Union Bankshares Corporation and Access National Corporation Announce Regulatory Approvals for Proposed Merger

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Union Bankshares Corporation (“Union”) and Access National Corporation (“Access”) jointly announced the receipt of regulatory approvals from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and from the Virginia State Corporation Commission to move forward with the proposed merger of Access with and into Union. The proposed merger remains subject to approval by shareholders of Union and Access.

“We are pleased to have received all of the regulatory approvals needed to proceed with the merger and remain on track to close the transaction early this year,” said John C. Asbury, President and CEO of Union.

About Union Bankshares Corporation

Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Union Bankshares Corporation (Nasdaq: UBSH) is the holding company for Union Bank & Trust. Union Bank & Trust has 140 branches, seven of which are operated as Xenith Bank, a division of Union Bank & Trust of Richmond, Virginia, and approximately 190 ATMs located throughout Virginia and in portions of Maryland and North Carolina. Non-bank affiliates of the holding company include: Old Dominion Capital Management, Inc. as well as its subsidiary Outfitter Advisors, Ltd., and Dixon, Hubard, Feinour, & Brown, Inc., all of which provide investment advisory services, and Union Insurance Group, LLC, which offers various lines of insurance products.

About Access National Corporation

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Access National Corporation (Nasdaq: ANCX) is the parent company of Access National Bank and Middleburg Investment Group serving Northern and Central Virginia. Access National Bank is a commercial bank serving middle market businesses and associated professionals throughout the Washington D.C. region. Access National Bank’s core services include commercial credit, deposit, investment, cash management, private banking and real estate finance. Access National Bank also has subsidiaries that provide wealth management, retirement planning and securities brokerage. 

Important Additional Information Filed with the SEC

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval with respect to the proposed acquisition by Union of Access. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and no offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy shall be made in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

In connection with the proposed acquisition, Union has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-228455) that includes a joint proxy statement of Union and Access and a prospectus of Union (the “Joint Proxy/Prospectus”), and each of Union and Access may file with the SEC other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. The definitive Joint Proxy/Prospectus was first mailed to the shareholders of Union and Access on or about December 13, 2018. Investors and shareholders of Union and Access are urged to read carefully and in their entirety the Registration Statement and Joint Proxy/Prospectus and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC by Union and Access, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information about the proposed transaction.

Investors and shareholders may obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by Union and Access through the website maintained by the SEC at . Free copies of the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC also may be obtained by directing a request by telephone or mail to Union Bankshares Corporation, 1051 East Cary Street, Suite 1200, Richmond, Virginia 23219, Attention: Investor Relations (telephone: (804) 633-5031), or Access National Corporation, 1800 Robert Fulton Drive, Suite 300, Reston, VA 20191, Attention: Sheila Linton (telephone: (703) 871-2100), or by accessing Union’s website at  under “Investor Relations” or Access’s website at  under “Investor Relations.” The information on Union’s and Access’s websites is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this press release or incorporated into other filings either company makes with the SEC.

Participants in the Solicitation

Union, Access and their respective directors and certain of their executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Union or Access in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Union and their ownership of Union common stock is set forth in the proxy statement for Union’s 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 21, 2018. Information about the directors and executive officers of Access and their ownership of Access common stock is set forth in the proxy statement for Access’s 2018 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 12, 2018. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in the Joint Proxy/Prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC when they become available. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, projections, predictions, expectations, or beliefs about future events or results and are not statements of historical fact. Such statements also include statements as to the anticipated impact of the Union acquisition of Access, including future financial and operating results, ability to successfully integrate the combined businesses, the amount of cost savings, overall operational efficiencies and enhanced revenues as well as other statements regarding the acquisition. Such forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions as of the time they are made, and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often accompanied by words that convey projected future events or outcomes such as “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “will,” “may,” “view,” “opportunity,” “potential,” or words of similar meaning or other statements concerning opinions or judgment of Union or Access or their management about future events. Although each of Union and Access believes that its expectations with respect to forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its existing knowledge of its business and operations, there can be no assurance that actual results, performance, or achievements of Union or Access will not differ materially from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual future results, performance or achievements may differ materially from historical results or those anticipated depending on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, the businesses of Union and Access may not be integrated successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected, expected revenue synergies and cost savings from the proposed acquisition may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame, revenues following the proposed acquisition may be lower than expected, customer and employee relationships and business operations may be disrupted by the proposed acquisition, the diversion of management time on acquisition-related issues, changes in Union’s share price before closing, risks relating to the potential dilutive effect of shares of Union common stock to be issued in the proposed transaction, the ability to obtain shareholder or other approvals or other conditions to closing on a timely basis or at all, the ability to close the proposed acquisition on the expected timeframe, or at all, and that closing may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected, the reaction to the proposed acquisition of the companies’ customers, employees and counterparties, and other risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of Union and Access. We refer you to the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Union’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and Access’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and comparable “risk factors” sections of Union’s and Access’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings, which have been filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website at . All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein. The actual results or developments anticipated may not be realized or, even if substantially realized, they may not have the expected consequences to or effects on Union, Access or their respective businesses or operations. Readers are cautioned not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and neither Union nor Access undertakes any obligation to update, revise or clarify these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Bill Cimino (804) 448-0937, VP and Director of Investor Relations of Union

Michael W. Clarke (703) 871-2100, CEO of Access