A Southeastern bank whose CEO calls AI 'more of an evolution than a revolution', aimed at building capacity in high-volume processes rather than cutting costs, with robotic automation already selling in its insurance-premium-finance unit and a Q2 2026 litigation accrual that halved reported earnings.
Ameris Bancorp, the Atlanta parent of Ameris Bank with about $28 billion of assets across Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, gave the clearest statement of its AI philosophy on its April 2026 earnings call. Asked about AI strategy and expense levels, CEO Palmer Proctor said 'AI here is more of an evolution than a revolution', that the bank uses it 'to build capacity, not so much to cut out expense', and that it had spent 'a considerable amount of time looking through process here throughout the company, especially in some of our higher-volume areas' to create automation, so that as the bank grows 'we won't have to layer in additional expense'. He added that AI is useful for reading software contracts to find opportunities, at a time when vendors are 'trying to lock you in for longer-term contracts'. The one AI product Ameris markets is in its US Premium Finance insurance unit, which advertises 'AI-powered automation' through robotic process automation that accelerates agreement processing and reduces manual errors, alongside e-pay and integrated accounting; its Balboa Capital equipment-finance arm publishes digital-solutions content on IoT and automation for business clients. Consumer content covers AI-generated fraud and deepfake voices. Financially, first-quarter 2026 net income was $110.5 million, or $1.63 per diluted share, with a 1.62% return on assets and an efficiency ratio just under 50%; second-quarter net income fell to $51.4 million, or $0.77, because of a litigation accrual, with adjusted net income of $107.3 million, or $1.60, revenue growth of 14.9% annualised and a stable 3.88% margin. Proctor has said M&A is low on the priority list against organic growth. Ameris Bank is a Georgia state nonmember bank supervised by the FDIC; no AI leader, vendor for decisioning or budget has been named.
Lead bank
Ameris Bank
Assets (lead bank, Mar 31, 2026)
$28 billion
Charter
Georgia state nonmember bank (FDIC)
Headquarters
Atlanta, GA
AI leadership
Palmer Proctor · Nicole Stokes · Douglas Strange
- CEO Palmer Proctor: AI is 'more of an evolution than a revolution', used 'to build capacity, not so much to cut out expense', targeting high-volume processes for automation.
- AI used to review software vendor contracts as vendors push longer lock-ins.
- US Premium Finance markets 'AI-powered automation' via robotic process automation for agreement processing; Balboa Capital publishes automation content for business clients.
- Q1 2026: net income $110.5 million ($1.63 per share), ROA 1.62%, efficiency ratio just under 50%; Q2 2026 net income $51.4 million ($0.77) after a litigation accrual, adjusted $107.3 million ($1.60).
- Organic growth preferred to M&A; revenue growth 14.9% annualised in Q2 2026 with a stable 3.88% margin.
- Consumer AI content is fraud education (AI-generated fraud, deepfake voices); no AI leader, vendor or budget disclosed.
What has Ameris done on AI, and when?
- Jul 23, 2026
Second-quarter 2026 results[6]
Net income $51.4 million after a litigation accrual; adjusted $107.3 million; revenue up 14.9% annualised.
- Jun 30, 2026
Litigation accrual taken in the second quarter[6]
Reported net income $51.4 million versus adjusted $107.3 million.
- Apr 24, 2026
CEO on AI: evolution, not revolution[5]
Capacity over cost-cutting; automation of high-volume processes; AI for contract review.
- Apr 23, 2026
First-quarter 2026 results[4]
Net income $110.5 million; ROA 1.62%; efficiency ratio 49.97%.
- Mar 12, 2026
Balboa Capital: five digital solutions for businesses[3]
IoT sensors, predictive maintenance and automation content for equipment-finance clients.
- Jan 15, 2025
Cybersecurity and fraud trends for 2025[1]
AI-generated fraud, deepfake voices and quantum threats explained to customers.
Where does Ameris use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process automation in high-volume operations[5] | Company-wide process review to automate high-volume areas and build capacity. | Rolling out | Generative & agentic AI |
| AI-assisted software contract review[5] | Identifying opportunities in vendor agreements amid longer lock-in terms. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Robotic process automation in insurance premium finance[2] | US Premium Finance agreement processing with fewer manual errors; e-pay and accounting integration. | In production | Credit scoring & underwriting |
| Customer education on AI-generated fraud[1] | Deepfake voices and AI-enabled phishing. | In production | Fraud detection |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
What has Ameris disclosed in numbers?
“AI here is more of an evolution than a revolution. And the way we look at it is utilizing it to build capacity, not so much to cut out expense.”[5]
Palmer Proctor · Chief Executive Officer · Apr 24, 2026
“So as the bank grows, we won't have to layer in additional expense.”[5]
Palmer Proctor · Chief Executive Officer · Apr 24, 2026
Who runs AI at Ameris?
Palmer ProctorLinkedIn ↗
Nicole StokesLinkedIn ↗
Chief Financial Officer[5]
Douglas StrangeLinkedIn ↗
Chief Credit Officer[5]
Which regulators govern Ameris's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| FDIC | Ameris Bank is a state nonmember bank; FDIC model-risk and third-party guidance govern automation in operations and premium finance. | FDIC FIL-29-2023 FDIC FIL-15-2026 |
| CFPB | Consumer and mortgage lending bring adverse-action and UDAAP duties to any automated decisioning. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) |
| Federal Reserve | Holding-company oversight of consolidated risk and technology spend. | SR 11-7 |
What does the public record suggest about Ameris's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
Capacity, not cost, is a defensible framing
Automation that absorbs growth without headcount avoids the layoff narrative and matches how examiners prefer to see AI justified; the metric to publish is volume per employee.
02
Premium finance is the live proving ground
RPA marketed to insurance agents is the bank's only customer-facing automation claim; it is where model-risk documentation should already exist.
03
Contract review is a quiet win
Using AI to read vendor agreements is low risk and immediately valuable as core and software vendors tighten terms.
04
Name the leader and the vendors
A capacity strategy without a named owner or vendor is hard for investors to track from quarter to quarter.
Does Ameris Bank use AI?
Yes, incrementally. CEO Palmer Proctor said in April 2026 that AI at Ameris is 'more of an evolution than a revolution', used to build capacity by automating high-volume processes rather than to cut expense, and to review software contracts. Its US Premium Finance unit markets AI-powered robotic process automation for agreement processing. No AI leader, vendor or budget has been disclosed.
Why did Ameris's second-quarter 2026 earnings fall?
Reported net income fell to $51.4 million, or $0.77 per share, because of a litigation accrual. Excluding that accrual and a securities gain, adjusted net income was $107.3 million, or $1.60 per share, with revenue growth of 14.9% annualised and a stable 3.88% net interest margin.
When Ameris moves on AI, you'll read it here first.
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