First Security in Tennessee Completes Rights Offering

First Security Group (FSGI) in Chattanooga, Tenn., has completed a $5 million rights offering.

The offering followed the $1.1 billion-asset company's April recapitalization, in which it raised $91.1 million from institutional and other accredited investors. First Security exchanged about 9.9 million shares of common stock for the preferred shares it originally issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Treasury then sold the common stock to investors at $1.50 a share. First Security also issued an additional 50.8 million shares of common stock to investors.

As part of the recapitalization, First Security gave shareholders the right to buy two shares of common stock for every share owned as of April 10, as well as the opportunity to request additional shares if available. The company ultimately sold 3.3 million shares of common stock at $1.50 a share for a total of about $5 million.

The rights offering, which was oversubscribed, is expected to close by the end of September.

"As the final component of the recapitalization, we are very grateful for the positive response from our legacy shareholders," First Security president and chief executive Michael Kramer said in a Wednesday press release. "With requests totaling over 150% of the maximum size of the offering, we believe that this is another vote of confidence for our markets, our business plan, and our people."

First Security plans to use the proceeds to bolster the capital ratio of its once-critically undercapitalized banking unit, FSGBank. It had a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 7.5% and total risk-based capital of 14% as of June 30.