Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. and C1 Financial, Inc. jointly announced today the signing of a definitive agreement and plan of merger whereby Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. will acquire C1 Financial, Inc. and its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, C1 Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $402.5 million, or approximately $25.00 per C1 share, subject to potential adjustments as described in the Agreement. Closing of the transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to OZRK’s book value per common share and its tangible book value per common share. The transaction is expected to be accretive to OZRK’s diluted earnings per common share by $0.02 to $0.04, including transaction costs, for the first twelve months after the transaction closes and by $0.07 to $0.10 for the second twelve months.

C1, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, operates 32 Florida banking offices on the west coast of Florida and in Miami-Dade and Orange Counties. The majority of the offices are located in Florida’s top six metropolitan markets. At September 30, 2015, C1 had approximately $1.7 billion of total assets, $1.4 billion of loans and $1.3 billion of deposits.

Trevor Burgess, President and Chief Executive Officer of C1 and founder of C1 Bank, was named American Banker’s Community Banker of the Year in 2014 and is recognized nationally for leadership in banking innovation. Upon closing of the transaction, Burgess will serve as Chief Innovation Officer of OZRK and President of its Florida operations. Burgess is expected to be nominated at a future annual meeting of shareholders for membership on the OZRK board of directors as part of a group of C-level officers who rotate from year to year on the board.

Burgess stated, “We are excited to have found a new partner in Bank of the Ozarks, which shares our passions for the entrepreneur, for first class service, and for making a fundamental difference in our communities. Together, with an expanded product set and increased firepower, we will be able to serve an even broader array of businesses and families in the state of Florida. In my role as Chief Innovation Officer, I will have an opportunity to integrate the technology we inCubated in C1 Labs and develop new technology applications on a national scale. We believe this transaction is an excellent opportunity for our shareholders.”

George Gleason, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. and American Banker’s Community Banker of the Year in 2010, commented, “We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of C1 Bank, a premier community bank in Florida. This acquisition provides us with 32 additional offices in Florida, including entry into the Miami, Orlando and Cape Coral-Ft. Myers markets and significantly expands our existing 10-office Florida presence. The addition of these branches in some of Florida’s best high growth, deposit-rich markets is very attractive to us, but of equal value is the skilled and dedicated team at C1 Bank. The C1 team’s entrepreneurial spirit and proven track record of growth, technology and innovation provide important elements for our combined companies as we strive to continue to be an industry leader in providing best-of-class customer experiences and operational efficiencies.”

Under the terms of the Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, each holder of outstanding shares of common stock of C1 will receive shares of common stock of OZRK. The number of OZRK shares to be issued will be determined based on OZRK’s ten day average closing stock price as of the second business day prior to the closing date, subject to a minimum and maximum price of $39.79 to $66.31, respectively. The consideration payable to C1 shareholders is subject to downward adjustment if the net book value of C1 at the time of the merger is below a specified level and is subject to an upward adjustment if certain loans of C1 are sold at a price above a specified amount. These potential adjustments are not expected to result in any material change to the consideration payable and are described in the Agreement.

Upon the closing of the transaction, C1 will merge into OZRK and C1 Bank will merge into OZRK’s wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Bank of the Ozarks. Completion of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including customary regulatory approvals and approval by C1 shareholders. The transaction is expected to close late in the first quarter of 2016 or early in the second quarter of 2016.

This transaction will be OZRK’s fifteenth acquisition since March, 2010. On October 19, 2015 OZRK announced a definitive agreement and plan of merger with Community & Southern Holdings, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia which is also expected to close late in the first quarter of 2016 or early in the second quarter of 2016.

In addition to the information contained within this announcement, an Investor Presentation containing additional information regarding this transaction has been posted on OZRK’s website www.bankozarks.com under “Investor Relations” and on C1’s website at www.c1bank.com under “Investor Relations.”

C1 was advised by Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. as financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Shutts & Bowen LLP as legal counsel. OZRK was represented by the law firm of Kutak Rock LLP.