Financial Services Acquisitions in Georgia

Carson Group has fully acquired its Carson Wealth location in Milton, Georgia, bringing the Milton, Atlanta and Dunwoody offices under a wholly owned structure. The move is intended to deepen Carson Group’s regional footprint in Georgia, expand client access to tax planning and private client services, and support advisor succession and future acquisitions across the Southeast.

First Community Corporation (Nasdaq: FCCO) closed its acquisition of Signature Bank of Georgia effective January 8, 2026, merging Signature Bank into First Community Bank. The deal, valued at approximately $50.0 million as of December 31, 2025, expands First Community’s branch network and market presence in the Midlands, Upstate and Piedmont regions of South Carolina and the Atlanta and Central Savannah River areas of Georgia while adding SBA/USDA lending capabilities.

PROG Holdings, the fintech holding company behind Progressive Leasing, has completed its acquisition of Atlanta-based Purchasing Power for $420 million in cash. Purchasing Power, a voluntary employee benefits provider that enables payroll-deduction purchases for employees, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary to expand PROG's employer-channel reach and financial wellness offerings.

Pinnacle Financial Partners completed its merger with Synovus Financial Corp., creating a combined regional bank holding company with approximately $117.2 billion in pro forma assets. The merged organization will operate more than 400 locations across nine states, serve clients under both the Pinnacle and Synovus brands during integration, and will trade on the NYSE under the ticker PNFP.

MetroCity Bankshares, Inc. (MetroCity) completed its acquisition of First IC Corporation, the parent of First IC Bank, effective December 1, 2025. The deal combines two Doraville, Georgia-based banks and expands MetroCity's scale to approximately $4.8 billion in assets, 30 branches and operations across eight states.

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC (a subsidiary of OneDigital) has acquired Signature Wealth Management Group (SWMG), a nine-person Atlanta-based wealth and retirement advisory firm that manages nearly 2,000 accounts. The deal expands OneDigital’s financial services capabilities in the South, strengthens its Atlanta presence, and integrates SWMG into OneDigital’s national platform; SWMG was represented by FP Transitions in the transaction.

EdgeCo Holdings LP has acquired ERISApedia and will integrate its products into the AmericanTCS PensionPro business unit to expand compliance and prospecting capabilities for plan sponsors, TPAs and retirement advisors. The deal, which involves ERISApedia owner Tim McCutcheon, furthers EdgeCo/AmericanTCS's strategy of expanding its retirement services offering.

Cadence Bank announced the completion of its previously announced merger with FCB Financial Corp., the bank holding company for Savannah, Georgia-based First Chatham Bank. The deal expands Cadence's presence in Savannah and Coastal Georgia and brings longtime First Chatham leader Ken Farrell into an important Cadence leadership role in Savannah.

GCG Advisory Partners LLC has acquired First Fidelity Financial Group of Atlanta, a boutique financial advisory firm managing over $170 million in client assets. The deal expands GCG AP’s Atlanta footprint (adding ~ $400M+ in local client assets toward its ~$2.9B AUM) and brings the First Fidelity advisors into an equity partnership with GCG while maintaining client experience and platform relationships (notably with Osaic).

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Gallagher) acquired Sheila J. Butler & Company (SJB), an employee benefits brokerage based in Carrollton, Georgia. The SJB team will remain in place and integrate under Gallagher’s Southeast region employee benefits consulting operations to bolster Gallagher’s benefits consulting capabilities and footprint in Georgia; terms were not disclosed.

Foundation Source has acquired Vennfi, a financial-technology firm that powers the Charityvest donor-advised fund (DAF) platform. The acquisition adds turnkey DAF and workplace-giving capabilities to Foundation Source's suite of philanthropic software and services and will see Vennfi's management join Foundation Source to accelerate product deployment across wealth management and employer channels.

GCG Advisory Partners LLC has acquired Infinity Financial Partners LLC, a financial advisory firm managing over $230 million in client assets, adding a key office in the Atlanta area. The deal expands GCG AP’s total managed assets to more than $2.5 billion and strengthens its wealth-management capabilities, particularly in tax advice and succession planning.

OCMBC, Inc. completed the acquisition of HomeStar Financial Corporation, closing the deal on August 29, 2024. The deal expands OCMBC’s nationwide mortgage origination and servicing capabilities by adding HomeStar’s licensed mortgage banking operations based in Gainesville, Georgia.

Waverly Advisors, a fee-only RIA backed by Wealth Partners Capital Group and HGGC’s Aspire platform, has acquired Derbend Asset Management of Peachtree City, Georgia. The deal closed May 17, 2024, brings roughly $310 million of AUM onto Waverly's platform as its 20th office and increases Waverly's total AUM to approximately $11.9 billion.

United Bankshares, Inc. (UBSI) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Piedmont Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of The Piedmont Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $267 million. The deal will add Piedmont's ~16 Atlanta-area branches and ~$2.1 billion in assets to United's franchise, expanding United's footprint in the greater Atlanta market and increasing its presence across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

Atlanta-based RIA BIP Wealth has signed an agreement to acquire The Money Advisor Group (TMAG), a Columbus, Georgia-based registered investment advisor that manages roughly $300 million in client assets. The deal, which closes May 22, 2024, expands BIP's geographic footprint into West Central Georgia and East Alabama and gives TMAG clients access to BIP's private market investment solutions and advanced planning capabilities.

BharCap Partners, a Greenwich, Connecticut-based private investment firm, has acquired Red Oak Inventory Finance in a carve-out transaction from ECN Capital. Red Oak is a U.S. commercial lender that provides floorplan and inventory financing solutions to manufacturers and dealers across the RV, marine and trailer industries; BharCap said the deal will combine Red Oak's market relationships with BharCap's financial services expertise to support growth and product innovation.

Delta Data, a Terminus Capital Partners company, acquired Phoenix Systems Inc., a fintech provider of global mutual fund transfer agent, sub-accounting and trading software. The deal expands Delta Data’s product capabilities into fund trading and record-keeping and accelerates its international footprint across Europe, Australia, the Caribbean and Canada.

Savant Wealth Management has acquired Atlanta-based Capital Directions, a registered investment adviser with approximately $3.3 billion in AUM and about 25 employees. The deal expands Savant's footprint (to 10 states and 26 offices) and strengthens its TAMP and retirement plan services; members of Capital Directions' ownership team will become significant equity owners in Savant.

MCAP Inc. acquired the QwickBonds trading platform from Monroe Financial Partners, Inc. and its affiliate QwickRate, LLC. The deal adds a fixed-income trading marketplace and related application software to MCAP’s fintech product suite, expanding its capabilities and distribution to community banks, credit unions and institutional investors.

Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (Mercer Advisors) has acquired Resource Planning Group, Ltd. (RPG), a comprehensive wealth management firm based in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The entire RPG team will join Mercer, expanding Mercer's Southeast presence and providing succession/business continuity for RPG's founders and clients (RPG manages roughly $325 million AUM across 330+ clients).

WA Asset Management (WAAM), a Birmingham-based registered investment adviser, has acquired BT Wealth Management (BTWM), the wealth management division of Bennett Thrasher, LLP. The deal brings BTWM's 14-person team and approximately $1 billion in AUM into WAAM and establishes a strategic foothold for WAAM in Georgia (Atlanta and Savannah) to support further regional growth.

StoicLane, a Chicago-based long-term growth platform focused on digitizing finance, insurance and real estate verticals, has acquired Triserv Appraisal Management Solutions, a nationwide appraisal management company serving banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers. StoicLane will provide capital, operational expertise and technology to accelerate Triserv's growth; the deal is the third investment by StoicLane's mortgage services affiliate.

Simplicity Group has acquired Georgia-based Buckhead Brokerage Group and welcomed its founder, Forrest Mitchell, as a new partner. The acquisition brings Buckhead’s insurance brokerage and underwriting expertise into Simplicity’s distribution partnership to expand capabilities and service offerings for independent advisors and their clients.

Venbrook Group, a Los Angeles-based insurance distribution and services holding company, acquired Alpharetta Underwriters, a specialty Managing General Agent (MGA) in Alpharetta, Georgia that provides Excess & Surplus (E&S) solutions for construction risks. The deal expands Venbrook's portfolio of E&S programs and strengthens its specialty underwriting capabilities for construction and contractor risks.

The Simplicity Group acquired Atlanta-based Keystone Benefit Group, a specialist executive benefit consulting firm focused on tax-exempt and healthcare organizations. With the closing (announced October 21, 2021), Keystone principals David Falkenstein, Jeff Milstead and Michael Falkenstein join Simplicity as partners as Keystone becomes the 31st company in the Simplicity group.

New Mountain Capital (via New Mountain Strategic Equity I, L.P.) has made a minority growth investment in Atlanta-based wealth management firm Homrich Berg to support ownership succession and accelerate the firm's growth and capability expansion. Homrich Berg’s founders and current owners retain majority ownership and will continue to operate the independent, fee-only RIA focused on high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions.

CoastalSouth Bancshares, parent of Coastal States Bank, completed the acquisition of Cornerstone Bancshares, the parent of Cornerstone Bank, expanding Coastal States Bank's presence in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The deal increases CSB's deposit footprint in Atlanta to over $550 million and brings Cornerstone's three Atlanta branches and client base into CSB's community banking platform.

VyStar Credit Union signed a Definitive Purchase and Assumption Agreement to acquire Heritage Southeast Bank (HSB), a state-chartered bank headquartered in Jonesboro, Georgia. The deal will expand VyStar's branch network and membership in Georgia and is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, bringing VyStar's assets to approximately $12.5 billion when finalized.

Merit Financial Group, a hybrid RIA based in Alpharetta, Georgia, received a strategic growth investment from Wealth Partners Capital Group (WPCG) and a group of supporting investors led by private equity firm HGGC. The capital and partnership will support Merit's organic growth and accelerate its M&A strategy to expand its national footprint and advisor partnerships; Merit's management entered into long-term employment agreements and the deal closed December 31, 2020.

Creative Planning Inc. has acquired Atlanta-based Registered Investment Adviser TrueWealth, which manages approximately $1.6 billion in assets. The deal expands Creative Planning's presence in Atlanta and adds TrueWealth's team of advisors and client relationships to Creative's national wealth management platform.

Palladium Equity Partners has completed the sale of the parent company of DolEx Dollar Express, Inc. to a group of investors that includes company management. DolEx, a Duluth, Georgia-based provider of remittance and retail financial services operating roughly 525 branches and over 2,700 agent locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Europe, was sold with terms undisclosed; Stephens Inc. advised DolEx while Advanced Capital Partners advised the acquiring investors.

Vital Recovery Services (VRS), a Fusion BPO Group company, has acquired the client portfolio of Nations Recovery Center (NRC). The deal transfers NRC's debt-collection clients across banking, commercial, medical and retail sectors to VRS as part of VRS/Fusion's ongoing growth-through-acquisition strategy.

Investment funds affiliated with Lightyear Capital and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan agreed to acquire Lendmark Financial Services from private equity funds managed by The Blackstone Group. The senior management team will remain in leadership and as shareholders; the transaction was expected to close in H2 2019 subject to regulatory approvals.

Bonaccord Capital Partners (a division of Aberdeen Standard Investments) acquired a passive, non-voting minority stake in MSouth Equity Partners to provide capital supporting the firm’s future growth and strategic initiatives. Terms were not disclosed; the investment is intended as a long-term, non-control partnership and BCP will not participate in MSouth’s operating or investment decisions.

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), the middle-market agency subsidiary of Marsh, signed a definitive agreement to acquire J. Smith Lanier & Co. (JSL). JSL will operate as MMA's Southeast regional hub, with all ~600 employees joining MMA; the deal (terms undisclosed) was expected to close in Q1 2017.