{"schema_version":"secwatch.filing_event.v1","accession":"0001104659-26-026781","form_type":"8-K","ticker":"ESQ","cik":"0001531031","company_name":"Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.","filed_at":"2026-03-12T23:59:59+00:00","discovered_at":"2026-05-14T18:02:35.349986+00:00","generated_at":"2026-05-15T13:17:06.848280+00:00","sec_items":["1.01","8.01","9.01"],"event_type":"m_and_a","sentiment":"positive","materiality_score":0.85,"calibrated_materiality_score":0.85,"confidence":"high","headline":"Esquire Financial to acquire Signature Bancorporation in all-stock merger","bullets":["Each Signature share will convert into 2.630 shares of ESQ common stock, adjustable between 2.50 and 2.80.","Signature termination fee of $15.0 million under certain circumstances.","Two Signature directors (Michael O’Rourke and Leonard Caronia) to join Esquire's board post-closing.","Signature executives enter 3-year lock-up agreements restricting share sales; voting agreements with directors and officers.","Transaction approved by both boards; subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, expected Nasdaq listing of ESQ shares."],"urls":{"canonical":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-026781","json":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-026781.json","markdown":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-026781.md","text":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-026781.txt","edgar_index":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1531031/000110465926026781/0001104659-26-026781-index.htm","edgar_primary_document":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1531031/000110465926026781/tm268605d1_8k.htm"},"model":{"generated_by":"deepseek-v4-flash:cloud@v2","generated_at":"2026-05-15T13:17:06.848280+00:00"},"review":{"review_status":"machine_generated","human_reviewed":false,"corrected":false,"correction_note":null,"correction_timestamp":null,"superseded_by":null,"related_filings":[]},"source_grounded_claims":[{"claim_id":"ca220e9294cac855ba434412c0edf53d0fb181b8","claim":"Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. entered into Agreement and Plan of Merger with Signature Bancorporation, Inc. (effective 2026-03-11).","evidence_excerpt":"On March 11, 2026, Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Esquire”), Esquire Merger Sub, Inc., a Maryland corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Esquire (“Merger Sub”), and Signature Bancorporation, Inc., an Illinois corporation (“Signature”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”).","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 1.01/1.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1531031/000110465926026781/0001104659-26-026781-index.htm","confidence":0.9,"family_label":"Material Agreements","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"entry"},{"label":"Agreement","value":"merger"},{"label":"Counterparty","value":"Signature Bancorporation, Inc."},{"label":"Effective","value":"2026-03-11"}],"fact_type":"material_agreement"}],"license":"Source filings: public domain (SEC EDGAR). Summaries (headline + bullets): CC-BY-4.0; attribute https://secwatch.observer"}