UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC
20549
FORM 11-K
[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002
or
[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ______________ to ___________________
Commission file number 0-21656
A. Full title of the Plan and address of the Plan,
if different
from that of the issuer named below:
United Community Banks, Inc.
Profit Sharing Plan
B. Name of the issuer of the securities held
pursuant to the plan and
the address of the principal executive
office:
United Community Banks, Inc.
63 Highway 515, PO Box 398
Blairsville, GA
30512
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Financial Statements and Supplemental Schedule
December 31, 2002 and 2001
(with Independent Accountants’ Report thereon)
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
The Board of Trustees
United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan
We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for plan benefits of United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan as of December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the related statement of changes in net assets available for plan benefits for the year ended December 31, 2002. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above, present fairly in all material respects, the net assets available for plan benefits of United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan as of December 31, 2002 and 2001 and the changes in its net assets available for plan benefits for the year ended December 31, 2002, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Our audit of the Plan’s financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2002, was performed for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole. The supplemental Schedule of Assets Held for Investment Purposes is presented for the purpose of additional analysis and is not a required part of the basic financial statements but is supplementary information required by the Department of Labor’s Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This supplemental schedule is the responsibility of the Plan’s management and has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of the basic financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002, and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.
Atlanta, Georgia
June 6, 2003
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Statements of Net Assets Available for Plan Benefits
December 31, 2002 and 2001
2002 |
2001 |
|||
Assets: |
||||
Cash |
$ |
166,801 |
|
21,673 |
Investments at fair value: |
||||
Common stock of United Community Banks, Inc. |
11,973,298 |
9,056,084 |
||
Shares of registered investment company |
||||
mutual funds |
18,624,364 |
17,393,303 |
||
Total investments |
30,764,463 |
26,471,060 |
||
Receivables: |
||||
Employers contributions |
833,419 |
1,136,627 |
||
Accrued dividends |
30,676 |
23,831 |
||
Participant loans |
216 |
427 |
||
Total receivables |
864,311 |
1,160,885 |
||
Total assets |
31,628,774 |
27,631,945 |
||
Liabilities consisting of amounts due to brokers |
11,502 |
- |
||
Net assets available for plan benefits |
$ |
31,617,272 |
|
27,631,945 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Plan Benefits
For the Year Ended December 31, 2002
Additions to net assets attributable to: |
||
Investment income: |
||
Interest and dividends |
$ |
453,449 |
Net depreciation in fair value of investments |
(121,036) |
|
Total investment income |
332,413 |
|
Contributions: |
||
Employer discretionary |
833,419 |
|
Employer match |
1,402,725 |
|
Employee deferrals |
2,436,386 |
|
Employee rollovers |
291,496 |
|
In-kind transfers |
27,909 |
|
Total contributions |
4,991,935 |
|
Total additions |
5,324,348 |
|
Deductions from net assets attributable to |
||
distributions paid to participants |
1,339,021 |
|
Net increase in net assets available for plan benefits |
3,985,327 |
|
Net assets available for plan benefits: |
||
Beginning of year |
27,631,945 |
|
End of year |
$ |
31,617,272 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Notes to Financial Statements
(1) Description of the Plan
The following description of United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan (the “Plan”) provides only general information. Participants should refer to the Plan agreement for a more complete description of the Plan’s provisions.
General
The Plan is a defined contribution plan, and was formed to provide benefits exclusively for the employees of United Community Banks, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”). Employees are eligible to participate in the Plan on the next immediate enrollment date following employment, but are eligible to participate in the matching portion after the completion of one year of service with the Company. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
Contributions
Employees of the Company participating in the Plan are entitled to make pre-tax contributions to the Plan in amounts from 2% to 30% of their annual compensation. The Company’s matching contribution is up to 5% of a participant’s annual compensation for those who have completed at least one year of service and have elected to make deferred contributions. The Company may also make an additional discretionary contribution in any Plan year. Contributions are subject to certain limitations.
Vesting
Participants are immediately vested in their voluntary contributions to the Plan. Participants vest in the Company’s contributions according to the following schedule:
|
Vested |
Less than |
1 |
0 |
% |
2 |
33 |
% |
|
3 |
66 |
% |
|
3 or more |
100 |
% |
Participants automatically become 100% vested upon death or disability while still an active employee of the Company. Upon termination of employment, amounts not vested will be forfeited with such forfeitures reducing future employer matching or profit sharing contributions. Forfeitures during 2002 totaled $27,614.
Payment of Benefits
Upon retirement, a participant is entitled to receive 100% of his vested account balance in a lump-sum distribution or periodic payments over a predetermined period. Upon the death of a participant, the designated beneficiary is entitled to receive 100% of the participant’s account in a lump-sum distribution or periodic payments over a predetermined period. In addition, disabled participants are entitled to 100% of their account balance. Plan participants who are terminated for reasons other than retirement, death or disability are entitled to receive only the vested portion of their account. The Plan also allows for certain hardship withdrawals prior to termination of employment.
Administrative Expenses
Administrative expenses of the Plan are absorbed by the Company.
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Notes to Financial Statements, continued
(1) Description of the Plan, continued
Plan Termination
Although it has not expressed any intent to do so, the Company has the right under the Plan to discontinue its contributions at any time and to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA. The participants affected by the termination or discontinuance of contributions will immediately become 100% vested in their accounts.
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Accounting
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting and present the net assets available for benefits and changes in those assets of the Plan. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of net assets available for plan benefits and changes therein, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Accordingly, actual results may differ from those estimates.
Investment Valuation
The Plan’s investments are stated at fair value. The Company’s common stock at December 31, 2001 had no quoted market price and its value was based on independent appraisals. During 2002, the Company’s stock commenced trading on the NASDAQ exchange, and the value of UCBI stock at December 31, 2002 is based on a quoted market price. Investments in mutual funds are valued at fair value based on quoted market prices of the underlying fund securities.
The Plan provides for investments in various investment securities, which are exposed to various risks such as interest rate, credit and overall market volatility risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect the amounts reported in the statements of net assets available for benefits.
The net gain/(loss) from investment activity includes realized and unrealized gains and losses from investment activity as well as earnings on investments. Unrealized gains/(losses) are calculated as the difference between the current value of securities as of the end of the plan year and either the current value at the end of the preceding year or the actual cost if such investments were purchased during the current year. Realized gains or losses on sales of investments are calculated as the difference between sales proceeds and the current value of investments at the beginning of the year or the actual cost if such investments were purchased during the year. Earnings on investments include interest and dividends received on the Company’s common stock and mutual fund shares.
Securities transactions are recorded on the trade date. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.
(3) Merged Plans
During 2001, the Dawson County Bank Section 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and the Brintech, Inc. 401(k) and Profit Sharing Plan were merged into the Plan. Plan assets approximating $713,000 were transferred into the Plan as a result of the mergers. No such plans were merged during 2002.
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Notes to Financial Statements, continued
(4) Investments
The following table represents investments at December 31, 2002 and 2001
2002 |
2001 |
|||
Cash |
$ |
166,801 |
21,673 |
|
United Community Banks, Inc. Common Stock (491,313 and |
||||
476,636 shares at December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively) |
$ |
11,973,298 |
9,056,084 |
|
INTRUST Funds: |
||||
AI Money Market |
$ |
1,132,961 |
647,371 |
|
Federated - U.S. Treasury Cash Reserves Fund |
884 |
24,344 |
||
AI Nestegg 2040 Fund |
2,525,558 |
2,421,772 |
||
AI Nestegg 2030 Fund |
2,497,343 |
2,507,556 |
||
AI Nestegg 2020 Fund |
6,051,818 |
6,228,197 |
||
AI Nestegg 2010 Fund |
2,388,601 |
2,321,682 |
||
AI Nestegg Capital Preservation Fund |
||||
(formerly Nestegg 2000 Fund) |
1,249,708 |
1,377,874 |
||
American Independence International Multi-Manager |
||||
Stock Fund |
82,211 |
68,761 |
||
Baron Growth Fund |
14,399 |
- |
||
Federated Stock Trust Fund |
555,749 |
393,478 |
||
Federated Max-Cap Fund |
413,693 |
230,214 |
||
Franklin Strategic Small MIDCAP Growth Fund |
229,169 |
153,677 |
||
Janus Growth & Income Fund |
342,750 |
- |
||
MSIF MIDCAP Value Advisor Fund |
141,184 |
96,574 |
||
Putnam New Opportunities Fund |
- |
244,021 |
||
Royce Fund |
12,030 |
- |
||
Pimco Total Return Bond Fund |
986,306 |
677,782 |
||
Total INTRUST Funds |
$ |
18,624,364 |
17,393,303 |
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Notes to Financial Statements, continued
(4) Investments, continued
During 2002, the Plan’s investments (including investments bought, sold, and held during the year) depreciated in value by $121,036 as detailed below:
Net Change in Fair Value |
|
Year Ended |
|
December 31, 2002 |
|
Investments at Fair Value as Determined by Quoted Market Price |
Mutual Funds |
$ |
(2,707,480) |
United Community Banks, Inc. Common Stock |
2,586,444 |
|
Net change in Fair Value |
$ |
(121,036) |
(5) Tax Status
The Plan obtained its latest determination letter on October 4, 2002, in which the Internal Revenue Service stated that the Plan, as then designed, was in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”). The Plan sponsor and the Plan’s tax counsel believe the Plan is currently designed and being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the IRC. Therefore, no provision for income taxes has been included in the Plan’s financial statements.
(6) Change In Trustee
As of February 1, 2001, the Plan changed the trustee of the plan from United Community Banks, Inc. Trust Department to INTRUST Bank, N.A. At January 31, 2001, substantially all plan assets were transferred to INTRUST Bank, N.A.
(7) Party-In-Interest Transactions
The Plan received cash dividends of $441,870 on its investment in United Community Banks, Inc. common stock during 2002.
(8) Subsequent Event
In 2003, the First Central Bank Retirement Savings Plan and the First Georgia Bank, FSB 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan were approved by the Board of Directors to be merged into the Plan.
UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC. PROFIT SHARING PLAN
Schedule of Assets Held for Investment Purposes
December 31, 2002
Employer Identification Number: 58-0554454
Plan Number: 001
(a) |
Identity of issuer or |
|
|
Fair |
* United Community Banks, Inc. |
Common Stock - 491,313 shares |
N/A |
$11,973,298 |
|
INTRUST |
AI Money Market - 1,132,961 shares |
N/A |
1,132,961 |
|
INTRUST |
AI Federated - U.S. Treasury |
|||
Cash Reserves - 884 shares |
N/A |
884 |
||
AI Nest Egg 2040 - 343,146 shares |
N/A |
2,525,558 |
||
INTRUST |
AI Nest Egg 2030 - 318,539 shares |
N/A |
2,497,343 |
|
INTRUST |
AI Nest Egg 2020 - 733,554 shares |
N/A |
6,051,818 |
|
INTRUST |
AI Nest Egg 2010 - 265,695 shares |
N/A |
2,388,601 |
|
INTRUST |
AI Nest Egg Capital Preservation - |
|
1,249,708 |
|
INTRUST |
AI International Multi-Money Manager |
|||
Stock Fund - 9,989 shares |
N/A |
82,211 |
||
INTRUST |
Baron Growth Fund - 535 shares |
N/A |
14,399 |
|
INTRUST |
Federated Stock Trust - 20,447 shares |
N/A |
555,749 |
|
INTRUST |
Federated Max-Cap - 23,202 shares |
N/A |
413,693 |
|
INTRUST |
Franklin Strategic Small Mid-Cap Growth |
|
229,169 |
|
INTRUST |
Janus Growth & Income Fund - 14,685 shares |
N/A |
342,750 |
|
INTRUST |
MSIF MIDCAP Value Advisor - 9,777 shares |
N/A |
141,184 |
|
INTRUST |
Royce Fund - 1,234 shares |
N/A |
12,030 |
|
INTRUST |
Pimco Total Return Bond - 92,437 shares |
N/A |
986,306 |
* Party in interest
N/A - Due to Plan being fully participant directed, such values are not applicable.
SIGNATURE
The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
United Community Banks, Inc.
Profit Sharing Plan
By : /s/ John Goff
Title : Vice President and Trust Officer INTRUST BANK, N.A.
Date : June 27, 2003
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
Description |
23 | Consent of Certified Public Accountants |
99.1 | Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
Exhibit 23
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form S-8 File Number 333-86876) pertaining to the United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan of our report dated June 6, 2003, with respect to the financial statements of the United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan included in this Annual Report (Form 11-K) for the year ended December 31, 2002.
/s/ Porter Keadle Moore, LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
June 30, 2003
Exhibit 99.1
In connection with the Annual Report of United Community Banks, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan (the "Plan") on Form 11-K for the period ending December 31, 2002 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the "Report"), I, Jimmy C. Tallent, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Community Banks, Inc. ("United"), and I, Rex S. Schuette, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S. C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that:
(1) | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and | |
(2) | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits and changes in net assets available for benefits of the Plan. |
By: | /s/ Jimmy C. Tallent Jimmy C. Tallent President and Chief Executive Officer |
By: | /s/ Rex S. Schuette Rex S. Schuette Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |