United Community Bank

United Community is an American bank. United is one of the largest full-service financial institutions in the Southeast, with $27.7 billion in assets and 200 offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In addition to its presence in the Southeast, United Community is the largest bank headquartered in South Carolina by total asset size.

United offers a full range of consumer/commercial/corporate banking products including mortgage services, interest-bearing and non interest-bearing deposits, NOW accounts (Negotiable Order of Withdrawal account), money market accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, and advisory and treasury management services. The bank also offers products suited to commercial and corporate customers through its Corporate/Commercial Banking Group. Other divisions include United Community Private Bank, United Community Wealth Management, United Community SBA Group, and many more. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Navitas Credit Corp., United also offers equipment lending.

Union County Bank was founded in 1949 in Blairsville, Georgia. By 1984, the bank had grown to $42 million in assets, and that year Jimmy C. Tallent was appointed president.

United Community Banks, Inc was incorporated as a holding company in 1987. The following year, it acquired Union County Bank, which was later renamed United Community Bank (Georgia) in 1996. During this period, the company expanded its presence through a series of regional acquisitions.

In 1990, it acquired Citizens Bank of Murphy, North Carolina, which became United Community Bank (North Carolina). Additional acquisitions included United Community Bank Towns County in 1992, White County Bank of Cleveland, Georgia, in 1995, and Rabun County Bank in 1997. United Community Bank expanded its North Carolina operations in 1995, adding branches in Andrews, Franklin and Waynesville.

Following changes in Georgia's banking laws, United Community Bank began opening branches in addition to making acquisitions. In 1997, the company acquired the assets of a bank in Cornelia and First Clayton Bank and Trust, further extending its footprint in northern Georgia.

In 1999, UCB acquired Bank of Adairsville parent Adairsville Bancshares for $7.1 million plus additional costs, along with 1st Floyd Bank. Both institutions became part of United Community Bank (Georgia) in 2001.

Expansions continued in 2000 with the acquisitions of North Point Bancshares Inc., Independent Bancshares Inc. and consulting firm Brintech, Inc. That same year, Lendmark Financial Services Inc. purchased the consumer finance division.