First Guaranty Bancshares (1GJ) Risk Analysis

Our shares of common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market in November 2015. An active trading market for shares of our common stock may not be sustained on Nasdaq due to our existing float and trading volume. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling our common stock and may impair our ability to expand our business by using our common stock as consideration in an acquisition. Although the depositary shares underlying our 6.75% Series A Fixed-Rate Non-Cumulative perpetual preferred stock (the "Series A Preferred Stock") are currently traded on the Nasdaq Global Market, there is currently very low liquidity, and we do not expect an active trading market for our depositary shares to develop or be sustained. Because of this, it may be more difficult for holders of our depositary shares to sell their depositary shares.

Our principal shareholders (Marshall T. Reynolds, the estate of William K. Hood and Edgar R. Smith III) beneficially own, approximately 60% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2025. Each of these shareholders will continue to have the ability to independently vote a meaningful percentage of our outstanding common stock on all matters put to a vote of our shareholders, including the election of our board of directors and certain other significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or acquisition transaction. On any such matter, the interests of these shareholders may not coincide with the interests of the other holders of our common stock and any such difference in interests may result in that shareholder voting its shares in a manner inconsistent with the interests of other shareholders. Additional shares are owned by family members or associates of our principal shareholders; the interests of these shareholders may coincide more with the interests of the principal shareholder than with the interests of the other holders of our common stock.

Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock are equity interests in First Guaranty and do not constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, shares of the Series A Preferred Stock and the depositary shares representing the Series A Preferred Stock are and will be junior in right of payment to any existing and all future indebtedness and other non-equity claims of First Guaranty with respect to assets available to satisfy claims on us, including in a liquidation of First Guaranty. In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, our assets will be available to pay obligations on the Series A Preferred Stock and any parity stock only after all of our liabilities have been paid and any obligations we owe on any securities that rank senior to the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding, if any, have been satisfied. In case of such bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the Series A Preferred Stock will rank equally with any parity stock in the distribution of our assets. Holders of the depositary shares may be fully subordinated to interests held by the U.S. government in the event of a receivership, insolvency, liquidation or similar proceeding. In addition, our existing indebtedness restricts payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock, and any future indebtedness may further restrict payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock.

First Guaranty is a financial holding company and conducts substantially all of our operations through our subsidiary First Guaranty Bank. Our right to participate in any distribution of the assets of our subsidiaries upon any liquidation, reorganization, receivership or conservatorship of any subsidiary (and thus the ability of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of the depositary shares to benefit indirectly from such distribution) will rank junior to the prior claims of that subsidiary's creditors. In the event of bankruptcy, liquidation or winding-up, there may not be sufficient assets remaining, after paying our and our subsidiaries' liabilities, to pay amounts due on any or all of the Series A Preferred Stock and the depositary shares representing the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding. The Series A Preferred Stock and the depositary shares representing the Series A Preferred Stock places no restrictions on our business or operations or on our ability to incur indebtedness or engage in any transactions, subject only to the limited voting rights of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock.

If our board of directors does not authorize and declare a dividend for any dividend period, the holder of the Series A Preferred Stock, and therefore the holders of the depositary shares, will not be entitled to receive a dividend for such period, and such undeclared dividend will not accrue and be payable. We will have no obligation to pay dividends for such dividend period, whether or not dividends are authorized and declared for any subsequent dividend period with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock. Our board of directors may determine that it would be in our best interests to pay less than the full amount of the stated dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock or no dividend for any dividend period even if funds are available. Factors that would be considered by our board of directors in making this determination include our financial condition, liquidity and capital needs, the impact of current and pending legislation and regulations, economic conditions, our ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to the Series A Preferred Stock, any credit agreements to which we are a party, tax considerations and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, regulatory restrictions, including those which we may not be allowed to disclose, may limit our ability to pay dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock. Unlike indebtedness, where principal and interest would customarily be payable on specified due dates, in the case of preferred stock like the Series A Preferred Stock dividends are payable only when, as and if authorized and declared by our board of directors or a duly authorized committee of the board and, as a Louisiana corporation and financial holding company, we are subject to restrictions on payments of dividends out of lawfully available funds as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Until and unless we are in arrears on our dividend payments on the Series A Preferred Stock for six quarterly dividend periods, whether consecutive or not, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, and therefore the holders of the depositary shares, have no voting rights with respect to matters that generally require the approval of voting shareholders, except with respect to certain fundamental changes in the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock, and except as may be required by the rules of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the Series A Preferred Stock is listed, traded or quoted or by Louisiana law. If dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are not paid in full for six dividend periods, whether consecutive or not, the holders of Series A Preferred Stock, voting together as a class with any other equally ranked series of preferred stock that have similar voting rights then outstanding, if any, will have the right, at the first annual meeting or special meeting held thereafter and at subsequent annual meetings, to elect two directors to our board. The terms of the additional directors so elected will end upon the payment or setting aside for payment by us of continuous noncumulative dividends for at least twelve consecutive months on the Series A Preferred Stock and any other equally ranked series of preferred stock then outstanding, if any. Holders of the depositary shares must act through the depositary to exercise any voting rights of the Series A Preferred Stock. Although each depositary share is entitled to 1/40th of a vote, the depositary can only vote whole shares of Series A Preferred Stock. While the depositary will vote the maximum number of whole shares of Series A Preferred Stock in accordance with the instructions it receives, any remaining fractional votes of holders of the depositary shares underlying such shares of Series A Preferred Stock will not be voted.