Ameris Bancorp officer gets stock awards, withholdings

Ameris Bancorp Chief Governance Officer Michael T. Pierson reported multiple equity-related transactions in Ameris Bancorp common stock on February 19, 2026.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Ameris Bancorp Chief Governance Officer Michael T. Pierson reported multiple equity-related transactions in Ameris Bancorp common stock on February 19, 2026. He received a stock grant of 12,424 shares pursuant to a performance stock unit award under the 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan, and a separate stock grant of 2,412 shares under the same plan.

To cover tax withholding obligations from the 12,424-share grant, 5,534 shares were disposed of at $82.93 per share as a tax-withholding disposition rather than an open-market sale. After these transactions, he directly owned 74,532.576 shares, and indirectly owned 5,211.4325 shares through a 401(k) account and related plans.

Insider Trade Summary

4 transactions reported

Mixed 4 txns

Insider Pierson Michael T

Role Chief Governance Officer

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	12,424	$0.00	$0.00
Exercise Price or Tax Liability	Common Stock	5,534	$82.93	$459K
Grant/Award	Common Stock	2,412	$0.00	$0.00
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 74,532.576 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 5,211.4325 shares (Indirect, 401(k))

Footnotes (5)

1. F1. Stock grant pursuant to performance stock unit award originally granted February 23, 2023 pursuant to the Ameris Bancorp 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan.
2. F2. This transaction represents the withholding of 5,534 shares of common stock to satisfy the tax withholding obligations incurred by the reporting person upon the stock grant of 12,424 shares on February 19, 2026.
3. F3. Stock grant pursuant to the Ameris Bancorp 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan, vesting: (i) 804 shares on February 19, 2027; (ii) 804 shares on February 19, 2028; and (iii) 804 shares on February 19, 2029.
4. F4. This total includes an additional 422.733642 shares acquired by the reporting person as a participant in an Employee Stock Purchase plan and a dividend reinvestment plan.
5. F5. This total includes an additional 60.55091 shares acquired in the reporting person's 401(k) account

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What insider transactions did Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) report for Michael T. Pierson?

Ameris Bancorp reported that Chief Governance Officer Michael T. Pierson received two stock grants totaling 14,836 common shares and had 5,534 shares withheld to cover taxes. These are equity compensation and tax-related transactions, not open-market purchases or sales.

How many Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) shares were granted to Michael T. Pierson?

Michael T. Pierson received a 12,424-share stock grant tied to a 2023 performance stock unit award and an additional 2,412-share grant under the 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan. Together, these awards increased his equity-based compensation in Ameris Bancorp common stock.

Why were 5,534 Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) shares disposed of in this Form 4?

The 5,534 Ameris Bancorp shares were withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations from the 12,424-share stock grant on February 19, 2026. The disposition at $82.93 per share reflects tax settlement, not a discretionary open-market share sale by the executive.

What is the vesting schedule for Michael T. Pierson’s 2,412-share Ameris Bancorp grant?

The 2,412-share grant vests in three equal installments: 804 shares on February 19, 2027, 804 shares on February 19, 2028, and 804 shares on February 19, 2029. This creates a multi-year incentive alignment using Ameris Bancorp common stock.

How many Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) shares does Michael T. Pierson own after these transactions?

Following the reported transactions, Michael T. Pierson directly owns 74,532.576 Ameris Bancorp common shares. He also indirectly owns 5,211.4325 shares through a 401(k) account and participation in employee stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plans.

Are Michael T. Pierson’s Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) transactions open-market buys or sells?

The filing shows stock grants and a tax-withholding disposition, not open-market trades. Shares were acquired via equity awards and partly withheld to cover tax liabilities triggered by the 12,424-share grant on February 19, 2026, under Ameris Bancorp’s compensation plans.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Accepted by SEC EDGAR 02/23/2026 - 08:01 PM Learn about SEC filing dates

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Pierson Michael T

(Last) (First) (Middle)

3490 PIEDMONT RD NE

STE 1550

(Street)

ATLANTA GA 30305

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Ameris Bancorp [ ABCB ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	Chief Governance Officer

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
02/19/2026

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	02/19/2026		A(1)		12,424	A	$0	77,654.576	D
Common Stock	02/19/2026		F(2)		5,534	D	$82.93	72,120.576	D
Common Stock	02/19/2026		A(3)		2,412	A	$0	74,532.576(4)	D
Common Stock								5,211.4325(5)	I	401(k)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. Stock grant pursuant to performance stock unit award originally granted February 23, 2023 pursuant to the Ameris Bancorp 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan.

2. This transaction represents the withholding of 5,534 shares of common stock to satisfy the tax withholding obligations incurred by the reporting person upon the stock grant of 12,424 shares on February 19, 2026.

3. Stock grant pursuant to the Ameris Bancorp 2021 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan, vesting: (i) 804 shares on February 19, 2027; (ii) 804 shares on February 19, 2028; and (iii) 804 shares on February 19, 2029.

4. This total includes an additional 422.733642 shares acquired by the reporting person as a participant in an Employee Stock Purchase plan and a dividend reinvestment plan.

5. This total includes an additional 60.55091 shares acquired in the reporting person's 401(k) account

Remarks:

	Michael T. Pierson by Elna Klein-Kolarich as Attorney-In-Fact	02/23/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.