Bank Of The Ozarks, Inc. Announces Agreement To Acquire The First National Bank Of Shelby In Shelby, North Carolina

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (NASDAQ: OZRK) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger (“Agreement”) with The First National Bank of Shelby (“First National Bank”) in Shelby, North Carolina. According to the terms of the Agreement, Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (“Company”) will acquire all of the outstanding common stock of First National Bank in a transaction valued at approximately $67.8 million, including $64.0 million of merger consideration for the outstanding common stock of the First National Bank and approximately $3.8 million representing the value of real property which is being simultaneously purchased from parties related to First National Bank and on which certain First National Bank offices are located. Closing of the transaction is expected to be accretive to the Company’s book value per common share and tangible book value per common share. The transaction is expected to be accretive to the Company’s diluted earnings per common share for the first twelve months after the transaction closes and thereafter.

First National Bank operates 14 North Carolina banking offices in a four county area west of Charlotte including nine offices in Cleveland County, three offices in Gaston County, and one office each in Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. At December 31, 2012, First National Bank had approximately $857 million of total assets, $474 million of loans and $652 million of deposits. First National Bank opened in Shelby in 1874.

“First National Bank has a rich heritage in North Carolina with 14 offices in Shelby and the surrounding communities. Bank of the Ozarks has been operating in nearby Charlotte for over a decade, giving us good insight into the market. We are pleased to expand our service area to these additional communities. Customers of First National Bank can expect local decision making and the same quality of friendly hometown banking they have long enjoyed, in addition to benefiting from a broader range of financial services,” commented George Gleason, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of the Ozarks.

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