---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001157523-23-000005"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: null
cik: "0000947559"
company_name: "FIRST BANCSHARES INC /MS/"
filed_at: "2023-01-03T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-06-20T21:16:18.786167+00:00"
event_type: "m_and_a"
sentiment: "positive"
materiality_score: 0.9
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.9
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# First Bancshares completes Heritage Southeast acquisition; issues ~6.92M shares, $7.9B assets

## Summary
- Acquisition effective Jan 1, 2023; HSBI shareholders receive 0.965 FBMS shares per HSBI share.
- FBMS issued up to ~6.92 million shares of common stock to complete the merger.
- Combined entity: $7.9B total assets, $6.9B deposits, $5.0B loans.
- The First Bank now operates 114 locations across MS, LA, AL, FL, and GA.
- Heritage Southeast Bank merged into The First Bank as surviving bank; both management teams combined.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001157523-23-000005
- form_type: 8-K
- cik: 0000947559
- company_name: FIRST BANCSHARES INC /MS/
- filed_at: 2023-01-03T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: m_and_a
- sentiment: positive
- materiality_score: 0.9
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.9
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 2.01, 8.01, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947559/000115752323000005/0001157523-23-000005-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947559/000115752323000005/a53155887.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001157523-23-000005
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001157523-23-000005.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001157523-23-000005.txt

## Key facts
- M&A Transactions
  FIRST BANCSHARES INC /MS/ completed an acquisition involving Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc. (closed 2023-01-01).
  - Action: acquisition
  - Counterparty: Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc.
  - Closing: 2023-01-01
  source text: Effective January 1, 2023, The First Bancshares, Inc., a Mississippi corporation (the “Company”) completed its previously announced merger (the “Merger”) with Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc., a Georgia corporation (“HSBI”) pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between FBMS and HSBI, dated as July 27, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”).
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947559/000115752323000005/0001157523-23-000005-index.htm

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.