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Hamilton State Bancshares completes Jefferson State deal
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Forsyth County News

Jefferson State Bank began the new year with a new name.

The Cumming bank, which has about $80 million in total assets, became part of the Braselton-based Hamilton State Bancshares family on Dec. 31.

The acquisition of Jefferson State Bank was approved by the board of directors of both companies, bank regulators and Jefferson State shareholders.

The agreement, first announced in August, called for the merger of Jefferson State Bank into Hamilton State Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.   

Hamilton State Bank now has $285 million in assets and $231 million in deposits and remains a Tier 1 capital leverage ratio exceeding 10 percent.

Robert C. Oliver, Hamilton's chairman and chief executive officer, said he was excited about the merger.

"Since the founding of our company in 2004 we have established best practices for our operations," said Oliver, who also served as chairman of Jefferson's board.

"The change will allow us to combine some duplicated efforts between the companies so that we can more efficiently utilize our resources.  Customers and employees alike will benefit from our combined efforts."

Hamilton State Bank will continue as a full-service banking company offering a variety of services and locations to its customers.

Keith Morris, president of Jefferson State Bank, said it was "a natural progression for the growth of our company."
"We have reached a point where we can benefit from the added operational support that Hamilton State Bank can

provide, which will allow us to better serve our customers," he said. "Customers will see a new name on the building, but can expect to see the same employees and receive the same great service.  

"It is our goal to make this a seamless transition."