<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000351569-24-000041.txt : 20241213
<SEC-HEADER>0000351569-24-000041.hdr.sgml : 20241213
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20241112101111
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000351569-24-000041
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20241112

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Ameris Bancorp
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000351569
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	STATE COMMERCIAL BANKS [6022]
		ORGANIZATION NAME:           	02 Finance
		IRS NUMBER:				581456434
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			GA
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		3490 PIEDMONT RD
		STREET 2:		SUITE 1550
		CITY:			ATLANTA
		STATE:			GA
		ZIP:			30305
		BUSINESS PHONE:		4046396500

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		3490 PIEDMONT RD
		STREET 2:		SUITE 1550
		CITY:			ATLANTA
		STATE:			GA
		ZIP:			30305

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	ABC BANCORP
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19920703

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	ABC HOLDING CO
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19870119
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.htm
<TEXT>
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<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="i1803b04fe9df456bad364ae6662190b4_36"></div><div style="min-height:72pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">November 12, 2024</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">VIA EDGAR</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">United States Securities and Exchange Commission</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Division of Corporate Finance</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">100 F Street N.E.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Washington, D.C.  20549</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Attn&#58;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Victor Cecco</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">John Nolan</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">            Re&#58;      Ameris Bancorp</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">                        Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2023</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">                        Filed February 28, 2024</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">                        File No. 001-13901</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Ladies and Gentlemen&#58;</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">            </font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Ameris Bancorp, a Georgia corporation (the &#8220;Company&#8221;), hereby transmits for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#8220;Commission&#8221;) the Company&#8217;s response to the comment (the &#8220;Comment&#8221;) of the Staff of the Commission (the &#8220;Staff&#8221;) set forth in the Staff&#8217;s letter to the undersigned dated October 31, 2024 (the &#8220;Comment Letter&#8221;).  For the convenience of the Staff, the Company has restated in this letter the Comment contained in the Comment Letter in italics.  </font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:9pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:9pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Item 7. Management&#8217;s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Loans, page 40</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">1.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;padding-left:9pt">We note from your tabular disclosure on page 41, that the combination of two loan categories presented as construction and development, as well as commercial and farmland real estate loans represent a significant portion of your total loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023. We further note your disclosure on page F-17 that commercial real estate (&#8220;CRE&#8221;) loans may be larger in size and may involve a greater degree of risk than one-to-four family residential mortgage loans and that payments on such loans are often dependent on successful operation or management of the properties. Please revise future filings to further disaggregate the composition of your CRE loan portfolio to address geographic and other concentrations to the extent material to an investor&#8217;s understanding of your CRE loan portfolio. In this regard, provide quantitative and qualitative disclosure regarding current weighted average and&#47;or range of loan-to-value ratios and occupancy rates, if available, as well as other factors to the extent material to an investor&#8217;s understanding of the risks inherent in your CRE loan portfolio.</font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:72pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">We note the reference on page 7 to national and local economic pressures, the rising interest rate environment and other factors impacting banks. We also note the reference on page 48 to management and the ALCO Committee conducting evaluations &#8220;when economic or market concerns warrant such evaluation.&#8221; Please revise future filings to clarify the specific risk management policies, procedures or other actions undertaken by management in response to risks relating to the commercial real estate market in the current environment.</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The Company acknowledges the Staff&#8217;s comment and, in response thereto, will enhance its future filings with the Commission by providing additional breakdowns of its CRE loan portfolio to address any material geographic or other concentrations relevant to an investor&#8217;s understanding of the portfolio.  The Company will also include quantitative and qualitative details on current weighted average or range of loan-to-value ratios and occupancy rates, if available, where material to an investor&#8217;s understanding of the portfolio.  Additionally, disclosures will be revised to outline specific risk management policies, procedures or other actions taken by management in response to current conditions.  These updates will begin with the Company&#8217;s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">* * *</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">         </font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Any additional comments or questions regarding this letter should be directed to the undersigned at telephone (404) 240-1514.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:252pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:252pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Sincerely,</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:252pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">&#47;s&#47; Nicole S. Stokes</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:252pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Nicole S. Stokes</font></div><div style="padding-left:252pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Corporate EVP and Chief Financial Officer</font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
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</SEC-DOCUMENT>
