Reliant Bancorp, Inc. Increases Cash Dividend by 20% to $0.12 Per Share

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--()--Reliant Bancorp, Inc. (“Reliant”) (Nasdaq: RBNC), the parent company for Reliant Bank, announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share payable on February 19, 2021, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 8, 2021.

“The 20% increase in Reliant’s cash dividend to $0.12 per share highlights our solid growth in earnings for the fourth quarter and year,” stated DeVan Ard, Jr., Reliant’s Chairman and CEO. “Our excellent results for 2020 benefited from a strong net interest margin, superior credit quality and two strategic acquisitions that we made last year. Our goal is to maintain our strong capital base while returning a portion of earnings to shareholders to build long-term value.

“We remain positive about our outlook for 2021 based on our earnings momentum and loan demand. We enter 2021 with a much stronger bank than this time last year with the successful assimilation of the two banks we acquired and expanded market opportunities in the greater Nashville market. We expect economic activity to pick up as the pandemic subsides and drive growth in 2021,” Ard concluded.

About Reliant Bancorp, Inc. and Reliant Bank

Reliant Bancorp, Inc. is a Brentwood, Tennessee-based financial holding company which, through its wholly owned subsidiary Reliant Bank, operates banking centers in Tennessee. Reliant Bank is a full-service commercial bank that offers a variety of deposit, lending, and mortgage products and services to business and consumer customers. As of December 31, 2020, Reliant Bancorp had approximately $3.0 billion in total consolidated assets, approximately $2.3 billion in loans held for investment and approximately $2.6 billion in deposits. For additional information, locations and hours of operation, please visit www.reliantbank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release that address activities, events, or developments that Reliant expects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Reliant’s future generally, the reasonableness of Reliant’s cash dividend, or the evaluation of future cash dividends. The words “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “assume,” “should,” “predict,” “could,” “would,” “intend,” “targets,” “estimates,” “projects,” “plans,” and “potential,” and other similar words and expressions of the future, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but other statements not based on historical information may also be considered forward-looking, including statements about Reliant’s future financial and operating results and Reliant’s plans, objectives, and intentions. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Reliant to differ materially from any results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: (1) the global health and economic crisis precipitated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, (2) actions taken by governments, businesses and individuals in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, (3) the pace of recovery when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic subsides, (4) the possible recurrence of the coronavirus (COVID-19), (5) changes in political conditions or the legislative or regulatory environment, including governmental initiatives affecting the financial services industry such as, but not limited to, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or the CARES Act), (6) the possibility that our asset quality could decline or that we experience greater loan losses than anticipated, (7) increased levels of other real estate, primarily as a result of foreclosures, (8) the impact of liquidity needs on our results of operations and financial condition, (9) competition from financial institutions and other financial service providers, (10) the effect of interest rate increases on the cost of deposits, (11) unanticipated weakness in loan demand or loan pricing, (12) greater than anticipated adverse conditions in the national economy or local economies in which we operate, including in Middle Tennessee, (13) lack of strategic growth opportunities or our failure to execute on available opportunities, (14) deterioration in the financial condition of borrowers resulting in significant increases in loan losses and provisions for those losses, (15) economic crises and associated credit issues in industries most impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the restaurant, hospitality and retail sectors, (16) the ability to grow and retain low-cost core deposits and retain large, uninsured deposits, (17) our ability to effectively manage problem credits, (18) our ability to successfully implement efficiency initiatives on time and with the results projected, (19) our ability to successfully develop and market new products and technology, (20) the impact of negative developments in the financial industry and United States and global capital and credit markets, (21) our ability to retain the services of key personnel, (22) our ability to adapt to technological changes, (23) risks associated with litigation, including reputational and financial risks and the applicability of insurance coverage, (24) the vulnerability of computer and information technology systems and networks of Reliant Bank, and the systems and networks of third parties with whom Reliant or Reliant Bank contract, to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, natural disasters, power loss, and other security breaches and interruptions, (25) changes in state and federal laws, rules, regulations, or policies applicable to banks or bank or financial holding companies, including regulatory or legislative developments, (26) adverse impacts (including costs, fines, reputational harm, or other negative effects) from current or future litigation, regulatory examinations, or other legal and/or regulatory actions, (27) the risk that expected cost savings and revenue synergies from (a) the merger of Reliant and Tennessee Community Bank Holdings, Inc. ("TCB Holdings") (the “TCB Holdings Transaction”) or (b) the merger of Reliant and First Advantage Bancorp ("FABK") (the “FABK Transaction” and, together with the TCB Holdings Transaction, collectively, the “Transactions”), may not be realized or may take longer than anticipated to be realized, (28) the effect of the Transactions on our customer, supplier, or employee relationships and operating results (including without limitation difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees and customers), as well as on the market price of Reliant’s common stock, (29) the risk that the businesses and operations of TCB Holdings and its subsidiaries and of FABK and its subsidiaries cannot be successfully integrated with the business and operations of Reliant and its subsidiaries or that integration will be more costly or difficult than expected, (30) the amount of costs, fees, expenses, and charges related to the Transactions, including those arising as a result of unexpected factors or events, (31) reputational risk associated with and the reaction of our customers, suppliers, employees, or other business partners to the Transactions, (32) the risk associated with Reliant management’s attention being diverted away from the day-to-day business and operations of Reliant to the integration of the Transactions, and (33) general competitive, economic, political, and market conditions, including economic conditions in the local markets where we operate. Additional factors which could affect the forward-looking statements can be found in Reliant’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Reliant believes the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable; however, many of such risks, uncertainties, and other factors are beyond Reliant’s ability to control or predict and undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date that they are made. Therefore, Reliant can give no assurance that its future results will be as estimated. Reliant does not intend to, and disclaims any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statement.

Contacts

DeVan Ard, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Reliant Bancorp, Inc.
(615.221.2087)

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Contacts

DeVan Ard, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Reliant Bancorp, Inc.
(615.221.2087)