UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of
Report (Date of earliest event reported):
May 1,
2008
United Community Banks,
Inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Georgia
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No.
0-21656
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No.
58-180-7304
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(State
or other jurisdiction of
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(Commission
File Number)
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(IRS
Employer
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incorporation)
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Identification
No.)
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63
Highway 515, P.O. Box 398
Blairsville,
Georgia 30512
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Registrant's
telephone number, including area code:
(706)
781-2265
Not
applicable
(Former
name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the
appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions:
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o
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Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)
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o
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Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
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o
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14d-2(b))
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o
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240-13e-4(c))
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ITEM
5.02. DEPARTURE OF
DIRECTORS OR CERTAIN OFFICERS; ELECTION OF DIRECTORS; APPOINTMENT OF CERTAIN
OFFICERS; ARRANGEMENTS OF CERTAIN OFFICERS.
On April 30, 2008, the Board of
Directors of United Community Banks, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Cathy Cox,
the former Secretary of State of Georgia and the current president of Young
Harris College, to serve as a director of the Company. Ms. Cox was
appointed to the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy left when Thomas C.
Gilliland and Clarence W. Mason, Sr. retired. Mr. Gilliland and Mr.
Mason each retired effective April 30, 2008 at the end of their
terms.
The Board
of Directors also adopted a resolution to decrease the authorized number of
directors on the Board. Section 3.2 of Article III of the Bylaws of
the Company provides that the authorized number of directors of the Company
shall be within a range of eight to fourteen directors, subject to determination
by resolution of the Board or by the shareholders of the Company at the annual
meeting. The exact number of directors of the Company was decreased
from twelve to eleven effective as of April 30, 2008.
Ms. Cox
has not yet been named to any committee of the Board.
ITEM
9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AND EXHIBITS
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Exhibit
No.
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Description
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99.1
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Press
Release dated May 1, 2008
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
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/s/ Rex S. Schuette
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Rex
S. Schuette
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Executive
Vice President and
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May
1, 2008
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Chief
Financial Officer
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Exhibit 99.1
For
Immediate Release
For more information
contact:
Rex S.
Schuette
Executive
Vice President &
Chief
Financial Officer
(706)
781-2266
Rex_Schuette@ucbi.com
BLAIRSVILLE,
GA. - May
1, 2008 – The Board
of Directors of United Community Banks, Inc. appointed Cathy Cox, the former
Secretary of the State of Georgia and the current President of Young Harris
College, to serve as a director of the company.
Cox has
been President of Young Harris College since 2007. Prior to becoming
Young Harris College President, Cox served as the Secretary of State of Georgia
from 1999 – 2007. She also has served in the Georgia House of
Representatives and was the state’s Assistant Secretary of
State. During 2007, Cox also served as the Carl E. Sanders Political
Leadership Chair at the University of Georgia School of Law.
As an
attorney, Cox was a partner in the firm of Lambert, Floyd & Conger from 1988
– 1996 and was an associate at the firm of Hansell & Post from 1986 –
1988. She also worked as a journalist in the early
1980s.
Cox holds
an honorary Doctor of Laws and a Juris Doctorate from Mercer University, Walter
F. George School of Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Journalism from the University of Georgia, Grady College of
Journalism.
2
“We are
quite honored to have such an esteemed and accomplished individual as Cathy Cox
as a member of United’s Board of Directors,” stated Board Chairman Robert Head,
Jr. “Cathy brings a breadth of legal experience, business acumen and
community involvement to this Board and we are confident that she will make an
immediate, positive impact.”
Founded
in 1886, Young Harris College is a private United Methodist-affiliated liberal
arts college located in Young Harris, Georgia.
About United Community
Banks, Inc.
Headquartered
in Blairsville, United Community Banks is the third-largest bank holding company
in Georgia. United Community Banks has assets of $8.4 billion and
operates 27 community banks with 109 banking offices located throughout north
Georgia, the Atlanta region, coastal Georgia, western North Carolina and east
Tennessee. The company specializes in providing personalized
community banking services to individuals and small to mid-size
businesses. United Community Banks also offers the convenience of
24-hour access through a network of ATMs, telephone and on-line
banking. United Community Banks common stock is listed on the Nasdaq
Global Select Market under the symbol UCBI. Additional information
may be found at the company’s web site at www.ucbi.com.
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