Business Description

Description The Company is the fourth largest commercial bank holding company headquartered in North Carolina. At December 31, 2025, the Company had total consolidated assets of $12.7 billion, total loans of $8.7 billion, total deposits of $10.7 billion, and shareholders’ equity of $1.7 billion. Our principal activity is the ownership and operation of the Bank, a state-chartered bank with its headquarters in Southern Pines, North Carolina, through which we engage in a full range of banking activities. Our principal executive offices are located at 205 SE Broad St., Southern Pines, North Carolina 28387, and our telephone number is (910) 246-2500. The Company was incorporated in North Carolina on December 8, 1983 for the purpose of acquiring 100% of the outstanding common stock of the Bank through a stock-for-stock exchange. The Bank began banking operations in 1935 as the Bank of Montgomery, named for the county in which it originally operated. In 1985, its name was changed to First Bank and in September 2013, the Company and the Bank moved their headquarters and main offices to Southern Pines, North Carolina. As of December 31, 2025, the Bank had two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Magnolia Financial and First Troy SPE, LLC. Magnolia Financial is a business financing company that offers accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing throughout the southeastern United States. First Troy SPE, LLC is a holding entity for certain foreclosed real estate. SBA Complete, which was in the process of dissolution as of December 31, 2024, was formerly a subsidiary of the Bank and specialized in providing consulting services for financial institutions across the country related to SBA loan origination and servicing. The Company is the parent of a series of statutory business trusts organized for the purpose of issuing trust preferred debt securities that qualify as regulatory capital. For purposes of the discussion below, these statutory business trusts are not included in our consolidated financial statements as they are variable interest entities and the Company is not the primary beneficiary. See additional discussion below in Item 7 under the section entitled “Borrowings” and Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. Acquisitions In January, 2023, we acquired GrandSouth, a community bank headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina with $1.2 billion in total assets, $1.0 billion in loans, and $1.1 billion in deposits. GrandSouth operated from eight branches located throughout South Carolina, all of which we have continued to operate. The acquisition accomplished the Company's strategic initiative to expand its presence in South Carolina, specifically in the high-growth markets of the state including Greenville, Charleston and Columbia. 5 Table of Contents Recent acquisitions include the following: Name of Entity Date of Acquisition Assets Acquired GrandSouth Bancorp January, 2023 $1.2 billion Select Bancorp, Inc. October, 2021 $1.8 billion Magnolia Financial, Inc. September, 2020 $15.1 million ASB Bancorp, Inc. October, 2017 $0.8 billion Carolina Bank Holdings, Inc. March, 2017 $0.7 billion Principal Business and Services We Provide Lending Activities We maintain a diversified loan portfolio by providing a broad range of commercial and retail lending services to business entities and individuals. We provide commercial business loans, commercial and residential real estate construction and mortgage loans, revolving lines of credit, letters of credit, and loans for personal uses, such as home improvement, and automobiles. Commercial real estate loans include loans secured by owner-occupied and non-owner occupied commercial buildings for improved commercial, office, retail, and warehouse and shopping center space. Through Magnolia Financial we provide accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing. We also provide used car floor-plan financing through our CarBucks division. These lines of credit are typically offered to small used car dealers and are subject to traditional floor-plan administration procedures. In 2025, we established a loan participation initiative to engage with regional and national commercial borrowers within the Bank’s footprint and nearby jurisdictions. The total of loan participations as of December 31, 2025 was nominal.…