Ameris Bank Names R. Wayne Martin Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Investments.

February 20, 2009

Moultrie, GA, Ameris Bank is pleased to announce that R. Wayne Martin has joined the Ameris Bank team as Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Investments. His new responsibilities will include building a Retail Investment Advisory Program throughout the Ameris Bank franchise. Martin will manage individual portfolios and actively recruit additional Investment Advisors to build out a sales force around the Ameris Bank footprint. He will work out of the Brunswick location of Ameris Bank.

Martin’s broad experience includes over 25 years in the Investment Services Industry. He has held executive management positions at Prudential Securities, Janney Montgomery Scott, and Shearson Lehman Brothers. He also managed Shearson Lehman Brothers’ west coast training center in Los Angeles, California. Martin is a graduate of The University of Georgia and the Security Industry Institute at The University of Pennsylvania.

In making the announcement, Marc Bogan, Chief Operating Officer stated, “We are happy to have someone with Wayne’s experience in the investment industry helping us build our Retail Investment Program.”

“I am excited to join the Ameris Bank team. The company’s commitment to community banking makes Ameris Bank truly unique, and I’m proud to contribute to those efforts,” Martin stated.

Martin, his wife Ann and their daughter Hannah reside on St. Simons Island. His other two daughters, Jennifer and Callie, reside in Valdosta and Winston Salem, respectively.

Ameris Bank is headquartered in Moultrie, Georgia, and has locations in Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida and South Carolina. The company is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol ABCB. For more information about Ameris Bank, please visit us on the web at www.amerisbank.com.

For more information contact:
Ann-Stanton Cannarella
(803) 733-2687