Exhibit 99.1
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| For Immediate Release | Media Contacts: | Kellee McGahey (843) 529-5574 |
| Richard Murray (205) 313-8103 |
South State and CenterState Announce Board of Directors
of Combined Company
COLUMBIA, S.C. and WINTER HAVEN, F.L. – April 27, 2020– South State Corporation (NASDAQ: SSB) (“South State”) and CenterState Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: CSFL) (“CenterState”) announced today the Board of Directors designated to serve the combined company upon completion of the merger. The Board of the new company will consist of 16 directors, eight current South State directors and eight current CenterState directors.
| South State Directors | CenterState Directors |
Robert R. Hill, Jr. Jean E. Davis Martin Bernard Davis Robert H. Demere, Jr. Cynthia A. Hartley Robert R. Horger John C. Pollok Kevin P. Walker
| John C. Corbett John H. Holcomb, III Charles W. McPherson G. Ruffner Page, Jr. Ernest S. Pinner William Knox Pou, Jr. David G. Salyers Joshua A. Snively |
Robert R. Hill, Jr., President and CEO of South State Corporation, will serve as Executive Chairman of the combined company. “Both CenterState and South State are fortunate to be supported by very strong board members. I am looking forward to working with a combined board of directors that brings diverse and valuable skill sets to the company. We are blending a complementary culture and a team of directors with similar values and a shared vision for South State,” said Hill.
John Corbett, CEO of CenterState Bank Corporation, will serve as CEO of the combined company. “We continue to make significant steps in bringing our two companies together, and designating the combined board is a meaningful step forward. These directors combine significant institutional knowledge from both companies with the capability to provide meaningful strategic counsel and oversight for the resulting company. I look forward to working with this team and benefitting from the guidance and counsel they will provide,” said Corbett.
The merger is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of customary regulatory approvals and approval by the shareholders of each company.
For more information about the merger between South State and CenterState, visit BankingForward.com.
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About South State
South State Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina with approximately $16.6 billion in assets. South State Bank, the company’s primary subsidiary, provides consumer, commercial, mortgage, and wealth management solutions throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. South State has served customers since 1934.
About CenterState
CenterState operates as one of the leading Southeastern regional bank franchises headquartered in the state of Florida. Both CenterState and its nationally chartered bank subsidiary, CenterState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”), are based in Winter Haven, Florida, between Orlando and Tampa. With over $18 billion in assets, the Bank provides traditional retail, commercial, mortgage, wealth management and SBA services throughout its Florida, Georgia and Alabama branch network and customer relationships in neighboring states. The Bank also has a national footprint, serving clients coast to coast through its correspondent banking division.
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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Statements included in this communication, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, forward looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward looking statements are based on, among other things, management’s beliefs, assumptions, current expectations, estimates and projections about the financial services industry, the economy and South State. Words and phrases such as “may,” “approximately,” “continue,” “should,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “is likely,” “look ahead,” “look forward,” “believes,” “will,” “intends,” “estimates,” “strategy,” “plan,” “could,” “potential,” “possible” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. South State cautions readers that forward looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict with regard to, among other things, timing, extent, likelihood and degree of occurrence, which could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions, include, among others, the following: (1) economic downturn risk, potentially resulting in deterioration in the credit markets, greater than expected noninterest expenses, excessive loan losses and other negative consequences, which risks could be exacerbated by potential negative economic developments resulting from federal spending cuts and/or one or more federal budget-related impasses or actions; (2) increased expenses, loss of revenues, and increased regulatory scrutiny associated with our total assets having exceeded $10.0 billion; (3) controls and procedures risk, including the potential failure or circumvention of our controls and procedures or failure to comply with regulations related to controls and procedures; (4) ownership dilution risk associated with potential acquisitions in which South State’s stock may be issued as consideration for an acquired company; (5) potential deterioration in real estate values; (6) the impact of competition with other financial institutions, including pricing pressures (including those resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) and the resulting impact, including as a result of compression to net interest margin; (7) credit risks associated with an obligor’s failure to meet the terms of any contract with the bank or otherwise fail to perform as agreed under the terms of any loan-related document; (8) interest risk involving the effect of a change in interest rates on the bank’s earnings, the market value of the bank’s loan and securities portfolios, and the market value of South State’s equity; (9) liquidity risk affecting the bank’s ability to meet its obligations when they come due; (10) risks associated with an anticipated increase in South State’s investment securities portfolio, including risks associated with acquiring and holding investment securities or potentially determining that the amount of investment securities South State desires to acquire are not available on terms acceptable to South State; (11) price risk focusing on changes in market factors that may affect the value of traded 14 instruments in “mark-to-market” portfolios; (12) transaction risk arising from problems with service or product delivery; (13) compliance risk involving risk to earnings or capital resulting from violations of or nonconformance with laws, rules, regulations, prescribed practices, or ethical standards; (14) regulatory change risk resulting from new laws, rules, regulations, accounting principles, proscribed practices or ethical standards, including, without limitation, the possibility that regulatory agencies may require higher levels of capital above the current regulatory-mandated minimums and including the impact of the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules and regulations, and the possibility of changes in accounting standards, policies, principles and practices, including changes in accounting principles relating to loan loss recognition (CECL); (15) strategic risk resulting from adverse business decisions or improper implementation of business decisions; (16) reputation risk that adversely affects earnings or capital arising from negative public opinion; (17) terrorist activities risk that results in loss of consumer confidence and economic disruptions; (18) cybersecurity risk related to the dependence of South State on internal computer systems and the technology of outside service providers, as well as the potential impacts of third party security breaches, subjects each company to potential business disruptions or financial losses resulting from deliberate attacks or unintentional events; (19) greater than expected noninterest expenses; (20) noninterest income risk resulting from the effect of regulations that prohibit financial institutions from charging consumer fees for paying overdrafts on ATM and one-time debit card transactions, unless the consumer consents or opts-in to the overdraft service for those types of transactions; (21) excessive loan losses; (22) failure to realize synergies and other financial benefits from, and to limit liabilities associated with, mergers and acquisitions within the expected time frame; (23) potential deposit attrition, higher than expected costs, customer loss and business disruption associated with merger and acquisition integration, including, without limitation, and potential difficulties in maintaining relationships with key personnel; (24) the risks of fluctuations in market prices for South State common stock that may or may not reflect economic condition or performance of South State; (25) the payment of dividends on South State common stock is subject to regulatory supervision as well as the discretion of the board of directors of South State, South State’s performance and other factors; (26) operational, technological, cultural, regulatory, legal, credit and other risks associated with the exploration, consummation and integration of potential future acquisition, whether involving stock or cash consideration; (27) major catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods or other natural or human disasters, including infectious disease outbreaks, including the recent outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus, a respiratory illness, the related disruption to local, regional and global economic activity and financial markets, and the impact that any of the foregoing may have on South State and its customers and other constituencies; and (28) risks related to the proposed merger of South State and CenterState Bank Corporation (“CenterState”), including, among others, (i) the risk that the cost savings and any revenue synergies from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer than anticipated to be realized, (ii) disruption to the parties’ businesses as a result of the announcement and pendency of the merger, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between CenterState and South State, (iv) the risk that the integration of each party’s operations will be materially delayed or will be more costly or difficult than expected or that the parties are otherwise unable to successfully integrate each party’s businesses into the other’s businesses, (v) the failure to obtain the necessary approvals by the shareholders of South State or CenterState, (vi) the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the merger, (vii) the ability of each of South State and CenterState to obtain required governmental approvals of the merger (and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the transaction), (viii) reputational risk and the reaction of each company's customers, suppliers, employees or other business partners to the merger, (ix) the failure of the closing conditions in the merger agreement to be satisfied, or any unexpected delay in closing the merger, (x) the possibility that the merger may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events, (xi) the dilution caused by South State’s issuance of additional shares of its common stock in the merger and (xii) other factors that may affect future results of South State and CenterState, as disclosed in South State’s registration statement on Form S-4, as amended, Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and CenterState’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, in each case filed by South State or CenterState, as applicable, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, implied or otherwise anticipated by such forward-looking statements.
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All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on information available at that time. South State does not undertake any obligation to update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by federal securities laws. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements.
Important Information About the Merger and Where to Find It
South State has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 and an amendment thereto with the SEC to register the shares of South State’s common stock that will be issued to CenterState’s shareholders in connection with the transaction. The registration statement contains a joint proxy statement of South State and CenterState that also constitutes a prospectus of South State. The registration statement on Form S-4, as amended, was declared effective by the SEC on April 20, 2020, and South State and CenterState commenced mailing the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus to their respective shareholders on or about April 20, 2020. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (AS WELL ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS) BECAUSE SUCH DOCUMENTS CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents and other documents filed with the SEC by South State or CenterState through the website maintained by the SEC athttp://www.sec.govor by contacting the investor relations department of South State or CenterState at:
| South State Corporation | CenterState Bank Corporation |
| 520 Gervais Street | 1101 First Street South, Suite 202 |
| Columbia, SC 29201-3046 | Winter Haven, FL 33880 |
| Attention: Investor Relations | Attention: Investor Relations |
| (800) 277-2175 | (863) 293-4710 |
Participants in Solicitation
South State, CenterState and certain of their directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of each of South State and CenterState in connection with the merger. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of South State and CenterState and other persons who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of South State or of CenterState in connection with the merger is contained in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus related to the proposed merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of South State and their ownership of South State common stock can also be found in South State’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on March 6, 2019, and other documents subsequently filed by South State with the SEC, including, but not limited to, Amendment No. 1 to South State’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, as filed with the SEC on March 6, 2020. Information about the directors and executive officers of CenterState and their ownership of CenterState common stock can also be found in CenterState’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2020 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020, and other documents subsequently filed by CenterState with the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants is included in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents regarding the merger filed with the SEC.
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