An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent in our business. The following discussion highlights the risks that management believes are material for our Company, but do not necessarily include all the risks that we may face. You should carefully consider the risk factors and uncertainties described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Report") in evaluating an investment in our common stock.

Risks relating to our Business and Business Strategy

Our business strategy includes continued growth, and our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected if we fail to grow or fail to manage our growth effectively.

We intend to continue pursuing a growth strategy for our business. Our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in significant growth stages of development. Our ability to continue to grow successfully will depend on a variety of factors including the continued availability of desirable business opportunities, the competitive responses from other financial institutions in our market areas, our ability to continue to  implement and improve our operational, credit, financial, management and other risks controls and processes and our reporting systems and procedures to manage a growing number of client relationships, and our ability to integrate our acquisitions and develop consistent policies throughout our various businesses. While we believe we have the management resources and internal systems in place to successfully manage our future growth, and we are expanding those resources and systems as we continue to grow, there can be no assurance growth opportunities will be available or growth will be successfully managed. In addition, if we are unable to manage future expansion in our operations, we may experience compliance and operational problems, have to slow the pace of growth, or have to incur additional expenditures beyond current projections to support such growth, any of which could adversely affect our business.  Particularly in light of prevailing competitive conditions, we cannot assure you we will be able to expand our market presence in our existing markets or successfully enter new markets or that any such expansion will not adversely affect our results of operations. Failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, future prospects, financial condition or results of operations, and could adversely affect our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Also, if our growth occurs more slowly than anticipated or declines, our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

We may face risks with respect to future expansion.

Our business growth, profitability and market share has been enhanced by us engaging in strategic mergers and acquisitions and de novo branching either within or contiguous to our existing footprint.   We may acquire other financial institutions or parts of those institutions in the future and engage in additional de novo branching. We may also consider and enter into or acquire new lines of business or offer new products or services.  As part of our acquisition strategy, we seek companies that are culturally similar to us, have experienced management and are in markets in which we operate or close to those markets so we can achieve economies of scale.  We also may receive future inquiries and have discussions with potential acquirers of us or potential companies in which we may engage in a so-called “merger of equals.” Acquisitions and mergers involve a number of risks, including:

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We expect to continue to evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities that are presented to us in our current and expected markets and conduct due diligence related to those opportunities, as well as negotiate to acquire or merge with other institutions.  If we announce a transaction, we may issue equity securities, including common stock and securities convertible into shares of our common stock  in connection with future acquisitions.  We also may issue debt to finance one or more transactions, including subordinated debt issuances.  Generally, acquisitions of financial institution involve the payment of a premium over book and market values, resulting in dilution of our book value and fully diluted earnings per share, as well as dilution to our existing shareholders.   We may incur substantial costs to expand, and we can give no assurance such expansion will result in the levels of profits we seek.  There is no assurance that, following any future mergers or acquisitions, our integration efforts will be successful or our company, after giving effect to the acquisition, will achieve increased revenues comparable to or better than our historical experience, and failure to .realize such expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases in market presence or other benefits could have a material adverse effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.

Attractive acquisition opportunities may not be available to us in the future.

While we seek continued organic growth, we anticipate continuing to evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities presented to us in our core markets and beyond.  The number of financial institutions headquartered in Florida, the Southeastern United States, and across the country continues to decline through merger and other activity.  We expect that other banking and financial companies, many of which have significantly greater resources, will compete with us to acquire financial services businesses. This competition, as the number of appropriate merger targets decreases, could increase prices for potential acquisitions which could reduce our potential returns, and reduce the attractiveness of these opportunities to us.  Also, acquisitions are subject to various regulatory approvals. If we fail to receive the appropriate regulatory approvals, we will not be able to consummate an acquisition that we believe is in our best interests. Among other things, our regulators consider our capital, liquidity, profitability, regulatory compliance, including with respect to AML obligations, consumer protection laws and CRA obligations and levels of goodwill and intangibles when considering acquisition and expansion proposals. Any acquisition could be dilutive to our earnings and shareholders’ equity per share of our common stock.

We may not be able to successfully integrate our latest mergers or to realize the anticipated benefits of them.

We completed the acquisitions of HCBF and Sunshine on January 1, 2018. A successful integration of these banks' operations with our operations during the first half of 2018 will depend substantially on our ability to successfully consolidate operations, corporate cultures, systems and procedures and to eliminate redundancies and costs. While we have substantial experience in successfully integrating institutions we have acquired, we may encounter difficulties during integration, such as:

all of which could divert resources from regular banking operations.  Additionally, general market and economic conditions or governmental actions affecting the financial industry generally may inhibit our successful integration of HCBF and Sunshine.

Further, we acquired HCBF and Sunshine with the expectation that these mergers will result in various benefits including, among other things, benefits relating to enhanced revenues, a strengthened market position for the combined company, cross selling opportunities, technology, cost savings and operating efficiencies. Achieving the anticipated benefits of these mergers is subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether we integrate these institutions in an efficient and effective manner, and general competitive factors in the marketplace. Failure to achieve these anticipated benefits could result in a reduction in the price of our shares as well as in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management's time and energy and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

The continued implementation of our mortgage and SBA lines of business may subject us to additional risk.

We continue to build our mortgage line of business and an SBA business in 2017, and in so doing, invested significant time and resources and hired experienced management to oversee the implementation of these businesses.  However, our price and profitability targets for these businesses may not prove feasible, due to unexpected delays in the continued implementation of these

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strategies, as well as external factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives, changing tax rates and strategies, and shifting market preferences, which could impact the profitability of these lines of business and have a material adverse effect on our businesses, and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.  

The implementation of other new lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risk.

We continuously evaluate our service offerings and may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business in the future. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts.  In developing and marketing new lines of business and/or new products and services, we undergo a new product process to assess the risks of the initiative, and invest significant time and resources to build internal controls, policies and procedures to mitigate those risks, including hiring experienced management to oversee the implementation of the initiative.  Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business and/or new products or services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives, and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business and/or a new product or service. Furthermore, any new line of business and/or new product or service could require the establishment of new key and other controls and have a significant impact on our existing system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business and/or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

Our continued pace of growth may require us to raise additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed.

We are required by federal and state regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. While we have successfully raised approximately $63 million in capital in January 2017, our ability to raise capital, if needed, in the future will depend on conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside our control, and on our financial performance. Accordingly, there is no assurance as to our ability to raise additional capital if needed on terms acceptable to us. If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, our ability to further expand our operations through internal growth and acquisitions could be materially impaired.

Our total consolidated assets increased to over $10 billion as of January 1, 2018, which will subject us to additional regulations and oversight that were not previously applicable to us and that will impact our earnings.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company and the Bank had total assets of approximately $7.1billion and $7.1billion, respectively, but those amounts increased to approximately $10.4 billion and $10.4 billion, respectively, on January 1, 2018 due to our completion of the acquisitions of HCBF and Sunshine on that date.  Following the fourth consecutive quarter (and any applicable phase-in period) after we or the Bank have crossed the $10 billion threshold, or as of July 1, 2019 with respect to certain limits on the amounts of interchange fees the Bank may charge based on our expectation that the bank will exceed $10 billion in total assets during 2018, we or the Bank, as applicable, will become subject to additional regulations and oversight that could affect our revenues and expenses. See Part I Item 1. “Supervision and Regulation – Changes to our Regulation and Supervision in Crossing $10 Billion in Assets Threshold” for further details of the additional regulatory requirements that will apply to us and the Bank as a result of each crossing the $10 billion threshold, including risk committee and company-run stress testing requirements, a different calculation methodology for deposit insurance assessments, limits on interchange fees that may be charged by the Bank and the CFPB becoming our supervisor with respect to consumer protection laws.

Anticipating that we would cross the $10 billion threshold, we have expended and will continue to expend additional resources to comply with these and other additional applicable regulatory requirements. Increased deposit insurance assessments could result in increased expense related to our use of deposits as a funding source. Likewise, a reduction in the amount of interchange fees we receive for electronic debit interchange will reduce our revenues. Finally, a failure to meet prudential standards and stress testing requirements could, among other things, limit our ability to engage in expansionary activities or make dividend payments to our shareholders.

Our recent results may not be indicative of our future results.

We may not be able to sustain our historical rate of growth or may not even be able to grow our business at all. In addition, our recent growth may distort some of our historical financial ratios and statistics. Various factors, such as economic conditions, regulatory and legislative considerations and competition, may also impede or prohibit our ability to expand our market presence. If we experience a significant decrease in our historical rate of growth, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected due to a high percentage of our operating costs being fixed expenses.

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A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate, substantially all of which is located in Florida, and events that negatively impact the real estate market could hurt our resultant business.

Substantially all of our loans are concentrated in Florida and subject to the volatility of the state’s economy and real estate market. With our loans concentrated in Florida, declines in local economic conditions will adversely affect the values of our real estate collateral. Consequently, a decline in local economic conditions may have a greater effect on our earnings and capital than on the earnings and capital of other financial institutions whose real estate loan portfolios are more geographically diverse.

In addition to relying on the financial strength and cash flow characteristics of the borrower in each case, we often secure loans with real estate collateral. At December 31, 2017, approximately  83% of our loans have real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral. The real estate collateral in each case provides an alternate source of repayment in the event of default by the borrower but may deteriorate in value during the time credit is extended. If we are required to liquidate the collateral securing a loan to satisfy the debt during a period of reduced real estate values, our earnings and capital could be adversely affected.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Act”) that was signed into law on December 22, 2017 contains several provisions that that will affect the tax consequences of home ownership and related borrowing. We cannot predict what impact, if any, the Tax Act will have on our mortgage lending business or the value of homes securing mortgages or other loans, but any decrease in mortgage lending, decrease in home values, or early repayment of mortgage loans caused by changes to the tax code as result of the Tax Act could have a material adverse effect on our earnings and capital.

Our loan portfolio includes commercial and commercial real estate loans that may have higher risks.

Our commercial and commercial real estate loans at December 31, 2017 and 2016 were $3.24 billion and $2.20 billion, respectively, or 70% and 68% of total loans, excluding purchased credit impaired loans. Commercial and commercial real estate loans generally carry larger loan balances and can involve a greater degree of financial and credit risk than other loans. The increased financial and credit risk associated with these types of loans are a result of several factors, including the concentration of principal in a limited number of loans and borrowers, the size of loan balances, the effects of general economic conditions on income-producing properties and the increased difficulty of evaluating and monitoring these types of loans.

As a result, banking regulators give greater scrutiny to lenders with a high concentration of commercial real estate loans in their portfolios, and such lenders are expected to implement stricter underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies and portfolio stress testing, as well as maintain higher capital levels and loss allowances. The Guidance states that the following metrics may indicate a concentration of commercial real estate loans, but that these metrics are neither limits nor a safe harbor:

Regulators may require banks to maintain elevated levels of capital or liquidity due to commercial real estate loan concentrations, and could do so, especially if there is a downturn in our local real estate markets. See Part I Item 1. “Supervision and Regulation – Lending Standards and Guidance” for further details on the Guidance.

Furthermore, the repayment of loans secured by commercial real estate is typically dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate or commercial project. If the cash flows from the project are reduced, a borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. This cash flow shortage may result in the failure to make loan payments. In such cases, we may be compelled to modify the terms of the loan. In addition, the nature of these loans is such that they are generally less predictable and more difficult to evaluate and monitor. As a result, repayment of these loans may, to a greater extent than residential loans, be subject to adverse conditions in the real estate market or economy.

The results of our most recent credit stress tests may not accurately predict the impact on our financial condition if the economy were to deteriorate.

We perform credit stress testing on our capital position no less than annually, using the economic data and stress testing assumptions provided by the regulators for the DFAST stress tests . Under the stress test, we estimate our loan losses (loan charge-offs), resources available to absorb those losses and any necessary additions to capital that would be required under the “more adverse” stress test scenario. The results of these stress tests involve many assumptions about the economy and future loan losses and default rates, and may not accurately reflect the impact on our financial condition if the economy were to deteriorate. Any deterioration of the economy could result in credit losses significantly higher, with a corresponding impact on our financial condition and capital, than those predicted by our internal stress test.

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Our processes for managing risk may not be effective in mitigating risk or losses to us.

The objectives of our risk management processes are to mitigate risk and loss to our organization. We have established procedures that are intended to identify, measure, monitor report and analyze the types of risks to which we are subject, including liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, cybersecurity risk, legal and compliance risk, and reputational risk, among others. However, as with any risk management processes, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies as there may exist, or develop in the future, risks that we have not appropriately anticipated or identified. The ongoing developments in the financial institutions industry continue to highlight both the importance and some of the limitations of managing unanticipated risks. If our risk management processes prove ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses and could be materially adversely affected.

We are subject to environmental risks in our lending activities.  

Since a significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real property, we may foreclose upon and take title to such property in the ordinary course of business.  If hazardous substances were discovered on any of these properties, we may be liable to governmental agencies or third parties for the costs of remediation of the hazard, as well as for personal injury and property damage.  Environmental laws might require us to incur substantial expenses, materially reduce the property’s value, or limit our ability to use or sell the property.  Although our management has policies requiring environmental reviews before loans secured by real property are made and before foreclosure is commenced, it is still possible that environmental risks might not be detected and that the associated costs might have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.  Many environmental laws can impose liability regardless of whether the Company knew of, or were responsible for, the contamination.

An inadequate allowance for loan losses would reduce our earnings.

The risk of credit losses on loans varies with, among other things, general economic conditions, the type of loan being made, the creditworthiness of the borrower over the term of the loan and, in the case of a collateralized loan, the value and marketability of the collateral for the loan. Management maintains an allowance for loan losses based upon, among other things, historical experience, an evaluation of economic conditions and regular reviews of delinquencies and loan portfolio quality. Based upon such factors, management makes various assumptions and judgments about the ultimate collectability of the loan portfolio and provides an allowance for loan losses based upon a percentage of the outstanding balances and for specific loans when their ultimate collectability is considered questionable. In June 2016, the FASB issued a new current expected credit loss rule, which will be effective for us in 2020 and which will change our accounting for credit losses by requiring us to record, at the time of origination, credit losses expected throughout the life of loans, held-to-maturity securities, and certain other assets and off-balance sheet credit exposures as opposed to the current practice of recording losses when it is probable that a loss event has occurred.  The Company expects to recognize a one-time cumulative effect adjustment to the allowance for loan losses as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the new standard is effective, but has not yet determined the magnitude of any such one-time adjustment or the overall impact on the Company’s Financial Statements.

If management’s assumptions and judgments prove to be incorrect and the allowance for loan losses is inadequate to absorb losses, or if bank regulatory authorities require us to increase the allowance for loan losses as a part of their examination process, our earnings and capital could be significantly and adversely affected.

The uncertainty in the amount and timing of the resolution of purchase impaired loans may create a negative impact on our profitability.

As required by applicable accounting standards, we have accounted for our purchased impaired loan portfolio under ASC 310-30, which requires us to periodically re-estimate the expected cash flow of these loans.  Lower expected cash flow, whether due to changes in projected cash flow estimates, reduction in payoffs due to rising interest rates, increases in loss estimates, or defaults, may result in impairment of the carrying value of these loans. Any such impairment must be taken in the period in which the change in cash flow estimate occurs.  Any such impairment will reduce our earnings and results of operations.   

We will realize future losses if the proceeds we receive upon liquidation of non-performing assets (“NPAs”) are less than the carrying value of such assets.

We record our NPAs on our financial statements at the estimated net realizable valuable that we expect to receive from ultimately disposing of these assets. We could realize losses in the future as a result of deteriorating market conditions if the proceeds we receive upon disposition of the NPAs are less than our carrying value of such assets.

While we use appraisals in deciding whether to make a loan that is secured by real estate, they do not ensure the value of the real property collateral.

In deciding whether to make a loan secured by real property, we generally require an appraisal. However, an appraisal is only an estimate of the value of the property at the time the appraisal is made. If the appraised amount does not reflect the amount that may

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be obtained upon any sale or foreclosure of the property, we may not realize an amount equal to the indebtedness secured by the property.

A lack of liquidity could affect our operations and jeopardize our financial condition.

Liquidity is essential to our business. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our funding sources include core deposits, federal funds purchased, securities sold under repurchase agreements, non-core deposits, and short- and long-term debt. There are other sources of liquidity available to us should they be needed, including our ability to acquire additional non-core deposits, the issuance and sale of debt securities, a secured line of credit we have with NexBank, and the issuance and sale of preferred or common securities in public or private transactions. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy in general. Our ability to borrow could be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as further disruption in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry in light of the recent turmoil faced by banking organizations and the continued deterioration in credit markets.

Our profitability is vulnerable to interest rate fluctuations.

Our profitability depends substantially upon our net interest income.  That net interest income is the difference between the interest earned on assets (such as loans and securities held in our investment portfolio) and the interest paid for liabilities (such as interest paid on savings and money market accounts and time deposits).  Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary policies and domestic and international economic and political conditions. Conditions such as inflation, deflation, recession, unemployment, money supply, and other factors beyond our control may also affect interest rates. In addition, the Federal Reserve has stated its intention to end its quantitative easing program and has begun to reduce the size of its balance sheet by selling securities, which might also affect interest rates.

Income associated with interest-earning assets and costs associated with interest-bearing liabilities may not be affected uniformly by fluctuations in interest rates.  The magnitude and duration of changes in interest rates are events over which we have no control, and such changes may have an adverse effect on our net interest income.  Prepayment and early withdrawal levels, which are also impacted by changes in interest rates, can significantly affect our assets and liabilities.

For example, an increase in interest rates could, among other things, reduce the demand for loans and decrease loan repayment rates.  Such an increase could also adversely affect the ability of our floating-rate borrowers to meet their payment obligations, which could in turn lead to an increase in non-performing assets and net charge-offs.  Conversely, a decrease in the general level of interest rates could affect us by, among other things, leading to greater competition for deposits and incentivizing borrowers to prepay or refinance their loans more quickly or frequently than they otherwise would.  Generally, interest rates on our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities do not change at the same rate, to the same extent or on the same basis.  Even assets and liabilities with similar maturities or repricing periods may react in different degrees to changes in market interest rates.  Interest rates on certain types of assets and liabilities may fluctuate in advance of changes in general market interest rates, while interest rates on other types of assets and liabilities may lag behind changes in general market rates.  Certain assets, such as fixed and adjustable rate mortgage loans, have features that limit changes in interest rates on a short-term basis and over the life of the asset.  

We have ongoing policies and procedures designed to manage the risks associated with changes in market interest rates, including prepayment risks, and we model expected customer behavior based on historical experience of other interest rate cycles. Notwithstanding these policies and procedures, our customers may not react to changes in interest rates in the same manner in which they historically have reacted, resulting in a larger outflow of deposits or a higher level of loan prepayments than we expect. Such reaction could require us to increase interest rates to retain or acquire deposits, or lower loan rates to retain or attract loans. In either case, our deposit costs may increase and our loan interest income may decline, either or both of which may have an adverse effect on our financial results .  

Uncertainty about the future of LIBOR may adversely affect our business.

On July 27, 2017, the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR to the administrator of LIBOR after 2021. The announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot be guaranteed after 2021. It is impossible to predict whether and to what extent banks will continue to provide LIBOR submissions to the administrator of LIBOR or whether any additional reforms to LIBOR may be enacted in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR and it is impossible to predict the effect of any such alternatives on the value of LIBOR-based securities, including certain of the Company’s floating rate corporate debentures or its hedging instruments, or other securities or financial arrangements given LIBOR’s role in determining market interest rates globally. Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely affect LIBOR rates and other interest rates. In the event that a published LIBOR rate is unavailable after 2021, the interest rates on our corporate debentures, which are currently based on the LIBOR rate, will be determined as set forth in the accompanying offering

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documents.  The manner and impact of this transition, as well as the effect of these developments on our funding costs, loan and investment and trading securities portfolios, asset-liability management and business, is uncertain.

The loss of any member of our management team may adversely affect us.

We have a management team that has substantial experience in banking and financial services in the markets we serve.  We rely on our management team to achieve and sustain our profitability.  Thus, our future success and profitability are substantially dependent upon the management and banking abilities of our senior executives. Although we currently have employment agreements in place with our executive management team and our regional presidents, we cannot guarantee that our executives will remain with us. Changes in key personnel and their responsibilities may be disruptive to our business because of their skills, customer relationship and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them with successors.

Our business could suffer if we fail to maintain our culture and attract and retain skilled people.

Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to attract and retain competent, experienced people. Our strategic goals in particular require that we be able to attract qualified and experienced commercial lending officers, mortgage loan officers, and SBA lenders in our existing markets as well as those markets in which we may want to expand who share our relationship banking philosophy and have those customer relationships that will allow us to successfully expand.  We also need to attract and retain qualified and experienced technology, risk and back-office personnel to operate our business.  Many of our competitors are pursuing the same relationship banking strategy in our markets, and also are looking to hire and retain qualified technology, risk and back-office personnel, which increases the competition to identify, hire and retain talented employees.  

We have focused our strategic attention on our employees and our corporate culture, including on enhancing our training, mentoring and employee work environment as well as diversity and employee advancement.  We paid a one-time bonus to our employees as a result of the reduction in tax rates due to the Tax Act.   Our failure to maintain our culture and attractive working environment, through competitive compensation packages that reward initiative, as well as mentoring, training, and advancement opportunities in order to successfully compete for experienced, qualified employees may have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our financial goals and thus adversely affect our future results of operations.

If we are unable to offer our key management personnel long‑term incentive compensation, including restricted stock units and performance share units, as part of their total compensation package, we may have difficulty retaining such personnel, which would adversely affect our operations and financial performance.

We have historically granted equity awards under an equity compensation plan, which includes granting performance share units and restricted stock awards or restricted stock units, to key management personnel as part of a competitive compensation package. Our ability to grant these awards has been vital to attracting, retaining and aligning shareholder interest with a talented management team in a highly competitive marketplace.  

We will need to seek shareholder approval to adopt a new equity compensation plan so that we may issue additional equity awards to management. Shareholder advisory groups have implemented guidelines and issued voting recommendations related to how much equity companies should be able to grant to employees. These advisors influence certain shareholder votes regarding approval of a company’s request for approval of new equity compensation plans. The factors used to formulate these guidelines and voting recommendations include the volatility of a company’s share price and are influenced by broader macro‑economic conditions that can change year to year. The variables used by shareholder advisory groups to formulate equity plan recommendations may limit our ability to obtain approval to adopt new equity plans in the future. In addition, the federal banking regulators have issued guidance on executive compensation and have also, along with the SEC, proposed rules that would prohibit certain incentive compensation arrangements. We do not believe that the guidance or proposal will impact our current compensation arrangements.

If we are limited in our ability to grant equity compensation awards, we would need to explore offering other compelling alternatives to supplement our compensation, including long‑term cash compensation plans or significantly increased short‑term cash compensation, in order to continue to attract and retain key management personnel. If we used these alternatives to long‑term equity awards, our compensation costs could increase and our financial performance could be adversely affected. If we are unable to offer key management personnel long‑term incentive compensation, including stock options, restricted stock or restricted stock units, or performance share units, as part of their total compensation package, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining such personnel, which would adversely affect our operations and financial performance.

Technological changes, including online and mobile banking, have the potential of disrupting our business model, and we may have fewer resources than many competitors to invest in technological improvements.

The financial services industry continues to undergo rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services, including mobile and online banking services.  Changes in customer behaviors have

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increased the need to offer these options to our customers.  In addition to serving clients better, the effective use of technology may increase efficiency and may enable financial institutions to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to invest in and use technology to provide products and services that provide convenience to customers and to create additional efficiencies in operations. We may need to make significant additional capital investments in technology in the future, and we may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services in a timely manner in response to changes in customer behaviors, thus adversely impacting our operations. Many competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements.

We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of our business infrastructure, such as banking services, core processing, and internet connections and network access. Any disruption in such services provided by these third parties or any failure of these third parties to handle currently or higher volumes of use could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our clients and otherwise to conduct business. Technological or financial difficulties of one or our third party service providers or their sub-contractors could adversely affect our business to the extent those difficulties result in the interruption or discontinuation of services provided by that party.  In addition, one or more of our third party service providers may become subject to cyber-attacks or information security breaches that could result could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss of destruction of our or our client’s confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt our or our clients’ or other third parties’ business operations. While we have processes in place to monitor our third party service providers’ data and information security safeguards, we do not control such service providers’ day to day operations and a successful attack or security breach at one or more of such third party service providers is not within our control.  The occurrence of any such breaches or failures could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, and expose us to additional regulatory scrutiny, civil litigation, and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, in some instances we may responsible for the failure of such third parties to comply with government regulations. We may not be insured against all types of losses as a result of third party failures and our insurance coverage may not be inadequate to cover all losses resulting from system failures, third party breaches, or other disruptions. Failures in our business structure or in the structure of one or more of our third party service providers could interrupt the operations or increase the cost of doing business.

A failure and/or breach of our operational or securities systems or infrastructure, or those of our third party vendors and other service providers, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could disrupt our business, result in a disclosure or misuse of confidential or propriety information, damage our reputation, increase our costs and cause losses.

The potential for operational risk exposure exists throughout our business and, as a result of our interactions with, and reliance on, third parties, is not limited to our own internal operational functions. We depend on our ability to process, record and monitor a large number of client transactions on a continuous basis. As client, public and regulatory expectations regarding operational and information security have increased, our operational systems and infrastructure must continue to be safeguarded and monitored for potential failures, disruptions and breakdowns. Our business, financial, accounting, data processing, or other operating systems and facilities may stop operating properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control. Although we have data security, business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, our business operations may be adversely affected by significant and widespread disruption to our physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses and clients.

We rely on our employees and third parties in our day-to-day and ongoing operations, who may, as a result of human error, misconduct, malfeasance or failure, or breach of our or of third-party systems or infrastructure, expose us to risk. For example, our ability to conduct business may be adversely affected by any significant disruptions to us or to third parties with whom we interact or upon whom we rely. In addition, our ability to implement backup systems and other safeguards with respect to third-party systems is more limited than with respect to our own systems. Our financial, accounting, data processing, backup or other operating or security systems and infrastructure may fail to operate properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control, which could adversely affect our ability to process transactions or provide services. Such events may include sudden increases in customer transaction volume; electrical, telecommunications or other major physical infrastructure outages; natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods; disease pandemics; and events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including wars and terrorist acts. In addition, we may need to take our systems offline if they become infected with malware or a computer virus or as a result of another form of cyber-attack. In the event that backup systems are utilized, they may not process data as quickly as our primary systems and some data might not have been saved to backup systems, potentially resulting in a temporary or permanent loss of such data. We frequently update our systems to support our operations and growth and to remain compliant with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. This updating entails significant costs and creates risks associated with implementing new systems and integrating them with existing ones, including business interruptions. Implementation and testing of controls related to our computer systems, security monitoring and retaining and training personnel required to operate our systems also entail significant costs. Operational risk exposures could adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, as well as cause reputational harm. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from a major interruption.

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Any failure or interruption in the operation of our communications and information systems could impair or prevent the effective operation of our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, lending or other functions.  While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of a failure or interruption in the operation of our information systems, there could be no assurance that any such failures or interruptions will not occur or, if they do, that they will be adequately addressed.  The occurrence of any failures or interruptions impacting our information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, and expose us to additional regulatory scrutiny, civil litigation, and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We face security risks, including denial of service attacks, hacking, social engineering attacks targeting our colleagues and customers, malware intrusion or data corruption attempts, and identity theft that could result in the disclosure of confidential information, adversely affect our business or reputation, and create significant legal and financial exposure.

Our computer systems and network infrastructure and those of third parties, on which we are highly dependent, are subject to security risks and could be susceptible to cyber-attacks, such as denial of service attacks, hacking, terrorist activities or identity theft. Our business relies on the secure processing, transmission, storage and retrieval of confidential, proprietary and other information in our computer and data management systems and networks, and in the computer and data management systems and networks of third parties. In addition, to access our network, products and services, our customers and other third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment and are subject to their own cybersecurity risks.

We, our customers, regulators and other third parties, including other financial services institutions and companies engaged in data processing, have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks include computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or information, ransomware, improper access by employees or vendors, attacks on personal email of employees, ransom demands to not expose security vulnerabilities in our systems or the systems of third parties or other security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of confidential, proprietary and other information of ours, our employees, our customers or of third parties, damage our systems or otherwise materially disrupt our or our customers’ or other third parties’ network access or business operations. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities or incidents. Despite efforts to ensure the integrity of our systems and implement controls, processes, policies and other protective measures, we may not be able to anticipate all security breaches, nor may we be able to implement guaranteed preventive measures against such security breaches. Cyber threats are rapidly evolving and we may not be able to anticipate or prevent all such attacks and could be held liable for any security breach or loss.

Cybersecurity risks for banking organizations have significantly increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, and the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions. For example, cybersecurity risks may increase in the future as we continue to increase our mobile-payment and other internet-based product offerings and expand our internal usage of web-based products and applications. In addition, cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years in part due to the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime affiliates, terrorist organizations, hostile foreign governments, disgruntled employees or vendors, activists and other external parties, including those involved in corporate espionage. Even the most advanced internal control environment may be vulnerable to compromise. Targeted social engineering attacks and "spear phishing" attacks are becoming more sophisticated and are extremely difficult to prevent. In such an attack, an attacker will attempt to fraudulently induce colleagues, customers or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to its data or that of its clients. Persistent attackers may succeed in penetrating defenses given enough resources, time, and motive. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched and may not be recognized until well after a breach has occurred. The risk of a security breach caused by a cyber-attack at a vendor or by unauthorized vendor access has also increased in recent years. Additionally, the existence of cyber-attacks or security breaches at third-party vendors with access to our data may not be disclosed to us in a timely manner.

We also face indirect technology, cybersecurity and operational risks relating to the customers, clients and other third parties with whom we do business or upon whom we rely to facilitate or enable our business activities, including, for example, financial counterparties, regulators and providers of critical infrastructure such as internet access and electrical power. As a result of increasing consolidation, interdependence and complexity of financial entities and technology systems, a technology failure, cyber-attack or other information or security breach that significantly degrades, deletes or compromises the systems or data of one or more financial entities could have a material impact on counterparties or other market participants, including us. This consolidation, interconnectivity and complexity increases the risk of operational failure, on both individual and industry-wide bases, as disparate systems need to be integrated, often on an accelerated basis. Any third-party technology failure, cyber-attack or other information or security breach, termination or constraint could, among other things, adversely affect our ability to effect transactions, service our clients, manage our exposure to risk or expand our business.

Cyber-attacks or other information or security breaches, whether directed at us or third parties, may result in a material loss or have material consequences. Furthermore, the public perception that a cyber-attack on our systems has been successful, whether or not this perception is correct, may damage our reputation with customers and third parties with whom we do business. Hacking of personal information and identity theft risks, in particular, could cause serious reputational harm. A successful penetration or

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circumvention of system security could cause us serious negative consequences, including our loss of customers and business opportunities, significant business disruption to our operations and business, misappropriation or destruction of our confidential information and/or that of our customers, or damage to our or our customers’ and/or third parties’ computers or systems, and could result in a violation of applicable privacy laws and other laws, litigation exposure, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, loss of confidence in our security measures, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs, additional compliance costs, and could adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

Although to date we have not experienced any material losses related to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer such losses in the future.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Our disclosure control and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit with the SEC is accurately accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived or operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control systems are met.

These inherent limitations include the reality that judgments and decision making can be faulty, that alternative reasoned judgments can be drawn, or that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an authorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our controls systems, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected, which could result in a material weakness in our internally controls over financial reporting and the restatement of previously filed financial statements.

Our accounting policies and processes are critical to how we report our financial condition and results of operations and require our management to make estimates about matters that are uncertain.

Accounting policies and processes are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. Some of these polices require use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our assets or liabilities and financial results. Several of our accounting policies are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain and because it is likely that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. Pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles, we are required to make certain assumptions and estimates in preparing our financial statements, including and determining credit loss reserves, reserves related to litigation and the fair value of certain assets and liabilities, among other items. If the assumptions or estimates underling our financial statements are incorrect, we may experience material losses.

Certain of our financial instruments, including trading assets and liabilities, securities, and certain loans, among other items, require a determination of their fair value in order to prepare our financial statements. Where quoted market prices are not available, we may make fair value determinations based on internally developed models or other means which ultimately rely to some degree on management judgment. Some of these and other assets and liabilities may have no direct observable price levels, making their valuation particularly subjective, being based on significant estimation and judgment. In addition, some illiquidity in markets and declines in prices of certain loans and securities may make it more difficult to value certain balance sheet items, which may lead to the possibility that such valuations will be subject to further change or adjustment, it could lead to declines in our earnings.

Our ability to maintain our reputation is critical to the success of our business, and the failure to do so may materially adversely affect our performance.

Our reputation is one of the most valuable components of our business. As such, we strive to conduct our business in a manner that enhances our reputation. This is done, in part, by recruiting, hiring, and retaining and providing growth opportunities for employees who share our core values of being an integral part of the communities we serve, delivering superior service to our customers, and caring about our customers and associates. If our reputation is negatively affected by the actions of our employees or otherwise, including as a result of a successful cyberattack against us or other unauthorized release or loss of customer information, our business and, therefore, our operating results may be materially adversely affected.

Risks relating to the Regulatory Environment

We are subject to extensive regulation that could limit or restrict our activities.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and are subject to examination, supervision, and comprehensive regulation by various agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC and will be subject to the supervision of the CFPB. This regulation is imposed primarily to protect depositors, the FDIC deposit insurance fund, consumers, and the banking system as a whole. We also are regulated by the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA, which regulation is designed to protect

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investors.  Our compliance with these regulations is costly and restricts certain of our activities, including payment of dividends, mergers and acquisitions, investments, loans and interest rates charged, interest rates paid and deposits and locations of our offices. We are also subject to capital guidelines established by our regulators, which require us to maintain sufficient capital to support our growth. Regulation of the financial services industry has increased significantly since the global financial crisis. The laws and regulations applicable to the banking industry could change at any time. The extent and timing of any regulatory reform as well as any effect on our business and financial results, are uncertain. Additionally, legislation or regulation may impose unexpected or unintended consequences, the impact of which is difficult to predict. Because government regulation greatly affects the business and financial results of all commercial banks and bank holding companies, our cost of compliance could adversely affect our ability to operate profitably.

We are required to maintain capital to meet regulatory requirements, and if we fail to maintain sufficient capital, whether due to losses, an inability to raise additional capital or otherwise, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, as well as our ability to maintain regulatory compliance, would be adversely affected.

The Company and the Bank each must meet regulatory capital requirements and maintain sufficient liquidity. Banking organizations experiencing growth, especially those making acquisitions, are expected to hold additional capital above regulatory minimums. From time to time, the regulators implement changes to these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. In recent years, these market and regulatory expectations have increased substantially and have resulted in higher and more stringent capital requirements for us and the Bank.

Actions (if necessary) to increase capital, may adversely affect us. Our ability to raise additional capital, when and if needed, will depend on conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, including investor perceptions regarding the banking industry and market condition, and governmental activities, many of which are outside our control, and on our financial condition and performance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. If we fail to meet these capital and other regulatory requirements, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Our failure to remain “well capitalized” for bank regulatory purposes could affect customer confidence, our ability to grow, our costs of funds and FDIC insurance costs, our ability to pay dividends on common stock and make distributions on our trust preferred securities, our ability to make acquisitions, and our business, results of operations and financial condition. Under FDIC rules, if our subsidiary bank ceases to be a “well capitalized” institution for bank regulatory purposes, the interest rates that it pays and its ability to accept brokered deposits may be restricted. At December 31, 2017, we had approximately $85 million in wholesale brokered deposits, $6 million of in-market CDARs deposits, $81 million of ICS deposits and approximately $50 million of deposits related to our prepaid card business, which are considered brokered deposits for regulatory purposes.

We are periodically subject to examination and scrutiny by a number of banking agencies and, depending upon the findings and determinations of these agencies, we may be required to make adjustments to our business that could adversely affect us.

The banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, a banking agency were to determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, asset concentration, earning prospects, management, liquidity, sensitivity to market risk, consumer compliance, or other aspects of any of our operations has become unsatisfactory, or that we or our management is in violation of any law or regulation, it could take a number or different remedial actions as it deems appropriate. These actions include the power to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, to require affirmative actions to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital, to restrict our growth, to change the asset composition of our portfolio or balance sheet, to assess civil money penalties against our officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate our deposit insurance. If we become subject to such regulatory actions, our business, results of operations and reputation may be negatively impacted.

The Bank is subject to the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations, and any deemed deficiency by the Bank with respect to these laws could result in significant liability and have material impact on our business strategy.

The Bank Secrecy Act, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective AML program and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports when appropriate. The Bank is also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by OFAC regarding, among other things, the prohibition of transacting business with, and the need to freeze assets of, certain persons and organizations identified as a threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.  Please see Item I – Part 1 – Supervision and Regulation - Anti-Money Laundering Rules and Item 1 – Part 1 – Supervision and Regulation - OFAC Regulation for further information regarding the Bank’s obligations under applicable AML laws and regulations and sanctions, respectively.

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If the Bank’s policies, procedures, and systems are deemed deficient, or the policies, procedures and systems of the financial institutions that we have already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, the Bank could be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions, which may include restrictions on its ability to pay dividends and the necessity and ability to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of its business plan, including acquisition plans. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for the Bank. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on the Bank’s business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects.

The Bank is subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including the Community Reinvestment Act and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a material penalties and other sanctions.

The CRA, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, and other fair lending laws and regulations impose nondiscriminatory lending requirements on financial institutions. The U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies are responsible for enforcing these laws and regulations. A successful regulatory challenge to an institution’s performance under the CRA or fair lending laws and regulations could result in a wide variety of sanctions, including damages and civil money penalties, injunctive relief, restrictions on mergers and acquisitions activity, restrictions on expansion, and restrictions on entering new business lines. Private parties may also have the ability to challenge an institution’s performance under fair lending laws in private class action litigation. Such actions could have a material adverse effect on the Bank’s business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects.

Higher FDIC deposit insurance premiums and assessments could adversely affect our financial condition.

The FDIC insures deposits at FDIC-insured depository institutions, such as our subsidiary bank, up to applicable limits. The amount of a particular institution’s deposit insurance assessment is based on that institution’s risk classification under an FDIC risk- based assessment system.  The assessment base on which the Bank’s deposit insurance premiums is paid to the FDIC is currently calculated based on its average consolidated total assets less its average equity. However, following the fourth consecutive quarter where the Bank’s total consolidated assets equal or exceed $10 billion, the FDIC will use a performance score and loss-severity score to calculate the Bank’s initial FDIC assessment rate. An institution’s risk classification is assigned based on its capital levels and the level of supervisory concern the institution poses to its regulators.  While our risk management processes are designed to reduce risk by maintaining capital levels and mitigating any supervisory concerns, we may be unable to control the amount of premiums that we are required to pay for FDIC insurance in the event of a new economic downturn and an increase in financial institution failures. Any future increases in assessments or required prepayments in FDIC insurance premiums may materially adversely affect results of operations, including by reducing our profitability or limiting our ability to pursue business opportunities.

Risks relating to our Common Stock

We have provisions in our articles of incorporation that could impede a takeover of the Company.

Our articles of incorporation contain provisions providing for the ability to issue preferred stock without shareholder approval. Although these provisions were not adopted for the express purpose of preventing or impeding the takeover of the Company without the approval of our board of directors, such provisions may have that effect. Such provisions may prevent our shareholders from taking part in a transaction in which our shareholders could realize a premium over the current price of our common stock.

Shares of our Common Stock are not insured deposits and may lose value.

Shares of our common stock are not savings or deposit accounts and are not insured by the FDIC, or any other agency or private entity.  Such shares are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of some or all of the value of your investment.

Future capital needs could result in dilution of shareholder investment.

Our board of directors may determine from time to time there is a need to obtain additional capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other securities. These issuances would dilute the ownership interest of our shareholders and may dilute the per share book value of our common stock. New investors also may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our shareholders which may adversely impact our shareholders.

The trading volume in our common stock and the sale of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could depress the price of our common stock

We cannot predict the effect, if any, that future sales of our common stock in the market, or availability of shares of our common stock for sale in the market, will have on the market price of our common stock. Our stock price can fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors. General market fluctuations, industry factors, and general economic and political conditions and events, such as terrorist attacks, economic slowdowns or recessions, interest rate changes, tax rate changes, credit loss trends, or currency fluctuations, also could cause our stock price to decrease regardless of operating results. We therefore can give no assurance

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that sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the market, or the potential for large amounts of sales in the market, or any of the other factors discussed above, would not cause the price of our common stock to decline or impair our ability to raise capital through sales of our common stock.

Our ability to pay dividends is limited and we may be unable to pay future dividends

During the last 60 fiscal quarters, we paid cash dividends on our common stock outstanding. Our ability to pay dividends is limited by regulatory restrictions and the need to maintain sufficient consolidated capital. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends to us is limited by its obligations to maintain sufficient capital and by other general restrictions on its dividends that are applicable to national banks that are regulated by the OCC. For information on these regulatory restrictions on the right of the Bank to pay dividends to us and on the right of the Company to pay dividends to its shareholders, see Part I - Item 1 – “Supervision and Regulation - Dividend Restrictions.” If we do not satisfy these regulatory requirements, or if the Bank does not have sufficient earnings to make payments to us while maintaining adequate capital levels, we will be unable to pay dividends on our common stock.

Holders of our junior subordinated debentures have rights that are senior to those of our common shareholders

We have helped support our continued growth through the issuance of, and the acquisition of, through prior mergers, trust preferred securities from special purpose trusts and accompanying junior subordinated debentures. At December 31, 2017, we had outstanding trust preferred securities and accompanying junior subordinated debentures totaling $30.5 million. We also assumed additional junior subordinated debentures totaling $8.0 million as a result of our acquisition of HCBF on January 1, 2018.  Payments of the principal and interest on these debt instruments are conditionally guaranteed by us. Further, the accompanying junior subordinated debentures we issued to the special purpose trusts are senior to our shares of common stock. As a result, we must make payments on the junior subordinated debentures before any dividends can be paid on our common stock and, in the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or liquidation, the holders of the junior subordinated debentures must be satisfied before any distributions can be made on our common stock. We have the right to defer distributions on our junior subordinated debentures (and the related trust preferred securities) for up to five years, during which time no dividends may be paid on our common stock.

At December 31, 2017, our shareholders include two funds owning approximately 13% of our common stock and they may exercise significant influence over us and their interests may be different from our other shareholders.

Based on their 13G forms filed for the year end December 31, 2017, our shareholders include two funds that collectively own approximately 13% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.  Top ten institutional owners collectively own approximately 38% of our outstanding shares of common stock, as reported by SNL. While the federal banking laws require prior bank regulatory approval if shareholders owning in excess of 9.9% of a financial holding company’s outstanding voting shares desire to act in concert, these institutional owners nonetheless could vote the same way on matters submitted to our shareholders without being deemed to be acting in concert and, if so, could exercise significant influence over us and actions taken by our shareholders. Interests of institutional funds may be different from our other shareholders. Accordingly, given their collective ownership, the funds could have significant influence over whether or not a proposal submitted to our shareholders receives required shareholder approval.

Risk relating to Economic Conditions and other Outside Forces

The political and economic environment could materially impact our business operations and financial performance.

The political and economic environment in the United States and elsewhere has resulted in some uncertainty.  Under the current administration, changes in policy have reduced some regulatory requirements, but those policy changes may not be permanent.  Congress has proposed several bills that could change some of the current legal requirements relating to, among other things, stress testing and the Bank Secrecy Act.  The enactment of the Tax Act likely will result in lower costs for businesses in general and banks in particular, which in turn could result in various benefits including, among other things, enhanced revenues and operating efficiencies, lower loan rates, increased dividend payments and increased employee compensation.  On the other hand, the Tax Act decreased the value of our deferred tax asset by $18.6 million, as well as the value of our tax advantaged loans and investments we have made.  These reduced values offset in part the benefit of some of the benefits of the tax law.  In addition, the Tax Act contains several provisions that that will affect the tax consequences of home ownership and related borrowing. Because of the political environment, there may be changes in law or regulation in the future that could alter the anticipated benefits (and costs) of recent legal or policy changes, which could result in a reduction in the price of our shares due to perceived changes in our regulatory and compliance costs or decreases in the amount of expected revenues, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

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A slowdown in economic growth or a resumption of recessionary economic conditions could have an adverse effect on our business in the future.

The economic crisis of 2008 caused many financial institutions to seek additional capital, to reduce or eliminate dividends, to merge with larger and stronger institutions and to fail. The economic turmoil and tightening of credit led to an increased level of commercial and consumer delinquencies, lack of consumer confidence, increased market volatility and widespread reduction of business activity generally. The resulting economic pressure on consumers and the lack of confidence in the financial markets adversely affected the banking industry, as well as financial condition and operating results. Although economic conditions have normalized and growth is currently stronger than in previous years,  future political and market developments could affect consumer confidence levels and cause adverse changes in loan payment patterns, causing increases in delinquencies and default rates, which may impact our charge-offs and the provision for credit losses. Changes in the financial services industry and the effects of current and future law and regulations that may be imposed in response to future market developments also could negatively affect us by restricting our business operations, including our ability to originate or sell loans, and adversely impact our financial performance.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.

Our ability to engage in routine funding and other transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty or other relationships. Defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services institutions, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and losses of depositor, creditor and counterparty confidence and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions. We could experience increases in deposits and assets as a result of other banks’ difficulties or failure, which would increase the capital we need to support our growth.

Our business is subject to the success of the local economies where we operate.

Our success significantly depends upon the growth in population, income levels, deposits and housing starts in our primary and secondary markets. If the communities in which we operate do not grow or if prevailing economic conditions locally or nationally become challenging, our business may be adversely affected. We are less able than a larger institution to spread the risks of unfavorable local economic conditions across a large number of diversified economies. Moreover, while our core markets in the last year have grown and we have benefited from such growth, we cannot give any assurance we will continue to benefit from market growth or favorable economic conditions in our primary market areas if they do occur.

Market volatility could adversely affect our operations or ability to access capital.

The capital and credit markets have experienced volatility and disruption from time to time during the past several years. In some cases, the markets have produced downward pressure on stock prices and credit availability for certain issuers without regard to those issuers’ underlying financial condition or performance. If these periodic market disruptions and volatility continue or worsen, we may experience adverse effects, which may be material, on our ability to maintain or access capital and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our cost of funds may increase as a result of general economic conditions, FDIC insurance assessments, interest rates and competitive pressures.

Our cost of funds may increase as a result of general economic conditions, FDIC insurance assessments, interest rates and competitive pressures. We have traditionally obtained funds principally through local deposits and we have a base of lower cost transaction deposits. Generally, we believe local deposits are a less expensive and more stable source of funds than other borrowings because interest rates paid for local deposits are typically lower than interest rates charged for borrowings from other institutional lenders and reflect a mix of transaction and time deposits, whereas brokered deposits typically are higher cost time deposits. Our costs of funds and our profitability and liquidity are likely to be adversely affected, if and to the extent we have to rely upon higher cost borrowings from other institutional lenders or brokers to fund loan demand or liquidity needs, and changes in our deposit mix and growth could adversely affect our profitability and the ability to expand our loan portfolio.

Competition from financial institutions and other financial service providers may adversely affect our profitability.

The banking business is highly competitive and we experience competition in our markets from many other financial institutions. We compete with commercial banks, credit unions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market funds, and other mutual funds, as well as other super-regional, national and international financial institutions and fintech or e-commerce companies that operate in our primary market areas and elsewhere. Some of these competitors may have a long history of successful operation in our markets, greater ties to local businesses and more expansive banking relationships, as well as better established depositor bases. Competitors with greater resources or more advanced

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technology may possess an advantage by being capable of maintaining numerous and more convenient banking locations, easy to use and available mobile and computer apps or Internet platforms, operating more ATMs and conducting extensive promotional and advertising campaigns.

We compete with these institutions both in attracting deposits and in making loans. In addition, we have to attract our customer base from other existing financial institutions and from new residents. Many of our competitors are well-established, larger financial institutions and credit unions. While we believe we can and do successfully compete with these other financial institutions in our primary markets, we may face a competitive disadvantage as a result of our smaller size, lack of geographic diversification, sophisticated Internet or mobile applications, and inability to spread our marketing costs across a broader market. Although we compete by concentrating our marketing efforts in our primary markets with local advertisements, personal contacts, and greater flexibility and responsiveness in working with local customers, we can give no assurance this strategy will be successful.

The fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies could have a material adverse effect on our earnings.

The Federal Reserve regulates the supply of money and credit in the U.S. as its policies determine in large part the cost of funds for lending and investing and return earned on those loans and investments, both of which affect our net interest margin. They can also materially decrease the value of financial assets we hold. Federal Reserve policies also can adversely affect borrowers, potentially increasing the risk that they may fail to repay their loans, or could result in volatile markets and rapid declining collateral values. Changes in Federal Reserve policies are beyond our control and difficult to predict. Accordingly, the impact of these changes on our activities and results of operations is difficult to predict.

Adverse weather or manmade events could negatively affect our local economies or disrupt our operations, which would have an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Our market areas in Florida are susceptible to hurricanes and tropical storms and related flooding and wind damage. Such weather events and manmade events can disrupt operations, result in damage to properties and negatively affect the local economies in the markets where they operate.  Storms during 2017 only minimally impacted our operations but we cannot predict whether or to what extent damage that may be caused by future natural disasters or manmade events will affect our operations or the economies in our current or future market areas, but such events could result in a decline in loan originations, a decline in the value or destruction of properties securing our loans and an increase in delinquencies, bankruptcies, foreclosures or loan losses that could result in a higher level of non-performing assets, net charge-offs, and provision for loan losses. Our business or results of operations may be adversely affected by these and other negative effects of future hurricanes or tropical storms, including flooding and wind damage, or manmade events. Many of our customers have incurred significantly higher property and casualty insurance premiums on their properties located in our markets, which may adversely affect real estate sales and values in those markets.

We are or may become involved from time to time in suits, legal proceedings, information-gathering requests, investigations, and proceedings by governmental and self-regulatory agencies that may lead to adverse consequences.

Many aspects of the banking business involve a substantial risk of legal liability. The Company and the Bank have been named or threatened to be named as defendants in various law suits arising from our business activities (and in some cases from the activities of companies that we have acquired).  In addition, from time to time, we are, or may become, the subject of self-regulatory agency information-gathering requests, reviews, investigations and proceedings, and other forms of regulatory inquiry, including by bank regulatory agencies, the SEC and law enforcement authorities.  The results of such proceedings could lead to significant civil or criminal penalties, including monetary penalties, damages, adverse judgments, settlements, fines, injunctions, restrictions on the way the Company and the Bank conduct their business, or reputational harm.