renasant,Renasant’s interests, or take any action in connection with the special meeting inconsistent with, its recommendation set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus that Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth’s shareholders approve the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement,merger; or

approve or recommend, or publicly propose to doapprove or recommend, any acquisition proposal.

Either of the foregoing or (b) take any action or make any statement in connection with the Heritage special meeting inconsistent with such recommendation. Any action by Heritage’s board covered by subpart (2) of the foregoing sentenceactions is referred to in this document as a “change in Heritage recommendation.KeyWorth recommendation,Heritage must deliverand this writtenterm also includes the failure by KeyWorth’s board of directors to recommend against an acquisition proposal. Finally, the KeyWorth board of directors may not permit KeyWorth to enter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement, merger agreement or other similar agreement related to an acquisition transaction.

Notwithstanding the foregoing restrictions, KeyWorth’s board of directors may make a change in KeyWorth recommendation if it has determined, after consultation with its financial advisors (as to financial matters) and outside legal counsel, that its failure to take action otherwise would be inconsistent with the board of directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law and it has both (1) complied with all of its non-solicitation obligations and obligations with respect to its recommendation of the approval of the merger agreement to KeyWorth’s shareholders under the merger agreement and (2) undertaken the following steps:

within three business days after notice no more than 48 hours afterto Renasant and Renasant Bank of receipt of an acquisition proposal, the board of directors has determined in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisor (as to financial matters) and its outside legal counsel, that the acquisition proposal oris a superior proposal, has not been withdrawn and continues to be a superior proposal after taking into account all adjustments to the board’s determinationterms of the merger agreement that may be offered by Renasant and Renasant Bank pursuant to the following bullet-points;

KeyWorth has given each of Renasant and Renasant Bank at least six business days’ prior written notice of its intention to make a change in Heritage recommendation.

89


DuringKeyWorth recommendation (which notice shall specify the six business days after Renasant’s receiptmaterial terms and conditions of any such superior proposal (including the identity of the notice described inparty making the preceding paragraph, which we refer to asproposal)) and has contemporaneously provided an unredacted copy of the “notice period,” Heritage is required to,relevant proposed transaction agreements with the person making such superior proposal; and to cause

KeyWorth has, and has caused its financial advisors and outside legal counsel to, negotiate with Renasant in good faith to allow Renasant to propose changes to the terms of the merger agreement that make it unnecessary for Heritage’sKeyWorth’s board of directors to make a change in HeritageKeyWorth recommendation or otherwise terminate the merger agreement. In the case of a superior proposal, this means that Renasant would propose changes to the merger agreement such that the proposal no longer is a superior proposal. After the notice period ends, Heritage’s board of directors must determine in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, whether, assuming the changes to the merger agreement that Renasant has proposed are given effect, it would still be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law to not make a change in Heritage recommendation (or terminate the merger agreement). Heritage’s board of directors also must determine whether the acquisition proposal continues to be a superior proposal. If during the noticenegotiation period the third party makes material modifications to the financial terms or other material terms of its acquisition proposal, HeritageKeyWorth must give Renasant written notice thereof, and Renasant has an additional six business days to propose revisions to the terms of the merger agreement.

Neither Heritage nor HeritageBank may terminateEven if KeyWorth makes a change in KeyWorth recommendation, it is required to hold the special meeting to vote on the approval of the merger agreement, during the notice period, unless Renasant gives notice that it does not intend to negotiate to match or better the superior proposal. If Renasant has not notified Heritage of whether it has elected to attempt to match or better the superior proposal by the day after the expiration of the notice period, Heritage may terminate the merger agreement and proceed with the superior proposal. Under these circumstances, Heritage will be obligated to pay a termination fee to Renasant upon the consummation of the transaction contemplated by the superior proposal as described below. See “Termination of the Merger Agreement” and “Termination Fee” below.

Board Recommendations

Except where Heritage’s board of directors has determined, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that its failure to act would be inconsistent with the board of directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law, neither the Heritage board of directors nor any board committee shall:

make a change in Heritage recommendation;

approve or recommend, or publicly propose to approve or recommend, any acquisition proposal; or

cause Heritage to enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement or other similar agreement related to an acquisition transaction.

A change in Heritage recommendation also includes the failure by Heritage’s board of directors to recommend against an acquisition proposal.

Similarly, except where Renasant’s board of directors has determined, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that its failure to act would be inconsistent with the board of directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law, neither the Renasant board of directors nor any board committee may withdraw, modify or qualify, in a manner adverse to Renasant, its recommendation that Renasant stockholders approve the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, or publicly propose to do any of the foregoing or take any action or make any statement in connection with the Renasant special meeting inconsistent with such approval or recommendation.

Finally, neither Heritage nor Renasant may fail to hold its respective special meeting of stockholders unless its board of directors has determined, in a manner similar to the other determinations described above, that holding its special meeting would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law.been terminated.

Reasonable Best Efforts

Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth have agreed to use their respective reasonable best efforts to take all actions that are necessary, proper or advisable under the merger agreement and applicable laws to consummate and make effective the

90


effective the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement as promptly as practicable. Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth have also agreed to cooperate and use all reasonable best efforts to prepare as promptly as possible all documentation, to make all requisite regulatory filings and to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations of governmental entities necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement as soon as practicable. Further, each of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth must use their reasonable best efforts to resolve any objections to the merger that may be asserted by a governmental entity. However, if a governmental entity brings a formal proceeding to contest the merger, neither party is required to answer or defend such contest or otherwise pursue the merger. In addition,

Renasant is not required to, and without Renasant’s prior consent, neither Heritage nor HeritageBankKeyWorth may not, take any action or agree to any condition or restriction in connection with obtaining the consent or approval of a governmental entityforegoing permits, consents, waivers, approvals and authorizations if such action, condition or restriction is(1) would have, or would be reasonably likelyexpected to result inhave, a material adverse effect.effect on Renasant or KeyWorth, or (2) as to Renasant or Renasant Bank, would prohibit or materially limit the ownership or operation by KeyWorth, or by Renasant or any of its subsidiaries, of all or any material portion of the business or assets of KeyWorth or Renasant or any of its subsidiaries or would compel Renasant or any of its subsidiaries to dispose of all or any material portion of the business or assets of KeyWorth. Any such action, condition or restriction is referred to as a “burdensome condition.” However, a burdensome condition does not include any prohibition, limitation or other requirement customarily imposed by governmental entities in published orders or approvals for transactions like the merger.

Employee Matters

For employees of Heritage and its subsidiariesKeyWorth who become employees of Renasant or its subsidiariesany subsidiary or affiliate thereof after the merger, referred to as “transferred employees,” Renasant may maintain any Heritage benefit plan orwill offer such employees coverage under similar Renasant employee benefit plans.plans or maintain their coverage under KeyWorth’s existing benefit plans and arrangements. Renasant will recognize transferred employees’ service with KeyWorth as service with Renasant or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, as the service of transferred employeescase may be, for purposes of eligibility to participate and vesting under Renasantthe benefit plans, policies or arrangements, subject to applicable break-in-service rules.

Renasant and Renasant Bank will provide continuation coverage as required under COBRA to former employees of HeritageKeyWorth and their beneficiaries who were entitled to COBRA coverage immediately prior to the effective timeclosing of the merger. Renasant has agreed that any preexisting condition, limitation or exclusion in its group health, long-term disability and group term life insurance plans shall not apply to transferred employees or their covered dependents who are covered under similar plans maintained by Heritage or HeritageBankKeyWorth to the extent such condition, limitation or exclusion is waived, satisfied or inapplicable to such employee under a Heritage or HeritageBankKeyWorth plan on the closing date of the merger and who then changeschange coverage to the similaranalogous Renasant plan when the employee is first given the option to enroll. The merger agreement does not restrict the ability of Renasant, Renasant Bank or any other Renasant employer to amend, merge or terminate KeyWorth’s employee benefit plans sponsored by Heritage in accordance with their terms or applicable law. Except to the extent of contractual commitments specifically made or assumed by Renasant, no Renasant employer will have any obligation arising from the merger to continue the employment of a transferredany KeyWorth employee or to continue employment in any specific job or at any specified level of compensation or any incentive payments, benefits or perquisites.

As of the closing date of the merger, Renasant has agreed to assume and honor in accordance with their terms all employment agreements in effect immediately priorPrior to the effective time, of the merger, which have been disclosed to Renasant in the merger agreement, provided that each Heritage employee who has entered into such an agreement executes an assumption agreement in form and substance satisfactory to both Renasant and Heritage. Heritage has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain these assumptions agreements. It is a condition to the consummation of the merger that Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey enter into assumption agreements. The forms of the assumption agreements to be entered into by each of Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey are attached as schedules to the merger agreement, which is included as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

Heritage has agreed toKeyWorth will adopt resolutions to terminate its employee stock ownership plan, defined pension benefit plan, 401(k) plan, and certain other deferred compensation arrangements, in each case effective as of the closing date and provided that such terminations shall be contingent on the closing of the merger. Heritage has also agreed to make a contribution to its defined benefit pension plan prior toAfter the closing date, Renasant will assume sponsorship of the 401(k) plan for the sole purpose of administering termination benefits thereunder.

Any employee of KeyWorth who has been employed for at least six months (other than employees who are parties to an employment agreement or a change in control agreement) and who is involuntarily terminated without “cause” (as defined in the merger agreement) in connection with the merger will be entitled to receive severance payments from Renasant. The amount of such severance is equal to two weeks of an amountemployee’s base

pay (calculated as of the closing date) for each full year such employee was employed by KeyWorth or any predecessor entity, with a minimum of four weeks’ of pay and a maximum of sixteen weeks of pay. Any employee receiving severance must execute and deliver a waiver and release in favor of KeyWorth and Renasant (as successor to be agreed upon by Heritage and Renasant.KeyWorth).

Directors’ and Officers’ InsuranceandInsurance and Indemnification

The merger agreement provides that for a period of six years following the closing date of the merger Renasant will indemnify and hold harmless eachthe duly elected current and former directordirectors and officerofficers of Heritage and any of

91


its subsidiaries,KeyWorth, and their heirs, personal representatives and estates. Current HeritageKeyWorth directors and officers are entitled to indemnity only if such persons sign a joinder agreement with Renasant allowing Renasant to participate in or completely assume the defense of any claim for which indemnification may be sought. The indemnification applies to acts or omissions occurring at, prior to or after the closing date of the merger. The joinder agreement also requires such officer or director to cooperate in the defense of any action for which indemnification is sought. Renasant will indemnify such individuals against, and shall advance or reimburse any and all costs and expenses of, any judgments, interest, fines, damages or other liabilities, or amounts paid in settlement, as such are incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding based upon or arising from the indemnified party’s capacity as an officer or director of Heritage or any of its subsidiaries.KeyWorth. The indemnification will be provided to the same extent as such HeritageKeyWorth directors or officers would be indemnified under Heritage’sKeyWorth’s articles of incorporation, as amended, and bylaws in effect on the date of the merger agreement. No indemnity will be provided, however, if the claim against the HeritageKeyWorth director or officer arises on account of his or her service on the board of another for-profit entity.

The amount of indemnification to be provided by Renasant to all indemnified parties as a group is capped at an amount equal to the sum of $5,000,000 and the policy limits of the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage obtained by HeritageKeyWorth described below in the last paragraph of this subsection. See “The Merger—Interests of Certain Heritage Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger.” Renasant has no responsibility as to how such total sum is allocated among that group. Any amounts otherwise owed by Renasant pursuant to its indemnification obligations will be reduced by any amounts that an indemnified party receives from any third party.

Renasant has also agreed to indemnify and hold harmless Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth and each of theits directors, officers and controlling persons of either against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities arising under the Securities Act. Renasant will indemnify such individuals only insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect of any of the foregoing) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement, or arising out of or based upon the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements in such document not misleading. Renasant will pay or promptly reimburse such person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Renasant, however, is not obligated to indemnify such persons with respect to any such loss, claim, damage or liability (or actions in respect of any of the foregoing) which arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement, in reliance upon information furnished to Renasant by Heritage or HeritageBankKeyWorth for use in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. Renasant is entitled to participate in the defense of any such action. If Renasant assumes the defense with counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party, after notice to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, Renasant will not be liable for any legal or other expenses of defense incurred by the indemnified party. If Renasant elects not to assume such defense, or if counsel for the indemnified party advises that there are conflicts of interest between Renasant and the indemnified parties, such parties may retain their own counsel, at Renasant’s expense. The indemnification provided in connection with actions arising under the Securities Act is not subject to the indemnification cap described in the paragraph immediately above.

HeritageKeyWorth has also agreed to obtain a six year “tail” prepaid directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy(ies). The insurance policy(ies) must cover acts or omissions occurring prior to the closing date of the

merger. The policy(ies) must be on terms and in amounts substantially similar to those in effect for HeritageKeyWorth on the date of the merger agreement. However, HeritageKeyWorth is not permitted to pay an aggregate premium for such insurance coverage in excess of 300%200% of the premium for such coverage as currently held by Heritage.KeyWorth. In such event, HeritageKeyWorth shall purchase as much coverage as reasonably practicable for 300%200% of the premium amount.

92


Lock-UpVoting Agreements

Each director of Heritage hasKeyWorth signed an agreement with Renasant obligating such person, in his or her capacity as a Heritage stockholder,KeyWorth shareholder, to vote his or her shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock in favor of the merger agreement. The lock-upvoting agreements signed by non-employee directors of HeritageKeyWorth contain one feature not found in the analogous agreements signed by directors who are also HeritageKeyWorth employees: for a period of two years following the closing of the merger, those non-employee directors are prohibited from, directly or indirectly, engaging in a “competitive business,” or soliciting Renasant customers with respect to any competitive business, in the State of Georgia.Georgia counties in which KeyWorth operates and the counties adjacent thereto. These non-employee directors are also prohibited from directly or indirectly soliciting employees, contractors or agents of Renasant in any geographic area during this two-year period. In these agreements, a non-employee director will be engaged in a “competitive business” if he or she engages in a banking business. Equipment leasing,the business of banking. Insurance and insurance trust and investment advisoryagency services and ownership interests in place when the merger agreement was signed are permitted (certain of the Heritage non-employee directors also have additional limited exceptions to their respective non-competition obligations).permitted.

Conditions to the Completion of the Merger

Renasant’sThe obligation of Renasant and Heritage’s respective obligationsRenasant Bank, on the one hand, and the obligation of KeyWorth, on the other hand, to complete the merger are subject, but not limited, to the fulfillment or, in certain cases, waiver of the following conditions:

 

AllThe parties must have received all necessary regulatory, governmental and other approvals and consents required to complete the merger of Heritage into Renasant and the merger of HeritageBankKeyWorth into Renasant Bank, and no consents or approvals shall have been obtained.impose a condition or requirement that constitutes a burdensome condition.

 

StockholdersShareholders of Heritage and RenasantKeyWorth shall have approved the merger agreement and the merger.

 

There shall be no legal prohibition to the merger, nor shall there be any action by a governmentalgovernment entity of competent jurisdiction which in effect prohibits and makes the completion of the merger illegal.

 

The registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part shall be effective (with no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement), and the shares of Renasant common stock being registered shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq.

 

Customary legal opinions as to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the merger shall have been delivered.

 

No Heritage director, officer or employee shall serve as a director of the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia (as of the date of this document, Mr. Dorminey serves as a director of this bank).

The representations and warranties of the other party toin the merger agreement of KeyWorth, as to Renasant and Renasant Bank’s obligation to complete the merger, and the representations and warranties in the merger agreement of Renasant and Renasant Bank, as to KeyWorth’s obligation to complete the merger, must be true and correct in all material respects (without giving effect to any limitations as to materiality or material adverse effect) as of the date of the merger agreement and as of the closing date of the merger as though made as of suchthe closing date (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, in which case as of such earlier date), except for inaccuracies of representations or warranties which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on such other party to the merger agreement (other than certain representations and warrantswarranties relating to bank regulatory matters, which must be true and correct in all material respects).

 

The performance in all material respects of all the obligations of the other party to the merger agreement must have performed in all material respects all of its obligations under the merger agreement.

The parties shall have executed and delivered the articles of merger.

The employment agreements between Renasant Bank and each of Mr. Pope and Mr. Stevens shall have been fully executed and delivered.

No material adverse effect shall have occurred with respect to the other party.

The obligations of Renasant under the merger agreement to complete the merger are also subject but not limited, to the fulfillment, on or prior to the closing date of the merger, of the following conditions (any one or more of which may be waived by Renasant to the extent permitted by law):

 

Heritage shall have delivered written consentsKeyWorth shareholders who dissent from the FDIC, in its capacity as receiver undermerger must not hold more than 5% of the loss-share agreements to which Heritage is a party,outstanding shares of KeyWorth common stock immediately prior to the effect that there will be no adverse change in

93


Heritage’s loss-share coverage by reason of the consummation of the merger agreement, and no event shall have occurred that resulted, or is reasonably likely to result, in a loss of a material amount of loss-share coverage from the FDIC.

Heritage shall have delivered assumption agreements executed by each of Mr. Dorminey and Ms. Slappey and employment agreement amendments executed by each of Mr. Fountain and Mr. Smith.effective time.

 

Heritage’sKeyWorth’s board of directors shall have adopted resolutions terminating Heritage’sKeyWorth’s 401(k) plan effective as of the closing date of the merger.

 

No material adverse effectThere shall not have occurred with respect to Heritage.been exercised KeyWorth stock options and warrants representing more than 10% of the aggregate KeyWorth stock options and warrants outstanding as of October 20, 2015, excluding stock options held by KeyWorth non-executive officers and employees and warrants held by organizers of KeyWorth who are not directors.

 

HeritageKeyWorth shall have delivered consents from certain specified individualseach holder of KeyWorth warrants who is a KeyWorth executive officer or director regarding the cancellation and cash-out of their stock options.warrants.

We cannot provide assurance as to when or if all of the conditions to the merger can or will be satisfied or waived by the appropriate party. As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, we have no reason to believe that any of these conditions will not be satisfied.

Termination of the Merger Agreement

Subject to certain limitations, the merger agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the closing date of the merger, whether before or after approval of the merger agreement by Renasant’s and/or Heritage’s stockholders:KeyWorth’s shareholders:

 

by mutual written consent of Renasant and Heritage;KeyWorth;

 

by Renasant or HeritageKeyWorth if:

 

the closing date of the merger shall not have occurred on or prior to SeptemberJune 30, 2015,2016, unless the closing is delayed because approval by a governmental entity is pending and has not been finally resolved, or because any stockholder litigation relating to the merger has not been dismissed, settled or otherwise resolved, in which event such date shall be automatically extended to December 31, 2015, unless the failure to complete the merger by that date is due to the breach of the merger agreement by the party seeking to terminate;

 

Heritage’s or Renasant’s stockholdersKeyWorth’s shareholders do not approve the merger agreement at the applicable special meeting;meeting, unless the failure to receive such approval is due to the breach of the merger agreement by the party seeking to terminate;

 

30 days pass after any application for regulatory or governmental approval is denied or withdrawn at the request or recommendation of the governmental entity, unless within such 30-day period a petition for rehearing or an amended application is filed. A party may terminate 30 or more days after a petition for rehearing or an amended application is denied. No party may terminate when the denial or withdrawal is due to that party’s failure to observe or perform its covenants or agreements set forth in the merger agreement;

 

any governmental entity shall have issued a final, non-appealable order enjoining the completion of the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; ormerger;

 

if there has beenis a breach of or failure to perform under the merger agreement by the other party that prevents it from satisfying any of (1) any covenant or undertaking inthe closing conditions to the merger agreement or (2) any representation or warranty of the other party contained in the merger agreement, whereand such breach or failure to perform prevents the breaching party from satisfying a condition to closing in the merger agreement and cannot be or has not been cured within 30 days following delivery ofafter the breaching party receives written notice of the breach.such breach;

by Renasant if:

 

Renasant elects not to propose revisions to the merger agreement to match or better a superior proposal;

 

94


Heritage’sKeyWorth’s board of directors makes a change in HeritageKeyWorth recommendation;

 

HeritageKeyWorth fails to call or convene the special meeting to approve the merger agreement; or

 

Heritage approves orKeyWorth authorizes, recommends, or publicly proposesannounces its intention to approveauthorize or recommend, an acquisition proposal by a third party.party;

holders of more than 5% of the shares of KeyWorth’s common stock outstanding at any time prior to the closing date of the merger exercise dissenters’ rights; or

 

by Heritage if:

either (1) Renasant notifies Heritage that it does not intendKeyWorth, in order to propose revisionsenter into a definitive agreement with respect to the merger agreement to match or better a superior proposal, or otherwise doesexcept that KeyWorth may not respond to Heritage’s notice of its receipt of an acquisition proposal within the six business day notice period or (2) Heritage’s board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel that, even after giving effect to changes to the merger agreement proposed by Renasant, it would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law not to terminate the merger agreement and that the acquisition proposal still constitutes a superior proposal;

if it has materially breached its non-solicitation obligations or its obligations with respect to the board of directors of Heritage determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisorsrecommendation to KeyWorth shareholders. Also, any such purported termination shall be void unless KeyWorth has paid the termination fee and outside legal counsel, that it would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law to (1) hold the special meeting, (2) recommend the merger agreement to Heritage stockholders, (3) fail to terminate the merger agreement and accept an acquisition proposal from a third party or (4) not make a change in Heritage recommendation;

Renasant’s board of directors withdraws or qualifies the recommendation in this joint proxy statement/prospectus that Renasant’s stockholders vote to approve the merger agreement, or proposes publicly to do either of the foregoing; or

Renasant fails to call or convene the special meeting to approve the merger agreement.expense fee.

Expense and Termination FeeFees

Under certain circumstances, HeritageKeyWorth may owe Renasant a termination fee if the merger agreement is terminated. In all cases, the termination fee is $2.35 million. Under certain circumstances, KeyWorth or Renasant may owe the sumother party an expense fee if the merger agreement is terminated. In all cases, the expense fee is the amount of $10,300,000 plus all of Renasant’sthe other party’s reasonable costs and expenses, up to $750,000, incurred in connection with the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including legal, accounting and investment banking fees and expenses. The payment of the termination and the expense fee is the exclusive remedy available to Renasant if the merger agreement is terminated under the circumstances described below.

Under the first set of circumstances, prior to any event allowing either party to terminate the merger agreement, an acquisition proposal must have been publicly announced or otherwise made known to Heritage’sKeyWorth’s senior management, board of directors or stockholdersshareholders generally and not have been irrevocably withdrawn more than five business days prior to the Heritage special meeting or the date the merger agreement is otherwise terminated, as described in the next sentence. Next, the merger agreement must have been terminated either (1) by Renasant or Heritage,KeyWorth, because Heritage’s or Renasant’s stockholdersKeyWorth’s shareholders failed to approve the merger agreement, or (2) by Renasant, because of a willful breach or failure to perform by HeritageKeyWorth of any covenant, undertaking, representation warranty, covenant or undertakingwarranty contained in the merger agreement, which breach cannot be or has not been cured within 30 days following delivery of written notice of the breach. In such event, if KeyWorth enters into a definitive agreement with respect to the acquisition transaction or the acquisition transaction is consummated with the third party whose acquisition proposal precipitated the termination of the merger agreement within 12nine months of termination, then on the earlier of the date of such definitive agreement is executed or the consummationdate of such acquisition transaction, Heritageconsummation KeyWorth must pay Renasant the termination fee and the expense fee by wire transfer of same-day funds.

Alternatively, if (1) Renasant terminates the merger agreement under any of the circumstances described under the second bullet point in the “Termination of the Merger Agreement” subsection immediately above, or (2) Heritage terminates the merger agreement under any of the circumstances described under the third bullet point in the “Termination of the Merger Agreement” subsection immediately above (except for the last sub-bullet point in the third bullet point), or (2) KeyWorth terminates the merger agreement under the circumstances described under the fourth bullet point in the “Termination of the Merger Agreement” subsection immediately above, then in either case Heritage

95


KeyWorth is required to pay Renasant the termination fee and the expense fee by wire transfer of same-day funds. A termination under these circumstances is not effective until Renasant receives such funds. In no event shall HeritageKeyWorth be required to pay the termination fee and the expense fee to Renasant more than once.

If Heritagethe merger agreement is terminated by either party because of a willful breach or failure to perform by the other party of any covenant, undertaking, representation or warranty contained in the merger agreement, which breach cannot be or has not been cured within 30 days following delivery of written notice of the breach, the breaching party shall pay the expense fee to the non-breaching party by wire transfer of same-day funds.

If KeyWorth fails promptly to pay the termination fee and Renasantthe expense fee, or the breaching party fails to pay the expense fee, as described immediately above, and the other party sues for such fee and wins a judgment against Heritage, Heritagethe other, the non-successful party must also pay to Renasantthe other party its costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) in connection with such suit.

Amendment and Waiver

Subject to applicable law, the parties may amend the merger agreement by written agreement if so authorized by their respective boards of directors. However, after Renasant and Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders have approved the merger agreement, there may not be, without further stockholdershareholder approval, any amendment of the merger agreement that requires such further stockholdershareholder approval under applicable law. Either party to the merger agreement may, subject to applicable law, extend the time for performance of any obligation of the other party, waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of the other party or waive compliance by the other party with any of the other agreements or conditions contained in the merger agreement.

Expenses

Regardless of whether the merger is completed, all expenses incurred in connection with the merger, the bank merger, the merger agreement and other transactions contemplated thereby will be paid by the party incurring the expenses, except that Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth will share equally the costs and expenses of printing and mailing this joint proxy statement/prospectus as well as the filing fee for the Registration Statement on Form S-4 of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus is a part and all other fees related to the merger and the bank merger.

96


MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

The following is a summary descriptiondiscussion of the anticipated material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger generally applicable to U.S. holders (as defined below) that hold their shares of Heritage common stock who hold theKeyWorth common stock as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This summary description deals onlydiscussion is based upon, and subject to, the Code, legislative history, the treasury regulations promulgated under the Code, as well as published administrative rulings and judicial decisions relating thereto, all as in effect as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus. All of these authorities are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change could materially affect the U.S. federal incomecontinuing validity of this discussion. Tax laws are complex, and your individual circumstances may affect the tax consequences of the merger. No information is providedto you. We urge you to consult a tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the merger to you.

This discussion does not address the tax consequences of the merger under non-income, state, local, gift, estate, foreign or other tax laws, nor does it address any tax consequences arising under the unearned income Medicare contribution tax pursuant to Section 1411 of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.Code. The following is not intended to be a complete description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger to all holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock in light of their particular circumstances or to holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, such as:

 

Non-U.S. stockholders;non-U.S. holders;

 

“S” corporations or entities treated as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock who hold their shares through “S” corporations or entities treated as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

financial institutions;

 

insurance companies;

qualified insurance plans;

 

tax-exempt organizations;

 

qualified retirement plans and individual retirement accounts;

 

brokers or dealers in securities or currencies;

 

traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting;

 

regulated investment companies;

 

real estate investment trusts;

 

persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

 

former citizens or residents of the United States;

stockholders subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code;

 

stockholders who received their stock upon the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise acquired their stock as compensation;

 

persons who purchased or sell their shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock as part of a wash sale; or

 

stockholders who hold theKeyWorth common stock as part of a “hedge,” “straddle” or other risk reduction mechanism, “constructive sale,” or “conversion transaction,” as these terms are used in the Code.

A “U.S. holder” of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, referred to in this discussion as a “holder” of HeritageKeyWorth common stock, means a beneficial owner of HeritageKeyWorth common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes (1) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (3) a trust if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) such trust was in existence on August 20, 1996, and has made a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or (4) an estate that is subject to U.S. federal income tax on its income regardless of the incomesource of whichthe income.

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement that is includible in gross incometreated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardlesspurposes) holds KeyWorth common stock, the tax treatment of its source.

This discussion is based upon, and subject to,a partner generally will depend on the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code, as well as existing interpretations, administrative rulings and judicial decisions relating thereto, all as in effect asstatus of the datepartner and the activities of this joint proxy statement/prospectus. All of these authorities are subject to change,

97


possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change could materially affect the continuing validity of this discussion. Tax laws are complex,partnership. Partnerships holding KeyWorth common stock and your individual circumstances may affecttheir partners should consult their tax advisers about the tax consequences of the merger to you. We urge you to consult a tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the merger to you.their particular circumstances.

Qualification of the Merger as a “Reorganization”

Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth intend for the merger to be treatedqualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. Neither Renasant nor KeyWorth have requested nor do they intend to request a ruling from the IRS as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger. The obligation of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth to complete the merger is conditioned upon the receipt of tax opinions from Phelps Dunbar LLP, counsel to Renasant, and Alston & Bird LLP, counsel to Heritage, dated the closing date of the merger,KeyWorth, to the effect that the merger will constitute a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code.

These opinions are and will be subject to customary qualifications and assumptions, including assumptions regarding the absence of changes in existing facts and the completion of the merger strictly in accordance with the merger agreement and the registration statement. In rendering their tax opinions, each counsel is entitled to rely upon representation letters executed by officers of Renasant and Heritage,KeyWorth, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to each such counsel. If any of these assumptions or representations isare inaccurate in any way, thesethe tax opinions could be adversely affected. The tax opinions will represent each counsel’s best legal judgment but will have noare not binding effect or official status of any kind, and no assurance can be given that contrary positions will not be taken byon the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or any court, and as a court considering the issues. In addition, neither Renasant nor Heritage have requested, nor do they intend to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger. Accordingly,result there can be no assurancesassurance that the Internal Revenue ServiceIRS will not assert, or that a court willwould not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences set forth below or any of the tax consequences described in the tax opinions. Except as otherwise indicated, the following discussion assumes that the merger qualifies as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code.such opinion.

Exchange of HeritageKeyWorth Common Stock Solely for Renasant Common Stock. No gain or loss will be recognized by holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock upon the exchange of shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock for shares of Renasant common stock pursuant to the merger, except in respect of cash received in lieu of the issuance of aany fractional share of Renasant common stock (as discussed below).

Exchange of Cash Received in Lieu of a Fractional Share. A holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock who receives cash in lieu of the issuance of a fractional share of Renasant common stock will generally be treated as having received such fractional share pursuant to the merger and then as having received cash in exchange for such fractional share. Gain or loss generally will be recognized by such holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received in lieu of the fractional share of Renasant common stock and the portion of the holder’s aggregate adjusted tax basis of the HeritageKeyWorth shares exchanged in the merger by a holder of Heritage common stock which is allocable to the fractional share of Renasant common stock. Such gain or loss generally will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if, as of the effective date of the merger, the holding period by the holder thereof for such shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock by the holder thereof is more than one year.

Tax Basis of Renasant Common Stock Received in the Merger. The aggregate tax basis of the Renasant common stock (including a fractional share deemed received and sold for cash as described above) received in the merger by a holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock for his, her or its shares of such stock will equal the aggregate tax basis of the HeritageKeyWorth common stock surrendered in the exchange.

Holding Period offor Renasant Common Stock Received in the Merger. The holding period for any Renasant common stock received in the merger by a holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock will include the holding period of the HeritageKeyWorth common stock surrendered in the exchange by such holder.

exchange.

98


Tax Consequences if the Merger Does Not Qualifyto Renasant and KeyWorth. Neither Renasant nor KeyWorth will recognize taxable gain or loss as a “Reorganization”

Ifresult of the merger, failsexcept for, in the case of KeyWorth, gain, if any, that has been deferred in accordance with the consolidated return regulations.

Dissenters’ Rights. The discussion above does not apply to qualify asholders of KeyWorth common stock who properly exercise dissenters’ rights. Upon the proper exercise of dissenters’ rights, a “reorganization” within the meaningholder of Section 368(a)KeyWorth

common stock will exchange all of the Code, the merger will be a fully taxable transaction to the holdersshares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock. In such case, eachstock actually owned by that holder of Heritage common stocksolely for cash and that holder generally will recognize gain or loss measured byequal to the difference between the total considerationamount of cash received inand the merger (including, but not limited to, the fair market value, as of the closing date of the merger, of the shares of Renasant common stock received) and such holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock surrendered, in the merger. Each holder of Heritage common stock is urged to consult his or her tax advisor regarding the manner in which gain or loss shouldgenerally will be calculated among different blocks of Heritagelong-term capital gain or loss if the holder’s holding period with respect to the KeyWorth common stock surrendered inis more than one year.

The tax rules applicable to dissenters are complex and dependent upon the merger. The aggregatespecific factual circumstances particular to each holder. Consequently, we urge each holder that may be subject to these rules to consult its tax basis in the shares of Renasant common stock received pursuantadvisor as to the merger will be equalapplication of these rules to the fair market value ofparticular facts relevant to such Renasant common stock as of the closing date of the merger. The holding period of such shares of Renasant common stock will begin on the date immediately following the closing date of the merger.holder.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

In general, information reporting requirements may apply to the cash payments made to non-corporate U.S. holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock in connection with the merger, unless an exemption applies. Backup withholding may be imposed on the abovesuch payments at a rate of 28% if a holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock (1) fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or appropriate certificates or (2) otherwise fails to comply with all applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules.

Any amounts withheld from payments to holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock under the backup withholding rules are not an additional tax and generally will be allowed as a refund or credit against such holder’s applicable U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.IRS. Holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding based on their particular circumstances and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding.

Certain Reporting Requirements for Significant Holders

If a holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock that receives Renasant common stock in the merger is considered a “significant holder,” it will be required (1) to file a statement with its U.S. federal income tax return providing certain facts pertinent to the merger, including such holder’s tax basis in, and the fair market value of, the HeritageKeyWorth common stock surrendered by such holder, and (2) to retain permanent records of these facts relating to the merger. A “significant holder” is any holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock that, immediately before the merger, owned at least 5%1% (by vote or value) of Heritage’sKeyWorth’s outstanding stock or owned HeritageKeyWorth securities with a federal tax basis of $1.0$1 million or more.

All holders of KeyWorth common stock who receive Renasant common stock in the merger are required to maintain certain information relating to the merger in their permanent records, specifically including information regarding the amount, basis, and fair market value of all transferred property, and relevant facts regarding any liabilities assumed or extinguished as part of such merger, as applicable. All such holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding information maintenance requirements.

Tax Consequences if the Merger Does Not Qualify as a “Reorganization”

If the merger fails to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, the merger will be a fully taxable transaction to the holders of KeyWorth common stock. In such case, each holder of KeyWorth common stock will recognize gain or loss measured by the difference between the total consideration received in the merger and such holder’s tax basis in the shares of KeyWorth common stock surrendered in the merger.

THE FOREGOING SUMMARY IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY ANDDISCUSSION DOES NOT ADDRESS TAX CONSEQUENCES THAT VARY WITH OR ARE CONTINGENT ON INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. MOREOVER, IT DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY NON-INCOME, FOREIGN, STATE OR LOCAL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER. THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR AN INDIVIDUAL ANALYSIS OF THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER TO YOU. WE URGE YOU TO CONSULT A TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE PARTICULAR FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER TO YOU.

DESCRIPTION OF RENASANT CAPITAL STOCK

99This section describes the material features and rights of Renasant’s capital stock after the merger. The following discussion is only a summary and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Renasant Articles and the Renasant Bylaws as well as the Mississippi Business Corporation Act, which we refer to as the MBCA, and other applicable provisions of Mississippi law. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ●. Additional information regarding Renasant’s capital stock can be found in the next section, entitled “Comparison of Rights of Shareholders of KeyWorth and Renasant” beginning on page ●.


General

The authorized capital stock of Renasant consists of 75 million shares of common stock, par value $5.00 per share, and 5 million shares of preferred stock, no par value per share, none of which are issued and outstanding. As of January 28, 2016, a total of 40,293,763 shares of Renasant common stock were issued and outstanding, and approximately 1,170,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance pursuant to Renasant’s employee benefit plans. After the merger with KeyWorth (using an exchange ratio of 0.4494 resulting in an issuance of approximately 1,639,009 shares), approximately 41,932,772 shares of Renasant’s common stock will be outstanding. Renasant common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “RNST.”

Common Stock

Voting Rights. Holders of shares of Renasant common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors. In general, a majority of votes cast on a matter, whether in person or by proxy, at a meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is present is sufficient to take action on such matter, except that supermajority votes are required to approve specified business combinations as well as the amendment of the provisions of the Renasant Articles relating to such elevated approval requirements and related to Renasant’s classified board of directors. Directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast, and shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights.

Dividends. Subject to certain restrictions under the MBCA, holders of Renasant common stock are entitled to receive dividends or distributions, whether payable in cash or otherwise, if, as and when declared by Renasant’s board of directors, out of funds legally available for these payments.

As a bank holding company, Renasant’s ability to pay dividends is substantially dependent on the ability of Renasant Bank to transfer funds to it in the form of dividends, loans and advances. Under Mississippi law, a Mississippi bank may not pay dividends unless its earned surplus is in excess of three times capital stock. A Mississippi bank with earned surplus in excess of three times capital stock may pay a dividend, subject to the approval of the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance. Accordingly, the approval of this supervisory authority is required prior to Renasant Bank paying dividends to Renasant.

Election of Directors. Renasant’s board of directors is divided into three classes of directors serving staggered three-year terms. Each class of directors consists, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number of directors. Under the Renasant Articles, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the total outstanding shares of Renasant common stock entitled to vote in the election of directors is required to alter, amend, repeal or adopt any provision inconsistent with the provisions of the Renasant Articles governing Renasant’s classified board of directors.

Liquidation. Renasant shareholders are entitled to share ratably in Renasant’s assets legally available for distribution to Renasant’s shareholders in the event of its liquidation, dissolution or winding up, whether voluntary or involuntary, after payment of, or adequate provision for, all of Renasant’s known debts and liabilities.

Other. Holders of shares of Renasant common stock have no preference, conversion or exchange rights and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for securities Renasant proposes to issue. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to Renasant common stock. All outstanding common stock is, when issued against payment therefor, fully paid and non-assessable. Such shares are not redeemable at the option of Renasant or holders thereof. Finally, subject to Nasdaq rules, Renasant’s board of directors may issue additional shares of common stock or rights to purchase shares of common stock without the approval of Renasant shareholders.

Preferred Stock

No shares of preferred stock are outstanding. Renasant’s board of directors may, without further action by the shareholders of Renasant, issue one or more series of Renasant preferred stock and fix the rights and preferences of those shares, including the dividend rights, conversion rights, exchange rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption price or prices, liquidation preferences, the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for Renasant common stock is Computershare, Inc.

Anti-Takeover Provisions of the Renasant Articles

The Renasant Articles contain certain provisions that may make it more difficult to acquire control of Renasant by means of a tender offer, open market purchase, proxy contest or otherwise.

Classified Board of Directors. As described above, Renasant’s board of directors is divided into three classes, with directors serving staggered three-year terms. The classification of Renasant’s board of directors has the effect of making it more difficult for shareholders to change the composition of Renasant’s board of directors. At least two annual meetings of shareholders, instead of one, will generally be required to effect a change in a majority of Renasant’s board of directors. This may have the effect of discouraging a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of Renasant. In addition, because the classification of Renasant’s board of directors may discourage accumulations of large blocks of Renasant’s common stock by purchasers whose objective is to take control of Renasant and remove a majority of Renasant’s board of directors, the classification of Renasant’s board of directors could tend to reduce the likelihood of fluctuations in the market price of Renasant common stock that might result from accumulations of large blocks of Renasant common stock for such a purpose. Accordingly, Renasant’s shareholders could be deprived of certain opportunities to sell their shares at a higher market price than might otherwise be the case.

Fair Price Provision. Under the “fair price” provision of the Renasant Articles, the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 80% of the outstanding shares of all voting stock of Renasant and the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 67% of the outstanding shares of voting stock held by shareholders other than the “controlling party” is required for the approval or authorization of any merger, consolidation, sale, exchange or lease of all of the assets or of assets having a fair market or book value of 25% or more of Renasant’s total assets. These provisions only apply if the subject transaction involves a controlling party. A “controlling party” is a shareholder owning or controlling 20% or more of Renasant’s voting stock at the time of the proposed transaction.

The elevated voting requirements described above are not applicable in any transaction in which (1) the cash or fair market value of the property, securities or other consideration to be received (which includes common stock of Renasant retained by its existing shareholders in such a transaction where Renasant is the surviving entity) per share by holders of Renasant common stock in such transaction is not less than the highest per share price (with appropriate adjustments for stock splits, recapitalizations and the like) paid by the controlling party in

the acquisition of any of its holdings of Renasant common stock in the three years preceding the announcement of the proposed transaction or (2) the transaction is approved by a majority of the entire board of directors.

Authority to Issue “Blank Check” Preferred Stock. As noted above, Renasant’s board of directors is authorized to issue, without any further approval from Renasant’s shareholders, a series of preferred stock with the designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, as the board determines in its discretion. This authorization may operate to provide anti-takeover protection because, in the event of a proposed merger, tender offer or other attempt to gain control of Renasant that the board of directors does not believe is in Renasant’s or Renasant’s shareholders’ best interests, the board has the ability to quickly issue shares of preferred stock with certain rights, preferences and limitations that could make the proposed takeover attempt more difficult to complete. Such preferred stock may also be used in connection with the issuance of a shareholder rights plan, sometimes called a “poison pill.”

COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERSSHAREHOLDERS OF HERITAGEKEYWORTH AND RENASANT

If the merger is completed, holders of KeyWorth common stock will exchange their shares of stock in a Georgia banking corporation, governed by the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia as well as the KeyWorth Articles and the KeyWorth Bylaws, for shares of common stock of Renasant, a Mississippi corporation governed by the MBCA and the Renasant Articles and the Renasant Bylaws. This section of the joint proxy statement/prospectus describessummarizes the material differences between the current rights of the holders of Heritage common stock and rights those stockholders will have as Renasant stockholders following the merger. The rights of the holders of Heritage common stock are governed by the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”), as well as the Heritage Articles and the Heritage Bylaws. Upon completion of the merger, the rights of the holders of Heritage common stock who become Renasant stockholders as a result of the merger will thenceforth be governed by the Mississippi Business Corporation Act (the “MBCA”) and the Renasant Articles and the Renasant Bylaws.

The following summary does not purport to be a complete statement of the provisions affecting the rights of a holder of HeritageKeyWorth common stock and the rights of athose shareholders will have as Renasant stockholder. Rather, itshareholders following the merger.

The following summary is intended only to highlight certain aspects of the MGCLFinancial Institutions Code of Georgia and the MBCA and certain material differences between the rights of the holders of HeritageKeyWorth common stock and the rights of the Renasant stockholders.shareholders. It does not purport to be a complete statement of all of the differences affecting the rights of a KeyWorth shareholder and the rights of a Renasant shareholder. Further, the identification of specific provisions or differences is not meant to indicate that other equally or more significant differences do not exist.

The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the MGCL,Financial Institutions Code of Georgia, the MBCA, the Renasant Articles and the Renasant Bylaws, and the HeritageKeyWorth Articles and the HeritageKeyWorth Bylaws. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ● for information regarding how to receive a copy of these documents.

 

Provision

  

Renasant

  

HeritageKeyWorth

Authorized Capital Stock  Renasant’s authorized capital stock consists of 75,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $5.00 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.01$0.01 per share. The Renasant Articles authorize Renasant’s board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the designations, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of Renasant preferred stock in each series. As of April •, 2015,January 28, 2016, there were 40,293,763 shares of Renasant common stock outstanding. No shares of Renasant preferred stock were issued and outstanding as of that date.  Heritage’sKeyWorth’s authorized capital stock consists of the following: (1) 45,000,00010,000,000 shares of Heritage common stock, par value $0.01$5.00 per share; (2) 6,514share, and 2,000,000 shares of Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A,preferred stock, par value $0.01$1.00 per share (“Heritage Series A Stock”); and (3) 326share. The KeyWorth Articles authorize KeyWorth’s board of directors to issue shares of Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B, par value $0.01 per share (“Heritage Series B Stock”).preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the designations, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of KeyWorth preferred stock in each series. As of April, 2015,January 28, 2016, there were 3,647,106 shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock outstanding, and no shares of Heritage Series A Stock or Heritage Series B StockKeyWorth preferred stock were outstanding.

Voting Limitations

  

The Renasant Articles do not limit the number of shares held by a stockholdershareholder that may be voted by such stockholder.shareholder.

 

The MBCA contains a control share acquisition statute that limits the voting power of a stockholdershareholder under certain circumstances. However, this statute does not apply to Renasant because it is a bank holding company.

  

The HeritageKeyWorth Articles generally prohibit any stockholder that beneficially owns more than 10%do not limit the number of the outstanding shares of Heritage common stock from voting shares in excess of this limit.

The MGCL contains a control share acquisition statute that, in general terms, provides that where a stockholder acquires issued and outstanding shares of a corporation’s voting stock (referred to as control shares) within one of several specified ranges (one-tenth or more but less than one-third, one-third or more but less than a majority or a majority or more), approval of the control share acquisition by the corporation’s stockholders must be obtained before the acquiring stockholder

100


may vote the control shares. The required stockholder vote is two-thirds of all votes entitled to be cast, excluding “interested shares,” defined as shares held by the acquiring person, officers of the corporation and employees who are also directors of the corporation. A corporationa shareholder that may however, opt-out of the control share statute through a charter or bylaw provision, which Heritage has done pursuant to the Heritage Bylaws. Accordingly, the Maryland control share acquisition statute does not apply to acquisitions of shares of Heritage common stock.be voted by such shareholder.
Board of Directors;
Election of Directors

The Renasant Articles provide for a board
of directors consisting of between seven
and 20 directors as fixed from time to time
by Renasant’s board of directors.
Currently, there are 16 directors on
Renasant’s board of directors.

The
KeyWorth Bylaws provide for a board of directors consisting of between five and 25 directors as fixed from time to time by KeyWorth’s board of directors or shareholders. Currently, there are 11 directors on KeyWorth’s board of directors.

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

The Renasant board of directors is classified
into three classes, with approximately one-
thirdone-third of the directors elected at each year’s
annual meeting of stockholders.shareholders. In the
election of directors, Renasant
stockholders shareholders do not have the right to
cumulate their votes. The candidates in
each class up for election who receive the
highest number of votes cast, up to the
number of directors to be elected in that
class, are elected.
The Heritage Articles provide for a board
of directors initially consisting of seven
directors, which number may be increased
or decreased in the manner provided in the
Heritage Bylaws. Currently, there are
seven directors on Heritage’s board of
directors. The Heritage board of directors
(other than those directors who may be
elected by the holders of any series of
preferred stock) is classified into three
classes, with approximately one-third of
the directors elected at each year’s annual
meeting of stockholders. In the election of
directors, Heritage stockholders do not
have the right to cumulate their votes. The
candidates in each class up for election
who receive the highest number of votes
cast, up to the number of directors to be
elected in that class, are elected.
Similar to Renasant’s board, the KeyWorth board of directors is classified into three classes, with approximately one-third of the directors elected at each year’s annual meeting of shareholders. In the election of directors, KeyWorth shareholders do not have the right to cumulate their votes. The candidates in each class up for election who receive the highest number of votes cast, up to the number of directors to be elected in that class, are elected.
StockholderShareholder Nominations and ProposalsRule 14a-8

Renasant is a public company and, as such, is subject to the SEC’s proxy rules set forth in Regulation 14A promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, including Rule 14a-8. Rule 14a-8 establishes the rules for stockholdershareholder proposals intended to be included in a public company’s proxy statement. Rule 14a-8 applies to both Renasant and Heritage. Under the rule, a stockholdershareholder proposal must be received by the subject company at least 120 days before the anniversary of the date on which the company first mailed the previous year’s proxy statement to stockholders.shareholders. If, however, the annual meeting date has been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the prior year’s meeting, or for special meetings, the proposal must be submitted within a reasonable time before the subject company begins to print and mail its proxy materials.

Rule 14a-8 promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act establishes the rules for stockholder proposals intended to be included in a public company’s proxy statement. Rule 14a-8 applies to both Renasant and Heritage. Under the rule, a stockholder proposal must be received by the subject company at least 120 days before the anniversary of the date on which the company first mailed the previous year’s proxy statement to stockholders. If, however, the annual meeting date has been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the prior year’s meeting, or for special meetings, the proposal must be submitted within a reasonable time before the subject company begins to print and mail its proxy materials.

 

101


The Renasant Bylaws set forthcontain advance notice procedures for the nomination other than by Renasant’s boarda shareholder of directors or one of its committees,Renasant of candidates for election as directors and for other stockholdershareholder proposals. These procedures are the exclusive means by which a shareholder may make nominations or submit other proposals for consideration at a meeting of Renasant shareholders (other than in accordance with Rule 14a-8). The Renasant Bylaws provide that, for any stockholdershareholder proposal to be presented in connection with an annual meeting but without inclusion in Renasant’s proxy materials for that meeting, including the nomination of an individual to be elected to the board of directors, the stockholdershareholder must give timely written notice thereof in writing to Renasant’s Secretary in compliance with the advance notice and eligibility requirements contained in the Renasant Bylaws. To be timely, a stockholder’sshareholder’s notice must be delivered to

The KeyWorth Bylaws set forth advance notice procedures for the nomination, other than by or on behalf of the existing management of the bank, of candidates for election as directors. A director nomination must be delivered or mailed to and received by the president of KeyWorth not less than 14 days or more than 50 days prior to the date of the meeting; provided, however, that in the event that less than 21 days’ notice or public announcement of the date of the meeting is given or made to shareholders, such notice must be received not later than the close of business on the seventh day following the day on which such notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or otherwise transmitted. The notice must contain detailed information specified in the KeyWorth Bylaws about the shareholder making the nomination and each nominee. Nominations that are not made in accordance with the foregoing provisions may be declared defective at the meeting and disregarded.

As a private company, KeyWorth is not subject to Rule 14a-8 promulgated by the SEC.

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

the Secretary at Renasant’s corporate headquarters not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting. If, however, the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 90 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholdershareholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if public announcement of the date of such meeting is made less than 120 days in advance, the 10th day following the date of the first public announcement of the date of such meeting.

 

The advance notice provisions in the Renasant Bylaws also provide that in the case of a special meeting of stockholdersshareholders called for the purpose of electing one or more directors, a stockholdershareholder may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position if the stockholder’sshareholder’s notice is delivered to the Secretary at Renasant’s headquarters address not earlier than the 120th day prior to the special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the special meeting or, if public announcement of the date of such meeting is made less than 120 days in

The Heritage Bylaws set forth advance notice procedures for the nomination, other than by Heritage’s board of directors or one of its committees, of candidates for election as directors and for other stockholder proposals. The Heritage Bylaws provide that, for any stockholder proposal to be presented in connection with an annual meeting but without inclusion in Heritage’s proxy materials for that meeting, including the nomination of an individual to be elected to the board of directors, the stockholder (i) must be a stockholder of record on the date of giving notice and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and (ii) give timely written notice thereof in writing to Heritage’s Secretary in compliance with the advance notice and eligibility requirements contained in the Heritage Bylaws. In order for a notice of a director nomination to be timely, it must be delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary at Heritage’s principal executive offices not less than 90 days or more than 120 days prior to the date of the meeting;provided,however, that in the event that less than 100 days’ notice or public announcement of the date of the meeting is given or made to stockholders, such notice must be received not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or otherwise transmitted or the day on which public announcement of the date of the meeting was first made by Heritage, whichever occurs first. In order for a notice of any other stockholder proposal to be timely, it must be delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary at Heritage’s principal executive office not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting. If, however, the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 20 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close

102


advance, the 10th day following the date of the first public announcement of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the board of directors to be elected at such meeting.

The

For any nomination or other proposal, whether to be submitted with respect to an annual or special meeting of shareholders, the shareholder’s notice must contain the detailed information specified in the Renasant Bylaws about the stockholdershareholder making the nomination or proposal and, as applicable, each nominee or the proposed business. Nominations that are not made in accordance with the foregoing provisions may be ruled out of order by the presiding officer or the chairman of the meeting.

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

Removal of business onDirectorsUnder the laterMBCA, unless a corporation’s articles of incorporation provide otherwise, shareholders may remove a director with or without cause if the number of votes cast to remove the director exceeds the number of votes cast not to remove the director. The Renasant Articles do not address director removal, and therefore the foregoing MBCA provision governs the removal of a director from Renasant’s board.

Under the KeyWorth Articles, directors may be removed from office by the shareholders without cause, but only by the affirmative vote of the 90th day priorholders of at least 23 of the issued and outstanding shares of KeyWorth entitled to such annual meetingvote in an election of directors. Directors may be removed from office for cause by a majority vote of KeyWorth shareholders.

“Cause” is defined in the KeyWorth Articles to mean a director’s conviction of a felony, the request or demand by a regulatory authority to remove the director or the 10th day followingdetermination of at least 23 of KeyWorth’s directors that the firstsubject director’s conduct has been inimical to occurthe best interests of (i) date of the first public announcement of the date of such meeting or (ii) the date that notice of the date of such meeting was mailed or otherwise transmitted.

The notice must contain detailed information specified in the Heritage Bylaws about the stockholder making the nomination or proposal and, as applicable, each nominee or the proposed business. In addition, the stockholder proponent must make a representation that such stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business or nominate such persons to serve as director, as applicable. Nominations or business proposals that are not made in accordance with the foregoing provisions may be declared defective at the meeting and disregarded.KeyWorth.

Removal of Directors

Vacancies

Under the MBCA, unless a corporation’s
articles of incorporation provide
otherwise, stockholders may remove a
director with or without cause if the
number of votes cast to remove the
director exceeds the number of votes cast
not to remove the director. The Renasant
Articles do not address director removal,
and therefore the foregoing MBCA
provision governs the removal of a
director from Renasant’s board.
Under the Heritage Articles, directors may
be removed from office at any time, but
only for cause and only by the affirmative
vote of the holders of at least a majority of
the voting power of the then-outstanding
shares of capital stock of Heritage entitled
to vote generally in the election of
directors (after giving effect to the
provisions and limitations contained in
Article 5 of the Heritage Articles) voting
together as a single class.
VacanciesUnder the Renasant Bylaws, if during the year a vacancy in the board of directors should occur, the remaining directors on Renasant’s board may appoint a Renasant stockholdershareholder to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders.shareholders or until a special meeting of shareholders held for the purpose of electing such appointee’s successor.Under the HeritageKeyWorth Bylaws, any vacancies in the board of directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, and any director elected to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies.
Special Meetings of StockholdersShareholdersThe Renasant Bylaws provide that a special meeting of stockholdersshareholders may be called by the Renasant board or by Renasant stockholdersboard. Under the MBCA, shareholders owning at least 50%10% of Renasant’s outstanding capital stock.stock also may call a special meeting.The HeritageKeyWorth Bylaws provide that a special meeting of stockholdersshareholders may be called by the Chief Executive Officer,president, chairman of the Heritageboard, the KeyWorth board or upon the request of Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders owning at least a majority25% of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting.

103


Noticeshares of Stockholder MeetingsThe Renasant Bylaws provide that the president or secretarycapital stock of Renasant must give written notice of any annual or special meeting of stockholders to each stockholder of recordKeyWorth entitled to vote at such meeting at least ten days before such meeting. The notice must state the time and placein an election of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purposes of the meetingThe Heritage Bylaws provide that Heritage’s Secretary must give written notice between 10 and 90 days before any stockholder meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting and to each other stockholder entitled to notice of the meeting. The notice must state the time and place of the meeting, the means of remote communication, if any, and, in the case of a special meeting, the purposes of the meeting.
QuorumUnder the Renasant Bylaws, the presence in person or by proxy of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the corporation entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of stockholders. If a quorum is not present or represented at the annual meeting, the holders of a majority of the stock present and represented at the meeting may adjourn the meeting without further notice. If a quorum is not present or represented at a special meeting, there shall be no adjournment but the call of the meeting will be voided and a new call must be issued for any special meeting.Under the Heritage Bylaws, the presence in person or by proxy of holders of one-third of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting constitutes a quorum for such meeting of stockholders unless the presence of a larger number is required by law. Where a separate vote by class is required, the presence in person or by proxy of a majority of the shares of such class or classes shall constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to that vote on that matter. If a quorum is not present or represented at a meeting of stockholders, the chairman of the meeting or the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting who are present or represented at the meeting may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is obtained.directors.
Action by Written ConsentThe Renasant Articles and Renasant Bylaws are silent with respect to its stockholders’shareholders’ ability to act by written consent; therefore, Mississippi law governs. The MBCA provides that any action required or permitted to be taken at a stockholders’shareholders’ meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all the stockholdersshareholders entitled to vote on the action and is evidenced by one or more written consents.The HeritageKeyWorth Bylaws provide that any action that may be taken at a meeting of stockholdersshareholders may be taken by unanimouswithout a meeting if a written consent, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all of all stockholdersthe shareholders entitled to vote onwith respect to the subject matter and, if such action is taken by the holders of any class of Heritage’s stock other than common stock, such action may be taken by delivering a written consent of holders entitled to cast not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take the action at a meeting of all such stockholders.thereof.
Dividends and Other DistributionsThe MBCA prohibits a Mississippi corporation from making any distributions to its stockholders,shareholders, including the payment of cash dividends, which would render the corporation unable to pay its debts as theyThe KeyWorth Bylaws provide that dividends may be declared by the KeyWorth board of directors out of the retained earnings of the bank. Under the bylaws, dividends can be paid without the

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

become due in the usual course of business. Also prohibited is any

The Heritage Articles provide that dividends may be declared by the Heritage board of directors out of funds lawfully available therefor. Under Maryland law, Heritage may not declare a dividend if, after giving effect to such dividend, it would not be able to pay indebtedness as

104


distribution that would result in the corporation’s total assets being less than the sum of its total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed, if it were to be dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of stockholdersshareholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution.

The ability

As discussed above in “Description of Renasant to pay distributions to its stockholders depends to a large extent upon the amount of the dividends it receives from Renasant Bank.

the indebtedness becomes due in its usual course of business or if its total assets would be less than the sum of its total liabilities. At any given time, Heritage may declare a dividend out of (1) its net earnings for the fiscal year in which the dividend is made, (2) its net earnings for the preceding fiscal year or (3) the sum of the net earnings for the preceding eight fiscal quarters.

Heritage’sCapital Stock—Common Stock,” Renasant’s ability to pay dividends is limited, however, bysubstantially dependent on the provisionsability of Renasant Bank to transfer funds to it in the form of dividends, loans and advances.

approval of the Heritage preferred stock, which state that HeritageGeorgia Department of Banking and Finance when KeyWorth meets the paid-in capital and/or appropriated net earnings requirements of the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia, and only in compliance with the regulations of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance regarding payment of dividends.

Under the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia, a Georgia bank may only declarenot pay any dividends unless its paid-in capital and payappropriated retained earnings, together, are equal to at least 20% of its capital stock. In addition, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance’s prior approval of a dividend on its common stock, or repurchase sharesgenerally is required if: (1) total classified assets at the most recent examination of anythe bank exceed 80% of tier 1 capital plus the allowance for loan losses as reflected at such class or seriesexamination; (2) the aggregate amount of common stock, if all accrued and unpaiddividends to be paid in the calendar year exceeds 50% of the bank’s net profits, after taxes but before dividends, for all past dividend periods on all outstanding sharesthe previous year; and (3) the ratio of preferred stock have beenthe bank’s tier 1 capital to its adjusted total assets is less than 6%. The Department of Banking and Finance also has the general authority to limit the dividends paid or are contemporaneously declaredif such payment is deemed an unsafe and paid in full (or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof has been set aside for holders of shares of preferred stock).unsound practice.

Indemnification

The Renasant Bylaws require Renasant to indemnify its directors and officers (referred to in this subsection as the indemnitees) against liability and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any proceeding to which an indemnitee is made a party to if he or she met the required standard of conduct. To meet the standard of conduct, the indemnitee must have conducted himself or herself in good faith, and he or she must have reasonably believed that any conduct in the indemnitee’s official capacity was in Renasant’s best interests, and in all other cases, his or her conduct was at least not opposed to Renasant’s best interests, or in any criminal proceeding, the indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. Unless otherwise ordered by a court, Renasant is not obligated to indemnify anThe KeyWorth Bylaws require KeyWorth to indemnify its directors and officers (referred to as indemnitees) against liability and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any proceeding an indemnitee is made a party to if the indemnitee acted in a manner he or she believed in good faith to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the bank and, in the case of any criminal proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. For a proceeding in the right of the corporation, indemnification is limited to reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding. No indemnification is permitted in a proceeding in which the indemnitee was adjudged liable on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received by him or her, whether or not involving his or her

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

indemnitee in connection with (1) a proceeding in the right of the corporation, except for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding if it is determined that the indemnitee met the standard of conduct described in the immediately preceding sentence, or (2) a

The Heritage Articles provide for the indemnification of current and former directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by law and of employees and agents to such extent as authorized by the board of directors and permitted by law. Heritage may advance expenses to directors and officers, provided that it will be a defense to any action against Heritage for advancement of expenses that Heritage has not received an undertaking by or on behalf of such indemnitee to repay an amount so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such indemnitee has not met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification and a written affirmation of indemnitee of his good faith belief that such standard has been met.

The Heritage Articles provide that Heritage may maintain insurance on behalf of its directors, officers, employees and agents against any liability, whether or not Heritage would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under its articles of incorporation. Heritage maintains such insurance.

105


proceeding where the indemnitee was found liable because he or she received a financial benefit to which he or she was not entitled.

 

An indemnitee may apply to the court conducting the proceeding, or to another court, for indemnification or advance for expenses. The court shall (1) order indemnification if the court determines that the indemnitee is entitled to mandatory indemnification under applicable provisions of the MBCA or (2) order indemnification or advance for expenses if the court determines that (a) the indemnitee is entitled to indemnification or advance for expenses under the Renasant Bylaws or (b) in view of all relevant circumstances it is fair and reasonable to indemnify or advance expenses to such indemnitee even if he or she has not met the standard of conduct described above. Renasant must indemnify an indemnitee who is wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which the indemnitee was a party against reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding.

Renasant generally must advance funds to pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by an indemnitee who is a party to a proceeding. As a condition to advancing expenses, the indemnitee must provide a written affirmation of his or her good faith belief that his or her conduct met the required standard of conduct. The indemnitee must also undertake to repay the advanced amount if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnity.

All rights to indemnification provided under the Renasant Bylaws are subject to any limitations imposed by federal law, including the Securities Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

official capacity. KeyWorth must indemnify an indemnitee who is wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which the indemnitee was a party against reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding.

Upon authorization of the board of directors or the shareholders, KeyWorth shall pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by a director or officer of KeyWorth who is a party to a proceeding in advance of final disposition of the proceeding if (a) he or she furnishes the bank written affirmation of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct set forth above and (b) he or she furnishes the bank a written undertaking, executed personally or on his or her behalf, to repay any advances if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification.

An indemnitee may also apply to the court conducting the proceeding, or another court of competent jurisdiction, for indemnification or advances for expenses.

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

Limitations on Director Liability

The Renasant Articles and Renasant Bylaws do not address the limitation of a director’s liability. Section 81-5-105 of the Mississippi Banking Code provides that it is the sole and exclusive law governing the relation and liability of directors and therefore Miss. Code Ann. § 81-5-105 andofficers to their bank holding company, like Renasant, or to the MBCA govern this matter.

shareholders thereof, or to any other person or entity. Under Miss. Code Ann. §Section 81-5-105(1), the duties of a director or officer of a bank or bank holding company to the bank or bank holding company and its stockholdersshareholders are to discharge the director’s or officer’s duties in good faith and with the diligence, care, judgment and skill as provided in subsection (2). Under Miss. Code Ann. § 81-5-105(2)subsection (2), a director or officer of a bank or bank holding company cannot be held personally liable for money damages to a corporation or its stockholdershareholder unless the officer or director acts in a grossly negligent manner or engages in conduct that demonstrates a greater disregard of the duty of care than gross negligence. In addition, Miss.

The KeyWorth Articles and KeyWorth Bylaws do not address the limitation of a director’s liability and therefore Section7-1-490 of the Financial Institutions Code Ann. § 81-5-105(4)

The Heritage Articles limitof Georgia and the liability of officers and directors of Heritage. Heritage officers and directors are not liable to Heritage or its stockholders for money damages, except (1) if such officer or director received an improper benefit or profit, (2) to the extent of any judgment finding that such officer or director’s action or failure to act was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause being adjudicated in the proceeding, or (3) to the extent otherwise provided by the MGCL.

106


provides that the provisions of Miss. Code Ann. § 81-5-105 are the sole and exclusive law governing the relation and liability of directors and officers to their bank or bank holding company, or their successor, or to the stockholders thereof, or to any other person or entity.GBCC governs this matter.

 

IfUnder Section 7-1-490 of the MBCA were applicableFinancial Institutions Code of Georgia, directors must discharge their duties in defining the fiduciarygood faith and with that diligence, care, and skill which ordinarily prudent men would exercise under similar circumstances in like positions. A director or officer who performs his duties in this manner will not be personally liable on account of officers and directors, Miss. Code Ann. § 79-4-8.31 provides thatbeing or having been a director is not liable to a corporation or its stockholders for any decision to take or not take action, or any failure to take any action, as a director, unless the party asserting liability proves certain matters. The party must show that (1) the director was a party to or had a direct or indirect financial interest in a transaction, which transaction was not otherwise approved in accordance with the MBCA, and (2) the challenged conduct consisted or was a result of (a) action not in good faith; (b) a decision which the director did not reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the corporation or as to which the director was not appropriately informed; (c) a lack of objectivity, due to familial, financial or business relationships, or a lack of independence, due to the director’s domination or control by another interested person, where such relationship, domination or control could reasonably be expected to have affected the director’s judgment respecting the challenged conduct in a manner adverse to the corporation, and after a reasonable expectation to such effect has been established, the director cannot demonstrate that he reasonably believed the challenged conduct to be in the best interests of the corporation; (d) the director’s sustained failure to stay informed about the corporation’s business and affairs or otherwise discharge his oversight functions; or (e) receipt of a financial benefit to which the director was not entitled or any other breach of the director’s duty to deal fairly with the corporation and its stockholders that is actionable under law.bank.

107


Vote on Extraordinary Corporate Transactions; Anti-Takeover Provisions

Under the MBCA, a merger, share exchange, sale, lease, exchange or other disposal of all or substantially all of a Mississippi corporation’s assets, or its dissolution, is approved if the votes cast in favor of the transaction exceed the votes cast against the transaction at a meeting of the stockholdersshareholders of the corporation where a quorum is present and acting throughout, except approval of a merger by stockholdersshareholders of the surviving corporation is not required in the instances specified in the MBCA. In addition, Renasant’s governance documents contain provisions establishing elevated voting requirements to approve these transactions under certain circumstances.

 

TheSee “Description of Renasant’s Capital Stock—Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of the Renasant Articles” above for a discussion of provisions of the Renasant Articles containand the Renasant Bylaws that may have an anti-takeover effect.

Under the Financial Institutions Code of Georgia, a “fair price” provision. This provision is designedmerger, share exchange, consolidation plan, sale, lease, exchange or other disposal of all or substantially all of a Georgia financial institution’s assets, or for its dissolution to deter an unsolicited acquisition. The provision provides thatbe approved, requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of KeyWorth.

Under KeyWorth’s Articles, the board, when evaluating a proposed merger or other business combination transaction, may consider factors other than the financial terms of the proposal, including the short- and long-term social and economic effects of the transaction on employees, customers and the communities within which KeyWorth operates. This may allow the directors to refuse to enter into a transaction that, from a financial perspective, appears to be in the best interests of the shareholders.

Finally, KeyWorth’s Bylaws provide for the staggered election of directors and contain certain provisions requiring the shareholders give advance written notice of a director

Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

nomination in order to have the nominee considered at an annual meeting of shareholders. These provisions could discourage or make more difficult a change in control of KeyWorth without support of the board. In addition, KeyWorth’s Articles authorizes the KeyWorth board to issue, without shareholder consent, shares of preferred stock, which in some cases could discourage or make more difficult a change in control.
Amendments to Articles of Incorporation

The MBCA provides that the articles of incorporation of a Mississippi corporation may be amended if the votes cast in favor of the amendment exceed the votes cast against the amendment at a meeting where a quorum of shareholders is present and acting throughout.

Notwithstanding the general MBCA provision, the Renasant Articles impose elevated approval requirements with respect to certain types of amendments. Under the Renasant Articles, the affirmative vote of not less than 80% of the outstanding shares of all voting stock of Renasant and the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 67% of the outstanding shares of voting stock held by stockholders other than the “controlling party” shall be required for the approval or authorization of any merger, consolidation, sale, exchange or lease of all of the assets or of assets having a fair market or book value of 25% or more of Renasant’s total assets. These provisions only apply if the subject transaction involves a controlling party. A “controlling party” is a stockholder owning or controlling 20% or more of Renasant’s voting stock at the time of the proposed transaction.

The elevated voting requirements described above are not applicable in any transaction in which (1) the cash or fair market value of the property, securities or other consideration to be received (which includes common stock of Renasant retained by its existing stockholders in such a transaction where Renasant is the surviving entity) per share by holders of Renasant common stock in such transaction is not less than the highest per share price (with appropriate adjustments for stock splits, recapitalizations and the like) paid by the controlling party in the acquisition of any of its holdings of Renasant common stock in the three years preceding the announcement of the

Under the Heritage Articles, if an “Interested Stockholder” (as defined below) is a party to a merger, consolidation or other types of “business combination” (which we describe in more detail below), the affirmative vote of 80% of all votes entitled to be cast is required to approve the business combination. In all cases, the 80% affirmative vote requirement can be waived by a majority vote of Heritage’s “disinterested directors” (as defined below). In addition, such 80% affirmative vote will not be required if certain price criteria and procedural requirements are satisfied.

An “Interested Stockholder” generally is defined in the Heritage Articles as the beneficial owner (as determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of stock of Heritage entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. In addition, an Interested Stockholder is deemed to own beneficially shares owned, directly or indirectly, by an “Affiliate” or “Associate” (each as defined in the Heritage Articles) of the Interested Stockholder, as well as (1) shares of which it or any such Affiliate or Associate has a right to acquire, (2) shares issuable upon the exercise of options or rights, or upon conversion of convertible securities, held by the Interested Stockholder and (3) shares beneficially owned by any other person with whom the Interested Stockholder or any of his Affiliates or Associates acts as a partnership, syndicate or other group pursuant to an agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of shares of capital stock of Heritage.

Under the Heritage Articles, a “business combination” includes any of the following:

•    a merger or consolidation involving Heritage or any of its subsidiaries and an Interested Stockholder or any other person that is (or after such merger or consolidation would be) an affiliate of an Interested Stockholder;

•    a sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition to or with an Interested Stockholder, or any affiliate of an Interested

108


proposed transaction or (2) the transaction is approved by a majority of the entire board of directors.

Stockholder, of assets of Heritage or any of its subsidiaries having an aggregate fair market value equaling or exceeding 25% or more of the total combined assets of Heritage and its subsidiaries;

•    the issuance or transfer of equity securities of Heritage or any of its subsidiaries to an Interested Stockholder or any affiliate of an Interested Stockholder for aggregate consideration having a fair market value equaling or exceeding 25% of the combined assets of Heritage and its subsidiaries;

•    adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of Heritage proposed by or on behalf of an Interested Stockholder or any affiliate of an Interested Stockholder; and

•    a reclassification or recapitalization of securities (including any reverse stock split) of Heritage or any of its subsidiaries or a reorganization, in any case having the effect, directly or indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of the outstanding shares of any class of equity or convertible securities of Heritage or any of its subsidiaries owned, directly or indirectly, by an Interested Stockholder or an affiliate of an Interested Stockholder.

A “disinterested director” is member of the Heritage board of directors who is unaffiliated with the Interested Stockholder and was a member of the board of directors prior to the time that the Interested Stockholder became an Interested Stockholder, and any director who is thereafter chosen to fill any vacancy on the board of directors or who is elected and who, in either event, is unaffiliated with the Interested Stockholder, and in connection with his or her initial assumption of office is recommended for appointment or election by a majority of disinterested directors then on the Heritage board of directors.

109


Amendments to
Articles of
Incorporation

The MBCA provides that the articles of
incorporation of a Mississippi corporation
may be amended if the votes cast in favor
of the amendment exceed the votes cast
against the amendment at a meeting where
a quorum of stockholders is present and
acting throughout. However, the Renasant
Articles impose elevated approval
requirements with respect to certain types
of amendments.

Under the Renasant Articles, the
affirmative vote of not less than 80% of
the outstanding common stock of Renasant
is required to amend or repeal the
provisions of the articles of incorporation
that establish a classified board of
directors or that pertain to the fair price
provisions.

The Heritage Articles generallyFinancial Institutions Code of Georgia provides that the articles of incorporation of a Georgia bank may be
amended upon approval bythe adoption of a resolution of the board of
directors and the holdersdirecting that it be submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders, followed by an affirmative vote of shareholders entitled to cast at least a majority of
the total number of shares ofvotes which all classes
outstandingshareholders are entitled to cast thereon, and if any class is entitled to vote on the
proposed amendment. The amendment of
certain provisions of the Heritage Articles,
however, require the voteas a class, of the holders of
at least 80%a majority of the voting power of all of
the then-outstandingoutstanding shares of capital
stockthe class. Classes of shares are generally entitled to vote generally inseparately if the
election amendment would affect the substantive rights of directors. These include
provisions relating to voting limitations on
greater than 10% stockholders; the ability
of Heritage to issue preferred stock; the
majority voting requirements; the number,
classification, election and removal of
directors; the procedures for adopting and
amending the Heritage Bylaws; certain
business combinations with greater than
10% stockholders; the opt-out of the
Maryland control share acquisition statute;
super-majority voting requirements;
indemnification of directors and officers;
limitation of liability of directors and
officers; and amendments to the Heritage
Articles.any such class.
Rights of Dissenting
Stockholders Shareholders
The MBCA provides for dissenters’ rights (referred to as “appraisal rights” in the MBCA) that are generally the same as the dissenters’ rights available to a KeyWorth shareholder. However, the MBCA provides that a shareholder of a Mississippi corporation does not have appraisal rights if, among other things, (1) the transaction qualifies as a reorganization transaction, (2) the stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange or designated as a national market system security on an interdealer quotation system by the National Association of Renasant
stockholdersSecurities Dealers, Inc., or (3) there are governed in accordance
withat least 2,000 shareholders and the MBCA. Under Mississippi law,outstanding shares of such class or series has a
dissenting or objecting stockholder has market value of at least $20,000,000 (exclusive of the
value of such shares held by its subsidiaries, senior executives, directors and
The right of a shareholder of KeyWorth to demanddissent to a merger and to receive payment of
the fair value of their KeyWorth common stock in cash are explained in detail under the stockholder’s stock if
(1) Renasant consummates a merger that
requires stockholder approval where
Renasant shares will not remain
outstanding after the merger; (2) a parent
of Renasant consummates a merger that is
governed by Section 79-4-11.05 of the
MBCA; (3) Renasant’s stock is acquired in
a share exchange that requires stockholder
approval; (4) Renasant transfers its assets
in a transaction requiring stockholder
approval; (5) Renasant amends the
Renasant Articles in a manner that reduces
the number of shares owned by the
stockholder to a fraction of a share if
Renasant has the obligation or right to
repurchase the fractional share so created;
(6) Renasant consummates a
domestication that materially alters the

The dissenters’ rights of Heritage
stockholders are governed in accordance
with the MGCL. Under Maryland law, a
dissenting or objecting stockholder has the
right to demand and receive payment of
the fair value of the stockholder’s stock
from a successor corporation if (1) the
corporation consolidates or merges with
another corporation; (2) the corporation’s
stock is to be acquired in a share
exchange; (3) the corporation transfers its
assets in a transaction requiring approval
of the corporation’s stockholders; (4) the
corporation amends its charter in a way
which alters the contract rights, as
expressly set forth in the charter, of any
outstanding stock and substantially
adversely affects the stockholder’s rights,
unless the right to do so is reserved in the
charter of the corporation; or (5) the
transaction is subject to certain provisions
of the Maryland Business Combination
Act.

heading “The Merger—Dissenters’ Rights” beginning on page ●.

110


Provision

Renasant

KeyWorth

rights of the stockholder; or (7) Renasant
converts into a different form of entity.

Mississippi law provides that a
stockholder may not demand the fair value
of the stockholder’s stock and is bound by
the terms of the transaction if, among
other things, (1) the transaction qualifies
as a reorganization transaction, (2) the
stock is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange or designated as a national
market system security on an interdealer
quotation system by the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or
(3) there are at least 2,000 stockholders
and the outstanding shares of such class or
series has a market value of at least
$20,000,000 (exclusive of the value of
such shares held by its subsidiaries, senior
executives, directors and beneficial
stockholders shareholders owning more than 10% of
such shares). Notwithstanding the
foregoing,

Since Renasant common stock is listed on Nasdaq, Renasant shareholders generally do not have appraisal rights will be
available ifrights. There are exceptions to this general rule where the consideration the
stockholder shareholder is forced to receive in the
transaction is not cash or other liquid
securities or ifand where the corporate action is an
interested transaction.

Maryland law provides that a stockholder
may not demand the fair value of the
stockholder’s stock and is bound by the
terms of the transaction if, among other
things, (1) the stock is listed on a national
securities exchange on the record date for
determining stockholders entitled to vote
on the matter or, in certain mergers, the
date notice is given or waived (except
certain mergers where stock held by
directors and executive officers is
exchanged for merger consideration not
available generally to stockholders); (2)
the stock is that of the successor in the
merger, unless either (A) the merger alters
the contract rights of the stock “interested transaction” as expressly
set forthdefined in the charter and the charter does
not reserve the right to do so or (B) the
stock is to be changed or converted in
whole or in part in the merger into
something other than either stock in the
successor or cash, scrip or other rights or
interests arising out of provisions for the
treatment of fractional shares of stock in
the successor; or (3) the charter provides
that the holders of the stock are not
entitled to exercise the rights of an
objecting stockholder.MBCA.

111


COMPARATIVE PER SHARE MARKET PRICE INFORMATION

Renasant common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “RNST,” and Heritage common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “HBOS.“RNST.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low intra-day sales prices of shares of Renasant common stock and Heritage common stock, as reported byon Nasdaq, and the quarterly cash dividends declared per share. As of January 27, 2016, the last date prior to the printing of this document for which it was practicable to obtain this information, there were 40,293,673 shares of Renasant common stock issued and outstanding, and approximately 9,200 shareholders of record.

 

  Renasant Common Stock   Heritage Common Stock   Renasant Common Stock 
  High   Low   Dividends   High   Low   Dividends   High   Low   Dividends 

2015

            

2013

      

1st Quarter

  $30.09    $26.14    $0.17    $27.45    $23.69    $0.07    $23.04    $18.50    $0.17  

2nd Quarter

   25.17     21.14     0.17  

3rd Quarter

   28.19     24.55     0.17  

4th Quarter

   32.04     26.89     0.17  

2014

                  

1st Quarter

  $31.47    $26.77    $0.17    $20.44    $18.10    $0.07    $31.47    $26.77    $0.17  

2nd Quarter

   29.94     26.17     0.17     20.91     17.27     0.07     29.94     26.17     0.17  

3rd Quarter

   29.98     26.95     0.17     21.25     19.02     0.07     29.98     26.95     0.17  

4th Quarter

   30.68     26.60     0.17     26.11     18.57     0.07     30.68     26.60     0.17  

2013

            

2015

      

1st Quarter

  $23.04    $18.50    $0.17    $14.94    $13.39    $—      $30.09    $26.14    $0.17  

2nd Quarter

   25.17     21.14     0.17     15.00     13.63     —       33.47     28.98     0.17  

3rd Quarter

   28.19     24.55     0.17     19.90     14.65     —       33.86     29.50     0.17  

4th Quarter

   32.04     26.89     0.17     19.25     17.01     —       37.28     31.88     0.17  

2016

      

1st Quarter (through January 27, 2016)

  $34.41    $29.49       

On December 9, 2014,October 19, 2015, the last full trading day before the announcement of the merger agreement, the high and low sales prices of shares of Renasant common stock as reported byon Nasdaq were $29.89$34.58 and $28.45,$34.08, respectively. On April, 2015,January 27, 2016, the last fulllatest practicable trading daydate before the dateprinting of this document, the high and low sale prices of shares of Renasant common stock as reported byon Nasdaq were $$31.42 and $,$30.00, respectively.

On December 9, 2014,There is no established public trading market for KeyWorth common stock, nor are there any uniformly quoted prices for shares of KeyWorth common stock. The last sale of KeyWorth common stock prior to the last full trading day before the announcementexecution of the merger agreement known to KeyWorth management occurred on December 10, 2015 at $10.00 per share. As of January 28, 2016, the high and low sales priceslast date prior to the printing of this document for which it was practicable to obtain this information, there were 3,647,106 shares of HeritageKeyWorth common stock issued and outstanding, and approximately 350 shareholders of record. KeyWorth did not pay any dividends to its shareholders prior to 2014; it has distributed dividends of $0.08 per share for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 and $0.08 per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

ABOUT RENASANT CORPORATION

General

Renasant Corporation is a Mississippi corporation and a registered bank holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Renasant was organized in 1982 under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and the laws of the State of Mississippi. Renasant currently operates more than 170 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Georgia through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Renasant Bank. Through Renasant Bank, Renasant is also the owner of Renasant Insurance Agency, Inc.

As of September 30, 2015, Renasant had total assets of approximately $7.92 billion and total deposits of approximately $6.23 billion.

The principal executive offices of Renasant are located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827, and its telephone number at this location is (662) 680-1001.

Additional Information

Information about Renasant and its business and subsidiaries, including information relating to executive compensation, voting securities and the principal holders of its securities, its various benefit plans, related party transactions and other related matters about Renasant, is included in documents incorporated by reference into this document or set forth in Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is incorporated into this document by reference. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page ●.

ABOUT KEYWORTH BANK

General

KeyWorth is a banking corporation organized under the laws of the State of Georgia, which commenced operations in 2007, and is subject to the supervision and regulation of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance and the FDIC.

As of September 30, 2015, KeyWorth had total assets of approximately $392 million, total deposits of approximately $339 million, total loans of approximately $250 million, and shareholders’ equity of approximately $45 million.

Business

KeyWorth is a community bank providing a range of consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses and industries. The basic services offered by KeyWorth include: demand interest bearing and noninterest bearing accounts, money market deposit accounts, NOW accounts, time deposits, safe deposit services, credit cards, debit cards, direct deposits, notary services, money orders, night depository, travelers’ checks, cashier’s checks, savings bonds, bank drafts, automated teller services, mobile and internet banking, drive-in tellers, banking by mail and the full range of consumer loans, both collateralized and uncollateralized. In addition, KeyWorth makes secured and unsecured commercial and real estate loans and issues letters of credit.

KeyWorth’s target market is consumers, small to mid-size businesses and professionals in the medical practice. KeyWorth’s small to mid-size business customers, as well as its medical banking customers, have the opportunity to generate significant revenue for KeyWorth yet are generally underserved by large bank competitors. These customers generally can afford KeyWorth more profitable opportunities than the average retail customer.

The revenues of KeyWorth are primarily derived from interest on, and fees received in connection with, loans, service charge income generated from demand accounts and ATM fees. The principal sources of funds for KeyWorth’s lending activities are its deposits (both commercial and consumer deposits), loan repayments and proceeds from investment securities. The principal expenses of KeyWorth are the interest paid on deposits and operating and general administrative expenses.

As is the case with banking institutions generally, KeyWorth’s operations are materially and significantly influenced by general economic conditions and by related monetary and fiscal policies of financial institution regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. Deposit flows and costs of funds are influenced by interest rates on competing investments and general market rates of interest. Lending activities are affected by the demand for financing of real estate and other types of loans, which in turn is affected by the interest rates at which such financing may be offered and other factors affecting local demand and availability of funds. KeyWorth faces strong competition in the attraction of deposits (the primary source of lendable funds) and in the origination of loans. See “Competition.”

Banking Services

Commercial Banking. KeyWorth focuses its commercial loan originations on small and mid-sized businesses, with a focus on businesses engaged in the practice of medicine, and such loans are usually accompanied by significant related deposits. Commercial underwriting is driven by cash flow analysis supported by collateral analysis and review. Commercial loan products include commercial real estate loans; working capital loans and lines of credit; demand, term and time loans; medical loan programs; and SBA loan programs. KeyWorth also offers a range of cash management services and deposit products to commercial customers.

Retail Banking. KeyWorth’s retail banking activities emphasize consumer deposit and checking accounts. An extensive range of these services is offered by KeyWorth to meet the varied needs of its customers from young persons to senior citizens. In addition to traditional products and services, KeyWorth offers contemporary products and services, such as debit cards, internet banking and electronic bill payment services. Consumer loan products offered by KeyWorth include home equity lines of credit, mortgages, new and used auto loans, including new and used boat loans, overdraft protection, and unsecured personal credit lines.

Employees

As of September 30, 2015, KeyWorth employed 54 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. KeyWorth believes that it has a good relationship with its employees, and the employees are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement.

Properties

The main office of KeyWorth is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097. In addition to its principal office, KeyWorth maintains branch offices in Alpharetta, Duluth and Dunwoody, Georgia and loan offices in Marietta and Cumming, Georgia.

Competition

KeyWorth experiences competition in both lending and attracting funds from other commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, pension trusts, mutual funds, insurance companies, mortgage bankers and brokers, brokerage and investment banking firms, asset-based non-bank lenders, government agencies and certain other non-financial institutions, which may offer more favorable financing alternatives than KeyWorth.

KeyWorth also competes with financial institutions located outside its primary market that provide financial services to persons within this market. Some of KeyWorth’s current and potential competitors have larger customer bases, greater brand recognition, and significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than KeyWorth and some of them are not subject to the same degree of regulation as KeyWorth. There is no assurance that increased competition from other financial institutions will not have an adverse effect on KeyWorth’s operations.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, litigation arises in the normal conduct of KeyWorth’s business. KeyWorth, however, is not currently involved in any litigation that management of KeyWorth believes, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations.

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF KEYWORTH COMMON STOCK BY

MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF KEYWORTH

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of KeyWorth common stock as reportedof December 3, 2015 by Nasdaqeach director and executive officer of KeyWorth and all directors and executive officers of KeyWorth as a group. To the knowledge of KeyWorth’s management, no person has beneficial ownership of 5% or more of KeyWorth’s outstanding common stock (other than the KeyWorth directors and executive officers, considered as a group, as listed in the table).

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, based on factors including voting and investment power with respect to shares. The percentage of beneficial ownership is calculated in relation to the 3,638,241shares of KeyWorth common stock that were $22.20issued and $21.52, respectively. On April, 2015,outstanding as of December 3, 2015. Under the last full trading day before the date of this document, the high and low sale prices ofSEC’s rules, shares of Heritage common stock issuable upon the exercise of options or warrants currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days after December 3, 2015, are deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of the person holding such options or warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other persons.

Unless otherwise indicated, to KeyWorth’s knowledge, the persons or entities identified in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares shown as reportedbeneficially owned by Nasdaq were $ and $, respectively.

them.

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

  Number of shares of
KeyWorth
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned
  Percent of Outstanding
Shares of KeyWorth
Common

Stock
 

Directors:

   

Raymond B. Bachman

   51,288(2)   1.41%

Robert E. Binion

   14,793(3)   0.41%

Charles Buffington

   1,000(4)   0.03%

C. Peyton Day

   85,643(5)   2.34%

Dexter R. Floyd

   107,024(6)   2.94%

Patrick Henry

   55,376(7)   1.52%

Charles Machemehl, III

   101,167(8)   2.78%

Jim F. Pope

   65,836(9)   1.80

Russell S. Reece

   19,795(10)   0.54

William Stark, Jr.

   73,377(11)   2.02

Neil Stevens

   19,990(12)   0.55

Executive Officers who are not Directors:

   

Paul Kirtley

   20,300(13)   0.56%

All Directors and Executive Officers as a group (12 individuals)

   615,589    16.66%

112

(1)The address of each of KeyWorth’s executive officers and directors is c/o KeyWorth Bank, 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Georgia 30097.
(2)50,000 shares owned individually; 1,288 share warrants.
(3)13,500 shares owned individually; 1,293 share warrants.
(4)1,000 shares owned individually.
(5)80,000 shares owned individually, 5,643 share warrants.
(6)103,000 shares owned individually, 4,024 share warrants.
(7)52,500 shares owned individually; 2,876 share warrants.
(8)97,500 shares owned individually; 3,667 share warrants.
(9)45,250 shares owned individually; 20,586 share options and warrants.
(10)18,500 shares owned individually; 1,295 share warrants.
(11)70,500 shares owned individually; 2,877 share warrants.
(12)12,400 shares owned individually; 7,590 share warrants.
(13)14,400 shares owned individually; 5,900 share warrants.


EXPERTS

The consolidated audited financial statements of Renasant as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2014, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in the Report on Management’s Assessment of Internal Control over Financial Reporting) as of December 31, 2014 have been incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement from Renasant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 in reliance upon the report of HORNE LLP, independent registered public accountants, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated by reference herein.

The consolidated audited financial statements of Heritage for the years ended December 31, 2014herein, and 2013, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2014, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, have been incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement from Heritage’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 in reliance upon the reportsauthority of Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC, independent registered public accountingsaid firm as statedexperts in their reports, which are incorporated by reference herein.accounting and auditing.

LEGAL MATTERS

The legalityvalidity of the Renasant common stock to be issued in connection with the merger will be passed upon for Renasant by Phelps Dunbar LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana, Renasant’s outside legal counsel. Certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger will be passed upon for Renasant by Phelps Dunbar LLP and for HeritageKeyWorth by Alston & Bird LLP. William M. Beasley, a partner of Phelps Dunbar LLP, is a director of Renasant. Phelps Dunbar LLP also provides legal advice to Renasant on a regular basis. As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, members of Phelps Dunbar LLP participating in the matters described in this paragraph as being passed upon by Phelps Dunbar LLP for Renasant owned an aggregate of approximately 49,00039,347 shares of Renasant common stock.

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Renasant

At the annual meeting of Renasant each year, the board of directors submits to stockholders its nominees for election as directors. In addition, the board may submit other matters to the stockholders for action at the annual meeting. Stockholders may also submit proposals for action at the annual meeting.

Proposals for Inclusion in Renasant’s Proxy Statement

The deadline for stockholders to submit a proposal for inclusion in Renasant’s proxy materials for its 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is November 18, 2015, as set forth in Renasant’s proxy statement for its 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders which was released to its stockholders on March 17, 2015.

Proposals to be Introduced at the Renasant Annual Meeting

For any stockholder proposal to be presented in connection with the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Renasant but without inclusion in Renasant’s proxy materials, including any proposal relating to the nomination of an individual to be elected to the board of directors, a stockholder must give timely written notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of Renasant in compliance with the advance notice and eligibility requirements contained in the Renasant Bylaws. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to the Secretary at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827 not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting. If, however, the date of the annual meeting is

113


advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 90 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if public announcement of the date of such meeting is made less than 120 days in advance, the 10th day following the date of the first public announcement of the date of such meeting. The notice must contain information specified in the Renasant Bylaws about each nominee or the proposed business and the stockholder making the nomination or proposal.

Under Renasant’s Bylaws, based upon the meeting date of April 28, 2015 for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a qualified stockholder intending to introduce a proposal or nominate a director at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders but not intending the proposal to be included in Renasant’s proxy materials must give written notice to our Secretary not earlier than the close of business on December 30, 2015 and not later than the close of business on January 29, 2016.

The advance notice provisions in Renasant’s Bylaws also provide that in the case of a special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing one or more directors, a stockholder may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position if the stockholder’s notice is delivered to Renasant’s Secretary at the above address not earlier than the 120th day prior to the special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the special meeting or, if public announcement of the date of such meeting is made less than 120 days in advance, the 10th day following the date of the first public announcement of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the board of directors to be elected at such meeting.

The specific requirements of Renasant’s advance notice and eligibility provisions are set forth in Article III, Section 9 of the Renasant Bylaws, a copy of which is available upon request. Such requests and any stockholder proposals should be sent to the Secretary at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827.

Heritage

The deadline for stockholders to submit a proposal for inclusion in Heritage’s proxy materials for its 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders has already passed. The deadline for stockholders to submit a proposal to be presented at Heritage’s 2015 Annual Meeting but without inclusion in its proxy materials for such meeting has already passed.

Heritage will hold a 2016 annual meeting of stockholders only if the merger is not completed. The deadlines for stockholders to submit a proposal with respect to Heritage’s 2016 annual meeting, whether or not such proposal is intended to be included in Heritage’s proxy materials for such meeting, will be set forth in Heritage’s proxy statement for its 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which has yet to be released to its stockholders as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

114


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

Renasant has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 that registers the distribution of the shares of Renasant common stock to Heritage stockholdersKeyWorth shareholders in connection with the merger. This joint proxy statement/prospectus is a part of that registration statement and constitutes a prospectus of Renasant and a proxy statement of Renasant and HeritageKeyWorth for the Renasant and Heritage special meetings, respectively.meeting.

Renasant and Heritage each filefiles annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy this registration statement and any reports, statements or other information that Renasant or Heritage files with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Renasant’s and Heritage’s SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Reports, proxy statements and other information that Renasant files with the SEC are also found on its website, www.renasant.com, under the link “SEC Filings.” Reports, proxy statements and other information that Heritage files with the SEC are also found on its website, www.eheritagebank.com, under the link “Investors.“Investor Relations.

The SEC allows Renasant and Heritage to “incorporate by reference” information into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This means that Renasant and Heritage can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, except for any information superseded by information contained directly in the joint proxy statement/prospectus. This joint proxy statement/prospectus incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that Renasant and Heritage havehas previously filed with the SEC. These documents contain important information about Renasant, Heritage and their respective businessesits business and financial condition.

Renasant SEC Filings (File No. 001-13253)

 

 1.Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015;

 

 2.Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 filed with the SEC on May 8, 2015, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on August 7, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on November 9, 2015;

3.Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 20, 2015, February 11, 2015, March 13, 2015, April 28, 2015, April 29, 2015, May 4, 2015, May 18, 2015, June 16, 2015, July 8, 2015 (which filing was amended by a Form 8-K/A filed on September 15, 2015), July 21, 2015, July 29, 2015, October 20, 2015, October 21, 2015, October 23, 2015, November 9, 2015, January 11, 2016, January 13, 2016, January 19, 2016 and March 3, 2015;January 22, 2016; and

 

 3.The description of Renasant’s common stock contained in Renasant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A (Amendment No. 1) filed with the SEC on April 19, 2007 (amending and restating in its entirety the description of Renasant’s common stock set forth in Item 1 of Renasant’s Form 8-A filed with the SEC on April 28, 2005).

Heritage SEC Filings (File No. 001-34902)

1.Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the SEC on March 13, 2015;

2.Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 22, 2015, February 12, 2015 and March 13, 2015.

To the extent that any information contained in any report on Form 8-K or any exhibit thereto, was furnished to, rather than filed with the SEC, such information or exhibit is specifically not incorporated by reference.

All documents filed by Renasant and Heritage with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the initial filing date of this document and (1) in the case of Renasant, prior to the datecompletion (or termination) of the special meeting of Renasant stockholders to consider and vote on the approval of the Renasant merger proposal and other matters and (2) in the case of Heritage, prior to the date of the special meeting of Heritage stockholders

115


to consider and vote on the approval of the Heritage merger proposal and other matterswith KeyWorth are incorporated by reference into this document and are a part of this document from the date of filing. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.

Except where otherwise indicated, Renasant has supplied all information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus relating to Renasant as well as all pro forma financial information, and Heritage has supplied all information relating to Heritage.

Documents incorporated by reference are available from Renasant and Heritage without charge. You can obtain documents incorporated by reference into this document by requesting them in writing or by telephone from the appropriate companyRenasant at the following addresses:address:

Renasant CorporationHeritage Financial Group, Inc.
209 Troy Street721 N. Westover Boulevard
Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827Albany, Georgia 31707
Attn: Kevin D. ChapmanAttn: T. Heath Fountain
Tel: (662) 680-1450Tel: (229) 878-2055

To obtain timely delivery of these documents, you must request them no later than five business days before the date of the applicable special meeting. This means that Renasant stockholders and Heritage stockholdersCorporation

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

Attn: Kevin D. Chapman

Tel: (662) 680-1450

KeyWorth shareholders requesting documents mustshould do so by June 9, 2015March 10, 2016, in order to receive them before the Renasant special meeting and the Heritage special meeting, respectively.meeting. You will not be charged for any of these documents that you request. If you request any incorporated documents from Renasant, or Heritage, Renasant and Heritage, respectively, will mail them to you by first class mail, or another equally prompt means, after it receives your request.

Neither Renasant nor HeritageKeyWorth has authorized anyone to give any information or make any representation about the merger or ourthe companies that is different from, or in addition to, that contained in this document or in any of the materials that have been incorporated in this document. Therefore, if anyone does give you information of this sort, you should not rely on it. If you are in a jurisdiction where offers to exchange or sell, or solicitations of offers to exchange or purchase, the securities offered by this document or the solicitation of proxies is unlawful, or if you are a person to whom it is unlawful to direct these types of activities, then the offer presented in this document does not extend to you. The information contained in this document speaks only as of the date of this document unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies.

The representations, warranties and covenants by Renasant, Renasant Bank Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and included in the merger agreement were made only for purposes of the merger agreement and as of specific dates. The representations, warranties and covenants in the merger agreement were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the merger agreement; may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the merger agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts; and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those generally applicable to investors. Investors are not third-party beneficiaries under the merger agreement.

In reviewing the representations, warranties and covenants contained in the merger agreement or any descriptions thereof in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, it is important to bear in mind that such representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions were not intended by Renasant or HeritageKeyWorth to be characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of Renasant, HeritageKeyWorth or any of their respectiveRenasant’s subsidiaries or affiliates. Such representations and warranties are not intended to amend, supplement or supersede

116


any statement contained in any reports or documents filed by Renasant or Heritage with the SEC. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the merger agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected inby Renasant’s and Heritage’s public disclosures. For the foregoing reasons, the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions of those provisions should not be read alone and should instead be read in conjunction with the information provided elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

117


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information presents how the combined financial statements of Renasant and Heritage may have appeared had their businesses actually been combined at the dates presented. This information is based on the separate historical financial statements of Renasant and Heritage after giving effect to (1) the announced merger with Heritage and the issuance of Renasant common stock in connection therewith, (2) Heritage’s acquisition of Alarion, which was completed on September 30, 2014, and (3) Heritage’s acquisition of a branch from The PrivateBank, which was completed on January 20, 2015, which we refer to collectively as the “transactions,” as well as the assumptions and adjustments described in the accompanying explanatory notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements. Under the terms of the merger agreement between Renasant and Heritage, which was announced on December 10, 2014, Heritage will merge with and into Renasant, with Renasant the surviving corporation. Upon completion of the merger, each share of Heritage common stock will be converted into 0.9266 of a share of Renasant common stock.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet gives effect to the transactions as if they had occurred on December 31, 2014. Renasant’s and Heritage’s historical balance sheets include Alarion, as the acquisition closed on September 30, 2014. The historical balance sheet of the branch acquisition from The PrivateBank is presented separately along with pro forma adjustments as the acquisition was completed on January 20, 2015. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of income for the year ended December 31, 2014 give effect to the transactions as if they had been completed on January 1, 2014. As the Alarion acquisition was completed on September 30, 2014 and the branch acquisition from The PrivateBank was completed on January 20, 2015, the historical results of each of Alarion and the branch acquired from The PrivateBank for the year ended December 31, 2014 have been shown separately along with pro forma adjustments. The historical consolidated financial information has been adjusted to reflect factually supportable items that are directly attributable to the Heritage merger or the other transactions and, with respect to the income statements only, expected to have a continuing impact on the consolidated company’s results of operations.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared using the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, with Renasant treated as the acquiror. Renasant has not had sufficient time to completely evaluate the significant identifiable long-lived tangible and identifiable intangible assets of Heritage, including the assets Heritage acquired in the Alarion and The PrivateBank acquisitions. Accordingly, the unaudited pro forma adjustments, including the allocations of the purchase price, are preliminary and have been made solely for the purpose of providing unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.

A final determination of the acquisition consideration and fair values of Heritage’s assets and liabilities, which cannot be made prior to the completion of the merger, will be based on the actual net tangible and intangible assets of Heritage that exist as of the date of completion of the transaction. Consequently, amounts preliminarily allocated to goodwill and identifiable intangibles could change significantly from those allocations used in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements presented below and could result in a material change in amortization of acquired intangible assets.

In connection with the plan to integrate the operations of Renasant and Heritage following the completion of the merger, Renasant anticipates that nonrecurring charges, such as costs associated with systems implementation, severance and other costs related to exit or disposal activities, could be incurred. Renasant is not currently able to determine the timing, nature and amount of these charges, but the operations of the combined company after the merger could be affected by these charges. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements do not include the effects of the costs associated with any restructuring or integration activities resulting from the transaction, as they would be nonrecurring in nature and not factually supportable at the time that the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been prepared. In addition, the unaudited pro forma adjustments do not reflect any nonrecurring or unusual restructuring charges that may be

118


incurred as a result of the integration of the two companies or any anticipated disposition of assets that may result from such integration. Transaction-related expenses estimated at approximately $2.5 million are not included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined income statements.

As explained in more detail in the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information, the actual amounts recorded as of the completion of the merger may differ materially from the information presented in these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements as a result of, among other factors:

changes in the trading price for Renasant’s common stock;

net cash used or generated in Heritage’s operations between the signing of the merger agreement and completion of the merger;

the timing of the completion of the merger;

other changes in Heritage’s net assets that occur prior to completion of the merger; and

changes in the financial results of the combined company, which could change the future discounted cash flow projections.

In addition to the above factors that might affect the combined companies’ results of operations, this information does not consider or account for any potential impacts of current market conditions on revenues, expense efficiencies, asset dispositions and share repurchases, among other factors.

Accordingly, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only, and it does not attempt to predict or suggest future results. It also does not necessarily reflect what the historical results of the combined company would have been had the companies been combined during this period. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been derived from and should be read in conjunction with the historical consolidated financial statements and the related notes of both Renasant and Heritage which are incorporated in this document by reference. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page •.

119


Renasant Corporation and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet

(In Thousands, Except Share Data)

  As of December 31, 2014 
  Renasant
Corporation
  Heritage
Financial
Group, Inc.
  Norcross
Branch of
PrivateBank
and Trust
Company
  Pro Forma
Heritage
Financial
Group, Inc.
  Purchase Accounting
Adjustments
  Pro Forma
Company
 
  (as reported)  (as reported)  (pro forma)  (combined)  Termination
of Employee
Stock
Ownership
Plan
  Other
Purchase
Accounting
Adjustments
  (combined) 

Assets(1)

       

Cash and due from banks

  161,583    35,383    66,446    101,829    3,033(a)   (8,124)(b)   258,321  

Securities

  983,747    269,678    —      269,678    —      —      1,253,425  

Mortgage loans held for sale

  25,628    161,104    —      161,104    —      —      186,732  

Loans, net of unearned income

  3,987,874    1,085,473    36,227    1,121,700    —      (43,408)(c)   5,066,166  

Allowance for loan losses

  (42,289  (10,034  —      (10,034  —      10,034(d)   (42,289
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Loans, net

 3,945,585   1,075,439   36,227   1,111,666   —     (33,374 5,023,877  

Premises and equipment, net

 113,735   50,041   42   50,083   —     (4,150)(e)  159,668  

Other real estate owned

 34,472   8,405   —     8,405   —     (162)(f)  42,715  

Goodwill

 274,706   7,442   2,345   9,787   —     150,372(g)  434,865  

Other intangible assets, net

 22,624   5,119   920   6,039   —     5,380(h)  34,043  

FDIC loss-share indemnification asset

 12,516   23,837   —     23,837   —     —     36,353  

Other assets

 230,533   69,167   1,681   70,848   —     12,820(i)  314,201  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total assets

 5,805,129   1,705,615   107,661   1,813,276   3,033   122,762   7,744,200  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

Liabilities

Deposits

Noninterest-bearing

 919,872   217,869   19,872   237,741   —     —     1,157,613  

Interest-bearing

 3,918,546   1,104,240   87,742   1,191,982   —     1,874(j)  5,112,402  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total deposits

 4,838,418   1,322,109   107,614   1,429,723   —     1,874   6,270,015  

Short-term borrowings

 32,403   43,339   —     43,339   —     4,927(k)  80,669  

Long-term debt

 156,422   159,247   —     159,247   —     —     315,669  

Other liabilities

 66,235   20,902   47   20,949   —     26,296(l)  113,480  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 5,093,478   1,545,597   107,661   1,653,258   —     33,097   6,779,833  

Stockholders’ equity

Common stock

 163,281   92   —     92   —     42,712(m)  206,085  

Treasury stock, at cost

 (22,128 —     —     —     —     —     (22,128

Additional paid-in capital

 345,213   105,965   —     105,965   4,810(a)  99,137(n)  555,125  

Retained earnings

 232,883   63,289   —     63,289   (4,605)(a)  (58,684)(n)  232,883  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes

 (7,598 (6,500 —     (6,500 —     6,500(n)  (7,598

Unearned employee stock ownership plan

 —     (2,828 —     (2,828 2,828(a)  —     —    
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 711,651   160,018   —     160,018   3,033   89,665   964,367  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 5,805,129   1,705,615   107,661   1,813,276   3,033   122,762   7,744,200  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)Certain historical amounts for Heritage have been reclassified to ensure consistency and comparability of pro forma amounts. The reclassifications had no impact on Total assets, Total liabilities or Total stockholders’ equity.

See the accompanying Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data

120


Renasant Corporation and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements

(In thousands, except share data)

  Twelve months ended December 31, 2014 
  Renasant  Heritage
Financial
Group, Inc.
  Norcross
Branch of
PrivateBank
and Trust
Company
  Alarion
Financial
Group, Inc.
  Pro Forma
Heritage
Financial
Group,
Inc.
  Pro Forma
Adjustments
  Pro Forma
Company
 
  (as reported)  (as reported)  (pro forma)  (pro forma)  (combined)  

 

  (combined) 

Interest income(1)

       

Loans

 $199,844   $54,670   $1,587   $7,113   $63,370   $1,742(c)  $264,956  

Securities

  26,169    6,227    —      —      6,227    —      32,396  

Other

  396    89    —      13    102    —      498  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total interest income

  226,409    60,986    1,587    7,126    69,699    1,742    297,850  

Interest expense

       

Deposits

  16,069    4,845    711    696    6,252    (1,874)(j)   20,447  

Borrowings

  7,711    3,420    —      —      3,420    (1,642)(k)   9,489  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total interest expense

  23,780    8,265    711    696    9,672    (3,516  29,936  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income

  202,629    52,721    876    6,430    60,027    5,258    267,914  

Provision for loan losses

  6,167    1,569    —      50    1,619    —  (d)   7,786  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

  196,462    51,152    876    6,380    58,408    5,258    260,128  

Noninterest income(2)

       

Service charges on deposit accounts

  25,383    6,187    96    305    6,588    —      31,971  

Fees and commissions

  21,873    4,378    —      —      4,378    —      26,251  

Insurance commissions

  8,194    —      —      —      —      —      8,194  

Wealth management revenue

  8,655    2,436    —      —      2,436    —      11,091  

Gains on sales of securities

  375    956    —      —      956    —      1,331  

BOLI income

  2,985    748    —      —      748    —      3,733  

Gains on sales of mortgage loans held for sale

  8,594    21,861    —      2,860    24,721    —      33,315  

Other

  4,561    458    —      683    1,141    —      5,702  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total noninterest income

  80,620    37,024    96    3,848    40,960    —      121,588  

Noninterest expense

       

Salaries and employee benefits

  115,108    44,831    500    3,883    49,214    —      164,322  

Data processing

  11,400    4,834    —      660    5,494    —      16,894  

Net occupancy and equipment

  20,252    8,971    192    775    9,938    (1,142)(e)   29,048  

Other real estate owned

  4,593    1,638    —      11    1,649    —      6,242  

Professional fees

  4,485    1,892    —      613    2,505    —      6,990  

Advertising and public relations

  5,923    1,096    —      (37  1,059    —      6,982  

Intangible amortization

  5,606    879    —      369    1,248    828(h)   7,682  

Merger-related expenses

  694    3,122    —      100    3,222    —      3,916  

Other

  23,134    10,091    —      1,484    11,575    —      34,709  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total noninterest expense

  191,195    77,354    692    7,858    85,904    (314  276,785  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

  85,887    10,822    280    2,370    13,472    5,572    104,931  

Income taxes

  26,305    3,254    98    839    4,191    2,117(o)   32,613  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

 $59,582   $7,568   $182   $1,531   $9,281    3,455    72,318  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Earnings per common share:

       

Basic

 $1.89        $1.81  
 

 

 

       

 

 

 

Diluted

 $1.88        $1.79  
 

 

 

       

 

 

 

Dividends per common share

 $0.68        $0.68  
 

 

 

       

 

 

 

Weighted-average common shares outstanding

       

Basic

  31,499,498        8,560,832(p)   40,060,330  

Diluted

  31,759,647        8,560,832(p)   40,320,479  

(2)Certain historical amounts for Heritage have been reclassified to ensure consistency and comparability of pro forma amounts. The reclassifications had no impact net income applicable to common stock.

See the accompanying Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data

121


Renasant Corporation and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data

Note 1 – Pro Forma Adjustments

(In thousands, except share data)

The following pro forma adjustments have been reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information for the announced acquisition of Heritage. All adjustments are based on current valuations and assumptions which are subject to change.

(a)Termination of Employee Stock Ownership Plan– Cash and stockholders’ equity were adjusted for the repayment of the term loans from Heritage’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and recognition of compensation expense for the allocation of remaining shares to participants.

(b)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments –Cash was adjusted to reflect the settlement of all outstanding options according to the terms set forth in the merger agreement.

(c)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Based on Renasant’s initial evaluation of the acquired portfolio, a mark of 4.98% was applied to Heritage’s non-acquired loans and leases resulting in a fair value adjustment of $43,408. The adjustment is primarily related to credit deterioration identified in the portfolio with the remainder, the accretable yield, recognized as an adjustment to reflect the difference between actual interest rates and current rates offered by Renasant on similar loans. This accretable yield adjustment will be recognized over the remaining life of the loan and lease portfolio. The impact of the adjustment was to increase loan interest income by $1,742 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

(d)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – The allowance for loan losses was adjusted to reflect the reversal of Heritage’s recorded allowance. Purchased loans acquired in a business combination are required to be recorded at fair value, and the recorded allowance for loan losses may not be carried over. While Renasant anticipates significantly reducing the provision for loan losses as a result of acquired loans being recorded at fair value, no adjustment to the historic amounts of Heritage’s provision has been recorded in the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements.

(e)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Based on Renasant’s initial evaluation of the acquired fixed assets, a mark of $4,150 was recorded to account for obsolete assets and adjust the remaining assets to fair value. The impact of the adjustment was to decrease depreciation expense by $1,142 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

(f)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Based on Renasant’s initial evaluation of the acquired portfolio of OREO, a mark of approximately 25% was applied to Heritage’s non-acquired OREO resulting in a fair value adjustment of $162. The adjustment has no impact on the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements.

(g)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Goodwill of $160,159 was generated as a result of the total purchase price and fair value of liabilities assumed exceeding the fair value of assets purchased. See Note 2, “Pro Forma Allocation of Purchase Price,” for the allocation of the purchase price to acquired net assets. The adjustment has no impact on the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements.

(h)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Heritage’s existing other intangible assets were reversed, and an identified incremental core deposit intangible of $11,419 was recognized. The core deposit intangible is recognized over an estimated useful life of ten years using an accelerated amortization method. The amortization expense associated with the core deposit intangible increased noninterest expense $828 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

(i)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments –Deferred taxes associated with the adjustments to record the assets and liabilities of Heritage at fair value were recognized using Renasant’s statutory rate of 38%.

122


Renasant Corporation and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data

(j)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – A fair value adjustment was recorded to fixed-rate deposit liabilities based on current interest rates offered by Renasant for similar instruments. The adjustment will be recognized over the estimated remaining term of the deposit liability, which is approximately one year. The adjustment decreased deposit interest expense by $1,874 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

(k)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – A fair value adjustment was recorded to outstanding long-term debt instruments, consisting of FHLB advances. The adjustment will be recognized over the estimated remaining term of the long-term debt instruments. The impact of the adjustment was to decrease interest expense related to borrowings by $1,642 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

(l)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments –Other liabilities were adjusted to reflect the accrual of approximately $26,296 of anticipated merger related expenses to be incurred by Heritage. Anticipated merger related expenses to be incurred by Renasant are not included in the pro forma financial information but will be expensed in the period after the merger is completed. Anticipated merger related expenses consist of investment banking fees, legal fees, accounting fees, registration fees, contract termination fees, costs incurred to terminate employee benefit plans, printing costs and additional related fees and expenses.

(m)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Common stock was adjusted to reverse Heritage’s common stock outstanding and to recognize the $5.00 par value of shares of Renasant common stock issued to effect the transaction. The adjustment has no impact on the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements but only affects the number of shares outstanding used in the calculation of earnings per common share.

(n)Other Purchase Accounting Adjustments – Other stockholders’ equity accounts were adjusted to reverse Heritage’s historical stockholders’ equity balances and to reflect the net impact of all purchase accounting adjustments. The adjustments had no impact on the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Income Statements.

(o)Pro Forma Adjustments – Income taxes were adjusted to reflect the tax effects of purchase accounting adjustments using Renasant’s statutory tax rate of 38%.

(p)Pro Forma Adjustments – Weighted-average basic and diluted shares outstanding were adjusted to reverse Heritage basic and diluted shares outstanding and to record shares of Renasant common stock issued to effect the transaction.

123


Renasant Corporation and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data

Note 2 – Pro Forma Allocation of Purchase Price

(In thousands, except share data)

The following table shows the pro forma allocation of purchase price to net assets acquired and the pro forma goodwill generated from the transaction:

Purchase Price:

Heritage common shares outstanding at December 31, 2014 (including unvested restricted stock that vests upon change in control)

 9,238,973  

Exchange ratio

 0.9266  
  

 

 

   

Renasant shares to be issued for Heritage shares

 8,560,832  

Price per share, based on Renasant price of $29.52 as of March 27, 2015

$29.52  
  

 

 

   

Pro forma value of Renasant stock to be issued

$252,716  

Cash consideration for Heritage stock options outstanding

 8,124  
    

 

 

 

Total pro forma purchase price

$260,840  

Net Assets Acquired:

Cash and due from banks

$104,862  

Securities

 269,678  

Mortgage loans held for sale

 161,104  

Loans, net of unearned income

 1,078,292  

Premises and equipment

 45,933  

Other real estate owned

 8,243  

Other intangible assets

 11,419  

FDIC loss-share indemnification asset

 23,837  

Other assets

 83,668  
  

 

 

   

Total Assets

 1,787,036  

Deposits:

Non-interest bearing

 237,741  

Interest bearing

 1,193,856  
  

 

 

   

Total Deposits

 1,431,597  

Short-term borrowings

 48,266  

Long-term debt

 159,247  

Other liabilities

 47,245  
  

 

 

   

Total Liabilities

 1,686,355  
  

 

 

   

Net Assets

 100,681  
    

 

 

 

Goodwill

$160,159  
    

 

 

 

124


ANNEX A

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

BY AND AMONG

RENASANT CORPORATION,

RENASANT BANK,

HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.,

AND

HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTHKEYWORTH BANK

DATED DECEMBER 10, 2014

OCTOBER 20, 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

        Page 

ARTICLE I

THE MERGER

   A-1  

1.1

    

The Merger

   A-1  

1.2

    

Effective Time

   A-2A-1  

1.3

    

The ArticlesCharter of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Surviving CorporationBank

   A-2  

1.4

    

Directors and Officers

   A-2  

1.5

    

Effect of the MergersMerger

   A-3A-2  

ARTICLE II

EFFECT OF THE MERGER ON THE CAPITAL STOCK OF THE CONSTITUENT ENTITIES; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES   A-4A-2  

2.1

    

Conversion of Shares

   A-4A-2  

2.2

    

Exchange of Seller Stock Certificates

A-3

2.3

Dissenting Shares

   A-5  

2.32.4

    

Rights as StockholdersShareholders

A-5

2.5

Stock Transfer Records

   A-6  

2.42.6

    

Seller Stock Transfer RecordsOptions, Seller Warrants and Related Matters

A-6

ARTICLE III REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF SELLER

   A-7  

2.53.1

    Subsidiary Merger

Corporate Organization

   A-7  

2.63.2

    Seller Stock Options and Related MattersA-7

2.7Capitalization

Seller ESOP   A-8  

ARTICLE III3.3

    REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF SELLER AND SELLER SUB

Authority; No Violation

   A-8  

3.13.4

    Corporate Organization

Financial Statements

   A-8A-9  

3.23.5

    Capitalization

Absence of Certain Changes or Events

   A-10  

3.33.6

    Authority; No Violation

Legal Proceedings

   A-10  

3.43.7

    Financial Statements

Taxes and Tax Returns

A-10

3.8

Employee Benefit Plans

   A-11  

3.53.9

    Absence of Certain Changes or Events

Regulatory Reports

   A-12A-13  

3.63.10

    Legal ProceedingsA-12

3.7Seller Information

Taxes and Tax ReturnsA-12

3.8

Employee Benefit Plans   A-14  

3.93.11

    Securities Documents

Compliance with Applicable Law

A-14

3.12

Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory ReportsMatters

A-14

3.13

Certain Contracts

A-15

3.14

Properties and Insurance

A-15

3.15

Environmental Matters

   A-16  

3.103.16

    Seller Information

Allowance for Loan Losses and Real Estate Owned

   A-17  

3.113.17

    Compliance with Applicable Law

Minute Books

   A-17  

3.123.18

    Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory Matters

Affiliate Transactions

A-17

3.19

Internal Controls

A-17

3.20

Risk Management Instruments

A-17

3.21

Opinion

   A-18  

3.133.22

    Certain Contracts

Broker Fees

   A-18  

3.143.23

    Properties and Insurance

Loans

A-18

3.24

Investment Securities; BOLI

   A-19  

3.153.25

    Environmental Matters

Employees; Compensation

   A-20  

3.163.26

    Allowance for Loan Losses

Tax and Real Estate OwnedRegulatory Matters

   A-20  

3.173.27

    Minute BooksA-20

3.18Intellectual Property

Affiliate Transactions   A-21  

3.193.28

    Internal Controls; Disclosure Controls

Regulatory Capital; Community Reinvestment Compliance

   A-21  

3.203.29

    Risk Management Instruments

Trust Matters

   A-21  

3.213.30

    Opinion

Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisory Matters

   A-21  

3.223.31

    Broker FeesA-21

3.23No Existing Discussions

Loans   A-22  

3.243.32

    Investment Securities; BOLI

Certain Business Practices

   A-24A-22  

3.253.33

    Employees; Compensation

Continuity of Business Enterprise

   A-25A-22  

3.263.34

    Tax and Regulatory Matters

Indemnification

   A-25A-22  

3.273.35

    Intellectual Property

Vote Required

   A-25

3.28

Regulatory Capital; Community Reinvestment ComplianceA-26

3.29

Trust MattersA-26

3.30

Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisory MattersA-26

3.31

No Existing DiscussionsA-27

3.32

Materials ContractsA-27A-22  

 

A-i


        Page 

3.33ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND ACQUIROR

  NASDAQA-22

4.1

Corporate Organization

A-23

4.2

Capitalization

A-24

4.3

Authority; No Violation

A-24

4.4

Financial Statements

A-25

4.5

Absence of Certain Changes or Events

A-26

4.6

Legal Proceedings

A-26

4.7

Taxes and Tax Returns

A-26

4.8

Securities Documents and Regulatory Reports

   A-27  

3.344.9

    Certain Business PracticesA-27

3.35Parent Information

Continuity of Business EnterpriseA-27

3.36

IndemnificationA-27

3.37

Vote RequiredA-27

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ACQUIROR AND ACQUIROR SUBA-27

4.1

Corporate Organization   A-28  

4.24.10

    Capitalization

Compliance with Applicable Law

A-28

4.11

Employee Benefit Plans

   A-29  

4.34.12

    Authority; No ViolationA-29

4.4Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory Matters

Financial Statements   A-30  

4.54.13

    Absence of Certain Changes or Events

Material Contracts; Other Agreements

A-30

4.14

NASDAQ

A-30

4.15

Broker Fees

   A-31  

4.64.16

    Legal Proceedings

Tax and Regulatory Matters

   A-31  

4.74.18

    Taxes and Tax Returns

Parent Shares

   A-31  

4.84.19

    Securities Documents and Regulatory Reports

Opinion

A-31

4.20

No Parent Vote Required

A-31

4.21

No Financing

A-31

ARTICLE V COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES

A-31

5.1

Conduct of the Business of Seller

A-31

5.2

Negative Covenants of Seller

   A-32  

4.95.3

    Acquiror InformationA-33

4.10No Solicitation

Compliance with Applicable LawA-33

4.11

Employee Benefit PlansA-34

4.12

Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory Matters   A-35  

4.135.4

    Material Contracts; Other Regulatory MattersA-35

4.14

NASDAQA-36

4.15

Broker FeesA-36

4.16

Tax and Regulatory MattersA-36

4.17

Regulatory Capital; Acquiror SharesA-36

4.18

Acquiror SharesA-36

4.19

OpinionA-36

4.20

Vote RequiredA-36

ARTICLE V

COVENANTS OF THE PARTIESA-36

5.1

Conduct of the Business of Seller and Seller SubA-36

5.2

Negative Covenants of SellerParent and Seller SubAcquiror

   A-37  

5.35.5

    No Solicitation

Current Information

A-38

5.6

Access to Properties and Records; Confidentiality

A-38

5.7

Regulatory Matters

A-39

5.8

Preparation of Registration Statement; Shareholder Approval

   A-40  

5.45.9

    Negative Covenants of Acquiror and Acquiror Sub

Further Assurances

A-41

5.10

Disclosure Supplements

   A-42  

5.55.11

    Current Information

Public Announcements

   A-42  

5.65.12

    Access to Properties and Records; Confidentiality

Termination Date

   A-43A-42  

5.75.13

    Regulatory Matters

Certain Post-Merger Agreements

   A-43A-42  

5.85.14

    Preparation

Takeover Laws; No Rights Triggered

A-44

5.15

Adoption of Registration Statement; Stockholder ApprovalAccounting Policies

A-44

5.16

Operating Functions

A-44

5.17

Certain Agreements

A-44

5.18

Hold Harmless

   A-45  

5.95.19

    Further Assurances

Shareholder Litigation

A-45

5.20

Severance

A-45

5.21

Payment of 2015 Bonuses

   A-46  

5.105.22

    Disclosure Supplements

Notice to Holders of Seller Warrants

   A-46  

5.11ARTICLE VI CLOSING CONDITIONS

Public Announcements   A-46  

5.126.1

    Termination Date

Conditions to the Parties’ Obligations under this Agreement

   A-46  

5.136.2

    Certain Post-Merger Agreements

Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Acquiror under this Agreement

   A-46A-47  

5.146.3

    Takeover Laws; No Rights Triggered

Conditions to the Obligations of Seller under this Agreement

A-47

ARTICLE VII TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER, ETC.

   A-48  

5.157.1

    Adoption

Termination

A-48

7.2

Effect of Accounting PoliciesTermination

   A-49  

5.167.3

    Section 16 Matters

Amendment, Extension and Waiver

   A-49  

5.177.4

    Operating FunctionsA-49

5.18Termination Fees

Certain AgreementsA-49

5.19

Hold HarmlessA-49

5.20

Stockholder LitigationA-50

5.21

Stock Exchange De-listing; 1934 Act De-registrationA-50

5.22

Notice to Holders of Seller Stock OptionsA-50

5.23

Payment of 2014 Bonuses   A-50  

 

A-ii


        Page 

5.24

Assumption AgreementsA-50

ARTICLE VIVIII MISCELLANEOUS

CLOSING CONDITIONS   A-51  

6.18.1

    Conditions to the Parties’ Obligations under this Agreement

Expenses

   A-51  

6.28.2

    Conditions to the Obligations of Acquiror and Acquiror Sub under this Agreement

Survival

A-51

8.3

Notices

A-51

8.4

Parties in Interest

   A-52  

6.38.5

    Conditions to the Obligations of Seller and Seller Sub under this

Complete Agreement

   A-52  

ARTICLE VII8.6

    TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER, ETC.

Counterparts

A-52

8.7

Governing Law; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial

A-52

8.8

Interpretation

   A-53  

7.18.9

    Termination

Specific Performance

   A-53  

7.28.10

    Effect of Termination

Severability

   A-54

7.3

Amendment, Extension and WaiverA-54

7.4

Termination FeesA-54

ARTICLE VIII

MISCELLANEOUSA-55

8.1

ExpensesA-55

8.2

SurvivalA-55

8.3

NoticesA-56

8.4

Parties in InterestA-56

8.5

Complete AgreementA-56

8.6

CounterpartsA-57

8.7

Governing Law; Venue; Waiver of Jury TrialA-57

8.8

InterpretationA-57

8.9

Specific PerformanceA-58

8.10

SevarabilityA-58A-53  

8.11

    

Alternative Structure

   A-58A-53  

Exhibits:

Exhibit A

Parent Merger Document

Exhibit B

Subsidiary Merger Document

Schedules:

Seller Disclosure Schedule

Acquiror Disclosure Schedule

Schedule 5.13(b)

Schedule 5.18-A

Schedule 5.18-B

Schedule 6.2(f)-A

Schedule 6.2(f)-B

Schedule 6.2(f)-C

Schedule 6.2(f)-D

Schedule 6.2(f)-E

Schedule 6.2(g)

 

A-iii


AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this “Agreement”), dated as of December 10, 2014,October 20, 2015, is made by and among Renasant Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“AcquirorParent”), and Renasant Bank, a Mississippi banking association (“Acquiror Sub”), on the one hand, and Heritage Financial Group, Inc.,KeyWorth Bank, a MarylandGeorgia banking corporation (“Seller”),. Parent, Acquiror and HeritageBank of the South, a Georgia savings bank (“Seller Sub”), on the other hand. Acquiror, Acquiror Sub, Seller and Seller Sub are sometimes referred to herein individually as a “party” and collectively as the “parties.”

WITNESSETH:

WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of Parent, Acquiror and Seller each have determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of their respective companies and their stockholdersrespective shareholder(s) to consummate the business combination transactions provided for in this Agreement and in the ParentArticles of Merger Document (as hereinafter defined) and herein,, including the merger of Seller with and into Acquiror on the terms and conditions set forth therein and herein;

WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub each have determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of their respective companies and their respective sole stockholder to consummate the business combination transactions provided for in the Subsidiary Merger Document (as hereinafter defined) and herein, including the merger of Seller Sub with and into Acquiror Sub on the terms and conditions set forth therein and herein; and

WHEREAS, the parties desire to provide for certain undertakings, conditions, representations, warranties and covenants in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants, representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

THE MERGER

1.1The Merger.

(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Effective Time (as hereinafter defined), Seller shall be merged with and into Acquiror (the “Parent Merger”) in accordance with Title 81 of the Mississippi Business Corporation ActCode of 1972, as amended, and Title 7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as amended (the “MBCA”) and the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCLGeorgia Banking Code”), with Acquiror as the surviving corporationbanking association (hereinafter sometimes called the “Surviving CorporationBank”) which shall continue its corporate existence under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and the separate corporate existence of Seller shall terminate. The Parent Merger shall in all respects have the effects provided in Section 1.5.

(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, immediately after the Effective Time of the Parent Merger, Seller Sub shall be merged with and into Acquiror Sub (the “Subsidiary Merger” and, together with the Parent Merger, the “Mergers”) in accordance with Title 81 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, and Title 7 of the Georgia Code, with Acquiror Sub as the surviving banking association (hereinafter sometimes called the “Subsidiary Surviving Bank”) which shall continue its corporate existence under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and the separate corporate existence of Seller Sub shall terminate. The Subsidiary Merger shall in all respects have the effects provided in Section 1.5.

A-1


1.2Effective Time. The Parent Merger shall become effective on the later of the dates and times that the Articles of Merger are filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Mississippi pursuant to Section 79-4-11.06 of the MBCA and with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation pursuant to Section 3-107 of the MGCL, such Articles of Merger to be substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit A (the “Parent Merger Document”), unless a later date and time is specified as the effective time in such documents,provided, that the parties shall cause the Parent Merger to be effective no later than the day following the date on which the Closing (as defined below) occurs (the “Effective Time”);provided,further, that in no event will the Parent Merger Document be filed prior to January 1, 2015. The Subsidiary Merger shall become effective upon the later of the dates and times specified in the Certificate of Merger Approval issued by the Mississippi Commissioner of Banking and Consumer Finance (“MCB”) and the Certificate of Approval issued by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“GDBF”) based on the Articles of Merger filed with the MCB and thereafter with the Mississippi Secretary of State and with the GDBF, such Articles of Merger to be substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit BA (the “SubsidiaryArticles of Merger Document), unless a later date and together withtime is specified as the Parenteffective time in such documents,provided, that the parties shall cause the Merger Document,to be effective no later than the day following the date on which the Closing (as defined below) occurs (the Merger DocumentsEffective Time”). On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, the closing (the “Closing”) shall take place at 10:00 a.m. no later than the fifth Business Day (the “Closing Date”) following the receipt of all necessary approvals and consents of any foreign, federal, state, local or other court, tribunal, body, board, administrative agency, arbitrator, mediator or commission or other governmental, prosecutorial, regulatory or self-regulatory authority (including stock exchanges) or instrumentality (“Governmental Entity”), and the expiration of all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof and the satisfaction or waiver, to the extent permitted hereunder, of the conditions to the consummation of the MergersMerger specified in Article VI (other than the delivery of certificates, instruments and documents to be delivered at the Closing), at the offices of Acquiror, or at such other place, at such other time or on such other date as the parties may mutually agree upon,provided,however, that in no event shall the Closing occur prior to January 1, 2015 andprovided,further, that if the Closing occurs at any time after such date, the

Closing shall occur on the first dayBusiness Day of the next month after the date on which all conditions to closing described in this sentence are satisfied, unless the parties otherwise agree to a different date. For purposes of this Agreement, a Business Day (“Business Day”) is any day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day that banks located in the State of Mississippi and the State of Georgia are not permitted to be open or are required to be closed. At the Closing, there shall be delivered to Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub, Seller and Seller Sub the certificates and other documents required to be delivered under Article VI.

1.3The ArticlesCharter of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation and the Subsidiary Surviving Bank. The ArticlesCharter of Incorporation of Acquiror and the Bylaws of Acquiror and Acquiror Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the Articles of Incorporation (the “Articles”) and the Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) of the Surviving Corporation and the Subsidiary Surviving Bank respectively, until thereafter changed or amended as provided therein and in accordance with applicable LawLaws (as hereinafter defined).

1.4Directors and Officers.

(a) Prior to From and after the Effective Time, the parties shall take all appropriate actions so that, as of the Effective Time,officers and subject to and in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of Acquiror, the number of directors of the Surviving Corporation shall be increased by one director andBank shall consist of the officers and directors of Acquiror in office immediately prior to the Effective Time, as well as one current director of Seller mutually agreed upon by Acquiror and Seller (the “Seller Designee”), until the next annual meeting of the Surviving Corporation’s stockholders and until their respective successors are duly elected, appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation. The Surviving Corporation’s board of directors shall consider in good faith the nomination for reelection of the Seller Designee at each subsequent annual meeting of the Surviving Corporation’s stockholders through the 2016 annual meeting. Additionally, after the 2016 annual meeting of the Surviving Corporation’s stockholders, if both (i) O. Leonard Dorminey has retired as an employee of the Surviving Corporation (provided that at the relevant time he is eligible to serve as a director of the Surviving Corporation under the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation and applicable

A-2


Law) and (ii) the Seller Designee has resigned as a director of the Surviving Corporation, the board of directors of the Surviving Corporation shall consider in good faith the appointment of O. Leonard Dorminey to fill the vacancy created by the Seller Designee ceasing to serve as a director and the nomination of O. Leonard Dorminey for election as a director at the annual meeting of the Surviving Corporation’s stockholders next following O. Leonard Dorminey’s appointment as a director. The officers of Acquiror shall, from and after the Effective Time, continue as the officers of the Surviving Corporation until their successors shall have been duly elected, appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation.

(b) Prior to the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger, the parties shall take all appropriate actions so that, as of the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger, and subject to and in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of Acquiror Sub, the number of directors of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank shall be increased by one director and shall consist of the directors of Acquiror Sub in office immediately prior to the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger as well as one current director of Seller Sub mutually agreed upon by Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub (the “Seller Sub Designee”), until the next annual meeting of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank’s sole stockholder and until their respective successors are duly elected, appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank. The Subsidiary Surviving Bank’s board of directors shall consider in good faith the nomination for reelection of the Seller Sub Designee at each subsequent annual meeting of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank’s sole stockholder through the 2016 annual meeting. Additionally, after the 2016 annual meeting of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank’s sole stockholder, if both (i) O. Leonard Dorminey has retired as an employee of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank (provided that at the relevant time he is eligible to serve as a director of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank under the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank and applicable Law) and (ii) the Seller Sub Designee has resigned as a director of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank, the board of directors of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank shall consider in good faith the appointment of O. Leonard Dorminey to fill the vacancy created by the Seller Sub Designee ceasing to serve as a director and the nomination of O. Leonard Dorminey for election as a director at the annual meeting of the Surviving Subsidiary Bank’s sole stockholder next following O. Leonard Dorminey’s appointment as a director. The officers of Acquiror Sub shall, from and after the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger, continue as the officers of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank until their successors shall have been duly elected, appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank.

1.5Effect of the MergersMerger.

(a) At the Effective Time, the separate existence of Seller shall cease, and all right, title and interest in and to all real estate and other property owned by, and every contract right possessed by, Seller shall be vested in Acquiror, as the surviving corporation,Surviving Bank, without reversion or impairment, without further act or deed and without any transfer or assignment having occurred (but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon), and all liabilities of Seller shall be vested in Acquiror, as the surviving corporation,Surviving Bank, as primary obligor therefor and, except as set forth herein, no other person shall be liable therefor, and all proceedings pending by or against Seller shall be continued by or against Acquiror, as the surviving corporation,Surviving Bank, and all liabilities, obligations, assets or rights associated with such proceedings shall be vested in Acquiror, as the surviving corporation.Surviving Bank.

(b) At the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger, the separate existence of Seller Sub shall cease, and all right, title and interest in and to all real estate and other property owned by, and every contract right possessed by, Seller Sub shall be vested in Acquiror Sub, as the surviving corporation, without reversion or impairment, without further act or deed and without any transfer or assignment having occurred (but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon), and all liabilities of Seller Sub shall be vested in Acquiror Sub, as the surviving corporation, as primary obligors therefor and, except as set forth herein, no other person shall be liable therefor, and all proceedings pending by or against Seller Sub shall be continued by or against Acquiror Sub, as the surviving corporation, and all liabilities, obligations, assets or rights associated with such proceedings shall be vested in Acquiror Sub, as the surviving corporation.

A-3


(c) The parties acknowledge and agree that it is intended that the MergersMerger constitute reorganizationsa reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code (as hereinafter defined), and this Agreement is intended to be and is adopted as the “plans“plan of reorganization” as that term is used in Sections 354 and 361 of the Code. From and after the date of this Agreement and until the Closing, each party hereto shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the MergersMerger to qualify as reorganizationsa reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code.

ARTICLE II

EFFECT OF THE MERGERSMERGER ON THE CAPITAL STOCK OF THE CONSTITUENT ENTITIES;

ENTITIES; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES

2.1Conversion of Shares.

(a) AtSubject to the provisions of this Agreement, at the Effective Time, automatically by virtue of the Parent Merger and without any action on the part of Parent, Acquiror, Seller or the holder of any of the following securities:

 

 (i)Each share of common stock, par value $5.00 per share, of Acquiror Common Stock (as defined below) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall remain issued and outstanding after the Effective Time and shall not be unaffectedaffected by the Parent Merger.

 

 (ii)

Subject to the other provisions of this Article II, each share of Seller’s common stock, $0.01$5.00 par value per share (the “Seller Common Stock”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than any shares of Seller Common Stock to be canceled in accordance with Section 2.1(a)(v) and shares held by Dissenting Shareholders (as defined below)) shall, subject to

adjustment pursuant to Section 2.1(a)(iv), be converted automatically into and thereafter represent the right to receive the number of shares (or a fraction thereof) of AcquirorParent Common Stock, rounded to the nearest four decimals, equal to the Exchange Ratio (the “Merger Consideration”). As used in this Agreement, the term “AcquirorParent Common Stock” means the common stock, $5.00 par value per share, of Acquiror;Parent; the term “Exchange Ratio” means 0.9266.0.4494.

 

 (iii)Certificates previously evidencing shares of Seller Common Stock shall be exchanged for certificates evidencing the Merger Consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no fractional shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock shall be issued, and, in lieu thereof, a cash payment shall be made pursuant to Section 2.1(b).

 

 (iv)If at any time during the period between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, any change in the number of outstanding shares of capital stock of AcquirorParent or Seller, respectively, shall occur (or for which the relevant record date will occur) as a result of any reclassification, recapitalization, stock split (including a reverse stock split) or other subdivision, combination or readjustment of shares, or as a result of any stock dividend or stock distribution with a record date during such period, the Exchange Ratio shall be equitably and proportionately adjusted, if necessary and without duplication, to reflect such change.

 

 (v)Each share of Seller Common Stock held in the treasury of Seller and each share of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that is owned by AcquirorParent or any subsidiary of Acquiror or SellerParent (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted) shall automatically be cancelled and extinguished without any conversion thereof and no Merger Consideration or other consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.

(b) No certificates or scrip representing fractional shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock will be issued as a result of the Parent Merger. In lieu of the issuance of fractional shares pursuant to Section 2.1(a), cash adjustments (without interest) will be paid to each holder of Seller Common Stock in respect of any fraction of a share of AcquirorParent Common Stock that would otherwise be issuable to such holder of Seller Common Stock, and the amount of such cash adjustment shall be determined by multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Acquiror

A-4


Parent Common Stock otherwise issuable by (y) the weighted average of the closing sale pricesprice of one share of AcquirorParent Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market foras of the 15 consecutiveend of the last trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the Closing Date.Effective Time. No such holder shall be entitled to dividends, voting rights or any other right of stockholdersshareholders in respect of any fractional share.

2.2Exchange(c) Each share of Sellerthe Parent Common Stock Certificates.issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall remain issued and outstanding after the Effective Time and shall not be affected by the Merger.

2.2Exchange of Seller Stock Certificates.

(a) Parent and Acquiror hashave appointed Registrar and Transfer CompanyComputershare, Inc. to serve as exchange agent in connection with the Parent Merger for the purpose of exchanging shares of Seller Common Stock for the Merger Consideration (the “Exchange Agent”). At or immediately followingImmediately prior to the Effective Time, AcquirorParent shall deposit in trust with the Exchange Agent for the benefit of Seller’s stockholdersshareholders the aggregate number of shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock equal to the aggregate Merger Consideration (such shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock, together with cash sufficient to make payments required with respect to fractional shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock in accordance with Section 2.1(b) and pay any dividends or distributions with respect to such AcquirorParent Common Stock in accordance with Section 2.3,2.4, the “Exchange Fund”). AcquirorParent shall deposit such shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock with the Exchange Agent by delivering to the Exchange Agent certificates representing, or providing to the Exchange Agent an uncertificated book-entry for, such shares and immediately available funds for such cash in accordance with Section 2.1(b) and Section 2.3.2.4.

(b) As soonpromptly as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time, the Exchange Agent shall mail to the former record holders of the shares of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that have been converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration pursuant to Section 2.1(a) (other than shares held by Dissenting Shareholders (as defined below)): (i) a letter of transmittal (which letter shall specify that the delivery of the Merger Consideration shall be effected, and risk of loss and title shall pass, only upon proper delivery of a certificate or certificates formerly representing shares of Seller Common Stock to the Exchange Agent (or affidavits of loss in lieu of such certificate(s)) and shall otherwise be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to AcquirorParent and the Exchange Agent) and (ii) instructions for use in effecting the surrender to the Exchange Agent of certificate(s) of Seller Common Stock in exchange for the Merger Consideration. After the Effective Time, upon surrender to the Exchange Agent by the holder thereof of the certificate(s) representing shares of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that have been converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, together with a letter of transmittal duly executed and completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and any other documents reasonably required by the Exchange Agent, the Exchange Agent on behalf of Parent and Acquiror shall deliver the Merger Consideration (in the form of an uncertificated share of AcquirorParent Common Stock, unless such holder specifically requests a certificated shares)share) to each such holder in exchange for each such share plus a check in the amount (if any) equal to any cash that such holder has the right to receive pursuant to Section 2.1(b) and, if applicable, Section 2.3,2.4, without interest. Holders of record of shares of Seller Common Stock who hold such shares as nominees, trustees or in other representative capacities (a “Representative”) may submit multiple letters of transmittal, provided that such Representative certifies that each such letter of transmittal covers all the shares of Seller Common Stock held by such Representative for a particular beneficial owner. Each certificate for Seller Common Stock so surrendered and all transmittal materials shall be duly completed and endorsed as the Exchange Agent may reasonably require. The Exchange Agent shall not be obligated to deliver the Merger Consideration to which any former holder of Seller Common Stock is entitled as a result of the Parent Merger until such holder surrenders his, her or its certificate or certificates representing shares of Seller Common Stock (or affidavits of loss in lieu of such certificate(s)) for exchange as provided in this Section 2.2. After the Effective Time, each certificate that represented outstanding shares of Seller Common Stock prior to the Effective Time shall be deemed for all corporate purposes (other than the payment of dividends and other distributions to which the former stockholdersshareholders of Seller Common Stock may be entitled) to evidence only the right of the holder thereof to receive the Merger Consideration in exchange for each such share as provided in this Article II. AcquirorParent shall instruct the Exchange Agent to promptly pay the Merger Consideration following the receipt of each letter of transmittal.

(c) Any portion of the Exchange Fund held by the Exchange Agent that remains undistributed tounclaimed by the former stockholdersshareholders of Seller for six monthsone (1) year after the Effective Time shall be delivered to AcquirorParent upon demand, and

A-5


any former stockholdersshareholders of Seller who have not theretofore complied with this Section 2.2 shall thereafter look only to AcquirorParent for payment of their claims for AcquirorParent Common Stock, any cash in lieu of fractional shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock or any dividends or distributions with respect to AcquirorParent Common Stock (all without any interest thereon). Any Merger Consideration remaining unclaimed as of a date which is immediately prior to the time when such amounts would otherwise escheat to or become property of any Governmental Entity shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, become the property of AcquirorParent free and clear of any claims or interest of any person or entity entitled thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of Acquiror, Seller,Parent, any subsidiary of Acquiror orParent, Seller or the Exchange Agent or any other person shall be liable to any former holder of Seller Common Stock for shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock (or dividends or distributions with respect thereto) or cash in lieu of fractional shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock delivered in good faith to public officials pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.

(d) From and after the Effective Time, the holders of certificates of Seller Common Stock shall cease to have any rights with respect to shares of Seller Common Stock represented thereby except as otherwise provided in this Agreement or by applicable Law. All rights to receive the Merger Consideration issued upon conversion of the shares of Seller Common Stock pursuant to this Article II shall be deemed to have been issued in full satisfaction of all rights pertaining to such shares of Seller Common Stock.

(e) If any portion of the Merger Consideration is to be issued to a person other than the person in whose name the shares of Seller Common Stock (each a “Seller Stock Certificate”) so surrendered isare registered, it shall be a condition to such issuance

that each certificate representing such shares of Seller Common Stock (each a “Seller Stock Certificate”) shall be properly endorsed or otherwise be in proper form for transfer, and the person requesting such issuance shall pay to the Exchange Agent any transfer or other similar Taxes (as defined in Section 3.7(c)) required as a result of such issuance to a person other than the registered holder of such Seller Stock Certificate, or establish to the reasonable satisfaction of the Exchange Agent that such Taxes have been paid or are not payable. AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent shall be entitled to deduct and withhold, without duplication, from the consideration otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement to any holder of Seller Common Stock such amounts as AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent is required to deduct and withhold under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or any provision of Tax Law (as hereinafter defined), with respect to the making of such payment and shall further be entitled to sell AcquirorParent Common Stock otherwise issuable pursuant to this Agreement to satisfy any such withholding requirement (which AcquirorParent Common Stock will be valued with respect to such withholding at the average of the high and low trading prices thereof on the day of such sale). To the extent the amounts are so withheld by AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent and paid over to the applicable Governmental Entity, such withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of shares of Seller Common Stock in respect of whom such deduction and withholding was made by AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent.Agent, as applicable.

(f) In the event any Seller Stock Certificate(s) shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming such Seller Stock Certificate(s) to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent, the posting by such person of a bond in such amount as either of them may reasonably direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it or the Surviving CorporationBank with respect to such Seller Stock Certificate(s), the Exchange Agent shall issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Seller Stock Certificate(s) the Merger Consideration (together with a check in the amount (if any) of any dividends or distributions payable in accordance with Section 2.3)2.4).

(g) The Exchange Agent shall invest the cash balances in the Exchange Fund in a demand deposit account or as directed by Acquiror.Parent. Any interest and other income resulting from such investments shall be paid to AcquirorParent upon termination of the Exchange Fund pursuant to Section 2.2(c).

2.3Dissenting Shares. No outstanding share of Seller Common Stock as to which the holder has exercised dissenters rights under the Georgia Banking Code and did not vote for the adoption of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger shall be converted into or represent a right to receive the Merger Consideration, and the holder thereof shall be entitled only to such rights as are granted by the Georgia Banking Code (and the related provisions of the Georgia Business Corporation Code),provided, such shareholders comply with the procedures and perfect the rights contemplated by and set forth in the applicable provisions of the Georgia Banking Code (and the related provisions of the Title 14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Seller shall give Parent notice as promptly as practicable upon receipt by Seller of any such written demands for payment of the fair value of such shares of the Seller Common Stock and of withdrawals of such demands and any other instruments provided pursuant to the Georgia Banking Code (any shareholder duly making such demand being hereinafter called a “Dissenting Shareholder”). Parent and Seller shall reasonably cooperate in all negotiations and proceedings with respect to any such demands or notices by a Dissenting Shareholder. Seller shall not, without the prior written consent of Parent, make any payment with respect to, or settle, offer to settle or otherwise negotiate, any such demands. If any Dissenting Shareholder shall effectively withdraw or lose (through failure to perfect or otherwise) his right to such payment, such holder’s shares of the Seller Common Stock shall be automatically converted into a right to receive the Merger Consideration in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement.

2.4Rights as StockholdersShareholders. All shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock to be issued as Merger Consideration shall be deemed issued and outstanding as of the Effective Time. Former stockholdersshareholders of Seller and any other persons who or which are entitled to receive AcquirorParent Common Stock as a result of the Parent Merger will be able to vote after the Effective Time at any meeting of Acquiror stockholdersParent shareholders or pursuant to any written consent

A-6


procedure the number of whole shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock into which their shares of Seller Common Stock are converted, regardless

of whether they have exchanged their Seller Stock Certificates. In addition, whenever a dividend or other distribution is declared by AcquirorParent on the AcquirorParent Common Stock with a record date after the Effective Time, the declaration shall include dividends or other distributions on all shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock issuable hereunder, but no stockholdershareholder will be entitled to receive his, her or its distribution of such dividends or other distributions until physical exchange of such stockholder’sshareholder’s Seller Stock Certificates shall have been effected. Upon exchange of a stockholder’sshareholder’s Seller Stock Certificates, any such person shall be entitled to receive from AcquirorParent an amount equal to all dividends or other distributions (without interest thereon less the amount of any taxes, if any, that have been withheld by, imposed on or paid by AcquirorParent or the Exchange Agent with respect to such dividends) declared, and for which the payment has occurred, on the shares represented thereby;provided,however, that former stockholdersshareholders of Seller shall not be entitled to receive any dividend on their AcquirorParent Common Stock with respect to any period for which AcquirorParent paid a dividend prior to the Effective Time.

2.42.5Stock Transfer Records. Prior to the Effective Time, Seller shall continue to maintain its stock transfer records and to transfer and replace stock certificates in accordance with its existing policies and past practices with regard to such transfers and replacements. From and after the Effective Time, there shall be no further registration or transfers on the stock transfer books of Seller or AcquirorParent of shares of Seller Common Stock that were issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time other than to settle transfers of Seller Common Stock that occurred prior to the Effective Time. If after the Effective Time, the Seller Stock Certificates are presented for transfer to Parent, the Surviving CorporationBank or the Exchange Agent, they shall be cancelled and exchanged for the Merger Consideration in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article II.

2.5Subsidiary Merger. At the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger, each share of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Seller Sub (the “Seller Sub Common Stock”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger shall automatically be cancelled and there shall be no conversion or exchange of, or consideration paid or issued for, such Seller Sub Common Stock. The certificate or certificates for such Seller Sub Common Stock shall be surrendered and cancelled. All of the shares of Acquiror Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger shall remain issued and outstanding after the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger and shall be unaffected by the Subsidiary Merger.

2.6Seller Stock Options, Seller Restricted StockWarrants and Related MattersMatters..

(a) At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Parent Merger and without any action on the part of the holders thereof, each option stock appreciation right or similar right to purchase shares of Seller Common Stock (collectively, “Seller Stock Options”) granted by Seller under the Heritage Financial Group 2006 Equity Incentive Plan or the Heritage Financial Group, Inc. 2011 Equity2007 Stock Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Seller Stock Plans”), or otherwise, whether vested or unvested, that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and each warrant to purchase shares of Seller Common Stock (collectively, the “Seller Warrants”), whether exercisable or unexercisable, that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be cancelled and converted into an obligation of AcquirorParent to pay (or cause to be paid) and a right of the holder to receive, in full satisfaction of any rights in respect of the Seller Stock Option or Seller Warrant, as applicable, a cash payment, without interest, equal to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Seller Common Stock subject to such Seller Stock Option or Seller Warrant, as the case may be, multiplied by (ii) the excess, if any, of $27.00(A) $15.00 over (B) the exercise price per share of Seller Common Stock subject to such Seller Stock Option or Seller Warrant (with the aggregate amount of such payment to the holder to be rounded to the nearest cent), less the amount of any required withholding Tax. No holder of a Seller Stock Option or a Seller Warrant that has an exercise price per share of Seller Common Stock that is equal to or greater than $27.00$15.00 shall be entitled to any payment with respect to such cancelled Seller Stock Option or Seller Warrant, as the case may be, before, on, or after the Effective Time. AcquirorParent shall pay (or cause to be paid) to the holders of Seller Stock Options and Seller Warrants the cash payments described in this Section 2.6(a) on or as soon as reasonably practicable after the Closing Date, but in any event within ten Business Days following the Closing Date.

(b) At the Effective Time, each share of Seller Common Stock subject to restrictions on transfer and/or forfeiture granted under a Seller Stock Plan or otherwise (“Seller Restricted Stock”) that is outstanding

A-7


immediately prior to the Effective Time shall become fully vested and shall be converted automatically into and shall thereafter represent the right to receive the Merger Consideration, less the amount of any required withholding Tax, in accordance with Section 2.1(a)(ii).

(c) Before the Effective Time, Seller’s board of directors (or, if appropriate, any committee administering the particular Seller Stock Plan) shall adopt such resolutions or take such other actions as may be required to effect the transactions described in this Section 2.6.

(d)(c) Prior to the Effective Time, Seller shall deliver all required notices (which notices shall have been approved in advance by Acquiror,Parent, in its reasonable discretion) to each holder of Seller Stock Options, and/or Seller Restricted Stock, setting forth each holder’s or participant’s rights pursuant to the particular Seller Stock Plan and stating that such Seller Stock Options and/orshall be treated in the manner set forth in this Section 2.6. Prior to the Effective Time, Seller Restricted Stockshall deliver all required notices (which notices shall have been approved in advance by Parent, in its reasonable discretion) to each holder of Seller Warrants, stating that such Seller Warrants shall be treated in the manner set forth in this Section 2.6.

2.7Seller ESOP. Prior to the Effective Time, Seller’s board of directors shall adopt resolutions to terminate the Seller Employee Stock Ownership Plan effective as of the Closing Date,provided, that such termination shall be contingent on the Closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

ARTICLE III

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF SELLER AND SELLER SUB

Except as (a) disclosed in writing in the correspondingly enumerated section or subsection of the disclosure schedule of Seller and Seller Sub delivered herewith (the “Seller Disclosure Schedule”) (provided that each exception set forth in the Seller Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to qualify any other representation and warranty to the extent that the relevance of such exception to such other representation and warranty is reasonably apparent on the face of the disclosure (without need to examine underlying documentation)) or (b) disclosed in any publicly available report, schedule, form or other document filed with the SEC by Seller prior to the date hereof and on or after the date on which Seller filed with the SEC its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 (but excluding any risk factor disclosures contained under the heading “Risk Factors,” any disclosure of risks included in any “forward-looking statements” disclaimer or any other statements that are similarly non-specific or predictive or forward-looking in nature), Seller represents and Seller Sub, jointly and severally, represent and warrantwarrants as of the date hereof to AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub as set forth in this Article III. The Seller Disclosure Schedule is arranged in sections corresponding to the numbered and lettered sections contained in this Article III. The phrase “provided to Acquiror”, “delivered to Acquiror” or “made available to Acquiror” or any phrase of similar import means that Seller or Seller Sub has delivered, provided access to or made certain items available for review and copying or that such items are available on www.sec.gov, to Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub or their counsel. For purposes of this Article III, the phrase “to the Knowledge of Seller,” the phrase “to Seller’s Knowledge” or any phrase of similar import shall be deemed to refer to the actual knowledge of the senior executive officers of Seller and Seller Sub (i.e., the senior vice president level and above) after reasonable investigation.

3.1Corporate Organization.

(a) Seller is a corporationcommercial bank duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland.Georgia. Seller is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Seller has the requisite corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Seller Material Adverse Effect. The term “Seller Material Adverse Effect” shall mean (i) any change, state of facts, circumstance, event or development which, individually or in the

A-8


aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, assets, liabilities, condition (financial or financial conditionotherwise) or results of operations of Seller, Seller Sub or any of the other Subsidiaries (as defined below), taken individually or as a whole, other than (A)(i) effects resulting from the impact of any action taken by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries with the prior written consent of AcquirorParent or required expressly by this Agreement or any action not taken by Seller or any of its Subsidiaries to the extent such action is expressly prohibited by this Agreement without the prior written consent of AcquirorParent and AcquirorParent has not consented to such action; (B)(ii) changes in Laws or interpretations thereof that are generally applicable to the banking industry; (C)(iii) changes in generally accepted accounting principles or regulatory accounting requirements applicable to banks or their holding companies generally; (D)(iv) expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the MergersMerger including payments to be made pursuant to employment and severance agreements and the termination of other benefit plans; (E)(v) changes attributable to or resulting from changes that are the result of factors generally affecting financial institutions including changes in interest rates; (F)(vi) changes in general economic, market, political or regulatory conditions in the United States; (G)(vii) a failure, in and of itself, to meet earnings projections or internal financial forecasts, but not including any underlying causes thereof, or changes in the trading price of Seller Common Stock, in and of itself, but not including any underlying causes thereof; (H)(viii) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declared or undeclared acts of war or terrorism; (I)or (ix) the impact of the announcement of this Agreement, the MergersMerger and the other transactions contemplated hereby; or (J) the departure of any employees of Seller’s mortgage division and any changes related to the integration of Alarion Financial Services, Inc. into Seller, including, but not limited to, the conversion of Alarion Bank customers and depositors with and into Seller Sub;provided, that as to each of clauses (B)(ii), (C)(iii), (E)(v), (F)(vi) or (H)(viii), such change, state of facts, circumstance, event or development does not have a disproportionate effect on Seller or Seller Sub as compared to other financial institutions or their holding companies; or (ii) any event or occurrence, including the Mergers, that results in or is reasonably likely to result in the loss of any material amount of loss share coverage from the FDIC, in its capacity as receiver of any of (A) Citizens Bank of Effingham, Springfield, Georgia or (B) First Southern National Bank, Statesboro, Georgia, in either case pursuant to any shared-loss agreement by and amonginstitutions. Seller Sub, the FDIC, in its capacity as receiver of any of the banks listed in subparts (A)-(B), and the FDIC in its corporate capacity (each a “Shared-Loss Agreement”). Seller is registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and (together with Seller Sub) is a member in good standing of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and owns the requisite amount of stock therein. Seller has furnished or made available to AcquirorParent true and complete copies of the articles of incorporation and bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of Seller and each of the Subsidiaries as in effect on the date hereof.

(b)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.1(b) lists the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Seller (collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), in which Seller owns, directly or indirectly, alldoes not have as of the issued and outstanding sharesdate of this Agreement any direct or other equity interests therein. Seller Sub is a state bank duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Georgia. Seller Sub is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Seller Sub has the requisite corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

(c) Each of the Subsidiaries (other than Seller Sub, which is addressed in Section 3.1(b)), is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization. Each of the Subsidiaries has the requisite corporate, limited liability company or trust power and authority, as applicable, to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

A-9


(d)indirect subsidiaries. Other than as listed onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.1(b) and Seller Sub’sSeller’s ownership of stock of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, Seller does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any capital stock, membership interest, partnership interest, joint venture interest or other equity interest in any other entity.

3.2Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of Seller consists of (i) 45,000,00010,000,000 shares of Seller Common Stock, of which 9,190,3973,638,241 shares are issued and outstanding (of which 279,234 shares are owned by the Seller ESOP), 96,790 shares are reserved for issuance pursuant to the Seller Stock Plans (of which 71,147 shares are subject to outstanding Seller Stock Options) and no shares are held in treasury as of the date hereof, and (ii) 5,000,0002,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01$1.00 per share, of which (A) 6,514 shares are designated as “Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A,” and (B) 326 shares are designated as “Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B,” none of which are issued or outstanding as of the date hereof. The authorized capital stock of Seller Sub consists of 1,000,000There are 408,150 shares of Seller Sub Common Stock 1,000 of whichsubject to outstanding Seller Stock Options and 409,025 shares are issued and outstanding.subject of Seller Common Stock to outstanding Seller Warrants. All issued and outstanding shares of Seller Common Stock and all issued and outstanding shares of Seller Sub Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive rights, and there are no voting trusts, stockholdershareholder agreements, proxies or other agreements in effect with respect to Seller Common Stock or Seller Sub Common Stock. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other security of Seller has been issued in violation of any preemptive rights of the current or past stockholdersshareholders of Seller. All of the outstanding shares of Seller Sub Common Stock are owned by Seller free and clear of any liens, encumbrances, charges, restrictions or rights of third parties of any kind whatsoever. Except for outstanding Seller Stock Options neitherand Seller Warrants, Seller Sub nor any of the other Subsidiaries has or is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, rights, calls, commitments or agreements of any character calling for the transfer, purchase, redemption or issuance of any shares of Seller Common Stock or Seller Sub Common Stock or any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive any shares of such capital stock or any securities convertible into or representing the right to purchase or subscribe for any such stock. As of the date of this Agreement, no bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness having the right to vote on any matters on which Seller stockholdersshareholders may vote, nor any subordinated debt securities, are outstanding.

3.3Authority; No Violation.

(a) Subject to the approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller, and Seller Sub, Seller and Seller Sub havehas all requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents, as applicable, and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the Mergers,Merger, have been duly and validly approved by the unanimous vote of the BoardsBoard of Directors of Seller, and Seller Sub, as applicable, and the Board of Directors of Seller has determined to recommend that the stockholdersshareholders of Seller adopt and approve the Parent Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby.hereby on substantially the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. Except for the approval of Seller’s stockholdersshareholders of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby as required under Georgia law, no other corporate proceedings on the part of Seller are necessary to consummate the transactions so contemplated other than in the case of the Parent Merger, the filing of the ParentArticles of Merger Document as contemplated in Section 1.2. Except for the approval of Seller Sub’s sole stockholder of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, no other corporate or similar proceedings on the part of Seller Sub are necessary to consummate the transactions so contemplated, other than in the case of the Subsidiary Merger, the filing of the Subsidiary Merger Document as contemplated in Section 1.2. Subject to the receipt of the regulatory and other approvals described in this Agreement, this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents have been, or will be, duly and validly executed and delivered by Seller and Seller Sub, as applicable, and constitute, or will constitute upon execution and delivery thereof, valid and binding obligations of Seller, and Seller Sub, as applicable, enforceable against Seller and Seller Sub, as applicable, in accordance with and subject to their terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, except that the availability of equitable remedies (including specific performance and injunctive relief) is within the discretion of the court before which any proceeding may be brought (the “Bankruptcy and Equity Exception”).

A-10


(b) None of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents by Seller, or Seller Sub, as applicable, nor the consummation by Seller or Seller Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, nor compliance by Seller or Seller Sub with any of the terms or provisions hereof or thereof, will (i) assuming that Seller’s shareholder approval referred to in Section 3.3(a) has been obtained, violate any provision of the articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of Seller, Seller Sub or any other Subsidiary;Seller; (ii) assuming that the consents and approvals set forth in Section 3.3(c) are duly obtained, violate any (A) federal, state, local or foreign or provincial law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, policy, guideline or agency requirement of or undertaking to or agreement with any Governmental Entity, including common law (collectively, “Law”), to which Seller Seller Sub or any of the other Subsidiaries is subject or (B) any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction applicable to Seller or Seller Sub or any of their respectiveits properties or assets; or (iii) assuming the consents and approvals set forth below are obtained, violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provisions of, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, result in the termination of, accelerate the performance required by, require the payment of any termination or like fee, or result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or

other encumbrance upon any of the respective properties or assets of Seller or the Subsidiaries under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of the Seller Agreements (as defined in Section 3.13) or any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, guarantee, deed of trust, license, lease, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of their respectiveits properties or assets may be bound or affected, except with respect to clauses (ii) andclause (iii) above, such as individually or in the aggregate will not have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

(c) Except as set forth inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.3(c) and for consents and approvals of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to the Secretary of State of the State of Mississippi, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, the MCB, the GDBF, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), other applicable state and federal securities commissions, agencies and other similar regulatory bodies (including NASDAQ, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and other industry self-regulatory organizations), the Federal Reserve Board (the “FRB”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), including the FDIC with respect to the transfer of the Shared-Loss Agreements, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, the stockholdersMississippi Secretary of SellerState, the Georgia Secretary of State and Seller Sub, and such other consents or approvalsthe shareholders of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to any non-governmental third party which the failure to make or obtain, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to have a Seller, Material Adverse Effect, no consents or approvals of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to any Governmental Entity or non-governmental third party are required on behalf of Seller or Seller Sub in connection with (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents by Seller or Seller Sub, as applicable,and (ii) the consummation by Seller of the Parent Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby and by the Parent Merger Document, and (iii) the consummation by Seller SubArticles of the Subsidiary Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby and by the Subsidiary Merger Document.Merger. As of the date of this Agreement, Seller has no Knowledge of any reason why any requisite regulatory approvals to be obtained by it (i) should not be granted on a timely basis or (ii) may be conditioned or restricted in any manner (including any requirement relating to the raising of additional capital or the disposition of assets) which could cause a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

(d) AsNo “control share acquisition,” “business combination moratorium,” “fair price” or other form of the date hereof, Seller and Seller Sub have taken all action necessaryantitakeover statute or regulation (collectively, “Takeover Laws”) is applicable to be taken by them in order to exempt this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby from, and this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby are exempt from, the requirements of any applicable “moratorium”, “investor protection”, “control share”, “fair price”, “greenmail”, “supermajority”, “affiliate transactions”, “business combination” or other federal or state antitakeover Laws (collectively, “Takeover Laws”).hereby.

3.4Financial Statements.

(a) EachSeller has previously delivered to Parent true and correct copies of the consolidated financialaudited balance sheets of Seller as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 and the related statements (including,of earnings, comprehensive earnings, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, in each case anyaccompanied by the audit reports of Porter Keadle Moore, LLC, independent public accountants, as well as the unaudited balance sheet of Seller as of September 30, 2015 and the related unaudited statements of earnings, comprehensive earnings, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The financial statements of Seller referred to herein (including the related notes, thereto)where applicable), as well as the financial statements contained in the reports of Seller SEC Documents (as defined below)to be delivered by Seller pursuant to Section 5.5 hereof (the “Seller Financial Statements”):, (i) compliedhave been prepared, or will be prepared, as to form in all material respects with the published rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto

A-11


as of their respective dates; (ii) was preparedcase may be, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as may be indicated in the notes theretothereto), and in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, as may be permitted by the Commission for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q); and (iii)(ii) fairly presentedpresent or will fairly present in all material respects, as the consolidatedcase may be, the financial position of Seller and its consolidated Subsidiaries at the respective dates thereof and the consolidated results of Seller’s operations and cash flows for the periods indicated therein, subject, in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, to the omission of footnotes and normal and year-end audit adjustments as permitted by GAAP, and the applicable rules and regulationsnone of the Commission.which will be material.

(b) Except to the extent reflected, disclosed or reserved against in the Seller Financial Statements or immaterial liabilities incurred since September 30, 20142015 in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice (none of which arises from breach of any contract or agreement, breach of warranty, tort, infringement, violation of any applicable Law or any litigation or other proceeding or is otherwise a “loss contingency” within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 450, Contingencies)proceeding), neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries hasdoes not have any obligation or liability, whether absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise and whether due or to become due, that is material to the business, result of operations, assets or financial condition of Seller and the Subsidiaries, taken individually or as a whole.Seller.

(c) Since December 31, 2011 (i) neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of Seller, any director, officer, employee, auditor, accountant or representative of it or any of its Subsidiaries has received or otherwise had or obtained knowledge of any material complaint, allegation, assertion or claim, whether written or oral, regarding the accounting or auditing practices, procedures, methodologies or methods of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective internal accounting controls, including any material complaint, allegation, assertion or claim that Seller or any of its Subsidiaries has engaged in questionable accounting or auditing practices,

and (ii) no attorney representing Seller, or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not employed by Seller, or any of its Subsidiaries, has reported evidence of a material violation of securities laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by Seller or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents to Seller’s board of directors or any committee thereof or to any of Seller’s directors or officers.

3.5Absence of Certain Changes or Events. There has not been any material change in the business, assets, liabilities, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations prospects, assets or financial condition of Seller, and any of the Subsidiaries, taken individually or as a whole, since September 30, 2014,2015, other than in connection with: (i) any change in banking or similar Laws of general applicability to banks or their holding companies or interpretations thereof by Governmental Entities; (ii) changes in GAAP that are generally applicable to the banking or savings industry; (iii) reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby; and (iv) changes attributable to or resulting from changes in general economic conditions, including changes in the prevailing level of interest rates.

3.6Legal Proceedings. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not a party to any, and there are no pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitration or other proceedings, claims, actions or governmental investigations of any nature against Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, which, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Seller Material Adverse Effect. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not a party to any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction which, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

3.7Taxes and Tax Returns.

(a) Each of Seller and the Subsidiaries has duly filed (and until the Effective Time will so file) all returns, declarations, reports, information returns and statements (“Returns”) required to be filed or sent by or with respect to them in respect of any Taxes (as hereinafter defined) and has duly paid (and until the Effective Time will so pay) all Taxes due and payable other than Taxes or other charges which (i) are being contested in good faith (and are set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.7(a)) and (ii) have not finally been determined. Seller and

A-12


Seller Sub havehas established (and until the Effective Time will establish) on theirits books and records reserves that are adequate for the payment of all Taxes not yet due and payable, whether or not disputed or accrued, as applicable. The federal income tax returns of Seller and the Subsidiaries have not been examined by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) (or are closed to examination due to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations), and the Maryland and Georgia franchise tax returns of Seller and the Subsidiaries, as applicable, respectively, have not been examined by applicable authorities (or are closed to examination due to the expiration of the statute of limitations), and in either case no deficiencies were asserted as a result of such examinations which have not been resolved and paid in full. All Returns filed (and until the Effective Time to be filed) are or will be, as applicable, complete and accurate in all respects. There are no audits or other administrative or court proceedings presently pending nor any other disputes pending, or claims asserted in writing for, Taxes or assessments upon Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, and no taxing authority has given written notice of the commencement of any audit, examination or deficiency action or made a claim in writing that Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is required to file a Return in such taxing authority’s jurisdiction. There is no currently outstanding waiver, extension or comparable consents regarding the application of the statute of limitations with respect to any Taxes or Returns with respect to Seller or any of the Subsidiaries.Seller.

(b) Except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.7(b), neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries (i) has not requested any extension of time within which to file any Return which Return has not since been filed; (ii) is not a party to any written or unwritten agreement, arrangement or understanding providing for the allocation or sharing of, or indemnification with respect to, Taxes, which agreement, arrangement or understanding required Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to make payments after January 1, 20142015 or could require Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to make any payments after the Effective Time; (iii) is not required to include in income any adjustment pursuant to Section 481(a) of the Code by reason of a voluntary change in accounting method initiated by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries (nor does Seller or Seller Sub have any Knowledge that the IRS has proposed any such adjustment or change of accounting method); (iv) has not been a “distributing corporation” or a “controlled corporation” in a transaction intended to qualify under Section 355(a) of the Code within the past five years; (v) has evernever been a member of a consolidated, combined or unitary Tax group (other than a group of which Seller is or was the common parent) or has any liability for Taxes of any other entity under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar provision of any Law); or (vi) has evernever engaged in any “listed transaction” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4(b)(2).

(c) For purposes of this Agreement, “Taxes” shall mean all taxes, charges, fees, levies or other assessments imposed by any taxing authority (domestic or foreign), including all net income, gross income, gross receipts, sales, use, ad valorem, transfer, franchise, profits, license, withholding, payroll, employment (including withholding, payroll and employment taxes required to be withheld with respect to income paid to employees), excise, estimated, severance, stamp, occupation, property or other taxes, customs duties, fees, assessments or charges of any kind whatsoever, together with any interest and any penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts imposed by any taxing authority (domestic or foreign).

(d) No liens for Taxes exist with respect to any of the assets or properties of Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, except for liens for Taxes not yet due and payable.

(e) Neither Seller is not, nor any of the Subsidiaries is, or has it ever been, an S-corporation within the meaning of Section 1361(a) of the Code.

(f) None of the assets of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries (i) is tax-exempt use property within the meaning of Section 168(h) of the Code, (ii) directly or indirectly secures any debt the interest on which is exempt under Section 103(a) of the Code or (iii) is property that is required to be treated as being owned by a person (other than Seller or the applicable Subsidiary)Seller) pursuant to the provisions of Section 168(f)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, as in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

(g) Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries will not be required to include in a taxable period ending after the Effective Time taxable income attributable to income that economically accrued in a taxable period ending on or

A-13


before the Effective Time as a result of the installment method of accounting, the completed contract method of accounting, any method of reporting revenue from contracts which are required to be reported on the percentage of completion method (as defined in Section 460(b) of the Code) but that were reported using another method of accounting, or any other method of accounting.

(h) Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not a partner or a member of any partnership, joint venture or any other entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

(i) Seller and the Subsidiaries havehas disclosed on theirits federal income Tax Returns all positions taken therein that wouldcould reasonably be expected to give rise to a substantial understatement of federal income tax within the meaning of Section 6662 of the Code.

3.8Employee Benefit Plans.

(a) Each employee benefit plan, arrangement, or commitment of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries which is an “employee benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), is listed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a), and each bonus, deferred compensation, pension (including an “employee pension benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA (“Pension Plan”)), retirement, profit-sharing, thrift, savings, employee stock ownership, stock bonus, stock purchase, restricted stock and stock option plan, employment or severance contract and all other material fringe benefits, employee benefit plans, practices, arrangements or commitments under which either Seller or any of the Subsidiaries has any existing or future liability that cover current or former officers or employees (“Employees”) or current or former directors of Seller, and any of the Subsidiaries, whether individually or in the aggregate or by group or class, whether written or unwritten, qualified or non-qualified, are listed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a) (the “Seller Plans”). Seller has furnished to AcquirorParent true and complete copies or descriptions of each Seller Plan together, if applicable, with (i) all amendments, supplements, funding arrangements, policies, or other related documents thereto, (ii) the most recent summary plan description for each such Seller Plan for which a summary plan description is required, (iii) any applicable trust agreement, (iv) the most recent actuarial (to the extent applicable) and financial reports prepared with respect to any Seller Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code (“Qualified Seller Plan”), (v) the three most recent annual reports filed with any Governmental Entity, including all schedules thereto, (vi) the most recent determination or opinion or advisory letter or ruling, if any, issued by the IRS with respect to any Qualified

Seller Plan and a description of any open requests for rulings, statements or letters that pertain to any such Qualified Seller Plan, (vii) all registration statements filed with the Commission with respect to any of the Seller Plans and (viii)(vii) any material written communications within the past six plan years to or from the IRS or any Governmental Entity with respect to any Seller Plan.

(b) Except as disclosed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(b): (i) eachEach Seller Plan has been operated in compliance with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code, all regulations, rulings and announcements promulgated or issued thereunder, and all other applicable governmental Laws, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1994, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, except for such instances of non-compliance that, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect; (ii) at all times after December 31, 2004, each Seller Plan that constitutes or includes a nonqualified plan of “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code has been operated in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of Section 409A of the Code and each such Seller Plan has been timely amended to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of such section; (iii) each Qualified Seller Plan has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS or is entitled to rely upon a letter issued to a prototype sponsor or volume submitter sponsor covering all required Tax Law provisions or has applied to the IRS for such favorable determination letter within the applicable remedial amendment period under Section 401(b) of the Code and, to the Knowledge of Seller, no

A-14


fact or event has occurred since the date of such letter that could reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect the qualified status of any Qualified Seller Plan; (iv) neitherall filings required by ERISA and the Code to be made to the Internal Revenue Service or Department of Labor as to each Seller norPlan have been timely filed, and all notices and disclosures to participants required by either ERISA or the Code, including notice by any ofSeller Plan grandfathered under the Subsidiaries hasPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act, have been timely provided; (v) Seller does not have any liability to the IRS with respect to any Seller Plan, including any liability imposed by Chapter 43 of the Code, and no amount or any asset of any Seller Plan is subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income; (v)(vi) as of the date hereof, there is no pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened claim, administrative proceeding or litigation relating to any Seller Plan except claims for benefits arising in the ordinary course of the administration of such plans; (vi) neither(vii) Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not engaged in a transaction with respect to any Seller Plan subject to ERISA (an “ERISA Plan”) that could reasonably be expected to subject Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to a Tax or penalty imposed by either Section 4975 of the Code or Sections 502(i) and 4071 of ERISA; (vii) neither Seller nor any ERISA Affiliate of(viii) Seller has evernever sponsored, maintained, or contributed to a plan, including any Seller Plan, which is a “defined benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(35) of ERISA or subject to Title IV of ERISA, and Seller has no Knowledge of any facts, circumstances, or reportable events that could reasonably be expected to give rise to any liability of AcquirorParent to the IRS or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation under Title IV of ERISA; and (viii) neither(ix) Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not contributed to or been obligated to contribute to any “multi-employer plan” within the meaning of Section 3(37) of ERISA or a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” within the meaning of Section 3(40) of ERISA, regardless of whether based on contributions of an ERISA Affiliate. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “ERISA Affiliate”ERISAAffiliate shall mean any entity, which together with Seller or Acquiror,Parent, as applicable, would be treated as a single employer under Code Section 414 or ERISA Section 4001(b).

(c) All contributions required to be made by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries under the terms of any of their Seller Plans, as of the date hereof, have been timely made, and all obligations and liabilities under such Seller Plans that have accrued but are not due have been reflected in accordance with GAAP on their financial statements referred to in Section 3.4. No Pension Plan has an “accumulated funding deficiency” (whether or not waived) within the meaning of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA and neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries hasdoes not have an outstanding funding waiver. It is not reasonably anticipated that required minimum contributions to any Pension Plan under Section 412 of the Code will be materially increased by application of Section 412(l) of the Code. Neither Seller has not provided, nor any of the Subsidiaries has provided, or is it required to provide, security to any Pension Plan pursuant to Section 401(a)(29) of the Code, and no such plan is or has been subject to any limitation on accelerated distributions or amendments under Section 436 of the Code.

(d) Except as disclosed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(d), neither Seller nor Seller Sub hasdoes not have any obligation to provide medical, health, dental, vision, life insurance, or disability benefits under any Seller Plan for any period after termination of employment, except as may be required by

Section 4980B of the Code or Section 601 of ERISA or similar state or local law. Seller may amend or terminate any health or life benefit plan maintained by it at any time without incurring any liability thereunder other than in respect of claims incurred prior to such amendment or termination, and other than amounts that may be required in lieu of sufficient advance notice of such amendment or termination, and other than administrative and other expenses normally and typically required as part of a similar amendment or termination.

(e) There has been no amendment to, announcement by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries relating to, or change in employee participation or coverage under, any Seller Plan which would materially increase the expense of maintaining such Seller Plan above the level of the expense incurred therefor for the most recent fiscal year. Except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(e), neither the execution of this Agreement, the approval of this Agreement by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller or Seller Sub nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (individually or in conjunction with any other event) will (i) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or result in any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) of compensation or benefits or increase in the amounts payable or result in any other material obligation pursuant to any Seller Plan; (ii) limit or restrict their right or, after the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the right of Employer (as defined in Section 5.13(a)(i)) to merge, amend or terminate any Seller Plan; (iii) entitle any Employee to severance pay or any increase in severance pay upon any termination of employment after the date hereof; or (iv) cause Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to record additional compensation expense on their income statements with respect to any outstanding stock option or other equity-based award.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(e), neither the execution of this Agreement, approval of this Agreement by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller or Seller Sub

A-15


nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (individually or in conjunction with any other event) could result in amounts paid or payable that would (i) constitute an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code or (ii) that would not be deductible under Section 162(a)(i) or 162(m) of the Code.

(f) Except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(f), there are no outstanding compensatory equity awards, including any contracts or arrangements awarding stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, deferred stock, phantom stock or any other equity or equity-based compensation to any employee, officer, director, consultant or other service provider of or to Seller or the Subsidiaries.Seller. With respect to the Seller Stock Options, (i) the per share exercise price of all such options is equal to or greater than the fair market value (determined in accordance with Section 409A of the Code) of the underlying shares of Seller Common Stock as of their effective grant date and (ii) all such options were granted either on the date of approval by Seller’s board of directors or the compensation committee of Seller’s board of directors or at a later date specified by such board of directors or compensation committee, as applicable. All members of Seller’s compensation committee meet the independence standards and requirements of NASDAQ, the Commission, if applicable, and the IRS.

3.9Securities Documents and Regulatory Reports.

(a) Since January 1, 2011,2012, Seller has filed or furnished on a timely basis with the Commission all final registration statements, prospectuses, annual, quarterly or current reports and definitive proxy statements or other communications (other than general advertising materials), forms, reports, schedules, statements or other documents required to be filed or furnished by it pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission (all such filed or furnished documents since January 1, 2011, together with all exhibits and schedules thereto and all information incorporated therein by reference, the “Seller SEC Documents”). As of the respective dates of their filing or being furnished (and, in the case of registration statements and proxy statements, as of the dates of their effectiveness and the dates of mailing, respectively), except to the extent that any Seller SEC Document has been amended or superseded by a subsequently filed Seller SEC Document prior to the date hereof, in which case, as of the date of such amended or superseded filing, each such final registration statement, prospectus, annual, quarterly or current report and definitive proxy statement or other communication, form, report, schedule, statement or other document, as of its date, complied or, if not yet filed or furnished, will comply in all material respects with all Laws applicable to the Seller SEC Documents (including the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended) and did not, and any Seller SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission subsequent to the date of this Agreement will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;provided, that information as of a later date filed publicly prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date. None of Seller’s Subsidiaries is required to file periodic reports with the Commission.

(b) Since January 1, 2011, Seller and Seller Sub have duly filed in correct form all monthly, quarterly and annual reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements, together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that they were required to file with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, GDBF, the FDIC the FRB and any other federal or state Governmental Entity having jurisdiction over Seller, and/or Seller Sub, other than the Commission, and have paid all fees and assessments due and payable in connection therewith, except where the failure to file (or furnish, as applicable) such monthly, quarterly and annual reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements or to pay such fees and assessments, individually or in the aggregate, is not reasonably likely to have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.therewith. As of their filing date, each such report or other filing did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. To the extent not prohibited by Law, Seller has delivered or made available to AcquirorParent accurate and complete copies of such reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements.Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.9 lists all examinations of Seller and

A-16


Seller Sub conducted by the applicable bank regulatory authorities since January 1, 20112012 and the dates of any responses submitted thereto. In connection with the most recent examinations of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries by the applicable bank regulatory authorities, neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries was not required to correct or change any material action, procedure or proceeding which Seller or Seller Sub believes has not been now corrected or changed as required. Other than its normal examinations, there is no proceeding, examination or investigation pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened by any Governmental Entity with respect to Seller’s business or operations.

3.10Seller Information. None of the information relating to Seller and the Subsidiaries provided or to be provided by Seller or Seller Sub for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus (as defined herein) and/or in the registration statement on Form S-4, in which the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus will be included as a part thereof, to be filed by AcquirorParent with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in connection with the solicitation of the approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller, and Acquiror, as amended or supplemented (or on any successor or other appropriate schedule or form) (the “Registration Statement”), or in any application, notification or other document to be filed with any Governmental Entity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, will, with respect to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as of the date the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus is first mailed to Seller’s shareholders or Acquiror’s stockholders or atas of the time of the Special Meetings,Meeting, or, atwith respect to the Registration Statement, as of the time the Registration Statement becomesis declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or at the Effective Time, or at the time any such other application, notification or other document are so filed, as the case may be, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (except that this representation shall not apply to any information in the Joint Proxy Statement,Statement/Prospectus, the Registration Statement or such other applications, notifications or other documents supplied by AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub for inclusion or incorporation by reference therein),provided, that information as of a later date shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date.

3.11Compliance with Applicable Law.

(a) Each of Seller and the Subsidiaries has all permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals of, and has made all filings, applications and registrations with Governmental Entities, that are required in order to permit it to carry on its business as it is presently being conducted and to own or lease its properties and assets, and all such permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals are in full force and effect, except for such failures to have such permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals of, to make all filings, applications and registrations with Governmental Entities or to be in full force and effect which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect.effect. To the Knowledge of Seller, no suspension or cancellation of any of the same is threatened.

(b) Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not (i) in violation of (A) its respective articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) or any other governing instrument, or (B) any Law of any Governmental Entity material to the business or operations of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries or (ii) in default with respect to any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction of any court or other Governmental Entity material to the business or operations of Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, except in the case offor, with respect to clause (i)(A)(ii), such violations which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not received any written notice from any Governmental Entity asserting that Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of or default with respect to any of the foregoing, except for such violations or defaults which, individually or in the aggregate, wouldforegoing. Seller is not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is subject to any regulatory or supervisory cease and desist order, agreement, written directive, memorandum of understanding or written commitment (other than those of general applicability to all banks issued by Governmental Entities), and neither of them has received any written communication requesting that it enter into any of the foregoing. Neither Seller nor Seller Sub participateddid not participate in the United States Department of the Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program or its Community Development Capital Initiative.

(c) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to the Knowledge of Seller each of Seller and Seller Sub is in material compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and all regulations promulgated thereunder and has

A-17


timely and properly filed and maintained in all material respects all requisite Currency Transaction Reports and Suspicious Activity Reports and has properly monitored transaction activity (including, but not limited to, wire transfers). In addition, each of Seller and Seller Sub is in material compliance with the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act, the GLB Act Privacy Provisions, Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation, Bank Protection Act, all applicable Financial Crimes Enforcement Network requirements and all other related laws. Seller and Seller Sub havehas neither had nor suspected any material incidents of fraud or defalcation during the last two years.

3.12Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory Matters. The deposit accounts of Seller Sub are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent permitted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (the “FDIA”), and Seller Sub has paid when due all premiums and assessments required by the FDIA and the regulations thereunder. No

action, suit or proceeding is pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, has been threatened by the FDIC against Seller or Seller Sub with respect to the termination of such insurance. Seller Sub has complied in all material respects with any agreements or commitments entered into or made by Seller Sub in connection with obtaining “brokered” deposits (as such term is defined in 12 C.F.R. § 337.6(a)(2)).deposits.

3.13Certain Contracts.

(a) Except as disclosed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a), neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not a party to, nor is it bound or affected by, receivesnor does it receive or is it obligated to pay compensation or benefits under (i) any agreement, arrangement or commitment, including any agreement, indenture or other instrument relating to the borrowing of money by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries or the guarantee by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries of any obligation except for deposit liabilities, federal funds purchased, borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank and securities repurchase agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business; (ii) any contract, agreement or understanding with a labor union; (iii) any agreement, arrangement or understanding pursuant to which any payment (whether of severance pay or otherwise) became or may become due to any director, officer or employee of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries upon execution of this Agreement or upon or following consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (either alone or in connection with the occurrence of any additional acts or events); (iv) any agreement, arrangement or understanding to which Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of themit is bound which materially limits the freedom of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to compete in any line of business or with any person, or that involve any restriction of the geographic area in which, or method by which, theyit may carry on theirits business (other than as may be required by Law or any Governmental Entity); (v) any assistance agreement, supervisory agreement, memorandum of understanding, consent order, cease and desist order or condition of any regulatory order or decree with or by the FRB, the FDIC, the GDBF or any other regulatory agency (and no such agreement, memorandum or order imposes any obligation on Seller or any of the Subsidiaries to make any additional capital contributions); (vi) any joint venture, partnership or similar agreement, arrangement or understanding providing for the sharing of profits, losses, costs or liabilities by Seller or Seller Sub with any other person; (vii) any purchase and assumption agreement with the FDIC (other than Shared-Loss Agreements);FDIC; or (viii) any other agreement, arrangement or understanding to which Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is a party and which is material to the business, results of operations, assets, liabilities or financial condition (financial or otherwise) of Seller and the Subsidiaries, taken individually or as a whole (excluding loan agreements or agreements relating to deposit accounts); in each of the foregoing cases whether written or oral (each such agreement listed, or required to be listed, in this Section 3.13(a) is referred to herein as a “Seller Agreement”). Except as set forth inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a)(ix), neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not a party to any agreement, arrangement or commitment relating to the employment of a consultant or the employment, retirement, election or retention in office of any present or former director, officer or employee of Seller or Seller Sub (other than those which are terminable at will without any further amounts being payable thereunder as a result of termination by Seller or Seller Sub)Seller).

(b) Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is not in default or in non-compliance under any Seller Agreement, and there has not occurred any event that with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute such a default or non-compliance, except for such default or non-compliance which, individually or in the

A-18


aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect. Each Seller Agreement is valid, binding and enforceable against Seller or, as applicable, any of the Subsidiaries and, to the Knowledge of Seller, the other parties thereto in accordance with their respective terms, except as limited by the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception, and is in full force and effect in accordance with its terms and all rents and other monetary amounts that may have become due and payable thereunder have been paid, except for such failures to be valid, binding and enforceable, to be in full force and effect or to have paid all rents and other monetary amounts which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

3.14Properties and Insurance.

(a) All of the tangible assets and other personal property owned or leased by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries or presently used by either of themit in their respectiveits business is in good condition (ordinary wear and tear excepted) and is reasonably sufficient to carry on the business of Seller and Seller Sub in the ordinary course consistent with past practices. Seller and each of the Subsidiaries havehas title and, as to owned real property, good and marketable title to all material assets and properties, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible, reflected in Seller’s consolidated unaudited balance sheet as of September 30, 20142015 or owned and acquired subsequent thereto (except for such assets and properties that have been disposed of for fair value in the ordinary

course of business since September 30, 2014)2015), subject to no encumbrances, liens, mortgages, security interests or pledges, except (i) those items that secure liabilities that are reflected in said consolidated balance sheet or the notes thereto or have been incurred in the ordinary course of business after the date of such consolidated balance sheet; (ii) statutory liens for amounts not yet delinquent or which are being contested in good faith;faith and for which adequate reserves have been made in the Seller Financial Statements; (iii) liens for real property Taxes not yet due and payable; (iv) such encumbrances, liens, mortgages, security interests, pledges and title imperfections that are not in the aggregate material to the business, results of operations, assets, liabilities or financial condition (financial or otherwise) of Seller, and Seller Sub, taken individually or as a whole; and (v) with respect to owned real property, (x) easements, rights-of-way, covenants, consents, restrictions, encroachments, variations and other restrictions, charges or encumbrances (whether recorded or not) that do not interfere materially with the ordinary course of Seller’s business or the business of any Subsidiary at such property, (y) building restrictions, zoning laws and other Laws, now or at any time hereafter adopted by any Governmental Entity having jurisdiction that do not materially interfere with the ordinary course of Seller’s or Seller Sub’s business, or (z) imperfections or irregularities of title noted in title reports delivered to AcquirorParent prior to the date hereof (items (i) – (v) are collectively referred to herein as “Permitted Liens”). Seller and each of the Subsidiaries as lessees havelessee has the right under valid and subsisting leases to occupy, use, possess and control all property leased by them in all respects as presently occupied, used, possessed and controlled by Seller and such Subsidiaries.Seller.Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.14(a) sets forth an accurate listing of each lease pursuant to which Seller or any of the Subsidiaries acts as lessor or lessee, including the expiration date and the terms of any renewal options which relate to the same. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries hasdoes not have any legal obligation, absolute or contingent, to any other person to sell or otherwise dispose of any substantial part of its assets or to sell or dispose of any of its assets except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices.

(b)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.14(b) sets forth a list of all policies of fire, theft, public liability, business interruption and other insurance (including fidelity bonds insurance) maintained by Seller and the Subsidiaries as of the date thereof.hereof. The business operations and all insurable properties and assets of Seller and the Subsidiaries are reasonably insured for theirits benefit against all risks (including flood) which, to the Knowledge of Seller, should be insured against, in each case, under valid, binding and enforceable policies or bonds issued by insurers of recognized responsibility, in such amounts with such deductibles and against such risks and losses as are, to the Knowledge of Seller, adequate for the business engaged in by Seller and such Subsidiaries.Seller. As of the date hereof, to the Knowledge of Seller neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not received any written notice of cancellation or written notice of a material amendment of any such insurance policy or bond or is in default under such policy or bond, all premiums and other payments due under any such policy or bond have been paid, no coverage thereunder is being disputed, and all material claims thereunder have been or will be filed in a timely fashion.

A-19


3.15Environmental Matters. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the indicated meaning:

Environmental Law” means any Law, license, permit, authorization, approval, consent, order, judgment, decree, injunction or agreement with any Governmental Entity relating to (1) the protection, preservation or restoration of the environment (including air, water vapor, surface water, groundwater, drinking water supply, surface soil, subsurface soil, plant and animal life or any other natural resource); and/or (2) the use, storage, recycling, treatment, generation, transportation, processing, handling, labeling, production, release or disposal of Hazardous Substances. The term “Environmental Law” includes (1) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 9601, et seq.; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 6901, et seq.; the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 7401, et seq.; the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. Section 1251, et seq.; the Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. Section 9601, et seq.; the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 11001, et seq.; the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 300f, et seq.; and all comparable state and local Laws, and (2) any common law (including common law that may impose strict liability) that may impose liability or obligations for injuries or damages due to, or threatened as a result of, the presence of or exposure to any Hazardous Substance.

Hazardous Substance” means any substance presently listed, defined, designated or classified as hazardous, toxic, radioactive or dangerous, or otherwise regulated, under any Environmental Law, whether by

type or by quantity, including any regulated material containing any such substance as a component. Hazardous Substances include petroleum (including crude oil or any fraction thereof), friable asbestos, radioactive material and polychlorinated biphenyls,provided, notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, the words “Hazardous Substance” shall not mean or include any of such naturally occurring in any ambient air, surface water, ground water, land surface or surface strata.

Loan Portfolio Properties and Other Properties Owned” means those properties owned, leased or operated by a person or its subsidiaries or those properties which serve as collateral for loans owned by a person or its subsidiaries.

Except as set forth on(i) Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.15, (i) neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not been, orand is not, in violation of or liable under any Environmental Law, (ii) none of the Loan Portfolio Properties and Other Properties Owned by Seller or Seller Sub has been or is in violation of or, to the Knowledge of Seller, liable under any Environmental Law, and (iii) there are no actions, suits, demands, written notices, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened, relating to the Loan Portfolio Properties and Other Properties Owned by Seller or Seller Sub under any Environmental Law, including any notices, demand letters or written requests for information from any federal or state environmental agency relating to any such liabilities under or violations of Environmental Law.

3.16Allowance for Loan Losses and Real Estate Owned. The allowance for loan losses reflected on Seller’s consolidated balance sheets included in the consolidated financial statements referred to in Section 3.4Seller Financial Statements is in compliance with Seller’s existing methodology for determining the adequacy of its allowance for loan losses and was, at the time recorded, or will be in the case of subsequently delivered financial statements, as the case may be, adequate in all material respects as of their respective dates under the requirements of GAAP and the standards formally established by applicable Governmental Entities to provide for reasonably anticipated losses on outstanding loans net of recoveries. The real estate owned reflected on the consolidated balance sheets included in the consolidated financial statements referred to in Section 3.4Seller Financial Statements was, at the time recorded, or will be in the case of subsequently delivered financial statements, as the case may be, carried at the lower of cost or fair value, or the lower of cost or net realizable value, as required by GAAP.

3.17Minute Books. Since January 1, 2011,2012, the minute books, including any attachments thereto, of Seller and the Subsidiaries contain complete and accurate records in all material respects of all meetings and other material corporate action held or taken by their respective boardsits board of directors or comparable governing bodies (including committees thereof) and stockholders, members or trustees, as applicable.

shareholders.

A-20


3.18Affiliate Transactions. Except for (i) deposit agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business with customers of Seller Sub;Seller; (ii) loans covered by the second sentence of Section 3.23(a); and (iii) obligations under employee benefit plans set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a), and except as specifically contemplated by this Agreement, since January 1, 2011, neither2012, Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not engaged in or agreed to engage in (whether in writing or orally) any transaction with any “affiliate,” as such term is defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.

3.19Internal Controls; Disclosure Controls. Seller has implemented and the Subsidiaries have maintainedmaintains in accordance with applicable Law a system of “internalinternal controls over financial reporting” (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the 1934 Act)reporting sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and includes policies and procedures that (i) all transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (ii) access to Seller’s assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iii) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals, and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Seller and the Subsidiaries have devised and maintained “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the 1934 Act) effective for ensuring that information Seller is required to disclose in reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.

3.20Risk Management Instruments. All interest rate swaps, caps, floors, option agreements, futures and forward contracts (including commitments to sell mortgage loans) and other similar risk management arrangements (collectively, the “Risk Management Instruments”), whether entered into for Seller’s own account or for the account of one or more of Seller Sub or its customers, were entered into (i) in accordance with prudent business practices and all applicable Laws and (ii) to the Knowledge of Seller, (i) in accordance with all applicable Laws and (ii) with counterparties financially responsiblereasonably

believed at the time;time to be financially responsible; and each of the Risk Management Instruments are valid and legally binding obligations of Seller or Seller Sub;Seller; and are enforceable in accordance with their terms (except as limited by the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception), and are in full force and effect. Except as would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect, Seller and its Subsidiaries havehas in place risk management policies and procedures reasonably sufficient in scope and operation to protect against risks of the type and in amounts reasonably expected to be incurred by entities of similar size and in similar lines of business as Seller. Seller or the applicable Subsidiary. Seller and Seller Sub havehas duly performed all of theirits material obligations under Risk Management Instruments to the extent such obligations to perform have accrued. To the Knowledge of Seller, thereThere are no material breaches, violations or defaults, or allegations or assertions thereof by Seller or, to the Knowledge of Seller, the other party thereunder with respect to any party thereunder.Risk Management Instrument. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, as of the date hereof, no events or circumstances have occurred, or are reasonably likely to occur prior to the Effective Time, that would require Seller or Seller Sub to repurchase any mortgage loans sold to secondary market investors, nor has any such investor made any assertion to that effect.

3.21Opinion. Prior to the execution of this Agreement, the board of directors of Seller has received the oral opinion (to be confirmed in writing) of its financial advisor, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.,BSP Securities, LLC, to the effect that, as of the date thereof and based upon and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth therein, the Exchange Ratio is fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of Seller Common Stock. Seller shall furnish an accurate and complete copy of such opinion to Acquiror,Parent, solely for informational purposes, as promptly as practicable following the execution of this Agreement. Such opinion has not been amended or rescinded as of the date of this Agreement.

3.22Broker Fees. Except as set forth inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.22, neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries nor any of their respectiveits directors or officers has employed any consultant, broker or finder or incurred any liability for any consultant’s, broker’s or finder’s fees or commissions in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

A-21


3.23Loans.

(a) Except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.23, allAll of the loans and other evidences of indebtedness (including commitments to extend credit) on the books of Seller and Seller Sub in the original principal amount of $35,000 and above are valid and properly documented by notes, agreements and other evidences of indebtedness in all material respects and were solicited and originated, and are and have been administered and serviced, in the ordinary course of business consistent with Seller and Seller Sub’sSeller’s underwriting standards, and the security therefor, if any, is valid and properly perfected in all material respects, and no material collateral has been released from the lien granted to Seller and Seller Sub with respect to any such loans unless approved by Seller and Seller Sub and documented in theirits files. All loans and extensions of credit that have been made by Seller Sub that are subject to Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended, and Regulation O (12 C.F.R. Part 215) promulgated thereunder, comply therewith in all material respects.respects therewith. There are no employee, officer, director or other affiliate loans on which the borrower is paying a rate other than that reflected in the note or other relevant credit or security agreement or on which the borrower is paying a rate which was not in compliance with Regulation O. Neither the terms of such loans nor any of the loan documentation nor the manner in which such loans have been originated, administered and serviced nor Seller’s procedures and practices of approving or rejecting loan applications violates in any material respect any Law applicable thereto. Seller and Seller Sub havehas full power and authority to hold such loans and havehas good and valid title to all such loans, free and clear of any liens (other than liens in the ordinary course of business to the FHLB or the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), and the principal balance of each such loan as shown on the books and records of Seller and Seller Sub is true and correct as of the last date shown thereon. To the Knowledge of Seller, each such loan is enforceable against the obligor(s) thereunder in accordance with its terms, in each such case subject to the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception, except for such unenforceability which, individually or inException. To the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in aKnowledge of Seller, Material Adverse Effect. Allall such loans will continue in full force and effect immediately after the Effective Time, other than any loans that are paid or otherwise satisfied in full after the date hereof and prior to the Effective Time, except for such failure to be in full force and effect which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect.Time. For purposes of this Section 3.23, the term “loans” includes the documents relating in any way to such loans, including loan applications, notes or borrowing arrangements (including leases, credit enhancements, commitments and interest-bearing assets), security agreements, deeds of trust, appraisals, credit reports, disclosures, titles to collateral,

verifications (including employment verification, deposit verification, etc.), mortgages, loan agreements, including building and loan agreements, guarantees, pledge agreements, financing statements, intercreditor agreements, participation agreements, sureties and insurance policies (including title insurance policies) and all modifications, waivers and consents relating to any of the foregoing. The electronic data files delivered by Seller to AcquirorParent with respect to all outstanding Seller loans as of October 31, 2014September 30, 2015 are true, correct and complete in all material respects.

(b) To the Knowledge ofSince January 1, 2012 Seller Seller and Seller Sub have administered and serviced the loans, leases and other assets purchased by Seller Sub from the FDIC, in its capacity as receiver of each of Citizens Bank of Effingham, Springfield, Georgia and First Southern National Bank, Statesboro, Georgia, in all material respects, in accordance with the relevant notes or other credit or security documents, the requirements of the applicable Shared-Loss Agreement and with all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and rules. To the Knowledge of Seller, Seller Sub (i) has not been underpaid or overpaidreceived any amounts under any of the Shared-Loss Agreements by the FDIC, as receiver, (ii) has timely and properly filed all reports and documents with the FDIC, as receiver, in accordance with the terms of the Shared-Loss Agreements, and (iii) is not in default or violation of any of its duties or obligations under any of the Shared-Loss Agreements, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii), such late or improper filings or defaults or violations which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

(c)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.23(c) sets forth a list of each request received by Seller since January 1, 2011 for any recourse or request to repurchase by a buyer of any loans, any pools orof loans or participations in loans or pools of loans, including all claims made or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened, for repurchases of home mortgage loans sold to third parties.

A-22


(d) To the Knowledge of(c) Seller each agreement between Seller or any of its Subsidiaries andhas not purchased a Seller Mortgage Vendor (a “Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement”) is valid and in full force and effect and enforceable in accordance with its respective terms, in each case subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally (or the enforcement of the rights of creditors of FDIC-insured institutions in particular), and except that the availability of equitable remedies (including specific performance and injunctive relief) is within the discretion of the court before which any proceeding may be brought. To the Knowledge of Seller, no Seller Mortgage Vendor is in material breach of its Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement. Seller or its Subsidiary, as applicable, has the right to stop funding immediately the Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement upon (i) an order or directiveparticipating interest from any depository institution regulatory authority; (ii) the justifiable suspension of Seller Mortgage Vendor by any of its institutional end-loan Seller Mortgage Investors (hereinafter defined); (iii) a material, negative changethird party in the Seller Mortgage Vendor’s financial condition; (iv) the Seller Mortgage Vendor’s failure to comply with the terms of the Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement; or (v) the Seller Mortgage Vendor’s failure to comply with the underwriting, closing delivery and funding requirements of its institutional end-loan Seller Mortgage Investors. To the Knowledge of Seller, the relevant seller has the obligation to repurchase any Seller loan subject to a Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement should the sale of any such loan or loans scheduled for purchase by the Seller Mortgage Investor fail to be consummated within a specified time, not to exceed 90 days, after the date on which an interest in the Seller loan is purchased by Seller or its Subsidiary, as applicable. For purposes of this Agreement, “Seller Mortgage Vendor” means a third-party that originates or purchases mortgage loans from whom Seller or any of its Subsidiaries purchases, or did purchase, a participation interest in such mortgage loans or whoseand has not financed the origination or purchase of mortgage loans was financed by Seller or any of its Subsidiaries.third party.

(e) To the Knowledge of Seller, each mortgage loan made by a Seller Mortgage Vendor in which Seller or any of its Subsidiaries has purchased a participating interest or which Seller or any of its Subsidiaries has financed (the “Seller Mortgage Loans”) is secured by a first or second lien on the land on which the dwelling is situated, and the Seller Mortgage Vendor has a written agreement (a “Take-Out Letter”) issued by an investor (the “Seller Mortgage Investor”) approved by Seller or any of its Subsidiaries to purchase the Seller Mortgage Loan. No Seller Mortgage Investor has indicated that it has terminated, or intends to terminate, its relationship with Seller or Seller Sub. The Seller Mortgage Loans are conforming loans eligible for purchase under Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), or approved institutional investor criteria. The delivery of all Seller Mortgage Loan documents is at the Seller Mortgage Vendor’s risk and the Seller Mortgage Vendor’s responsibility, and each Seller Mortgage Vendor has agreed to indemnify Seller or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, and hold it harmless from all bona fide and reasonable loss, cost or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or incurred in connection therewith, except only for such loss, cost or expense, if any, that results solely from the negligent acts or omissions of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable.

(f) To the Knowledge of Seller, with respect to each Seller Mortgage Loan, all applicable Laws have been complied with in all material respects, including, but not limited to, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Flood Disaster Protection Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Truth-in-Lending Act of 1968, the Depository Institutions Deregulatory and Monetary Control Act of 1980, all as amended; all usury laws and limitations; all conditions within the control of the Seller Mortgage Vendor as to the validity of the insurance or guaranty required by the National Housing Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder; and all requirements of the mortgage insurance companies or other insurers have been properly satisfied, and such insurance or guaranty is valid or enforceable. A written appraisal of the real property securing each such Seller Mortgage Loan has been prepared by a duly-licensed appraiser and satisfies all requirements for any applicable Department of Veterans Affairs guaranty, FHA insurance or private mortgage insurance and all requirements imposed by the Seller Mortgage Investor which issued the Take-Out Letter covering such Seller Mortgage Loan. Seller Mortgage Loans that are secured by premises requiring flood insurance due to their location in a special flood hazard as designated by the Secretary of HUD, are and continue

A-23


to be covered by special flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program. Neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries is now, nor has it been since(d) Since January 1, 2011, subject to any fine, sanction, settlement or other administrative agreement with respect to2012, Seller Mortgage Loans.

(g) To the Knowledge of Seller, since January 1, 2011, neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries has not foreclosed upon, or taken a deed or title to, any real estate (other than single-family residential properties) without complying in all material respects with all applicable FDIC environmental due diligence standards (including FDIC Bulletin FIL-14-93, and update FIL-98-2006) or foreclosed upon, or taken a deed or title to, any such real estate if the environmental assessment indicates the liabilities under Environmental Laws are likely in excess of the asset’s value.

(h) Except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.23, since(e) Since January 1, 2011, neither2012, Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries has not acquired, serviced or disposed of any pool of Seller loans, other than related to its mortgage purchase business in the ordinary course of business.loans.

(i)(f)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.23(i)3.23(f) sets forth a list of (i) each Seller loan that as of October 31, 2014September 30, 2015 had an outstanding balance and/or unfunded commitment of $100,000 or more and that as of such date (A) was contractually past due 90 days or more in the payment of principal and/or interest or was in default of any other material provision, (B) was on non-accrual status, (C) was classified as “substandard,” “doubtful” “loss,” “classified,” “criticized,” “impaired” or “special mention” (or words of similar import) by Seller Sub or any Governmental Entity, (D) where the interest rate terms have been reduced and/or the maturity dates have been extended subsequent to the agreement under which the Seller loan was originally created due to concerns regarding the borrower’s ability to pay in accordance with such initial terms, (E) where a specific reserve allocation exists in connection therewith, or (F) which is required to be accounted for as a troubled debt restructuring in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 15; and (ii) each asset of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries that as of October 31, 2014September 30, 2015 was classified as “other real estate owned,” “other repossessed assets” or as an asset to satisfy Seller loans, and the book value thereof as of such date. For each Seller loan identified in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence,Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.23(i)3.23(f) sets forth the outstanding balance, including accrued and unpaid interest and late fees, on each such loan and the identity of the borrower thereunder as of October 31, 2014.September 30, 2015.

3.24Investment Securities; BOLI.

(a) Except for securities pledged for reverse repurchase agreements, interest rate swap, cap and floor contracts or pledged to secure public trust funds, (i) none of the investments reflected in the audited consolidated balance sheet of Seller as of December 31, 20132014 under the heading “Securities available for sale,” (ii) none of the investments by Seller and the Subsidiaries since December 31, 2013,2014, and (iii) none of the assets reflected in the audited consolidated balance sheet of Seller as of December 31, 20132014 or in any unaudited consolidated balance sheet of Seller furnished to AcquirorParent after December 31, 20132014 under the heading “Cash and due from banks” is subject to any restriction, whether contractual or statutory, that materially impairs the ability of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries freely to dispose of such investment at any time. With respect to all repurchase agreements of which Seller or any of the Subsidiaries is a party, Seller or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, has a valid, perfected first lien or security interest in or evidence of ownership in book entry form of the government securities or other collateral securing each such repurchase agreement, and the value of such collateral equals or exceeds the amount of the debt secured thereby under such agreement.

(b)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.24(b) sets forth a true, correct and complete description of all bank owned life insurance (“BOLI”) owned by Seller, Seller Sub or any of the other Subsidiaries, including the value of its BOLI.BOLI as of the end of the month prior to the date hereof. Seller Seller Sub and its other Subsidiaries havehas taken all actions necessary to comply in all material respects with applicable Law in connection with the purchase of BOLI. The value of such BOLI is and has been fairly and accurately reflected in all material respects in the most recent balance sheet included in the financial statements of Seller delivered pursuant to Section 5.5 hereof, in accordance with GAAP. All BOLI is owned

A-24


solely by Seller, Seller Sub or another Subsidiary, and no other person has any ownership claims with respect to such BOLI or proceeds of insurance derived therefrom and there is no split dollar or similar benefit under such BOLI. Neither Seller Seller Sub nor any of the other Subsidiaries hasdoes not have any outstanding borrowings secured in whole or part by its BOLI.

3.25Employees; Compensation.

(a) There is no individual classified as an independent contractor, consultant or agent of Seller who has received or was entitled to receive compensation in excess of $25,000 that was or should have been reported as taxable compensation on Form 1099 during fiscal year 2014 or who is expected to receive compensation in excess of $25,000 that should be reported as taxable compensation on Form 1099 during fiscal year 2015.

(b) Except to the extent that a failure to comply could not, aloneindividually or along with any other failure, have a Seller Material Adverse Effect, (i) each of Seller and the Subsidiaries is and has been in compliance with all applicable Laws material to the business and operations of Seller respecting employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment, and wages and hours, including any Law relating to discrimination, fair labor standards and occupational health and safety, wrongful discharge or violation of the personal rights of employees, former employees or prospective employees;employees. Seller is not and (ii) neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries is or has not engaged in any unfair labor practices. Additionally, there are no strikes, slowdowns or work stoppages pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller, threatened with respect to the employees; there is no representation claim or petition or complaint pending before the National Labor Relations Board or any state or local labor agency and, to the Knowledge of Seller, no question concerning representation has been raised or threatened respecting the employees; to the Knowledge of Seller, no charges with respect to or relating to Seller’s business are pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or any state or local agency responsible for the prevention of unlawful employment practices, which could reasonably be likelyexpected to have a Seller Material Adverse Effect; and to the Knowledge of Seller, neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries hasdoes not have any obligations under any federal, state, or local government contract, although Seller is a government contractor pursuant to Executive Order 11246.contract. No employee of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries is an undocumented alien, and Seller has obtained a Form I-9 and all ancillary information required in connection therewith with respect to each such employee.

(b)(c) Except to the extent that such liability could not, aloneeither individually or with any other failure,liability, have a Seller Material Adverse Effect, neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries hasdoes not have any direct or indirect liability with respect to any misclassification of any person as an independent contractor rather than a “common law employee” or with respect to any person leased from another employer.

(c)(d) Except to the extent a failure to comply could not, aloneindividually or along with any other failure, have a Seller Material Adverse Effect, Seller has complied (or will comply) prior to the Effective Time in all material respects with all obligations existing on or before the Effective Time imposed by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN Act”) and any applicable similar state or local law, including, but not limited to, providing all notices required thereunder.

3.26Tax and Regulatory Matters. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has not taken or agreed to take any action which would or could reasonably be expected to (i) cause the Parent Merger not to constitute a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code or (ii) materially impede or delay receipt of any unqualified consents of regulatory authorities referred to in Section 5.7 or result in failure of the condition in Section 7.1(c). No Seller Common Stock has been or will be acquired by Seller Sub prior to and in connection with the Mergers. NeitherMerger. Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries has evernever made or been required to make an election under Section 338 of the Code.

3.27Intellectual Property.

(a)Seller Disclosure Schedule 3.27 contains a complete and accurate list of all of Seller and each Subsidiary’sSeller’s material U.S. and foreign (i) trademark or service mark registrations and applications, (ii) copyright registrations and applications, and (iii) Internet domain names. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries ownsdoes not own any patents or patent applications. Seller or the applicable Subsidiary owns or has the valid right to use, in each case free and clear of all material liens (other than Permitted Liens), all applications, trademarks, service marks, trademark or service mark registrations and applications, trade names, logos, designs, Internet domain names,

A-25


slogans and general intangibles of like nature, together with all goodwill related to the foregoing, copyrights, copyright registrations, renewals and applications, Software (as defined below), technology, trade secrets and other confidential information, know-how, proprietary processes, formulae, algorithms, models and methodologies, licenses, agreements and all other material proprietary rights (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) used in the business of Seller and such Subsidiary as it currently is conducted. “Software” means any and all (i) computer programs, including any and all software implementations of algorithms, models and methodologies, whether in source code or object code, (ii) databases and compilations, including any and all data and collections of data, whether machine readable or otherwise, (iii) descriptions, flow-charts and other work product used to design, plan, organize and develop any of the foregoing, (iv) the technology supporting and content contained on any owned or operated Internet site(s), and (v) all documentation, including user manuals and training materials, relating to any of the foregoing. The ownership or right to use such material Intellectual Property or Software of Seller or the applicable Subsidiary (i) has not been challenged in any prior litigation to which Seller or such Subsidiary was a party, (ii) is not being challenged in any pending litigation to which Seller or such Subsidiary is a party and (iii) to the Knowledge of Seller, is not the subject of any threatened or proposed litigation. Provided that the required consents and prior notices described onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.27 are obtained or given (as the case may be), the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not result in the loss or impairment of any such Intellectual Property (other than goodwill associated with Seller or Seller Sub)Seller) or Software of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries.Seller.

(b) TheTo the Knowledge of Seller, the conduct of the business of Seller and each of the Subsidiaries as currently conducted does not in any material respect, infringe upon (either directly or indirectly, such as through contributory infringement or inducement to infringe), dilute, misappropriate or otherwise violate any material Intellectual Property owned and controlled by any third party.

(c) To the Knowledge of Seller, no third party is misappropriating, infringing, diluting or violating any Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to or by Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, and no such claims have been made against a third party by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries.Seller.

(d) Each item of Software which is used by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries in connection with the operation of their businesses as currently conducted is either (i) owned by Seller, or the applicable Subsidiary, (ii) currently in the public domain or otherwise available to Seller without the need of a license, lease or consent of any third party, or (iii) used under rights granted to Seller or such Subsidiary pursuant to a written agreement, license or lease from a third party.

3.28Regulatory Capital; Community Reinvestment Compliance. Seller Sub is and on the Closing Date, Seller Sub will be, “well capitalized” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the FDIC, and on the date hereof, Seller is, and on the Closing Date, Seller will be, “well capitalized” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the FRB. To the Knowledge ofFDIC. Seller Seller Sub is in material compliance with all applicable provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, as amended (the “CRA”), and has received a CRA rating of “Satisfactory” in its most recent exam under the CRA. Seller has no Knowledge of the existence of any fact or circumstance or set of facts or circumstances which could be reasonably expected to result in Seller or Seller Sub failing to be “well-capitalized” or having its current CRA rating lowered within the next 12 months.

3.29Trust Matters. Neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiariesdoes not currently provides, orprovide, nor at any time after January 1, 2011 has ever provided, trust or fiduciary services.

3.30Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisory Matters.

(a) None Seller is not and none of Seller, its Subsidiaries or, to the Knowledge of Seller, any of their respective officers and employees areis required to be registered, licensed or qualified with the Commission or any securities or insurance commission or other Governmental Entity as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, futures commission merchant, municipal

securities dealer, registered principal, registered representative, agent, salesperson or investment

A-26


adviser representative. Neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries has not received any notice of proceedings relating to any obligation to be so registered, licensed or qualified. Each of Seller and, its Subsidiaries and, to the Knowledge of Seller, their respectiveits solicitors, third party administrators, managers, brokers and distributors, have marketed, sold and issued investment products and securities in accordance with all applicable Laws governing sales processes and practices in all material respects.

(b) None of Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries is, or providesdoes not provide any investment management or investment advisory or sub-advisory services to any person or entity that is registered as, an Investment Company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

3.31No Existing Discussions. As of the date hereof, neither Seller nor Seller Sub is not engaged, directly or indirectly, in any negotiations or discussions with any other person with respect to an Acquisition Transaction (as hereinafter defined).

3.32Material Contracts. Neither Seller nor Seller Sub is in default under any contract filed as an exhibit to Seller’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, or Seller’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, June 30, or September 30, 2014, other than defaults which would not reasonably be likely to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

3.33NASDAQ. Seller is in compliance in all material respects with the rules, regulations and policies of NASDAQ applicable to Seller.

3.34Certain Business Practices. Neither Seller nor any of the Subsidiaries,has not, and, to the Knowledge of Seller, no director, officer, agent or employee of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries, has, (i) used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns or violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or (iii) made any other unlawful payment.

3.353.33Continuity of Business Enterprise. Seller operates at least one significant historic business line, or owns at least a significant portion of its historic business assets, in each case within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.368-1(d).

3.363.34Indemnification. No present or former director, officer, employee or agent of any of Seller or any of its Subsidiaries has any claim for indemnification from any of Seller or its Subsidiaries.Seller. To the Knowledge of Seller, no action or failure to take action by any present or former director, officer, employee or agent of Seller or its Subsidiaries or other event has occurred, or has been alleged to have occurred, which occurrence or allegation wouldcould reasonably be likely to give rise to any claim by any such present or former director, officer, employee or agent for indemnification from any of Seller or its Subsidiaries.Seller.

3.373.35Vote Required. The only vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of Seller necessary or required in order to adopt this Agreement or approve the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Parent Merger, is the adoption of this Agreement by the holders of a majoritytwo-thirds of the outstanding shares of Seller Common Stock entitled to vote on such matter (the “Seller StockholderShareholder Approval”).

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ACQUIRORPARENT AND ACQUIROR SUB

Except as (a) disclosed in writing in the correspondingly enumerated section or subsection of the disclosure schedule of Acquiror and Acquiror SubParent delivered herewith (the “AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule”) (provided that each exception set forth in the AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule shall be deemed to qualify any other representation and warranty to the extent that the relevance of such exception to such other representation and warranty is reasonably apparent on the face of the disclosure (without need to examine underlying documentation)) or

A-27


(b) disclosed in any publicly available report, schedule, form or other document filed with the SEC by AcquirorParent prior to the date hereof and on or after the date on which AcquirorParent filed with the SEC its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20132014 (but excluding any risk factor disclosures contained under the heading “Risk Factors,” any disclosure of risks included in any “forward-looking statements” disclaimer or any other statements that are similarly non-specific or predictive or forward-looking in nature), AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, jointly and severally, represent and warrant as of the date hereof to Seller and Seller Sub as set forth in this Article IV. The AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule is arranged in sections corresponding to the numbered and lettered sections contained in this Article IV. The phrase “provided to Seller”, “delivered to Seller” or “made available to Seller” or any phrase of similar import means that AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub has delivered, provided access to or made certain items available for review and copying, or that such items are available on www.sec.gov, to Seller Seller Sub or theirits counsel. For purposes of

this Article IV, the phrase “to the Knowledge of AcquirorParent,” the phrase “to Acquiror’sParent’s Knowledge” or any phrase of similar import shall be deemed to refer to the actual knowledge of the senior executive officers of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub (i.e., the senior vice president level and above) after reasonable investigation.

4.1Corporate Organization.

(a) AcquirorParent is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Mississippi. AcquirorParent has the requisite corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. The term “AcquirorParent Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any change, state of facts, circumstance, event or development, which, individually or in the aggregate, wouldcould reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, results of operations, assets or financial condition of AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, taken individually or as a whole, other than (i) effects resulting from the impact of any actions taken by AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries with the prior written consent of Seller or required expressly by this Agreement or any action not taken by AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries to the extent such action is prohibited by this Agreement without the prior written consent of Seller and Seller has not consented to such action; (ii) changes in Laws or interpretations thereof that are generally applicable to the banking industry; (iii) changes in GAAP or regulatory accounting requirements applicable to banks or their holding companies generally; (iv) expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the MergersMerger including payments to be made pursuant to employment and severance agreements and the termination of other benefit plans; (v) changes attributable to or resulting from changes that are the result of factors generally affecting financial institutions including changes in interest rates; (vi) changes in general economic, market, political or regulatory conditions in the United States; (vii) a failure, in and of itself, to meet earnings projections or internal financial forecasts, but not including any underlying causes thereof, or changes in the trading price of AcquirorParent Common Stock, in and of itself, but not including any underlying causes thereof; (viii) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declared or undeclared acts of war or terrorism; or (ix) the impact of the announcement of this Agreement, the MergersMerger and the other transactions contemplated hereby;provided, that as to each of clauses (ii), (iii), (v), (vi) or (viii), such change, state of facts, circumstance, event or development does not have a disproportionate effect on AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub as compared to other financial institutions or their holding companies. AcquirorParent is duly registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. AcquirorParent has furnished or made available to Seller true and complete copies of the articles of incorporation and bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub as in effect on the date hereof.

(b)AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.1(b) lists the subsidiaries of Acquiror.Parent. Acquiror Sub is a bank association duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Mississippi. Acquiror Sub has the requisite corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in

A-28


good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have an Acquiror Material Adverse Effect.

(c) Each of Acquiror’s subsidiaries (other than Acquiror Sub, which is addressed in Section 4.1(b)), is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization. Each of such subsidiaries has the requisite corporate, limited liability company or trust power and authority, as applicable, to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have ana Parent Material Adverse Effect.

(c) Each of Parent’s subsidiaries (other than Acquiror, which is addressed in Section 4.1(b)), is duly incorporated or duly organized, as applicable to each subsidiary, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization. Each of such subsidiaries has the requisite corporate, limited liability company or trust power and authority, as applicable, to own or lease all of its properties and assets and to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the

properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.

(d) Other than as listed onAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.1(b) and Acquiror Sub’sAcquiror’s ownership of stock of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, AcquirorParent does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any capital stock, membership interest, partnership interest, joint venture interest or other equity interest in any other entity.

4.2Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of AcquirorParent consists of 75,000,000 shares of the AcquirorParent Common Stock, of which 31,538,86540,272,141 shares are issued and outstanding and 1,117,3011,019,904 shares are held in treasury as of the date hereof, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, of which no shares are issued and outstanding on the date hereof. The authorized capital stock of Acquiror Sub consists of 772,822 shares of Acquiror Sub Common Stock,common stock, $5.00 par value per share, all of which are issued and outstanding. All issued and outstanding shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock and all issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Acquiror Sub have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive rights, and there are no voting trusts, stockholder agreements, proxies or other agreements in effect with respect to Acquiror Common Stock or Acquiror Sub Common Stock. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other security of Acquiror has been issued in violation of any preemptive rights of the current or past stockholders of Acquiror.rights. All of the outstanding shares of Acquiror Sub Common Stock are owned by AcquirorParent free and clear of any liens, encumbrances, charges, restrictions or rights of third parties of any kind whatsoever. Except for stock options issued under Acquiror’sParent’s long-term incentive compensation plan (and any stock options issued under any similar plan assumed by AcquirorParent in connection with prior business combination transactions), neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub nor any of the other subsidiaries of either, has or is bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, rights, calls, commitments or agreements of any character calling for the transfer, purchase, redemption or issuance of any shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock or Acquiror Sub Common Stock or any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive any shares of such capital stock or any securities convertible into or representing the right to purchase or subscribe for any such stock. As of the date of this Agreement, no bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness having the right to vote on any matters on which Acquiror stockholdersParent shareholders may vote, nor any subordinated debt securities, are outstanding.

4.3Authority; No Violation.

(a) Subject to the approval of this AgreementParent and the transactions contemplated hereby by the stockholders of Acquiror and Acquiror Sub, Acquiror and Acquiror Sub have all requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Articles of Merger, Documents, as applicable, and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the Mergers,Merger, have been duly and validly approved by the unanimous vote of the board of directors of AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, and the board of directors of Acquiror has determined to recommend that the stockholders of Acquiror adopt and approve the Parent Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby. Except for the approval by Acquiror’s stockholders of this Agreement

A-29


and the transactions contemplated hereby, no other corporate proceedings on the part of Acquiror or Acquiror Sub are necessary to consummate the transactions so contemplated other than in the case of the Parent Merger, the filing of the Parent Merger Document as contemplated in Section 1.2.applicable. Except for the approval of Acquiror Sub’sAcquiror’s sole stockholdershareholder of this Agreement required under Mississippi law, the SubsidiaryArticles of Merger Document and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, no other corporate proceedings on the part of Parent or Acquiror Sub are necessary to consummate the transactions so contemplated other than in the case of the Subsidiary Merger, the filing of the SubsidiaryArticles of Merger Document as contemplated in Section 1.2. Subject to the receipt of the regulatory and other approvals described in this Agreement, this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents have been, or will be, duly and validly executed and delivered by AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, and constitute, or will constitute upon execution and delivery thereof, valid and binding obligations of AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, enforceable against AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, in accordance with and subject to their terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception.

(b) None of the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents by AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, nor the consummation by AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof nor compliance by AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub with any of the terms or provisions hereof or thereof, will (i) violate any provision of the articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub or any other subsidiary of Acquiror;Parent; (ii) assuming that the consents and approvals set forth in Section 4.3(c) are duly obtained, violate any (A) Law to which Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub or any of the other subsidiaries of AcquirorParent is subject or (B) any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction applicable to AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub or any of their respective properties or assets; or (iii) assuming the

consents and approvals set forth below are obtained, violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any provisions of, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, result in the termination of, accelerate the performance required by, require the payment of any termination or like fee, or result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or other encumbrance upon any of the respective properties or assets of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any agreements or contracts mentioned in Section 4.13 or any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, guarantee, deed of trust, license, lease, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub is a party, or by which any of their respective properties or assets may be bound or affected, except, with respect to (ii) and (iii) above, such as individually or in the aggregate will not have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect.

(c) Except for consents and approvals of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to the Secretary of State of the State of Mississippi, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, the MCB, the GDBF, the Commission, other applicable state and federal securities commissions, agencies and other similar regulatory bodies (including NASDAQ, FINRAthe Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other industry self-regulatory organizations), the FRB, the FDIC, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, the Mississippi Secretary of State, the Georgia Secretary of State, and the stockholderssole shareholder of Acquiror, and Acquiror Sub, and such other consents or approvals of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to any non-governmental third party which the failure to make or obtain, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect, no consents or approvals of or filings or effective registrations with or notices to any Governmental Entity or non-governmental third party are required on behalf of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub in connection with (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Articles of Merger Documents by AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, and (ii) the consummation by Acquiror of the Parent Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby and by the Parent Merger Document, and (iii) the consummation by Acquiror SubArticles of Merger. As of the Subsidiary Mergerdate of this Agreement, Parent and Acquiror has no Knowledge of any reason why any requisite regulatory approvals to be obtained by it (i) should not be granted on a timely basis or (ii) may be conditioned or restricted in any manner (including any requirement relating to the other transactions contemplated hereby and byraising of additional capital or the Subsidiary Merger Document.disposition of assets) which could cause a Parent Material Adverse Effect.

4.4Financial Statements.

(a) Each of the consolidated financial statements (including, in each case, any related notes thereto) contained in the AcquirorParent SEC Documents (as defined below) (the “AcquirorParent Financial Statements”): (i) complied as to form in all material respects with the published rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as of their respective dates; (ii) was prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent

A-30


basis throughout the periods involved (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto and, in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, as may be permitted by the Commission for quarterly reports onForm 10-Q); and (iii) fairly presented in all material respects the consolidated financial position of AcquirorParent and its consolidated subsidiaries at the respective dates thereof and the consolidated results of AcquirorParent operations and cash flows for the periods indicated therein, subject, in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, to normal and year-end audit adjustments as permitted by GAAP and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission.

(b) Except to the extent reflected, disclosed or reserved against in the AcquirorParent Financial Statements or immaterial liabilities incurred since September 30, 20142015 in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice (none of which arises from breach of any contract or agreement, breach of warranty, tort, infringement, violation of any applicable Law or any litigation or other proceeding or is otherwise a “loss contingency” within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 450, Contingencies), neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub has any obligation or liability, whether absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise, material to the business, results of operations, assets or financial condition of AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, taken individually or as a whole.

(c) Since December 31, 2011, (i) neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, any director, officer, employee, auditor, accountant or representative of it or any of its subsidiaries has received or otherwise had or obtained knowledge of any material complaint, allegation, assertion or claim, whether written or oral, regarding the accounting or auditing practices, procedures, methodologies or methods of AcquirorParent or any of

its subsidiaries or their respective internal accounting controls, including any material complaint, allegation, assertion or claim that AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries has engaged in questionable accounting or auditing practices, and (ii) no attorney representing AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries, whether or not employed by AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries, has reported evidence of a material violation of securities laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by AcquirorParent or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents to Acquiror’sParent’s board of directors or any committee thereof or to any of Acquiror’sParent’s directors or officers.

(d) Parent and Acquiror have maintained a system of “internal controls over financial reporting” (as defined in Rules 13(a)-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”)) sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and which includes policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of Parent and Acquiror, (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and that receipts and expenditures of Parent and Acquiror are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of Parent or Acquiror, as applicable, and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the assets of Parent or Acquiror that could have a material effect on the financial statements. Parent and Acquiror have devised and maintained “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13(a)-15(e) and 15d-15(d) of the 1934 Act) effective for ensuring that information Parent is required to disclose in reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. Parent has disclosed, based on its most recent evaluation, in the Parent SEC Documents and to its outside auditors and the audit committee of the Parent’s board of directors (x) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the 1934 Act) which are likely to adversely affect Parent’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and (y) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in Parent’s internal control over financial reporting.

4.5Absence of Certain Changes or Events. There has not been any adverse change in the business, results of operations, prospects, assets or financial condition of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub taken individually or as a whole since September 30, 20142015 that wouldcould reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub to perform their obligations hereunder other than: (i) any change in banking or similar Laws of general applicability to banks, savings institutions or their holding companies or interpretations thereof by Governmental Entities; (ii) changes in GAAP that are generally applicable to the banking or savings industries; (iii) reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby; and (iv) changes attributable to or resulting from changes in general economic conditions, including changes in the prevailing level of interest rates.

4.6Legal Proceedings. None of AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries is a party to any, and there are no pending or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitration or other proceedings, claims, actions or governmental investigations of any nature against AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, which, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. Neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction which, individually or in the aggregate, wouldcould reasonably be expected to have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect.

4.7Taxes and Tax Returns. Except, as to each statement below, where the inaccuracy of such statement would not result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect:

(a) Each of AcquirorParent and its subsidiaries has duly filed (and until the Effective Time will so file) all Returns required to be filed or sent by or with respect to them in respect of any Taxes and has duly paid (and until the Effective Time will so pay) all Taxes due and payable other than Taxes or other charges which (i) are being

contested in good faith and (ii) have not finally been determined. AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub have established (and until the Effective Time will establish) on their books and records reserves that are adequate for the payment

A-31


of all Taxes not yet due and payable, whether or not disputed or accrued, as applicable. Except as set forth inAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.7(a), (i) the federal income tax returns of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub have not been examined by the IRS (or are closed to examination due to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations), and (ii) the Mississippi franchise tax returns of AcquirorParent and Acquiror, Sub, as applicable, respectively, have not been examined by applicable authorities (or are closed to examination due to the expiration of the statute of limitations), and in the case of both (i) and (ii) no deficiencies were asserted as a result of such examinations which have not been resolved and paid in full. All Returns filed (and until the Effective Time to be filed) are or will be, as applicable, complete and accurate in all respects. There are no audits or other administrative or court proceedings presently pending nor any other disputes pending, or claims asserted in writing for, Taxes or assessments upon AcquirorParent or Acquiror, Sub, and no taxing authority has given written notice of the commencement of any audit, examination or deficiency action or made a claim in writing that AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub is required to file a Return in such taxing authority’s jurisdiction. There is no currently outstanding waiver, extension or comparable consents regarding the application of the statute of limitations with respect to any Taxes or Returns with respect to AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub.Acquiror.

(b) No liens for Taxes exist with respect to any of the assets or properties of AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries, except for liens for Taxes not yet due and payable.

4.8Securities Documents and Regulatory Reports.

(a) Since January 1, 2013, AcquirorParent has filed or furnished on a timely basis with the Commission all final registration statements, prospectuses, annual, quarterly or current reports and definitive proxy statements or other communications (other than general advertising materials), forms, reports, schedules, statements or other documents required to be filed or furnished by it pursuant to the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission (all such filed or furnished documents since January 1, 2013, together with all exhibits and schedules thereto and all information incorporated therein by reference, the “AcquirorParent SEC Documents”). As of the respective dates of their filing or being furnished (and, in the case of registration statements and proxy statements, as of the dates of their effectiveness and the dates of mailing, respectively), except to the extent that any AcquirorParent SEC Document has been amended or superseded by a subsequently filed AcquirorParent SEC Document prior to the date hereof, in which case, as of the date of such amended or superseded filing, each such final registration statement, prospectus, annual, quarterly or current report and definitive proxy statement or other communication, form, report, schedule statement or other document, as of its date, complied or, if not yet filed or furnished, will comply in all material respects with all Laws applicable to the AcquirorParent SEC Documents (including the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended) and did not, and any AcquirorParent SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission subsequent to the date of this Agreement will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;provided, that information as of a later date filed publicly prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date.

(b) Since January 1, 2011, Acquiror2012, Parent and Acquiror Sub have duly filed in correct form all monthly, quarterly and annual reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements, together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that they were required to file with the MCB, FDIC, the FRB and any other federal or state Governmental Entity having jurisdiction over AcquirorParent and/or Acquiror, Sub, other than the Commission, and have paid all fees and assessments due and payable in connection therewith, except where the failure to file (or furnish, as applicable) such monthly, quarterly and annual reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements, individually or in the aggregate, is not reasonably likely to have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. As of their filing date, each such report or other filing did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. To the extent not prohibited by Law, AcquirorParent has delivered or made available to Seller accurate and complete copies of such reports, forms,

correspondence, registrations and statements.AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.8

A-32


lists all examinations of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub conducted by the applicable bank regulatory authorities since January 1, 2013 and the dates of any responses submitted thereto. In connection with the most recent examinations of AcquirorParent or any of the subsidiaries by the applicable bank regulatory authorities, neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries was required to materially correct or change any action, procedure or proceeding which AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub believes has not been now corrected or changed as required. Other than its normal examinations, there is no proceeding, examination or investigation pending or, to the Knowledge of Seller,Parent or Acquiror, threatened by any Governmental Entity with respect to Acquiror’sParent’s or Acquiror Sub’sAcquiror’s business or operations.

4.9AcquirorParent Information. None of the information relating to AcquirorParent and its subsidiaries to be provided by AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus and/or in the Registration Statement or in any application, notification or other document to be filed with any Governmental Entity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, will, as of the date the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus is first mailed to Seller’s or Acquiror’s stockholdersshareholders or at the time of the Special Meetings,Meeting, or at the time the Registration Statement becomes effective under the 1933 Act or at the Effective Time, or at the time any such other application, notification or other document are so filed, as the case may be, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (except that this representation shall not apply to any information in the Joint Proxy Statement,Statement/Prospectus, the Registration Statement or such other applications, notifications or other documents supplied by Seller or Seller Sub for inclusion or incorporation by reference therein)inclusion), provided that information as of a later date shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date.

4.10Compliance with Applicable Law.

(a) Each of AcquirorParent and its subsidiaries has all permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals of, and has made all filings, applications and registrations with Governmental Entities that are required in order to permit it to carry on its business as it is presently being conducted and to own or lease its properties and assets, and all such permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals are in full force and effect, except for such failures to have such permits, licenses, certificates of authority, orders and approvals of, to make all filings, applications and registrations with Governmental Entities or to be in full force and effect which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. To the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, no suspension or cancellation of any of the same is threatened.

(b) Neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in material violation of (A) its respective articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) or any other governing instrument or (B) any Law of any Governmental Entity or (ii) in default with respect to any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction of any court or other Governmental Entity, except in the case of clauses (i)(A) and (ii) above, such violations or defaults which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. Neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice from any Governmental Entity asserting that AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any of the foregoing, except for such violations which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. Neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub is subject to any regulatory or supervisory cease and desist order, agreement, written directive, memorandum of understanding or written commitment (other than those of general applicability to all banks issued by Governmental Entities), and neither of them has received any written communication requesting that it enter into any of the foregoing, except for such cease and desist orders, agreements, written directives, memorandums of understanding or written commitments which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be likely to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. Neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub participated in the United States Department of the Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program or its Community Development Capital Initiative.

(c) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, each of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub is in material compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and all regulations promulgated thereunder and

A-33


and has timely and properly filed and maintained in all material respects all requisite Currency Transaction Reports and Suspicious Activity Reports and has properly monitored transaction activity (including, but not limited to, wire transfers). In addition, each of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub is in material compliance with the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act, the GLB Act Privacy Provisions, Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation, Bank Protection Act, all applicable Financial Crimes Enforcement Network requirements and all other related laws. AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub have neither had nor suspected any material incidents of fraud or defalcation during the last two years.

4.11Employee Benefit Plans.

(a) Each employee benefit plan, arrangement, or commitment of AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries which is an “employee benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, is listed inAcquiror Disclosure Schedule 4.11(a), and each bonus, deferred compensation, pension (including an “employee pension benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA) (“(“AcquirorParent Pension Plan”Plan), retirement, profit-sharing, thrift, savings, employee stock ownership, stock bonus, stock purchase, restricted stock and stock option plan and all other material fringe benefits, employee benefit plans, practices, arrangements or commitments under which either AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries has an existing or future liability that cover current or former officers or employees or directors of AcquirorParent and any of the Subsidiaries,subsidiaries, whether individually or in the aggregate or by group or class, whether written or unwritten, qualified or non-qualified are listed inAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.11(a) (the “AcquirorParent Plans”). AcquirorParent has furnished to Seller true and complete copies or descriptions of each AcquirorParent Plan together, if applicable, with (i) all amendments, supplements, funding arrangements, policies, or other related documents thereto, (ii) the most recent summary plan description for each such AcquirorParent Plan for which a summary plan description is required, (iii) any applicable trust agreement, (iv) the most recent actuarial (to the extent applicable) and financial reports prepared with respect to any AcquirorParent Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code (“Qualified AcquirorParent Plan”), (v) the three most recent annual reports filed with any Governmental Entity, including all schedules thereto, (vi) the most recent determination letter or ruling, if any, issued by the IRS with respect to any Qualified AcquirorParent Plan and a description of any open requests for rulings, statements or letters that pertain to any such Qualified AcquirorParent Plan, (vii) all registration statements filed with the Commission with respect to any of the AcquirorParent Plans, and (viii) any material written communications within the past six plan years to or from the IRS or any Governmental Entity with respect to any AcquirorParent Plan.

(b) Except as disclosed inAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.11(b): (i) each AcquirorParent Plan has been operated in compliance with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code, all regulations, rulings and announcements promulgated or issued thereunder, and all other applicable governmental Laws, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1994, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, except for such instances of non-compliance that, either individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result in an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect; (ii) at all times after December 31, 2004, each AcquirorParent Plan that constitutes a nonqualified plan of “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code has been operated in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of Section 409A of the Code and each AcquirorParent Plan has been timely amended to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of such section; (iii) each Qualified AcquirorParent Plan has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS or is entitled to rely upon a letter issued to a prototype sponsor or volume submitter sponsor covering all required Tax Law provisions or has applied to the IRS for such favorable determination letter within the applicable remedial amendment period under Section 401(b) of the Code and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, no fact or event has occurred since the date of such letter that could reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect the qualified status of any Qualified AcquirorParent Plan; (iv) neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has any liability to the IRS with respect to any AcquirorParent Plan, including any liability imposed by Chapter 43 of the Code, and no amount or any asset of any AcquirorParent Plan is subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income; (v) as of

A-34


the date hereof, there is no pending or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, threatened claim, administrative proceeding or litigation relating to any AcquirorParent Plan except claims for benefits arising in the ordinary course of the administration of such

plans; (vi) neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has engaged in a transaction with respect to any AcquirorParent Plan subject to ERISA that could reasonably be expected to subject AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries to a Tax or penalty imposed by either Section 4975 of the Code or Sections 502(i) and 4071 of ERISA; and (vii) neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has contributed to or been obligated to contribute to any “multi-employer plan” within the meaning of Section 3(37) of ERISA or a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” within the meaning of Section 3(40) of ERISA, regardless of whether based on contributions of an ERISA Affiliate. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “ERISA Affiliate” shall mean any entity, which together with Seller or Acquiror,Parent, as applicable, would be treated as a single employer under Code Section 414 or ERISA Section 4001(b).

(c) All contributions required to be made by AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries under the terms of any of their AcquirorParent Plans, as of the date hereof, have been timely made, and all obligations and liabilities under such AcquirorParent Plans that have accrued but are not due have been reflected in accordance with GAAP on their financial statements referred to in Section 3.4. No AcquirorParent Pension Plan has an “accumulated funding deficiency” (whether or not waived) within the meaning of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA and neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has an outstanding funding waiver. Neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has provided, or is required to provide, security to any AcquirorParent Pension Plan pursuant to Section 401(a)(29) of the Code, and no such plan is or has been subject to any limitation on accelerated distributions or amendments under Section 436 of the Code.

(d) There has been no amendment to, announcement by AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries relating to, or change in employee participation or coverage under, any AcquirorParent Plan which would materially increase the expense of maintaining such AcquirorParent Plan above the level of the expense incurred therefor for the most recent fiscal year. Except as set forth onAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.11(e), neither the execution of this Agreement, approval of this Agreement by the stockholderssole shareholder of Acquiror or Acquiror Sub nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (individually or in conjunction with any other event) will (i) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or result in any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) of compensation or benefits or increase in the amounts payable or result in any other material obligation pursuant to any AcquirorParent Plan; (ii) limit or restrict their right or, after the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the right of Employer (as defined in Section 5.13(a)(i)) to merge, amend or terminate any AcquirorParent Plan; (iii) entitle any Employee to severance pay or any increase in severance pay upon any termination of employment after the date hereof; or (iv) cause AcquirorParent or any of its subsidiaries to record additional compensation expense on their income statements with respect to any outstanding stock option or other equity-based award.

4.12Deposit Insurance and Other Regulatory Matters. The deposit accounts of Acquiror Sub are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent permitted by the FDIA, and Acquiror Sub has paid when due all premiums and assessments required by the FDIA and the regulations thereunder. No action, suit or proceeding is pending or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror,Parent, has been threatened by the FDIC against AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub with respect to the termination of such insurance. Acquiror Sub has complied in all material respects with any agreements or commitments entered into or made by Acquiror Sub in connection with obtaining “brokered” deposits (as such term is defined in 12 C.F.R. § 337.6(a)(2)).

4.13Material Contracts; Other Agreements. Neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub is in default under any contract filed as an exhibit to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013,2014, or its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31 or June 30, or September 30, 2014,2015, other than defaults which would not reasonably be likely to result in, individually or in the aggregate, an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect. Acquiror Sub is in material compliance with all reporting, recordkeeping, audit and other requirements under all purchase and assumption agreements, commercial shared-loss agreements, and/or loss share arrangements with the FDIC and all agreements and arrangements with respect to loss sharing thereunder are enforceable against the FDIC in accordance with their respective terms (subject to the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception).

A-35


4.14NASDAQ. AcquirorParent is in compliance in all material respects with the rules, regulations and policies of NASDAQ applicable to Acquiror.Parent.

4.15Broker Fees. Except as set forth inAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 4.15, neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of their respective directors or officers has employed any consultant, broker or finder or incurred any liability for any consultant’s, broker’s or finder’s fees or commissions in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

4.16Tax and Regulatory Matters. Neither AcquirorParent nor any of its subsidiaries has taken or agreed to take any action which would or could reasonably be expected to (i) cause the Parent Merger not to constitute a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code or (ii) materially impede or delay receipt of any consents of regulatory authorities referred to in Section 5.7 or result in failure of the condition in Section 7.1(c).

4.17Regulatory Capital; Community Reinvestment Act. Acquiror Sub is, and on the Closing Date, Acquiror Sub will be, “well capitalized” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the FDIC, and on the date hereof, Acquiror is, and on the Closing Date, Acquiror will be, “well capitalized” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the FDIC, and on the date hereof, Parent is, and on the Closing Date, Parent will be, “well capitalized” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the FRB. To the Knowledge of Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub is in material compliance with all applicable provisions of the CRA and has received a CRA rating of “Satisfactory” in its most recent exam under the CRA. As of the date hereof, Parent and Acquiror have no Knowledge of the existence of any fact or circumstance or set of facts or circumstances that could be reasonably expected to result in Acquiror failing to be “well capitalized” or having its CRA rating lowered within the next twelve (12) months.

4.18AcquirorParent Shares. The shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock to be issued to pay the aggregate Merger Consideration pursuant to this Agreement (i) will have been duly authorized by the Effective Time, and (ii) when issued in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be (A) validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, (B) free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, charges, restrictions or rights of third parties of any kind whatsoever, excluding restrictions under the 1933 Act, (C) issued in material compliance with all applicable securities Laws, and (D) in addition, such issuances shall not be subject to any preemptive right of stockholdersshareholders of AcquirorParent or to any right of stockholdersshareholders of AcquirorParent or to any right of first refusal or other right in favor of any person which has not been observed or waived.

4.19Opinion. Prior to the execution of this Agreement, the board of directors of AcquirorParent has received the oral opinion (to be confirmed in writing) of its financial advisor, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., to the effect that, as of the date thereof and based upon and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth therein, the Merger Consideration is fair, from a financial point of view, to Acquiror. AcquirorParent. Parent shall furnish an accurate and complete copy of such opinion to Seller, solely for informational purposes, as promptly as practicable following the execution of this Agreement. Such opinion has not been amended or rescinded as of the date of this Agreement.

4.20No Parent Vote Required. The onlyNo vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of AcquirorParent is necessary or required in order to adopt this Agreement or approve the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger.

4.21No Financing. Parent Merger, is the adoption of this Agreement by the holders of a majorityhas and will have as of the outstanding sharesEffective Time, without having to resort to external sources, sufficient capital to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. For the avoidance of Acquiror Common Stock entitleddoubt, prior to vote onEffective Time, Parent may from time to time resort to external sources to raise equity or debt capital, which shall not be deemed to be a breach of the representation and warranty set forth in this Section 4.21 except where the purpose of such matter (the “Acquiror Stockholder Approval”).financing is to raise capital to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

ARTICLE V

COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES

5.1Conduct of the Business of Seller and Seller Sub.

(a) During the period from the date hereof to the Effective Time, except as expressly permitted by this Article V, Seller and Seller Sub shall and shall cause the other Subsidiaries to, conduct its and their businessesbusiness only in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice and

prudent banking practice or as required hereunder, except with the prior written consent of Acquiror,Parent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.delayed;provided,however, if Parent shall not have disapproved of Seller’s request in writing (Parent’s receipt of which has been confirmed by telephone) within three (3) Business Days upon receipt of such written request from Seller, andthen such request shall be deemed to be approved by Parent. Seller Sub shall use their bestits commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past practices to

A-36


(i) maintain and preserve intact theirits business organization, theirits rights, franchises and other authorizations issued by Governmental Entities and theirits current relationships with customers, regulators, employees and other persons with which they haveit has business or other relationships; and (ii) take no action that is intended to or would reasonably be expected to adversely affect or materially delay the ability of any of the parties to obtain any necessary approvals of any Governmental Entity required for the transactions contemplated hereby or to perform its covenants and agreements under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.relationships. During the period from the date hereof to the Effective Time, Seller shall provide AcquirorParent with a true and complete copy of any agreement by Seller or Seller Sub to indemnify and/or hold harmless any director, officer, employee or agent of Seller, or Seller Sub, except to the extent required under the mandatory provisions of the articles of organization or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of Seller or Seller Sub, as applicable, or under applicable Law, promptly (but in no event more than five days) after the date Seller executes any such agreement.

(b) Seller and Seller Sub agreeagrees to promptly notify AcquirorParent and Acquiror Subas promptly as practicable if after the date hereof Seller or Seller Sub makes or acquires any loan or issues a commitment (or renews or extends an existing commitment) for any loan relationship having total credit exposure to the applicable borrower (and its affiliates), as calculated for applicable loan-to-one borrower regulatory limitations, in excess of $2,000,000, or amends, renews, restructures or modifies in any material respect any existing loan relationship, that would result in total credit exposure to the applicable borrower (and its affiliates), as calculated for applicable loan-to-one borrower regulatory limitations, in excess of $2,000,000.

(c) The declaration of the last quarterly dividend by Seller prior to the Effective Time and the payment thereof shall be coordinated with AcquirorParent so that holders of Seller Common Stock do not receive dividends on both Seller Common Stock and AcquirorParent Common Stock received in the Parent Merger in respect of such quarter.

(d) Notwithstanding anything contained in Sections 5.1 and 5.2, Seller shall be permitted to take any and all actions necessary to effectuate the integration of Alarion Financial Services, Inc. into Seller, including, but not limited to, the conversion of Alarion Bank customers and depositors with and into Seller Sub. Seller shall keep Acquiror reasonably apprised of the actions to be taken in connection with such integration. In addition, Seller shall keep Acquiror reasonably apprised of the actions to be taken in connection with the integration of the loans, deposits and branch acquired from The PrivateBank and Trust Company into Seller.

5.2Negative Covenants of Seller and Seller Sub. Seller and Seller Sub agreeagrees that from the date hereof to the Effective Time, except with respect to all reasonable transfers, expenses, indebtedness, grants, contracts or any transactions reasonably necessary to effectuate the opening of a branch in Marietta, Georgia and consistent with Seller’s past practices in opening branches, and as otherwise approved in advance by AcquirorParent in writing, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, or as permitted or required by this Agreement, each of Seller and Seller Sub will not, and shall not permit any other Subsidiary to:not:

 

 (i)change any provision of the articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational document) or other governing instrument of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries;Seller;

 

 (ii)as to each of Seller and the Subsidiaries, except for the issuance of Seller Common Stock pursuant to the present terms of the outstanding Seller Stock Options, Seller Plans and Seller Warrants, (A) change the number of shares of its authorized or issued capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, (B) issue or grant (or commit to issue or grant) any shares of its capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or any option, warrant, call, commitment, subscription, award, right to purchase or agreement of any character relating to its authorized or issued capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, any security convertible into shares of such capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or any stock or equity appreciation right, restricted unit or other equity-based compensation, (C) split, combine or reclassify any shares of its capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, (D) redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of its capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, or (E) enter into any agreement, undertaking or arrangement with respect to the sale or voting of its capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable;

 

A-37


 (iii)

(A) create or incur any indebtedness for borrowed money (other than acceptance of deposits, purchases of Federal funds, short-term Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings, sales of certificates of deposit, issuances of commercial paper and entering into repurchase agreements, each in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, including with respect to prices, terms and conditions;provided, that Seller Sub shall not accept any additional brokered deposits (other than Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Services products with terms to maturity not in excess of 120 days)deposits; or (B) assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for the obligations of any other

individual, corporation or other entity, except, in the case of this clause (B), in connection with presentation of items for collection (e.g., personal or business checks) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

 

 (iv)set any record or payment dates for the payment of any dividends or other distributions on its capital stock or other equity interests, or declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, stock or property or any combination thereof) in respect of the capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable, of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries, other than (A) dividends from a wholly-owned Subsidiary to Seller or another wholly-owned Subsidiary of Seller, or (B) regular quarterly cash dividends on Seller Common Stock not in excess of $0.07$0.03 per share per quarter with record and payment dates consistent with past practice;provided, that no quarterly dividend shall be declared with respect to the quarter in which the Effective Time is expected to occur unless the Effective Time is anticipated to be after the record date for such dividend;

 

 (v)except as required under applicable Laws, or as set forth onSchedule 5.2(v), (A) alter or amend the terms of any Seller Plans existing as of the date hereof unless necessary to continue the coverage (in increments of no longer than one year) of the expiring insurance policies set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(d) on substantially the same terms and conditions as the applicable expiring policy, (B) enter into, adopt or terminate, or agree to enter into, adopt or terminate, any employee benefit plan, program or policy for the benefit or welfare of any current or former employee, officer, director or consultant of Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, (C) amend any employee benefit plan, program or policy for the benefit or welfare of any current or former employee, officer, director or consultant of Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries in a manner that would result in any increase in cost, (D) except as contemplated by this Agreement, grant or accelerate the vesting of any equity-based awards for the benefit of any such individual, (E) enter into any new, amend or commence participation in any existing collective bargaining agreement or similar agreement with respect to Seller, or any of the Subsidiaries, or (F) cause the funding of any rabbi trust or similar arrangement or take any action to fund or in any other way secure the payment of compensation or benefits under any Seller Plans;

 

 (vi)(A) except pursuant to contracts listed onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a), grant any severance, termination pay or other benefit payable under the occurrence of a change in control (except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 5.2(vi)(A)upon termination or pursuant to contracts listed onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a)), to,separation from employment, or enter into or amend any employment, consulting, compensation or compensationretention agreement with, any of its directors, officers, employees or consultants, (B) except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 5.2(vi)(B), award any increase in compensation or benefits to its directors, officers, employees or consultants other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices,provided, that no individual increase in compensation shall exceed 3.0% of the directors’, officers’, employees’ or consultants’ compensation prior to the increase, even if consistent with past practices, (C) hire, transfer, promote or terminate the employment of any employee of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries who has a base annual compensation of $75,000$60,000 or more or (D) pay any bonus of any kind or amount to any director, officer, employee or consultant other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice (which, for purposes of this Agreement, shall include payment of annual bonuses for calendar year 2014);practice;

 

 (vii)

sell, lease, transfer, mortgage, encumber or otherwise dispose of any properties or other assets except (A) subject to Section 5.2(xvi), sales of loans, loan participations and sales of investment securities in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice to third parties who are not affiliates

A-38


of Seller, Sub, (B) as expressly required by contracts or agreements set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a), or (C) sales of other real estate owned in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice to third parties who are not affiliates of Seller Sub;Seller;provided, that, for the avoidance of doubt, the parties agree that any sale of a loan for an amount less than 90% of its carrying value (as determined in accordance with GAAP and applicable Law), or any sale of other real estate owned for an amount less than 90% of its appraised value shall not, in either case, be considered a sale in the ordinary course of business, or (D) transfers of any motor vehicles owned by Seller or Seller Sub as of October 31, 2014 to employees of Seller or Seller Sub;business;

 

 (viii)pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than, subject to Section 5.2(xxi), in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice;

 (ix)make, or commit to make, any capital expenditures in excess of $150,000$100,000 in the aggregate, other than pursuant to binding commitments existing on the date hereof and expenditures necessary to maintain existing assets in good repair;

 

 (x)permit the commencement of any construction of new structures or facilities upon, or purchase or lease, any real property in respect of any branch or other facility, or file any application, or otherwise take any action, to establish, relocate or terminate the operation of any banking office of Seller or Seller Sub;Seller;

 

 (xi)other than changes required by GAAP as concurred in by Seller’s independent accountants, (A) make any change in its accounting methods or practices or systems of internal accounting controls (or the manner in which liabilities are accrued), (B) revalue in any material respect any of its assets, including writing-off notes or accounts receivable or (C) change any of its methods of reporting income and deductions for federal income tax purposes, except as required by changes in Law;

 

 (xii)except as may be required by applicable Laws or by the FDIC or other Governmental Entity, enter into any new line of business or change in any material respect any lending, deposit, investment, underwriting, risk and asset liability management, interest rate or fee pricing with respect to loans or depository accounts (or waive any material fees with respect thereto), hedging and other material banking and operating policies or practices, including policies and practices with respect to underwriting, pricing, originating, acquiring, selling, servicing, or buying or selling rights to service, loans;

 

 (xiii)make, change or revoke any material Tax election, change an annual Tax accounting period or adopt or change any Tax accounting method, file any amended Tax Return or settle or compromise any Tax claim, audit, assessment or dispute or surrender any right to claim a refund of Taxes;

 

 (xiv)engage in any transaction with an “affiliate,” as defined in Section 3.18, other than in the ordinary course of Seller Sub’sSeller’s business and in compliance with Regulation O;

 

 (xv)enter into any leveraged arbitrage programs, any futures contract, option or other agreement, or take any action for purposes of hedging the exposure of its interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities to changes in market rates of interest;

 

 (xvi)(A) materially restructure or materially change its investment securities portfolio, through purchases, sales or otherwise, or the manner in which the portfolio is classified or reported, (B) invest in any mortgage-backed or mortgage related securities which would be considered “high-risk” securities under applicable pronouncements of the FDIC or other Governmental Entities or (C) purchase or otherwise acquire any debt security with a remaining term as of the date of such purchase or acquisition of greater than 5 years for Seller or Seller Sub’sSeller’s own account;

 

 (xvii)knowingly take any action that is intendedor knowingly fail to ortake any action which would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or delay the ability of Seller to perform its covenants and agreements on a timely basis under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(xviii)knowingly take any action or knowingly fail to take any action that could reasonably be expected to result in any of the conditions set forthits representations and warranties contained in Article VIIII not being satisfiedtrue and correct in any material respect at the Effective Time;

(xix)knowingly take any action which would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or materially delay the consummationability of Seller or Parent to obtain any necessary approvals, consents or waivers of any Governmental Entity required for the transactions contemplated hereby exceptor which could reasonably be expected to result in every case, as may be required by applicable Law;any such approvals, consents or waivers containing any condition or restriction that would materially impair the value of the transaction to Parent;

 

A-39


 (xviii)(xx)except as set forth onSeller Disclosure Schedule 5.2(xviii),

(A) acquire direct or indirect control over any business or other entity, whether by stock purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, including the incorporation or organization of any subsidiary, or

(B) make any other investment either by purchase of stock or securities, contributions to capital, property transfers or purchase of any property or assets of any other person or entity, except, in either instance, in connection with a foreclosure of collateral or conveyance of such collateral in lieu of foreclosure taken in connection with collection of a loan in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and with respect to loans made to third parties who are not affiliates of Seller Sub;Seller;

 

 (xix)(xxi)(A) settle any claim, action or proceeding other than claims, actions or proceedings in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice involving solely money damages not in excess of $75,000 individually or $150,000 in the aggregate, (excluding in connection with a loan that is a covered asset under a Shared-Loss Agreement), or waive, compromise, assign, cancel or release any material rights or claims or (B) agree or consent to the issuance of any judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction restricting or otherwise affecting its business or operations; or

 

 (xx)(xxii)agree to, or make any commitment to, take, or adopt any resolutions of board of directors (or comparable governing body) of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries in support of, any of the actions prohibited by this Section 5.2.

5.3No Solicitation.

(a) NeitherUpon the execution of this Agreement, Seller nor Seller Sub shall, norand shall Seller or Seller Sub authorize or permit any other Subsidiary or any of their respectivecause its affiliates, directors, managers, trustees, officers, or employees, oragents and representatives (including any investment banker, financial advisor, attorney, accountant or other representative retained by Seller (each, a “Seller Representative”) to, immediately cease and cause to be terminated all discussions and negotiations, if any, that have taken place prior to the date hereof with any persons or that may be ongoing with respect to any Acquisition Proposal (as defined below). Upon request by Parent, Seller shall request the return and destruction of all confidential information provided to any such person. In addition, Seller shall not release any third party from, or waive any provisions of, any confidentiality or standstill agreements to which it is a party with respect to any Acquisition Proposal. Except as otherwise provided below, from the date of this Agreement through the Effective Time, Seller Subshall not, and shall not authorize or permit any Seller Representative to, directly or indirectly through another person, (i) solicit, initiate, or holdknowingly facilitate or encourage (including by way of furnishing information or assistance), or take any other action designed to solicit, initiate, knowingly facilitate or encourage any inquiries or the making of any proposal that constitutes, or is reasonably likely to lead to, any Acquisition Proposal, (ii) participate in any discussions, negotiations or negotiations with,other communications regarding any Acquisition Proposal or (iii) provide any confidential or nonpublic information or data to any person entity or group (other than Acquiror or Acquiror Sub) concerning anyrelating to an Acquisition Transaction;Proposal;provided,however, that nothing contained in this Agreement shall prevent Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub) ornotwithstanding the foregoing, Seller’s board of directors of Sellermay, prior to receiptthe Special Meeting (but not after), take any of Seller Stockholder Approval from (i) participatingthe actions described in discussions with a person regardingSection 5.3(ii) or (iii) in response to an unsolicitedbona fide written proposalAcquisition Proposal by such person made after the date of this Agreement that Seller’s board of directors concludes in good faith constitutes or is reasonably likely to engageresult in ana Superior Proposal and Seller’s board of directors concludes in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel and its financial advisor (as to financial matters), that failure to take such actions would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law and subject to compliance with the other terms of this Section 5.3;provided,further, that, prior to providing any nonpublic information permitted to be provided pursuant to the foregoing proviso, Seller shall have provided both notice to Parent and Acquiror of its intention to provide such information to the third party as well as to Parent and Acquiror (if not previously provided to Parent and Acquiror), and Seller shall have entered into a confidentiality agreement with such third party on customary terms and conditions (including customary non-disclosure, confidentiality, standstill and non-solicitation and no-hire provisions and not including any provisions giving such person any exclusive right to negotiate with Seller or prohibiting disclosure to Acquiror of the terms and conditions of any Acquisition Transaction (anProposal). Seller agrees that it will take the necessary steps to inform the Seller Representatives of the obligations undertaken in this Section 5.3.

For purposes of this Agreement, the termAcquisition Proposal) solely means any inquiry, proposal or offer, filing of any regulatory application or notice (whether in draft or final form) to clarifydo any of the termsforegoing from any person relating to any (i) direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of sucha business that constitutes a substantial portion of the net revenues, net income or assets of Seller, (ii) direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of any

class of equity securities representing 20% or more of the voting power of any class of equity securities of Seller or 20% or more of the assets of Seller, (iii) tender offer or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any person beneficially owning 20% or more of the voting power of any class of equity securities of Seller, or (iv) merger, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, reorganization, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction involving Seller, in each case other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Superior Proposal” means a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal (ii) providing information in response to an Acquisition Proposal upon the execution of a confidentiality agreement by such person on customary terms and conditions; (iii) engaging in any negotiations or discussions with any person who has made an Acquisition Proposal; (iv) failing to make the Seller Recommendation, making a Change to the Seller Recommendation or failing to call or convene the Special Meeting of Seller’s stockholders (as defined below); or (v) recommending such Acquisition Proposal to the stockholders of Seller, if and only to the extent that in each such case referred to in clause (iii), (iv) or (v) above, (A) Seller’s board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel and its financial advisor, that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the board of directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law and (B) Seller’s board of directors determines,concludes in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel and its financial advisor, taking into account the likelihood of consummation of such transaction on the terms set forth therein and all legal, financial, regulatory and regulatoryother aspects of such Acquisition Proposal and the person making such Acquisition Proposal (including any applicable termination fees)fees, expense reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation) that theSeller’s board of directors deems relevant, that the Acquisition Proposal(i) is more favorable to the Seller’s stockholdersshareholders of Seller from a financial point of view than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (ii) is reasonably likelycapable of being completed on the terms proposed;provided that, for purposes of this definition of Superior Proposal, the term Acquisition Proposal shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the paragraph immediately above except that the reference to “20% or more” in the definition of Acquisition Proposal shall be deemed to be consummated. An Acquisition Proposal which is received and considered by Seller in compliance with this Section 5.3 and which meets the requirements set forth in clauses (A) and (B) of the preceding sentence is herein referreda reference to as a “Superior Proposal“50% or more..

(b) Seller shall communicate tonotify Parent and Acquiror in writing (the “Notice”) as promptly as practicable (and in no event more than 48 hourshours) after receipt or determination (as applicable)) (i) the terms of any Acquisition Proposal, any request for nonpublic information relating to Seller that could reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal, or any inquiry from any person seeking to have discussions, negotiations or other communications relating to a possible Acquisition Proposal. Such notice shall be made orally and confirmed in writing and shall provide Acquiror with copiesindicate the identity of allthe person making the Acquisition Proposal, inquiry or request and the material terms and conditions of any inquiries, requests, proposals or offers (including a copy of such Acquisition Proposals (and copiesProposal if in writing and any related documentation or correspondence), except to the extent that such material both constitutes confidential information of the third party making such Acquisition Proposal under an effective confidentiality agreement and is not related to the terms and conditions of such Acquisition Proposal. Seller agrees that it shall keep Parent and Acquiror informed, on a reasonably current basis, of the status and terms of any othersuch proposal, offer, information providedrequest, negotiations or discussions (including any amendments or modifications to such proposal, offer or request).

(c) Except as expressly permitted by this Section 5.3, and after compliance with this Agreement, neither the board of directors of Seller nor any committee thereof shall (i) withhold, withdraw, amend, modify or qualify (or propose publicly to withhold, withdraw, amend, modify or qualify), in a manner adverse in any respect to the person that madeinterests of Parent, the Seller Recommendation (as defined in Section 5.8(b)) or take any action or make any statement in connection with the Special Meeting inconsistent with such approval or the Seller Recommendation or (ii) approve or recommend (or propose publicly to approve or recommend) any Acquisition Proposal)Proposal (either (i) or (ii), a “Change in the Seller Recommendation”). Except as expressly permitted by this Section 5.3, and (ii) that it has determinedafter compliance with this Agreement, Seller shall not, and Seller’s board of directors or any committee thereof shall not cause Seller to, makeenter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement, merger agreement or other similar agreement (other than a confidentiality agreement referred to in Section 5.3(a) and in compliance with the terms thereof) relating to any Acquisition Transaction (each, a “Seller Acquisition Agreement”). For purposes of this Agreement, a Change in the Seller Recommendation (as defined below).

For purposes of this Agreement, “Acquisition Transaction” meansshall include any offer or proposalfailure by a person or entity other than Acquiror or Acquiror Sub for (i) a merger, tender offer, recapitalization or consolidation, or any similar transaction, involving Seller or Seller Sub; (ii) a purchase, lease or other acquisition or assumption of all or substantially all of the assets of Seller or Seller Sub; (iii) a purchase or other acquisition (including by way of

A-40


merger, consolidation, share exchange or otherwise) of beneficial ownership (the term “beneficial ownership” for purposes of this Agreement having the meaning assigned thereto in Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder) of securities representing 51% or more of the voting power of Seller; or (iv) any substantially similar transaction.

(b) During the six Business Days immediately following Acquiror’s receipt of the Notice (the “Notice Period”), Seller shall, and shall cause its financial advisors and outside legal counsel to, negotiate with Acquiror in good faith during the Notice Period (to the extent Acquiror desires to negotiate) to enable Acquiror to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement that obviate the need of Seller’s board of directors to makerecommend against an Acquisition Proposal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time prior to, but not after, obtaining the Seller Shareholder Approval the board of directors of Seller (including any committee thereof) may effect a Change in the Seller Recommendation or(and, in the event that the board of directors of Seller determines such Acquisition Proposal to be a Superior Proposal in accordance with this Section 5.3, terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 7.1(e), includingArticle 7 hereof in the case oforder to concurrently enter into a Superior Proposal, by proposing such terms so asSeller Acquisition Agreement with respect to make such Superior Proposal no longer a Superior Proposal. Promptly followingProposal), if the end of the Notice Period, Seller’s board of directors shall have consideredof Seller determines in good faith, any changes to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Acquiror and any other information provided by Acquiror and shall have determined (afterafter consultation with outside legal counsel and its financial advisors and outside legal counsel) whether or not, if such changes(as to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Acquiror were to be given effect,financial matters), that the failure to make a Change in the Seller Recommendation or terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 7.1(e)do so would be inconsistent with the directors’

fiduciary duties under applicable LawLaw;provided,however, that Seller may not take any such actions unless (y) Seller shall have complied in all respects with this Section 5.3 and whether or not such Acquisition Proposal continues to constitute a Superior Proposal. Section 5.8 and (z):

(i)within three Business Days after notice to Parent and Acquiror of receipt of an Acquisition Proposal, Seller’s board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel and its financial advisor (as to financial matters), that such Acquisition Proposal is a Superior Proposal and such Superior Proposal has been made and has not been withdrawn and continues to be a Superior Proposal after taking into account all adjustments to the terms of this Agreement that may be offered by Parent and Acquiror under this Section 5.3(c);

(ii)Seller has given each of Parent and Acquiror at least six Business Days’ prior written notice of its intention to take such action (which notice shall specify the material terms and conditions of any such Superior Proposal (including the identity of the party making such Superior Proposal)) and has contemporaneously provided an unredacted copy of the relevant proposed transaction agreements with the person making such Superior Proposal;

(iii)Before effecting such Change in the Seller Recommendation, Seller has negotiated, and has caused Seller Representatives to negotiate, in good faith with Parent and Acquiror during such notice period, to the extent Parent or Acquiror wishes to negotiate, to enable Parent or Acquiror to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement that obviate the need of Seller’s board of directors to make a Change in the Seller Recommendation, including in the case of a Superior Proposal, by proposing such terms so as to make such Superior Proposal no longer a Superior Proposal; and

(iv)Seller’s board of directors, following the final of such six (or three, as applicable) Business Day period (as described below) again determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel and with its financial advisor (as to financial matters) and having considered in good faith any changes to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Parent and any other information provided by Parent, that such Acquisition Proposal nonetheless continues to constitute a Superior Proposal and that the failure to make a Change in the Seller Recommendation would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law.

If during the Notice Periodsuch six Business Day period there are any material modifications to the financial terms (including any modifications to the form, amount or timing of payment of consideration) or any other material terms of any Superior Proposal, Seller shall, in each case, have delivereddeliver to Parent and Acquiror an additional notice consistent with that described in Section 5.3(a) andas reasonably necessary a new Notice Period under this paragraphwritten notice, the notice period shall commence, during which timehave recommenced and Seller shall be required to comply with the requirements ofits obligations under this Section 5.3(b) anew5.3(c) with respect to such additionalnew written notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a notice required under this Section 5.3(b) (in connection with a termination pursuant to Section 7.1(e)) relates to a Superior Proposal for which the requisite notice or additional notice has been given pursuant to this Section 5.3(b) (in connection with a Change in the Seller Recommendation), no new or additional notice or Notice Period will be required for such termination pursuant to Section 7.1(e). During the Notice Period,applicable notice period, Seller and Seller Sub shall not terminate this Agreement unless Seller receives written notice from AcquirorParent that it does not intend to enter into negotiations with Seller during the Notice Period to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement to match or better a Superior Proposal. If Acquiror does not notify

(d) Subject to Section 7.1(e) (and in that case, only if Seller ofshall have complied with its election by the seventh day after Acquiror’s receipt of the Notice, Seller may terminate this Agreement and proceed with the Superior Proposal as provided in this Agreement.

(c) Except as expressly permitted byobligations under this Section 5.3 and Section 5.8, neither the board of directors of Seller nor any committee thereof shall (i) withdraw, modify or qualify, or propose publicly to withdraw, modify or qualify,5.8), nothing in a manner adverse to Acquiror, the Seller Recommendation (as defined below) or take any action or make any statement in connection with the Special Meeting of Seller inconsistent with such approval or the Seller Recommendation (collectively, a “Change in the Seller Recommendation”); (ii) approve or recommend, or propose publicly to approve or recommend, any Acquisition Proposal; or (iii) cause Seller to enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement or other similar agreement (each, a “Seller Acquisition Agreement”) related to any Acquisition Transaction. For purposes of this Agreement, a Change in the Seller Recommendation shall include any approval or recommendation (or public proposal to approve or recommend), by Seller’s board of directors of an Acquisition Proposal, or any failure by Seller’s board of directors to recommend against an Acquisition Proposal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the board of directors of Seller (including any committee thereof) may, at any time prior to obtaining the Seller Stockholder Approval, effect a Change in the Seller Recommendation (and in the event that the board of directors of Seller determines such Acquisition Proposal to be a Superior Proposal, in accordance with this Section 5.3 shall permit Seller to terminate this Agreement in order to concurrently enter into a Seller Acquisition Agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal), but only at a time that is after the compliance by Seller with the terms of Sections 5.3(a), 5.3(b), 7.1 and 7.4., if the board of directorsor affect any other obligation of Seller determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel and its financial advisors, that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law.

A-41


(d) Upon the execution ofthis Agreement. Unless this Agreement has been terminated, Seller and Seller Sub shall immediately cease and cause to be terminated, and cause its and the other Subsidiaries’ officers, directors and employees, investment bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, accountants and other representatives to immediately cease and cause to be terminated, all discussions and negotiations, if any, that have taken place priornot submit to the date hereof with any persons with respect tovote of its shareholders any Acquisition Proposal other than the Merger.

(e) Nothing contained in this Section 5.3 shall prohibit Seller from taking and upon requestdisclosing to its shareholders a position required by Acquiror,Rule 14e-2(a) or Rule 14d-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act;provided,however, that compliance with such rules shall requestnot in any way limit or modify the return and destructioneffect that any action taken pursuant to such rules has under any other provision of all confidential information provided to any such person.this Agreement.

5.4Negative Covenants of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, or as set forth onAcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule 5.4, during the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time, each of Parent and Acquiror and Acquiror Sub and their Subsidiariessubsidiaries and their respective boards of directors shall not:

(a) other than in connection with this Agreement, and except as would not have a material adverse effect on the ability of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub to perform their obligations hereunder, fail to conduct its business in the

ordinary and usual course consistent with past practices and prudent banking practice, or fail to maintain and preserve intact its business organization, properties, leases, employees and advantageous business relationships and retain the services of its officers and key employees;

(b) knowingly take any action or knowingly fail to take any action which would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or delay the ability of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub to perform their respective covenants and agreements on a timely basis under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(c) knowingly take any action or knowingly fail to take any action that wouldcould reasonably be expected to result in any of its representations and warranties contained in Article IV not being true and correct in any material respect at the Effective Time;

(d) knowingly take any action which would be reasonably expected to adversely affect or delay the ability of Parent, Acquiror or Acquiror SubSeller to obtain any necessary approvals, consents or waivers of any Governmental Entity required for the transactions contemplated hereby or which wouldcould reasonably be expected to result in any such approvals, consents or waivers containing any condition or restriction that would materially impair the value of the transaction to Acquiror;Parent;

(e) agree to, or make any commitment to, take, or adopt any resolutions of board of directors of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub in support of, any of the actions prohibited by this Section 5.4;

(f) change any provision of the articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational document) or other governing instrument of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub;Acquiror; or

(g) other than changes required by GAAP as concurred in by Acquiror’sParent’s independent accountants, (A) make any change in its accounting methods or practices or systems of internal accounting controls (or the manner in which liabilities are accrued), (B) revalue in any material respect any of its assets, including writing-off notes or accounts receivable or (C) change any of its methods of reporting income and deductions for federal income tax purposes, except as required by changes in Law;Law.

(h) except as expressly permitted by Section 5.8, withdraw, modify or qualify, or propose publicly to withdraw, modify or qualify, in a manner adverse to Seller, the Acquiror Recommendation (as defined below) or take any action or make any statement in connection with a Special Meeting of Acquiror inconsistent with such approval or the Acquiror Recommendation (collectively, a “Change in the Acquiror Recommendation”).

5.5Current Information. During the period from the date hereof to the Effective Time, the parties will cause one or more of each of their designated representatives to confer on a monthly or more frequent basis with representatives of the other party regarding each of its business, results of operations, prospects, assets, liabilities and

A-42


financial condition (financial or otherwise) and matters relating to the completion of the transactions contemplated hereby. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (i) in such conferences with representatives of AcquirorParent, the designated representative(s) of Seller and Seller Sub shall provide updates with respect to loan charge-offs and sales of other real estate owned since the last conference, (ii) within 10 days after the end of each calendar month, Seller shall provide AcquirorParent with (A) an unaudited consolidated balance sheet as of the end of such month, together with unaudited consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders’shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the month and year-to-date period, and (B) a schedule of loans charged-off during such month and other real estate owned sold during such month. Within 30 days after the end of each fiscal quarter, Seller shall provide AcquirorParent with a copy of the FDIC Call Report filed with the FDIC; in addition, subject to applicable Laws (including relating to the exchange of information), within five Business Days after filing Seller shall provide AcquirorParent a copy of all reports, forms, correspondence, registrations and statements, together with any amendments thereto, that Seller or Seller Sub files during the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, GDBF, the FDIC the FRB and any other federal or state Governmental Entity having jurisdiction over Seller and/or Seller Sub, other than the Commission.Seller.

5.6Access to Properties and Records; Confidentiality.

(a) Each of the parties shall permit the other party and its representatives reasonable access to their properties and shall disclose and make available to such party all of its books, papers and records relating to the

assets, properties, operations, obligations and liabilities, of Seller and the Subsidiaries, including, but not limited to, all books of account (including the general ledger), tax records, minute books of directors’ and stockholders’shareholders’ meetings, organizational documents, bylaws, material contracts and agreements, filings with any regulatory authority, litigation files, plans affecting employees, and any other business activities in which Acquirorthe parties may have an interest.interest, except for such documents that the board of directors of each party have been advised by their respective counsel that such disclosure, production or distribution may violate a confidentiality obligation, fiduciary duty, any Law or regulation, or may result in a waiver of the parties’ respective attorney-client privileges. Neither party shall be required to provide access to or to disclose information where such access or disclosure would violate or prejudice the rights of any customer or would contravene any Law, order or judgment. The parties will use their best efforts to obtain waivers of any such restriction and in any event make appropriate substitute disclosure arrangements under circumstances in which the restrictions of the preceding sentence apply. The parties shall make their respective executive officers available to confer with the other party’s representatives, provided that such access shall be reasonably related to the transactions contemplated hereby and not unduly interfere with normal operations.

(b) All information furnished previously by the parties or any of their respective Subsidiaries,subsidiaries, or hereafter furnished prior to the Effective Time, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or pursuant hereto shall be treated as the sole property of the party furnishing the information until consummation of the MergersMerger and, if the MergersMerger shall not occur, the party receiving the information shall, at the request of the party which furnished such information, either return to the party which furnished such information or destroy all documents or other materials containing, reflecting or referring to such information;provided, that the party receiving the information shall not be required to delete or erase such information from its servers; shall use its best efforts to keep confidential all such information; shall use such information only for the purpose of consummating the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and shall not directly or indirectly use such information for any competitive or commercial purposes. The obligations of the parties to keep such information confidential shall continue for three years (except for any confidential customer information, which shall be kept confidential indefinitely) from the date the MergersMerger are abandoned but shall not apply to (i) any information which (A) was already in the possession of the party receiving the information prior to the disclosure thereof to it by the party furnishing the information; (B) was then generally known to the public; (C) became known to the public through no fault of the party receiving the information;information in violation of this Section 5.6(b); or (D) was disclosed to the party receiving the information by a third-party not known by the receiving party to be bound by an obligation of confidentiality; or (ii) disclosures pursuant to a legal requirement or in accordance with an order of a court of competent jurisdiction or any other Governmental Entity with authority to compel disclosure.

5.7Regulatory Matters.

(a) Each of the parties hereto shall use their respective reasonable best efforts to (i) take, or cause to be taken, and assist and cooperate with the other parties in taking, all actions reasonably necessary, proper or

A-43


advisable to comply promptly with all legal requirements with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, including obtaining any third-party consent or waiver that may be required to be obtained in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and, to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby (including actions required in order to effect the Subsidiary Merger simultaneously with the Effective Time and to continue any contract or agreement of Seller or Seller Sub following Closing or to avoid any penalty or other fee under such contracts and agreements, in each case arising in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby) and (ii) obtain (and assist and cooperate with the other parties in obtaining) any permit, consent, waiver, approval and authorization of, or any exemption by, any Governmental Entity that is required or advisable in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the Mergers.Merger. The parties hereto shall cooperate with each other and prepare and file, as promptly as possible after the date hereof, all necessary documentation, and effect all applications, notices, petitions and filings, to obtain as promptly as practicable all permits, consents, waivers, approvals and authorizations of all third parties and Governmental Entities that are necessary or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(b) Each of the parties shall use their reasonable best efforts to resolve any objections that may be asserted by any Governmental Entity with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

Such consents and approvals and the transactions contemplated hereby shall not have been contested by any Governmental Entity or any third party by formal proceeding. It is understood that, if any such contest is brought by formal proceeding, Parent, Acquiror and Seller may, but shall not be obligated to, answer and defend such contest or otherwise pursue the MergersMerger and the transactions contemplated hereby over such objection. Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement, under no circumstances shall a party be required, and Seller and Seller Sub shall not be permitted (without Acquiror’sParent’s written consent in its sole discretion), to take any action, or commit to take any action, or agree to any condition or restriction, in connection with obtaining the foregoing permits, consents, waivers, approvals and authorizations, that (i) would have, or would be reasonably likely to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Seller Material Adverse Effect or an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect, as the case may be, (including, foror (ii) as to Parent or Acquiror, would prohibit or materially limit the avoidanceownership or operation by Seller, or by Parent or Acquiror or any of doubt,Parent’s other subsidiaries, of all or any determinationmaterial portion of the business or assets of Seller or Parent or Acquiror or any of Parent’s other subsidiaries or would compel Parent or Acquiror or any of their subsidiaries to dispose of all or any material portion of the business or assets of Seller (any of the foregoing, a “Burdensome Condition”);provided,however, that, (y) any prohibition, limitation or other requirement imposed by a Governmental Entity which is customarily imposed in published orders or approvals for transactions such as the Merger shall not be deemed to be a Burdensome Condition and (z) prior to declaring a Burdensome Condition and electing not to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby as a result thereof, Parent and Acquiror shall negotiate in good faith with the relevant Governmental Entity to seek a commercially reasonable modification to the prohibition, limitation or other requirement to reduce the burdensome nature thereof such that the Subsidiary Merger may not be consummated as contemplated herein, including simultaneously with the Effective Time);prohibition, limitation or other requirement no longer constitutes a Burdensome Condition; and,provided,further, that, if requested by Acquiror,Parent, then Seller and Seller Sub will take or commit to take any such action, or agree to any such condition or restriction, so long as such action, commitment, agreement, condition or restriction is binding on Seller and Seller Sub only in the event the Closing occurs.

(c) Subject to applicable Laws relating to the exchange of information, AcquirorParent and Seller shall, upon request, furnish each other with all information concerning Parent, Acquiror Seller, Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub and their respective Subsidiariessubsidiaries and their respective directors, officers and stockholders,shareholders, as applicable, and such other matters as may be reasonably necessary in connection with any statement, filing, notice or application made by or on behalf of Parent, Acquiror Seller, Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub to any Governmental Entity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In exercising the foregoing right, each of the parties hereto shall act reasonably and as promptly as practicable.

(d) Subject to applicable Laws (including those relating to the exchange of information), Seller and AcquirorParent shall keep each other apprised of the status of matters relating to the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, subject to applicable Laws, the parties shall (i) promptly furnish each other with copies of notices or other communications received by the other party (or written summaries of communications received orally), from any third party or Governmental Entity with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) provide the other party a reasonable opportunity to review in advance, and accept the reasonable comments of the other party in connection with, any proposed communication to, including any filings with or other written materials submitted to, any Governmental Entity, and (iii) consider in good faith the other party’s views with respect to, and confer in good faith with the other party to resolve, any disagreement as to strategy with respect to any communication by the other party with any Governmental Entity or third party relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The partiesSellers shall not and shall cause their respective subsidiaries not to, participate in any meeting or substantive discussion, either in person or by telephone, with any Governmental Entity in connection with the proposed transactions

A-44


unless itSeller consults with the other partyParent in advance and, to the extent not prohibited by applicable Laws, gives the other partyParent the opportunity to attend and participate. Any such disclosures or rights to participate may be made on an outside counsel-only basis to the extent required under applicable Laws.

5.8Preparation of Registration Statement; StockholderShareholder Approval.

(a) The parties heretoSeller shall reasonably cooperate with Parent in order for Parent to jointly prepare and file with the Commission as promptly as practicable a proxy statement/prospectus (the “Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus”) to be mailed to the stockholders

shareholders of Seller and Acquiror related to the Special MeetingsMeeting and to be part of the Registration Statement to be filed by AcquirorParent with the Commission pursuant to the 1933 Act with respect to the shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger. In furtherance of the foregoing, Parent Merger.shall provide Seller and its counsel reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the Registration Statement. The parties shall use their reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to be declared effective by the SEC as promptly as practicable after its filing. The Joint Proxy Statement,Statement/Prospectus, and any amendment thereto, shall include, subject to Section 5.3, the Seller Recommendation and the Acquiror Recommendation. The partiesParent shall notify each otherSeller promptly of the receipt of any comments from the Commission or its staff and of any request by the Commission or its staff for amendments or supplements to the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus or the Registration Statement or for additional information and shall supply each otherSeller with copies of all correspondence between such partyParent or any of its representatives, on the one hand, and the Commission or its staff, on the other hand, with respect thereto. If, at any time prior to the Special Meetings,Meeting, any event occurs with respect to any party hereto, or any change occurs with respect to other information supplied by a party for inclusion in the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus or the Registration Statement, which is required to be described in an amendment of, or a supplement to, the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus or the Registration Statement, such party shall promptly notify the other party of such event, and cooperate in the prompt filingfor Parent to promptly file with the Commission of any necessary amendment or supplement thereto and, to the extent required by applicable Laws, in disseminating the information contained in such amendment or supplement to the stockholdersshareholders of SellerSeller. Parent shall cause the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and Acquiror. Acquirorthe Registration Statement to comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. Parent will advise Seller promptly after it receives notice thereof of the time when the Registration Statement has become effective or any supplement or amendment thereto has been filed, of the issuance of any stop order, of the suspension of the qualification of the AcquirorParent Common Stock issuable in connection with the Parent Merger for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amendment or supplement of the Registration Statement or for additional information. When the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto shall become effective, and at all times subsequent to such effectiveness, up to and including the Effective Time, such Registration Statement and all amendments or supplements thereto, with respect to all information set forth therein furnished or to be furnished by AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub relating to AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub and by Seller and Seller Sub relating to Seller, and or any of Seller’s Subsidiaries, (i) will comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and (ii) will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading. Parent also agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any necessary state securities Law or “blue sky” permits and approvals required to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(b) Each party shall,Seller, subject to the provisions of Section 5.3 (as it relates to Seller) and this Section 5.8, shall (i) take all steps (including cooperating with the Parent in the distribution of the Joint Proxy Statement)Statement/Prospectus) necessary to duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its respective stockholdersshareholders (including any adjournments, the “Special Meeting(s)Meeting”) as soon as reasonably practicable for the purposes of securing the Seller Stockholder Approval and the Acquiror StockholderShareholder Approval, (ii) recommend to its stockholdersshareholders the approval of this Agreement, including the Parent Merger, and the transactions contemplated hereby (as it relates to Seller, the(theSeller Recommendation” and, as it relates to Acquiror, the “Acquiror Recommendation”), and (iii) use its commercially reasonable best efforts to obtain, as promptly as practicable, the Seller Stockholder Approval andShareholder Approval. Notwithstanding anything to the Acquiror Stockholder Approval;provided,however, that (i) Seller’s boardcontrary herein, unless this Agreement has been terminated, this Agreement shall be submitted to the shareholders of directors may fail to hold suchSeller at the Special Meeting for the purpose of Seller or make a Change inSeller’s shareholders voting on the Seller Recommendation, if Seller’s board of directors, after having consulted withapproval and considered the advice of its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, has determined in good faith that the holding of such Special Meeting of Seller or the failure to make such Change in the Seller Recommendation, would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law; and (ii) the board of directors of

A-45


Acquiror may fail to hold such Special Meeting of Acquiror or make a Change in the Acquiror Recommendation, if such board of directors, after having consulted with and considered the advice of its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, has determined in good faith that the holding of such Special Meeting of Acquiror or the failure to make such Change in the Acquiror Recommendation would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law. Promptly following approvaladoption of this Agreement by the stockholders of Seller and Acquiror, Seller, as the sole stockholder of Seller Sub, and Acquiror, as the sole stockholder of Acquiror Sub, each in such capacity, will approve the Subsidiary Merger Document, whether at a meeting or by written consent.Agreement.

5.9Further Assurances. Subject to the terms and conditions herein provided, each of the parties hereto agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all reasonable action and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws to satisfy the conditions to Closing contained herein and to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Merger Documents.Articles of Merger.

5.10Disclosure Supplements. Between the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time, each party will supplement or amend its respective Disclosure Schedules delivered pursuant hereto with respect to any matter hereafter arising which, if existing, occurring or known as of the date hereof, would have been required to be set forth or described in such Schedules or which is necessary to correct any information in such Schedules which has been rendered inaccurate thereby;provided,however, that the inclusion of any information in any such amendment or supplement not included in the original Disclosure Schedules which is necessary to correct any material inaccuracy in such Schedules shall not limit or impair any right which a party may have to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 7.1(c) due to failure to satisfy the conditions set forth in Section 6.2(a) or Section 6.3(a), as the case may be.

5.11Public Announcements. Prior to the Effective Time, the parties hereto shall approve in advance the substance, and cooperate with each other in the development and distribution, of all news releases and other public disclosures with respect to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, except as may be otherwise required by Law and as to which the parties releasing such information have used their reasonable efforts to discuss with the other parties in advance.

5.12Termination Date. In the event that either of the parties hereto determines that one or more conditions to its respective obligations to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby cannot be fulfilled on or prior to SeptemberJune 30, 20152016 and that such party will not waive such condition(s), such party will promptly notify the other party. AcquirorParent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror Sub)Acquiror) and Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub) will promptly inform the other of any facts applicable to them, or their respective directors or officers, that would be likely to prevent or materially delay unqualified approval of the MergersMerger by any Governmental Entity or which would otherwise prevent or materially delay completion of such MergersMerger or the other transactions contemplated hereby.

5.13Certain Post-Merger Agreements.

The parties hereto agree to the following arrangements following the Effective Time:

(a)Employee Benefit Plans.

 

 (i)

Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.13, Acquiror will either maintain existing Seller benefit plans or shall offer coverage under applicable AcquirorParent Plans to eligible employees of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries who become employed by Acquiror Acquiror Sub or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof (as the case may be, “Employer”) immediately following the Effective Time (“Transferred Employees”). Following the Effective Time, Acquiror will provide continuation coverage under Section 4980B of the Code and Section 601 of ERISA to all “qualified beneficiaries” (within the meaning of Code Section 4980(g)) who were entitled to such coverage under Seller’s or any Subsidiary’s group health plan immediately prior to the Effective Time. Notwithstanding the foregoing,

A-46


Employer may determine to continue any of the Seller Plans for Transferred Employees in lieu of offering participation in the AcquirorParent Plans providing similar benefits (e.g., medical and hospitalization benefits). Alternatively, after the Effective Time, Employer may elect to terminate or amend any of the Seller Plans or to merge any such benefit plans with the AcquirorParent Plans. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Section 5.13 and/or as otherwise prohibited by Law, AcquirorParent shall provide credit to any Transferred Employee for periods of service with Seller under the AcquirorParent Plans for eligibility and vesting purposes, subject to applicable break-in-service rules, and provided that such service shall not operate to duplicate any benefit. AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub agree that, to the extent waived, satisfied or inapplicable to any Transferred Employee under the terms of any group health, group term life insurance or long-term disability plan maintained by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries at the Effective Time, any preexisting condition or similar limitation or exclusion contained in an Employer’s group health, long-term disability or group term life insurance plans shall not apply to Transferred Employees or their covered dependents who are covered under similar plans maintained by Seller or any of the Subsidiaries at the Effective Time and who then change coverage to the Employer’s group health, group term life insurance or long-term disability plan at the time such Transferred Employees are first given the option to enroll. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, after the Effective Time, nothing herein shall restrict the ability of the Employer to amend or terminate such Seller Plans in accordance with their terms.

 (ii)Subject to Section 6.2(f), and except with respect to any officer or employee of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries who does not execute an assumption agreement as described in Section 5.24, as of the Effective Time, Acquiror shall assume and honor and shall cause the appropriate Employer to assume and honor in accordance with their terms all employment agreements existing immediately prior to the Effective Time which are between Seller or any of the Subsidiaries and any officer which have been disclosed inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a). Nothing herein shall prohibit Acquiror from amending or terminating such agreements in accordance with their respective terms and conditions.

(iii)Prior to the Effective Time, Seller shall have (A) adopted resolutionstaken all actions necessary to irrevocably terminate and liquidate (in accordance with Section 409A of the Seller’s boardCode) the supplemental executive retirement agreements maintained for the benefit of directorseach of Messrs. Pope, Stevens and Kirtley; (B) taken all actions necessary to irrevocably terminate its tax-qualified defined benefit plan described inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a), effective as(in accordance with Section 409A of the Closing Date, provided that such termination shall beCode) and liquidate amounts due under the employment agreements between Seller and each of Messrs. Pope, Stevens and Kirtley in respect of a separation from service in connection with a change in control, in each case contingent on the Closingclosing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (B) madeand the execution and delivery by Messrs. Pope, Stevens and Kirtley of a contribution as of or immediately prior to the Closing Date to the Seller’s tax-qualified defined benefit plan described inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a) in an amount to be mutually agreed upon by both Sellerwaiver and Acquiror,release, and (C) adopted resolutions of the Seller’s board of directors to terminate its tax-qualified cash or deferred arrangement described inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a), effective as of the Closing Date, and provided that such termination shall be contingent on the Closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (D) adopted resolutions of the Seller’s board of directors to terminate Seller’s “account balance” deferred compensation plan described inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.8(a), effective as of the Closing Date, and provided that such terminationterminations shall be contingent on the Closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 (iv)(iii)No provision in this Agreement shall amend or modify or be deemed to modify or amend any Seller Plan or any similar plan, policy, arrangement or agreement maintained by Acquiror.Parent. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed a guarantee of employment for any Transferred Employee or to restrict the right of Parent, Acquiror Acquiror Sub or affiliate thereof to terminate the employment of any Transferred Employee or a guarantee of any type or amount of compensation or benefits.

(b)Indemnification of Officers and Directors. AcquirorParent shall indemnify and hold harmless each present and former director and officer of Seller (determined as of the Effective Time) and any of the Subsidiaries (determined as of the effective time of the Subsidiary Merger) and their heirs, personal representatives and estates (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) against, and shall promptly upon request advance or reimburse, any and all costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, interest, fines, losses, claims, damages, liabilities or amounts paid in settlement (collectively, “Costs”) as they are incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or

A-47


investigative (“Proceeding”), whether or not the Indemnified Party is a party to such Proceeding, based upon or arising from the Indemnified Party’s acts or omissions as an officer or director of Seller, and/or any of the Subsidiaries, whether threatened, asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time (collectively, “Claims”), to the same extent as the Indemnified Parties would have been indemnified under the articles of incorporation and/or bylaws (or comparable organizational document) of Seller as such documents were in effect on the date of this Agreement as if the Indemnified Parties were officers or directors of Seller at all relevant times except to the extent any Claim arises on account of an Indemnified Party’s service as an officer or director of another for-profit entity. This indemnity shall be provided for six years following the Effective Time; or if there shall be any Proceeding pending or threatened on the sixth anniversary of the Effective Time, such indemnity shall continue in full force and effect until such pending or threatened Proceeding is finally resolved.

The rights to indemnification granted by this Section 5.13(b) are subject to the following limitations: (i) the total aggregate indemnification provided by AcquirorParent pursuant to this Section 5.13(b) shall not exceed, as to all Indemnified Parties as a group, a sum equal to the Indemnification Cap, and AcquirorParent shall have no responsibility to the Indemnified Parties for the manner in which such sum is allocated among that group; (ii) a director or officer of Seller or any of the Subsidiaries (determined as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Effective Time) who would otherwise be a member of the Indemnified Parties under this Section 5.13(b) shall not be entitled to the benefits hereof unless such director or officer has executed a Joinder Agreement in the form ofSchedule 5.13(b) hereto; and (iii) amounts otherwise required to be paid by AcquirorParent to the Indemnified Parties pursuant to this Section 5.13(b) shall be reduced by any amounts that such Indemnified Parties recover from any third party. For purposes of this Agreement, “Indemnification Cap” shall mean an amount equal to the sum of (y) $5,000,000 and (z) the policy limits of the insurance coverage obtained by Seller in accordance with Section 5.13(c) below.

AcquirorParent agrees that the Indemnification Cap limit set forth in this Section 5.13(b) shall not apply to any damages, liabilities, judgments and claims (and related expenses, including attorneys’ fees and amounts paid in settlement) insofar as they arise out of or are based upon the matters for which indemnification is provided in Section 5.19.5.18.

(c)Insurance. Seller shall obtain on or prior to the Effective Time a six-year “tail” prepaid directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy(ies) covering each present and former director and officer of Seller and any of the Subsidiaries as set forth in Section 5.13(b) at no cost to the beneficiaries thereof with respect to claims arising from facts or events which occurred prior to the Effective Time, in the same coverage amount as in effect under Seller’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy(ies) (both primary and excess) immediately prior to the Effective Time,provided, that if the aggregate premium Seller would be required to pay for such “tail” policy(ies) is in excess of 300%200% of the premium for such coverage set forth inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.14, then Seller shall purchase as much coverage as is reasonably practicable for 300%200% of the premium set forth inSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.14, unless otherwise agreed in advance in writing by Acquiror.Parent. Such policy shall survive the Mergers.Merger.

(d)Subsequent Events. In the event that the Surviving CorporationBank or any of its successors or assigns shall (i) consolidate with or merge into any other person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporationSurviving Bank or entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) transfer all or substantially all its properties and assets to any entity, then, and in each such case, the Surviving CorporationBank shall cause proper provision to be made so that the successor and assign of the Surviving CorporationBank assumes the obligations set forth in Sections 5.13(b) and (c). The provisions of Sections 5.13(b) and (c) shall survive consummation of the MergersMerger and are intended to be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each Indemnified Party, his or her heirs and his or her legal representatives. This Section 5.13 may not be amended, altered or repealed after the Effective Time without the prior written consent of the affected Indemnified Party.

5.14Takeover Laws; No Rights Triggered. If any Takeover Law may become, or may purport to be, applicable to the transactions contemplated hereby, each of the parties and the members of their respective

A-48


Boards of Directors will grant such approvals and take such actions as are necessary so that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms contemplated hereby and otherwise act to eliminate or minimize the effects of any Takeover Law on any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

5.15Adoption of Accounting Policies. As soon as practicable after the satisfaction or waiver of all conditions to the Closing set forth in Article VI and at such time as consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement seems reasonably assured and in any event prior to the Effective Time (unless this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Article VII), Seller and Seller Sub shall take any and all necessary or appropriate actions to adopt all AcquirorParent accounting procedures and policies (including those policies pertaining to charged-off and non-accrual assets);provided,however, that no such action taken by Seller or Seller Sub at the request of AcquirorParent pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be, or be deemed to cause, a breach of any representation or warranty made by Seller or Seller Sub herein.

5.16Section 16 Matters. Prior to the Effective Time, if Seller provides Acquiror the Section 16 Information reasonably in advance of the Effective Time, the parties will each take such steps as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to cause any disposition of shares of Seller Common Stock or conversion of any derivative securities in respect of shares of Seller Common Stock in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the 1934 Act. “Section 16 Information” shall mean information accurate in all respects regarding Seller Insiders, the number of shares of Seller Common Stock held by each such Seller Insider and the number and description of the Seller Stock Options held by each such Seller Insider. “Seller Insiders” shall mean those officers and directors of Seller who are subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act.

5.17Operating Functions. Seller and Seller Sub shall cooperate with AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub in connection with planning for the efficient and orderly combination of the parties and the operation of the Subsidiary Surviving Bank after the Subsidiary Merger, and in preparing for the consolidation of appropriate operating functions to be effective on the Closing Date or such later date as AcquirorParent may decide. Seller shall take, and shall use its commercially reasonable best efforts to cause its data processing consultants and software providers to take, any action AcquirorParent may reasonably request prior to the Effective Time to facilitate the combination of the operations of Seller Sub with Acquiror Sub.Acquiror. Without limiting the foregoing, Seller shall provide office space and support services (and other reasonably requested support and assistance) in connection with the foregoing, and senior officers of Seller and AcquirorParent shall meet from time to time as Seller or AcquirorParent may reasonably request, to review the financial and operational affairs of Seller, and Seller Sub, and Seller shall give due consideration to Acquiror’sParent’s input on such matters, with the understanding that, notwithstanding any other provision contained in this Agreement, (i) neither AcquirorParent nor Acquiror Sub shall under any circumstance be permitted to exercise control of Seller Seller Sub or any of Seller’s other Subsidiaries prior to the Effective Time, (ii) neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries shall not be under any obligation to act in a manner that could reasonably be deemed to constitute anti-competitive behavior under federal or state antitrust laws and (iii) neither Seller nor any of its Subsidiaries shall not be required to agree to any material obligation that is not contingent upon the consummation of the Merger.

5.185.17Certain Agreements. As promptly as practicable after the date hereof (but no later than ten days following the date of this Agreement), Seller and Seller Sub shall have each director of Seller and Seller Sub who is not an employee of Seller or Seller Sub, respectively,

execute a Lock-UpVoting and Non-Competition Agreement in substantially the form ofSchedule 5.18-A5.17-A hereto and have each executive officer of Seller and Seller Sub who is also a director of Seller or Seller Sub, respectively, execute a Lock-UpVoting Agreement in substantially the form ofSchedule 5.18-B5.17-B hereto. On the Closing Date, Seller shall cause each of James F. Pope and Neil Stevens to execute an employment agreement, each such agreement to be the form as agreed to by Parent and James F. Pope and Neil Stevens, as applicable, as of the date hereof (such employment agreements are referred to herein collectively as the “Employment Agreements”).

5.195.18Hold Harmless. AcquirorParent will indemnify and hold harmless Seller, Seller Sub, each of the directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls Seller or Seller Sub within the meaning of the 1933 Act against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint, several and solidary, to which they or any of them may become

A-49


subject, under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, or arising out of or based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will pay or promptly reimburse such person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such person in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim;provided,however, that AcquirorParent shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability (or actions in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to AcquirorParent by Seller or Seller Sub for use therein. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party hereunder of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against AcquirorParent under this Section 5.19,5.18, notify AcquirorParent in writing of the commencement thereof. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify AcquirorParent of the commencement thereof, AcquirorParent shall be entitled to participate therein; and to the extent that it shall wish to assume the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party, and, after notice from AcquirorParent to such indemnified party of its election to so assume the defense thereof, AcquirorParent shall not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 5.195.18 for any legal expenses of other counsel or of any other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party;provided, that except that if AcquirorParent elects not to assume such defense or counsel for the indemnified parties advises that there are substantive issues which raise conflicts of interest between AcquirorParent and the indemnified parties, the indemnified parties may retain one counsel satisfactory to them, and AcquirorParent shall pay all reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel for such indemnified parties promptly as statements therefor are received.

5.205.19StockholderShareholder Litigation. Seller shall provide AcquirorParent the opportunity to participate in the defense or settlement of any stockholdershareholder litigation against Seller and/or its directors relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement throughout the course of any such litigation, and AcquirorParent shall in good faith consider the recommendations by Seller regarding such litigation. Seller shall not settle any stockholdershareholder litigation without Acquiror’sParent’s prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).

5.215.20Stock Exchange De-listing; 1934 Act De-registrationSeverance. An employee of Seller (other than any employee who is party to an employment agreement, severance agreement or change-in-control agreement) who has been employed by Seller for at least six months whose employment is terminated involuntarily other than for “cause,” in connection with the consummation of the Merger shall use its reasonable best effortsbe entitled to take, or causereceive severance payments from Acquiror equal in amount to two weeks’ base pay (with such amount to be taken,calculated based upon such actionsemployee’s base pay as of the Effective Time) for each full year such employee was employed by Seller or any successor or predecessor thereto, subject to a minimum of four weeks’ severance and a maximum of 16 weeks’ severance, and, provided further, that such terminated employee enters into a release of claims against Parent, the Surviving Bank, Seller and their respective affiliates in a form mutually agreed to by Parent and Seller. For purposes of this Section 5.20, “cause” shall mean termination because of the employee’s personal dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit, intentional failure to perform stated duties or willful violation of any law, rule, or regulation (other than traffic violations or similar violations), “base pay” shall mean an employee’s annual salary or annual compensation computed on an hourly basis, excluding bonuses, commissions, perquisites, benefits or similar payments, and “year of credited service” shall mean each full 12-month period of service from the date of hire.

5.21Payment of 2015 Bonuses. On or prior to the Effective TimeDecember 31, 2015, Seller will pay any payments earned under incentive plans or bonus of the Parent Mergerany kind or amount for calendar 2015 due to reasonably necessary, proper or advisable on its part under applicable Laws and rules and policies of from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to enable Seller’s shares of common stock to be de-listed from the Nasdaq Global Select Market and de-registered under the 1934 Act as soon as practicable following the Effective Time.any employee.

5.22Notice to Holders of Seller Stock OptionsWarrants. Prior to the Closing Date, Seller shall notify each holder of a Seller Stock Option, other than thoseWarrant who is not an executive officer or director of Seller (with respect to such individuals, listed inreference is made to Section 6.2(g),6.2(f) below) regarding the cancellation and payment of the Seller Stock OptionsWarrants as provided in Section 2.6(a) and shall use its reasonable best efforts to receive a written acknowledgement of receipt thereof.such holder’s consent thereto.

5.23Payment of 2014 Bonuses. Seller will pay any bonus of any kind or amount for calendar year 2014 payable to O. Leonard Dorminey and Carol Slappey prior to December  31, 2014.

5.24Assumption Agreements. Seller shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain prior to the Closing Date from each officer or employee designated by Acquiror and who is a party to an employment agreement with Seller or any of the Subsidiaries and other officer or employee disclosed onSeller Disclosure Schedule 3.13(a), other than O. Leonard Dorminey, Carol Slappey, T. Heath Fountain and O. Mitchell Smith, an assumption agreement, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Seller and Acquiror, executed by such officer or employee.

A-50


ARTICLE VI

CLOSING CONDITIONS

6.1Conditions to the Parties’ Obligations under this Agreement. The respective obligations of the parties under this Agreement shall be subject to the fulfillment at or prior to the Effective Time of the following conditions:

(a) Each party shall (i) have received, subject to Section 5.7(a), the approval or consent, or waiver of approval or consent, of the MergersMerger and the other transactions contemplated hereby from any and all Governmental Entities whose consent or approval (or waiver thereof) must be received and in full force and effect in order to consummate the MergersMerger and the transactions contemplated hereby, which consents or approvals shall not impose any condition or requirement which, in the reasonable and good-faith opinion of Acquiror, would constitute a Burdensome Condition, and (ii) any statutory or regulatory waiting period necessary to effect the MergersMerger and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have expired. All notices, reports and other filings required to be made with any Governmental Entity in connection with the Parent Merger prior to the Effective Time by AcquirorParent or Seller or in connection with the Subsidiary Merger prior to the Effective Time by Acquiror Sub or Seller Sub shall have been made and become final.

(b) The Seller Stockholder Approval and the Acquiror StockholderShareholder Approval shall have been obtained.

(c) None of the parties shall be subject to any Law, judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction which shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or enforced by any Governmental Entity which prohibits, restricts or makes illegal the consummation of the MergersMerger or the other transactions contemplated hereby.

(d) All consents or approvals of all persons (other than Governmental Entities) required for consummation of the MergersMerger shall have been obtained and shall be in full force and effect, unless the failure to obtain any such consent or approval would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Seller Material Adverse Effect or an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect, as applicable.

(e) The Registration Statement shall have become effective, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission.

(f) The shares of AcquirorParent Common Stock issuable to the holders of Seller Common Stock in the Parent Merger shall have been approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on or before the Closing Date, subject to official notice of issuance.

(g) Acquiror and Seller shall have executed and delivered the Parent Merger Document.Articles of Merger.

(h) Acquiror Sub and Seller SubThe Employment Agreements shall have been fully executed and delivered the Subsidiary Merger Document.delivered.

(i) AcquirorParent and Seller shall have received opinions of Phelps Dunbar LLP and Alston & Bird LLP, respectively, each dated as of the Closing Date, which opinions shall be satisfactory in form and substance to AcquirorParent and Seller, respectively, to the effect that, on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions which

shall be consistent with the state of facts existing at the Closing Date, the Parent Merger when consummated in accordance with the terms hereof will constitute a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. In rendering their opinions, such counsel shall be entitled to require and rely upon representation letters of officers of each of AcquirorParent and Seller, in each case in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such counsel and dated as of the date of such opinion.

(j) No director, officer or employee of any of the parties shall serve as a director on the board of directors of Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia.

A-51


6.2Conditions to the Obligations of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub under this Agreement. The obligations of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub under this Agreement shall be further subject to the satisfaction, at or prior to the Effective Time, of the following conditions, any one or more of which may be waived by AcquirorParent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror Sub)Acquiror) to the extent permitted by Law:

(a)(i) Each of theThe obligations of Seller and Seller Sub required to be performed by themit at or prior to the Closing pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall have been duly performed and complied with in all material respects, and (ii) the representations and warranties of Seller and Seller Sub contained in this Agreement shall have been true and correct in all material respects (without giving effect to any limitations as to “materiality” or “Seller Material Adverse Effect” set forth in any such representation or warranty so as to avoid the application of double or dual materiality within such representation and warranty) as of the date hereof and as of the Effective Time as though made at and as of the Effective Time (other than any representation or warranty which specifically relates to an earlier date which shall be true and correct as of such date), except in the case of the foregoing clause (ii) with respect to all representations and warranties (other than those set forth in Sections 3.11(c), 3.12 and 3.28), where the failure to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Seller Material Adverse Effect.

(b) Seller or Seller’s board of directors shall have taken the actions described in Section 5.13(a)(iii)(ii).

(c) Holders of Seller or Seller Sub shall have secured written consentsCommon Stock who dissent from the FDIC, as receiver, under all Shared-Loss Agreements without any compensation, cost or fees thereforMerger pursuant to ensure that there will be no adverse change in loss coverage under anySection 7-1-537 of the Shared-Loss AgreementsGeorgia Banking Code by reasonmeeting the requirements set forth therein (and the provisions of the consummation of anyGeorgia Business Corporation Code referenced by such statute) shall not hold more 5.0% of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and no event shall have occurred that has resulted in or is reasonably likelyoutstanding shares of Seller Common Stock immediately prior to result in the loss of a material amount of loss share coverage from the FDIC under any Shared-Loss Agreement to which Seller or Seller Sub is a party or otherwise bound. Such written consents shall be reasonably satisfactory to Acquiror.Effective Time.

(d) There shall not have been any Seller Material Adverse Effect between the date hereof and the Closing Date.

(e) There shall not have been exercised Seller Stock Options and Seller Warrants representing more than 10.0% of the aggregate Seller Stock Options and Seller Warrants outstanding as of the date hereof excluding (i) Seller Stock Options held by non-executive officers and employees of Seller and (ii) Seller Warrants held by organizers of Seller who are not directors of Seller.

(f) Seller shall have delivered to Acquiror:Parent a consent executed by each holder of Seller Warrants who is an executive officer or director of Seller with respect to the cancellation and payment of the Seller Warrants as provided in Section 2.6(a).

(g) Seller shall have delivered to Parent: (i) a certificate, dated as of the Effective Time and signed on its behalf by Seller’s chief executive officer and its chief financial officer, to the effect that the conditions set forth in Section 6.2(a) have been satisfied; and (ii) certified copies of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of Seller evidencing the taking of all corporate action necessary to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, all in such reasonable detail as AcquirorParent and its counsel shall reasonably request.

(f) Seller shall have delivered to Acquiror: (i) amended and restated employment agreements executed by O. Leonard Dorminey and Carol Slappey, substantially in the form attached hereto asSchedule 6.2(f)-A andSchedule 6.2(f)-B, respectively, (ii) assumption agreements executed by O. Leonard Dorminey and Carol Slappey, substantially in the form attached hereto asSchedule 6.2(f)-C andSchedule 6.2(f)-D, respectively, and (iii) amendments to employment agreements executed by T. Heath Fountain and O. Mitchell Smith, substantially in the form attached hereto asSchedule 6.2(f)-E.

(g) Seller shall have delivered to Acquiror a consent executed by the individuals set forth onSchedule 6.2(g) with respect to the cancellation and payment of the Seller Stock Options as provided in Section 2.6(a).

6.3Conditions to the Obligations of Seller and Seller Sub under this Agreement. The obligations of Seller and Seller Sub under this Agreement shall be further subject to the satisfaction, at or prior to the Effective Time, of the following conditions, any one or more of which may be waived by Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub) to the extent permitted by Law:

(a)(i) Each of the obligations of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub required to be performed by them at or prior to the Closing pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall have been duly performed and complied with in all

material respects, and (ii) the representations and warranties of AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub contained in this

A-52


Agreement shall have been true and correct in all material respects (without giving effect to any limitations as to “materiality” or “Acquiror“Parent Material Adverse Effect” set forth in any such representation or warranty so as to avoid the application of double or dual materiality within such representation and warranty) as of the date hereof and as of the Effective Time as though made at and as of the Effective Time (other than any representation or warranty which specifically relates to an earlier date which shall be true and correct as of such date), except in the case of the foregoing clause (ii) with respect to all representations and warranties (other than those set forth in Sections 4.10(c), 4.12 and 4.17), where the failure to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have an Acquirora Parent Material Adverse Effect.

(b) AcquirorParent shall have delivered to Seller: (i) a certificate, dated as of the Effective Time and signed on its behalf by Acquiror’sParent’s chief executive officer and its chief financial officer, to the effect that the conditions set forth in Section 6.3(a) have been satisfied; and (ii) certified copies of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of AcquirorParent evidencing the taking of all corporate action necessary to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, all in such reasonable detail as Seller and its counsel shall request.

(c) There shall not have been any Parent Material Adverse Effect between the date hereof and the Closing Date.

ARTICLE VIIVI

TERMINATION,ITERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER, ETC.

7.1Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and the MergersMerger may be abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time, notwithstanding approval thereof by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller or Acquiror:Seller:

(a) by mutual written consent of each of Seller and Acquiror;Parent;

(b) by either AcquirorParent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror Sub)Acquiror) or Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub):Seller:

(i) (A) if the Effective Time shall not have occurred on or prior to SeptemberJune 30, 20152016 (the “Outside Date”) unless approval by a Governmental Entity pursuant to Section 6.1(a) is pending and has not been finally resolved or any stockholder litigation referenced in Section 5.20 has not been resolved (by dismissal, settlement or otherwise), in which event such date shall be automatically extended to December 31, 2015;resolved; or (B) if a vote of the stockholdersshareholders of Seller or Acquiror is taken and either Acquiror fails to obtain the Acquiror Stockholder Approval or Seller fails to obtain the Seller StockholderShareholder Approval;provided, that, neither party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 7.1(b)(i) if the failure of such occurrence shall be due to the failure of the party seeking to terminate this Agreement to perform or observe its agreements set forth herein to be performed or observed by such party at or before the Effective Time or such vote, as the case may be;be (including, as to Seller, Sections 5.3 and 5.8 hereof);

(ii) upon written notice to the other party (A)(x) 30 or more days after the date upon which any application for a regulatory or governmental approval necessary to consummate the MergersMerger and the other transactions contemplated hereby shall have been denied or withdrawn at the request or recommendation of the applicable Governmental Entity, unless within such 30-day period a petition for rehearing or an amended application is filed or noticed, or (y) 30 or more days after any petition for rehearing or amended application filed pursuant to clause (A)(x) is denied;provided,however, that no party hereto shall have the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 7.1(b)(ii) if such denial or request or recommendation for withdrawal shall be due to the failure of the party seeking to terminate this Agreement to perform or observe the covenants and agreements of such party set forth herein; and in each case the time period for appeals and requests for reconsideration has run; or (B) if any Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction shall have issued a final non-appealable order enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the MergersMerger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(c) by AcquirorParent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror Sub)Acquiror) in writing if Seller or Seller Sub has, or by Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub) in writing if AcquirorParent or Acquiror Sub has, breached or failed to perform any of its representations, warranties covenants or undertakings

contained herein, which breach or failure to perform

A-53


would result in the failure to satisfy the closing conditions set forth in Section 6.2(a) or 6.3(a), as the case may be, and cannot be or has not been cured within 30 days after the giving of written notice of such breach to the non-terminating party;

(d) by AcquirorParent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror Sub)Acquiror) if (i) AcquirorParent notifies Seller in accordance with Section 5.3(b)5.3(c) that AcquirorParent does not intend to enter into negotiations with Seller during the Notice Period to propose revisions to the terms of this Agreement to match or better a Superior Proposal or (ii) Seller has (A) failedSeller’s board of directors fails to make the Seller Recommendation in the Proxy Statement,Statement/Prospectus, (B) effectedafter making the Seller Recommendation in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, Seller effects a Change in the Seller Recommendation, (C) failedSeller breaches its obligations under this Agreement by failing to prepare and mail to its shareholders the Proxy Statement/Prospectus or failing to call or convene the Special Meeting of Seller in accordance with Section 5.8 or (D) approved orSeller’s board of directors has authorized, recommended or proposed publicly announced its intention to approveauthorize or recommend any Acquisition Transaction;Proposal with any persons other than Acquiror or Parent or if Seller otherwise breaches, in any material respect, its obligations under Section 5.3 of this Agreement;

(e) by Seller, at any time prior to the approval of this Agreement by the shareholders of Seller, for the purpose of entering into a definitive agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal,provided that Seller is not in material breach of any of its obligations under Section 5.3 or Section 5.8 of this Agreement; and,provided,further, that any such purported termination pursuant to this Section 7.1(e) shall be void and of no force or effect unless Seller has paid the Termination Fee and the Expense Fee (as defined below) in accordance with Section 7.4; or

(f) by Parent (on behalf of itself and Acquiror) if holders of more than 5.0% of the shares of Seller Sub) (i) in accordance withCommon Stock outstanding at any time prior to the terms and conditionsClosing Date exercise dissenters’ rights pursuant to Section 7-1-537 of Section 5.3(b) or Section 5.3(c) or (ii) under the circumstances described inGeorgia Banking Code (and the provisoprovisions of Section 5.8(b); orthe Georgia Business Corporation Code referenced by such statute).

(f) by Seller (on behalf of itself and Seller Sub) if Acquiror (i) has failed to make the Acquiror Recommendation in the Proxy Statement, (ii) effected a Change in the Acquiror Recommendation, or (iii) failed to call or convene the Special Meeting of Acquiror in accordance with Section 5.8.

7.2Effect of Termination. In the event of termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article VII, no party to this Agreement shall have any liability or further obligation hereunder to the other party hereto, except that this Section 7.2, Section 5.6(b), Section 7.4 and Article VIII shall survive any termination of this Agreement and termination will not relieve a breaching party from liability for any willful breach of any covenant, undertaking, representation or warranty in this Agreement giving rise to such termination.

7.3Amendment, Extension and Waiver.

(a) Subject to applicable Law, at any time prior to the consummation of the Parent Merger, whether before or after approval thereof by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller, or Acquiror, as the case may be, the parties may (i) amend this Agreement; (ii) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or other acts of the other parties hereto; (iii) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties contained herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto; or (iv) waive compliance with any of the agreements or conditions contained herein (other than required stockholdershareholder and regulatory approval);provided,however, that after any approval of the Parent Merger by the stockholdersshareholders of Seller, and Acquiror, there may not be, without further approval of such stockholders,shareholders, any amendment or waiver of this Agreement that requires further stockholdershareholder approval under applicable Law.

(b) This Agreement may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the parties hereto. Any agreement on the part of a party hereto to any extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth in an instrument in writing signed on behalf of such party and which has been authorized by or under the direction of its board of directors; but such waiver or failure to insist on strict compliance with such obligation, covenant, agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any subsequent or other matter.

7.4Termination Fees.

(a) In the event that (A) a Pre-Termination Takeover Proposal Event (as defined below) shall occur after the date of this Agreement and thereafter this Agreement is terminated by either AcquirorParent or Seller pursuant to Section 7.1(b)(i)(B) or by AcquirorParent pursuant to Section 7.1(c) as a result of a willful breach by Seller or Seller Sub and (B) prior to the date that is 12nine months after the date of such termination Seller enters into a definitive agreement with respect to, or consummates, an Acquisition Proposal with the party (or its affiliate) that causedgave rise to the Pre-Termination Takeover Proposal Event, then Seller shall, on the earlier of the date of such definitive agreement is executed or such Acquisition Proposal is consummated, pay AcquirorParent a fee equal to the sum of (i) $10,300,000 plus (ii)$2,350,000 (the “Termination Fee”) and the Expense Fee (as defined below. The Termination Fee and Expense Fee shall be paid by wire transfer of same-day funds.

(b) In the event that this Agreement is terminated by either party pursuant to Section 7.1(c) by reason of the other party’s material breach of the provisions of this Agreement, the breaching party shall pay all reasonable costs and documented expenses incurred by Acquirorthe non-breaching party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including legal, accounting, investment banking, travel and printing expenses up to $750,000 (collectively, the(theTerminationExpense Fee”). The TerminationExpense Fee shall be paid by wire transfer of same-day funds.

A-54


(b)(c) In the event that this Agreement is terminated by AcquirorParent pursuant to Section 7.1(d) or by Seller pursuant to Section 7.1(e), then concurrently with such termination, Seller shall pay to AcquirorParent the Termination Fee and the Expense Fee by wire transfer of same-day funds, and such termination shall not be deemed effective hereunder until payment by Seller of such fee. In no event shall Seller be required to pay the Termination Fee and the Expense Fee under both this Section 7.4(b)7.4(c) and Section 7.4(a).

(c)(d) For purposes of this Section 7.4, a “Pre-Termination Takeover Proposal Event” shall be deemed to occur if, prior to the event giving rise to the right to terminate this Agreement, an Acquisition Proposal shall have been made known to the senior management or board of directors of Seller or shall have been made directly to its stockholdersshareholders generally, or any person reasonably qualified to consummate an Acquisition Proposal shall have publicly announced an intention (whether or not conditional) to make an Acquisition Proposal, and such Acquisition Proposal or public announcement shall not have been irrevocably withdrawn not less than five Business Days prior to the Special Meeting of Seller and Seller’s stockholdersshareholders fail to approve this Agreement at such meeting (with respect to a termination pursuant to Section 7.1(b)(i)(B)) or the date of termination (with respect to a termination pursuant to Section 7.1(c).

(e) Each party acknowledges that the agreements contained in this Section 7.4 are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and that, without these agreements, each party would not enter into this Agreement; accordingly, if Seller fails to pay promptly the Termination Fee and the Expense Fee, or the breaching party fails to pay the Expense Fee, pursuant to this Section 7.4 and, in order to obtain such payment, the other party commences a suit which results in a judgment against the other for the fee set forth in this Section 7.4, the non-successful party shall pay to the other party its costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) in connection with such suit, together with interest on the amount of the fee at a rate per annum equal to the prime rate published inThe Wall Street Journal on the date such payment was required to be made, plus 300 basis points.

(f) For purposes of this Section 7.4, all references in the definition of Acquisition Proposal to “20%” shall instead refer to “50%”.

(g) The parties agree that the payment of the Termination Fee and Expense Fee shall be the sole and exclusive remedy available to AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub with respect to this Agreement in the event any such payment becomes due and payable and is paid, and, upon payment of the Termination Fee and Expense Fee, Seller and Seller Sub (and Seller’s and Seller Sub’s affiliates and its and their respective directors, officers, employees, stockholders and representatives)representatives shall have no further liability to AcquirorParent and Acquiror Sub under this Agreement;provided,however, that Seller and Seller Sub shall not be relieved or released from any

liabilities or damages arising out of theirits willful and material breach of this Agreement;provided,further, that the aggregate amount of any damages determined by a court to be payable by Seller and Seller Sub pursuant to the foregoing proviso shall be reduced by the amount of any Termination Fee and Expense Fee previously paid to AcquirorParent pursuant to this Section 7.4.

ARTICLE VIIIVII

MISCELLANEOUSIMISCELLANEOUS

8.1Expenses. Except as provided in Section 7.4, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby (including legal, accounting, investment banking and printing expenses) shall be borne by the party incurring such costs and expenses, provided that AcquirorParent and Seller shall each bear one-half of all costs of printing, mailing and filing the Joint Proxy StatementStatement/Prospectus and the Registration Statement and all filing and similar fees relating to the Mergers.Merger.

8.2Survival. None of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time, except for (a) those covenants and agreements contained herein that by their terms apply or are to be performed in whole or in part after the Effective Time and (b) those covenants and agreements set forth in this Article VIII.

A-55


8.3Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing or by written telecommunication, and shall be deemed to have been duly given if delivered personally, or if mailed by certified mail, overnight courier, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or sent by written telecommunication, as follows:

(a) If to Parent or Acquiror, to:

(a)If to Acquiror or Acquiror Sub, to:

Renasant Corporation

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

Attention: E. Robinson McGraw

Facsimile: (662) 680-1230

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Phelps Dunbar LLP

365 Canal Street, Suite 2000

New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Attention: Mark A. Fullmer

Facsimile: (504) 568-9130

(b)(b) If to Seller, or Seller Sub, to:

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

721 N. Westover BoulevardKeyWorth Bank

Albany,11655 Medlock Bridge Road

Johns Creek, Georgia 3170730097

Attention: O. Leonard DormineyJames F. Pope

Facsimile: (229) 878-2052(770) 418-2777

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Alston & Bird LLP

One Atlantic Center

1201 West Peachtree Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3424

Attention: Mark C. Kanaly

Facsimile: (404) 253-8390

or to such other address or telecommunication number as such party may hereafter specify for the purpose by notice to the other party. All notices and other communications shall be deemed to have been given (i) when received if given in person, (ii) on the date of electronic confirmation of receipt if sent by facsimile, (iii) four Business Days after being deposited in the U.S. mail, certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, or (iv) one Business Day after being deposited with a reputable overnight courier.

8.4Parties in Interest. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns;provided,however, that (i) neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations hereunder shall be assigned by any party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party and, (ii) except as otherwise expressly provided in Sections 2.6, 5.13(a)(ii), 5.13(a)(iii), 5.13(b), 5.13(c) and 5.19, that5.18, nothing in this Agreement is intended to confer, expressly or by implication, upon any other person any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.

8.5Complete Agreement. This Agreement (including the Seller Disclosure Schedules and the AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedules), including the documents and other writings referred to herein or therein or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto, contain the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and shall supersede all prior agreements and understandings by and among the parties, both written and oral, with respect to such subject matter.matter, including that certain letter agreement by and between Parent and Seller dated September 18, 2015. There are no restrictions, agreements, promises, representations, warranties, covenants or undertakings by and among the parties other than those expressly set forth herein or therein.

A-56


8.6Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and each of which shall be deemed an original. Delivery of a copy of this Agreement bearing an original signature by facsimile transmission or by electronic mail in “portable document format” form shall have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signature.

8.7Governing Law; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial.

(a) This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi, without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of laws thereof.

(b) Each party agrees that it will bring any action or proceeding in respect of any claim arising out of or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby exclusively in any federal or state court sitting in the State of Mississippi, and, solely in connection with claims arising under this Agreement or the MergersMerger that are the subject of this Agreement, (i) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such Mississippi courts, (ii) waives any objection to laying venue in any such action or proceeding in the Mississippi courts, (iii) waives any objection that the Mississippi courts are an inconvenient forum or do not have jurisdiction over any party and (iv) agrees that service of process upon such party in any such action or proceeding will be effective if notice is given in accordance with Section 8.3.

(c) Each party acknowledges and agrees that any controversy which may arise under this Agreement is likely to involve complicated and difficult issues, and therefore each such party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the extent permitted by applicable Law at the time of institution of the applicable litigation, any right such party may have to a trial by jury in respect of any litigation directly or indirectly arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Each party certifies and acknowledges that: (i) no representative, agent or attorney of any other party has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of litigation, seek to enforce the foregoing waiver; (ii) it understands and has considered the implications of this waiver; (iii) it makes this waiver voluntarily; and (iv) it has been induced to enter into this Agreement by, among other things, the mutual waivers and certifications in this Section 8.7.

8.8Interpretation. For the purposes of this Agreement, (i) words in the singular shall be held to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be held to include the other gender as the context requires, (ii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” and “herewith” and words of similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to refer to this Agreement as a whole (including all of the Disclosure Schedules and Exhibits to this Agreement) and not to any particular provision of this Agreement, and Article, Section, Disclosure Schedule and Exhibit references are to the Articles, Sections, Disclosure Schedules and Exhibits to this Agreement unless otherwise specified, (iii) whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation,” (iv) the word “or” shall not be exclusive and (v) all references to any period of days shall be deemed to be to the relevant number of calendar days unless otherwise specified. This Agreement shall not be interpreted or construed to require any person or entity to take any action, or fail to take any action, if to do so would violate applicable Law.

The parties intend that each representation, warranty and covenant contained herein shall have independent significance. If any party has breached any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists another representation, warranty or covenant relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) that the party has not breached shall not detract from or mitigate the fact that the party is in breach of the first representation, warranty or covenant. Further, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, it is understood and agreed that the specification of any dollar amount in the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or the inclusion of any specific item in the Seller Disclosure Schedule or the AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule as an exception to a representation or warranty is not intended to imply that such amounts or higher or lower amounts, or the items so included or other items, are or are not material or would have a Seller Material Adverse Effect or Parent Material Adverse Effect, as the case may be, and neither party shall use the fact of the setting of such amounts or the fact of the

A-57


inclusion of any such item in the Seller Disclosure Schedule or the AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule in any dispute or controversy between the parties as to whether any obligation, item or matter not described in this Agreement or included in the Seller Disclosure Schedule or the AcquirorParent Disclosure Schedule is or is not material for purposes of this Agreement.

8.9Specific Performance. The parties agree that irreparable damage for which monetary damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that, subject to Section 7.4(f), the parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions, specific performance or other equitable relief to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they arethe parties may be entitled at law or in equity. The parties agree to waive any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with any remedy described in this Section 8.9 (except to the extent required by Law).

8.10Severability. Any term or provision of this Agreement that is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective only to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only so broad as is enforceable.

8.11Alternative Structure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, before the Effective Time, AcquirorParent may elect to forgoat any time change the consummationmethod of effecting the Subsidiary Merger at its discretion;provided that Acquiror may only elect to do so if such election will not have any impact on the conditions to the consummation of the other transactionsbusiness combination contemplated by this Agreement asif and to the extent that it deems such a change to be desirable;provided, that (A) any such change shall not result in any adverse federal income tax consequences of the Merger to holders of Seller Common Stock or to Parent, Acquiror or Seller and (B) no such change shall (i) alter or change the amount or kind of the Merger Consideration or (ii) jeopardize or materially delay the receipt of any required regulatory approvals of the Merger or the satisfaction of any other conditions set forth in Article VI or will not otherwise delayhereof. In the Closing. This Agreement and any relatedevent Parent elects to make such a change, the parties agree to execute appropriate documents will be appropriately amended in order to reflect any revised structure as contemplated by this Section 8.11.the change.

[The remainder of this page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows]

A-58


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

RENASANT CORPORATION
By:

  /s//s/ E. Robinson McGraw

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:

Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Officer

Executive Officer
RENASANT BANK
By:

  /s//s/ E. Robinson McGraw

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:

Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Officer

Executive Officer
HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.KEYWORTH BANK
By:

  /s/ O. Leonard Dorminey/s/ James F. Pope

Name:O. Leonard DormineyJames F. Pope
Title:President and Chief Executive Officer
HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTH
By:

  /s/ O. Leonard Dorminey

Name:O. Leonard Dorminey
Title:Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger


INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS

 

Term

  

Defined In Section No.

Acquiror

  First paragraphPreamble

Acquiror Common Stock

Acquisition Proposal
5.3(a)
affiliate3.18
AgreementPreamble
Articles1.3
Articles of Merger1.2
Bankruptcy and Equity Exception3.3(a)
BOLI3.24(b)
Burdensome Condition5.7(b)
Business Day1.2
Bylaws1.3
Change in the Seller Recommendation5.3(c)
Claims5.13(b)
Closing1.2
Closing Date1.2
Code2.2(e)
Commission3.10
Costs5.13(b)
CRA3.28
Dissenting Shareholders2.3
Effective Time1.2
Employees3.8(a)
Employer5.13(a)(i)
Employment Agreements5.17
Environmental Law3.15
ERISA3.8(a)
ERISA Affiliate3.8(b)
ERISA Plan3.8(b)
Exchange Agent2.2(a)
Exchange Fund2.2(a)
Exchange Ratio  2.1(a)(ii)

AcquirorFDIA

3.12
FDIC3.3(c)
GAAP3.4(a)
GDBF1.2
Georgia Banking Code1.1
Governmental Entity1.2
Hazardous Substance3.15
Indemnification Cap5.13(b)
Indemnified Parties5.13(b)
Intellectual Property3.27(a)
IRS3.7(a)
Law3.3(b)
Loan Portfolio Properties and Other Properties Owned3.15
MCB1.2
Merger1.1
Merger Consideration2.1(a)(ii)
Outside Date7.1(b)(i)
ParentPreamble
Parent Common Stock2.1(a)(ii)
Parent Disclosure Schedule

  First sentence Article IV

Acquiror Financial Statements

4.4(a)

Acquiror Material Adverse Effect

4.1(a)

Acquiror Plans

4.11(a)

Acquiror Recommendation

5.8(b)

Acquiror SEC Documents

4.8(a)

Acquiror Stockholder Approval

4.20

Acquiror Sub

First paragraph

Acquisition Proposal

5.3(a)

Acquisition Transaction

5.3(a)

affiliate

3.18

Agreement

First paragraph

Bankruptcy and Equity Exception

3.3(a)

BOLI

3.24(b)

Business Day

1.2

Change in the Acquiror Recommendation

5.4(h)

Change in the Seller Recommendation

5.3(c)

Claims

5.13(b)

Closing

1.2

Closing Date

1.2

Code

2.2(e)

Commission

3.3(c)

Costs

5.13(b)

CRA

3.28

Effective Time

1.2

Employees

3.8(a)

Employer

5.13(a)(i)

Environmental Law

3.15

ERISA

3.8(a)

ERISA Plan

3.8(b)

Exchange Agent

2.2(a)

Exchange Fund

2.2(a)

Exchange Ratio

2.1(a)(ii)

FDIA

3.12

FDIC

3.3(c)

FHLMC

3.23(e)

FINRA

3.3(c)

FNMA

3.23(e)

FRB

3.3(c)

GAAP

3.4(a)

GDBF

1.2

GNMA

3.23(e)

Governmental Entity

1.2

Hazardous Substance

3.15

Indemnification Cap

5.13(b)

Indemnified Parties

5.13(b)

Intellectual Property

3.27(a)

IRS

3.7(a)

Joint Proxy Statement

5.8(a)


Term

  

Defined In Section No.

Law

Parent Financial Statements
  3.3(b)4.4(a)

Loan Portfolio Properties and Other Properties Owned

Parent Material Adverse Effect
  3.154.1(a)

MBCA

Parent Pension Plan
  1.1(a)4.11(a)

MCB

Parent Plans
  1.24.11(a)

Mergers

Parent SEC Documents
  1.1(b)4.8(a)

Merger Consideration

party/parties
Preamble
Pension Plan3.8(a)
Permitted Liens3.14(a)
Pre-Termination Takeover Proposal Event7.4(c)
Proceeding5.13(b)
Proxy Statement/Prospectus5.8(a)
Qualified Parent Plan4.11(a)
Qualified Seller Plan3.8(a)
Registration Statement3.10
Representative2.2(b)
Returns3.7(a)
Risk Management Instruments3.20
SellerPreamble
Seller Acquisition Agreement5.3(c)
Seller Agreement3.13(a)
Seller Common Stock  2.1(a)(ii)

Merger Documents

1.2

MGCL

1.1(a)

Notice

5.3(a)

Notice Period

5.3(b)

Outside Date

7.1(b)(i)

Parent Merger

1.1(a)

Parent Merger Document

1.2

party/parties

First paragraph

Pension Plan

3.8(a)

Permitted Liens

3.14(a)

Pre-Termination Takeover Proposal Event

7.4(c)

Proceeding

5.13(b)

Qualified Acquiror Plan

4.11(a)

Qualified Seller Plan

3.8(a)

Registration Statement

3.10

Representative

2.2(b)

Returns

3.7(a)

Risk Management Instruments

3.20

Section 16 Information

5.16

Seller

First paragraph

Seller Acquisition Agreement

5.3(c)

Seller Agreement

3.13(a)

Seller Common Stock

2.1(a)(ii)

Seller Designee

1.4(a)

Seller Disclosure Schedule

  First sentence Article III

Seller Financial Statements

  3.4(a)

Seller Insiders

5.16

Seller Material Adverse Effect

  3.1(a)

Seller Mortgage Investor

3.23(e)

Seller Mortgage Loans

3.23(e)

Seller Mortgage Vendor

3.23(d)

Seller Mortgage Vendor Agreement

3.23(d)

Seller Plans

  3.8(a)

Seller Recommendation

  5.8(b)

Seller Restricted Stock

Representatives
  2.6(b)5.3(a)

Seller SEC Documents

Shareholder Approval
  3.9(a)3.35

Seller Stock Certificate

  2.2(e)

Seller Stock Options

  2.6(a)

Seller Stock Plans

  2.6(a)

Seller Stockholder Approval

Warrants
  3.372.6(a)

Seller Sub

First paragraph

Seller Sub Common Stock

2.5

Seller Sub Designee

1.4(b)

Shared-Loss Agreement

3.1(a)

Software

  3.27(a)

Special Meeting

  5.8(b)

Subsidiaries

3.1(b)


Term

Defined In Section No.

Subsidiary Merger

1.1(b)

Subsidiary Merger Document

1.2

Subsidiary Surviving Bank

1.1(b)

Superior Proposal

  5.3(a)

Surviving Corporation

Bank
  1.1(a)1.1

Take-Out Letter

3.23(e)

Takeover Laws

  3.3(d)

Taxes

  3.7(c)

Termination Fee

  7.4(a)

Transferred Employees

  5.13(a)(i)

WARN Act

  3.25(c)3.25(d)

1933 Act

  3.9(a)3.10

1934 Act

  3.9(a)


EXHIBIT A

PARENT MERGER DOCUMENT

Exhibit A


PLANARTICLES OF MERGER

This Plan

ARTICLES OF MERGER

These Articles of Merger (“PlanArticles of Merger”) isare dated as of                     , by and between Renasant Corporation,Bank, a Mississippi corporationbanking association (“Acquiror”), and Heritage Financial Group, Inc.,KeyWorth Bank, a Maryland corporationGeorgia commercial bank (“Seller”). Each of Acquiror and Seller is a “party” to this Planthese Articles of Merger, and one or more of them are “parties” hereto, as the context may require.

W I T N E S S E T H:

WHEREAS, Acquiror, Renasant Bank,Corporation, a Mississippi banking corporation Seller(“Parent”), Acquiror and HeritageBank of the South, a Georgia savings bank,Seller have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of DecemberOctober     , 20142015, a copy of which is attached hereto asExhibit A (the “Merger AgreementPlan”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Merger AgreementPlan and this Planthese Articles of Merger, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein and herein, Seller shall be merged with and into Acquiror, with Acquiror being the surviving corporationbanking association in such merger.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Merger Agreement,Plan, the parties hereto do mutually agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Except as otherwise provided herein, the capitalized terms set forth below shall have the following meanings:

Effective Time” shall mean the date and time at which the Merger becomes effective as provided in Section 2.2 of this Planthese Articles of Merger.

Merger” shall refer to the merger of Seller with and into Acquiror as provided in Section 2.1 of this Planthese Articles of Merger.

Merging CorporationsBanks” shall mean Acquiror and Seller.

Seller Common Stock” shall mean the common stock, $0.01 par value $5.00 per share, of Seller.

Stockholder Meeting” shall mean the meeting of the stockholders of Seller held pursuant to Section 5.8 of the Merger Agreement.

Surviving CorporationBank” shall mean Acquiror as the surviving corporationbanking association in the Merger.

ARTICLE II

TERMS OF THE MERGER

2.1 THE MERGER. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement,Plan, at the Effective Time, Seller shall be merged with and into Acquiror pursuant to and in accordance with Title 81 of the Mississippi Business Corporation Act,Code of 1972, as amended (the “MBCAMississippi Code”), and Title 7 of the Maryland General Corporation Law,Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as amended (the “MGCLGeorgia Code”). Acquiror shall be the Surviving CorporationBank in the Merger and shall continue to be governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi. At the Effective Time, the Merger shall have the effects set forth in Mississippi Code Annotated Section 81-5-85 and the separate existence and corporate organization of Seller shall cease, and all right, title and interest in and to all real estate and other property owned by, and every contract right possessed by, Seller shall be vested in Acquiror as the Surviving Corporation,Bank, without reversion or impairment,

without further act or deed and without any transfer or assignment having occurred (but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon), and all liabilities and obligations of Seller shall be vested in


Acquiror as the Surviving Corporation,Bank, as the primary obligor therefor, and, except as set forth in the Merger Agreement,Plan, no other person shall be liable therefor, and all proceedings pending by or against either of the Merging CorporationsBanks shall be continued by or against Acquiror as the Surviving Corporation,Bank, and all liabilities, obligations, assets or rights associated with such proceedings shall be vested in Acquiror as the Surviving Corporation.Bank.

2.2 EFFECTIVE TIME. The Merger shall become effective onupon the later of the dates and times thatstated in the ArticlesCertificate of Merger are filed withApproval issued by the SecretaryMississippi Commissioner of StateBanking and Consumer Finance (“MCB”) and the Certificate of Approval issued by the State of Mississippi pursuant to Section 79-4-11.06 of the MBCA and with the MarylandGeorgia Department of AssessmentsBanking and Taxation pursuant to 3-107 of the MGCL.Consumer Finance (“GDBF”).

2.3 NAME OF THE SURVIVING CORPORATION.BANK. The name of the Surviving CorporationBank shall be “Renasant Corporation.Bank.

2.4 ARTICLESCHARTER OF INCORPORATION. On and after the Effective Time, the Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving CorporationBank shall be the ArticlesCharter of Incorporation of Acquiror as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable law.

2.5 BYLAWS. On and after the Effective Time, the Bylaws of the Surviving CorporationBank shall be the Bylaws of Acquiror as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable law.

2.6 MAIN OFFICE, REGISTERED AGENT AND REGISTERED OFFICE.

(a)The main office of the Surviving Bank is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804. The registered agent for the Surviving Bank is Steve Corban and the registered office is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804.

(b)The main office of the Seller is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097. The registered agent for the Seller is James F. Pope and the registered office is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097.

2.7 ADOPTION OF THE PLAN. The Plan was unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors of the Parent, as the sole shareholder of the Acquiror, on                     , 20    .

Pursuant to a notice mailed on or about                     , 20    , to all of the shareholders of the Seller, the Plan was approved by the shareholders of the Seller at a meeting duly called and held on                     , 20    , at                     , located at                     . As of                     , 20    , the record date for the meeting of Seller shareholders, there were                      shares of common stock of Seller issued, outstanding and entitled to vote. The Plan was adopted by the affirmative vote of                      shares or         % of the outstanding common stock. An affirmative vote of                      shares, or two-thirds of the amount outstanding, was required to adopt the Plan.

2.8 BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The names and addresses of the directors of the Surviving Bank are: [names and addresses to be provided]

2.9 PUBLICATION OF NOTICE. The Surviving Bank will deliver the request for publication of a notice of filing these Articles of Merger and payment therefore as required by Section 7-1-532(d) of the Georgia Code.

ARTICLE III

CONVERSION OF SHARES

3.1 CONVERSION OF SHARES.Mississippi Code”), and Title 7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as amended (the “Georgia Code”). Acquiror shall be the Surviving Bank in the Merger and shall continue to be governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi. At the Effective Time, automaticallythe Merger shall have the effects set forth in Mississippi Code Annotated Section 81-5-85 and the separate existence and corporate organization of Seller shall cease, and all right, title and interest in and to all real estate and other property owned by, virtue ofand every contract right possessed by, Seller shall be vested in Acquiror as the MergerSurviving Bank, without reversion or impairment,

without further act or deed and without any action ontransfer or assignment having occurred (but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon), and all liabilities and obligations of Seller shall be vested in Acquiror as the partSurviving Bank, as the primary obligor therefor, and, except as set forth in the Plan, no other person shall be liable therefor, and all proceedings pending by or against either of the Merging Banks shall be continued by or against Acquiror as the Surviving Bank, and all liabilities, obligations, assets or rights associated with such proceedings shall be vested in Acquiror as the Surviving Bank.

2.2 EFFECTIVE TIME. The Merger shall become effective upon the later of the dates and times stated in the Certificate of Merger Approval issued by the Mississippi Commissioner of Banking and Consumer Finance (“MCB”) and the Certificate of Approval issued by the Georgia Department of Banking and Consumer Finance (“GDBF”).

2.3 NAME OF THE SURVIVING BANK. The name of the Surviving Bank shall be “Renasant Bank.”

2.4 CHARTER OF INCORPORATION. On and after the Effective Time, the Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving Bank shall be the Charter of Incorporation of Acquiror Seller or the holders of any of the following securities:

(a) Each share of Acquiror Common Stock (as defined below) issued and outstandingas in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall remain issueduntil thereafter amended in accordance with applicable law.

2.5 BYLAWS. On and outstanding after the Effective Time, andthe Bylaws of the Surviving Bank shall be unaffected by the Merger.

(b) Subject to the other provisionsBylaws of this Section 3.1, each share of Seller Common Stock issued and outstandingAcquiror as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than any shares of Seller Common Stock to be canceleduntil thereafter amended in accordance with Section 3.1(e)) shall, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 3.1(d), be converted automatically into and thereafter represent the right to receive the number of shares (or a fraction thereof) of Acquiror Common Stock, rounded to the nearest four decimals, equal to the Exchange Ratio (the “Merger Consideration”). As used in thisapplicable law.

2.6 MAIN OFFICE, REGISTERED AGENT AND REGISTERED OFFICE.

(a)The main office of the Surviving Bank is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804. The registered agent for the Surviving Bank is Steve Corban and the registered office is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804.

(b)The main office of the Seller is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097. The registered agent for the Seller is James F. Pope and the registered office is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097.

2.7 ADOPTION OF THE PLAN. The Plan of Merger, the term “Acquiror Common Stock” means the common stock, $5.00 par value per share, of Acquiror, and the term “Exchange Ratio” means 0.9266.

(c) Certificates previously evidencing shares of Seller Common Stock shall be exchanged for certificates evidencing the Merger Consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no fractional shares of Acquiror Common Stock shall be issued, and, in lieu thereof, a cash payment shall be made pursuant to Section 3.1(f).

(d) If at any time during the period between the date of this Plan of Merger and the Effective Time, any change in the number of outstanding shares of capital stock of Acquiror or Seller, respectively, shall occur (or for which the relevant record date will occur) as a result of any reclassification, recapitalization, stock split (including a reverse stock split) or other subdivision, combination or readjustment of shares, or as a result of any stock dividend or stock distribution with a record date during such period, the Exchange Ratio shall be equitably and proportionately adjusted, if necessary and without duplication, to reflect such change.

(e) Each share of Seller Common Stock held in the treasury of Seller and each share of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the Effective Time that is ownedwas unanimously adopted by Acquiror or any subsidiary of Acquiror or Seller (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted) shall automatically be cancelled and extinguished without any conversion thereof and no Merger Consideration or other consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.


(f) No certificates or scrip representing fractional shares of Acquiror Common Stock will be issued as a result of the Merger. In lieu of the issuance of fractional shares pursuant to Section 3.1(b), cash adjustments (without interest) will be paid to the holder of Seller Common Stock in respect of any fraction of a share of Acquiror Common Stock that would otherwise be issuable to such holder of Seller Common Stock, and the amount of such cash adjustment shall be determined by multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Acquiror Common Stock otherwise issuable by (y) the weighted average of the closing sales prices of one share of Acquiror Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for the 15 consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the Closing Date. No such holder shall be entitled to dividends, voting rights or any other right of stockholders in respect of any fractional share.

3.2 EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES FOR STOCK. After the Effective Time, each holder of a certificate previously representing outstanding shares of Seller Common Stock shall surrender and exchange such certificates for the Merger Consideration in the manner provided in Section 2.2 of the Merger Agreement.

ARTICLE IV

MISCELLANEOUS

4.1 CONDITIONS PRECEDENT. The respective obligations of each party under this Plan of Merger shall be subject to the satisfaction, or waiver by the party permitted to do so, of the conditions set forth in Article VI of the Merger Agreement.

4.2 TERMINATION. This Plan of Merger shall be terminated automatically without further act or deed of either of the parties in the event of the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with Article VII thereof.

4.3. AMENDMENTS. To the extent permitted by the MBCA and the MGCL, this Plan of Merger may be amended by a subsequent writing signed by each of the parties hereto upon the approval of the Board of Directors of eachthe Parent, as the sole shareholder of the parties hereto; provided, however, thatAcquiror, on                     , 20    .

Pursuant to a notice mailed on or about                     , 20    , to all of the provisionsshareholders of Article IIIthe Seller, the Plan was approved by the shareholders of thisthe Seller at a meeting duly called and held on                     , 20    , at                     , located at                     . As of                     , 20    , the record date for the meeting of Seller shareholders, there were                      shares of common stock of Seller issued, outstanding and entitled to vote. The Plan was adopted by the affirmative vote of                      Merger relatingshares or         % of the outstanding common stock. An affirmative vote of                      shares, or two-thirds of the amount outstanding, was required to adopt the considerationPlan.

2.8 BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The names and addresses of the directors of the Surviving Bank are: [names and addresses to be paidprovided]

2.9 PUBLICATION OF NOTICE. The Surviving Bank will deliver the request for the sharespublication of Seller Common Stock shall not be amended after the Stockholder Meeting so as to modify either the amount or the forma notice of such consideration or to otherwise materially adversely affect the stockholders of Seller without the approval of the stockholders of Seller.

4.4 SUCCESSORS. This Plan of Merger shall be binding on the successors of Acquiror and Seller.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Acquiror and Seller have caused this Plan of Merger to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

RENASANT CORPORATION
By:

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:President and Chief Executive Officer
HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
By:

Name:O. Leonard Dorminey
Title:President and Chief Executive Officer


EXHIBIT B

SUBSIDIARY MERGER DOCUMENT

Exhibit B


PLAN OF MERGER

This Plan of Merger (“Plan of Merger”) is dated as of                     , by and between Renasant Bank, a Mississippi banking corporation (“Acquiror Sub”), and HeritageBank of the South, a Georgia savings bank (“Seller Sub”). Each of Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub is a “party” to this Planfiling these Articles of Merger and one or more of them are “parties” hereto,payment therefore as the context may require.

WITNESSETH:

WHEREAS, Renasant Corporation, a Mississippi corporation, Acquiror Sub, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation, and Seller Sub have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December     , 2014 (as amended, the “Merger Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Merger Agreement and this Plan of Merger, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein and herein, Seller Sub shall be merged with and into Acquiror Sub, with Acquiror Sub being the surviving banking corporation in such merger.

NOW, THEREFORE, in considerationrequired by Section 7-1-532(d) of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Merger Agreement, the parties hereto do mutually agree as follows:Georgia Code.

ARTICLE IIII

DEFINITIONS

Except as otherwise provided herein, the capitalized terms set forth below shall have the following meanings:

Effective Time” shall mean the date and time at which the Merger becomes effective as provided in Section 2.2 of this Plan of Merger.

Merger” shall refer to the merger of Seller Sub with and into Acquiror Sub as provided in Section 2.1 of this Plan of Merger.

Merging Banks” shall mean Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub.

Seller Sub Common Stock” shall mean the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Seller Sub.

Surviving Bank” shall mean Acquiror Sub as the surviving banking corporation in the Merger.

ARTICLE II

TERMS OF THE MERGER

2.1 THE MERGER. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, Seller Sub shall be merged with and into Acquiror Sub in accordance with Title 81 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended (the “Mississippi Code”), and Title 7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, as amended (the “Georgia Code as amended.”). Acquiror Sub shall be the Surviving Bank in the Merger and shall continue to be governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi. At the Effective Time, the Merger shall have the effects set forth in Mississippi Code Annotated Section 81-5-85 and the separate existence and corporate organization of Seller Sub shall cease, and all right, title and interest in and to all real estate and other property owned by, and every contract right possessed by, Seller Sub shall be vested in Acquiror Sub as the Surviving Bank, without reversion or impairment,

without further act or deed and without any transfer or assignment having occurred (but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon), and all liabilities and obligations of Seller Sub shall be vested in Acquiror Sub as the Surviving Bank, as the primary obligor therefor, and, except as set forth in the Merger Agreement,Plan, no other person shall be liable therefor, and all proceedings pending by or against Seller Subeither of the Merging Banks shall be continued by or against Acquiror Sub as the Surviving Bank, and all liabilities, obligations, assets or rights associated with such proceedings shall be vested in Acquiror Sub as the Surviving Bank.


2.2 EFFECTIVE TIME. The Merger shall become effective upon the later of the dates and times stated in the Certificate of Merger Approval issued by the Mississippi Commissioner of Banking and Consumer Finance (“MCB”) and the Certificate of Approval issued by the Georgia Department of Banking and Consumer Finance (“GDBF”).

2.3 NAME OF THE SURVIVING BANK. The name of the Surviving Bank shall be “Renasant Bank.”

2.4 CHARTER OF INCORPORATION. On and after the Effective Time, the CharterArticles of Incorporation of the Surviving Bank shall be the Charter of Incorporation of Acquiror Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable law.

2.5 BYLAWS. On and after the Effective Time, the Bylaws of the Surviving Bank shall be the Bylaws of Acquiror Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time until thereafter amended in accordance with applicable law.

2.6 MAIN OFFICE, REGISTERED AGENT AND REGISTERED OFFICE.

(a)The main office of the Surviving Bank is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804. The registered agent for the Surviving Bank is Steve Corban and the registered office is located at 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, Lee County, Mississippi 38804.

(b)The main office of the Seller is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097. The registered agent for the Seller is James F. Pope and the registered office is located at 11655 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, Fulton County, Georgia 30097.

2.7 ADOPTION OF THE PLAN. The Plan was unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors of the Parent, as the sole shareholder of the Acquiror, on                     , 20    .

Pursuant to a notice mailed on or about                     , 20    , to all of the shareholders of the Seller, the Plan was approved by the shareholders of the Seller at a meeting duly called and held on                     , 20    , at                     , located at                     . As of                     , 20    , the record date for the meeting of Seller shareholders, there were                      shares of common stock of Seller issued, outstanding and entitled to vote. The Plan was adopted by the affirmative vote of                      shares or         % of the outstanding common stock. An affirmative vote of                      shares, or two-thirds of the amount outstanding, was required to adopt the Plan.

2.8 BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The names and addresses of the directors of the Surviving Bank are: [names and addresses to be provided]

2.9 PUBLICATION OF NOTICE. The Surviving Bank will deliver the request for publication of a notice of filing these Articles of Merger and payment therefore as required by Section 7-1-532(d) of the Georgia Code.

ARTICLE III

CANCELLATIONCONVERSION OF SHARES

3.1 CANCELLATIONCONVERSION OF SHARES. AtSubject to the provisions of this Agreement, at the Effective Time, automatically by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of Parent, Acquiror, Seller or the holders of any of the following securities:

(a)Each share of common stock, par value $5.00 per share, of Acquiror issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall remain issued and outstanding after the Effective Time and shall not be affected by the Merger.

(b)Subject to the other provisions of this Section 3.1, each share of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than any shares of Seller Common Stock to be canceled in accordance with Section 3.1(e) and shares held by Dissenting Shareholders (as defined in the Plan)) shall, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 3.1(d), be converted automatically into and thereafter represent the right to receive the number of shares (or a fraction thereof) of Parent Common Stock, rounded to the nearest four decimals, equal to the Exchange Ratio (the “Merger Consideration”). As used in this Agreement, the term “Parent Common Stock” means the common stock, $5.00 par value per share, of Parent; the term “Exchange Ratio” means 0.4494.

(c)Certificates previously evidencing shares of Seller Common Stock shall be exchanged for certificates evidencing the Merger Consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no fractional shares of Parent Common Stock shall be issued, and, in lieu thereof, a cash payment shall be made pursuant to Section 3.1(f).

(d)If at any time during the period between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, any change in the number of outstanding shares of capital stock of Parent or Seller, respectively, shall occur (or for which the relevant record date will occur) as a result of any reclassification, recapitalization, stock split (including a reverse stock split) or other subdivision, combination or readjustment of shares, or as a result of any stock dividend or stock distribution with a record date during such period, the Exchange Ratio shall be equitably and proportionately adjusted, if necessary and without duplication, to reflect such change.

(e)Each share of Seller Common Stock held in the treasury of Seller and each share of Seller Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that is owned by Parent or any subsidiary of Parent (other than shares held in trust accounts, managed accounts, mutual funds and the like or otherwise in a fiduciary or agency capacity or as a result of debts previously contracted) shall automatically be cancelled and extinguished without any conversion thereof and no Merger Consideration or other consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.

(f)No certificates or scrip representing fractional shares of Parent Common Stock will be issued as a result of the Merger. In lieu of the issuance of fractional shares pursuant to Section 3.1(a), cash adjustments (without interest) will be paid to each holder of Seller Common Stock in respect of any fraction of a share of Parent Common Stock that would otherwise be issuable to such holder of Seller Common Stock, and the amount of such cash adjustment shall be determined by multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Parent Common Stock otherwise issuable by (y) the closing sale price of one share of Parent Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market as of the end of the last trading day prior to the Effective Time. No such holder shall be entitled to dividends, voting rights or any other right of shareholders in respect of any fractional share.

3.2 EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES FOR STOCK. After the Effective Time, each shareholder of a certificate previously representing outstanding shares of Seller Sub Common Stock issuedshall surrender and outstanding immediately prior toexchange such certificates for the Effective Time shall be automatically cancelled andMerger Consideration in the certificate or certificates therefor shall be surrendered and cancelled. There shall be no conversion, exchange or consideration for such Seller Sub Common Stock. Allmanner provided in Section 2.2 of the shares of Acquiror Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger shall remain issued and outstanding after the Effective Time of and shall be unaffected by the Merger. The authorized capital stock of Acquiror Sub as the Surviving Bank following the Effective Time of the Merger shall be 772,822 shares of common stock, $5.00 par value per share, unless and until the same shall be changed in accordance with applicable Mississippi law.Plan.

ARTICLE IV

FILING OF MERGER AGREEMENTPLAN

The approval of this Planthese Articles of Merger by the shareholders of Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub shall be certified in Articles of Merger which shall be signed and acknowledged by the President or Vice President of each of the Merging Banks.Seller. Thereafter, an original of the Articles of Merger, so certified, signed and acknowledged, shall be delivered to the MCB and GBCF for filing and recordation in the manner required by law.

ARTICLE V

MISCELLANEOUS

5.1 CONDITIONS PRECEDENT. The respective obligations of each party under this Planthese Articles of Merger shall be subject to the satisfaction, or waiver by the party permitted to do so, of the conditions set forth in Article VI of the Merger Agreement.Plan.

5.2 TERMINATION. This PlanThese Articles of Merger shall be terminated automatically without further act or deed of either of the parties in the event of the termination of the Merger AgreementPlan in accordance with Article VII thereof.

5.3. AMENDMENTS. To the extent permitted by the Mississippi Code this Planand the Georgia Code, these Articles of Merger may be amended by a subsequent writing signed by each of the parties hereto upon the approval of the Board of Directors of each of the parties.parties;provided,however, that the provisions of Article III of these Articles of Merger relating to the consideration to be paid for the shares of Seller Common Stock shall not be amended after the Special Meeting (as defined in the Plan) so as to modify either the amount or the form of such consideration or to otherwise materially adversely affect the stockholders of Seller without the approval of the stockholders of Seller.

5.4 SUCCESSORS. This PlanThese Articles of Merger shall be binding on the successors of Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub.Seller.

[The remainder of this page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows.]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Acquiror Sub and Seller Sub have caused this Planthese Articles of Merger to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

RENASANT BANK

By:

 

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:President and Chief Executive Officer

HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTHATTEST:

By:

 

Name:O. Leonard Dorminey
Title:

KEYWORTH BANK

By:

Name:James F. Pope
Title:Chief Executive Officer

ATTEST:

By:

Name:Neil Stevens
Title:President and Chief Operating Officer


EXHIBIT A

Agreement and Plan of Merger

SCHEDULE 5.13(b)

JOINDER AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made and executed as of                     , 20142015 between Renasant Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“AcquirorParent”), and the undersigned individual officer and/or director (“HeritageKeyWorth Official”) of Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Heritage”), and/or HeritageBank of the South,KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia savings bank (“HeritageBankKeyWorth”).

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, Acquiror,Parent, Renasant Bank, a Mississippi banking association (the “Acquiror Bank”), Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which HeritageKeyWorth will be merged into Acquiror and Acquiror shall be the surviving entity on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and HeritageBank will be merged into Acquiror Bank and Acquiror Bank shall be the surviving entity on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement; and

WHEREAS, in consideration of the agreements made by HeritageKeyWorth in connection with the Merger Agreement, AcquirorParent has agreed to indemnify the HeritageKeyWorth Official under certain circumstances set forth in the Merger Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of Acquiror’sParent’s agreement to indemnify the HeritageKeyWorth Official and the expenses and costs that may be incurred by AcquirorParent in connection with such indemnification, the HeritageKeyWorth Official hereby agrees as follows:

1.Assumption of and Cooperation in Defense.

1.1Notice and Assumption of Defense. In the event a claim arises for which indemnification is or may be sought by the HeritageKeyWorth Official, the HeritageKeyWorth Official shall promptly notify Acquiror,Parent, in writing at the address set forth in Section 3 hereof, of the commencement of such legal action or existence of and facts relating to such claim. Upon receipt of such notice, or at any time thereafter, AcquirorParent shall be entitled to participate therein and, in its sole discretion, to assume the defense of such claim, with counsel of its choice, subject to the reasonable approval of the HeritageKeyWorth Official, and to consider and decide on any proposed settlement, subject to the reasonable approval of the HeritageKeyWorth Official. In any and all events, AcquirorParent shall have the right to reasonable control over the nature and extent of expenses incurred in connection with such claim(s). AcquirorParent shall notify the HeritageKeyWorth Official of its assumption of the defense of such claim; and after such notice from AcquirorParent to the HeritageKeyWorth Official, AcquirorParent shall not be liable to the HeritageKeyWorth Official for indemnification under Section 5.13(b) of the Merger Agreement for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses of defense subsequently incurred by such indemnified party.

1.2Cooperation in Defense. The HeritageKeyWorth Official agrees to cooperate in the defense of any action for which indemnification is sought under Section 5.13(b) of the Merger Agreement. Such cooperation shall include, but not be limited to, providing AcquirorParent and its counsel copies of any and all relevant documents relating to the claim, consulting with AcquirorParent and its counsel with regard to the claim, providing testimony, either in deposition or at trial or both, regarding the facts relating to the claim, making himself available at reasonable times for consultation, testimony and fact-finding and otherwise furnishing such information to AcquirorParent and its counsel as the HeritageKeyWorth Official would provide to his own counsel in the event he were defending the action himself. Except as expressly permitted by Acquiror,Parent, the HeritageKeyWorth Official shall not object to the production or use of any documents heretofore prepared by or of information provided to AcquirorParent legal counsel on the basis of any claim of privilege that is available only to HeritageKeyWorth or Acquiror;Parent;provided,however, that AcquirorParent agrees that it will not, without the consent of the HeritageKeyWorth Official, waive any applicable privilege of the HeritageKeyWorth Official. Such cooperation shall be provided regardless of whether AcquirorParent assumes the defense of the action.

Schedule 5.13(b) - Page 1


2.Duplication of Payment; Limitations; Presumptions.

2.1No Duplication of Payments. AcquirorParent shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment in connection with any claim against the HeritageKeyWorth Official to the extent the HeritageKeyWorth Official has otherwise actually received payment (under any insurance policy, certificate of incorporation, bylaw provision or otherwise) of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder.

2.2Limitation on Liability. The HeritageKeyWorth Official hereby expressly acknowledges and agrees that AcquirorParent shall not be liable in the aggregate for more than the Indemnification Cap (as defined in the Merger Agreement) in connection with its obligations under Section 5.13(b) of the Merger Agreement. The HeritageKeyWorth Official further acknowledges and agrees that he shall have no claim against AcquirorParent for any amount that, when aggregated with indemnification amounts paid by AcquirorParent to other HeritageKeyWorth Officials that would be subject to the Indemnification Cap as provided in the Merger Agreement (the “Capped Amount”), exceeds the Indemnification Cap. Any claim for reallocation of the amounts paid by AcquirorParent among HeritageKeyWorth Officials shall be made against the other HeritageKeyWorth Official(s) involved, and AcquirorParent shall not be liable in any way for the allocation of such Capped Amount among HeritageKeyWorth Officials.

2.3No Presumption. For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any claim, action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) shall not of itself create a presumption that the HeritageKeyWorth Official did or did not meet any particular standard of conduct or have any particular belief or that a court has determined that indemnification is not permitted by applicable law.

3.Notices. All notices or other communications which are required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered in accordance with Section 8.3 of the Merger Agreement, at the addresses listed below:

 

If to Acquiror:

Parent:

Renasant Corporation

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, Mississippi 38804-4827

Attention: E. Robinson McGraw

If to the HeritageKeyWorth Official:

4.Execution in Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and each of which shall be deemed an original. Transmission by facsimile of an executed counterpart of this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart, and such facsimile shall be deemed to be an original counterpart of this Agreement.

5.Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of Mississippi applicable to agreements made and entirely to be performed within such State, except as federal law may be applicable.

6.Amendment. This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument signed by both parties hereto.

Schedule 5.13(b) - Page 2


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

RENASANT CORPORATION
By:

 

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:

Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Officer

HERITAGEKEYWORTH OFFICIAL

 

Print Name:

Schedule 5.13(b) - Page 3


SCHEDULE 5.18-A

LOCK-UPVOTING AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 1


LOCK-UPVOTING AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT

This Lock-UpVoting and Non-Competition Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and executed as of the      day of , 201    ,October, 2015, between Renasant Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“AcquirorParent”), and the undersigned non-employee director (“HeritageKeyWorth Official”) of Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Heritage”), or HeritageBank of the South,KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia savings bank (“HeritageBankKeyWorth”).

Acquiror,Parent, Renasant Bank, a Mississippi banking association (“Acquiror Bank”), Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Plan of Merger”), pursuant to which the parties thereto agree that (i) HeritageKeyWorth will merge with and into Acquiror (the “Merger”), and Acquiror shall be the surviving entity of the Merger, and (ii) HeritageBank will merge with and into Acquiror Bank (the “Bank Merger”), and Acquiror Bank shall be the surviving entity of the Bank Merger. In consideration of the expenses that AcquirorParent will incur in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Plan of Merger, and in order to preserve the value of the franchise to be purchased by AcquirorParent and induce AcquirorParent to proceed to incur such expenses, the HeritageKeyWorth Official makes the following agreements in favor of Acquiror:Parent:

1.Undertakings of HeritageKeyWorth Official.

1.1 The HeritageKeyWorth Official agrees and undertakes during the term of this Agreement to vote or cause to be voted in favor of the Plan of Merger all shares of common stock of Heritage, $0.01KeyWorth, $5.00 par value per share (the “HeritageKeyWorth Stock”), as to which he has voting power (other than shares held in a fiduciary capacity), which amount of shares is shown on the schedule attached hereto and made a part hereof (the “Shares”), at any meeting or meetings of the stockholdersshareholders of HeritageKeyWorth at which such matters are considered (including any and all adjournments thereof). Further, the KeyWorth Official in his capacity as a shareholder shall not invite or seek any Acquisition Proposal (as defined in the Plan of Merger), support (or suggest that anyone else should support) any Acquisition Proposal that may be made or ask the Board of Directors of KeyWorth to consider, support or seek any Acquisition Proposal. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that nothing in this section or this Agreement is intended to dictate or require that the HeritageKeyWorth Official vote as a director in any manner, and nothing in this Agreement: (i) will limit or affect any actions or omissions taken by the HeritageKeyWorth Official in his capacity as such a director, including in exercising rights under the Plan of Merger, and no such actions or omissions shall be deemed a breach of this Agreement or (ii) will be construed to prohibit, limit or restrict the HeritageKeyWorth Official from exercising HeritageKeyWorth Official’s fiduciary duties as a director of Heritage.KeyWorth.

1.2 The HeritageKeyWorth Official further agrees that during the term of this Agreement, he will not transfer or encumber any of the Shares, , except (i) for transfers by operation of law and (ii) for transfers in connection with which AcquirorParent has consented to the transfer and the transferee shall agree in writing with AcquirorParent to be bound by this Agreement as fully as the undersigned.

1.32.Representations of the KeyWorth Official.

2.1 The KeyWorth Official represents and warrants to Parent that:

(a) The KeyWorth Official is the registered or beneficial owner of, and has full voting power with respect to, the Shares. While this Agreement is in effect, the KeyWorth Official shall not, directly or indirectly, deposit any of the Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement with respect to any of the Shares or grant any proxies with respect thereto.

(b) The KeyWorth Official does not beneficially own any shares of the capital stock of KeyWorth other than the Shares or securities exercisable for or convertible into the Shares.

(c) The KeyWorth Official has the legal capacity, power and authority to enter into and perform all of the KeyWorth Official’s obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement shall terminate uponhas been duly and validly executed and delivered by the earliest to occurKeyWorth Official and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of (i) the Effective Time and (ii)KeyWorth Official, enforceable against the date on which the Plan of Merger terminatesKeyWorth Official in accordance with its terms.terms except as limited by the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception (as defined in the Plan of Merger). No consent, approval or authorization of, or

2.

designation, declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person on the part of the KeyWorth Official is required in connection with the valid execution and delivery of this Agreement. If the KeyWorth Official is married and the KeyWorth Official’s Shares constitute community property, this Agreement has been, to the extent necessary, duly authorized and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the KeyWorth Official’s spouse, enforceable against such person in accordance with its terms subject to the foregoing exception.

(d) None of the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the KeyWorth Official, the consummation by the KeyWorth Official of the transactions contemplated hereby or compliance by the KeyWorth Official with any of the provisions hereof will conflict with or result in a breach of, or constitute a default (with or without notice of lapse of time or both) under any provision of, any trust agreement, loan or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease or other agreement, instrument or law applicable to the KeyWorth Official or to the KeyWorth Official’s property or assets.

3.Additional Shares.

3.1 The KeyWorth Official agrees that all shares of KeyWorth Stock that the KeyWorth Official purchases, acquires the right to vote or otherwise acquires beneficial ownership of after the execution of this Agreement shall be subject to the terms of this Agreement and shall constitute Shares for all purposes of this Agreement.

4.Waiver of Appraisal and Dissenters’ Rights.

4.1 The KeyWorth Official hereby waives, and agrees not to assert or perfect, and shall use his reasonable best efforts to cause any affiliates who hold of record any of the KeyWorth Official’s Shares to waive and not to assert or perfect, any rights of appraisal or rights to dissent from the Merger that the KeyWorth Official or such affiliate may now or hereafter have with respect to any Shares (or any other shares of capital stock of KeyWorth that the KeyWorth Official shall hold of record at the time that the KeyWorth Official may be entitled to assert appraisal or dissenter’s rights with respect to the Merger).

5.Noncompetition Obligations of HeritageKeyWorth Official.

2.1 Heritage5.1 KeyWorth Official will not:

(a) directly or indirectly, for himself or in affiliation with any business or entity in which he owns an equity or financial interest (except as to not more than five percent (5%) of the outstanding stock of any corporation, the securities of which are regularly traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange or over-the-counter market), carry on or engage in any Competitive Business (as hereinafter defined) within the Restricted Area (as hereinafter defined); or

(b) directly or indirectly, in affiliation with any individual or any business or entity not covered by (a) above, whether as a partner, employee, contractor, consultant or otherwise, carry on or engage in any Competitive Business in the Restricted Area; or

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 2


(c) directly or indirectly, solicit or cause to be solicited any customers of AcquirorParent or Acquiror, Bank, with respect to any Competitive Business in the Restricted Area; or

(d) directly or indirectly, solicit or cause to be solicited any employees, contractors or agents of AcquirorParent or Acquiror Bank to terminate their employment, contract or relationship with AcquirorParent or Acquiror Bank.Acquiror.

For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Restricted Area” shall mean the Statefollowing counties in Georgia in which KeyWorth has operations as of Georgia,the date hereof: Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett and all adjoining counties. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Competitive Business” shall mean the business of banking, including, without limitation, checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, interim

construction and residential loans, student loans, automated tellers machines, internet banking services and accounts receivable financing. For the avoidance of doubt, “Competitive Business” shall exclude equipment leasing,not include insurance agency services and insurance services, trust services and investment advisory services,services.

5.2 In the event that Parent shall file a lawsuit in any entity in whichcourt of competent jurisdiction alleging a breach of the Heritage Official has an ownership interest in on the datenon-competition provisions of this Agreement and engaging in those businesses, activities or venturesby the KeyWorth Official, then any time period set forth on Schedule A.in this Agreement including the time periods set forth above, will be extended for the number of days equal to the number of days the KeyWorth Official was in breach of this Agreement, so that Parent is provided the benefit of the full Restricted Period (as defined below).

2.2.5.3 Parent and the KeyWorth Official agree that the foregoing restrictions are reasonable under the circumstances and that any breach of the covenants contained in this Section 5 would cause irreparable injury to Parent. The noncompetitionKeyWorth Official understands that the foregoing restrictions may limit the KeyWorth Official’s ability to engage in certain businesses during the period provided for above in the Restricted Area, but acknowledges that the KeyWorth Official will receive sufficient remuneration and other benefits under the Plan of Merger to justify such restriction. Further, the KeyWorth Official acknowledges that his skills are such that he can be gainfully employed in non-competitive employment, and that the agreement not to compete will in no way prevent him from earning a living. If any of the aforesaid restrictions are found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unreasonable, or overly broad as to geographic area or time, or otherwise unenforceable, the parties intend for the restrictions therein set forth to be modified by the court making such determination so as to be reasonable and enforceable and, as so modified, to be fully enforced. By agreeing to this contractual modification prospectively at this time, the parties intend to make this provision enforceable under applicable law in the Restricted Area so that the entire agreement not to compete and this Agreement as prospectively modified shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be rendered void or illegal.

6.Terms.

6.1 The obligations set forth in Section 2.1Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this Agreement shall extend untilterminate upon the earliest to occur of (i) the Effective Time (as defined in the Plan of Merger) and (ii) the date on which the Plan of Merger terminates in accordance with its terms.

6.2 The obligations set forth in Sections 5, 6 and 7 of this Agreement shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of (i) the second anniversary of the Closing (as defined in the Plan of Merger) (the “Restricted Period”).

2.3. Acquiror and (ii) the Heritage Official agree that the foregoing restrictions are reasonable under the circumstances and that any breach of the covenants contained in this Section 2 would cause irreparable injury to Acquiror. The Heritage Official understands that the foregoing restrictions may limit the Heritage Official’s ability to engage in certain businesses during the period provided for above in the Restricted Area, but acknowledges that the Heritage Official will receive sufficient remuneration and other benefits underdate on which the Plan of Merger to justify such restriction. Further, the Heritage Official acknowledges that his skills are such that he can be gainfully employedterminates in non-competitive employment, and that the agreement not to compete will in no way prevent him from earning a living. If any of the aforesaid restrictions are found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unreasonable, or overly broad as to geographic area or time, or otherwise unenforceable, the parties intend for the restrictions therein set forth to be modified by the court making such determination so as to be reasonable and enforceable and, as so modified, to be fully enforced. By agreeing to this contractual modification prospectively at this time, the parties intend to make this provision enforceable under the laws of Mississippi in the Restricted Area so that the entire agreement not to compete and this Agreement as prospectively modified shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be rendered void or illegal.accordance with its terms.

3.7.Miscellaneous.

3.17.1 The HeritageKeyWorth Official acknowledges that money damages would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of this Agreement by the HeritageKeyWorth Official, and AcquirorParent shall be entitled to seek to enforce the provisions of this Agreement by specific performance and injunctive relief as remedies for such breach or any threatened breach, without any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond or giving any other undertaking (except to the extent required by law). Such remedies shall not be deemed the exclusive remedies for a breach of this Agreement, but shall be in addition to all remedies available at law or in equity to Acquiror,Parent, including, without limitation, the recovery of damages from the HeritageKeyWorth Official and his or her agents involved in such breach.

3.27.2 The HeritageKeyWorth Official acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement is executed in connection with the sale of all of the business of Heritage.KeyWorth. The HeritageKeyWorth Official further acknowledges and represents that the provisions of this Agreement will not work a hardship on him and will not prevent him from engaging in his occupation.

3.3 To7.3 No amendment, modification or waiver in respect of this Agreement shall be effective unless it shall be in writing and signed by both parties and to the extent permitted under applicable law, any provision of this Agreement may be amended or modified at any time, either before or after its approval by an agreement in writing among the parties hereto.law.

3.4

7.4 This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to constitute an original. Each such counterpart shall become effective when one counterpart has been signed by each party hereto.

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 3


3.57.5 This Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of MississippiGeorgia applicable to agreements made and entirely to be performed within such State, except as federal law may be applicable.

3.67.6 The HeritageKeyWorth Official may not assign any of his rights or obligations under this Agreement to any other person.

3.77.7 This Agreement supersedes any and all oral or written agreements and understandings heretofore made between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof and contains the entire agreement of the parties relating to the subject matter hereof;provided,however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement does not modify or amend any stock option agreement, employment agreement, option or similar employee benefit agreement between HeritageKeyWorth or an affiliate of HeritageKeyWorth and the HeritageKeyWorth Official. The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors, heirs and legatees.

3.87.8 In the event that any party institutes any legal suit, action or proceeding against the other party to enforce the covenants contained in this Agreement (or obtain any other remedy in respect of any breach of this Agreement), the prevailing party in the suit, action or proceeding shall be entitled to receive in addition to all other damages to which it may be entitled, the costs incurred by such party in conducting the suit, action or proceeding, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses and court costs.

[Remainder of this page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows.]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above.

 

RENASANT CORPORATION
By:

 

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:

Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Officer

HERITAGEKEYWORTH OFFICIAL

 

Print Name:

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 4


SCHEDULE TO

LOCK-UPVOTING AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT

Number of shares of common stock, $0.01$5.00 par value per share, of Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank owned by the HeritageKeyWorth Official:                      shares.

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 5


SCHEDULE A

5.18-B

Schedule 5.18-A - Page 6


SCHEDULE 5.18-B

LOCK-UPVOTING AGREEMENT

Schedule 5.18-B - Page 1


LOCK-UPVOTING AGREEMENT

This Lock-UpVoting Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and executed as of the          day of , 201    ,October, 2015, between Renasant Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“AcquirorParent”), and the undersigned individual executive officer andemployee director (“HeritageKeyWorth Official”) of Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Heritage”), or HeritageBank of the South,KeyWorth Bank, a Georgia savings bank (“HeritageBankKeyWorth”).

Acquiror,Parent, Renasant Bank, a Mississippi banking association (“Acquiror Bank”), Heritage and HeritageBankKeyWorth have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Plan of Merger”), pursuant to which the parties thereto agree that (i) HeritageKeyWorth will merge with and into Acquiror (the “Merger”), and Acquiror shall be the surviving entity of the Merger, and (ii) HeritageBank will merge with and into Acquiror Bank (the “Bank Merger”), and Acquiror Bank shall be the surviving entity of the Bank Merger. In consideration of the expenses that AcquirorParent will incur in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Plan of Merger, and in order to preserve the value of the franchise to be purchased by AcquirorParent and induce AcquirorParent to proceed to incur such expenses, the HeritageKeyWorth Official makes the following agreements in favor of Acquiror:Parent:

1.Undertakings of HeritageKeyWorth Official.

1.1 The HeritageKeyWorth Official agrees and undertakes during the term of this Agreement to vote or cause to be voted in favor of the Plan of Merger all shares of common stock of Heritage, $0.01KeyWorth, $5.00 par value per share (the “HeritageKeyWorth Stock”), as to which he has voting power (other than shares held in a fiduciary capacity), which amount of shares is shown on the schedule attached hereto and made a part hereof (the “Shares”), at any meeting or meetings of the stockholdersshareholders of HeritageKeyWorth at which such matters are considered (including any and all adjournments thereof). Further, the KeyWorth Official in his capacity as a shareholder shall not invite or seek any Acquisition Proposal (as defined in the Plan of Merger), support (or suggest that anyone else should support) any Acquisition Proposal that may be made or ask the Board of Directors of KeyWorth to consider, support or seek any Acquisition Proposal. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that nothing in this section or this Agreement is intended to dictate or require that the HeritageKeyWorth Official vote as a director in any manner, and nothing in this Agreement: (i) will limit or affect any actions or omissions taken by the HeritageKeyWorth Official in his capacity as such a director, including in exercising rights under the Plan of Merger, and no such actions or omissions shall be deemed a breach of this Agreement or (ii) will be construed to prohibit, limit or restrict the HeritageKeyWorth Official from exercising HeritageKeyWorth Official’s fiduciary duties as a director of Heritage.KeyWorth.

1.2 The HeritageKeyWorth Official further agrees that during the term of this Agreement, he will not transfer or encumber any of the Shares, except (i) for transfers by operation of law and (ii) for transfers in connection with which AcquirorParent has consented to the transfer and the transferee shall agree in writing with AcquirorParent to be bound by this Agreement as fully as the undersigned.

1.3 This Agreement shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of (i) the Effective Time (as defined in the Plan of Merger) and (ii) the date on which the Plan of Merger terminates in accordance with its terms.

2. [Reserved]Representations of the KeyWorth Official.

2.1 The KeyWorth Official represents and warrants to Parent that:

(a) The KeyWorth Official is the registered or beneficial owner of, and has full voting power with respect to, the Shares. While this Agreement is in effect, the KeyWorth Official shall not, directly or indirectly, deposit any of the Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement with respect to any of the Shares or grant any proxies with respect thereto.

(b) The KeyWorth Official does not beneficially own any shares of the capital stock of KeyWorth other than the Shares or securities exercisable for or convertible into the Shares.

(c) The KeyWorth Official has the legal capacity, power and authority to enter into and perform all of the KeyWorth Official’s obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and

delivered by the KeyWorth Official and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the KeyWorth Official, enforceable against the KeyWorth Official in accordance with its terms except as limited by the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception (as defined in the Plan of Merger). No consent, approval or authorization of, or designation, declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person on the part of the KeyWorth Official is required in connection with the valid execution and delivery of this Agreement. If the KeyWorth Official is married and the KeyWorth Official’s Shares constitute community property, this Agreement has been, to the extent necessary, duly authorized and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the KeyWorth Official’s spouse, enforceable against such person in accordance with its terms subject to the foregoing exception.

(d) None of the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the KeyWorth Official, the consummation by the KeyWorth Official of the transactions contemplated hereby or compliance by the KeyWorth Official with any of the provisions hereof will conflict with or result in a breach of, or constitute a default (with or without notice of lapse of time or both) under any provision of, any trust agreement, loan or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease or other agreement, instrument or law applicable to the KeyWorth Official or to the KeyWorth Official’s property or assets.

3.MiscellaneousAdditional Shares.

3.1 The HeritageKeyWorth Official agrees that all shares of KeyWorth Stock that the KeyWorth Official purchases, acquires the right to vote or otherwise acquires beneficial ownership of after the execution of this Agreement shall be subject to the terms of this Agreement and shall constitute Shares for all purposes of this Agreement.

4.Waiver of Appraisal and Dissenters’ Rights.

4.1 The KeyWorth Official hereby waives, and agrees not to assert or perfect, and shall use his reasonable best efforts to cause any affiliates who hold of record any of the KeyWorth Official’s Shares to waive and not to assert or perfect, any rights of appraisal or rights to dissent from the Merger that the KeyWorth Official or such affiliate may now or hereafter have with respect to any Shares (or any other shares of capital stock of KeyWorth that the KeyWorth Official shall hold of record at the time that the KeyWorth Official may be entitled to assert appraisal or dissenter’s rights with respect to the Merger).

5. [Reserved]

6.Miscellaneous.

6.1 The KeyWorth Official acknowledges that money damages would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of this Agreement by the HeritageKeyWorth Official, and AcquirorParent shall be entitled to seek to enforce the provisions of this Agreement by specific performance and injunctive relief as remedies for such breach or any threatened breach, without any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond or giving any other undertaking (except to the extent required by law). Such remedies shall not be deemed the exclusive remedies for a breach of this Agreement, but shall be in addition to all remedies available at law or in equity to Acquiror,Parent, including, without limitation, the recovery of damages from the HeritageKeyWorth Official and his or her agents involved in such breach.

3.26.2 The HeritageKeyWorth Official acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement is executed in connection with the sale of all of the business of Heritage.

KeyWorth.

Schedule 5.18-B - Page 2


3.3 To6.3 No amendment, modification or waiver in respect of this Agreement shall be effective unless it shall be in writing and signed by both parties and to the extent permitted under applicable law, any provision of this Agreement may be amended or modified at any time, either before or after its approval by an agreement in writing among the parties hereto.law.

3.46.4 This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to constitute an original. Each such counterpart shall become effective when one counterpart has been signed by each party hereto.

3.5

6.5 This Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of MississippiGeorgia applicable to agreementagreements made and entirely to be performed within such State, except as federal law may be applicable.

3.66.6 The HeritageKeyWorth Official may not assign any of his rights or obligations under this Agreement to any other person.

3.76.7 This Agreement supersedes any and all oral or written agreements and understandings heretofore made between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof and contains the entire agreement of the parties relating to the subject matter hereof;provided,however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement does not modify or amend any stock option agreement, employment agreement, option or similar employee benefit agreement between HeritageKeyWorth or an affiliate of KeyWorth and the HeritageKeyWorth Official. The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors, heirs and legatees.

3.86.8 In the event that any party institutes any legal suit, action or proceeding against the other party to enforce the covenants contained in this Agreement (or obtain any other remedy in respect of any breach of this Agreement), the prevailing party in the suit, action or proceeding shall be entitled to receive in addition to all other damages to which it may be entitled, the costs incurred by such party in conducting the suit, action or proceeding, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses and court costs.

[Remainder of this page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows.]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above.

 

RENASANT CORPORATION

By:

 

Name:E. Robinson McGraw
Title:

Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Officer

HERITAGEKEYWORTH OFFICIAL

 

Print Name:

Schedule 5.18-B - Page 3


SCHEDULE TO

LOCK-UPVOTING AGREEMENT

Number of shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Heritage Financial Group, Inc. owned by the Heritage Official:             shares.

Schedule 5.18-B - Page 4


SCHEDULE 6.2(f)-A

AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT OF O. LEONARD DORMINEY

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 1


HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

THIS EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between O. Leonard Dorminey (“Executive”) and Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Maryland (the “Company”), and is intended to amend, restate, and replace, in its entirety, that certain Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company, Heritagebank of the South (the “Bank”), and Executive, initially effective as of March 16, 2005, and most recently amended as of November 30, 2010, and as extended from time to time (the “Prior Agreement”).

1. Effectiveness; Relationship to Prior Agreement.This Agreement is contingent upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank, the Company and the Bank, dated as of December     , 2014 (the “Merger Agreement”). This Agreement shall be effective as of the close of business on the business day preceding the Effective Time, as defined in the Merger Agreement (the “Effective Date”). If the Effective Time shall not occur, this Agreement shall be deemed void and of no effect, and the Prior Agreement shall remain in force and effect.

As of the Effective Time, Executive agrees that, to the extent not expressly provided herein, all rights and benefits provided under the Prior Agreement shall be deemed extinguished and cancelled in their entirety. Executive agrees that nothing contained in this Agreement and no payment or benefit made outside of this Agreement is intended to constitute a “substitution,” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for any right or benefit provided under the Prior Agreement that has been extinguished and cancelled hereunder, and that this Agreement shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with such intent.

2. Employment And Term:

2.1 Position.The Company shall employ and retain Executive as its Chief Executive Officer and President, and the Bank shall retain Executive as its Chief Executive Officer and President (unless the context clearly indicates the contrary, the Bank and the Company are collectively referred to hereinafter as the “Company”). Executive agrees to be so employed, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein. Executive’s duties and responsibilities shall be those assigned to him hereunder, from time to time, by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”), and shall include such duties as are the type and nature normally assigned to similar executive officers of a corporation of the size, type and stature of the Company. Executive shall report directly to the Board.

2.2 Full Time and Attention.During the Employment Term (defined below), Executive shall devote his full time, attention and energies to the business of the Company and will not, without the prior written consent of the Board, be engaged (whether or not during normal business hours) in any other business or professional activity, whether or not such activities are pursued for gain, profit or other pecuniary advantage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall not be prevented from: (a) engaging in any civic or charitable activity for which Executive receives no compensation or other pecuniary advantage, including without limitation serving as an officer and/or director of any community, civic, charitable, service or professional organization; (b) managing his personal affairs and investments in businesses that do not compete with the Company, provided that such activities do not interfere with the responsible performance of Executive’s duties hereunder; or (c) purchasing securities in any corporation whose securities are regularly traded, provided that such purchases will not result in Executive owning beneficially at any time 5% or more of the equity securities of any corporation engaged in a business competitive with that of the Company.

2.3 Term. Executive’s employment hereunder shall commence as of the Effective Date and shall terminate on December 31, 2018 (such period referred to as the “Employment Term”).

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 2


3. Compensation And Benefits:

3.1 Base Compensation. The Company shall pay to Executive an annual salary, not less than his annual base salary in effect as of the Effective Date; such amount shall be prorated and paid in equal installments in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and policies (Executive’s “Base Compensation”). Executive’s Base Compensation shall be reviewed no less often than annually and may be increased or reduced by the Board or the Compensation Committee thereof;provided, however, that Executive’s Base Compensation may not be reduced unless such reduction is part of a reduction in pay uniformly applicable to the similarly situated officers of the Company.

3.2 Annual Incentive Bonus. Executive shall be eligible for participation in the short-term bonus arrangement or arrangements maintained by the Company, from time to time, for the benefit of similarly situated executive officers (an “Incentive Bonus”). Executive’s Incentive Bonus may be discretionary or formulaic and subject to the attainment of one or more performance objectives or such other measures as may be determined by the Board.

3.3 Other Benefit Plans. During the Employment Term, Executive shall participate in such plans, policies, and programs as may be maintained, from time to time, by the Company for the benefit of its executive officers or employees, including, without limitation, any short-term or long-term incentive compensation plan, nonqualified deferred compensation or similar plan, executive benefit plan, profit sharing, life insurance, and group medical and other welfare benefit plans. Any such coverages and benefits shall be determined in accordance with the specific terms and conditions of the documents evidencing any such plans, policies, and programs. Nothing herein shall prevent the Company from amending or modifying the terms and conditions of any benefit, contract or arrangement, replacing any such benefit, contract or arrangement or eliminating or terminating any such benefit, contract or arrangement, notwithstanding that such amendment, modification, replacement or elimination may be adverse to Executive.

3.4 Reimbursement of Expenses. The Company shall reimburse Executive for such reasonable expenses as are directly incurred by Executive in carrying out his duties hereunder, consistent with the Company’s standard policies and annual budget, it being understood and agreed that such expenses shall include, but not be limited to, Executive’s membership in various banking and trade associations consistent with his historical practice including without limitation the Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) and the Georgia Bankers Association, and Executive’s attendance at various banking conferences and other events including without limitation those sponsored by CBA, GBA and Sheshunoff. The Company’s obligation to reimburse Executive hereunder shall be contingent upon the presentment by Executive of an itemized accounting of such expenditures in accordance with the Company’s policies; policies; the Company shall not be obligated to pay or reimburse spousal travel or entertainment hereunder, unless consistent with the Company’s standard policies.

3.5 Fringe Benefits.In addition to the foregoing, Executive shall be entitled to the following fringe benefits:

a. Use of a leased or Company-owned motor vehicle, or a cash payment sufficient to compensate Executive for his ownership or lease of such a vehicle, including the cost of maintenance, insurance, repairs and fuel with respect to any such vehicle, such benefit to be provided in the form reasonably determined by the Company.

b. Reimbursement or payment of expenses for dues and capital assessments for country club membership or for other civic club memberships; provided, that if any bond or capital or similar payment made by the Company is repaid to Executive, Executive shall promptly remit to the Company the amount thereof.

c. No less than four weeks of paid vacation each year.

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 3


4. Executive’s Termination From Employment.

4.1 Special Definitions.As used herein:

a. “Cause” means that Executive: (i) is convicted of (from which no appeal may be taken), or pleads guilty to, any act of fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, or any felony; (ii) is engaged in gross or willful misconduct materially damaging to the business of the Company, which, if capable of being cured, is not cured by the Executive within 30 days following his receipt of written notice thereof (it being understood, however, that neither conduct pursuant to the Executive’s exercise of good faith business judgment nor unintentional physical damage to any property of the Company by Executive shall be a ground for such a determination); (iii) has been removed and/or permanently prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by an order issued under Section 8(e)(4) or (g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. Section 1818(e)(4) and (g)(1); or (iv) failed, without reasonable cause, to follow reasonable written instructions of the Board consistent with Executive’s position, and within 30 days written notice from the Board of such failure, Executive fails to cure such failure.

b. “Continuing Health Benefit” means and shall be available hereunder if Executive and/or his dependents timely elect to continue group medical coverage within the meaning of Code Section 4980B(f)(2) with respect to a group health plan sponsored by the Company or an affiliate (other than a health flexible spending account under Code Section 125), in which event: (i) the Company shall pay to Executive monthly the amount of the continuation coverage premium for the same type and level of group health plan coverage received by Executive and his electing dependents immediately prior to such termination of Executive’s employment, during the continuation period contemplated under Code Section 4980B; and (ii) thereafter, the Company shall pay to Executive the premium amount for substantially the same type and level of coverage provided during the continuation coverage period under Code Section 4980B,except that such coverage may be provided, in the discretion of the Company, under a group medical plan maintained by the Company for the benefit of its employees or under an individual policy of insurance. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to require the Company to maintain any type or level of coverage of group health plan, or to preclude the amendment, substitution, replacement or termination of any type or level of coverage of group health plan.

c. “Continuing Perquisite Amount” means a dollar amount payable to the Executive in lieu of continuing the Executive’s coverage in the Company’s benefit plans and in lieu of continuing to provide the Executive with various perquisites following his Termination Date. The Continuing Perquisite Amount shall be calculated as of Executive’s Termination Date and shall include (i) the annual premium cost of the welfare plans such as group life and disability insurance under which the Executive was covered prior to his Termination Date,but expressly excluding the Continuing Health Benefit provided separately above and any voluntary benefits under which Executive elected coverage, (ii) the total Company contributions or accruals under any qualified or nonqualified retirement plans made on behalf of the Executive for the calendar year prior to the year in which the Termination Date occurs,excluding for this purpose any voluntary deferrals by Executive that may be characterized as Company contributions under applicable law, and (iii) the amount of any car allowance or country club dues provided for the benefit of Executive during the calendar year prior to the year in which his Termination Date occurs. The Continuing Perquisite Amount shall be calculated as an annual amount and then prorated and paid in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and plans.

d. “Termination Date” means the date on which Executive’s employment hereunder terminates for any reason.

4.2 Executive’s Termination. Executive may terminate his employment hereunder for any reason, or no reason, including Executive’s death or disability;provided that in the event of Executive’s voluntary termination, he shall provide 30 days’ prior written notice to the Board, or such shorter period as may be agreed upon by the Board and Executive. In such event, or upon the Executive’s death, the Company shall pay or provide to Executive the following amounts or benefits, subject to any delay required under Section 6.14 below:

a. His Base Compensation accrued but not yet paid as of his Termination Date, any Incentive Bonus for the year prior to the year in which Executive’s Termination Date occurs to the extent not yet paid as of his

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 4


Termination Date, any benefits or payments required by law to be provided, and any benefits accrued and vested under a separate benefit plan or arrangement maintained by the Company (collectively, Executive’s “Accrued Benefits”).

b. Four years of Executive’s Base Compensation in effect as of the Termination Date (ignoring any decrease in such Base Compensation occurring within four months of such Termination Date), which amount shall be paid over the four-year period following his Termination Date, in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and policies.

c. An amount equal to the average of the last three annual Incentive Bonuses paid to Executive prior to the Termination Date; such amount to be paid annually for four years following his Termination Date, at the time or times Executive’s Incentive Bonus would otherwise be payable (for avoidance of doubt, the parties intend that Executive shall receive four annual payments hereunder).

d. The Continuing Health Benefit and Continuing Perquisite Amount, each to be paid or provided for the four-year period following his Termination Date.

4.3 Company’s Termination Without Cause.The Board may terminate Executive’s employment without Cause hereunder with 30 days’ prior written notice, or such shorter period as may be agreed upon by the Board and Executive. In such event the Company shall pay or provide those amounts and benefits described in Section 4.2 hereof, at the time or times prescribed thereunder.

4.4 Company’s Termination for Cause.Executive’s employment hereunder may be terminated by the Board at any time, acting in good faith, on account of Cause. The Board, or a committee thereof formed for such purpose, shall provide written notice to Executive, including a description of the specific reasons for the determination of Cause. Executive shall have the opportunity to appear before the Board or committee, with or without legal representation, to present arguments and evidence on his behalf. Following such presentation, or upon Executive’s failure to appear, the Board or the committee as the case may be, by an affirmative vote of a majority of its members, shall confirm that the actions or inactions of Executive constitute Cause hereunder. In such event, the Company shall pay to Executive his Accrued Benefits and shall have no further obligations hereunder.

4.5 Expiration of Employment Term.Upon the expiration of Executive’s Employment Term, Executive’s employment hereunder shall cease, this Agreement shall be deemed terminated, and the Company shall pay to Executive the amounts and benefits described in Section 4.2 hereof;provided that Executive shall execute and timely deliver a waiver and release of claims in favor of the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company.

5. Executive’s Covenants:

5.1 Consideration for Covenants. Executive acknowledges that the execution of this Agreement and the payments described herein constitute consideration for the covenants set forth in this Section 5, the adequacy of which is hereby expressly acknowledged by Executive.

5.2 Confidential Information.Executive shall not divulge, furnish or use, whether directly or indirectly, any Trade Secret or Confidential Information,except in the ordinary course of providing services hereunder, to a duly authorized officer of a Protected Entity (as defined below) or as may be required by legal process. For this purpose:

a. “Trade Secret” is as defined in § 10-1-761 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

b. “Confidential Information” means confidential, proprietary, non-public information concerning the Company, the Bank and their affiliates (the “Protected Entities”), whether or not a Trade Secret, which includes,

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 5


without limitation: (i) books, records and policies relating to operations, finance, accounting, personnel and management of Protected Entities; (ii) information related to any business entered into by the Protected Entities; (iii) credit policies and practices, databases, customer lists, information obtained on competitors, and tactics; (iv) various other non-public trade or business information, including business opportunities and strategies, marketing, acquisition or business diversification plans, methods and processes and work product of the Protected Entities; and (v) selling and operating policies and practices, including without limitation, policies and practices concerning the identity, solicitation, acquisition, management, resale or cancellation of unsecured or secured credit card accounts, deposits, loan or lease accounts or other accounts relating to consumer products and services of the Protected Entities. No item of information shall be considered Confidential Information hereunder if it is generally known to the public, except as a result of a breach by Executive hereunder.

c. The covenant contained herein shall apply during the Employment Term and the four–year period thereafter.

5.3 Non-Solicitation and Non-Competition.Executive shall not, directly or indirectly: (a) provide banking or bank-related services to, or solicit the banking or bank-related business of, any customer of the Protected Entities in any city, town, borough, township, village or other place in which Executive performed services for the Protected Entities; (b) assist any actual or potential competitor of the Protected Entities to provide banking or bank-related services to, or solicit any such customer’s banking or bank-related business in any such place; or (c) whether as principal, agent, or trustee, or through the agency of any corporation, partnership, trade association, agent or agency, engage in any banking or bank-related business or venture which competes with the business of the Protected Entities as conducted during the Employment Term within a radius of 50 miles of the main office of the Bank. For this purpose:

a. The covenant contained herein shall be applicable during the Employment Term and, if Executive is involuntarily terminated on account of Cause, during the two-year period thereafter.

b. If Executive is involuntarily terminated by the Company without Cause or Executive terminates his employment before the expiration of the Employment Term, and he thereafter breaches the covenant contained herein, the Company may immediately cease, and shall not be required to continue, any payment or benefit otherwise due under Section 4 hereof,except Executive’s Accrued Benefits.

5.4 Company’s Property.Upon termination or Executive’s termination of employment hereunder for any reason, Executive or his estate shall promptly return to the Company all of the property of the Company, including, without limitation, automobiles, equipment, computers, fax machines, portable telephones, printers, software, credit cards, manuals, customer lists, financial data, letters, notes, notebooks, reports and copies of any of the above and any Confidential Information or Trade Secret that is in the possession or under the control of Executive, regardless of the form in which it is maintained.

5.5 Reformation.The parties agree that each of the prohibitions set forth herein is intended to constitute a separate restriction. Accordingly, should any such prohibition be declared invalid or unenforceable, such prohibition shall be deemed severable from and shall not affect the remainder thereof. The parties further agree that each of the foregoing restrictions is reasonable in both time and geographic scope. If and to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction or an arbitrator, as the case may be, determines that any of the restrictions or covenants set forth in this Agreement are unreasonable, then it is the intention of the parties that such restrictions be enforced to the fullest extent that such court or arbitrator deems reasonable and that this Agreement shall be reformed to the extent necessary to permit such enforcement.

5.6 Remedies.In the event of a breach or threatened breach by Executive of the provisions of Section 5 hereof, Executive agrees that the Company shall be entitled to a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction (without the necessity of posting bond in connection therewith). Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Company from pursuing any other remedy available to it for such breach or threatened breach, whether in law or equity, including the recovery of damages from Executive.

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 6


6. Miscellaneous:

6.1 Mitigation Not Required. As a condition of any payment hereunder, Executive shall not be required to mitigate the amount of such payment by seeking other employment, nor will any profits, income, earnings or other benefits from any source whatsoever create any mitigation, offset, reduction or any other obligation on the part of Executive under this Agreement.

6.2 Excess Parachute Payments.Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary if the aggregate of all payments and benefits to Executive hereunder, including any payment or benefit provided to Executive under a separate plan or arrangement (collectively, the “Aggregate Payments”) would result in any payment being deemed to constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Code Section 280G, such payments shall be reduced to the minimum extent necessary (but in no event to less than zero) so that no portion of such payments and benefits, as so reduced, is deemed to constitute an excess parachute payment;provided that the amount of such reduction shall be less than $100,000. If the amount such reduction would equal or exceed $100,000, then no such reduction shall occur, the Executive shall be entitled to all such Aggregate Payments, and the Company shall pay to Executive a Gross-Up Payment. For this purpose:

a. The “Gross-Up Payment” shall mean an amount that is sufficient to pay, in its entirety, any excise tax imposed on the Aggregate Payments (including the Gross-Up Payment) pursuant to Code Section 4999, or any successor provision thereto, any tax imposed by any comparable provision of state law, and any applicable federal, state, or local income tax.

b. The determination of whether any reduction in the Aggregate Payments is required and the amount of such reduction and amount of the Gross-Up Payment, if any, shall be made at the expense of the Company and by the Company’s independent accountants or another independent accountant agreed upon by Executive and the Company.

c. In the event that any portion of the Aggregate Payments is required to be reduced hereunder, then the reduction shall occur in the following order: (i) reduction of Continuing Perquisite Amount described in Section 4.1d; (ii) reduction of continued Incentive Bonus payments described in Section 4.1c; and (iii) reduction of continued Base Compensation payments described in Section 4.1b. Within any of the foregoing categories, a reduction shall occur first with respect to amounts that are not deemed to constitute a “deferral of compensation” within the meaning of and subject to Code Section 409A (“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation”) and then with respect to amounts that are treated as Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, with such reduction being applied in each case to the payments in the reverse order in which they would otherwise be made, that is, later payments shall be reduced before earlier payments.

d. If the Company is obligated to make a Gross-Up Payment hereunder, it will be paid to Executive, or remitted by the Company to the appropriate tax authorities to the extent subject to withholding, in the form of a single-sum payment on the date that the excise tax is due (through withholding or otherwise), but subject in each case to any six-month delay applicable under Code Section 409A.

6.3 Enforcement of This Agreement. In addition to the Company’s equitable remedies provided under Section 5.6 hereof, which need not be exclusively resolved by arbitration, in the event that any legal dispute arises in connection with, relating to, or concerning this Agreement, or in the event of any claim for breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement, Executive agrees that such dispute or claim will be resolved by arbitration. Any such arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). Any such dispute or claim will be presented to a single arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Executive and the Company (or the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the rules of the AAA). All determinations of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the Executive and the Company. Except as provided in Section 6.4 hereof, each party to the arbitration proceeding will bear its own costs in connection with such arbitration proceedings, except that unless otherwise paid by the Company in

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 7


accordance with such section, the costs and expenses of the arbitrator will be divided evenly between the parties. The venue for any arbitration proceeding and for any judicial proceeding related to this arbitration provision (including a judicial proceeding to enforce this provision) will be in Albany, Georgia.

6.4 Attorneys’ Fees. In the event any dispute in connection with this Agreement arises with respect to obligations of Executive or the Company, as the case may be, the successful or prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, and all expenses incurred in that action or proceeding, even if not taxable as court costs, plus in each case interest at the Applicable Federal Rate, in addition to any other relief to which such party may be entitled.

6.5 Headings. Section and other headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

6.6 Entire Agreement.This Agreement constitutes the final and complete understanding and agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties other than those set forth herein. Executive acknowledges that this Agreement replaces in its entirety any prior agreements between Executive and the Company concerning the subject covered by this Agreement, including the Prior Agreement.

6.7 Amendments.This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time in any or all respects, but only by an instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto.

6.8 Choice of Law.The validity of this Agreement, the construction of its terms, and the determination of the rights and duties of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Georgia applicable to contracts made to be performed wholly within such state, without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof.

6.9 Notices.All notices and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given when (a) delivered by hand, (b) sent by electronic mail to the addresses described below, provided that a copy is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), or (c) when received by the addressee, if sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), in each case as follows:

If to Executive:

O. Leonard Dorminey
Most Recent Address on File with the Company

If to the Company:

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 50728
Albany, GA 31701-0728
Attention: Chairman, Board of Directors

or to such other addresses as a party may designate by notice to the other party.

6.10 Successors; Assignment.This Agreement is personal to Executive and shall not be assigned by him without the prior written consent of the Company. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company, its successors and assigns, including, without limitation, any person, partnership, company, corporation or other entity that may acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets or business or with or into which the Company may be liquidated, consolidated, merged or otherwise combined.

This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon Executive, his heirs, estate, legatees and legal representatives. Any payment due to Executive hereunder shall be paid to his surviving spouse after his death, or if Executive is not survived by a spouse, to his estate.

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 8


6.11 Severability. Each provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, but this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision was not contained herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no provision shall be severed if it is clearly apparent under the circumstances that the parties would not have entered into this Agreement without such provision.

6.12 Withholding.As a condition of the provision of any payment or benefit hereunder, the Company shall withhold any federal, state or local taxes or contributions required to be withheld.

6.13 Expiration; Termination; Survival.This Agreement shall expire and be terminated as of the expiration of the Employment Term, or as of Executive’s Termination Date, if earlier. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the obligations of Executive under Section 5 hereof, the obligation of the Company to make any payment due and payable under Section 4 or Section 6.2 hereunder, and the remedies and enforcement provided herein shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

6.14 Waiver. The failure of either party to insist in any one or more instances upon performance of any terms or conditions of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of future performance of any such term, covenant, or condition and the obligations of either party with respect to such term, covenant or condition will continue in full force and effect.

6.15 Code Section 409A.The parties intend that this Agreement shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with the applicable provisions of Code Section 409A, including any regulations or other guidance promulgated thereunder. For purposes thereof: (a) each payment under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment; (b) the exclusions for short-term deferrals and payments on account of involuntary termination of employment shall be applied to the fullest extent applicable; (c) payments to be made upon a termination of employment that are deemed to constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A shall be made upon Executive’s “separation from service” as determined thereunder; (d) any reference herein to the termination of Executive’s employment or to Executive’s Termination Date or words of similar import shall mean and be deemed to refer to the date of his “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A; and (e) if Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Code Section 409A, payments that are deemed to constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A and that are payable on account of Executive’s separation from service, shall be delayed for six months as required under Code Section 409A, and shall be made when first permitted, without liability for interest or loss of investment opportunity thereon. All reimbursements and in-kind payments hereunder that constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A shall be made or provide in accordance with the requirements of such section.

6.16 No Presumption.The language in all parts of this Agreement shall be construed as a whole, according to fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any party. In drafting this Agreement, Executive has been fully represented by counsel of Executive’s choosing, and the terms of this Agreement have been fully negotiated by the parties hereto. The parties agree that, in the event of any ambiguity, this Agreement should not be construed against the Company as a result of being drafted by counsel for the Company.

6.17 No Effect on Other Benefits.Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to modify any right or benefit to which Executive may be entitled under the terms of any grant or award made to Executive under the Company’s 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, or 2006 Equity Incentive Plan, as the case may be, which shall be subject to and administered in accordance with their respective terms.

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 9


THIS EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTis executed in multiple counterparts as of the dates set forth below, each of which shall be deemed an original, to be effective as provided herein.

HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.EXECUTIVE

By: 

Its: 

Date: 

Date: 

Schedule 6.2(f)-A - Page 10


SCHEDULE 6.2(f)-B

AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT OF CAROL SLAPPEY

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 1


HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

(CAROL W. SLAPPEY)

THIS EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between Carol W. Slappey (“Executive”) and Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Maryland (the “Company”), and is intended to amend, restate, and replace, in its entirety, that certain Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company, Heritagebank of the South (the “Bank”), and Executive, initially effective as of March 16, 2005, and has been amended and extended from time to time (the “Prior Agreement”).

1. Effectiveness; Relationship to Prior Agreement.This Agreement is contingent upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank, the Company and the Bank, dated as of December     , 2014 (the “Merger Agreement”). This Agreement shall be effective as of the close of business on the business day preceding the Effective Time, as defined in the Merger Agreement (the “Effective Date”). If the Effective Time shall not occur, this Agreement shall be deemed void and of no effect, and the Prior Agreement shall remain in force and effect.

As of the Effective Date, Executive agrees that, to the extent not expressly provided herein, all rights and benefits provided under the Prior Agreement shall be deemed extinguished and cancelled in their entirety. Executive agrees that nothing contained in this Agreement and no payment or benefit made outside of this Agreement is intended to constitute a “substitution,” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for any right or benefit provided under the Prior Agreement that has been extinguished and cancelled hereunder, and that this Agreement shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with such intent.

2. Employment And Term:

2.1 Position.The Company shall employ and retain Executive as its Executive Vice President and Chief Retail Officer, and the Bank shall retain Executive as itsChief Retail Officer and President of the Albany Region (unless the context clearly indicates the contrary, the Bank and the Company are collectively referred to hereinafter as the “Company”). Executive agrees to be so employed, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein. Executive’s duties and responsibilities shall be those assigned to her hereunder, from time to time, by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and shall include such duties as are the type and nature normally assigned to similar executive officers of a corporation of the size, type and stature of the Company. Executive shall report directly to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

2.2 Full Time and Attention.During the Employment Term (defined below), Executive shall devote her full time, attention and energies to the business of the Company and will not, without the prior written consent of the Board, be engaged (whether or not during normal business hours) in any other business or professional activity, whether or not such activities are pursued for gain, profit or other pecuniary advantage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall not be prevented from: (a) engaging in any civic or charitable activity for which Executive receives no compensation or other pecuniary advantage, including without limitation serving as an officer and/or director of any community, civic, charitable, service or professional organization; (b) managing her personal affairs and investments in businesses that do not compete with the Company, provided that such activities do not interfere with the responsible performance of Executive’s duties hereunder; or (c) purchasing securities in any corporation whose securities are regularly traded, provided that such purchases will not result in Executive owning beneficially at any time 5% or more of the equity securities of any corporation engaged in a business competitive with that of the Company.

2.3 Term. Executive’s employment hereunder shall commence as of the Effective Date and shall terminate on December 31, 2016 (such period referred to as the “Employment Term”).

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 2


3. Compensation And Benefits:

3.1 Base Compensation. The Company shall pay to Executive an annual salary, not less than her annual base salary in effect as of the Effective Date; such amount shall be prorated and paid in equal installments in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and policies (Executive’s “Base Compensation”). Executive’s Base Compensation shall be reviewed no less often than annually and may be increased or reduced by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer;provided, however, that Executive’s Base Compensation may not be reduced unless such reduction is part of a reduction in pay uniformly applicable to the similarly situated officers of the Company.

3.2 Annual Incentive Bonus. Executive shall be eligible for participation in the short-term bonus arrangement or arrangements maintained by the Company or the Bank, from time to time, for the benefit of similarly situated executive officers (an “Incentive Bonus”) in accordance with it terms and conditions. Executive’s Incentive Bonus may be discretionary or formulaic and subject to the attainment of one or more performance objectives or such other measures as may be determined by the Board.

3.3 Other Benefit Plans. During the Employment Term, Executive shall participate in such plans, policies, and programs as may be maintained, from time to time, by the Company for the benefit of its executive officers or employees, including, without limitation, any short-term or long-term incentive compensation plan, nonqualified deferred compensation or similar executive benefit plan, profit sharing, life insurance, and group medical and other welfare benefit plans. Any such coverages and benefits shall be determined in accordance with the specific terms and conditions of the documents evidencing any such plans, policies, and programs. Nothing herein shall prevent the Company from amending or modifying the terms and conditions of any benefit, contract or arrangement, replacing any such benefit, contract or arrangement or eliminating or terminating any such benefit, contract or arrangement, notwithstanding that such amendment, modification, replacement or elimination may be adverse to Executive.

3.4 Reimbursement of Expenses. The Company shall reimburse Executive for such reasonable expenses as are directly incurred by Executive in carrying out her duties hereunder, consistent with the Company’s standard policies and annual budget. The Company’s obligation to reimburse Executive hereunder shall be contingent upon the presentment by Executive of an itemized accounting of such expenditures in accordance with the Company’s policies; the Company shall not be obligated to pay or reimburse spousal travel or entertainment hereunder, unless consistent with the Company’s standard policies.

3.5 Fringe Benefits.In addition to the foregoing, Executive shall be entitled to the following fringe benefits:

a. Use of a leased or Company-owned motor vehicle, or a cash payment sufficient to compensate Executive for her ownership or lease of such a vehicle, including the cost of maintenance, insurance, repairs and fuel with respect to any such vehicle, such benefit to be provided in the form reasonably determined by the Company.

b. Reimbursement or payment of expenses for dues and capital assessments for country club membership or for other civic club memberships; provided, that if any bond or capital or similar payment made by the Company is repaid to Executive, Executive shall promptly remit to the Company the amount thereof.

c. No less than four weeks of paid vacation each year.

4. Executive’s Termination From Employment.

4.1 Special Definitions.As used herein:

a. “Cause” means that Executive: (i) is convicted of (from which no appeal may be taken), or pleads guilty to, any act of fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, or any felony; (ii) is engaged in gross or willful misconduct materially damaging to the business of the Company, which, if capable of being cured, is not cured by the Executive within 30 days following her receipt of written notice thereof (it being understood, however,

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 3


that neither conduct pursuant to the Executive’s exercise of good faith business judgment nor unintentional physical damage to any property of the Company by Executive shall be a ground for such a determination); (iii) has been removed and/or permanently prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by an order issued under Section 8(e)(4) or (g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. Section 1818(e)(4) and (g)(1); or (iv) failed, without reasonable cause, to follow reasonable written instructions of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer consistent with Executive’s position, and within 30 days written notice from such executive of such failure, Executive fails to cure such failure.

b. “Continuing Health Benefit” means and shall be available hereunder if Executive and/or her dependents timely elect to continue group medical coverage within the meaning of Section 4980B(f)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) with respect to a group health plan sponsored by the Company or an affiliate (other than a health flexible spending account under Code Section 125), in which event: (i) the Company shall pay to Executive monthly the amount of the continuation coverage premium for the same type and level of group health plan coverage received by Executive and her electing dependents immediately prior to such termination of Executive’s employment, during the continuation period contemplated under Code Section 4980B; and (ii) thereafter, the Company shall pay to Executive the premium amount for substantially the same type and level of coverage provided during the continuation coverage period under Code Section 4980B,except that such coverage may be provided, in the discretion of the Company, under a group medical plan maintained by the Company for the benefit of its employees or under an individual policy of insurance. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to require the Company to maintain any type or level of coverage under any group health plan, or to preclude the amendment, substitution, replacement or termination of any type or level of coverage under any group health plan.

c. “Continuing Perquisite Amount” means a dollar amount payable to the Executive in lieu of continuing Executive’s coverage in the Company’s benefit plans and in lieu of continuing to provide Executive with various perquisites following her Termination Date. The Continuing Perquisite Amount shall be calculated as of Executive’s Termination Date and shall be the sum of: (i) the annual premium cost of the welfare plans, such as group life and disability insurance, under which Executive was covered prior to her Termination Date,but expressly excluding the Continuing Health Benefit provided separately above and any voluntary benefits under which Executive may have elected to be covered; (ii) aggregate Company contributions or accruals under any qualified or nonqualified retirement plans made on behalf of the Executive for the calendar year prior to the year in which her Termination Date occurs,excluding for this purpose any voluntary deferrals by Executive that may be characterized as Company contributions under applicable laws; and (iii) the amount of any car allowance or country club dues provided for the benefit of Executive during the calendar year prior to the year in which her Termination Date occurs. The Continuing Perquisite Amount shall be calculated as an annual fixed amount and prorated and paid in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and plans.

d. “Good Reason” means a good faith determination by Executive, in Executive’s sole and absolute judgment, that any one or more of the following events has occurred, without Executive’s express written consent: (i) a reduction by the Company in Executive’s Base Compensation, as the same may be increased from time to time; (ii) a change in the eligibility requirements or performance criteria under any bonus, incentive, compensation, benefit or retirement plan, program or arrangement under which Executive is covered which adversely affects Executive; (iii) the Company requires Executive to be based anywhere other than a job location within the boundaries of Dougherty County, Georgia; (iv) without replacement by a plan providing benefits to Executive equal to or greater than those discontinued, the failure by the Company to continue in effect, within its maximum stated term, any pension, bonus, incentive, retirement, stock ownership, purchase, option, life insurance, health, accident, disability, or any other employee benefit plan, program or arrangement in which Executive is participating; (v) the taking of any action by the Company that would adversely affect Executive’s participation or materially reduce Executive’s benefits under any of such plans unless such action is part of Company-wide reduction in benefits which affects other senior executives in the same fashion as the Executive; or (vi) the taking of any action by the Company that would materially adversely affect the physical conditions under which Executive performs Executive’s employment duties.

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 4


e. “Termination Date” means the date on which Executive’s employment hereunder terminates for any reason.

4.2 Executive’s Termination for Good Reason. Executive may terminate her employment hereunder for Good Reason, with 30 days’ prior written notice to the Board, or such shorter period as may be agreed upon by the Board and Executive, or Executive’s employment may be terminated on account of her death or Disability. Upon Executive’s termination for Good Reason, death or Disability, the Company shall pay or provide to Executive the following amounts or benefits, subject to any delay required under Section 6.15 below:

a. Her Base Compensation accrued but not yet paid as of her Termination Date, any Incentive Bonus for the year prior to the year in which Executive’s Termination Date occurs to the extent not yet paid as of her Termination Date, any benefits or payments required by law to be provided, and any benefits accrued and vested under a separate benefit plan or arrangement maintained by the Company (collectively, Executive’s “Accrued Benefits”).

b. Three years of Executive’s Base Compensation in effect as of the Termination Date (ignoring any decrease in such Base Compensation occurring within four months of such Termination Date), which amount shall be paid over the three-year period following her Termination Date, in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices and policies.

c. An amount equal to the average of Executive’s last three annual Incentive Bonuses paid prior to the Termination Date, such amount to be paid annually for three years following her Termination Date, at the time or times Executive’s Incentive Bonus would otherwise be payable (for avoidance of doubt, the parties intend that Executive shall receive three annual payments hereunder.

d. The Continuing Health Benefit and Continuing Perquisite Amount, each to be paid or provided for the three-year period following her Termination Date.

As used herein, the term “Disability” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term under Code Section 409A.

4.3 Company’s Termination Without Cause.The Board may terminate Executive’s employment hereunder, without Cause, with 30 days’ prior written notice to Executive, or such shorter period as may be agreed upon by the Board and Executive. In such event, the Company shall pay or provide to Executive those amounts and benefits described in Section 4.2 hereof, at the time or times prescribed thereunder (subject to any delay required under Section 6.15 below), during the period commencing as of the first day of the calendar month following Executive’s Termination Date and continuing until December 31st of the calendar year that is three whole calendar years following the end of the year in which Executive’s Termination Date occurs, it being understood that Executive shall receive not less than four annual bonus payments under Section 4.2c hereof.

4.4 Company’s Termination for Cause.Executive’s employment hereunder may be terminated by the Board at any time, acting in good faith, on account of Cause. The Board shall provide written notice to Executive, including a description of the specific reasons for the determination of Cause. Executive shall have the opportunity to appear before the Board, or a committee thereof formed for this purpose, with or without legal representation, to present arguments and evidence on her behalf. Following such presentation, or upon Executive’s failure to appear, the Board, or such committee as the case may be, by an affirmative vote of a majority of its members, shall confirm that the actions or inactions of Executive constitute Cause hereunder. In such event, the Company shall pay to Executive her Accrued Benefits and shall have no further obligations hereunder.

4.5 Executive’s Voluntary Termination.In the event Executive voluntarily terminates her employment without Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive her Accrued Benefits and shall have no further obligations hereunder.

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 5


4.6 Expiration of Employment Term.Upon the expiration of Executive’s Employment Term, Executive’s employment hereunder shall cease, this Agreement shall be deemed terminated, and the Company shall pay to Executive the amounts and benefits described in Section 4.2 hereof;provided that Executive shall execute and timely deliver a wavier and release of claims in favor of the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company.

5. Executive’s Covenants:

5.1 Consideration for Covenants. Executive acknowledges that the execution of this Agreement and the payments described herein constitute consideration for the covenants set forth in this Section 5, the adequacy of which is hereby expressly acknowledged by Executive.

5.2 Confidential Information.Executive shall not divulge, furnish or use, whether directly or indirectly, any Trade Secret or Confidential Information,except in the ordinary course of providing services hereunder, to a duly authorized officer of a Protected Entity (as defined below) or as may be required by legal process. For this purpose:

a. “Trade Secret” is as defined in § 10-1-761 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

b. “Confidential Information” means confidential, proprietary, non-public information concerning the Company, the Bank and their affiliates (the “Protected Entities”), whether or not a Trade Secret, which includes, without limitation: (i) books, records and policies relating to operations, finance, accounting, personnel and management of Protected Entities; (ii) information related to any business entered into by the Protected Entities; (iii) credit policies and practices, databases, customer lists, information obtained on competitors, and tactics; (iv) various other non-public trade or business information, including business opportunities and strategies, marketing, acquisition or business diversification plans, methods and processes and work product of the Protected Entities; and (v) selling and operating policies and practices, including without limitation, policies and practices concerning the identity, solicitation, acquisition, management, resale or cancellation of unsecured or secured credit card accounts, deposits, loan or lease accounts or other accounts relating to consumer products and services of the Protected Entities. No item of information shall be considered Confidential Information hereunder if it is generally known to the public, except as a result of a breach by Executive hereunder.

c. The covenant contained herein shall apply during the Employment Term and the four–year period thereafter.

5.3 Non-Solicitation and Non-Competition.Executive shall not, directly or indirectly: (a) provide banking or bank-related services to, or solicit the banking or bank-related business of, any customer of the Protected Entities in any city, town, borough, township, village or other place in which Executive performed services for the Protected Entities; (b) assist any actual or potential competitor of the Protected Entities to provide banking or bank-related services to, or solicit any such customer’s banking or bank-related business in any such place; or (c) whether as principal, agent, or trustee, or through the agency of any corporation, partnership, trade association, agent or agency, engage in any banking or bank-related business or venture which competes with the business of the Protected Entities as conducted during the Employment Term within a radius of 50 miles of the main office of the Bank. For this purpose:

a. The covenant contained herein shall be applicable during the Employment Term and, if Executive is involuntarily terminated on account of Cause, during the two-year period thereafter.

b. If Executive is involuntarily terminated by the Company without Cause or Executive terminates her employment before the expiration of the Employment Term, and she thereafter breaches the covenant contained herein, the Company may immediately cease, and shall not be required to continue, any payment or benefit otherwise due under Section 4 hereof,except Executive’s Accrued Benefits.

5.4 Company’s Property.Upon termination or Executive’s termination of employment hereunder for any reason, Executive or her estate shall promptly return to the Company all of the property of the Company,

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 6


including, without limitation, automobiles, equipment, computers, fax machines, portable telephones, printers, software, credit cards, manuals, customer lists, financial data, letters, notes, notebooks, reports and copies of any of the above and any Confidential Information or Trade Secret that is in the possession or under the control of Executive, regardless of the form in which it is maintained.

5.5 Reformation.The parties agree that each of the prohibitions set forth herein is intended to constitute a separate restriction. Accordingly, should any such prohibition be declared invalid or unenforceable, such prohibition shall be deemed severable from and shall not affect the remainder thereof. The parties further agree that each of the foregoing restrictions is reasonable in both time and geographic scope. If and to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction or an arbitrator, as the case may be, determines that any of the restrictions or covenants set forth in this Agreement are unreasonable, then it is the intention of the parties that such restrictions be enforced to the fullest extent that such court or arbitrator deems reasonable and that this Agreement shall be reformed to the extent necessary to permit such enforcement.

5.6 Remedies.In the event of a breach or threatened breach by Executive of the provisions of Section 5 hereof, Executive agrees that the Company shall be entitled to a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction (without the necessity of posting bond in connection therewith). Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Company from pursuing any other remedy available to it for such breach or threatened breach, whether in law or equity, including the recovery of damages from Executive.

6. Miscellaneous:

6.1 Mitigation Not Required. As a condition of any payment hereunder, Executive shall not be required to mitigate the amount of such payment by seeking other employment, nor will any profits, income, earnings or other benefits from any source whatsoever create any mitigation, offset, reduction or any other obligation on the part of Executive under this Agreement.

6.2 Excess Parachute Payments.Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary if the aggregate of all payments and benefits to Executive hereunder, including any payment or benefit provided to Executive under a separate plan or arrangement (collectively, the “Aggregate Payments”) would result in any payment being deemed to constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Code Section 280G, such payments shall be reduced to the minimum extent necessary (but in no event to less than zero) so that no portion of such payments and benefits, as so reduced, is deemed to constitute an excess parachute payment;provided that the amount of such reduction shall be less than $50,000. If the amount such reduction would equal or exceed $50,000, then no such reduction shall occur, the Executive shall be entitled to all such Aggregate Payments, and the Company shall pay to Executive a Gross-Up Payment. For this purpose:

a. The “Gross-Up Payment” shall mean an amount that is sufficient to pay, in its entirety, any excise tax imposed on the Aggregate Payments (including the Gross-Up Payment) pursuant to Code Section 4999, or any successor provision thereto, any tax imposed by any comparable provision of state law, and any applicable federal, state, or local income tax.

b. The determination of whether any reduction in the Aggregate Payments is required and the amount of such reduction and amount of the Gross-Up Payment, if any, shall be made at the expense of the Company and by the Company’s independent accountants or another independent accountant agreed upon by Executive and the Company.

c. In the event that any portion of the Aggregate Payments is required to be reduced hereunder, then the reduction shall occur in the following order: (i) reduction of Continuing Perquisite Amount described in Section 4.1d; (ii) reduction of continued Incentive Bonus payments described in Section 4.1c; and (iii) reduction of continued Base Compensation payments described in Section 4.1b. Within any of the foregoing categories, a reduction shall occur first with respect to amounts that are not deemed to constitute a “deferral of compensation” within the meaning of and subject to Code Section 409A (“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation”) and then with

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 7


respect to amounts that are treated as Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, with such reduction being applied in each case to the payments in the reverse order in which they would otherwise be made, that is, later payments shall be reduced before earlier payments.

d. If the Company is obligated to make a Gross-Up Payment hereunder, it will be paid to Executive, or remitted by the Company to the appropriate tax authorities to the extent subject to withholding, in the form of a single-sum payment on the date that the excise tax is due (through withholding or otherwise), but subject in each case to any six-month delay applicable under Code Section 409A.

6.3 Enforcement of This Agreement. In addition to the Company’s equitable remedies provided under Section 5.6 hereof, which need not be exclusively resolved by arbitration, in the event that any legal dispute arises in connection with, relating to, or concerning this Agreement, or in the event of any claim for breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement, Executive agrees that such dispute or claim will be resolved by arbitration. Any such arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). Any such dispute or claim will be presented to a single arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Executive and the Company (or the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the rules of the AAA). All determinations of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the Executive and the Company. Except as provided in Section 6.4 hereof, each party to the arbitration proceeding will bear its own costs in connection with such arbitration proceedings, except that unless otherwise paid by the Company in accordance with such section, the costs and expenses of the arbitrator will be divided evenly between the parties. The venue for any arbitration proceeding and for any judicial proceeding related to this arbitration provision (including a judicial proceeding to enforce this provision) will be in Albany, Georgia.

6.4 Attorneys’ Fees. In the event any dispute in connection with this Agreement arises with respect to obligations of Executive or the Company, as the case may be, the successful or prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, and all expenses incurred in that action or proceeding, even if not taxable as court costs, plus in each case interest at the Applicable Federal Rate, in addition to any other relief to which such party may be entitled.

6.5 Headings. Section and other headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

6.6 Entire Agreement.This Agreement constitutes the final and complete understanding and agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties other than those set forth herein. Executive acknowledges that this Agreement replaces in its entirety any prior agreements between Executive and the Company concerning the subject covered by this Agreement, including the Prior Agreement.

6.7 Amendments.This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time in any or all respects, but only by an instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto.

6.8 Choice of Law.The validity of this Agreement, the construction of its terms, and the determination of the rights and duties of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Georgia applicable to contracts made to be performed wholly within such state, without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof.

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 8


6.9 Notices.All notices and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given when (a) delivered by hand, (b) sent by electronic mail to the addresses described below, provided that a copy is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), or (c) when received by the addressee, if sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), in each case as follows:

If to Executive:Carol W. Slappey
Most Recent Address on File with the Company
If to the Company:Heritage Financial Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 50728
Albany, GA 31701-0728
Attention: Chairman, Board of Directors

or to such other addresses as a party may designate by notice to the other party.

6.10 Successors; Assignment.This Agreement is personal to Executive and shall not be assigned by her without the prior written consent of the Company. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company, its successors and assigns, including, without limitation, any person, partnership, company, corporation or other entity that may acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets or business or with or into which the Company may be liquidated, consolidated, merged or otherwise combined.

This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon Executive, her heirs, estate, legatees and legal representatives. Any payment due to Executive hereunder shall be paid to her surviving spouse after her death, or if Executive is not survived by a spouse, to her estate.

6.11 Severability. Each provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, but this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision was not contained herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no provision shall be severed if it is clearly apparent under the circumstances that the parties would not have entered into this Agreement without such provision.

6.12 Withholding.As a condition of the provision of any payment or benefit hereunder, the Company shall withhold any federal, state or local taxes or contributions required to be withheld.

6.13 Expiration; Termination; Survival.This Agreement shall expire and be terminated as of the expiration of the Employment Term, or as of Executive’s Termination Date, if earlier. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the obligations of Executive under Section 5 hereof, the obligation of the Company to make any payment due and payable under Section 4 or Section 6.2 hereunder, and the remedies and enforcement provided herein shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

6.14 Waiver. The failure of either party to insist in any one or more instances upon performance of any terms or conditions of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of future performance of any such term, covenant, or condition and the obligations of either party with respect to such term, covenant or condition will continue in full force and effect.

6.15 Code Section 409A.The parties intend that this Agreement shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with the applicable provisions of Code Section 409A, including any regulations or other guidance promulgated thereunder. For purposes thereof: (a) each payment under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment; (b) the exclusions for short-term deferrals and payments on account of involuntary termination of employment shall be applied to the fullest extent applicable; (c) payments to be made upon a termination of employment that are deemed to constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 9


Section 409A shall be made upon Executive’s “separation from service” as determined thereunder; (d) any reference herein to the termination of Executive’s employment or to Executive’s Termination Date or words of similar import shall mean and be deemed to refer to the date of her “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A; and (e) if Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Code Section 409A, payments that are deemed to constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A and that are payable on account of Executive’s separation from service, shall be delayed for six months as required under Code Section 409A, and shall be made when first permitted, without liability for interest or loss of investment opportunity thereon. All reimbursements and in-kind payments hereunder that constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A shall be made or provide in accordance with the requirements of such section.

6.16 No Presumption.The language in all parts of this Agreement shall be construed as a whole, according to fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any party. In drafting this Agreement, Executive has been fully represented by counsel of Executive’s choosing, and the terms of this Agreement have been fully negotiated by the parties hereto. The parties agree that, in the event of any ambiguity, this Agreement should not be construed against the Company as a result of being drafted by counsel for the Company.

6.17 No Effect on Other Benefits.Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to modify any right or benefit to which Executive may be entitled under the terms of any grant or award made to Executive under the Company’s 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, or 2006 Equity Incentive Plan, as the case may be, which shall be subject to and administered in accordance with their respective terms.

THIS EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTis executed in multiple counterparts as of the dates set forth below, each of which shall be deemed an original, to be effective as provided herein.

HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.EXECUTIVE

By:

Its:

Date:

Date:

Schedule 6.2(f)-B - Page 10


SCHEDULE 6.2(f)-C

ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT – O. LEONARD DORMINEY

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 1


RENASANT CORPORATION

ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT

(O. LEONARD DORMINEY)

THIS ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between Renasant Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of Mississippi (the “Company”) and Renasant Bank, a financial institution with its principal place of business in Tupelo, Mississippi (the “Bank”), and O. Leonard Dorminey (the “Executive”), to be effective as of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among the Company, Renasant Bank, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., (“Heritage”) and Heritagebank of the South (“Heritagebank”), dated as of December     , 2014 (the “Merger Agreement;” the date on which the consummation of such transactions occur, the “Closing Date”).

1. Recitals:This Agreement is made in consideration of the following:

a. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Heritage will be merged with and into the Company, and Heritagebank of the South will be merged with and into the Bank, with the Company and the Bank as the sole surviving entities.

b. Executive is a party to that certain Executive Employment Agreement with Heritage, executed as of December     , 2014 (the “Existing Employment Agreement”), which agreement is intended to be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successor or assignee of Heritage.

c. The Bank now intends to assume the Existing Employment Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein.

2. Effectiveness:This Agreement shall be effective as of the Closing Date; in the event the Closing Date does not occur, this Agreement shall be deemed void and of no effect.

3. Assumption:The Bank shall assume the Existing Employment Agreement as of the Closing Date and shall administer such agreement in accordance with its terms, which shall be deemed incorporated herein by this reference, including those provisions requiring the arbitration of disputes thereunder;provided that such agreement shall be deemed amended as set forth below:

a. Notwithstanding any provision of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive’s title shall be Regional President; Executive shall report to the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank.

b. In lieu of the annual incentive bonus described in Section 3.2 of the Existing Employment Agreement, Executive shall participate in the Performance Based Awards Plan maintained by the Bank, or similar arrangement maintained by the Company or the Bank, on terms and conditions substantially similar to similarly situated officers of the Bank or the Company.

c. Notwithstanding any provision of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive shall be provided a monthly car allowance in the amount of $1,000, as Executive’s exclusive form of transportation benefit, other than the reimbursement of mileage under the Bank’s standard business expense reimbursement policies and practices.

d. In lieu of those covenants set forth in Section 5 of the Existing Employment Agreement, Executive shall execute and be bound by those covenants and agreements set forth in the Business Protection Agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit A.

e. Notwithstanding Section 3.3 of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive shall not be eligible to participate in any severance plan applicable to officers or employees of the Company and the Bank.

f. Any notice to the attention of the Company shall be made to Renasant Bank, 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, MS 38804, Attention Chief Executive Officer.

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 2


g. The continuing Incentive Bonus payable to Executive under Section[__] of the Existing Employment Agreement shall be an amount not less than 40% of Executive’s Base Compensation (as defined therein), determined as of the Closing Date.

4. Inducement Award:As an inducement to Executive’s employment hereunder, as of the first business day following the Closing Date, the Company shall award to Executive 35,000 shares of the Company’s $5.00 par value per share common stock, substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit B and provided that Executive is in good standing and has commenced his employment with Renasant Bank as of such date. Executive acknowledges that such award is in lieu of, and not in addition to, any award of equity compensation under the Company’s 2010 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as the same may be amended, restated or replaced from time to time.

5. Change in Control Agreement: In further consideration of Executive’s services to be performed for the benefit of the Company and the Bank, as of the Closing Date, the Company and Executive shall enter into a “Change in Control Agreement,” substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit C.

6. Executive’s Waiver: Executive agrees that neither he nor his heirs, assigns or beneficiaries shall possess any right, claim or entitlement to any compensation, benefit or other payment, under the Existing Employment Agreement, or that certain superseded Executive Employment Agreement by and between Executive and Heritage and Heritagebank initially effective as of March 16, 2005, solely on account of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement, including the assumption of the Existing Employment Agreement as provided herein. Executive further agrees that nothing contained herein shall be deemed to constitute “Good Reason” as defined in the Existing Employment Agreement. This waiver is not intended to, and does not, waive any rights, compensation or benefits to which he Executive is entitled, or may become entitled, under the Existing Employment Agreement (including without limitation rights under Section 6.2 of the Existing Employment Agreement), under the Merger Agreement or under any other plan, program or agreement, except as expressly provided herein.

7. Executive’s Inducement:As an inducement to enter into this Agreement, Executive agrees that if his benefits accrued under the tax-qualified defined benefit plan initially established and maintained by Heritage or Heritagebank are subject to distribution during the 24-month period following the Closing Date on account of the termination of such plan, he shall use his best efforts to request distribution in the form of an immediate single-sum payment, to the extent such form of payment is offered in connection with such termination.

8. Entire Agreement; Amendment: This Agreement and the other documents referred to herein contain the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein. Such agreements and documents shall supersede all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter and shall supersede all previous negotiations, commitments and writings. The parties may not amend, modify or supplement this Agreement, including the Exhibits referenced herein, except in a writing signed by all parties hereto.

9. Execution:This Agreement may be executed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Facsimile or “PDF” transmissions of any executed original document and/or retransmission of any executed facsimile or “PDF” transmission shall be deemed to be the same as the delivery of an executed original.

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 3


THIS ASSUMPTION AGREEMENThas been executed as provided below to be effective as set forth herein.

Renasant Bank:Executive:
By:

Its:Chief Executive OfficerO. Leonard Dorminey
Date:

Date:

Renasant Corporation, for the limited purposes set forth herein:
By:

Its:Chief Executive Officer
Date:

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 4


RENASANT CORPORATION

BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENT

THIS BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by Renasant Corporation (the “Company”) and O. Leonard Dorminey ( “Executive”). As used herein, the term “Company” shall be deemed to include the Company, Renasant Bank and any one or more subsidiaries or other entities with respect to which the Company owns (within the meaning of Section 425(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or other equity interests.

1 Consideration; Effectiveness.This Agreement is made in consideration of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between the Company, including Renasant Bank, and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and Heritagebank of the South (the “Legacy Companies”; the “Merger Agreement”), and the execution of that certain Assumption Agreement by and between Executive and the Company dated the date hereof (the “Assumption Agreement”), the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged. This Agreement is to be effective as of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement; if such transactions shall not be consummated as provided therein, this Agreement shall be void and of no effect.

2. Confidential Information.Executive recognizes and acknowledges that during the term of his employment with the Company, he will have access to the Company’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets (as defined below). Executive agrees that he will not at any time, either during the term of his employment with the Company, or at any time thereafter, make any independent use of, or disclose to any person or organization, any Confidential Information or Trade Secret,except: (a) as may be expressly authorized by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; (b) in the ordinary course of Executive’s employment with the Company; (c) as may be required by law or legal process; or (d) to the extent any such information becomes generally known to the public, other than on account of a breach of this Agreement by Executive. As used herein:

a. The term “Confidential Information” means, regardless of the form in which maintained and whether or not a Trade Secret under applicable law, confidential, proprietary, non-public information concerning the Company, including the Legacy Companies, including, without limitation: (a) books, records and policies relating to operations, finance, accounting, personnel and management; (b) information related to any business entered into by the Company; (c) credit policies and practices, databases, customer and prospective customer lists, depositor and prospective depositor lists, and information obtained on competitors and tactics; (d) various other non-public trade or business information, including business opportunities and expansion or acquisition strategies, marketing, business diversification plans, methods and processes; and (e) retail marketing and operating policies and practices, including without limitation, policies and practices concerning the identity, solicitation, acquisition, management, resale or cancellation of unsecured or secured credit card accounts, loan or lease accounts, other accounts relating to consumer products and services and depository arrangements.

b. The term “Trade Secret” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in § 10-1-761 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

3. Non-Solicitation.Executive agrees that during the two-year period commencing on the date that Executive’s employment with the Company ceases for any reason (such date, the “Termination Date”; such period, the “Restricted Period”), he shall not, directly or indirectly, for his own benefit or on behalf of or to the benefit of another or to the Company’s detriment:

a. Solicit, hire or offer to hire, or participate in the hiring of, any of the Company’s officers, employees or agents;

b. Persuade, or attempt to persuade, in any manner any officer, employee or agent of the Company to interrupt or discontinue any business relationship with the Company; or

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 5


c. Solicit or divert, or attempt to solicit or divert, any customer or depositor of the Company, including any prospective or potential customer or depositor of the Company with respect to which: (i) the Company has expended material efforts to solicit before the Termination Date, and (ii) Executive has participated in such solicitation or knows, or should know, of such solicitation.

4. Non-Competition.The Executive agrees that during the Restricted Period he shall not, whether as an employee, officer, director, shareholder, owner, member, partner, joint venturer, independent contractor, consultant or in any other capacity, engage, directly or indirectly, in the Banking Business in the Restricted Area. For this purpose, the term “Banking Business” shall mean the management and/or operation of a retail bank or other financial institution, securities brokerage, or insurance agency or brokerage; the term “Restricted Area” shall mean within the 50-mile radius of any geographic location in which the Company has a substantial office or branch location on the Termination Date.

5. Business Reputation. Executive agrees that during his employment with the Company and at all times thereafter, he shall refrain from making or publishing any adverse, untrue or misleading statement which has, or may reasonably be anticipated to have, the effect of demeaning the name or business reputation of the Company, except as may be required by law or legal process.

6. Reformation.The parties agree that each of the covenants set forth herein is intended to constitute a separate restriction. Should any such covenant be declared invalid or unenforceable, such covenant shall be deemed severable from and shall not affect the remainder thereof. The parties further agree that each of the foregoing covenants is reasonable in both time and geographic scope. If and to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction or an arbitrator, as the case may be, determines that any of the covenants set forth herein are unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable, then it is the intention of the parties that such covenant shall be enforced to the fullest extent that such court or arbitrator deems reasonable and that this Agreement shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to permit such enforcement.

7. Remedies. In the event of a breach or threatened breach by Executive of the provisions of this Agreement, Executive agrees that the Company shall be entitled to obtain a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, without the necessity of posting bond in connection therewith. Executive further agrees that upon the issuance of a temporary restraining order, the Company may, in its discretion, suspend any additional payments or benefits due to Executive or his dependents under the Assumption Agreement;provided that such payments shall be resumed when the Company reasonably determines that such breach or threatened breach has been corrected or cured (to the extent that such breach is susceptible of correction or cure).

The Company shall provide to Executive written notice of the events giving rise to Executive’s breach or threatened breach of the provisions of this Agreement, including a statement as to whether the Company reasonably believes that such breach or threatened breach is susceptible of cure, at least two business days before seeking a temporary restraining order hereunder. Thereafter, Executive may correct such breach or threatened breach to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company;provided that if Executive fails to correct such breach or threatened breach within such two-day period, nothing contained herein shall preclude or delay the Company’s ability to seek a temporary restraining order hereunder.

Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Company from pursuing any other remedy available to it for such breach or threatened breach, whether in law or equity.

8. General:

a. In addition to the Company’s equitable remedies provided under paragraph 7 hereof, which need not be exclusively resolved by arbitration, in the event that any legal dispute arises in connection with, relating to, or concerning this Agreement, or in the event of any claim for breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement, Executive agrees that such dispute or claim will be resolved by arbitration. Any such arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”).

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 6


Any such dispute or claim will be presented to a single arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Executive and the Company (or the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the rules of the AAA). All determinations of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the Executive and the Company. Each party to the arbitration proceeding will bear its own costs in connection with such arbitration proceedings, and the costs and expenses of the arbitrator will be divided evenly between the parties. The venue for any arbitration proceeding and for any judicial proceeding related to this arbitration provision, including a judicial proceeding to enforce this provision, will be in Albany, Georgia.

b. This Agreement constitutes the final and complete understanding and agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties other than those set forth herein. Executive acknowledges that this Agreement replaces in its entirety any prior agreements between Executive and the Company or the Legacy Companies concerning the subject covered by this Agreement.

c. This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time in any or all respects, but only by an instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto.

d. The validity of this Agreement, the construction of its terms, and the determination of the rights and duties of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Georgia applicable to contracts made to be performed wholly within such state, without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof.

e. All notices and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given when (i) delivered by hand, (ii) sent by electronic mail to the addresses described below, provided that a copy is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), or (iii) when received by the addressee, if sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), in each case as follows:

If to Executive:

O. Leonard Dorminey
Most Recent Address on File with the Company

If to the Company:

Renasant Corporation
209 Troy Street
Tupelo, MS 38804
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

or to such other addresses as a party may designate by notice to the other party.

f. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon the Company, its successors and assigns, including, without limitation, any person, partnership, company, corporation or other entity that may acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets or business or with or into which the Company may be liquidated, consolidated, merged or otherwise combined. This Agreement will be binding upon Executive, his heirs, estate, legatees and legal representatives.

g. Notwithstanding anything contained herein or in the Assumption Agreement to the contrary, the obligations of Executive hereunder, and the remedies and enforcement provided herein, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of the occurrence of Executive’s Termination Date or the expiration, termination or cancellation of the Assumption Agreement.

h. The failure of the Company to insist in any one or more instances upon performance of any terms or conditions of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of future performance of any such term, covenant, or condition and the obligations of either party with respect to such term, covenant or condition will continue in full force and effect.

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 7


i. The language in all parts of this Agreement shall be construed as a whole, according to fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any party. In drafting this Agreement, Executive has been fully represented by counsel of Executive’s choosing, and the terms of this Agreement have been fully negotiated by the parties hereto. The parties agree that, in the event of any ambiguity, this Agreement should not be construed against the Company as a result of being drafted by counsel for the Company.

j. This Agreement may be executed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Facsimile or “PDF” transmissions of any executed original document and/or retransmission of any executed facsimile or “PDF” transmission shall be deemed to be the same as the delivery of an executed original.

THIS BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENThas been executed as provided below, to be effective as set forth herein.

EXECUTIVE:RENASANT CORPORATION:

O. Leonard DormineyIts: Chief Executive Officer
Date:

Date:

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 8


RENASANT CORPORATION

NOTICE OF RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD

Name: O. Leonard Dorminey

Number of Shares Awarded:35,000

The Board of Directors of Renasant Corporation (the “Board”; the “Company”) has awarded to you the number of shares of the Company’s common stock, $5.00 par value per share (“Common Stock”), designated above (your “Award”). Your Award is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Notice.

1. Purpose and Status of Award.This Award is intended to induce your employment with the Company and to act as a retention incentive to remain employed with the Company. This Award shall be effective (the “Effective Date”) as of                     , 2015, or the date thereafter on which you first perform services for the Company or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates. If and to the extent you do not perform services for the Company or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates, this Award shall be void and of no effect.

2. Limitations and Restrictions. During the Service Period (as defined below), your Award cannot be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged, mortgaged, hypothecated, or otherwise disposed of, whether voluntarily, by operation of law or otherwise (the “Restrictions”). During such period, your Award will be maintained by the Company in book entry form, and you may be asked to deliver to the Company stock powers endorsed in blank as a condition of your Award. As and when the Service Period is complete and the Restrictions lapse, the Company will settle your Award by transferring to you the applicable number of shares of Common Stock. Your Award may be settled in the form of certificated shares or by means of book entry, in the Company’s discretion.

For this purpose, the term “Service Period” refers to the period during which your Award is subject to the Restrictions. The Service Period begins on the Effective Date and remains in effect through December 31, 2018, as follows:

a. The Restrictions shall lapse and the Service Period shall be deemed complete as to one-fourth of the shares awarded hereunder as of December 31, 2015 (the “Vesting Anniversary”),provided that you have remained continuously employed by the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate thereof and are then in good standing (the “Vesting Conditions”); and

b. The Restrictions shall lapse and the Service Period shall be deemed complete as to an additional one-fourth of the shares awarded hereunder on each anniversary of the Vesting Anniversary thereafter, such that the Restrictions shall lapse and the Service Period shall be deemed complete for the final one-fourth of the shares as of December 31, 2018,provided that you are in compliance with the Vesting Conditions on each such date.

3. Shareholder Rights.During the Service Period, you are entitled to the rights of a shareholder with respect to the number of shares of Common Stock subject to your Award, including the right to vote the shares and to receive cash dividends if, as and when declared by the Board.

4. Termination of Employment:

a. If your employment is involuntarily terminated for Cause before the Service Period is complete and the Restrictions lapse, your Award, to the extent then subject to the Restrictions, will be forfeited to and cancelled by the Company. For this purpose, the term “Cause” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in the employment agreement between you and the Company.

b. If your employment is involuntarily terminated without Cause before the Service Period is complete, your Award will vest in its entirety, the Restrictions will lapse, and shares of Common Stock previously subject to the Restrictions will be immediately transferred to you.

c. If your employment ends before the completion of the Service Period on account of your death or Disability, your Award will vest in its entirety, the Restrictions will lapse, and shares of Common Stock

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 9


previously subject to the Restrictions will be immediately transferred to you (or upon your death, to your beneficiary, or if none, to your estate). For this purpose, the term “Disability” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in the Company’s 2010 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as the same may be amended, superseded or replaced from time to time (the “Incentive Plan”).

5. Change in Control. If a Change in Control is consummated during the Service Period, your Award will vest, in its entirety, the Restrictions shall lapse, and shares of Common Stock will be transferred to you free of the Restrictions. For this purpose, the term “Change in Control” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in the Incentive Plan.

6. Taxes. The fair market value of the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which the Restrictions lapse, from time to time, will be treated as compensation, reported by the Company on IRS Form W-2, and will be subject to withholding for applicable income and employment taxes. Unless you otherwise provide, the Company will determine the amount of your withholding and satisfy this obligation by “netting” from your Award shares of Common Stock with a fair market value equal to your withholding obligation. The Company calculates withholding at the supplemental wage rate and the highest applicable marginal state income tax rate.

7. No Assignment. During the Service Period, your Award shall not be subject in any manner to sale, transfer, pledge, assignment or other encumbrance or disposition, whether by operation of law or otherwise, and whether voluntarily or involuntarily, except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. In the event of a purported assignment, transfer or division on account of the division of your community property or the dissolution of your marriage, the portion of your Award purportedly subject to such assignment, transfer or division will be forfeited and cancelled, without the requirement of notice or the payment of compensation.

8. Additional Requirements. Common Stock issued hereunder has not be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended. If shares of Common Stock acquired hereunder are certificated, such certificates may bear legends as the Company deems appropriate to comply with applicable Federal or state securities laws. Prior to the issuance of such shares, you may be required to deliver to the Company such other documents as may be reasonably required to ensure compliance with applicable Federal or state securities laws.

9. Amendment. The Board, in its discretion and without your consent, may amend or modify your Award, except that any amendment that materially diminishes your Award can be effective only with your prior written consent.

10. No Continued Employment. Your Award is not a promise of your continued employment with the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, nor does it otherwise modify your employment status.

11. Governing Law.Your Award hereunder shall be governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi, without regard to the conflicts of law provisions thereof.

12. Binding Effect. Your Award shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company, including its successors and assigns. The Company shall require any successor or assign to expressly assume such Award in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession or assignment had taken place. To the extent expressly provided herein, your Award shall inure to the benefit of your beneficiaries and successors; your obligations hereunder shall further be binding upon such parties.

13. Entire Agreement. This Award, including any additional documents necessary to effect the terms and conditions hereof, constitutes the entire understanding and agreement among the parties hereto, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties, other than those set forth herein.

14. Administration. All matters of administration arising with respect to your Award shall be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board, in its discretion, including the resolution of any ambiguity or the

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 10


provision of any omitted term or condition. Any determination by the Board need not be uniform as among similarly situated officers and employees and shall be final and binding upon you and your representatives, heirs, beneficiaries and assigns.

15. Dilution.Upon the consummation of a merger, consolidation or reorganization of the Company with another entity there shall be substituted for each of the shares of Common Stock then subject to your Award the number and kind of shares of stock or other securities to which the holders of Common Stock are entitled in such transaction. In the event of any recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split or reverse stock split, combination of shares or other change in the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding for which the Company does not receive consideration, the number of shares of Common Stock then subject to your Award shall be adjusted in proportion to the change in outstanding shares of Common Stock resulting from such reorganization, dividend or split.

16. Compliance with Section 409A. This Award and the common Stock issued hereunder are intended to be exempt from Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 409A”) as stock rights or short-term deferrals and, accordingly, this Notice and Award shall be construed and administered to preserve such exemption (including with respect to the time of payment following a lapse of Restrictions applicable to the Award). To the extent that Section 409A is determined to apply to the Award (notwithstanding the preceding sentence), then this Notice shall be construed and administered to comply with Section 409A, including, if necessary, by delaying the payment of any shares of Common Stock payable upon your separation from service, if you are a “specified employee” (as defined in Section 409A at such time, for a period of six months and one day after your separation from service.

RENASANT CORPORATION

E. Robinson McGraw, Chief Executive Officer

Attachments:

Acknowledgement and Agreement

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 11


RENASANT CORPORATION

RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT

O. LEONARD DORMINEY

I understand that the settlement of my Award is subject to the terms and conditions described in the Notice and any limitations applicable under Federal or state securities laws. I understand that neither my Award, nor the shares of Common Stock underlying my Award, has been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that shares of Common Stock issued hereunder are subject to limitations on sale, assignment, or other types of transfer or disposition, and that Common Stock issued to me may be legended to reflect such restrictions. I acknowledge that no officer of the Company or the Board shall be liable for any action or determination taken in good faith with respect to the Award.

O. Leonard Dorminey
Date:  

Deliver to:

Renasant Corporation

Attn: Sherry McCarty

209 Troy Street

Tupelo, MS 38804

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 12


RENASANT CORPORATION

CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT

THIS CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT(the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between O. Leonard Dorminey (“Executive”) and Renasant Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of Mississippi (the “Company”).

1. Definitions:

1.1Affiliate” means one or more subsidiaries or other entities with respect to which the Company owns (within the meaning of Section 425(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or other equity interests.

1.2Base Compensation” means Executive’s annualized base salary determined as of the last day of the calendar year preceding the year in which a Change in Control is consummated.

1.3Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

1.4Change In Control” means and shall be deemed to occur upon the consummation of a Change in Equity Ownership, a Change in Effective Control, a Change in the Ownership of Assets or a Change by Merger. For this purpose:

a.A “Change in Equity Ownership” means that a person or group acquires, directly or indirectly in accordance with Code Section 318, more than 50% of the aggregate fair market value or voting power of the capital stock of the Company, including for this purpose capital stock previously acquired by such person or group;provided, however, that a change in Equity Ownership shall not be deemed to occur hereunder if, at the time of any such acquisition, such person or group owns more than 50% of the aggregate fair market value or voting power of the Company’s capital stock.

b.A “Change in Effective Control” means that: (i) a person or group acquires (or has acquired during the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or group), directly or indirectly in accordance with Code Section 318, ownership of the capital stock of the Company possessing 35% or more of the total voting power of the Company; or (ii) a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company is replaced during any 12-month period, whether by appointment or election, without endorsement by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of such appointment or election.

c.A “Change in the Ownership of Assets” means that any person or group acquires (or has acquired in a series of transactions during the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition) all or substantially all of the assets of the Company.

d.A “Change by Merger” means that the Company shall consummate a merger or consolidation or similar transaction with another corporation or entity, unless as a result of such transaction, more than 50% of the then outstanding voting securities of the surviving or resulting corporation or entity shall be owned in the aggregate by the former shareholders of the Company, and the voting securities of the surviving or resulting corporation or entity are owned in substantially the same proportion as the common stock of the Company was beneficially owned before such transaction.

The Board shall promptly certify to Executive whether a Change in Control has occurred hereunder, which certification shall not be unreasonably withheld.

1.5Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

1.6Employment Agreement” means that certain Executive Employment Agreement by and between Heritage Financial Group, Inc., dated as of                     , 2015, as the same was assumed and amended by the Company, and Renasant Bank, an Affiliate of the Company, effective as of                     , 2015, and as the same may be further amended from time to time.

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 13


1.7Good Reason” means that in connection with a Change in Control: (a) Executive’s Base Compensation is materially diminished; (b) Executive’s authority, duties or responsibilities are materially diminished from those performed by Executive prior to the Change in Control; or (c) there is a material change in the office or business location at which Executive is required to perform services, but in no event less than a change outside the 30-mile radius of the location to which he was assigned prior to the Change in Control. No event or condition described in this Section 1.7 shall constitute Good Reason unless: (a) Executive provides to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer notice of his objection to such event or condition not more 60 days after Executive first learns or should have learned of such event, which notice shall be delivered in writing; (y) such event or condition is not promptly corrected by the Company, but in no event later than 30 days after receipt of such notice; and (z) Executive resigns his employment with the Company and its Affiliates not more than 60 days following the expiration of the 30-day period described in subparagraph (y) hereof.

1.8Incentive Bonus” means the amount paid or payable to Executive under the Company’s Performance Based Rewards Plan or similar short term cash bonus arrangement.

1.9Termination of employment,” “separation from service,” and words of similar import used herein shall mean the later of the date on which: (a) Executive’s employment with the Company and its Affiliates ceases; or (b) the Company and such Executive reasonably anticipate that Executive will perform no further services for the Company and its Affiliates, whether as a common law employee or independent contractor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive may be deemed to incur a separation from service hereunder if he continues to provide services to the Company or an Affiliate, provided such services are not more than 20% of the average level of services performed, whether as an employee or independent contractor, during the immediately preceding 36-month period.

2. Change in Control Benefits:

2.1 Separation From Service. If : (a) Executive’s employment is involuntarily terminated by the Company, without Cause (as defined in the Employment Agreement), or Executive terminates his employment with the Company for Good Reason, either occurring during the 24-month period following a Change in Control (Executive’s “Eligible Termination”; and (b) Executive timely executes and delivers to the Company a waiver and release in the form prescribed by the Company,then the Company shall pay or provide to Executive:

a.Executive’s Incentive Bonus with respect to the Company’s completed fiscal year immediately preceding Executive’s Eligible Termination, to the extent such amount has not been paid as of the change; such amount shall be paid on the payment date generally applicable to such bonus.

b.An additional amount equal to 200% of the aggregate of Executive’s (i) Base Compensation, and (ii) average Incentive Bonus paid with respect to the two whole calendar years preceding such change; the amount determined hereunder shall be paid in the form of a single-sum not more than 30 days following Executive’s Eligible Termination.

2.2 Limitation on Payments. If the aggregate present value of all payments and benefits due to Executive under this Agreement and any other payment or benefit due to Executive from the Company or an Affiliate or any successor thereto on account of a Change in Control (the “Aggregate Payments”) would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Code Section 4999, such payments or benefits shall be reduced by the minimum amount necessary to result in no portion of the Aggregate Payments, so reduced, being subject to such tax. The determination of whether a reduction is required hereunder shall be made by the Company’s independent public accounting firm and shall be binding upon the parties hereto.

2.3 Other Benefits and Payments.Amounts payable or provided under this Section 2 shall be in addition to any severance or similar post-termination benefits or payments to which Executive may become entitled under the terms of any employment agreement with respect to which Executive is a party or equity compensation granted or awarded to Executive, which benefits and payments shall be determined and administered in accordance with their respective terms.

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 14


3. Miscellaneous:

3.1 Mitigation Not Required. As a condition of any payment hereunder, Executive shall not be required to mitigate the amount of such payment by seeking other employment or otherwise, nor will any profits, income, earnings or other benefits from any source whatsoever create any mitigation, offset, reduction or any other obligation on the part of Executive under this Agreement.

3.2 Enforcement of Agreement. In the event that any legal dispute arises in connection with, relating to, or concerning this Agreement, or in the event of any claim for breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement, Executive agrees that such dispute or claim will be resolved by arbitration. Any such arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). Any such dispute or claim will be presented to a single arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Executive and the Company (or the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the rules of the AAA). All determinations of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the Executive and the Company. Each party to the arbitration proceeding will bear its own costs in connection with such arbitration proceedings, except that unless otherwise paid by the Company in accordance with such section, the costs and expenses of the arbitrator will be divided evenly between the parties. The venue for any arbitration proceeding and for any judicial proceeding related to this arbitration provision (including a judicial proceeding to enforce this provision) will be in Albany, Georgia.

3.3 No Set-Off.There shall be no right ofset-off or counterclaim in respect of any claim, debt or obligation against any payment to Executive provided for in this Agreement.

3.4 Headings. Section and other headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

3.5 Entire Agreement.This Agreement constitutes the final and complete understanding and agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties other than those set forth herein.

3.6 Amendments.This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time in any or all respects, but only by an instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto.

3.7 Choice of Law.The validity of this Agreement, the construction of its terms, and the determination of the rights and duties of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Georgia applicable to contracts made to be performed wholly within such state, without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof.

3.8 Notices.All notices and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given when (a) delivered by hand, (b) sent by facsimile to a facsimile number given below, provided that a copy is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), or (c) when received by the addressee, if sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), in each case as follows:

If to Executive:Most Recent Address
on File with the Company
If to the Company:Renasant Corporation
209 Troy Street
Tupelo, MS 38804
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

or to such other addresses as a party may designate by notice to the other party.

3.9 Successors; Assignment.This Agreement is personal to Executive and shall not be assigned by him or her without the prior written consent of the Company. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 15


upon the Company, its Affiliates, successors and assigns, including, without limitation, any person, partnership, company, corporation or other entity that may acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets or business or with or into which the Company may be liquidated, consolidated, merged or otherwise combined. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon Executive, his heirs, estate, legatees and legal representatives. Any payment due to Executive shall be paid to his surviving spouse or estate after his death.

3.10 Severability. Each provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, but this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision was not contained herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, no provision shall be severed if it is clearly apparent under the circumstances that the parties would not have entered into this Agreement without such provision.

3.11 Withholding.As a condition of any payment hereunder the Company or an Affiliate shall withhold any federal, state or local taxes required to be withheld.

3.12 Waiver. The failure of either party to insist in any one or more instances upon performance of any terms or conditions of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of future performance of any such term, covenant, or condition and the obligations of either party with respect to such term, covenant or condition will continue in full force and effect.

3.13 Expiration and Termination.This Agreement shall be effective as of the Closing Date (as defined in the Employment Agreement ) and shall expire and be terminated as of the date on which the Employment Agreement expires or is terminated.

3.14 Code Section 409A. The parties intend that this Agreement shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with the applicable provisions of Code Section 409A, including any regulations or other guidance promulgated thereunder. For purposes thereof: (a) each payment under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment; (b) the exclusions for short-term deferrals and payments on account of involuntary termination of employment shall be applied to the fullest extent applicable; (c) payments to be made upon a termination of employment that are deemed to constitute deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section 409A shall be made upon Executive’s “separation from service” as determined thereunder; (d) any payment hereunder that may be made in one of two calendar years shall be made in the second such year; (e) any reference herein to the termination of Executive’s employment or to Executive’s Termination Date or words of similar import shall mean and be deemed to refer to the date of his “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A; and (f) payment of any amount required to be delayed on account of Executive’s status as a “specified employee” within the meaning of Code Section 409A shall be made when first permitted, without liability for interest or loss of investment opportunity thereon.

THIS CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENThas been executed as of the dates set forth below, to be effective as provided herein.

Renasant Corporation:Executive:
By: 

Its: Chief Executive OfficerO. Leonard Dorminey
Date: 

Date: 

Schedule 6.2(f)-C - Page 16


SCHEDULE 6.2(f)-D

ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT – CAROL SLAPPEY

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 1


RENASANT CORPORATION

ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT

(CAROL W. SLAPPEY)

THIS ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between Renasant Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of Mississippi (the “Company”) and Renasant Bank, a financial institution with its principal place of business in Tupelo, Mississippi (the “Bank”), and Carol W. Slappey (the “Executive”), to be effective as of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among the Company, Renasant Bank, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., (“Heritage”) and Heritagebank of the South (“Heritagebank”), dated as of December     , 2014 (the “Merger Agreement;” the date on which the consummation of such transactions occur, the “Closing Date”).

1. Recitals:This Agreement is made in consideration of the following:

a. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Heritage will be merged with and into the Company, and Heritagebank of the South will be merged with and into the Bank, with the Company and the Bank as the sole surviving entities.

b. Executive is a party to that certain Executive Employment Agreement with Heritage, executed as of December     , 2014 (the “Existing Employment Agreement”), which agreement is intended to be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successor or assignee of Heritage.

c. The Bank now intends to assume the Existing Employment Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein.

2. Effectiveness:This Agreement shall be effective as of the Closing Date; in the event the Closing Date does not occur, this Agreement shall be deemed void and of no effect.

3. Assumption:The Bank shall assume the Existing Employment Agreement as of the Closing Date and shall administer such agreement in accordance with its terms, which shall be deemed incorporated herein by this reference, including those provisions requiring the arbitration of disputes thereunder;provided that such agreement shall be deemed amended as set forth below:

a. Notwithstanding any provision of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive’s title shall be[TO COME]; Executive shall report to[TO COME].

b. In lieu of the annual incentive bonus described in Section 3.2 of the Existing Employment Agreement, Executive shall participate in, and “Incentive Bonus” shall mean the bonus payable pursuant to the Performance Based Reward Plan maintained by the Bank, as well as any and all other similar arrangements maintained by the Company or the Bank, on terms and conditions substantially similar to similarly situated officers of the Bank or the Company.

c. Notwithstanding any provision of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive shall be provided a monthly car allowance in the amount of[$XXX], as Executive’s exclusive form of transportation benefit.

d. In lieu of those covenants set forth in Section 5 of the Existing Employment Agreement, Executive shall execute and be bound by those covenants and agreements set forth in the “Business Protection Agreement,” substantially in the form attached hereto asExhibit A.

e. Notwithstanding Section 3.3 of the Existing Employment Agreement to the contrary, Executive shall not be eligible to participate in any severance plan applicable to officers or employees of the Company or the Bank.

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 2


f. Any notice to the attention of the Company shall be made to Renasant Bank, 209 Troy Street, Tupelo, MS 38804, Attention Chief Executive Officer.

g. The continuing Incentive Bonus payable to Executive under Section 4.2c of the Existing Employment Agreement shall be an amount not less than 40% of Executive’s Base Compensation (as defined therein) as of the Closing Date.

4. Executive’s Waiver: Executive agrees that neither she nor her heirs, assigns or beneficiaries shall possess any right, claim or entitlement to any compensation, benefit or other payment, under the Existing Employment Agreement, or that certain superseded Executive Employment Agreement by and between Executive and Heritage and Heritagebank initially effective as of March 16, 2005,solely on account of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement, including the assumption of the Existing Employment Agreement as provided herein. Executive further agrees that nothing contained herein shall be deemed to constitute “Good Reason” as defined in the Existing Employment Agreement. This waiver is not intended to, and does not, waive any rights, compensation or benefits to which the Executive is entitled or may become entitled under the Existing Employment Agreement (including without limitation rights under Section 6.2 of the Existing Employment Agreement), under the Merger Agreement or under any other plan, program or agreement, except as expressly provided herein.

5. Executive’s Inducement: As an inducement to enter into this Agreement, Executive agrees that if her benefits accrued under the tax-qualified defined benefit plan initially established and maintained by Heritage or Heritagebank are subject to distribution during the 24-month period following the Closing Date on account of the termination of such plan, she shall use her best efforts to request distribution in the form of an immediate single-sum payment, to the extent such form of payment is offered in connection with such termination.

6. Entire Agreement; Amendment: This Agreement and the other documents referred to herein contain the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein. Such agreements and documents shall supersede all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter and shall supersede all previous negotiations, commitments and writings. The parties may not amend, modify or supplement this Agreement, including the Exhibit referenced herein, except in a writing signed by all parties hereto.

7. Execution:This Agreement may be executed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Facsimile or “PDF” transmissions of any executed original document and/or retransmission of any executed facsimile or “PDF” transmission shall be deemed to be the same as the delivery of an executed original.

Remainder of page intentionally left blank.

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 3


THIS ASSUMPTION AGREEMENThas been executed as provided below to be effective as set forth herein.

Renasant Bank:Executive:
By:

Its: Chief Executive OfficerCarol W. Slappey
Date:

Date:

Renasant Corporation, for the limited purposes

set forth herein:

By:

Its: Chief Executive Officer
Date:

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 4


RENASANT CORPORATION

BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENT

THIS BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by Renasant Corporation (the “Company”) and Carol W. Slappey ( “Executive”). As used herein, the term “Company” shall be deemed to include the Company, Renasant Bank and any one or more subsidiaries or other entities with respect to which the Company owns (within the meaning of Section 425(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or other equity interests.

1 Consideration; Effectiveness.This Agreement is made in consideration of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between the Company, including Renasant Bank, and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and Heritagebank of the South (the “Legacy Companies”; the “Merger Agreement”), and the execution of that certain Assumption Agreement by and between Executive and the Company, including Renasant Bank, dated the date hereof (the “Assumption Agreement”), the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged. This Agreement is to be effective as of the consummation of the transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement; if such transactions shall not be consummated as provided therein, this Agreement shall be void and of no effect.

2. Confidential Information.Executive recognizes and acknowledges that during the term of her employment with the Company, she will have access to the Company’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets (as defined below). Executive agrees that she will not at any time, either during the term of her employment with the Company, or at any time thereafter, make any independent use of, or disclose to any person or organization, any Confidential Information or Trade Secret,except: (a) as may be expressly authorized by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; (b) in the ordinary course of Executive’s employment with the Company; (c) as may be required by law or legal process; or (d) to the extent any such information becomes generally known to the public, other than on account of a breach of this Agreement by Executive. As used herein:

a. The term “Confidential Information” means, regardless of the form in which maintained and whether or not a Trade Secret under applicable law, confidential, proprietary, non-public information concerning the Company, including the Legacy Companies, including, without limitation: (a) books, records and policies relating to operations, finance, accounting, personnel and management; (b) information related to any business entered into by the Company; (c) credit policies and practices, databases, customer and prospective customer lists, depositor and prospective depositor lists, and information obtained on competitors and tactics; (d) various other non-public trade or business information, including business opportunities and expansion or acquisition strategies, marketing, business diversification plans, methods and processes; and (e) retail marketing and operating policies and practices, including without limitation, policies and practices concerning the identity, solicitation, acquisition, management, resale or cancellation of unsecured or secured credit card accounts, loan or lease accounts, other accounts relating to consumer products and services and depository arrangements.

b. The term “Trade Secret” shall have the meaning ascribed to it in § 10-1-761 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

3. Non-Solicitation.Executive agrees that during the two-year period commencing on the date that Executive’s employment with the Company ceases for any reason (such date, the “Termination Date”; such period, the “Restricted Period”), she shall not, directly or indirectly, for her own benefit or on behalf of or to the benefit of another or to the Company’s detriment:

a. Solicit, hire or offer to hire, or participate in the hiring of, any of the Company’s officers, employees or agents;

b. Persuade, or attempt to persuade, in any manner any officer, employee or agent of the Company to interrupt or discontinue any business relationship with the Company; or

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 5


c. Solicit or divert, or attempt to solicit or divert, any customer or depositor of the Company, including any prospective or potential customer or depositor of the Company with respect to which: (i) the Company has expended material efforts to solicit before the Termination Date, and (ii) Executive has participated in such solicitation or knows, or should know, of such solicitation.

4. Non-Competition.The Executive agrees that during the Restricted Period she shall not, whether as an employee, officer, director, shareholder, owner, member, partner, joint venturer, independent contractor, consultant or in any other capacity, engage, directly or indirectly, in the Banking Business in the Restricted Area. For this purpose, the term “Banking Business” shall mean the management and/or operation of a retail bank or other financial institution, securities brokerage, or insurance agency or brokerage; the term “Restricted Area” shall mean within the 50-mile radius of any geographic location in which the Company has a substantial office or branch location on the Termination Date.

5. Business Reputation. Executive agrees that during her employment with the Company and at all times thereafter, she shall refrain from making or publishing any adverse, untrue or misleading statement which has, or may reasonably be anticipated to have, the effect of demeaning the name or business reputation of the Company, except as may be required by law or legal process.

6. Reformation.The parties agree that each of the covenants set forth herein is intended to constitute a separate restriction. Should any such covenant be declared invalid or unenforceable, such covenant shall be deemed severable from and shall not affect the remainder thereof. The parties further agree that each of the foregoing covenants is reasonable in both time and geographic scope. If and to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction or an arbitrator, as the case may be, determines that any of the covenants set forth herein are unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable, then it is the intention of the parties that such covenant shall be enforced to the fullest extent that such court or arbitrator deems reasonable and that this Agreement shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to permit such enforcement.

7. Remedies. In the event of a breach or threatened breach by Executive of the provisions of this Agreement, Executive agrees that the Company shall be entitled to obtain a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, without the necessity of posting bond in connection therewith. Executive further agrees that upon the issuance of a temporary restraining order, the Company may, in its discretion, suspend any additional payments or benefits due to Executive or her dependents under the Assumption Agreement;provided that such payments shall be resumed when the Company reasonably determines that such breach or threatened breach has been corrected or cured (to the extent that such breach is susceptible of correction or cure).

The Company shall provide to Executive written notice of the events giving rise to Executive’s breach or threatened breach of the provisions of this Agreement, including a statement as to whether the Company reasonably believes that such breach or threatened breach is susceptible of cure, at least two business days before seeking a temporary restraining order hereunder. Thereafter, Executive may correct such breach or threatened breach to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company;provided that if Executive fails to correct such breach or threatened breach within such two-day period, nothing contained herein shall preclude or delay the Company’s ability to seek a temporary restraining order hereunder.

Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Company from pursuing any other remedy available to it for such breach or threatened breach, whether in law or equity.

8. General:

a. In addition to the Company’s equitable remedies provided under paragraph 7 hereof, which need not be exclusively resolved by arbitration, in the event that any legal dispute arises in connection with, relating to, or concerning this Agreement, or in the event of any claim for breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement, Executive agrees that such dispute or claim will be resolved by arbitration. Any such arbitration

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 6


proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). Any such dispute or claim will be presented to a single arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Executive and the Company (or the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the rules of the AAA). All determinations of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the Executive and the Company. Each party to the arbitration proceeding will bear its own costs in connection with such arbitration proceedings, and the costs and expenses of the arbitrator will be divided evenly between the parties. The venue for any arbitration proceeding and for any judicial proceeding related to this arbitration provision, including a judicial proceeding to enforce this provision, will be in Albany, Georgia.

b. This Agreement constitutes the final and complete understanding and agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no other agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations or warranties among the parties other than those set forth herein. Executive acknowledges that this Agreement replaces in its entirety any prior agreements between Executive and the Company or the Legacy Companies concerning the subject covered by this Agreement.

c. This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time in any or all respects, but only by an instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto.

d. The validity of this Agreement, the construction of its terms, and the determination of the rights and duties of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Georgia applicable to contracts made to be performed wholly within such state, without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof.

e. All notices and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given when (i) delivered by hand, (ii) sent by electronic mail to the addresses designated below, provided that a copy is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), or (iii) when received by the addressee, if sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service (receipt requested), in each case as follows:

If to Executive:

Carol W. Slappey
Most Recent Address on File with the Company

If to the Company:

Renasant Corporation
209 Troy Street
Tupelo, MS 38804
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

or to such other addresses as a party may designate by notice to the other party.

f. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon the Company, its successors and assigns, including, without limitation, any person, partnership, company, corporation or other entity that may acquire substantially all of the Company’s assets or business or with or into which the Company may be liquidated, consolidated, merged or otherwise combined. This Agreement will be binding upon Executive, her heirs, estate, legatees and legal representatives.

g. Notwithstanding anything contained herein or in the Assumption Agreement to the contrary, the obligations of Executive hereunder, and the remedies and enforcement provided herein, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of the occurrence of Executive’s Termination Date or the expiration, termination or cancellation of the Assumption Agreement.

h. The failure of the Company to insist in any one or more instances upon performance of any terms or conditions of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of future performance of any such term, covenant, or condition and the obligations of either party with respect to such term, covenant or condition will continue in full force and effect.

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 7


i. The language in all parts of this Agreement shall be construed as a whole, according to fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any party. In drafting this Agreement, Executive has been fully represented by counsel of Executive’s choosing, and the terms of this Agreement have been fully negotiated by the parties hereto. The parties agree that, in the event of any ambiguity, this Agreement should not be construed against the Company as a result of being drafted by counsel for the Company.

j. This Agreement may be executed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Facsimile or “PDF” transmissions of any executed original document and/or retransmission of any executed facsimile or “PDF” transmission shall be deemed to be the same as the delivery of an executed original.

THIS BUSINESS PROTECTION AGREEMENThas been executed as provided below, to be effective as set forth herein.

EXECUTIVE:RENASANT CORPORATION:

Carol W. SlappeyIts: Chief Executive Officer
Date:

Date:

Schedule 6.2(f)-D - Page 8


SCHEDULE 6.2(f)-E

Schedule 6.2(f)-E - Page 1


AMENDMENT TO THE

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN

                    AND HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTH

This Amendment is made and entered into as of this             day of December, 2014, by and between HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTH (the “Bank”) and                     (the “Executive”);

WHEREAS, the Bank and the Executive previously entered into an Employment Agreement dated July 21, 2010 (the “Agreement”), the term of which has been extended from time to time;

WHEREAS, Section 13 of the Agreement provides that the Agreement may be modified as agreed to in a writing signed by the Executive and the Bank; and

WHEREAS, the parties now desire to amend the Agreement in the manner hereinafter provided to clarify certain provisions in accordance with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and to make certain other desirable modifications.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Bank and the Executive hereby clarify and amend the Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above as follows:

1. The Executive and the Bank confirm that the Term of the Agreement (as defined in Section 3 of the Agreement) has been extended from time to time and currently extends through July 21, 2016.

2. A new Section 18 is hereby added to the Agreement as follows:

“18.Section 409A

(a)General. This Agreement will be construed and administered to preserve the exemption from Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) of payments that qualify as short-term deferrals pursuant to Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(4) or that qualify for the two-times compensation separation pay exemption of Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) or that qualify under other exemptions in Code Section 409A. With respect to other amounts that are subject to Code Section 409A, if any, it is intended, and this Agreement will be so construed, that any such amounts payable under this Agreement and the Bank’s and the Executive’s exercise of authority or discretion hereunder shall comply with the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and other guidance promulgated thereunder (collectively, “Section 409A”) so as not to subject the Executive to the payment of interest and additional tax that may be imposed under Section 409A. As a result, in the event the Executive is a “specified employee” on the date of the Executive’s separation from service, any payment that is subject to Section 409A and that is payable to the Executive in connection with the Executive’s separation from service shall not be paid until the first business day following the expiration of six months after the Executive’s separation from service (if the Executive dies after the Executive’s separation from service but before any payment has been made, such remaining payments that were or could have been delayed will be paid to the Executive’s estate without regard to such six-month delay).

(b)Meaning of Termination of Employment. Solely as necessary to comply with Section 409A, for purposes the Agreement, “termination of employment” or “employment termination” or similar terms shall have the same meaning as “separation from service” under Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code.

(c)Installment Payments. For purposes of Section 7 with respect to severance amounts payable in the event of termination of the Executive’s employment by the Bank without Cause or by the Executive for “good reason”, each such payment is a separate payment within the meaning of the final regulations under Section 409A. Each such payment that is made before the later of (i) 2 12 months following the end of the calendar year or (ii) 2 12 months following the end of the Bank’s fiscal year, in each case that contains the date of the Executive’s termination of employment, is intended to be exempt from Section 409A as a short-term deferral within the meaning of the final regulations under Section 409A. Each such payment that is

Schedule 6.2(f)-E - Page 2


made later than 2 12 months following the end of the applicable year that contains the date of the Executive’s termination of employment is intended to be exempt under the two-times compensation separation pay exception of Treasury Reg. § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) up to the limitation on the availability of such exception specified in such regulation. To the extent applicable, continued medical and dental coverage provided by the Bank or reimbursements of medical and dental plan premiums is intended to be exempt from Section 409A under the exemption for health benefits in Treas. Reg. § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(v)(B) up to the limitation on the availability of such exception specified in such regulation.”

3. A new Section 19 is hereby added to the Agreement as follows:

“19.Section 280G

Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any payment or benefit to be paid or provided hereunder would be a “Parachute Payment,” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, or any successor provision thereto, but for the application of this sentence, then the payments and benefits to be paid or provided hereunder shall be reduced to the minimum extent necessary (but in no event to less than zero) so that no portion of any such payment or benefit, as so reduced, constitutes a Parachute Payment; provided, however, that the foregoing reduction shall not be made if the total of the unreduced aggregate payments and benefits to be provided to the Executive, determined on an after-tax basis (taking into account the excise tax imposed pursuant to Section 4999 of the Code, or any successor provision thereto, any tax imposed by any comparable provision of state law, and any applicable federal, state and local income taxes), exceeds the total after-tax amount of such aggregate payments and benefits after application of the foregoing reduction. The determination of whether any reduction in such payments or benefits to be provided hereunder is required pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be made at the expense of the Bank, if requested by the Executive or the Bank, by the Bank’s independent accountants or another independent accountant agreed upon by the Executive and the Bank. In the event that any payment or benefit intended to be provided hereunder is required to be reduced pursuant to this Section, then the reduction shall occur in the following order: (i) reduction of continued benefits (or payments in lieu of benefits) described in Sections 7(c) and 7(d); (ii) reduction of bonus payments described in Sections 7(c) and 7(d); and (iii) reduction of continued salary payments described in Sections 7(c) and 7(d). Within any category of payments and benefits (that is, (i), (ii) or (iii)), a reduction shall occur first with respect to amounts that do not qualify as a “deferral of compensation” within the meaning of and subject to Section 409A (“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation”) and then with respect to amounts that do qualify as Nonqualified Deferred Compensation with such reduction being applied in each case to the payments in the reverse order in which they would otherwise be made, that is, later payments shall be reduced before earlier payments.”

Except as specifically amended above, the Agreement shall remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Amendment as of the date first written above.

HERITAGEBANK OF THE SOUTH

By:

O. Leonard Dorminey, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer

Schedule 6.2(f)-E - Page 3


SCHEDULE 6.2(g)

O. Leonard Dorminey

Carol W. Slappey

T. Heath Fountain

David Durland

O. Mitchell Smith

Brian D. Schmidt

Antone D. Lehr

Joseph C. Burger, Jr.

Douglas J. McGinley

J. Keith Land

J. Lee Stanley

J. Edward Cassity

James H. Moore III

Fred F. Sharpe

James E. Wilson

Harry Hutchinson

Robert Krimmel

Schedule 6.2(g) - Page 1


ANNEX B

OPINION OF KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS, INC.


LOGO

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019

December 9, 2014

The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

721 North Westover Boulevard

Albany, Georgia 31707

Members of the Board:

You have requested the opinion of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (“KBW” or “we”) as investment bankers as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, to the common shareholders of Heritage Financial Group, Inc. (“HBOS”), of the Exchange Ratio (as defined below) in the proposed merger (the “Transaction”) of HBOS with and into Renasant Corporation (“RNST”), pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Agreement”) to be entered into by and among HBOS, HeritageBank of the South, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HBOS (“Heritage Bank”), RNST and Renasant Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RNST (“Renasant Bank”). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, at the Effective Time (as defined in the Agreement), automatically by virtue of the Transaction and without any action on the part of RNST, HBOS, the holders of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of HBOS (the “HBOS Common Stock”), or the holders of common stock, $5.00 par value per share, of RNST (the “RNST Common Stock”), each share of HBOS Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than any shares to be canceled in accordance with the Agreement) shall be converted into and represent the right to receive 0.9266 of a share of RNST Common Stock. The ratio of one share of HBOS Common Stock to 0.9266 of a share of RNST Common Stock is referred to herein as the “Exchange Ratio.” The terms and conditions of the Transaction are more fully set forth in the Agreement.

The Agreement further provides that, immediately after the Effective Time, HeritageKeyWorth Bank will merge with and into Renasant Bank (such transaction, the “Bank Merger”). In addition, representatives of HBOS have advised us that, prior to the consummation of the Transaction, HBOS expects to acquire a branch from The PrivateBank and Trust Company, which transaction was publicly announced on October 8, 2014 (the “PrivateBank Acquisition”). For purposes of our opinion, at the direction of HBOS and with the consent of the Board (as defined below), we have assumed the consummation of the PrivateBank Acquisition in all respects material to our analysis.

KBW has acted as financial advisor to HBOS and not as an advisor to or agent of any other person. As part of our investment banking business, we are continually engaged in the valuation of bank and bank holding company securities in connection with acquisitions, negotiated underwritings, secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private placements and valuations for various other purposes. As specialists in the securities of banking companies, we have experience in, and knowledge of, the valuation of banking enterprises. In the ordinary course of our business as a broker-dealer and further to existing sales and trading relationships between KBW and its affiliates and each of HBOS and RNST, we and our affiliates from time to time purchase securities from, and sell securities to, HBOS and RNST. As a market maker in securities, we may from time to time have a long or short position in, and buy or sell, debt or equity securities of HBOS and RNST for our own account and for the accounts of our customers. We have acted exclusively for the board of directors of HBOS (the “Board”) in rendering this opinion and will receive a fee from HBOS for our services. A portion of our fee is payable upon the rendering of this opinion and a significant portion is contingent upon the successful completion of the Transaction. In addition, HBOS has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities arising out of our engagement.

B-1


The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

December 9, 2014

Page 2 of 6

In addition to this present engagement, in the past two years, KBW has provided investment banking and financial advisory services to HBOS and received compensation or such services. KBW served as financial advisor to HBOS in connection with its acquisition of Frontier Bank in March 2013. In the past two years, KBW has provided investment banking and financial advisory services to RNST but has not received compensation for such services. As you are aware, those have included services provided by KBW to RNST in connection with RNST’s prior preliminary consideration of potential business combinations with a number of different entities, including HBOS. We may in the future provide investment banking and financial advisory services to HBOS or RNST and receive compensation for such services.

In connection with this opinion, we have reviewed, analyzed and relied upon material bearing upon the financial and operating condition of HBOS and RNST and the Transaction, including among other things, the following: (i) a draft dated December 9, 2014 of the Agreement (the most recent draft made available to us); (ii) the audited financial statements and Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 of HBOS; (iii) the audited financial statements and Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 of RNST; (iv) the unaudited financial statements and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014 of HBOS; (v) the unaudited financial statements and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014 of RNST; (vi) certain other interim reports and other communications of HBOS and RNST to their respective shareholders; and (vii) other financial information concerning the businesses and operations of HBOS and RNST furnished to us by HBOS and RNST or which we were otherwise directed to use for purposes of our analyses. Our consideration of financial information and other factors that we deemed appropriate under the circumstances or relevant to our analyses included, among other things, the following: (i) the historical and current financial position and results of operations of HBOS and RNST; (ii) the assets and liabilities of HBOS and RNST; (iii) the nature and terms of certain other merger transactions and business combinations in the banking industry; (iv) a comparison of certain financial and stock market information of HBOS and RNST with similar information for certain other companies the securities of which are publicly traded; (v) financial and operating forecasts and projections of HBOS (which information reflects the estimated pro forma impact of the PrivateBank Acquisition), that were prepared by, and provided to us and discussed with us by, HBOS management and that were used and relied upon by us at the direction of such management with the consent of the Board; (vi) publicly available consensus “street estimates” of RNST for 2014 through 2016 that were discussed with us by RNST management and used and relied upon by us at the direction of such management with the consent of the Board; and (vii) estimates regarding certain pro forma financial effects of the Transaction on RNST (including, without limitation, the cost savings and related expenses expected to result from the Transaction), that were prepared by RNST management, and provided to us and discussed with us by such management, and used and relied upon by us at the direction of such management with the consent of the Board. We have also performed such other studies and analyses as we considered appropriate and have taken into account our assessment of general economic, market and financial conditions and our experience in other transactions, as well as our experience in securities valuation and knowledge of the banking industry generally. We have also held discussions with senior management of HBOS and RNST regarding the past and current business operations, regulatory relations, financial condition and future prospects of their respective companies and such other matters as we have deemed relevant to our inquiry. We have not been requested to, and have not, assisted HBOS with soliciting indications of interest from third parties other than RNST regarding a potential transaction with HBOS.

In conducting our review and arriving at our opinion, we have relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all of the financial and other information provided to us or that was publicly available and we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of any such information or assumed any

B-2


The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

December 9, 2014

Page 3 of 6

responsibility or liability for such verification, accuracy or completeness. We have relied upon management of HBOS as to the reasonableness and achievability of the financial and operating forecasts and projections of HBOS (and the assumptions and bases therefor) that were prepared by, and provided to us and discussed with us by, such management and we have assumed that such forecasts and projections were reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of such management and that such forecasts and projections will be realized in the amounts and in the time periods currently estimated by such management. We have further relied, with the consent of HBOS, upon RNST management as to the reasonableness and achievability of the publicly available consensus “street estimates” of RNST referred to above that we were directed by such management to use, as well as the estimates regarding certain pro forma financial effects of the Transaction on RNST (and the assumptions and bases therefor, including, without limitation, the cost savings and related expenses expected to result from the Transaction) that were prepared by and provided to us by such management, all of which information was discussed with us by such management. We have assumed, with the consent of HBOS, that all such information is consistent with (in the case of the RNST “street estimates” referred to above), or was otherwise reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting, the best currently available estimates and judgments of RNST management and that the forecasts, projections and estimates reflected in such information will be realized in the amounts and in the time periods currently estimated. We express no view or opinion as to the PrivateBank Acquisition (or any terms, aspects or implications thereof) and have assumed, with the consent of HBOS, that the PrivateBank Acquisition will be consummated as described to us by HBOS management in the fourth quarter of 2014.

It is understood that the forecasts, projections and estimates of HBOS and RNST provided to us were not prepared with the expectation of public disclosure, that all such information, together with the publicly available consensus “street estimates” of RNST referred to above, is based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain, including, without limitation, factors related to general economic and competitive conditions and that, accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in such forecasts, projections and estimates. We have assumed, based on discussions with the respective managements of HBOS and RNST, that such forecasts, projections and estimates of HBOS and RNST referred to above, provide a reasonable basis upon which we could form our opinion and we express no view as to any such information or the assumptions or bases therefor. We have relied on all such information without independent verification or analysis and do not in any respect assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness thereof.

We also assumed that there were no material changes in the assets, liabilities, financial condition, results of operations, business or prospects of either HBOS or RNST since the date of the last financial statements of each such entity that were made available to us. We are not experts in the independent verification of the adequacy of allowances for loan losses and we have assumed, without independent verification and with your consent, that the aggregate allowances for loan losses for HBOS and RNST are adequate to cover such losses. In rendering our opinion, we have not made or obtained any evaluations or appraisals or physical inspection of the property, assets or liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of HBOS or RNST, the collateral securing any of such assets or liabilities, or the collectability of any such assets, nor have we examined any individual loan or credit files, nor did we evaluate the solvency, financial capability or fair value of HBOS or RNST under any state or federal laws, including those relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or other matters. Estimates of values of companies and assets do not purport to be appraisals or necessarily reflect the prices at which companies or assets may actually be sold. Because such estimates are inherently subject to uncertainty, we assume no responsibility or liability for their accuracy.

We have assumed, in all respects material to our analyses, the following: (i) that the Transaction will be completed substantially in accordance with the terms set forth in the Agreement (the final terms of which will not

B-3


The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

December 9, 2014

Page 4 of 6

differ in any respect material to our analyses from the draft reviewed) with no adjustments to the Exchange Ratio or additional forms of consideration; (ii) that any related transactions (including the Bank Merger and the PrivateBank Acquisition) will be completed substantially in accordance with the terms set forth in or as contemplatedowned by the Agreement or as otherwise described to us by representatives of HBOS; (iii) that the representations and warranties of each party in the Agreement and in all related documents and instruments referred to in the Agreement are true and correct; (iv) that each party to the Agreement and all related documents will perform all of the covenants and agreements required to be performed by such party under such documents; (v) that there are no factors that would delay or subject to any adverse conditions, any necessary regulatory or governmental approval for the Transaction or any related transaction and that all conditions to the completion of the Transaction and any related transaction will be satisfied without any waivers or modifications to the Agreement; and (vi) that in the course of obtaining the necessary regulatory, contractual, or other consents or approvals for the Transaction and any related transaction, no restrictions, including any divestiture requirements, termination or other payments or amendments or modifications, will be imposed that will have a material adverse effect on the future results of operations or financial condition of HBOS, RNST or the combined entity or the contemplated benefits of the Transaction, including the cost savings and related expenses expected to result from the Transaction. We have assumed that the Transaction will be consummated in a manner that complies with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and all other applicable federal and state statutes, rules and regulations. We have further assumed that HBOS has relied upon the advice of its counsel, independent accountants and other advisors (other than KBW) as to all legal, financial reporting, tax, accounting and regulatory matters with respect to HBOS, RNST, the Transaction, any related transaction (including the Bank Merger and the PrivateBank Acquisition), and the Agreement. KBW has not provided advice with respect to any such matters.

This opinion addresses only the fairness, from a financial point of view, as of the date hereof, of the Exchange Ratio in the Transaction to the holders of HBOS Common Stock. We express no view or opinion as to any other terms or aspects of the Transaction or any related transaction (including the Bank Merger and the PrivateBank Acquisition), including without limitation, the form or structure of the Transaction or any related transaction, any consequences of the Transaction to HBOS, its shareholders, creditors or otherwise, or any terms, aspects or implications of any voting, support, shareholder or other agreements, arrangements or understandings contemplated or entered into in connection with the Transaction or otherwise. Our opinion is necessarily based upon conditions as they exist and can be evaluated on the date hereof and the information made available to us through the date hereof. It is understood that subsequent developments may affect the conclusion reached in this opinion and that KBW does not have an obligation to update, revise or reaffirm this opinion. Our opinion does not address, and we express no view or opinion with respect to, (i) the underlying business decision of HBOS to engage in the Transaction or enter into the Agreement, (ii) the relative merits of the Transaction as compared to any strategic alternatives that are, have been or may be available to or contemplated by HBOS or the Board, (iii) the fairness of the amount or nature of any compensation to any of HBOS’ officers, directors or employees, or any class of such persons, relative to any compensation to the holders of HBOS Common Stock, (iv) the effect of the Transaction or any related transaction on, or the fairness of the consideration to be received by, holders of any class of securities of HBOS, other than the HBOS Common Stock (solely with respect to the Exchange Ratio, as set forth herein, and not relative to the consideration to be received by any other class of securities), or any class of securities of RNST or any other party to any transaction contemplated by the Agreement, (v) the actual value of the RNST Common Stock to be issued in the Transaction, (vi) the prices, trading range or volume at which HBOS Common Stock or RNST Common Stock will trade following the public announcement of the Transaction or the prices, trading range or volume at which RNST Common Stock will trade following consummation of the Transaction, (vii) any advice or opinions provided by any other advisor to any of the parties to the Transaction or any other transaction contemplated by the Agreement, or (viii) any legal, regulatory,

B-4


The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

December 9, 2014

Page 5 of 6KeyWorth Official:                      shares.

ANNEX B

accounting, tax or similar matters relating to HBOS, RNST, their respective shareholders, or relating to or arising out of or as a consequence of the Transaction or any related transaction (including the Bank Merger and the PrivateBank Acquisition), including whether or not the Transaction would qualify as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes.OPINION OF BSP SECURITIES, LLC

This opinion is for the information of, and is directed to, the Board (in its capacity as such) in connection with its consideration of the financial terms of the Transaction. This opinion is not to be used for any other purpose and may not be published, referred to, reproduced, disseminated or quoted from, in whole or in part, nor shall any public reference to KBW be made, without our prior written consent. This opinion does not constitute a recommendation to the Board as to how it should vote on the Transaction or to any holder of HBOS Common Stock or shareholder of any other entity as to how to vote in connection with the Transaction or any other matter, nor does it constitute a recommendation on whether or not any such shareholder should enter into a voting, shareholders’, or affiliates’ agreement with respect to the Transaction or exercise any dissenters’ or appraisal rights that may be available to such holder.

This opinion has been reviewed and approved by our Fairness Opinion Committee in conformity with our policies and procedures established under the requirements of Rule 5150 of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

B-5


The Board of Directors

Heritage Financial Group, Inc.

December 9, 2014

Page 6 of 6

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof, the Exchange Ratio in the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of HBOS Common Stock.

Very truly yours,

LOGO

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.

B-6


ANNEX CB

OPINION OF RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, INC.


LOGO

December 10, 2014LOGO

October 20, 2015

Board of Directors

Renasant CorporationKeyWorth Bank

209 Troy Street11655 Medlock Bridge Rd.

Tupelo, MS 38804Johns Creek, GA 30097

Members of the BoardBoard:

BSP Securities, LLC (“BSP”), a wholly owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Directors:

We understandBanks Street Partners, LLC, understands that KeyWorth Bank (“Seller”) and Renasant Corporation (the “Company”(“Acquiror Parent”) and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. (the “Target”) proposehave proposed to enter into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 20, 2015 (the “Agreement”, capitalized terms not defined herein, shall have the Agreement (defined below)meaning assigned to them in the Agreement), pursuant to which among other things, the Target will be mergedSeller shall merge with and into Acquiror Parent (the “Merger”). Immediately following the Company (the “Transaction”)Merger, Seller shall merge with and that, in connectioninto Acquiror Parent’s bank subsidiary, Renasant Bank (“Acquiror”).

In accordance with the Transaction,terms of the Agreement, each outstanding share of common stock, $0.01 par value per share,Seller Common Stock (excluding shares held by Acquiror Parent, Acquiror or Seller or any of their respective Subsidiaries, in each case other than Trust Account Common Shares or shares held as a result of debts previously contracted) issued and outstanding at the Target (each, a “Common Share”Effective Time shall cease to be outstanding and collectively, the “Common Shares”) willshall be converted into and exchanged for the right to receive 0.92660.4494 shares of Renasant common stock, $5.00 par value per share, as more fully described in the AgreementAcquiror Parent Common Stock (the “Merger Consideration”). The Board of DirectorsAdditionally, at the Effective Time, Seller Stock Options and Seller Warrants outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, whether vested or unvested, whether exercisable or unexercisable, shall be cancelled and converted into and exchanged for the right to receive cash in the amount of the Company (the “Board”)excess between $15.00 and the exercise price per share of each Seller Stock Option and Seller Warrant, less the amount of any required withholding tax.

Seller has requested that Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (“Raymond James”) provide anBSP render its opinion (the “Opinion”) to theSeller’s Board of Directors, as to whether, as of the date hereof, the Merger Consideration to be paid by the Company in the Transaction pursuant to the Agreement is fairfairness, from a financial point of view, of the Merger Consideration to be received by the holders of Seller Common Stock under the terms of the Agreement.

BSP, as part of its investment banking business, is regularly engaged in the valuation of banks, bank holding companies, and various other financial services companies, in connection with mergers and acquisitions, initial and secondary offerings of securities, private placements and valuations for corporate and other purposes. In rendering this Opinion, we have acted on behalf of the Board of Directors of Seller and will receive a fee for this Opinion. BSP will also receive compensation for other advisory services related to the Company. Merger, a portion of which is contingent upon the consummation of the Merger. Seller has also agreed to reimburse us for our reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities arising out of our engagement by Seller in connection with the Merger. During the past two years, BSP has not provided advisory services to Acquiror Parent or Acquiror for which it has received compensation.

For purposes of this Opinion and with your consent, we have assumed that the Merger Consideration has a value of $27.00 per Common Share.

Inin connection with our review of the proposed Transaction and the preparation of this Opinion,Merger, we have, among other things:

 

 1.reviewedReviewed the financial terms and conditions as stated in the draft of the Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., and HeritageBank of the South dated as of December 8, 2014 (the “Agreement”);October 20, 2015;

1380 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW / Suite 2060 / Atlanta, GA 30327    (404) 848-1571 (phone)  /(404) 848-1574 (fax)

LOGO

 

 2.reviewed certain information related to the historical, current and future operations,Participated in discussions with Seller management concerning Seller’s financial condition, asset quality and prospects of the Target made available to us by the Company, including, but not limited to,regulatory standing, capital position, historical and current earnings, management succession and Seller’s future financial projections prepared by the Target and as adjusted by the management of the Company relating to the Target for the periods ending December 31, 2019 as approved for our use by the Company (the “Projections”);performance;

 

 3.reviewed the Target’s recent public filingsParticipated in discussions with Acquiror Parent management concerning Acquiror Parent’s financial condition, asset quality and certain other publicly available information regarding the Target;regulatory standing, capital position, historical and current earnings, management succession and Acquiror Parent’s future financial performance;

 

 4.reviewedReviewed Seller’s unaudited financial operatingstatements for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 and other information regardingaudited financial statements for the Targetyears ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and the industry in which it operates;2012;

 

 5.reviewedReviewed Acquiror Parent’s recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as well as quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2015 and March 31, 2015;

6.Reviewed certain financial forecasts and projections of the Seller, prepared by its management, as well as the estimated cost savings and related transaction expenses expected to result from the Merger;

7.Analyzed certain aspects of Seller’s financial performance and condition and compared such financial performance with similar data of publicly-traded companies we deemed similar to Seller;

8.Analyzed certain aspects of Acquiror Parent’s financial performance and condition and compared such financial performance with similar data of publicly-traded companies we deemed similar to Acquiror Parent;

9.Reviewed historical trading activity of Acquiror Parent and analysts’ consensus estimates for Acquiror Parent’s future earnings;

10.Compared the proposed financial terms of the Merger with the financial terms of certain other recent merger and operating performance of the Target and those of other selected publicacquisition transactions, involving companies that we deemed to be relevant;

 

 6.11.considered the publicly available financial terms of certain transactions we deemed to be relevant;

7.reviewed the current and historical market prices for the Common Shares, and the current market prices of the publicly traded securities of certain other companies that we deemed to be relevant;

880 Carillon Parkway // St. Petersburg, FL 33716 // T 727.567.1000 // raymondjames.com

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC

C-1


Board of Directors

Renasant Corporation

December 10, 2014

Page 2

8.conductedPerformed such other financial studies, analyses and inquiries and considered such other information, financial studies, and factorsinvestigations and financial, economic and market criteria as we deemed appropriate; andrelevant.

9.discussed with members of the senior management of the Company and the Target certain information relating to the aforementioned and any other matters which we have deemed relevant to our inquiry.

With your consent,In giving our Opinion, we have assumed and relied, without independent verification, upon the accuracy and completeness of all information supplied by or on behalf of the Company or the Target or otherwise reviewedfinancial and other information that has been provided to us by or discussed with us,Seller, and we have undertaken no duty or responsibility to, nor did we, independently verify any of such information. We have not made or obtained an independent appraisalits representatives, and of the assets or liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of the Target.publicly available information for Seller and Acquiror Parent that we reviewed. We are not experts in the evaluation of loan and lease portfolios for purposes of assessing the adequacy of the allowances for loan losses; accordingly, welosses and have not independently verified such allowances, and have relied on and assumed that suchthe aggregate allowances for loan losses areset forth in the aggregatebalance sheet of the Seller at June 30, 2015 are adequate to cover such losses. losses and complied fully with applicable law, regulatory policy and sound banking practice as of the date of such financial statements. We are not retained to, nor did we conduct a physical inspection of any of the properties or facilities of the Seller, did not make any independent evaluation or appraisal of the assets, liabilities or prospects of the Seller, were not furnished with any such evaluation or appraisal, and did not review any individual credit files. Our Opinion is necessarily based on economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to us as of, the date hereof. We express no opinion on matters of a legal, regulatory, tax or accounting nature or the ability of the Merger, as set forth in the Agreement, to be consummated. No opinion is expressed as to whether any alternative transaction might be more favorable to holders of Seller Common Stock, than the Merger.

1380 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW / Suite 2060/Atlanta, GA 30327    (404) 848-1571 (phone) /(404) 848-1574 (fax)

LOGO

With respect to the Projections and any other information and data providedfinancial projections for Seller used by BSP in its analyses, management of Seller confirmed to or otherwise reviewed by or discussed with us we have, with your consent, assumed that the Projections and such other information and data have been reasonably prepared in good faith on bases reflectingthose projections reflected the best currently available estimates and judgments of managementthe future financial performance of Seller. We assumed that the Company,financial performance reflected in all projections and we have relied upon the Company to adviseestimates used by us promptly if any information previously provided became inaccurate or was required toin our analyses would be updated during the period of our review.achieved. We express no opinion with respectas to the Projectionssuch financial projections or estimates or the assumptions on which they are based. We have not performed diligence on, and we expressalso assumed that there has been no opinion as tomaterial change in the successassets, financial condition, results of operations, business or prospects of Seller or Acquiror Parent since the date of the Target’smost recent financial statements made available to us, other than those changes which may have been provided by senior management of Seller and pending acquisitions.Acquiror Parent. We have assumed that the final form of the Agreement will be substantially similar to the draft reviewed by us, and that the Transaction will be consummated in accordance with the terms of the Agreement without waiver or amendment of any conditions thereto. Furthermore, we have assumed in all respects material to our analysis,analyses that the Seller and Acquiror Parent will remain as going concerns for all periods relevant to our analyses, that all of the representations and warranties of each party contained in the Agreement and all related agreements are true and correct, and that each such party to the agreements will perform all of the covenants and agreements required to be performed by itsuch party under the Agreement without beingagreements and that the conditions precedent in the agreements are not waived. WeFinally, with your consent, we have relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, that (i) the Transaction will be consummated in a manner that complies in all respects with all applicable international, federal and state statutes, rules and regulations, and (ii) all governmental, regulatory, and other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the Transaction will be obtained and that no delay, limitations, restrictions or conditions will be imposed or amendments, modifications or waivers made that would have an effect on the Transaction or the Company that would be material to our analyses or this Opinion.

We have relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment of the Company’s management andadvice Seller received from its legal, tax, accounting and regulatorytax advisors with respectas to all legal, accounting, regulatory and tax accounting and regulatory matters including without limitation that the Transaction will qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Our opinion is based upon market, economic, financial and other circumstances and conditions existing and disclosed to us as of December 8, 2014 and any material change in such circumstances and conditions would require a reevaluation of this Opinion, which we are under no obligation to undertake. We have relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, that there has been no change in the business, assets, liabilities, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects of the Company since the respective dates of the most recent financial statements and other information, financial or otherwise, provided to us that would be material to our analyses or this Opinion, and that there is no information or any facts that would make any of the information reviewed by us incomplete or misleading in any material respect.

LOGO

C-2


Board of Directors

Renasant Corporation

December 10, 2014

Page 3

We express no opinion asrelating to the underlying business decision to effectMerger and the Transaction,other transactions contemplated by the structure or tax consequences of the Transaction or the availability or advisability of any alternatives to the Transaction. We provided advice to the Company with respect to the proposed Transaction. We did not, however, recommend any specific amount of consideration or that any specific consideration constituted the only appropriate consideration for the Transaction. This letter does not express any opinionAgreement.

BSP’s Opinion as to the likely trading range of the Company’s common stock following the Transaction, which may vary depending on numerous factors that generally impact the price of securities or on the financial condition of the Company at that time. Our opinionexpressed herein is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the Merger Consideration to be paid by Acquiror Parent to holders of Seller Common Stock in the Company.

Merger and does not address Seller’s underlying business decision to proceed with the Merger. We express no opinion with respect to any other reasons, legal, business, or otherwise, that may support the decisionhave been retained on behalf of the Board of Directors of Seller, and our opinion does not constitute a recommendation to approve or consummate the Transaction. Furthermore, no opinion, counsel or interpretation is intended by Raymond James on matters that require legal, accounting or tax advice. It is assumed that such opinions, counsel or interpretations have been or will be obtained from the appropriate professional sources. Furthermore, we have relied, with the consentany director of the Company, on the fact that the Company has been assisted by legal, accounting and tax advisors and we have, with the consent of the Company, relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of the assessments by the Company and its advisorsSeller as to all legal, accounting and tax mattershow such director should vote with respect to the Company andAgreement. In rendering the Transaction.

In formulating our opinion, we have considered only what we understand to be the Merger Consideration to be paid by the Company as is described above and we did not consider and we express no opinion on the fairness ofopinions in respect to the amount or nature of any compensation to be paid or payable to any of the Target’s officers, directors, or employees of Seller, or any class of such persons relative to the Merger Consideration to be received by the holders of Seller Common Stock in connectionthe Merger or with the Transaction. We have not been requestedrespect to opine as to, and this Opinion does not express an opinion as to or otherwise address, among other things: (1) the fairness of the Transactionany such compensation.

Except as hereinafter provided, this Opinion may not be disclosed, communicated, reproduced, disseminated, quoted or referred to the holdersat any time, to any third party or in any manner or for any purpose whatsoever without our prior written consent. The consent of any class of securities, creditors, or other constituencies of the Company, orsuch public reference shall be satisfactory to any other party, except and only to the extent expresslyus as set forth in the last sentence of this Opinion or (2)financial advisory agreement dated December 31, 2014 and the fairness of the Transaction to any one class or group of the Company’s or any other party’s security holders or other constituencies vis-à-vis any other class or group of the Company’s or such other party’s security holders or other constituents (including, without limitation, the allocation of any consideration to be received in the Transaction amongst or within such classes or groups of security holders or other constituents). We are not expressing any opinion as to the impact of the Transaction on the solvency or viability of the Company or the Target or the ability of the Company or Target to pay their respective obligations when they come due.

agreement dated October 6, 2015. This opinion was approved by an opinion committee of Raymond James.

Raymond James has been engaged to render financial advisory services to the Company in connection with the proposed Transaction and will receive a fee for such services, all of which is contingent upon consummation of the Transaction. Raymond James will also receive a fee upon the delivery of this Opinion, which is not contingent upon the successful completion of the Transaction or on the conclusion reached herein. In addition, the Company has agreed to reimburse certain of our expenses and to indemnify us against certain liabilities arising out of our engagement.

In the ordinary course of our business, Raymond James may trade in the securities of the Company and the Target for our own account or for the accounts of our customers and, accordingly, may at any time hold a long or short position in such securities. Furthermore, Raymond James may provide investment banking, financial

LOGO

C-3


Board of Directors

Renasant Corporation

December 10, 2014

Page 4

advisory and other financial services to the Company and/or Target or other participants in the Transaction, currently or in the future, for which Raymond James may receive compensation, and Raymond James is currently providing the Company investment banking services unconnected to the Transaction.

It is understood that this letter is for the information ofaddressed and directed to the Board of Directors of Seller in its consideration of the Company (solely in each directors capacity as such) in evaluating the proposed TransactionMerger and is not intended to be and does not constitute a recommendation to any shareholder of the Company regardingas to how saidsuch shareholder should vote onwith respect to the proposed Transaction. Furthermore, this letter should not be construed as creating any fiduciary duty onMerger. The Opinion expressed herein is intended for the partbenefit of Raymond James to any such party. This Opinion may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose without our prior written consent, except that this Opinion may be disclosed in and filed with a proxy statement usedthe Board of Directors in connection with the Transaction that is required to be filed withmatters addressed herein. This Opinion was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided that thisFairness Opinion is quoted in full in such proxy statement.Committee of BSP.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion that as of the date hereof, the Merger Consideration to be paid by the Company in the Transaction pursuantis fair to the Agreement is fair,holders of Seller Common Stock, from a financial point of view,view.

Sincerely,

/s/ BSP Securities, LLC

1380 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW / Suite 2060/Atlanta, GA 30327    (404) 848-1571 (phone) /(404) 848-1574 (fax)

ANNEX C

Financial Institutions Code of Georgia

Article 2. Banks and Trust Companies

Part 14. Merger and Consolidation of State Banks and Trust Companies

Section 7-1-537. Rights of dissenting shareholders; surrender of certificates

(a) A shareholder of a bank or trust company which is a party to a plan of proposed merger, share exchange, or consolidation under this part who objects to the Company.plan shall be entitled to the rights and remedies of a dissenting shareholder as determined under Chapter 2 of Title 14, known as the “Georgia Business Corporation Code.”

Very truly yours,

LOGO

RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, INC.

(b) The bank or trust company into which the other or others have been merged or consolidated, or the acquiring corporation in a share exchange, as the case may be, shall have the right to require the return of the original certificates of stock held by each shareholder in each or either of the institutions and in lieu thereof:

LOGO(1) To issue to each shareholder new certificates for such number of shares of the institution into which the others shall have been merged or consolidated or of the acquiring corporation in a share exchange; or

(2) To cause to be paid or delivered to each shareholder the amount of cash or securities of any other corporation or combination of cash and such securities as, under the plan of merger, share exchange, or consolidation, the said shareholder may be entitled to receive.

Georgia Business Corporation Code

Article 13. Dissenters’ Rights

Part 1. Right to Dissent and Obtain Payment for Shares

Section 14-2-1301. Definitions

As used in this article, the term:

(1) “Beneficial shareholder” means the person who is a beneficial owner of shares held in a voting trust or by a nominee as the record shareholder.

(2) “Corporate action” means the transaction or other action by the corporation that creates dissenters’ rights under Code Section 14-2-1302.

(3) “Corporation” means the issuer of shares held by a dissenter before the corporate action, or the surviving or acquiring corporation by merger or share exchange of that issuer.

(4) “Dissenter” means a shareholder who is entitled to dissent from corporate action under Code Section 14-2-1302 and who exercises that right when and in the manner required by Code Sections 14-2-1320 through 14-2-1327.

(5) “Fair value,” with respect to a dissenter’s shares, means the value of the shares immediately before the effectuation of the corporate action to which the dissenter objects, excluding any appreciation or depreciation in anticipation of the corporate action.

(6) “Interest” means interest from the effective date of the corporate action until the date of payment, at a rate that is fair and equitable under all the circumstances.

(7) “Record shareholder” means the person in whose name shares are registered in the records of a corporation or the beneficial owner of shares to the extent of the rights granted by a nominee certificate on file with a corporation.

(8) “Shareholder” means the record shareholder or the beneficial shareholder.

 

C-4Annex C – Page 1


Section 14-2-1302. Right to dissent

(a) A record shareholder of the corporation is entitled to dissent from, and obtain payment of the fair value of his or her shares in the event of, any of the following corporate actions:

(1) Consummation of a plan of merger to which the corporation is a party:

(A) If approval of the shareholders of the corporation is required for the merger by Code Section 14-2-1103 or the articles of incorporation and the shareholder is entitled to vote on the merger, unless:

(i) The corporation is merging into a subsidiary corporation pursuant to Code Section14-2-1104;

(ii) Each shareholder of the corporation whose shares were outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger shall receive a like number of shares of the surviving corporation, with designations, preferences, limitations, and relative rights identical to those previously held by each shareholder; and

(iii) The number and kind of shares of the surviving corporation outstanding immediately following the effective time of the merger, plus the number and kind of shares issuable as a result of the merger and by conversion of securities issued pursuant to the merger, shall not exceed the total number and kind of shares of the corporation authorized by its articles of incorporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger; or

(B) If the corporation is a subsidiary that is merged with its parent under Code Section 14-2-1104;

(2) Consummation of a plan of share exchange to which the corporation is a party as the corporation whose shares will be acquired, if the shareholder is entitled to vote on the plan;

(3) Consummation of a sale or exchange of all or substantially all of the property of the corporation if a shareholder vote is required on the sale or exchange pursuant to Code Section 14-2-1202, but not including a sale pursuant to court order or a sale for cash pursuant to a plan by which all or substantially all of the net proceeds of the sale will be distributed to the shareholders within one year after the date of sale;

(4) An amendment of the articles of incorporation with respect to a class or series of shares that reduces the number of shares of a class or series owned by the shareholder to a fraction of a share if the fractional share so created is to be acquired for cash under Code Section 14-2-604; or

(5) Any corporate action taken pursuant to a shareholder vote to the extent that Article 9 of this chapter, the articles of incorporation, bylaws, or a resolution of the board of directors provides that voting or nonvoting shareholders are entitled to dissent and obtain payment for their shares.

(b) A shareholder entitled to dissent and obtain payment for his or her shares under this article may not challenge the corporate action creating his or her entitlement unless the corporate action fails to comply with procedural requirements of this chapter or the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or the vote required to obtain approval of the corporate action was obtained by fraudulent and deceptive means, regardless of whether the shareholder has exercised dissenter’s rights.

Annex C – Page 2


(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, there shall be no right of dissent in favor of the holder of shares of any class or series which, at the record date fixed to determine the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at a meeting at which a plan of merger or share exchange or a sale or exchange of property or an amendment of the articles of incorporation is to be acted on, were either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 shareholders, unless:

(1) In the case of a plan of merger or share exchange, any holders of shares of the class or series are required under the plan of merger or share exchange to accept for their shares:

(A) Anything except shares of the surviving corporation or another publicly held corporation which at the effective date of the merger or share exchange are either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 shareholders, except for scrip or cash payments in lieu of fractional shares; or

(B) Any shares of the surviving corporation or another publicly held corporation which at the effective date of the merger or share exchange are either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 shareholders that are different, in type or exchange ratio per share, from the shares to be provided or offered to any other holder of shares of the same class or series of shares in exchange for such shares; or

(2) The articles of incorporation or a resolution of the board of directors approving the transaction provides otherwise.

Section 14-2-1303. Dissent by nominees and beneficial owners

A record shareholder may assert dissenters’ rights as to fewer than all the shares registered in his name only if he dissents with respect to all shares beneficially owned by any one beneficial shareholder and notifies the corporation in writing of the name and address of each person on whose behalf he asserts dissenters’ rights. The rights of a partial dissenter under this Code section are determined as if the shares as to which he dissents and his other shares were registered in the names of different shareholders.

Part 2. Procedure for Exercise of Dissenters’ Rights

Section 14-2-1320. Notice of dissenters’ rights

(a) If proposed corporate action creating dissenters’ rights under Code Section 14-2-1302 is submitted to a vote at a shareholders’ meeting, the meeting notice must state that shareholders are or may be entitled to assert dissenters’ rights under this article and be accompanied by a copy of this article.

(b) If corporate action creating dissenters’ rights under Code Section 14-2-1302 is taken without a vote of shareholders, the corporation shall notify in writing all shareholders entitled to assert dissenters’ rights that the action was taken and send them the dissenters’ notice described in Code Section 14-2-1322 no later than ten days after the corporate action was taken.

Section 14-2-1321. Notice of intent to demand payment

(a) If proposed corporate action creating dissenters’ rights under Code Section 14-2-1302 is submitted to a vote at a shareholders’ meeting, a record shareholder who wishes to assert dissenters’ rights:

(1) Must deliver to the corporation before the vote is taken written notice of his intent to demand payment for his shares if the proposed action is effectuated; and

(2) Must not vote his shares in favor of the proposed action.

Annex C – Page 3


(b) A record shareholder who does not satisfy the requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section is not entitled to payment for his shares under this article.

Section 14-2-1322. Dissenters’ notice

(a) If proposed corporate action creating dissenters’ rights under Code Section 14-2-1302 is authorized at a shareholders’ meeting, the corporation shall deliver a written dissenters’ notice to all shareholders who satisfied the requirements of Code Section 14-2-1321.

(b) The dissenters’ notice must be sent no later than ten days after the corporate action was taken and must:

(1) State where the payment demand must be sent and where and when certificates for certificated shares must be deposited;

(2) Inform holders of uncertificated shares to what extent transfer of the shares will be restricted after the payment demand is received;

(3) Set a date by which the corporation must receive the payment demand, which date may not be fewer than 30 nor more than 60 days after the date the notice required in subsection (a) of this Code section is delivered; and

(4) Be accompanied by a copy of this article.

Section 14-2-1323. Duty to demand payment

(a) A record shareholder sent a dissenters’ notice described in Code Section 14-2-1322 must demand payment and deposit his certificates in accordance with the terms of the notice.

(b) A record shareholder who demands payment and deposits his shares under subsection (a) of this Code section retains all other rights of a shareholder until these rights are canceled or modified by the taking of the proposed corporate action.

(c) A record shareholder who does not demand payment or deposit his share certificates where required, each by the date set in the dissenters’ notice, is not entitled to payment for his shares under this article.

Section 14-2-1324. Share restrictions

(a) The corporation may restrict the transfer of uncertificated shares from the date the demand for their payment is received until the proposed corporate action is taken or the restrictions released under Code Section 14-2-1326.

(b) The person for whom dissenters’ rights are asserted as to uncertificated shares retains all other rights of a shareholder until these rights are canceled or modified by the taking of the proposed corporate action.

Section 14-2-1325. Offer of payment

(a) Except as provided in Code Section 14-2-1327, within ten days of the later of the date the proposed corporate action is taken or receipt of a payment demand, the corporation shall by notice to each dissenter who complied with Code Section 14-2-1323 offer to pay to such dissenter the amount the corporation estimates to be the fair value of his or her shares, plus accrued interest.

(b) The offer of payment must be accompanied by:

(1) The corporation’s balance sheet as of the end of a fiscal year ending not more than 16 months before the date of payment, an income statement for that year, a statement of changes in shareholders’ equity for that year, and the latest available interim financial statements, if any;

(2) A statement of the corporation’s estimate of the fair value of the shares;

Annex C – Page 4


(3) An explanation of how the interest was calculated;

(4) A statement of the dissenter’s right to demand payment under Code Section 14-2-1327; and

(5) A copy of this article.

(c) If the shareholder accepts the corporation’s offer by written notice to the corporation within 30 days after the corporation’s offer or is deemed to have accepted such offer by failure to respond within said 30 days, payment for his or her shares shall be made within 60 days after the making of the offer or the taking of the proposed corporate action, whichever is later.

Section 14-2-1326. Failure to take action

(a) If the corporation does not take the proposed action within 60 days after the date set for demanding payment and depositing share certificates, the corporation shall return the deposited certificates and release the transfer restrictions imposed on uncertificated shares.

(b) If, after returning deposited certificates and releasing transfer restrictions, the corporation takes the proposed action, it must send a new dissenters’ notice under Code Section 14-2-1322 and repeat the payment demand procedure.

Section 14-2-1327. Procedure if shareholder dissatisfied with payment or offer

(a) A dissenter may notify the corporation in writing of his own estimate of the fair value of his shares and amount of interest due, and demand payment of his estimate of the fair value of his shares and interest due, if:

(1) The dissenter believes that the amount offered under Code Section 14-2-1325 is less than the fair value of his shares or that the interest due is incorrectly calculated; or

(2) The corporation, having failed to take the proposed action, does not return the deposited certificates or release the transfer restrictions imposed on uncertificated shares within 60 days after the date set for demanding payment.

(b) A dissenter waives his or her right to demand payment under this Code section and is deemed to have accepted the corporation’s offer unless he or she notifies the corporation of his or her demand in writing under subsection (a) of this Code section within 30 days after the corporation offered payment for his or her shares, as provided in Code Section 14-2-1325.

(c) If the corporation does not offer payment within the time set forth in subsection (a) of Code Section 14-2-1325:

(1) The shareholder may demand the information required under subsection (b) of Code Section 14-2-1325, and the corporation shall provide the information to the shareholder within ten days after receipt of a written demand for the information; and

(2) The shareholder may at any time, subject to the limitations period of Code Section 14-2-1332, notify the corporation of his own estimate of the fair value of his shares and the amount of interest due and demand payment of his estimate of the fair value of his shares and interest due.

Part 3. Judicial Appraisal of Shares

Section 14-2-1330. Court action

(a) If a demand for payment under Code Section 14-2-1327 remains unsettled, the corporation shall commence a proceeding within 60 days after receiving the payment demand and petition the court to determine the fair value of the shares and accrued interest. If the corporation does not commence the proceeding within the 60 day period, it shall pay each dissenter whose demand remains unsettled the amount demanded.

Annex C – Page 5


(b) The corporation shall commence the proceeding, which shall be a nonjury equitable valuation proceeding, in the superior court of the county where a corporation’s registered office is located. If the surviving corporation is a foreign corporation without a registered office in this state, it shall commence the proceeding in the county in this state where the registered office of the domestic corporation merged with or whose shares were acquired by the foreign corporation was located.

(c) The corporation shall make all dissenters, whether or not residents of this state, whose demands remain unsettled parties to the proceeding, which shall have the effect of an action quasi in rem against their shares. The corporation shall serve a copy of the petition in the proceeding upon each dissenting shareholder who is a resident of this state in the manner provided by law for the service of a summons and complaint, and upon each nonresident dissenting shareholder either by registered or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery or by publication, or in any other manner permitted by law.

(d) The jurisdiction of the court in which the proceeding is commenced under subsection (b) of this Code section is plenary and exclusive. The court may appoint one or more persons as appraisers to receive evidence and recommend decision on the question of fair value. The appraisers have the powers described in the order appointing them or in any amendment to it. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, Chapter 11 of Title 9, known as the “Georgia Civil Practice Act,” applies to any proceeding with respect to dissenters’ rights under this chapter.

(e) Each dissenter made a party to the proceeding is entitled to judgment for the amount which the court finds to be the fair value of his shares, plus interest to the date of judgment.

Section 14-2-1331. Court costs and counsel fees

(a) The court in an appraisal proceeding commenced under Code Section 14-2-1330 shall determine all costs of the proceeding, including the reasonable compensation and expenses of appraisers appointed by the court, but not including fees and expenses of attorneys and experts for the respective parties. The court shall assess the costs against the corporation, except that the court may assess the costs against all or some of the dissenters, in amounts the court finds equitable, to the extent the court finds the dissenters acted arbitrarily, vexatiously, or not in good faith in demanding payment under Code Section 14-2-1327.

(b) The court may also assess the fees and expenses of attorneys and experts for the respective parties, in amounts the court finds equitable:

(1) Against the corporation and in favor of any or all dissenters if the court finds the corporation did not substantially comply with the requirements of Code Sections 14-2-1320 through 14-2-1327; or

(2) Against either the corporation or a dissenter, in favor of any other party, if the court finds that the party against whom the fees and expenses are assessed acted arbitrarily, vexatiously, or not in good faith with respect to the rights provided by this article.

(c) If the court finds that the services of attorneys for any dissenter were of substantial benefit to other dissenters similarly situated, and that the fees for those services should not be assessed against the corporation, the court may award to these attorneys reasonable fees to be paid out of the amounts awarded the dissenters who were benefited.

Section 14-2-1332. Limitation of actions

No action by any dissenter to enforce dissenters’ rights shall be brought more than three years after the corporate action was taken, regardless of whether notice of the corporate action and of the right to dissent was given by the corporation in compliance with the provisions of Code Section 14-2-1320 and Code Section 14-2-1322.

Annex C – Page 6


PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

 

Item 20.Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Mississippi Business Corporation Act

The Mississippi Business Corporation Act (“MBCA”) empowers a corporation to indemnify an individual who is a party to an action, suit or proceeding of any kind because he is a director of the corporation, or because he served at the corporation’s request as a director, manager, trustee, partner, employee or agent of another entity or employee benefit plan, against a judgment, settlement, penalty, fine (including an excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan) or reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding, if:

 

he conducted himself in good faith;

 

he reasonably believed, in the case of conduct in his official capacity, that his conduct was in the best interests of the corporation, and, in all other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and

 

in the case of any criminal proceeding, he had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

A corporation may also indemnify an individual who engaged in conduct for which broader indemnification has been made permissible or obligatory under a provision of the articles of incorporation as authorized by Section 79-4-2.02(b)(5) of the MBCA. The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent is not, of itself, determinative that the director did not meet the relevant standard of conduct.

Unless ordered by a court pursuant tounder Section 79-4-8.54(a)(3) of the MBCA, a corporation may not indemnify a director in connection with:

 

a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation except for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding if it is determined that the director has met the relevant standard of conduct under the MBCA described above; or

 

any proceeding with respect to conduct for which he was adjudged liable on the basis that he received a financial benefit to which he was not entitled, whether or not involving action in his official capacity.

The MBCA further provides that a corporation shall indemnify a director who was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he was a party because he was a director of the corporation against reasonable expenses incurred by him in connection with the proceeding.

A corporation may, before final disposition of a proceeding, advance funds to pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by a director who is a party to a proceeding because he is a director. The director must deliver to the corporation: (1) a signed written affirmation of his good faith belief that he has met the relevant standard of conduct under the MBCA described above or that the proceeding involves conduct for which liability has been eliminated under a provision of the corporation’s articles of incorporation as authorized by the MBCA; and (2) his written undertaking to repay any funds advanced if he is not entitled to mandatory indemnification under the MBCA and it is ultimately determined under the MBCA that he has not met the relevant standard of conduct described in the MBCA. The undertaking required must be an unlimited general obligation of the director. It need not be secured and may be accepted without reference to the financial ability of the director to make repayment.

II–1


A corporation may not indemnify a director as described above unless authorized by:

 

the board of directors if there are two or more qualified directors, by a majority vote of all the qualified directors (a majority of whom shall for such purpose constitute a quorum) or by a majority of the members of a committee of two or more qualified directors appointed by such a vote;

 

Part II – Page 1


special legal counsel selected in accordance with Section 79-4-8.55 of the MBCA; or

 

the stockholders,shareholders, but shares owned by or voted under the control of a director who at the time does not qualify as a qualified director may not be voted on the authorization.

A corporation may also indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding because he is an officer to the same extent as for a director. If the officer is not also a director, he or she may be indemnified to such further extent as is provided by the articles of incorporation, the bylaws or board resolution except (i) for liability in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of a proceeding other than for reasonable expenses, or (ii) liability arising out of conduct that constitutes receipt of an improper financial benefit, intentional infliction of harm on the corporation or stockholders or an intentional violation of criminal law.

Renasant Bylaws

The Restated Bylaws of Renasant Corporation (the “Registrant”), as amended, contain indemnification provisions that require the Registrant to indemnify any director or officer made party to any proceeding if such director or officer met the requisite standard of conduct set forth in the bylaws and such indemnification is not otherwise prohibited by Mississippi or federal law. The required standard of conduct under the bylaws is the same as that under the MBCA. Under the bylaws, the determination whether a director or officer met the required standard of conduct is made by the board of directors, special legal counsel, if there are fewer than two disinterested directors on the board of directors, or by the Registrant’s stockholders.shareholders. The advancement of expenses is also mandatory under the Registrant’s bylaws, provided that the director or officer makes deliveries analogous to those required under the MBCA and such advancement is authorized as provided under the MBCA. The indemnification and insurance provisions in the Registrant’s bylaws are subject to the limitations and prohibitions imposed by federal law including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended, and any implementing regulations concerning indemnification.

The Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation do not address indemnification of directors and officers.

The Registrant also maintains an insurance policy insuring the Registrant and its directors and officers against certain liabilities.

 

Item 21.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) Exhibits.

(a)Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description of Exhibit

  2.1  Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of December 10, 2014,October 20, 2015, by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and HeritageBank of the SouthKeyWorth Bank (the “Agreement and Plan of Merger”) (attached as Annex A to this jointthe proxy statement/prospectus which is part of this registration statement)
  3.1  Articles of Incorporation of Renasant Corporation, as amended (filed as exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on May 9, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference)

II–2


Exhibit No.

Description of Exhibit

  3.2  Restated Bylaws of Renasant Corporation, as amended (filed as exhibit 3(ii) to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 8, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference)
  4.1  Articles of Incorporation of Renasant Corporation, as amended (filed as exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 9, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference)
  4.2  Restated Bylaws of Renasant Corporation, as amended (filed as exhibit 3(ii) to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 8, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference)
  5.1  Opinion of Phelps Dunbar LLP as to the legality of the shares of Renasant Corporation common stock being registered
  8.1  Opinion of Phelps Dunbar LLP as to certain tax matters
  8.2  Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP as to certain tax matters
10.1  Form of voting agreements by and between Renasant Corporation and each of the directors of Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank (included as schedules 5.18-Aexhibits 5.17-A and 5.18-B5.17-B to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus which is a part of this registration statement)

Part II – Page 2


Exhibit No.

Description of Exhibit

10.2  Executive Employment Agreement dated as of December 10, 2014January 21, 2016 by and between Heritage Financial Group, Inc.Renasant Bank and O. Leonard Dorminey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-A to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)James F. Pope
10.3  Form of Assumption Agreement by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank and O. Leonard Dorminey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-C to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)
10.4Executive Employment Agreement dated as of December 10, 2014January 21, 2016 by and between Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and Carol W. Slappey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-B to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)
10.5Form of Assumption Agreement by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank and Carol W. Slappey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-D to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)Timothy N. Stevens
21.1  Subsidiaries of Renasant Corporation (attached as exhibit 21 to the Registrant’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the Commission on March 2, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference)
23.1  Consent of HORNE LLP
23.2  Consent of Mauldin & Jenkins, LLCPhelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
23.3  Consent of Phelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)8.1)
23.4Consent of Phelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 8.1)
23.5  Consent of Alston & Bird LLP (included in Exhibit 8.2)

II–3


Exhibit No.

Description of Exhibit

24.1  Power of Attorney*
99.1  Consent of Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, Inc.*BSP Securities, LLC
99.2  Consent of Raymond James & Associates, Inc.*
99.3Form of Proxy Card of Renasant Corporation
99.4Form of Proxy Card of Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank

 

*Previously filed.
Pursuant to Item 602(b)(2) of Regulation S-K, the Registrant agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit to the Agreement and Plan of Merger to the Commission upon request.

The Registrant does not have any long-term debt instruments under which securities are authorized exceeding ten percent of the average assets of the Registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The Registrant will furnish to the Commission, upon its request, a copy of all long-term debt instruments.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.

(b)Financial Statement Schedules.

All schedules have been omitted because they are either not applicable or the required information has been included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto incorporated by reference into this registration statement.

 

Item 22.Undertakings

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Sectionsection 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

Part II – Page 3


(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance

II–4


on Rule 430A (§230.430A of this chapter), shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended, to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;424 (§230.424 of this chapter);

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to sectionSection 13(a) or sectionSection 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to sectionSection 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(7) That, prior to any public reoffering of the securities registered hereunder through use of a prospectus which is a part of this registration statement, by any person or party who is deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Rule 145(c), such reoffering prospectus will contain the information called for by the applicable registration form with respect to reofferings by persons who may be deemed underwriters, in addition to the information called for by the other items of the applicable form.

(8) That every prospectus: (i) that is filed pursuant to paragraph (7) immediately preceding, or (ii) that purports to meet the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Act and is used in connection with an offering of securities subject to Rule 415, will be filed as a part of an amendment to the registration statement and will not be used until such amendment is effective, and that, for purposes of determining any liability under

Part II – Page 4


the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(9) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended, may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in

II–5


connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to respond to requests for information that is incorporated by reference into the joint proxy statement/prospectus pursuant to Item 4, 10(b), 11, or 13 of Form S-4, within one business day of receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents by first class mail or other equally prompt means. This includes information contained in documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the registration statement through the date of responding to the request.

(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to supply by means of a post-effective amendment all information concerning a transaction, and the company being acquired involved therein, that was not the subject of and included in the registration statement when it became effective.

 

II–6Part II – Page 5


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Tupelo, State of Mississippi, on April 3, 2015.January 29, 2016.

 

RENASANT CORPORATION
By:by:

/s/  /s/ E. Robinson McGraw

E. Robinson McGraw
Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the dates indicated.set forth below.

 

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

William M. Beasley, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

George H. Booth, II, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Frank B. Brooks, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:Kevin D. Chapman, Executive Vice President

*

Hollis C. Cheek, Director

and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016By:by:

*

John M. Creekmore, Director

Date: April 3, 2015By:

*

Kevin D. Chapman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Hollis C. Cheek, Director
Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Albert J. Dale, III,John M. Creekmore, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Jill V. Deer,Albert J. Dale, III, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Marshall H. Dickerson,Jill V. Deer, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

John T. Foy,Marshall H. Dickerson, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:John T. Foy, Director
Date: January 29, 2016by:

*

R. Rick Hart, Executive Vice President
and Director

II–7


Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Richard L. Heyer, Jr., Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Neal A. Holland, Jr., Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:E. Robinson McGraw, Chairman of the

*

Jack C. Johnson, Director

Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

/s/ E. Robinson McGraw

E. Robinson McGraw, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

J. Niles McNeel, Director
Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

J. Niles McNeel,Hugh S. Potts, Jr., Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016by:

  *

By:

*

Theodore S. Moll,Fred F. Sharpe, Director

Date: April 3, 2015January 29, 2016By:by:

*

Hugh S. Potts, Jr., Director

Date: April 3, 2015By:

*

Michael D. Shmerling, Director

 

*By:

/s/ E. Robinson McGraw

E. Robinson McGraw
Attorneys-in-factAttorney-in-fact
April 3, 2015January 29, 2016

II–8


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description of Exhibit

  2.1  Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of December 10, 2014,October 20, 2015, by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and HeritageBank of the SouthKeyWorth Bank (the “Agreement and Plan of Merger”) (attached as Annex A to this jointthe proxy statement/prospectus which is part of this registration statement)
  3.2Restated Bylaws of Renasant Corporation, as amended
  4.2Restated Bylaws of Renasant Corporation, as amended
  5.1  Opinion of Phelps Dunbar LLP as to the legality of the shares of Renasant Corporation common stock being registered
  8.1  Opinion of Phelps Dunbar LLP as to certain tax matters
  8.2  Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP as to certain tax matters
10.1  Form of voting agreements by and between Renasant Corporation and each of the directors of Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank (included as schedules 5.18-Aexhibits 5.17-A and 5.18-B5.17-B to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus which is a part of this registration statement)
10.2  Executive Employment Agreement dated as of December 10, 2014January 21, 2016 by and between Heritage Financial Group, Inc.Renasant Bank and O. Leonard Dorminey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-A to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)James F. Pope
10.3  Form of Assumption Agreement by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank and O. Leonard Dorminey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-C to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)
10.4Executive Employment Agreement dated as of December 10, 2014January 21, 2016 by and between Heritage Financial Group, Inc. and Carol W. Slappey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-B to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)
10.5Form of Assumption Agreement by and among Renasant Corporation, Renasant Bank and Carol W. Slappey (the form of this agreement is included as schedule 6.2(f)-D to the Agreement and Plan of Merger attached as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus, which is a part of this registration statement)Timothy N. Stevens
23.1  Consent of HORNE LLP
23.2  Consent of Mauldin & Jenkins, LLCPhelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
23.3  Consent of Phelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)8.1)
23.4Consent of Phelps Dunbar LLP (included in Exhibit 8.1)
23.5  Consent of Alston & Bird LLP (included in Exhibit 8.2)
24.1  Power of Attorney*
99.1  Consent of Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, Inc.*BSP Securities, LLC
99.2  Consent of Raymond James & Associates, Inc.*
99.3Form of Proxy Card of Renasant Corporation
99.4Form of Proxy Card of Heritage Financial Group, Inc.KeyWorth Bank

 

*Previously filed.
Pursuant to Item 602(b)(2) of Regulation S-K, the Registrant agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit to the Agreement and Plan of Merger to the Commission upon request.

II–9