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Dear Shareholder:

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Ameris Bancorp, which will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

This year’s annual meeting will be completely virtual, held via live audio webcast. You will be able to attend the meeting online and vote your shares by visiting

www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025.

Details regarding how to attend the meeting online, how to vote your shares and the formal business to be conducted at the meeting are included in the accompanying Notice of the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The internet will be the primary means by which we furnish proxy materials to our shareholders. We will send shareholders a notice with instructions for how to access these materials. That notice will also include information for obtaining paper copies of our proxy materials if shareholders choose to do so. This process lowers costs and saves paper, adding convenience for shareholders and contributing to our sustainability efforts.

Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting virtually, please vote as soon as possible to ensure your shares are represented and voted at the meeting. You may vote online, via telephone or, if you receive a paper proxy card in the mail, by mailing the completed proxy card. If you attend the annual meeting virtually, then you may vote during the meeting even though you have previously voted your proxy.

On behalf of Ameris Bancorp, I thank you for your continued support.

To the Shareholders of Ameris Bancorp:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Ameris Bancorp will be held virtually, via live audio webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, commencing at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, for the following items of business:

To access the virtual Annual Meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025. To participate in the Annual Meeting, including to vote and ask questions during the Annual Meeting, shareholders of record as of the close of business on the record date should go to the virtual meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, enter the 16-digit control number found on your accompanying proxy card and follow the instructions on the website.

Beneficial owners of shares held in street name as of the close of business on the record date should check their voting instruction form for how to vote in advance of, and how to participate in, the Annual Meeting. Otherwise, shareholders who hold their shares in street name and do not have their Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or voting instruction form should contact their bank, broker or other nominee (preferably at least five days before the Annual Meeting) and obtain the 16-digit control number in order to be able to attend, participate in or vote at the Annual Meeting.

Online access to the virtual meeting website will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the Annual Meeting start time to allow time for you to log in and test your device’s audio system.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting virtually, please vote as soon as possible to ensure that your shares will be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting.

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) and in our 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders (the “2024 Annual Report”), which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “2024 Form 10-K”) and accompanies this Proxy Statement. You should read the entire Proxy Statement and the 2024 Annual Report before voting. We are first making the proxy materials available to shareholders on or about April 23, 2025.

In this Proxy Statement: (i) Ameris Bancorp is referred to as “Ameris,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company”; (ii) Ameris Bank, Ameris’s wholly owned subsidiary, is referred to as “Ameris Bank” or the “Bank”; and (iii) the Company’s Board of Directors is referred to as the “Board.”

In addition to the above matters, we will transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting virtually, we urge you to vote as soon as possible to ensure that your shares will be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. If you are a shareholder of record (meaning you hold your shares in your own name) as of the close of business on the Record Date, then you have four voting options. You may vote using one of the following methods:

Only shareholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date, or beneficial owners of shares held in street name who follow the instructions below, will be able to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting. Guests will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting will be held virtually, via live audio webcast. To access the virtual Annual Meeting, visit the virtual meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025.

To participate in the Annual Meeting, including to vote and ask questions during the Annual Meeting, shareholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date should go to the virtual meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, enter the 16-digit control number found on your accompanying proxy card and follow the instructions on the website.

Beneficial owners of shares held in street name as of the close of business on the Record Date should check their voting instruction form for how to vote in advance of, and how to participate in, the Annual Meeting. Otherwise, shareholders who hold their shares in street name and do not have their Notice or voting instruction form should contact their bank, broker or other nominee (preferably at least five days before the Annual Meeting) and obtain the 16-digit control number in order to be able to attend, participate in or vote at the Annual Meeting.

Once you are admitted to the Annual Meeting, you may vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions on the virtual meeting website.

Online access to the virtual meeting website will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the Annual Meeting start time to allow time for you to log in and test your device’s audio system.

Shareholders of record and beneficial owners of shares held in street name who attend the Annual Meeting virtually can submit questions at the virtual meeting website, www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, by following the instructions available on the virtual meeting website during the meeting. During the Annual Meeting, we intend to answer questions so submitted that are pertinent to the Company and meeting matters, as time permits.

An electronic list of shareholders of record as of the Record Date will be available for examination by shareholders at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025 during the Annual Meeting, along with the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting.

Highlights of our results for 2024, include the following:

Adjusted net income, adjusted ROA, tangible book value and tangible common equity ratio are performance measures determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). See “Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in Exhibit A to this Proxy Statement for a reconciliation of the foregoing non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures.

At the Annual Meeting, shareholders are being asked to elect each of the director nominees identified below to serve as a director until the 2026 Annual Meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.

R. Dale Ezzell, Elizabeth McCague and Gloria O’Neal have served as directors since May 2010, August 2016 and July 2019, respectively, and each will retire upon the Annual Meeting.

Our corporate governance and executive compensation policies promote the long-term interests of shareholders. Below are highlights of our corporate governance and executive compensation framework.

The Board has made these materials available to you on the internet or, upon your request, has delivered printed versions of these materials to you by mail, in connection with the solicitation of proxies by and on behalf of the Board for use at the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held virtually, via live audio webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, commencing at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

These materials will be first made available to shareholders on or about April 23, 2025. Shareholders of the Company are invited to attend the Annual Meeting virtually and are requested to vote on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement.

These materials include:

If you request printed versions of these materials by mail, then these materials will also include the proxy card for the Annual Meeting.

Pursuant to rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Company has provided access to its proxy materials over the internet. Accordingly, the Company is sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. All shareholders will have the ability to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice, free of charge, or request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the internet or to request a printed copy may be found in the Notice. In addition, shareholders may request to receive proxy materials electronically by e-mail on an ongoing basis.

The Notice provides you with instructions regarding how to:

Choosing to receive future proxy materials by e-mail will save the Company the cost of printing and mailing documents to you. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by e-mail, then you will receive an e-mail next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. Your election to receive proxy materials by e-mail will remain in effect until you terminate it.

Shareholders are being asked to vote on each of the following proposals:

In addition to the above matters, we will transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Board knows of no other matters that will be brought before the Annual Meeting.

You may not cumulate your votes for any matter being voted on at the Annual Meeting, and you are not entitled to appraisal or dissenters’ rights.

You may vote if you were a shareholder of record of the Common Stock as of the close of business on March 27, 2025, the Record Date for the Annual Meeting. Your shares can be voted at the Annual Meeting only if you are present or represented by a valid proxy. As of the Record Date, there were 68,910,924 shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares of Common Stock held in street name as of the close of business on the Record Date, then you will receive voting instructions from the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares as the holder of record. You must follow the voting instructions of the holder of record in order for your shares to be voted.

Shareholder of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name with the Company’s transfer agent, Computershare, then you are considered the shareholder of record with respect to those shares, and the proxy materials were sent directly to you by the Company.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in Street Name. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the proxy materials were forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered the shareholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to instruct that organization on how to vote the shares held in your account. Those instructions are contained in a “voting instruction form.”

Each share of Common Stock represented at the Annual Meeting is entitled to one vote for each director nominee with respect to the proposal to elect directors and one vote for each of the other proposals to be voted on.

If you are a record holder, then you may vote by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025.

To vote by proxy, you may select one of the following options:

The Notice provides instructions on how to access your proxy card, which contains instructions on how to vote via the internet or by telephone. For those shareholders who request to receive a paper proxy card in the mail, instructions for voting via the internet, by telephone or by mail are set forth on the proxy card. Please follow the directions on your proxy card carefully.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, then you will receive voting instructions from the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares as the holder of record. You must follow the voting instructions of the holder of record in order for your shares to be voted. Although most banks, brokers and other nominees will offer telephone and internet voting, availability and specific procedures will depend on their voting arrangements. Please follow their voting instructions carefully.

The Annual Meeting will be held virtually, via live audio webcast. To access the virtual Annual Meeting, visit the virtual meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025.

To participate in the Annual Meeting, including to vote and ask questions during the Annual Meeting, shareholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date should go to the virtual meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABCB2025, enter the 16-digit control number found on your accompanying proxy card and follow the instructions on the website.

Beneficial owners of shares held in street name as of the close of business on the Record Date should check their voting instruction form for how to vote in advance of, and how to participate in, the Annual Meeting. Otherwise, shareholders who hold their shares in street name and do not have their Notice or voting instruction form should contact their bank, broker or other nominee (preferably at least five days before the Annual Meeting) and obtain the 16-digit control number in order to be able to attend, participate in or vote at the Annual Meeting.

Once you are admitted to the Annual Meeting, you may vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions on the virtual meeting website.

Online access to the virtual meeting website will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the Annual Meeting start time to allow time for you to log in and test your device’s audio system.

The virtual meeting platform is fully supported across most internet browsers (Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome and Safari) and devices (desktops, laptops, tablets and cell phones) running the most up-to-date version of applicable software and plug-ins. You should ensure that you have a sufficient internet connection wherever you intend to participate in the Annual Meeting. If you encounter technical difficulties accessing the Annual Meeting, the virtual meeting website login page will include technical support line contact information.

If you are a shareholder of record and vote by proxy, then you may revoke that proxy before it is voted at the Annual Meeting. You may do this by using one of the following methods:

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, then you must follow the instructions provided by the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares as the holder of record if you wish to change or revoke your vote.

In order for the Company to conduct the Annual Meeting, the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of the Record Date must be present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. This is referred to as a quorum.

Shares represented by valid proxies received but marked as abstentions, and shares represented by valid proxies received but reflecting broker non-votes (further discussed below), will be counted as present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum.

Under certain circumstances, including the election of directors, matters involving executive compensation and other matters considered non-routine, banks and brokers are prohibited from exercising discretionary authority for beneficial owners of shares held in street name who have not provided voting instructions to the bank or broker. This is generally referred to as a “broker non-vote.” In these cases, as long as a routine matter is also being voted on, and in cases where the shareholder does not vote on such routine matter, those shares will be counted for the purpose of determining if a quorum is present, but will not be included as votes cast with respect to those matters. Whether a bank or broker has authority to vote its shares on uninstructed matters is determined by stock exchange rules. We expect that brokers will be allowed to exercise discretionary authority for beneficial owners of shares held in street name who have not provided voting instructions only with respect to Proposal 2 but not with respect to any of the other proposals to be voted on at the Annual Meeting.

The following chart describes the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting, the vote required to elect directors and to adopt each of the other proposals, and the manner in which votes will be counted.

If you own shares that are registered in the name of more than one person, then each person must sign the proxy. If an attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or any other person signs the proxy in a representative capacity, then the full title of the person signing the proxy should be given and a certificate should be furnished showing evidence of appointment.

If you receive more than one Notice, then you have multiple accounts with brokers or the Company’s transfer agent, Computershare. Please vote all of these shares. It is recommended that you contact your broker or Computershare, as applicable, to consolidate as many accounts as possible under the same name and address. Computershare may be contacted by telephone at (800) 568-3476.

The cost of preparing and mailing proxy materials will be borne by the Company. In addition to solicitation by internet or mail, solicitations may be made by directors, officers and other employees of the Company in person or by telephone, facsimile or e-mail without additional compensation. The Company may also solicit proxies through press releases and postings on its website at www.amerisbank.com. Brokerage houses, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries will be reimbursed for the expense of sending proxy materials to the beneficial owners of Common Stock held of record on behalf of such persons.

The Board is asking that our shareholders elect each of the 10 director nominees identified in the table below to serve as a director until the 2026 Annual Meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, removal from office or death. See “Board of Directors — Board Members” for more information regarding each of the director nominees.

The Company requires majority voting in uncontested director elections. As a result, each director will be elected by a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting, meaning that the number of shares voted “for” a director nominee must exceed the votes cast “against” such director nominee.

In an uncontested election, if an incumbent director nominee does not receive a greater number of such shares voted “for” such director than the number of such shares voted “against” such director, then our Bylaws require that such director promptly tender his or her resignation to the Board, the effectiveness of which shall be conditioned upon, and subject to, acceptance by the Board. In that situation, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board (the “Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee”) would make a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation, or whether to take other action. Within 90 days from the date the election results are certified, the Board will act on the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s recommendation and will publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it.

In a contested election, which is an election in which the number of director nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected ten days before the mailing of the Company’s definitive proxy statement, director nominees are elected by a plurality of the votes cast.

The following table provides summary information about each director nominee, all of whom currently serve on our Board.

Proxies cannot be voted at the Annual Meeting for a greater number of persons than the number of director nominees named above.

Unless otherwise directed, the persons named as proxies in the enclosed form of proxy intend to vote “FOR” the election of each director nominee. If any such nominee for any reason should not be available as a candidate for director, then votes will be cast pursuant to authority granted by the enclosed proxy for such other candidate or candidates as may be nominated by the Board. The Board is unaware of a nominee who is unable to serve as a director or will decline to serve as a director, if elected.

The Audit Committee of the Board (the “Audit Committee”) has appointed KPMG as our independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year, which ends December 31, 2025. Our shareholders are being asked to ratify such appointment at the Annual Meeting. In view of the difficulty and expense involved in changing our independent registered public accounting firm on short notice, should the shareholders not ratify the selection of KPMG, it is contemplated that the appointment of KPMG for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025 will stand unless the Audit Committee finds other appropriate reasons for making a change. Disapproval by the shareholders will be considered a recommendation that the Audit Committee select another independent registered public accounting firm for the following fiscal year.

Representatives of KPMG (our independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year as well as for the most recently completed fiscal year) are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions by shareholders submitted in accordance with the procedures discussed under “Proxy Statement Summary – Shareholder Questions.”

With this Proposal 3, our shareholders are being asked to provide an advisory vote on the 2024 compensation of our named executive officers, as it is described under “Executive Compensation.” This proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal, gives each shareholder the opportunity to endorse or not endorse our executive compensation program. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement.

While this vote is advisory and not binding on the Company, it will provide us with information regarding investor sentiment about our executive compensation philosophy, policies and practices, which the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”) will be able to consider when determining executive compensation for the remainder of fiscal 2025 and beyond.

In response to the voting results for the frequency of the say-on-pay vote at our 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “2024 Annual Meeting”), shareholders are being given the opportunity to provide a say-on-pay advisory vote on an annual basis. In 2024, over 56 million shares of Common Stock were voted on the shareholder say-on-pay resolution, with approximately 92% of all such votes cast in favor of the executive compensation program described in our proxy statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting.

We believe that our executive compensation policies and procedures are competitive, focused on pay-for-performance principles, strongly aligned with the long-term interests of our shareholders and designed to attract and retain the talent needed to drive shareholder value and help us meet or exceed our financial and performance targets. We also believe that the compensation of our named executive officers for 2024 reflected our financial results for 2024. We employ an executive compensation program for our senior executives that emphasizes long-term compensation, with a significant portion weighted toward equity awards. This approach strongly aligns senior executive compensation with the interest of our shareholders. Accordingly, shareholders are being asked to vote on the following resolution to be presented at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the holders of the Common Stock hereby approve the compensation of the named executive officers as described in this Proxy Statement under “Executive Compensation,” including the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” the compensation tables and related material.”

The vote by the shareholders will be a non-binding, advisory vote, meaning that the voting results will not be binding on the Company, the Compensation Committee or the Board or overrule or affect any previous action or decision by the Compensation Committee or the Board or any compensation previously paid or awarded. However, the Compensation Committee and the Board will take the voting results into account when determining executive compensation matters in the future.

Unless the Board modifies its policy on the frequency of future say-on-pay advisory votes, the next say-on-pay advisory vote will be held at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines as a framework for the governance of the Company. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews our Corporate Governance Guidelines annually and recommends changes to the Board, as appropriate. The complete text of our Corporate Governance Guidelines is available at www.amerisbank.com.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), a majority of the members of the Board must be independent of the Company. For a director to be considered independent, the Board must determine that the director meets the independence criteria of the SEC and the NYSE, as well as any other independence standards applicable to independent Board members as may be in effect from time to time under applicable laws, rules and regulations. For a director to be considered independent, the Board must determine that the director has no material relationship with the Company, either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the Company. In making this determination, the Board will consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including, among other things, any transactions or relationships between the director and the Company or its subsidiaries.

The Board has determined that each member of the Board, other than Messrs. Miller and Proctor, is “independent,” as defined for purposes of the rules of the SEC and the listing standards of the NYSE.

The Company is committed to having sound corporate governance principles and practices, and independent board oversight is valued as an essential component of our corporate governance framework. Our commitment to independent oversight is demonstrated by the fact that all of our directors, except our Chairman of the Board of Directors (our “Chairman”) and our Chief Executive Officer, are independent. In addition, all of the members of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Enterprise Risk Committee of the Board (the “Enterprise Risk Committee”) are independent.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, if the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are held by the same person, or if the Chairman is employed by the Company or otherwise determined to not be independent, then the Board shall select an independent director to serve as Lead Independent Director. The Lead Independent Director consults as appropriate with the Chairman or the Chief Executive Officer, oversees the flow of information to the Board and acts as liaison between the non-employee directors and management. The Lead Independent Director also serves as a focal point for the independent directors, thereby enhancing and clarifying the Board’s independence from management. The Lead Independent Director also has such other responsibilities as may be delegated to the Lead Independent Director by the Board from time to time.

Messrs. Miller and Proctor serve as our Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer, respectively, in each case since the Company acquired Fidelity Southern Corporation (“Fidelity”) on July 1, 2019. Mr. Jeter served as Lead Independent Director from July 2019 to September 2019, and Mr. Hill has served as Lead Independent Director since September 2019.

As stated in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board believes that it is in the best interests of the Company for the Board to periodically evaluate and make a determination regarding whether or not to separate the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer based upon the circumstances. The Board believes that having a separate Chairman and Chief Executive Officer provides a depth of dependable, decisive and experienced leadership to execute the Company’s strategy and that having these separate (although non-independent) roles, together with an engaged and experienced Lead Independent Director, is the most appropriate leadership structure for the Board at this time. The Board, however, retains the flexibility to revise this structure in the future based upon its evaluation of the circumstances, including consideration of relevant governance and strategic matters.

The Enterprise Risk Committee is primarily responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk management processes on behalf of the full Board, although the Board and all of its committees are sensitive to risks relating to the Company and its operations. Through its interaction with our Chief Risk Officer, the Enterprise Risk Committee oversees credit risk, market risk (including liquidity and interest rate risk) and operational risk (including compliance and legal risk). The Enterprise Risk Committee is also responsible for overseeing the Company’s information technology and cybersecurity awareness and posture. Executive and senior information technology management provide regular updates to the Enterprise Risk Committee and to the Board, no less frequently than each quarter. The Audit Committee focuses on financial reporting risk, oversees the entire audit function and evaluates the effectiveness of internal and external audit efforts. It receives reports from management regularly regarding the Company’s assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of internal control systems. Our external auditors meet at least quarterly with the Audit Committee in executive session to discuss potential risk and control issues involving the Company. Our Chief Risk Officer meets with both the Enterprise Risk Committee and the Audit Committee as necessary to discuss potential risk or control issues. The Enterprise Risk Committee and the Audit Committee report regularly to the full Board, which also considers the Company’s entire risk profile, including additional strategic and reputational risks. While the Board oversees the Company’s risk management, management is responsible for the day-to-day risk management processes. We believe that this division of responsibility is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company; however, we will continue to re-examine our Board leadership structure on a regular basis, recognizing that different structures may be appropriate in different situations faced by the Company.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for reviewing, at least annually, the appropriate skills and experience required of directors to enable the Board to successfully perform its role in corporate governance. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews the composition and size of the Board to ensure that it has the proper expertise and independence; determines the criteria for the selection of Board members and Board committee members; plans for continuity on the Board as existing Board members retire or rotate off the Board; establishes criteria for qualifications as independent directors, consistent with applicable laws and listing standards; reviews Board candidates recommended by shareholders in compliance with all director nomination procedures for shareholders; and recommends to the Board the slate of nominees of directors to be elected by the shareholders and any directors to be elected by the Board to fill vacancies.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has not established specific minimum age, education, experience or skill requirements for potential candidates but, in general, expects qualified candidates will have ample experience and a proven record of business success and leadership. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines: (i) director candidates will be evaluated based on their financial literacy, business acumen and experience, independence, and willingness, ability and availability for service; and (ii) directors must have the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, including respectfulness, honesty and a commitment to teamwork and high standards consistent with the core values of the Company, and must consistently exercise sound and objective business judgment. It is also anticipated that the Board as a whole has individuals with significant appropriate senior management or other leadership experience, a long-term and strategic perspective and the ability to advance constructive debate.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has not adopted a formal policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, in determining whether to recommend a director nominee, the members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee consider and discuss diversity, among other factors, with a view toward the role and needs of the Board as a whole. When identifying and recommending director nominees, the members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee generally view diversity expansively to include concepts such as race, gender, national origin, differences of viewpoint and perspective, professional experience, education, skill and other qualities or attributes that together contribute to the functioning of the Board. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board believe that the inclusion of diversity as one of many factors considered in selecting director nominees is consistent with the goal of creating a Board that best serves the needs of the Company and the interests of its shareholders.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has performed a review of the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of the Company’s current directors and nominees and believes that such persons possess a variety of complementary skills and characteristics, including the following:

For a discussion of the specific backgrounds and qualifications of our director nominees, see “Board of Directors – Board Members.”

Although the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has authority to retain a search firm or consultant to assist in identifying director candidates, to date no such search firm or consultant has been engaged. Additionally, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee would consider any director candidate proposed by any shareholder of record who has given timely written notice to our Corporate Secretary as required by Article II, Section 10 of our Bylaws. The proposing shareholder’s notice to our Corporate Secretary must set forth the information required by such section, including: (i) the director candidate’s name, credentials and contact information; an undertaking to deliver a director questionnaire and other information reasonably requested by the Company with respect to such director candidate; and his or her consent to be considered as a director candidate; and (ii) the proposing shareholder’s own contact information and information regarding the proposing shareholder’s share ownership, including derivative and hedging arrangements. To be timely, a proposing shareholder’s notice must be received at the Company’s principal executive office no earlier than, and no later than, the dates determined in accordance with our Bylaws. There are no differences in the manner in which the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee evaluates director candidates it identifies and candidates who are recommended for nomination for membership on the Board by a shareholder. See “Additional Information – Shareholder Proposals and Nominations.”

As stated in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are encouraged to limit the number of other boards on which they serve so as not to interfere with their service as a director of the Company. Directors who are serving as chief executives of public companies may not serve on the boards of more than two other companies in addition to the Board. Service on the boards of subsidiary companies with no publicly traded stock, non-profit organizations and non-public, for-profit organizations is not included in this calculation. Moreover, if a director sits on several mutual fund boards within the same fund family, such boards will count as one board for purposes of this calculation. In addition, members of the Audit Committee may not serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, when a director’s principal occupation or business association changes substantially during the director’s tenure on the Board, the director must promptly notify the Board. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will evaluate and recommend to the Board whether, in light of all the circumstances, the director should continue to serve. If the Board determines that such director’s continued service is not in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, then he or she shall tender an offer of resignation.

Our shareholders may communicate with the Board by directing correspondence to the Board, any of its committees or one or more individual members, in care of the Corporate Secretary, Ameris Bancorp, 3490 Piedmont Road N.E., Suite 1550, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. Our Corporate Secretary will forward such correspondence to the persons to whom it is addressed.

The Board conducts a self-assessment annually, and individual directors are separately evaluated each year in connection with director performance reviews. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews and discusses with the Board the results of these annual assessments.

Director education is an essential component of good governance and effective compliance practices for financial institutions. It increases the likelihood of retaining good directors and attracting more highly skilled candidates to serve on the boards of banks. The Board’s regular meetings often include an educational and strategic session focused on a variety of topics, such as legislative and regulatory developments, important banking industry trends and fundamental bank directorship knowledge. In addition, our Chief Governance Officer and Chief Legal Officer update the Board as appropriate on relevant developments with respect to corporate governance matters.

Reflecting our commitment to principles of director education, all directors completed compliance training during 2024. Topics included information security, including privacy requirements, cybersecurity and related threats, BSA/AML compliance, fair lending, Regulation O and related legislative and agency updates.

The Board has delegated to the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee responsibility for oversight of matters including, but not limited to, environmental, health and safety, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, philanthropy, corporate governance, reputation, community issues, political contributions and lobbying and other public policy matters relevant to the Bank. Additionally, the Company maintains a Corporate Sustainability Management Committee at the Bank level to evaluate and consider risks and opportunities related to such topics. The Corporate Sustainability Management Committee regularly provides to the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee updates on the Company’s efforts with respect to sustainability and governance matters.

We believe in the potential of our communities, neighbors and employees. We are committed to creating positive change. The Company proudly supports community engagement and sustainability initiatives throughout its footprint and makes investing and developing a talented team a key priority.

The Bank’s mortgage and technology teams have created automated and scalable, electronic and robotic solutions to maximize efficiencies and human capital engagement. The Bank continues to convert thousands of customers to e-statements, online banking, mobile banking and other digital offerings. At the Ameris headquarters, which opened in July 2020, LED lighting is used, and with the support of a third-party energy consultant, the Company completed an LED lighting upgrade of 132 owned locations. The Company has further plans to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases across all facilities.

The Company and its employees passionately give time, talents and resources to support our communities, with efforts focused on improving educational opportunities, housing affordability and the overall health and wellbeing of those within the community. In 2024, the Bank gave over $6.5 million to philanthropic and civic organizations. We made 13,742 home loans and are proud of our efforts to make homeownership a reality for 6,018 first-time homebuyers and 3,072 buyers through Veterans Affairs, Fair Housing Administration or U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.

Our employees are energetic, dynamic team players and problem-solvers who are committed to going the extra mile. Ameris supports a culture of learning and dedication to our teammates by offering leadership development, numerous health and wellness programs, mentorship, tuition reimbursement and career pathways. We are committed to empowering our people, developing talented teams and creating opportunities throughout our organization.

At Ameris, we consider our teammates to be our greatest strength. At December 31, 2024, the Company employed 2,691 full-time-equivalent employees, primarily located in our core markets of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

We take pride in listening to our employees, welcoming unique perspectives, supporting personal and professional growth and developing natural strengths. For example, each year the Company administers an employee

engagement survey to gather meaningful insights and data, which is used as we continue to make improvements at Ameris and build upon our strong culture. The input obtained from this survey helps our Board and executive officers to execute on initiatives such as the Ameris Foundation, leadership training and career development and advancement initiatives.

Effective and frequent communication is critical to supporting our growing culture and teammate needs and is carried out through regular e-newsletters, executive announcements and bulletins, which provide access to information regarding Company news, alerts and updates, as well as educational opportunities and programs.

Providing employees with meaningful, competitive and supportive benefits to care for their lives and families is a top priority for the Company. We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, paid time-off, 401(k) profit-sharing plan participation and an employee stock purchase plan. The Company’s 401(k) plan matches 50% of each employee’s elective deferral amount, up to the first 8% of the contribution.

The Company’s benefits programs also include access to a network of nearby providers with options for either in-person care or virtual visits at any time. Our behavioral health benefit offers support for such issues as alcohol and drug use recovery, medication management, coping with grief and loss, and depression, anxiety and stress management.

At Ameris, our leaders develop action plans and provide mentorship to help employees reach their aspirations. Our teammates are encouraged to share their goals and dreams, and we take pride in offering professional growth opportunities through our robust learning and development initiatives.

Mentorship at all levels is encouraged throughout our organization, as it supports our culture of learning and commitment to our teammates, new ideas and leadership development. Mentor Ameris is the Bank’s formal mentorship program, whereby annually, high potential colleagues are identified as mentees and paired with a selected mentor at the Bank.

Launched at the end of 2020, our Leadership Development Program is a self-paced, three-tiered program available to all employees, with coursework specific to leading self, leading others and leading leaders. We believe that effective and meaningful leadership development will further elevate the Company and support us in continuing to attract and retain top talent.

The development of our employees’ skills and knowledge is critical to the success of the Company. Our educational assistance program, which provides for reimbursement of certain education expenses, encourages personal development through formal education, such as a degree, licensing or certification, so that teammates can maintain and improve their skills or knowledge related to their current job or foreseeable-future position at Ameris. The importance of having career development discussions and guidance with employees is shared and reinforced during manager training sessions as well, as the Company recognizes these discussions are critical to establishing pathways for career growth.

We also focus on creating a culture that acknowledges and respects the various qualities, experiences and perspectives of every teammate. We aim to establish a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to contribute effectively and maximize their potential. Our objective is to ensure that all teammates, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities for success. We support open communication, teamwork, and active participation from all teammates, representing a wide range of viewpoints and experiences. By adopting these principles, we seek to develop a stronger, more innovative, and empowering organization that serves our customers and communities efficiently.

Our Bylaws provide that the Board will consist of not fewer than seven directors nor more than 15 directors, with the specific number of directors within such range being fixed by action of the Board from time to time. We currently have 13 directors. R. Dale Ezzell, Elizabeth McCague and Gloria O’Neal have served as directors since May 2010, August 2016 and July 2019, respectively, and each will retire upon the Annual Meeting, resulting in three vacancies. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board may in the future choose to fill some or all of such vacancies or to reduce the size of the Board. We are grateful to Mr. Ezzell, Ms. McCague and Ms. O’Neal for their many years of distinguished service to the Company.

The individual biographies below provide information about each director nominee, including information about such individual’s business experience, director positions held currently or at any time during the last five years, and the experiences, attributes or skills that caused the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and our Board to determine that such individual should be nominated to serve as a director. Each of the director nominees has been recommended by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and nominated by the Board, for election as a director at the Annual Meeting.

The Audit Committee is currently comprised of five directors, none of whom is a current or former employee of the Company and all of whom are independent directors of the Company. The current members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Choate, Ezzell and Lynch (Chairman), Ms. McLean and Ms. O’Neal. The Audit Committee was established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Audit Committee, which operates under a written charter, represents the Board in discharging its responsibility relating to the accounting, reporting and financial practices of the Company and its subsidiaries. Its primary functions include:

The complete text of the Audit Committee charter is available at www.amerisbank.com.

The Compensation Committee is currently comprised of five directors – Messrs. Bullard, Ezzell, Hill (Chairman), Jeter and Stern – none of whom is a current or former employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and all of whom are independent directors of the Company. The duties of the Compensation Committee, which operates under a written charter, are generally to:

Additional information regarding the Compensation Committee’s processes and procedures for consideration of executive officer compensation is provided under “Executive Compensation - Compensation Discussion and Analysis.” The complete text of the Compensation Committee charter is available at www.amerisbank.com.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is currently comprised of four directors, none of whom is a current or former employee of the Company and all of whom are independent directors of the Company. The members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee are Messrs. Bowen, Hill and Stern (Chairman) and Ms. McCague. Pursuant to its written charter, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for:

Additional information regarding the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s processes and procedures is provided under “Governance – Director Nomination Process.” The complete text of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee charter is available at www.amerisbank.com.

The Executive Committee of the Board (the “Executive Committee”) is currently comprised of five directors, two of whom are current or former employees of the Company. The current members of the Executive Committee are Messrs. Hill, Miller, Proctor (Chairman) and Stern and Ms. McCague. The Executive Committee is authorized to exercise all of the powers of the Board, except those that under the Georgia Business Corporation Code may not be exercised by a committee of directors. The complete text of the Executive Committee charter is available at www.amerisbank.com.

The Enterprise Risk Committee is currently comprised of four directors, none of whom is a current or former employee of the Company and all of whom are independent directors of the Company. The members of the Enterprise Rick Committee are Mr. Jeter, Ms. McCague (Chairman), Ms. McLean and Ms. O’Neal. Pursuant to its written charter, the complete text of which is available at www.amerisbank.com, the Enterprise Risk Committee is responsible for the oversight and governance of risk management functions, programs and activities throughout the Company.

The Credit Risk Committee is a Bank-level committee currently comprised of four directors, none of whom is a current or former employee of the Company and all of whom are independent directors of the Company. The directors who are members of the Credit Risk Committee are Messrs. Bowen, Bullard, Choate (Chairman) and Lynch. Pursuant to its written charter, the complete text of which is available at www.amerisbank.com, the Credit Risk Committee oversees the Bank’s asset quality and credit administration practices by reviewing risk strategies for the loan portfolio, loan applications, overall credit quality standards and performance, new loan products and lending strategies and compliance and adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses.

The following table provides the number of meetings held by the Board and its committees during 2024.

Each director attended at least 75% of all meetings of the full Board and of those committees on which he or she served and was eligible to attend in 2024. Additionally, the independent directors met in executive sessions, without any members of management or other employees present, six times in 2024. These executive sessions allow the Board to review key decisions and discuss matters in a manner that is independent of management.

All members of the Board then serving but one, who was unable to attend because of a prior conflict, participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are expected to attend our annual meeting shareholders absent unusual circumstances.

The objectives of our non-employee director compensation program are to attract highly qualified individuals to serve on the Board and to appropriately align the interests of the Company’s directors with those of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee reviews the non-employee director compensation program periodically to ensure that it continues to meet these objectives. In order to determine whether the director compensation program is competitive, the Compensation Committee considers peer group and general market information on program design provided by its independent compensation consultant, as well as the significant amount of time that directors expend in fulfilling their duties to the Company and the skill level required by members of the Board.

Directors who are employees of the Company do not receive additional compensation for serving as directors of the Company. For 2024, non-employee director compensation is comprised of the following components:

Cash retainers payable to non-employee directors are prorated in any year in which the Board or committee chair appointment is not effective for the entirety of such year.

The Director Compensation Table below sets forth the total compensation earned by directors for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Mr. Proctor, who is also a named executive officer, is not included in the table below. Compensation paid to Mr. Proctor is presented in the Summary Compensation Table included under “Executive Compensation – Compensation Tables – Summary Compensation Table” (the “Summary Compensation Table”).