Amendment 1 to Form S-4
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2014

Registration No. 333-197556

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 1

to

FORM S-4

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

INDEPENDENT BANK GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Texas   6022   13-4219346

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

(972) 562-9004

(Address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Mr. David R. Brooks

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

(972) 562-9004

(Name, address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Joseph A. Hoffman, Esq.

Dudley Murrey, Esq.

Andrews Kurth LLP

1717 Main Street, Suite 3700

Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 659-4593

 

Mark Haynie, Esq.

Haynie Rake Repass & Lowry, P.C.

14643 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550

Dallas, Texas 75254

(972) 716-1855

 

T. Alan Harris, Esq.

Harris Law Firm PC

600 Congress Avenue, Suite 200

Austin, Texas 78701

(512) 732-7377

   

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the securities to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective and all other conditions to the proposed merger described herein have been satisfied or waived.

If the securities being registered on this form are to be offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box:  ¨

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering:  ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering:  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a nonaccelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨      Accelerated filer   ¨
Non accelerated filer   x  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)   Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES, INC.

11390 Veterans Memorial Drive

Houston, Texas 77067

August 11, 2014

Dear Shareholder:

We cordially invite you to attend a special meeting of the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares, Inc. to be held on September 10, 2014 at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, at the offices of Houston Community Bank, N.A., 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067.

At the special meeting we will be voting on the reorganization agreement providing for the acquisition by merger of Houston City Bancshares by Independent Bank Group, Inc.

Enclosed is a notice of the special meeting and a joint proxy statement/prospectus of Houston City Bancshares and Independent Bank Group. I encourage you to review these materials carefully and to contact me if you have any questions prior to the meeting.

As the materials describe, you are requested to complete and mail the enclosed proxy card to us in the enclosed postage paid envelope whether or not you plan to attend the meeting. The proxy can be rescinded at the meeting or any time before the meeting if you so choose.

We appreciate your support of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Sincerely,

W. Phillip Johnson, Jr.

Chairman of the Board


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The information in this proxy statement/prospectus is not complete and may be changed. Independent may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This proxy statement/prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting to buy these securities, in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED AUGUST 5, 2014

HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES, INC.

MERGER PROPOSED—YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT

 

 

You are cordially invited to attend the special meeting of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares, Inc., or Houston City Bancshares, to be held on September 10, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, at the offices of Houston Community Bank, 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067. At this important special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote on the approval of a reorganization agreement and related agreement and plan of merger, which provide for the acquisition of Houston City Bancshares by Independent Bank Group, Inc., or Independent, through certain merger transactions. You may also be asked to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines such and adjournment is necessary.

Under the terms of the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares shareholders would receive $86.96 per share for each outstanding share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own, with 35% of the consideration payable in cash and 65% of the consideration payable in shares of Independent common stock, subject to a potential downward adjustment to the cash consideration if the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date is below $24 million. If the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares, which was $27.33 million at June 30, 2014, is $7.2 million or less on the closing date, and if the transaction still received bank regulatory approval and was consummated, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would not receive any cash consideration and only $56.52 of shares of Independent common stock. The exchange ratio for the stock consideration would be set three days prior to the closing utilizing the volume-weighted average share price of Independent common stock over a ten day trading period. The amount of total consideration to be paid by Independent is valued at approximately $48 million. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger.”

Independent’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Global Select Market System, or NASDAQ Global Select Market, under the symbol “IBTX.” The closing price of Independent’s common stock on July 31, 2014, was $48.01 per share. Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014, of $48.01, upon completion of the merger, shareholders of Houston City Bancshares would receive approximately 1.1773 shares of Independent common stock plus $30.44 in cash for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please take the time to vote by completing and mailing the enclosed proxy card to Houston City Bancshares. We cannot complete the merger unless we obtain the necessary government approvals and unless the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding on August 5, 2014, the record date for the special meeting, approve the reorganization agreement. The board of directors of Houston City Bancshares unanimously supports the merger and recommends that you vote in favor of the reorganization agreement and the related agreement and plan of merger.

The accompanying proxy statement/prospectus contains a more complete description of the special meeting and the terms of the reorganization agreement and the acquisition of Houston City Bancshares. In addition to being a proxy statement of Houston City Bancshares, this document is the prospectus of Independent for the shares of its common stock that will be issued in connection with the transaction. We urge you to review this entire document carefully, including the considerations discussed under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 30, and the appendices to the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus, which include the reorganization agreement and the related agreement and plan of merger. You may also obtain information about Independent from documents that Independent has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.

Based on our reasons for the merger described in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus, including the fairness opinion issued by our financial advisor, Hovde Group, LLC, or Hovde Group, our board of directors believes that the transaction is fair to you from a financial point of view and is in your best interests. Accordingly, our board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” approval of the reorganization agreement and the related agreement and plan of merger.

We appreciate your continuing loyalty and support, and we look forward to seeing you at the special meeting.

W. Phillip Johnson, Jr.

Chairman of the Board, Houston City Bancshares, Inc.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued under this proxy statement/prospectus or determined if this proxy statement/prospectus is accurate or adequate. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The securities that Independent is offering through this document are not savings or deposit accounts or other obligations of any bank or nonbank subsidiary of either of our companies, and they are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.

Proxy statement/prospectus dated August 7, 2014

and first mailed to shareholders of Houston City Bancshares on or about August 11, 2014


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HOW TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Certain business and financial information about Independent included in documents filed with the SEC has not been included in or delivered with this document. This information is described on page 104 under “Where You Can Find More Information.” You can obtain free copies of this information by writing or calling:

Independent Bank Group, Inc.

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

Attention: Michelle S. Hickox

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(972) 562-9004

To obtain timely delivery of the documents before the special meeting of Houston City Bancshares, you must request the information by September 2, 2014.

In addition, if you have questions about the merger or the special meeting, need additional copies of this proxy statement/prospectus or need to obtain proxy cards or other information related to the proxy solicitation, you may contact W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., Houston City Bancshares’ Chairman of the Board, at the following address or by calling the following telephone number:

Houston City Bancshares, Inc.

11390 Veterans Memorial Drive

Houston, Texas 77067

(281) 537-7200

Houston City Bancshares does not have a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, is not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and accordingly does not file documents or reports with the SEC.

PLEASE NOTE

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than the information included in this document and the documents to which we refer you. If someone provides you with other information, please do not rely on it as being authorized by us.

This proxy statement/prospectus has been prepared as of August 7, 2014. There may be changes in the affairs of Houston City Bancshares or Independent since that date, which are not reflected in this document.


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Houston City Bancshares, Inc.

11390 Veterans Memorial Drive

Houston, Texas 77067

(281) 537-7200

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares:

The special meeting of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will be held on September 10, 2014 at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, at the offices of Houston Community Bank, N.A., 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067, for the following purposes:

1. To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of June 2, 2014, by and between Independent Bank Group, Inc., or Independent, and Houston City Bancshares, Inc., or Houston City Bancshares, and the related Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and between IBGHCB Acquisition Corporation, or IBGHCB, and Houston City Bancshares and joined in by Independent or, collectively, the reorganization agreement, pursuant to which IBGHCB (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent) will merge with and into Houston City Bancshares, all on and subject to the terms and conditions contained therein; and

2. To consider and vote upon any proposal to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines such an adjournment is necessary to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

No other business may be conducted at the special meeting.

Only holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock of record as of 5:00 p.m., on August 5, 2014, will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting and any adjournments thereof. The special meeting may be adjourned from time to time upon approval of holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock without any notice other than by announcement at the meeting of the adjournment thereof, and any and all business for which notice is hereby given may be transacted at such adjourned meeting.

Holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock have the right to dissent from the merger and obtain payment in cash of the appraised fair value of their shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock under applicable provisions of the Texas Business Organizations Code, or TBOC. In order for such a shareholder of Houston City Bancshares to perfect his or her right to dissent, the shareholder must carefully follow the procedure set forth in the TBOC. A copy of the applicable statutory provisions of the TBOC is included as Appendix C to the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus and a summary of these provisions can be found under the caption “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders.”

If you have any questions concerning the merger or the proxy statement/prospectus, would like additional copies of the proxy statement/prospectus or need help voting your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, please contact W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., Houston City Bancshares’ Chairman of the Board, at (281) 537-7200.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

W. Phillip Johnson, Jr.

Chairman of the Board

Houston, Texas

August 7, 2014

The board of directors of Houston City Bancshares unanimously recommends that you vote FOR the proposals to approve the reorganization agreement and any adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary, among other things, to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

Your Vote is Very Important

A proxy card is enclosed. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, please complete, sign and date the proxy card and promptly mail it in the enclosed envelope. You may revoke your proxy card in the manner described in the proxy statement/prospectus at any time before it is exercised. If you attend the special meeting, you may vote in person if you desire, even if you have previously returned your proxy card.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE SPECIAL MEETING

     1   

SUMMARY

     8   

The Companies

     8   

Proposed Merger

     8   

Terms of the Merger

     9   

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger

     10   

Fairness Opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ Financial Advisor

     10   

Independent Plans to Continue Payment of Quarterly Dividends

     11   

Ownership of Independent Common Stock After the Merger

     11   

Market Prices of Independent Common Stock

     11   

Special Meeting

     11   

Record Date Set at August 5, 2014; Two-Thirds Shareholder Vote Required to Approve the Reorganization Agreement

     12   

Recommendation of Houston City Bancshares Board and Its Reasons for the Merger

     12   

Certain Shareholders of Houston City Bancshares are Expected to Vote Their Shares For Approval of the Reorganization Agreement

     12   

Effective Time of the Merger

     12   

Exchange of Houston City Bancshares Stock Certificates

     13   

Conditions to Completion of the Merger

     13   

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

     14   

Amendments or Waiver of the Reorganization Agreement

     15   

No Solicitation

     15   

Termination of the Reorganization Agreement

     15   

Termination Fee and Expense Reimbursements

     17   

Financial Interests of Directors and Officers of Houston City Bancshares in the Merger

     17   

Comparison of Rights of Shareholders of Houston City Bancshares and Independent

     18   

Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders

     18   

Selected Financial Information of Independent

     19   

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

     23   

Selected Financial Information of Houston City Bancshares

     23   

Comparative Stock Prices

     26   

Dividends

     27   

Recent Developments

     28   

RISK FACTORS

     30   

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     35   

GENERAL INFORMATION

     38   

THE SPECIAL MEETING

     38   

Date, Place and Time of the Special Meeting

     38   

Matters to be Considered

     38   

Recommendation of the Houston City Bancshares Board of Directors

     38   

Houston City Bancshares Record Date; Shareholders Entitled to Vote

     39   

Voting by Houston City Bancshares’ Directors and Executive Officers Subject to the Voting Agreement

     39   

Quorum and Adjournment

     39   

Required Vote

     40   

Voting of Proxies by Holders of Record

     40   

 

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Attending the Meeting; Voting in Person

     41   

Revocation of Proxies

     41   

Tabulation of Votes

     41   

Solicitation of Proxies

     41   

Adjournments

     42   

Questions and Additional Information

     42   

PROPOSAL TO APPROVE THE REORGANIZATION AGREEMENT (Proposal One)

     42   

Terms of the Merger

     42   

Treatment of Shares of Houston City Bancshares Common Stock

     45   

Background of the Merger

     46   

Recommendation of Houston City Bancshares Board and Its Reasons for the Merger

     48   

Fairness Opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ Financial Advisor

     49   

Exchange of Houston City Bancshares Stock Certificates

     59   

Effective Time of the Merger

     59   

Conduct of Business Pending Effective Time

     60   

No Solicitation

     63   

Conditions to Completion of the Merger

     64   

Additional Agreements

     66   

Representations and Warranties of Houston City Bancshares and Independent

     70   

Amendments or Waiver of the Reorganization Agreement

     71   

Termination of the Reorganization Agreement

     72   

Termination Fee and Expense Reimbursements

     73   

Financial Interests of Directors and Officers of Houston City Bancshares in the Merger

     73   

Voting Agreement

     75   

NASDAQ Global Select Market Listing

     75   

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger

     75   

Accounting Treatment

     79   

Ownership of Independent Common Stock After the Merger

     80   

Restrictions on Resales of Independent Common Stock Received in the Merger

     80   

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

     80   

Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders

     81   

PROPOSAL TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING (Proposal Two)

     85   

BUSINESS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

     86   

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES COMMON STOCK BY MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

     88   

COMPARATIVE MARKET PRICES AND DIVIDEND DATA

     89   

Independent

     89   

Houston City Bancshares

     90   

DESCRIPTION OF INDEPENDENT CAPITAL STOCK

     93   

General

     93   

Independent Common Stock

     93   

Independent Preferred Stock

     94   

Independent Series A Preferred Stock

     94   

Business Combinations under Texas Law

     97   

Certain Certificate of Formation and Bylaw Provisions Potentially Having an Anti-takeover Effect

     98   

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

     98   

COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF SHAREHOLDERS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES AND INDEPENDENT

     99   

 

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EXPERTS

     104   

LEGAL MATTERS

     104   

OTHER MATTERS

     104   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     104   

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     106   

Appendix A—Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (including Exhibit A—Agreement and Plan of Merger)

     A-1   

Appendix B—Fairness Opinion of Hovde Group, LLC.

     B-1   

Appendix C—Rights of Dissenting Owners: Chapter 10, Subchapter H of the Texas Business Organizations Code

     C-1   

 

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE SPECIAL MEETING

The following are some questions that you may have regarding the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, or the reorganization agreement, dated as of June 2, 2014, by and between Independent Bank Group, Inc., or Independent, and Houston City Bancshares, Inc., or Houston City Bancshares, and the special meeting, and brief answers to those questions. Independent and Houston City Bancshares advise you to read carefully the remainder of this proxy statement/prospectus because the information contained in this section does not provide all of the information that might be important to you with respect to the merger and the special meeting. Additional important information is also referred to under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 104.

 

Q: Why am I receiving this proxy statement/prospectus?

 

A: Houston City Bancshares is sending these materials to its shareholders to help them decide how to vote their shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock with respect to the reorganization agreement and any other matter to be considered at the special meeting. This document constitutes both a proxy statement of Houston City Bancshares and a prospectus of Independent. It is a proxy statement because the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares is soliciting proxies from their shareholders using this document. It is a prospectus because Independent is offering shares of its common stock in exchange for outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock in the merger.

 

Q: What are Houston City Bancshares shareholders being asked to vote upon?

 

A: The board of directors Houston City Bancshares is proposing that Houston City Bancshares be acquired by Independent through certain merger transactions. As part of the overall transaction, the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock are being asked to consider and vote on the following two proposals:

 

    Proposal One: to approve the reorganization agreement and the related Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and between IBGHCB Acquisition Corporation, or IBGHCB, and Houston City Bancshares and joined by Independent or, collectively, the reorganization agreement, pursuant to which IBGHCB (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent) will merge with and into Houston City Bancshares; and

 

    Proposal Two: to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates, if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines such an adjournment is necessary to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

No other business may be conducted at the special meeting.

 

Q: What will happen in the merger?

 

A:

In the merger, IBGHCB will be merged with and into Houston City Bancshares, with Houston City Bancshares being the surviving entity. Immediately following the initial merger, Houston City Bancshares will be merged with and into Independent, with Independent being the surviving entity. Houston City Bancshares will cease to exist after the merger with Independent occurs. Immediately following the merger of Houston City Bancshares into Independent, Houston Community Bank, N.A., or Houston Community Bank, will be merged with and into Independent Bank, with Independent Bank being the surviving entity. Houston Community Bank will cease to exist after the merger with Independent Bank occurs. Houston Community Bank, a national bank, is a commercial bank with its headquarters in Houston, Texas, and is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Houston City Bancshares. Independent Bank is a commercial bank

 

 

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  headquartered in McKinney, Texas, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent. Upon the merger of IBGHCB with and into Houston City Bancshares, the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be converted into the right to receive the consideration described below. For ease of reference: (a) the merger of IBGHCB with and into Houston City Bancshares is referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus as the “initial merger;” (b) the merger of Houston City Bancshares with and into Independent is referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus as the “subsequent merger” and collectively with the initial merger, the “Independent merger;” (c) the merger of Houston Community Bank with and into Independent Bank is referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus as the “bank merger;” and (d) the initial merger, the subsequent merger and the bank merger together are referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus collectively as the “merger.”

 

Q. What is the aggregate amount of consideration to be paid by Independent in the transaction?

 

A: Under the terms of the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares shareholders would receive $86.96 per share for each outstanding share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own, subject to a potential downward adjustment based upon the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date, or the tangible book value adjustment, with 35% of the consideration payable in cash and 65% of the consideration payable in shares of Independent common stock. Based on 551,993 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding on July 31, 2014, the aggregate amount of total consideration to be paid by Independent is valued at approximately $48 million.

 

Q: What consideration will Houston City Bancshares shareholders receive as a result of the merger?

 

A: Holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be entitled to receive, for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock they own on the closing date, a cash amount equal to $30.44, or the per share cash consideration, subject to the tangible book value adjustment, and a number of shares of Independent common stock, or the per share stock consideration, equal to the quotient of (i) $56.52, divided by (ii) the average, determined to one-one hundredth of one cent, of the volume weighted sale price per share of Independent common stock on The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Global Select Market System, or NASDAQ Global Select Market, for ten (10) consecutive trading days ending on and including the third trading day preceding the closing, as reported by Bloomberg, or the average sales price. Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014 of $48.01 and assuming that the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares is at least $24,000,000 on the closing date, upon completion of the merger, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive approximately 1.1773 shares of Independent common stock plus $30.44 in cash for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own.

If the average sales price is less than 90% of $47.1770, or $42.4593, Independent may in its sole discretion elect to: (a) increase the per share cash consideration from $30.44 to an amount up to $43.48, subject to the tangible book value adjustment; and (b) reduce the per share stock consideration to a number of shares of Independent common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the difference between $86.96 and the increased amount of the per share cash consideration; divided by (y) the average sales price.

The amount of aggregate cash consideration will be reduced if Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, is less than $24,000,000 as of the closing date. If, as of the closing date, Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $24,000,000, the aggregate cash consideration will be reduced by an amount equal to $24,000,000 minus Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as of the closing date. In the event of such reduction, the per share cash consideration would be reduced by an amount equal to the quotient of (i) the amount of such reduction, divided by (ii) the number of Houston City Bancshares shares outstanding on the closing date.

 

 

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If the tangible book value, which was $27.33 million at June 30, 2014, is $7.2 million or less on the closing date, and if the transaction still received bank regulatory approval and was consummated, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would not receive any cash consideration, but only $56.52 of shares of Independent common stock. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger” for details of the potential adjustment and an estimate of the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date.

If the Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is greater than $24,000,000 on the fifth business day prior to the closing date, or the calculation date, then on the day prior to the closing date, Houston City Bancshares may distribute to its shareholders an amount equal to the difference between the actual amount of tangible book value on the calculation date minus $24,000,000.

Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement was approximately $27.33 million as of June 30, 2014. Tangible book value will increase or decrease by the amount of net income or net loss, respectively, of Houston City Bancshares through the closing date. However, all costs and expenses of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank related to the merger will be included as a deduction in the calculation of tangible book value. For more detail about how Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value will be calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, see the section entitled “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger” beginning on page 42.

 

Q: What is Houston City Bancshares’ current tangible book value? Are there factors which could change the tangible book value prior to the closing date?

Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, was approximately $27.33 million as of June 30, 2014.

Tangible book value will increase or decrease by the amount of net income or net loss, respectively, of Houston City Bancshares through the closing date. However, all costs and expenses of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank related to the merger will be included as a deduction in the calculation of tangible book value. For more detail about how Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value will be calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, see the section entitled “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger” beginning on page 42. Management of Houston City Bancshares estimates net income (before costs and expenses of the merger) of approximately $1.52 million from July 1, 2014, through October 31, 2014 (the estimated closing date), and aggregate merger-related deductions to tangible book value of approximately $1.92 million. If these assumptions are correct, the amount of Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, would be approximately $26.93 million on the closing date. This amount is only an estimate and is based upon several assumptions, many of which are beyond the control of Houston City Bancshares. Accordingly, the actual amount of Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value may vary from this estimated amount.

 

Q: Do Houston City Bancshares shareholders have a choice of the form of consideration that they will receive in the merger?

 

A: No. All shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will receive the merger consolidation in the form of cash and Independent common in the amounts set forth in the reorganization agreement and as described herein.

 

Q: When do you expect the merger to be completed ?

 

A: We are working to complete the merger during the fourth quarter of 2014, although delays could occur.

 

 

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Q: Are there any risks I should consider in deciding whether I vote for the reorganization agreement?

 

A: Yes. Set forth under the heading of “Risk Factors,” beginning on page 30, are a number of risk factors that you should consider carefully.

 

Q: When and where will Houston City Bancshares special shareholders’ meeting be held?

 

A: The special meeting is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, on September 10, 2014 at the offices of Houston Community Bank, 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067.

 

Q: Who is entitled to vote at the special meeting?

 

A: The holders of record of Houston City Bancshares common stock as of 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2014, which is the date that Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors has fixed as the record date for the special meeting, are entitled to vote at the special meeting.

 

Q: What are my choices when voting?

 

A: With respect to each of the proposals, you may vote for the proposal, against the proposal or abstain from voting on the proposal.

 

Q: What vote is required for approval of the reorganization agreement?

 

A: Approval of the reorganization agreement by holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock requires the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding as of 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2014, or 367,996 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock.

 

Q: What votes are required to adjourn the special meeting?

 

A: To adjourn the special meeting, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock cast at the meeting on such proposal is required.

 

Q: How does the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares recommend that I vote at the special meeting?

 

A: Yes. The board of directors of Houston City Bancshares unanimously recommends that the shareholders vote their shares as follows:

Item 1—FOR the approval of the reorganization agreement and the merger; and

Item 2—FOR the adjournment of the special meeting if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines it is necessary to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

 

Q: Do I have any rights to avoid participating in the merger?

 

A:

You have the right to dissent from the merger and seek payment of the appraised fair value of your shares in cash. In order for such a shareholder of Houston City Bancshares to perfect his or her right to dissent, the shareholder must deliver to Houston City Bancshares a written objection to the merger prior to the special meeting that states that such shareholder will exercise his or her right to dissent if the reorganization agreement is approved and the merger is completed, must vote his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares

 

 

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  common stock against approval of the reorganization agreement at the special meeting, must, not later than the 20th day after Independent sends such shareholder notice that the merger was completed, deliver to Independent a written demand for payment of the fair value of his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that states the number and class of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock the shareholder owns, his or her estimate of the fair value of such stock and an address to which a notice relating to the dissent and appraisal procedures may be sent, and, not later than the 20th day after he or she makes that demand, submit to Independent the certificates representing his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. The steps you must follow to perfect your right of dissent are described in greater detail under the caption “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders” starting on page 81, and this discussion is qualified by that description and by the text of the provisions of the TBOC relating to rights of dissent set forth in Appendix C hereto. The appraised fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock may be more or less than the value of the Independent common stock and cash being paid in the merger. If the holders of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock dissent from the merger, Independent has the right to terminate the reorganization agreement.

 

Q: What happens if I transfer my shares after the record date for the special meeting?

 

A: The record date for the special meeting is earlier than the expected date of completion of the merger. Therefore, if you transfer your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock after the applicable record date, but prior to the merger, you will retain the right to vote at the special meeting, but the right to receive the merger consideration will transfer with the shares of common stock.

 

Q: What do I need to do now?

 

A: After you have thoroughly read and considered the information contained in this proxy statement/ prospectus, you simply need to vote your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock at the special meeting. The process for voting your shares depends on how your shares are held. Generally you may hold shares as the “record holder” (that is, in your own name) or in “street name” (that is, through a nominee, such as a broker or a bank). If you hold shares in “street name,” you are considered the beneficial owner of those shares.

If you are a record holder, you may vote by proxy or you may attend the special meeting and vote in person. If you are a record holder on the record date for the special meeting and want to vote your shares by proxy, simply indicate on the proxy card(s) applicable to your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock how you want to vote and sign, date and mail your proxy card(s) in the enclosed pre-addressed postage-paid envelope as soon as possible, but in any event by such time that your proxy card may be received prior to the vote at the special meeting.

Your proxy card must be received by Houston City Bancshares by no later than the time the polls close for voting at the special meeting for your vote to be counted at the meeting.

Voting your shares by proxy will enable your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock to be represented and voted at the special meeting if you do not attend the special meeting and vote your shares in person.

 

Q: How will my shares be voted if I return a signed and dated proxy card, but don’t specify how my shares will be voted?

 

A:

The shares to which such proxy card relates enable your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock to be represented and voted at the special meeting if you do not attend the special meeting and vote your shares in person. If you return a signed and dated proxy, but do not specify how “your” shares are to be

 

 

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  voted, your shares will be voted “FOR” approval of the reorganization agreement and merger and “FOR” any adjournments of the special meeting that the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares deems necessary.

 

Q: If my shares are held in “street name” by my broker, will my broker vote my shares for me?

 

A: If your broker has not provided to you a proxy that allows you to vote your shares that it holds for you, your broker may vote your shares on the merger proposal only if you provide instructions to your broker on how to vote. You should instruct your broker how to vote your shares, following the directions your broker provides. If you do not provide instructions to your broker, your shares will not be voted, which will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement and any proposal to adjourn the special meeting.

 

Q: Can I attend the special meeting and vote in person?

 

A: Yes. All Houston City Bancshares shareholders are invited to attend the special meeting. Shareholders of record can vote in person at the special meeting. If your shares are held in “street name,” then you are not the shareholder of record. In order for you to vote the shares that you beneficially own and that are held in “street name” in person at the special meeting, you must bring a legal proxy from the broker, bank or other nominee that was the record holder of your shares held in “street name” as of 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2014, confirming that you were the beneficial owner of those shares as of 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2014, stating the number of shares of which you were the beneficial owner that were held for your benefit at that time by that broker, bank or other nominee and appointing you as the record holder’s proxy to vote the shares covered by that proxy at the special meeting.

 

Q: May I change my vote after I have submitted my proxy card?

 

A: Yes. Regardless of the method used to cast a vote, if a Houston City Bancshares shareholder is a holder of record, he or she may change his or her vote by:

 

    delivering to Houston City Bancshares prior to the special meeting a written notice of revocation addressed to: Brad Fagan, Corporate Secretary, Houston City Bancshares, Inc., 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067;

 

    completing, signing and returning a new proxy card with a later date than the date of your original proxy before the date of the special meeting, and any earlier proxy will be revoked automatically; or

 

    attending the special meeting and voting in person, and any earlier proxy will be revoked. However, simply attending the special meeting without voting will not revoke your proxy.

If your shares are held in “street name” and you desire to change any voting instructions you have previously given to the record holder of the shares of which you are the beneficial owner, you should contact the broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares in “street name” in order to direct a change in the manner your shares will be voted.

 

Q: What happens if I abstain from voting or fail to instruct my broker to vote?

 

A:

If you are a record holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock and you abstain from voting or fail to instruct your broker to vote your shares and the broker submits an unvoted proxy, referred to as a broker nonvote, then the abstention or broker nonvote of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be counted towards a quorum at the special meeting, but such shares will have the same effect as a vote against

 

 

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  the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement. Abstentions and broker nonvotes will have no effect on the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary.

 

Q: Should I send in my stock certificates now?

 

A: No. as soon as practical after the effective time, with the intent to be ten business days after the effective time, Wells Fargo Bank Shareowner Services, Independent’s exchange agent, will send you written instructions for exchanging your stock certificates. You should not send your Houston City Bancshares stock certificates with your proxy card.

 

Q: Who can help answer my questions?

 

A: If you have additional questions about the merger, you should contact W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Houston City Bancshares, Inc., 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067, telephone (281) 537-7200.

 

 

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SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information from this proxy statement/prospectus and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. Independent urges you to carefully read this entire document and the other information that Independent refers to in this document. These documents will give you a more complete description of the items for consideration at the special meeting. For more information about Independent, see “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 104. Independent has included page references in this summary to direct you to other places in this proxy statement/prospectus where you can find a more complete description of the topics that Independent has summarized.

The Companies

Independent Bank Group, Inc.

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

(972) 562-9004

Independent, a Texas corporation, is a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, or the BHC Act. Through Independent Bank, its wholly owned subsidiary bank, which is a Texas state bank, Independent provides a wide range of relationship driven, commercial banking products and services. Independent currently operates a total of 35 full-service banking centers in three regions in Texas, Dallas/North Texas, Austin/Central Texas, and Houston. As of March 31, 2014, on a consolidated basis, Independent had total assets of $2.4 billion, total loans of $1.9 billion, total deposits of $1.9 billion and shareholders’ equity of $253 million.

Houston City Bancshares, Inc.

11390 Veterans Memorial Drive

Houston, Texas 77067

(281) 537-7200

Houston City Bancshares, a Texas corporation, is a bank holding company registered under the BHC Act. Houston Community Bank, a national bank, is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary bank of Houston City Bancshares. Houston Community Bank is a full service commercial bank with six branches located in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. As of March 31, 2014, Houston City Bancshares had, on a consolidated bases, total assets of $323 million, total deposits of $296 million, total net loans of $199.6 million and total shareholders’ equity of $26.6 million.

Proposed Merger

Independent has attached the reorganization agreement to this document as Appendix A. Please read the entire reorganization agreement, including the related agreement and plan of merger, attached thereto as Exhibit A. They are the legal documents that govern the merger.

Independent proposes to merge IBGHCB Acquisition Corporation, or IBGHCB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent, with and into Houston City Bancshares. Houston City Bancshares will be the surviving entity in the initial merger. Immediately following completion of the initial merger, Houston City Bancshares will merge with and into Independent, with Independent continuing as the surviving entity. Houston City Bancshares will cease to exist after the subsequent merger occurs. Immediately following the subsequent merger of Houston City Bancshares with and into Independent, Houston Community Bank will be merged with and into Independent Bank, with Independent Bank being the surviving bank. Houston Community Bank will cease to exist after the bank merger occurs. The existing locations of Houston Community Bank will become banking centers of

 

 

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Independent Bank. Independent expects to complete the merger in the fourth quarter of 2014, although delays could occur. The merger will be accounted for as an acquisition of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank by Independent and Independent Bank under the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standard Codification Topic 805, “Business Combinations.”

Terms of the Merger (page 42)

If Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve the reorganization agreement and the merger is completed, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive a cash amount equal to $30.44, or the per share cash consideration, subject to a potential downward adjustment based upon the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date, and a number of shares of Independent common stock, or the per share stock consideration, equal to the quotient of (i) $56.52, divided by (ii) the average, determined to one-one hundredth of one cent, of the volume weighted sale price per share of Independent common stock on NASDAQ Global Select Market System for the ten (10) consecutive trading days ending on and including the third trading day preceding the closing date, as reported by Bloomberg, or the average sales price. Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014 of $48.01 and assuming that the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares is at least $24,000,000 on the closing date, upon completion of the merger, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive approximately 1.1773 shares of Independent common stock plus $30.44 in cash for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own.

If the average sales price is less than 90% of $47.1770, or $42.4593, Independent may in its sole discretion elect to: (a) increase the per share cash consideration from $30.44 to an amount up to $43.48, subject to the tangible book value adjustment; and (b) reduce the per share stock consideration to a number of shares of Independent common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the difference between $86.96 and the increased amount of the per share cash consideration; divided by (y) the average sales price.

The amount of aggregate cash consideration will be reduced if Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, is less than $24,000,000 as of the closing date. If, as of the closing date, Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $24,000,000, the aggregate cash consideration will be reduced by an amount equal to $24,000,000 minus Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as of the closing date. In the event of such reduction, the per share cash consideration would be reduced by an amount equal to the quotient of (i) the amount of such reduction, divided by (ii) the number of Houston City Bancshares shares outstanding on the closing date.

If the tangible book value, which was $27.33 million at June 30, 2014, is $7.2 million or less on the closing date, and if the transaction still received bank regulatory approval and was consummated, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would not receive any cash consideration, but only $56.52 of shares of Independent common stock. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger” for details of the potential adjustment and an estimate of the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date.

If the Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is greater than $24,000,000 on the calculation date, then on the day prior to the closing date, Houston City Bancshares may distribute to its shareholders an amount equal to the difference between the actual amount of tangible book value on the calculation date minus $24,000,000.

Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement was approximately $27.33 million as of June 30, 2014. Tangible book value will increase or decrease by the amount of net income or net loss, respectively, of Houston City Bancshares through the closing date. However, all costs and expenses of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank related to the merger will be included

 

 

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as a deduction in the calculation of tangible book value. For more detail about how Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value will be calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, see the section entitled “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger” beginning on page 42.

Fractional shares of Independent common stock will be paid in cash, without interest. The market price of Independent common stock will fluctuate from the date of this proxy statement/prospectus through the third trading date prior to the effective date of the merger, which is the date on which the per share stock consideration is determined for the merger. Because of the possibility of the tangible book value adjustment to the amount of the per share cash consideration and the fluctuation of the market price of Independent common stock that will comprise the per share stock consideration, you will not know the exact amount of cash or the exact number of shares of Independent common stock you will receive in connection with the merger when you vote on the reorganization agreement. However, the value of the stock consideration will be $56.52 worth of Independent common stock, with fractional shares being added to the initial $30.44 worth of cash consideration, assuming there are no tangible book value adjustment, as described above.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger (page 75)

The Independent merger is intended to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, or the Code, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the closing is conditioned upon the receipt by Independent of an opinion from Andrews Kurth LLP, special counsel to Independent, and the receipt by Houston City Bancshares of an opinion from Harris Law Firm, PC, counsel to Houston City Bancshares, to the effect that the Independent merger so qualifies. This summary of U.S. federal income tax consequences assumes that the Independent merger will be consummated as described in the reorganization agreement and this proxy statement/prospectus and that Independent and Houston City Bancshares will not waive the opinion condition described in “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger—Tax Opinions.” The Independent merger will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a reorganization qualifying under the provisions of Section 368(a) of the Code. If the Independent merger qualifies as such a reorganization, the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Independent merger to U.S. holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be as follows: holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock generally will recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to their Houston City Bancshares common stock. The gain a U.S. holder of Houston City Bancshares recognizes generally will be equal to the lesser of cash received (excluding any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Independent common stock) or gain realized in the Independent merger. The amount of gain realized will equal the amount by which the cash plus the fair market value of the Independent common stock, at the effective time of the Independent merger, exceeds the adjusted tax basis in the Houston City Bancshares common stock to be surrendered in exchange therefor.

For further information, please refer to “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger.” The U.S. federal income tax consequences described above may not apply to all holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Your tax consequences will depend on your individual situation. Accordingly, we strongly urge you to consult your tax advisor for a full understanding of the particular tax consequences of the Independent merger to you.

Fairness Opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ Financial Advisor (page 49)

Hovde Group, LLC, or Hovde Group, has delivered a written opinion to the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares that, as of the date of the reorganization agreement, based upon and subject to certain matters stated in the opinion, the merger consideration is fair to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares from a financial point of view. This opinion is attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Appendix B. The opinion of Hovde Group is not a recommendation to any Houston City Bancshares shareholder as to how to vote on the proposal to approve the

 

 

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reorganization agreement. You should read this opinion completely to understand the procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the reviews undertaken by Hovde Group in providing its opinion.

Independent Plans to Continue Payment of Quarterly Dividends (page 27)

Independent paid a cash dividend of $0.06 per share in the second quarter of 2014 to its shareholders and, subject to applicable statutory and regulatory restrictions, intends to pay a cash dividend to its shareholders in the third and fourth quarters of 2014 and continue paying quarterly cash dividends following the merger. See “Dividends.”

Ownership of Independent Common Stock After the Merger (page 80)

Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014 of $48.01 per share, Independent would issue 649,861 shares of its common stock to Houston City Bancshares shareholders in connection with the merger. If the average sales price of Independent’s common stock is less than $42.4593, Independent may in its sole discretion elect to: (a) increase the per share cash consideration from $30.44 to an amount up to $43.48, subject to the tangible book value adjustment; and (b) reduce the per share stock consideration to a number of shares of Independent common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the difference between $86.96 and the increased amount of the per share cash consideration; divided by (y) the average sales price.

Based on 16,370,707 shares of Independent common stock outstanding and the closing price of $48.01 on July 31, 2014, immediately after the merger, the former Houston City Bancshares shareholders would own approximately 3.8% of the outstanding shares of Independent common stock assuming 649,861 shares of Independent common stock are issued in the merger. That ownership percentage would be reduced by any future issuances of shares of Independent common stock.

Market Prices of Independent Common Stock (page 89)

Shares of Independent common stock are quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “IBTX.” On June 2, 2014, the last trading day before the merger was announced, Independent common stock closed at $46.45 per share. On July 31, 2014, Independent common stock closed at $48.01 per share. The market price of Independent common stock will fluctuate prior to the merger. You should obtain the most recent closing price for Independent common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market prior to deciding how to vote. Shares of the common stock of Houston City Bancshares are not traded on any national securities exchange or on an established public trading market, and no quotations of any market price exists for the Houston City Bancshares shares of common stock.

Special Meeting (page 38)

The special meeting of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will be held on September 10, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, at the offices of Houston Community Bank, 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067. At the special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote on the following:

 

    a proposal to approve the reorganization agreement, which provides for Independent to acquire Houston City Bancshares through the merger; and

 

    a proposal to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines such adjournment is necessary to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

 

 

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Record Date Set at August 5, 2014; Two-Thirds Shareholder Vote Required to Approve the Reorganization Agreement (page 39 and 40)

You may vote at the special meeting of Houston City Bancshares shareholders if you owned Houston City Bancshares common stock of record as of 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2014. You can cast one vote for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock you owned of record at that time. As of the record date, there were 551,993 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding.

Approval of the reorganization agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of 5:00 p.m. on the record date. If you fail to vote, it will have the effect of a vote against the reorganization agreement. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock cast at the special meeting is required to approve the adjournment of the special meeting.

You may vote your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock by attending the special meeting and voting in person or by completing and mailing the enclosed proxy card. If you are the record holder of your shares, you can revoke your proxy at any time before the vote is taken at the special meeting by sending a written notice revoking the proxy or submitting a later-dated proxy to the Secretary of Houston City Bancshares which must be received no later than immediately prior to the vote at the special meeting, or by voting in person at the special meeting. See “The Special Meeting” beginning on page 38.

Recommendation of Houston City Bancshares Board and Its Reasons for the Merger (page 48)

Based on the reasons discussed elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus, including the fairness opinion of Hovde Group, the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares believes that the merger is fair to you and in your best interests, and unanimously recommends that you vote FOR the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement and the merger. For a discussion of the circumstances surrounding the merger and the factors considered by Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors in approving the reorganization agreement, see page 48.

Certain Shareholders of Houston City Bancshares are Expected to Vote Their Shares For Approval of the Reorganization Agreement (page 39; Exhibit A to Appendix A)

The directors of Houston City Bancshares have entered into an agreement to vote the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they control in favor of approval of the reorganization agreement. As of the record date, 174,213 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, or approximately 31.56% of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting, were bound by the voting agreement.

Effective Time of the Merger (page 59)

The merger of IBGHCB with and into Houston City Bancshares will become effective at the date and time specified in the certificate of merger to be filed with the Texas Secretary of State. If Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve the reorganization agreement at the special meeting, and if all necessary regulatory approvals are obtained and the other conditions to the parties’ respective obligations to effect the merger are satisfied or are waived by the party entitled to do so, Independent anticipates that the merger will be completed in the late fourth quarter of 2014, although delays could occur.

Houston City Bancshares and Independent cannot assure you that the necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals will be obtained or that the other conditions to completion of the merger can or will be satisfied. See “Risk Factors—The merger may not be completed.”

 

 

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Exchange of Houston City Bancshares Stock Certificates (page 59)

After the effective time of the merger, you will receive a letter and instructions from Wells Fargo Bank Shareowner Services, acting in its role as Independent’s exchange agent and stock transfer agent, or the exchange agent, describing the procedures for surrendering your stock certificates representing shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock in exchange for shares of Independent common stock and cash. The shares of Independent common stock issuable in exchange for the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be issued solely in uncertificated book-entry form and a holder’s shares of Independent common stock will be reflected in the shareholder’s account established in the Direct Registration System of the Depositary Trust Company, or DTC, by Independent’s stock transfer agent. As soon as practical after the effective time of the merger, with the intent to be within ten days after the effective time of the merger, Independent will cause the exchange agent to mail to each record holder of Houston City Bancshares the transmittal letter and instructions to exchange their shares of common stock of Houston City Bancshares for the merger consideration. You must carefully review and complete these transmittal materials and return them as instructed along with your stock certificates for Houston City Bancshares common stock. Please do not send Houston City Bancshares or Independent any stock certificates for your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock until you receive these instructions. Share certificates delivered to the exchange agent without a properly completed letter of transmittal will be rejected and returned for corrective action.

Conditions to Completion of the Merger (page 64)

The completion of the merger depends on a number of conditions being satisfied. These include, among others:

 

    approval of the reorganization agreement and the merger by the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares by the requisite vote;

 

    accuracy of each party’s representations and warranties contained in the reorganization agreement as of the closing date of the merger;

 

    receipt of all required governmental approvals of the merger and subsequent bank merger in a manner that does not impose any material requirement upon Independent or its subsidiaries, including any requirement to sell or dispose of any significant amount of assets, which is reasonably unacceptable to Independent;

 

    receipt of all required consents, approvals, waivers and other assurances from nongovernmental third parties;

 

    absence of certain litigation regarding either party;

 

    absence of any material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of either party;

 

    performance or compliance in all material respects by each party with its respective covenants and obligations required by the reorganization agreement;

 

    registration with the SEC of the shares of Independent common stock to be issued to shareholders of Houston City Bancshares;

 

    authorization for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market of the shares of Independent common stock to be issued to shareholders of Houston City Bancshares;

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ minimum tangible book value, as of the closing date, being at least $22,000,000;

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ allowance for loan losses, as of the closing date, being equal to at least $2,091,000;

 

 

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    the volume-weighted average of the sales price per share of Independent common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market over a ten consecutive trading day period ending on and including the third trading day prior to the closing date being at least $37.7416;

 

    termination of all Houston City Bancshares employee benefit plans;

 

    delivery of the merger consideration by Independent;

 

    the receipt by Houston City Bancshares of an opinion from Harris Law Firm PC to the effect that for federal income tax purposes (i) the initial merger and the subsequent merger, together, will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and (ii) each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code;

 

    the receipt by Independent of an opinion from Andrews Kurth LLP to the effect that for federal income tax purposes the initial merger and the subsequent merger, together, will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, (ii) each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code; (iii) the bank merger will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and (iv) each of Independent Bank and Houston Community Bank will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code; and

 

    liquidation and dissolution of HCB Nevada, Inc., a subsidiary of Houston City Bancshares.

Additionally, the completion of the merger depends on the execution of the following agreements, but those agreements will not become effective until the effective time of the merger:

 

    execution of releases from each of the directors and certain officers of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, releasing Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and their respective successors from any and all claims of such directors and officers, subject to certain limited exceptions; and

 

    execution of resignations from each of the directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, resigning from the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank.

Any condition to the completion of the merger, other than the required shareholder and regulatory approvals and the absence of an order prohibiting the merger, may be waived in writing by the party to the reorganization agreement entitled to the benefit of such condition. A party to the reorganization agreement could choose to complete the merger even though a condition has not been satisfied, as long as permitted by law. Independent cannot be certain when or if the conditions to the merger will be satisfied or waived, or that the merger will be completed.

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger (page 80)

The acquisition of Houston City Bancshares by Independent requires the approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or Federal Reserve. In addition, the bank merger requires the approval of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the FDIC, and the Texas Department of Banking, or TDB. Independent must also file a notice of the merger with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC. On June 30, 2014, Independent, Independent Bank and Houston Community Bank filed applications with the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the TDB to obtain approval of the transaction. Independent expects to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals, although Independent cannot be certain if or when Independent will obtain them.

 

 

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Amendments or Waiver of the Reorganization Agreement (page 71)

Independent and Houston City Bancshares may amend the reorganization agreement and each party may waive its right to require the other party to adhere to any term or satisfy any condition of the reorganization agreement. However, the merger consideration to be received by the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares pursuant to the terms of the reorganization agreement may not be decreased after the approval of the reorganization agreement without the further approval of the Houston City Bancshares shareholders.

No Solicitation (page 63)

Pursuant to the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares agreed that it will not, and that it will cause its employees, directors, officers, financial advisors or agents not to, and not to propose to, solicit, knowingly encourage, initiate or participate in any negotiations or discussions with any third party with respect to any proposal that could reasonably be expected to lead to an acquisition proposal, disclose to any third party any information concerning the business, properties, books or records of it in connection with any acquisition proposal, or cooperate with any third party to make any acquisition proposal. Promptly upon receipt of any unsolicited offer, Houston City Bancshares will communicate to Independent the terms of any proposal or request for information and the identity of the parties involved.

Provided that Houston City Bancshares has complied with the foregoing restrictions, if after the date of the reorganization agreement and prior to obtaining shareholder approval of the merger, Houston City Bancshares receives a bona fide, unsolicited written acquisition proposal, it may engage in negotiations and discussions with, and furnish any information and other access to, any person making such acquisition proposal if, and only if, Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal and financial advisors, that such acquisition proposal is or is reasonably capable of becoming an offer superior to the merger with Independent and the failure of Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors to furnish such information or access or enter into such discussions or negotiations would reasonably be expected to be a violation of its fiduciary duties to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares; provided that it obtains an appropriately executed confidentiality agreement.

Termination of the Reorganization Agreement (page 72)

Independent and Houston City Bancshares can mutually agree at any time to terminate the reorganization agreement without completing the merger. In addition, either Independent or Houston City Bancshares may decide, without the consent of the other, to terminate the reorganization agreement if:

 

    the conditions to such party’s obligations to close have not been satisfied on or before December 31, 2014; subject to a 30-day extension for the receipt of regulatory approvals and provided that the terminating party is not in breach of the reorganization agreement;

 

    the required regulatory approvals have not been obtained; or

 

    if the reorganization agreement and merger is not approved by the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares at the special meeting.

Houston City Bancshares may terminate the reorganization agreement, without the consent of Independent, if:

 

    Independent breaches or fails to perform in any material respect any of its representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements contained in the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated by the reorganization agreement, and such failure has not been cured within a period of 30 calendar days after written notice from Houston City Bancshares; or

 

 

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    at any time prior to the special meeting in order to enter into, concurrently with such termination, an acquisition agreement or similar agreement with respect to a superior proposal that has been received and considered by Houston City Bancshares and the Houston City Bancshares board in accordance with all of the requirements of the reorganization agreement; or

 

    there has been any material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Independent since March 31, 2014.

In addition, Independent may terminate the reorganization agreement, without the consent of Houston City Bancshares, if:

 

    Houston City Bancshares breaches or fails to perform in any material respect any of its representations, warranties or agreements contained in the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated by the reorganization agreement, and such failure has not been cured within a period of 30 calendar days after written notice from Independent;

 

    the Houston City Bancshares board has (i) recommended to the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they tender their shares in a tender or exchange offer commenced by an unaffiliated third party for more than 15% of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock, (ii) effected a change in the board’s recommendation with respect to the merger or recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders acceptance or approval of any alternative acquisition proposal, (iii) notified Independent in writing that Houston City Bancshares is prepared to accept a superior proposal or (iv) resolved to do the foregoing;

 

    any of the following have occurred with respect to environmental matters regarding Houston City Bancshares: (i) the factual substance of any of the representations and warranties of Houston City Bancshares in the reorganization agreement is not materially true and accurate, (ii) the results of any environmental inspection or other environmental survey by Independent are disapproved by Independent because such inspection or survey identifies a material or potential material violation of applicable environmental laws, (iii) Houston City Bancshares refuses to allow such inspection or survey in a manner that Independent reasonably considers necessary, (iv) such inspection or survey identifies an event, condition or circumstance that would or potentially could reasonably be expected to require a material remedial or cleanup action or result in a material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares since March 31, 2014, (v) such inspection or survey reveals the presence of any underground or above ground storage tank in, on or under any real property owned or leased by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank that is not shown to be in material compliance with all applicable environmental laws, or that has had a release of petroleum or some other hazardous material that has not been cleaned up to the satisfaction of the relevant governmental authority or any other party with a right to compel such cleanup, or (vi) such inspection or survey identifies the presence of any asbestos-containing material in, on or under any real property owned or leased by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank, the removal of which could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares since March 31, 2014, subject, in the case of each of the foregoing, to notice and the right of Houston City Bancshares to satisfactorily correct any such matter;

 

    Independent determines, in good faith after consulting with counsel, there is a substantial likelihood that any necessary regulatory approval will not be obtained or will be obtained only upon one or more conditions that make it inadvisable to proceed with the transactions; or

 

    there has been any material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank since March 31, 2014.

 

 

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Termination Fee and Expense Reimbursements (page 73)

To compensate Independent for entering into the reorganization agreement, taking actions to consummate the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and incurring the related costs and expenses and other losses and expense, including foregoing the pursuit of other opportunities, provided that Independent is not in material breach of any covenant or obligation under the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares has agreed to pay Independent a $1,500,000 termination fee if the reorganization agreement is terminated:

 

    by Houston City Bancshares because it receives an alternative acquisition proposal and, under certain terms and conditions, determines that it is a superior proposal to that of the reorganization agreement after giving effect to any adjustment made by Independent to the merger consideration;

 

    by either Independent or Houston City Bancshares if the Houston City Bancshares shareholders do not approve the reorganization agreement and the merger at the special meeting and either (i) at the time of such disapproval, there exists an acquisition proposal with respect to Houston City Bancshares other than that of Independent that has not been withdrawn prior to the special meeting or (ii) within 12 months of the termination of the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares enters into a definitive agreement with any third party with respect to any acquisition proposal; or

 

    by Independent if the Houston City Bancshares board has (i) recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders that they tender their shares in a tender or exchange offer commenced by an unaffiliated third party for more than 15% of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock, (ii) effected a change in the board’s recommendation regarding the merger or recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders acceptance or approval of any alternative acquisition proposal, (iii) notified Independent in writing that Houston City Bancshares is prepared to accept a superior proposal or (iv) resolved to do the foregoing.

Financial Interests of Directors and Officers of Houston City Bancshares in the Merger (page 73)

Some of the directors and officers of Houston City Bancshares have interests in the merger that differ from, or are in addition to, their interests as shareholders of Houston City Bancshares. These interests include:

 

    as a condition to the merger, Independent has required that each of W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., C. Jeff Smith, Sheryl McKellar, KC Curtis and Claude B. Leatherwood enter into an employment agreement, effective upon completion of the merger, that includes noncompetition and nonsolicitation obligations to Independent Bank and pursuant to which the executive officer is entitled to receive a salary, annual bonus and certain additional incentives from Independent Bank;

 

    each of C. Jeff Smith, Claude B. Leatherwood, Sheryl McKellar, KC Curtis, Brad Fagan, and Harry Blake is an executive officer of Houston Community Bank and currently has a retention agreement with Houston Community Bank that provides, among other things, for the executive officer to receive a lump sum retention payment, upon certain circumstances in connection with the completion of the merger. The aggregate amount of payments owed under the agreements with these officers is $578,000. Houston Community Bank will make the retention payments to these officers in connection with the completion of the merger. These payments will reduce the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares for the purpose of calculating the merger consideration payable to shareholders of Houston City Bancshares; and

 

   

the directors and officers of Houston City Bancshares will receive indemnification from Independent for a period of three years after completion of the merger to the same extent and subject to the conditions set forth in the certificate of formation and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares and continued director and officer liability coverage for a period of three years after completion of the

 

 

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merger. Any amounts paid by Houston Community Bank to purchase continued director and officer liability coverage will reduce the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares for the purpose of calculating the merger consideration payable to shareholders of Houston City Bancshares shareholders.

Comparison of Rights of Shareholders of Houston City Bancshares and Independent (page 99)

Houston City Bancshares is a Texas corporation that is a registered bank holding company, and the rights of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares are governed by Texas law and Houston City Bancshares’ certificate of formation and bylaws. Independent is a Texas corporation that is a registered bank holding company, and the rights of Independent’s shareholders are governed by Texas law and Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws. Upon completion of the merger, shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will become shareholders of Independent and their rights as shareholders of Independent will be governed by Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws, in addition to Texas law. Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws will not be amended in the merger, but could be later restated, amended or, as regards the bylaws, repealed.

Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders (page 81)

As a holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock, you have the right under Texas law to dissent from the merger and have the appraised fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock as of the date immediately preceding the effective date of the merger paid to you in cash. The appraised fair value may be more or less than the value of the shares of Independent common stock and cash shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will receive for their Houston City Bancshares shares in the merger.

Persons having beneficial interests in Houston City Bancshares common stock held of record in the name of another person, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, must act promptly to cause the record holder to take the actions required under Texas law to exercise their dissenter’s rights.

In order to dissent, you must carefully follow the requirements of the TBOC, including providing Houston City Bancshares, prior to the special meeting, with a written objection to the merger that states that you will exercise your right to dissent if the Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve the reorganization agreement and the merger is completed. These steps for perfecting your right of dissent are summarized under the caption “—Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders” on page 81. The provisions of the TBOC pertaining to dissenters’ rights are attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Appendix C and the summaries of those provisions in this proxy statement/prospectus should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified by, those provisions of the TBOC.

If you intend to exercise dissenters’ rights, you should read the provisions of the TBOC governing dissenters’ rights carefully and consult with your own legal counsel. You should also remember that if you return a signed proxy card, but fail to provide instructions as to how your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock are to be voted, you will be considered to have voted in favor of the reorganization agreement. In that event, you will not be able to assert dissenters’ rights.

If the Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve the reorganization agreement, a holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock who delivers to the president and the secretary of Houston City Bancshares a written objection to the merger prior to the special meeting that states that such holder will exercise his or her right to dissent if the reorganization agreement is approved and the merger is completed and includes an address for notice of the effectiveness of the merger, who votes his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock against approval of the reorganization agreement at the special meeting, who, not later than the 20th day after Independent sends such holder notice that the merger was completed, delivers to the president and secretary of Independent a written demand for payment of the fair value of his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares

 

 

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common stock that states the number and class of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock such holder owns, his or her estimate of the fair value of such stock and an address to which a notice relating to the dissent and appraisal procedures may be sent, and who, not later than the 20th day after he or she makes that demand for payment, submits to Independent the certificates representing his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be entitled under the TBOC to receive the appraised fair value of his or her shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, as of the date immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, in cash under the TBOC.

Selected Financial Information of Independent

The following selected historical consolidated financial information of Independent as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 has been derived from Independent’s unaudited consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus, the following selected consolidated financial information of Independent as of March 31, 2013 has been derived from Independent’s unaudited consolidated financial statements not incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus, the following selected consolidated financial information of Independent as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 has been derived from Independent’s audited consolidated financial statements incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus, and the selected consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 and for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, has been derived from Independent’s audited consolidated financial statements not incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus.

 

 

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You should read the following financial information relating to Independent in conjunction with other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus, including consolidated financial statements of Independent and related accompanying notes incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus. Independent’s historical results for any prior period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected in any future period, and Independent’s historical results for the three months ended March 31, 2014, are not necessarily indicative of its results to be expected for all of 2014. Independent has consummated several acquisitions in recent fiscal periods. The results and other financial information of those acquired operations are not included in the table below for the periods or dates prior to their respective acquisition dates and, therefore, the results for these prior periods are not comparable in all respects and may not be predictive of Independent’s future results. In addition, the selected financial information in the table immediately below does not include, on any basis, the results or financial condition for any period or as of any date of BOH Holdings, Inc. which Independent acquired by merger on April 15, 2014, Houston City Bancshares, or of any other entity the acquisition of which may be consummated by Independent after March 31, 2014.

 

    As of and for the Three
Months Ended March 31,
    As of and for the Year Ended December 31,  
        2014             2013         2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  
(dollars in thousands except per share)   (unaudited)                                

Selected Income Statement Data

             

Interest income

  $ 25,162      $ 21,421      $ 87,214      $ 71,890      $ 59,639      $ 51,734      $ 48,747   

Interest expense

    3,027        3,206        12,281        13,337        13,358        13,669        15,721   

Net interest income

    22,135        18,215        74,933        58,553        46,281        38,065        33,026   

Provision for loan losses

    1,253        1,030        3,822        3,184        1,650        4,043        3,446   

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

    20,882        17,185        71,111        55,369        44,631        34,022        29,580   

Noninterest income (excluding acquisition gains)

    2,334        2,426        11,021        9,168        7,708        5,464        5,212   

Gain on acquisitions

    —          —          —          —          —          6,692        —     

Noninterest expense

    16,076        13,923        57,671        47,160        38,639        33,062        27,136   

Net income

    4,801        5,688        19,800        17,377        13,700        13,116        7,656   

Pro forma net income(1) (unaudited)

    n/a        3,822        16,174        12,147        9,357        8,775        5,189   

Per Share Data (Common Stock)(2)

             

Earnings:

             

Basic

  $ 0.38      $ 0.69      $ 1.78      $ 2.23      $ 2.00      $ 1.95      $ 1.29   

Diluted(3)

    0.38        0.68        1.77        2.23        2.00        1.95        1.29   

Pro forma earnings:(1) (unaudited)

         

Basic

    n/a        0.46        1.45        1.56        1.37        1.31        0.87   

Diluted(3)

    n/a        0.46        1.44        1.56        1.37        1.31        0.87   

Dividends(4)

    0.06        0.65        0.77        1.12        0.89        0.63        0.57   

Book value(5)

    20.05        15.01        18.96        15.06        12.55        11.13        9.43   

Tangible book value(6)

    16.37        11.16        15.89        11.19        10.53        9.02        7.44   

Selected Period End Balance Sheet Data

             

Total assets

  $ 2,353,675      $ 1,764,134      $ 2,163,984      $ 1,740,060      $ 1,254,377      $ 1,098,216      $ 905,115   

Cash and cash equivalents

    97,715        80,890        93,054        102,290        56,654        86,346        58,089   

Securities available for sale

    204,539        114,540        194,038        113,355        93,991        52,611        3,182   

Total loans (gross)

    1,895,273        1,421,996        1,712,583        1,378,676        988,671        860,128        724,709   

Allowance for loan losses

    14,841        11,984        13,960        11,478        9,060        8,403        6,742   

Noninterest-bearing deposits

    352,735        243,235        302,756        259,664        168,849        133,307        114,880   

Interest-bearing deposits

    1,537,942        1,171,864        1,407,563        1,131,076        861,635        794,236        608,672   

Borrowings (other than junior subordinated debentures)

    186,727        200,234        195,214        201,118        118,086        75,656        101,682   

Junior subordinated debentures(7)

    18,147        18,147        18,147        18,147        14,538        14,538        14,538   

Total stockholders’ equity

    252,508        124,142        233,722        124,510        85,997        76,044        62,479   

 

 

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    As of and for the Three
Months Ended March 31,
    As of and for the Year Ended
December 31,
 
        2014             2013         2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  
(dollars in thousands except per share)   (unaudited)                                

Selected Performance Metrics(8)

             

Return on average assets(9)

    0.84     1.33     1.04     1.17     1.16     1.35     0.87

Return on average equity(9)

    7.90        18.49        9.90        16.54        17.36        19.19        15.75   

Pro forma return on average assets(1)(9) (unaudited)

    n/a        0.89        0.85        0.82        0.79        0.91        0.59   

Pro forma return on average equity(1)(9) (unaudited)

    n/a        12.43        8.09        11.56        11.86        12.84        10.68   

Net interest margin(10)

    4.17        4.67        4.30        4.40        4.42        4.43        4.29   

Efficiency ratio(11)

    65.70        67.50        67.10        69.64        71.57        75.95        70.97   

Dividend payout ratio(12)

    15.79        18.84        14.20        11.89        13.26        13.54        20.04   

Credit Quality Ratios

             

Nonperforming assets to total assets

    0.51     1.35     0.47     1.59     2.85     2.19     1.29

Nonperforming loans to total loans(13)

    0.48        0.40        0.39        0.81        1.14        1.89        1.62   

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans(13)

    162.96        209.73        205.93        104.02        80.32        51.93        57.61   

Allowance for loan losses to total loans

    0.78        0.85        0.81        0.83        0.92        0.98        0.93   

Net charge-offs to average loans outstanding (unaudited)

    0.08        0.15        0.09        0.06        0.11        0.31        0.21   

Capital Ratios

             

Tier 1 capital to average assets

    9.77     6.29     10.71     6.45     6.89     6.98     7.22

Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets(14)

    11.96        8.01        12.64        8.22        8.59        8.88        8.93   

Total capital to risk-weighted assets(14)

    13.08        10.20        13.83        10.51        11.19        11.10        11.24   

Total stockholders’ equity to total assets

    10.73        7.04        10.80        7.16        6.86        6.92        6.90   

Tangible common equity to tangible assets(15)

    8.93        5.33        9.21        5.42        5.81        5.68        5.53   

 

(1) Prior to April 1, 2013, Independent elected to be taxed for federal income tax purposes as an S corporation under the provisions of Sections 1361 through 1379 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and, as a result, Independent did not pay U.S. federal income taxes and has not been required to make any provision or recognize any liability for federal income tax in its consolidated financial statements for any period ending on or before March 31, 2013. As of April 1, 2013, Independent terminated its S corporation election and commenced being subject to federal income taxation as a C corporation. Independent has calculated its pro forma net income, pro forma earnings per share on a basic and diluted basis, pro forma return on average assets and pro forma return on average equity for each period presented by calculating a pro forma provision for federal income taxes using an assumed annual effective federal income tax rate of 32.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2013, respectively, and 33.9%, 30.1%, 31.7%, 33.1%, and 32.2% for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and adjusting its historical net income for each period presented to give effect to the pro forma provision for federal income taxes for such period.
(2) The per share amounts and the weighted-average shares outstanding for each of the periods shown have been adjusted to give effect to the 3.2-for-one split of the shares of Independent’s common stock that was effective as of February 22, 2013.
(3) Independent calculates its diluted earnings per share for each period shown as its net income divided by the weighted-average number of its common shares outstanding during the relevant period adjusted for the dilutive effect of its outstanding warrants to purchase shares of common stock. Earnings per share on a basic and diluted basis and pro forma earnings per share on a basic and diluted basis were calculated using the following outstanding share amounts:

 

    For the Three
Months Ended
March 31,
    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  

Weighted average shares outstanding—basic

    12,403,378        8,125,279        10,921,777        7,626,205        6,668,534        6,518,224        5,667,360   

Weighted average shares outstanding—diluted

    12,505,030        8,167,726        10,990,245        7,649,366        6,675,078        6,518,224        5,667,360   

 

(4) Dividends declared include quarterly cash distributions paid to Independent’s shareholders in the relevant period to provide them with funds to pay their federal income tax liabilities incurred as a result of the pass-through of Independent’s net taxable income for the first three months ended March 31, 2013, and for each other such period shown to its shareholders as holders of shares in an S corporation for federal income tax purposes. The aggregate amounts of such cash distributions relating to the payment of tax liabilities were $0.52 per share for the three months ended March 31, 2013, respectively, and $.0.52 per share, $0.85 per share, $0.63 per share, $0.36 per share and $0.30 per share for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
(5)

Book value per share equals Independent’s total stockholders’ equity as of the date presented divided by the number of shares of its common stock outstanding as of the date presented. The number of shares of its common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and 2013, was 12,592,935 and 8,269,707, respectively, and as of December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was 12,330,158 shares, 8,269,707 shares, 6,850,293 shares, 6,832,328 shares and 6,628,056 shares, respectively.

 

 

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(6) Independent calculates tangible book value per share as of the end of a period as total stockholders’ equity less goodwill and other intangible assets at the end of the relevant period divided by the outstanding number of shares of its common stock at the end of that period. Tangible book value is a non-GAAP financial measure, and, as Independent calculates tangible book value, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total stockholders’ equity. Independent believes that the presentation of tangible book value per share provides useful information to investors regarding Independent’s financial condition because, as do Independent’s management, banking regulators, many financial analysts and other investors, you can use the tangible book value in conjunction with more traditional bank capital ratios to assess Independent’s capital adequacy without the effect of Independent’s goodwill and other intangible assets and compare Independent’s capital adequacy with the capital adequacy of other banking organizations with significant amounts of goodwill and/or other intangible assets, which typically stem from the use of the purchase accounting method of accounting for mergers and acquisitions. A reconciliation of tangible book value to total stockholders’ equity is presented below.
(7) Each of five wholly-owned, but nonconsolidated, subsidiaries of Independent holds a series of Independent’s junior subordinated debentures purchased by the subsidiary in connection with, and paid for with the proceeds of, the issuance of trust issued preferred securities by that subsidiary. Independent has guaranteed the payment of the amounts payable under each of those issues of trust preferred securities.
(8) The values for the selected performance metrics presented for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, other than the dividend payout ratio, are annualized.
(9) Independent has calculated its return on average assets and return on average equity for a period by dividing net income for that period by its average assets and average equity, as the case may be, for that period. Independent has calculated its pro forma return on average assets and pro forma return on average equity for a period by calculating its pro forma net income for that period as described in note 1 above and dividing that by its average assets and average equity, as the case be, for that period. Independent calculates its average assets and average equity for a period by dividing the sum of its total asset balance or total stockholder’s equity balance, as the case may be, as of the close of business on each day in the relevant period and dividing by the number of days in the period.
(10) Net interest margin for a period represents net interest income for that period divided by average interest-earning assets for that period.
(11) Efficiency ratio for a period represents noninterest expenses for that period divided by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income for that period, excluding bargain purchase gains recognized in connection with certain of Independent’s acquisitions and realized gains or losses from sales of investment securities for that period.
(12) Independent calculates its dividend payout ratio for each period presented as the dividends paid per share for such period (excluding cash distributions made to shareholders in connection with tax liabilities as described in note (4) above) divided by its basic earnings per share for such period.
(13) Nonperforming loans include nonaccrual loans, loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing interest, and accruing loans modified under troubled debt restructurings.
(14) Independent calculates its risk-weighted assets using the standardized method of the Basel II Framework, as implemented by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC.
(15) Independent calculates tangible common equity as of the end of a period as total stockholders’ equity less goodwill and other intangible assets as of the end of the period and calculates tangible assets as of the end of a period as total assets less goodwill and other intangible assets as of the end of the period. Tangible common equity to tangible assets is a non-GAAP financial measure, and as Independent calculates tangible common equity to tangible assets, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total stockholders’ equity to total assets. Independent believes that the presentation of tangible common equity to tangible assets provides useful information to investors regarding Independent’s financial condition because, as do Independent’s management, banking regulators, many financial analysts and other investors, you can use the tangible common equity in conjunction with more traditional bank capital ratios to assess Independent’s capital adequacy without the effect of Independent’s goodwill and core deposit intangibles and compare Independent’s capital adequacy with the capital adequacy of other banking organizations with significant amounts of goodwill and/or core deposit intangibles. A reconciliation of the ratios of tangible common equity to tangible assets to the ratios of total stockholders’ equity to total assets is presented below.

 

 

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Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following information reconciles: (i) Independent’s tangible book value per common share, a non-GAAP financial measure, as of the dates presented to Independent’s book value per common share, a financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, as of the dates presented; and (ii) our ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets, a non-GAAP financial measure, as of the dates presented to Independent’s ratios of total stockholders’ equity to total assets, a financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, as of the dates presented.

 

    March 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  
(dollars in thousands except per share)   (unaudited)                                

Tangible Common Equity

             

Total stockholders’ equity

  $ 252,508      $ 124,142      $ 233,772      $ 124,510      $ 85,997      $ 76,044      $ 62,479   

Adjustments

             

Goodwill

    (42,575     (28,742     (34,704     (28,742     (11,222     (11,222     (11,222

Core deposit intangibles

    (3,813     (3,075     (3,148     (3,251     (2,664     (3,231     (1,914
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible Common Equity

  $ 206,120      $ 92,325      $ 195,920      $ 92,517      $ 72,111      $ 61,591      $ 49,343   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Common shares outstanding

    12,592,935        8,269,707        12,330,158        8,269,707        6,850,293        6,832,328        6,628,056   

Book value per common share

  $ 20.05      $ 15.01      $ 18.96      $ 15.06      $ 12.55      $ 11.13      $ 9.42   

Tangible book value per common share

    16.37        11.16        15.89        11.19        10.53        9.02        7.44   

Tangible Assets

             

Total assets-GAAP

  $ 2,353,675      $ 1,764,134      $ 2,163,984      $ 1,740,060      $ 1,254,377      $ 1,098,216      $ 905,115   

Adjustments

             

Goodwill

    (42,575     (28,742     (34,704     (28,742     (11,222     (11,222     (11,222

Core deposit intangibles

    (3,813     (3,075     (3,148     (3,251     (2,664     (3,231     (1,914
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible Assets

  $ 2,307,287      $ 1,732,317      $ 2,126,132      $ 1,708,067      $ 1,240,491      $ 1,083,763      $ 891,979   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity to total Assets

    10.73     7.04     10.80     7.16     6.86     6.92     6.90

Tangible common equity to tangible assets

    8.93        5.33        9.21        5.42        5.81        5.68        5.53   

Selected Financial Information of Houston City Bancshares

The following selected historical financial information of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank for the capital ratios described below as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, has been derived from Houston City Bancshares’ unaudited financial statements as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, which Houston City Bancshares’ management believes reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position and results of operations as of and for the periods ended on such dates. The following selected historical financial information of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank for the capital ratios disclosed below as of and for each of the five years ended December 31, 2013, has been derived from Houston City Bancshares’ unaudited financial statements. Houston City Bancshares’ historical results for any prior period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected in any future period, and Houston City Bancshares’ historical results for the three months ended March 31, 2014, are not necessarily indicative of its results to be expected for all of 2014. Consistent with the rules of the SEC, Houston City Bancshares’ financial statements are not presented in this proxy statement/prospectus.

 

 

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As of and for the Three
Months Ended March 31,

    As of and for the Year Ended December 31,  
        2014             2013         2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  
    (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
(dollars in thousands except per share)                                          

Selected Income Statement Data

             

Interest income

  $ 3,172      $ 3,015      $ 12,473      $ 11,997      $ 12,684      $ 13,718      $ 14,074   

Interest expense

    165        212        751        926        1,570        1,929        2,746   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net interest income

    3,007        2,803        11,722        11,071        11,114        11,789        11,328   

Provision for loan losses

    —          —          —          10        185        400        300   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

    3,007        2,803        11,722        11,061        10,929        11,389        11,028   

Noninterest income

    293        302        1,235        2,184        1,874        1,089        945   

Noninterest expense

    2,404        2,162        8,579        8,682        8,335        7,866        7,644   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

  $ 896      $ 943      $ 4,378      $ 4,563      $ 4,468      $ 4,612      $ 4,329   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma net income(1)

  $ 684      $ 725      $ 3,271      $ 3,440      $ 3,363      $ 3,518      $ 3,345   

Per Share Data (Common Shares)(2)

             

Earnings

             

Basic and diluted(2)

    1.62        1.71        7.93        8.29        8.18        8.44        7.92   

Pro forma earnings:

             

Basic and diluted(2)

    1.24        1.31        5.93        6.25        6.16        6.44        6.12   

Distributions

    0.75        1.25        3.75        5.00        4.50        4.75        4.00   

Book value(3)

    48.24        47.03        45.99        48.28        45.90        41.31        37.56   

Tangible book value(5)

    46.40        45.17        44.14        46.42        44.01        41.31        37.56   

Selected Period End Balance Sheet Data

             

Total assets

  $ 322,969      $ 284,002      $ 319,158      $ 293,185      $ 255,525      $ 244,879      $ 234,408   

Cash and cash equivalents

    73,400        46,274        68,812        83,067        37,142        59,212        30,714   

Securities available for sale

    39,940        44,798        40,008        20,551        26,706        2,626        3,148   

Total loans (gross)

    201,679        183,811        202,146        179,879        181,272        176,252        193,082   

Allowance for loan losses

    2,091        2,160        2,091        2,136        2,143        1,983        1,696   

Goodwill and core deposit intangible

    1,018        1,024        1,019        1,025        1,030        —          —     

Other real estate owned

    29        465        61        465        537        743        668   

Noninterest-bearing deposits

    89,113        72,995        87,497        69,085        58,211        46,798        45,816   

Interest-bearing deposits

    206,884        184,710        205,821        196,730        171,427        174,638        167,117   

Total shareholders’ equity

    26,630        25,959        25,386        26,651        25,061        22,562        20,541   

Selected Performance Metrics(6)

             

Return on average assets(7)

    1.15     1.30     1.46     1.73     1.77     1.94     1.90

Return on average equity(7)

    13.98        14.58        17.30        17.88        19.06        21.41        22.39   

Pro forma return on average assets(1)(7)

    0.88        1.00        1.09        1.31        1.34        1.48        1.47   

Pro forma return on average equity(1)(7)

    10.68        11.21        12.93        13.48        14.35        16.33        17.30   

Net interest margin(8)

    3.99        4.04        4.08        4.42        4.62        5.16        5.18   

Efficiency ratio(9)

    72.85        69.63        66.21        70.10        68.71        63.04        63.84   

Credit Quality Ratios

             

Nonperforming assets to total assets(10)

    0.18     0.38     0.20     0.37     0.57     0.57     0.33

Nonperforming loans to total loans(10)

    —          0.02        —          0.02        0.18        0.37        0.05   

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans(10)

    374.06        350.65        370.74        344.52        231.93        301.37        1,630.77   

Allowance for loan losses to total loans

    1.04        1.18        1.03        1.19        1.18        1.13        0.88   

Net charge-offs to average loans outstanding

    —          —          0.04        0.05        0.03        0.07        0.05   

Capital Ratios for Houston Community Bank

             

Tier 1 capital to average assets

    8.98     8.81     8.99     8.97     9.20     9.09     8.81

Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets(11)

    14.19        13.77        13.90        14.10        12.97        12.79        10.57   

Total capital to risk-weighted assets(11)

    15.24        14.93        14.95        15.28        14.15        13.92        11.45   

Total shareholders’ equity to total assets

    8.25        9.14        7.95        9.09        9.81        9.21        8.76   

 

(1)

Houston City Bancshares has elected to be taxed for federal income tax purposes as a “Subchapter S corporation” under the provisions of Sections 1361 through 1379 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for all periods presented in the table appearing immediately above, and, as a result, Houston City Bancshares did not pay U.S. federal income taxes and has not been required to make any provision or recognize any liability for federal income tax in its consolidated financial statements. Houston City Bancshares has calculated its pro forma net income, pro forma earnings per share, pro forma return on average assets and pro forma return on average equity for each period presented in the table above by calculating a pro forma provision for federal income taxes applying an assumed

 

 

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  annual federal income tax rate of 34% to net taxable income (which excludes Houston City Bancshares’ significant amounts of nontaxable interest income that is derived from loans to municipalities), resulting in a net effective federal income tax rate of between 23% and 25% for each period, and adjusting its historical net income for each period to give effect to the pro forma provision for federal income taxes for such period.
(2) Houston City Bancshares calculates its earnings per share for each period shown as its net income divided by the weighted-average number of its common shares outstanding during the relevant period. Earnings per share and pro forma earnings per share were calculated using the following outstanding share amounts:

 

    For the Three
Months Ended
March 31,
    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  

Weighted average shares outstanding

    551,993        551,993        551,993        550,464        546,003        546,277        546,467   

 

(3) Book value per share equals Houston City Bancshares’ total shareholders’ equity as of the date presented divided by the number of Houston City Bancshares common shares outstanding as of the date presented. The number of Houston City Bancshares common shares outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and 2013, was 551,993 shares and 551,993 shares, respectively, and as of December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, was 551,993 shares, 551,993 shares, 545,993 shares, 546,199 shares and 546,926 shares, respectively.
(4) Not used.
(5) Houston City Bancshares calculates tangible book value per share as of the end of any period as total stockholders’ equity less goodwill and other intangible assets at the end of that period divided by the outstanding number of shares of its common stock at the end of that period. Tangible book value is a non-GAAP financial measure, and, as Houston City Bancshares calculates tangible book value, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total stockholders’ equity.

Houston City Bancshares’ management believes that presenting tangible book value per share provides useful information to investors regarding Houston City Bancshares’ financial condition because, as do Houston City Bancshares’ management, banking regulators, many financial analysts and other investors, you can use tangible book value in conjunction with more traditional bank capital ratios to assess Houston City Bancshares’ capital adequacy without the effect of goodwill and other intangible assets, and to compare Houston City Bancshares’ capital adequacy with that of other banking organizations with significant amounts of goodwill and/or other intangible assets, which typically result from the use of the purchase method of accounting for mergers and acquisitions.

The following table presents, as of the dates set forth below, Houston City Bancshares’ total assets, tangible assets, total stockholders’ equity and tangible common equity and presents reconciliations of Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value per common share to its book value per common share and of its ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets to its ratio of total stockholders’ equity to total assets:

 

    As of March 31,     As of December 31,  
    2014     2013     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009  
(dollars in thousands except per share data)                                          

Tangible Assets(12)

             

Total Assets

  $ 322,969      $ 284,002      $ 319,158      $ 293,185      $ 255,525      $ 244,879      $ 234,408   

Adjustments:

             

Goodwill

    (990     (990     (990     (990     (990     —          —     

Core deposit intangibles

    (28     (34     (29     (35     (40     —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible assets(12)

  $ 321,951      $ 282,978      $ 318,139      $ 292,160      $ 254,495      $ 244,879      $ 234,408   

Tangible Common Equity(12)

             

Total stockholders’ equity

  $ 26,630      $ 25,959      $ 25,386      $ 26,651      $ 25,061      $ 22,562      $ 20,541   

Adjustments:

             

Goodwill

    (990     (990     (990     (990     (990     —          —     

Core deposit intangibles

    (28     (34     (29     (35     (40     —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible common equity(12)

  $ 25,612      $ 24,935      $ 24,367      $ 25,626      $ 24,031      $ 22,562      $ 20,541   

Common shares outstanding

    551,993        551,993        551,993        551,993        545,993        546,199        546,926   

Book value per common share

  $ 48.24      $ 47.03      $ 45.99      $ 48.28      $ 45.90      $ 41.31      $ 37.56   

Tangible book value per common share(5)

    46.40        45.17        44.14        46.42        44.01        41.31        37.56   

Total stockholder’s equity to total assets

    8.25     9.14     7.95     9.09     9.81     9.21     8.76

Tangible common equity to tangible assets(12)

    7.96        8.81        7.66        8.77        9.44        9.21        8.76   

 

(6)

The values for the selected performance metrics presented for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are annualized.

 

 

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(7) Houston City Bancshares has calculated its return on average assets and return on average equity for a period by dividing net income for that period by its average assets or average equity, respectively, for that period. Houston City Bancshares has calculated its pro forma return on average assets and pro forma return on average equity for a period by calculating its pro forma net income for that period as described in note 1 above and dividing that by its average assets or average equity, respectively, for that period. Houston City Bancshares calculates its average assets and average equity for a period by dividing the sum of its total asset balance or total shareholder’s equity balance, respectively, as of the close of business on each day in the relevant period and dividing by the number of days in the period.
(8) Net interest margin for a period represents net interest income for that period divided by average interest-earning assets for that period.
(9) Efficiency ratio for a period represents noninterest expenses for that period divided by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income for that period, excluding realized gains or losses from sales of investment securities for that period.
(10) Nonperforming loans include nonaccrual loans, loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing interest and accruing loans modified under troubled debt restructurings. Nonperforming assets includes nonperforming loans plus other real estate owned.
(11) Houston Community Bank calculates its risk-weighted assets using the standardized method of the Basel II Framework, as implemented by the FDIC.
(12) Houston City Bancshares calculates tangible common equity as of the end of a period as total stockholders’ equity less goodwill and other intangible assets as of the end of the period and calculates tangible assets as of the end of a period as total assets less goodwill and other intangible assets as of the end of the period. Tangible common equity to tangible assets is a non-GAAP financial measure, and as Houston City Bancshares calculates tangible common equity to tangible assets, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is total stockholders’ equity to total assets.

Houston City Bancshares believes that the presentation of tangible common equity to tangible assets provides useful information to investors regarding Houston City Bancshares’s financial condition because, as do Houston City Bancshares’s management, banking regulators, many financial analysts and other investors, you can use the tangible common equity in conjunction with more traditional bank capital ratios to assess Houston City Bancshares’s capital adequacy without the effect of Houston City Bancshares’s goodwill and core deposit intangibles and compare Houston City Bancshares’s capital adequacy with the capital adequacy of other banking organizations with significant amounts of goodwill and/or core deposit intangibles.

Comparative Stock Prices

The following table shows (1) the market values of Independent common stock at the close of business on June 2, 2014, the business day prior to the announcement of the proposed merger, and as of the most recent date practicable preceding the date of this proxy statement/prospectus and (2) the equivalent pro forma value of a share of Houston City Bancshares common stock at such dates based on the value of the consideration to be received in the merger with respect to each share. Historical market value information regarding Houston City Bancshares common stock is not provided because there is no active market for Houston City Bancshares common stock.

 

     Independent
Common Stock(1)
     Equivalent Pro Forma Per
Share of Houston City
Bancshares Common Stock(2)
 

June 2, 2014

   $ 46.45       $ 83.36   

July 31, 2014

   $ 48.01       $ 86.96   

 

(1) Represents the closing price of Independent common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on the date indicated.
(2) Equivalent pro forma market value per share of Houston City Bancshares common stock represents the historical market value per share of Independent common stock multiplied by the assumed exchange ratio of 1.1773 shares of Independent common stocks for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock and adding the assumed per-share cash consideration of $30.44 and assumes an adjusted tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares of at least $24 million. Such assumed ratio was calculated based on the assumption that 551,993 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock were outstanding on the date indicated, which is the expected number of shares to be outstanding at the effective time of the merger.

For an explanation of how the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value will be calculated, the effect on the purchase price if tangible book value is less than $24 million on the effective date and other estimates, please refer to “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger,” beginning on page 42 of this proxy statement/prospectus.

 

 

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Dividends

Dividend Payments. As approved by Independent’s board of directors, Independent declared and paid a $0.06 per share dividend to holders of Independent common stock in each of the third and fourth quarters of 2013, and the first and second quarters of 2014. Independent intends to pay regularly quarterly cash dividends on its common stock following the merger, when, as and if declared by the Company’s board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose and subject to regulatory restrictions. No dividends payable in the future have been declared by Independent’s board of directors.

Independent’s dividend policy may change with respect to the payment of dividends as a return on investment, and Independent’s board of directors may change or eliminate the payment of future dividends at its discretion, without notice to Independent’s shareholders. However, there can be no assurance that Independent will continue to pay dividends in the future. Future dividends on Independent common stock will depend upon its earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, the general economic and regulatory climate, its ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to the common stock (including Independent’s preferred stock discussed below) and other factors deemed relevant by the board of directors of Independent.

Dividend Restrictions; Source of Strength. Under the terms of its junior subordinated debentures issued in connection with the issuance of trust preferred securities by subsidiaries of Independent, Independent is not permitted to pay any dividends on its common stock if it is in default on any payments required to be made on the junior subordinated debentures.

Independent is regarded as a legal entity separate and distinct from Independent Bank. The principal source of Independent’s revenues is dividends received from Independent Bank. Texas state law places limitations on the amount that state banks may pay in dividends, which Independent Bank must adhere to when paying dividends to Independent. The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement that provides that a bank holding company should not pay dividends unless (a) its net income over the last four quarters (net of dividends paid) has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends, (b) the prospective rate of earnings retention appears to be consistent with the capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition of the bank holding company and its subsidiaries and (c) the bank holding company will continue to meet minimum required capital adequacy ratios. Accordingly, Independent should not pay cash dividends that exceed its net income in any year or that can only be funded in ways that weaken its financial strength, including by borrowing money to pay dividends. Regulatory authorities could impose administratively stricter limitations on the ability of Independent Bank to pay dividends to Independent if such limits were deemed appropriate to preserve certain capital adequacy requirements.

Under Federal Reserve policy, bank holding companies have historically been required to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to each of its banking subsidiaries, and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act codified this policy as a statutory requirement. Under this requirement, Independent is expected to commit resources to support Independent Bank, including at times when Independent may not be in a financial position to provide such resources. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to any of its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary banks. A bank holding company, in certain circumstances, could be required to guarantee the capital restoration plan of an undercapitalized banking subsidiary.

Dividends paid by Independent Bank have provided a substantial part of Independent’s operating funds, and for the foreseeable future, it is anticipated that dividends paid by Independent Bank to Independent will continue to be Independent’s principal source of operating funds. However, capital adequacy requirements serve to limit the amount of dividends that may be paid by Independent Bank. Under federal law, Independent Bank cannot pay a dividend if, after paying the dividend, it would be undercapitalized. The FDIC may declare a dividend payment to be unsafe and unsound even though Independent Bank would continue to meet its capital requirements after payment of the dividend.

 

 

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Additionally, under the credit agreement between Independent and U.S. Bank National Association, or U.S. Bank, Independent cannot make any dividend payments without the prior written consent of U.S. Bank; provided, however, that, so long as no default under the credit agreement has occurred and is continuing, or will occur as a result of any such dividend, Independent may pay dividends and distributions to its shareholders as permitted by applicable governmental laws and regulations, including dividends with respect to the Independent Series A preferred stock.

So long as any share of Independent Series A preferred stock remains outstanding, Independent may declare and pay dividends on its common stock only if after giving effect to such dividend, Independent satisfies certain formula requirements under the Independent Series A preferred stock and full dividends on all outstanding shares of Independent Series A preferred stock for the most recently completed dividend period have been or are contemporaneously declared and paid. If a dividend is not declared and paid in full on the Independent Series A preferred stock in respect of any dividend period, then from the last day of such dividend period until the last day of the third dividend period immediately following it, no dividend or distribution shall be declared or paid on the common stock (other than dividends payable solely in shares of common stock).

Payment of Dividends on Independent Preferred Stock. Holders of Independent’s Series A preferred stock, which ranks senior to Independent’s common stock, are entitled to receive at the end of each quarterly dividend rate (which rate is approximately 1%) multiplied by the liquidation amount per each share of Series A preferred stock, which liquidation amount is currently equal to $1,000 per share, or approximately $60,000 per quarter.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Preliminary Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2014

Independent completed its second fiscal quarter for its fiscal year 2014 on June 30, 2014. The following information reflects certain information regarding Independent’s consolidated results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2014 and its financial condition as of that date. The consolidated results of operations for that period and Independent’s consolidated financial condition as of that date include the results of operations of the operations acquired in its acquisition of BOH Holdings, Inc. on and after April 15, 2014, and the assets and liabilities acquired and assumed from BOH Holdings, Inc. in that acquisition and that continued to be held on June 30, 2014. Independent issued 3,615,886 shares of its common stock in that acquisition. This data should be read in conjunction with Independent’s consolidated financial statements incorporated by reference in this proxy statement/prospectus. These results may not be indicative of results that Independent will achieve for any future period. The results set forth below are preliminary and are subject to adjustment and customary year end adjustments.

Net income was $5.1 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, compared to $4.8 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, and pro forma after tax net income of $4.1 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2013.

Net interest income was $31.4 million for second quarter of 2014, compared to $22.1 million for first quarter of 2014 and $17.9 million for second quarter of 2013. Net interest margin was 4.26% for second quarter of 2014, compared to 4.17% for first quarter of 2014 and 4.16% for second quarter of 2013.

Provision for loan loss expense was $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2014, an increase of $126 thousand compared to $1.3 million for first quarter of 2014, and an increase of $300 thousand compared to $1.1 million during the second quarter of 2013.

 

 

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Total noninterest income and total noninterest expense for the second quarter of 2014 were $3.1 million and $25.3 million, respectively, compared to $2.3 million and $16.1 million for the first quarter of 2014 and $2.7 million and $13.4 million for the second quarter of 2013, respectively.

At June 30, 2014, Independent’s total assets were $3.7 billion, total loans, net of allowance for loan losses of $16.2 million, were $2.8 billion, total deposits were $2.9 billion and total shareholders’ equity was $491 million. At December 31, 2013, Independent’s total assets were $2.2 billion, total loans, net of allowance for loan losses of $14.0 million, were $1.7 billion, total deposits were $1.7 billion and total stockholders’ equity was $234 million.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in Independent common stock in connection with the merger involves risks. Independent describes below the material risks and uncertainties that it believes affect its business and an investment in Independent common stock. You should carefully read and consider all of these risks and all other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus in deciding whether to vote for approval of the reorganization agreement. If any of the risks described in this proxy statement/prospectus occur, Independent’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of Independent common stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Fluctuations in the market price of Independent common stock will affect the number of shares that Houston City Bancshares shareholders receive for their shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Houston City Bancshares shareholders bear the risk of price fluctuations in Independent common stock after the exchange ratio is established.

The price of Independent common stock will fluctuate prior to the closing of the merger. The per share stock consideration will be $56.52, but the number of shares comprising the per share stock consideration will be subject to and based upon the average volume weighted sale price of Independent common stock over a ten consecutive trading day period ending on and including the third trading day prior to the closing date, or the average sales price. The higher the average sale price, the fewer the number of shares Independent common stock that the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock will receive. At the time Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders vote with respect to the reorganization agreement, they will not know the exact number of shares of Independent common stock they will actually receive in the merger. In addition, shareholders of Houston City Bancshares bear the risk that the value of the shares of Independent common stock they will receive in the merger will decline from the value of those shares after the date the per share stock consideration is fixed three trading days prior to the closing date and until their shares of Independent common stock are credited to their account in the Direct Registration System.

The merger may not be completed.

Completion of the merger is subject to regulatory approval. Independent cannot assure you that it will be successful in obtaining required regulatory approvals. If Independent is not successful in obtaining required regulatory approvals, the merger will not be completed. If such regulatory approvals are received, there can be no assurance to the timing of those approvals or whether any conditions will be imposed that would result in certain closing conditions of the merger not being satisfied.

Shareholders should bear in mind that regulatory approval reflects only the view that the merger does not contravene applicable competitive standards imposed by law, and that the merger is consistent with regulatory policies relating to safety and soundness. Further, regulatory approval is not an opinion that the proposed merger is favorable to the shareholders of either party to the merger from a financial point of view or that the regulatory authority has considered the adequacy of the terms of the merger. Regulatory approval is not an endorsement or recommendation of the merger.

The consummation of the merger is also subject to other conditions precedent described in the reorganization agreement, including Houston City Bancshares maintaining minimum capital and allowance for loan loss levels, there being no material adverse change in the condition of Houston City Bancshares or Independent and the average sales price of Independent common stock being at least $37.7416 per share. If a condition of either party is not satisfied, that party may be able to terminate the reorganization agreement and, in such case, the transaction would not be consummated. The parties cannot assure you that all of the conditions precedent in the reorganization agreement will be satisfied or that the merger will be completed.

 

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The tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares at closing could be an amount that results in the reduction of the amount of cash consideration that Houston City Bancshares shareholders receive for their shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock.

The amount of aggregate cash consideration to be received by Houston City Bancshares shareholders in the merger will be reduced if Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $24,000,000 as of the closing date. Accordingly, at the time Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders vote with respect to the reorganization agreement, they will not know the exact value of the cash consideration they will receive in the merger. Neither Independent nor Houston City Bancshares can assure Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders of the exact amount of cash consideration that they will receive in the merger.

Independent could elect to complete the merger transaction even if the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value is less than $22 million on the closing date, in which case the aggregate cash merger consideration would be reduced below $14.8 million.

In the event that Houston City Bancshares does not have a tangible book value equal to or greater than $22 million as of the date of the closing, Independent has the right to elect either to terminate the transaction without completing the merger, or completing the merger regardless of the tangible book value. Houston City Bancshares does not have the right to terminate the merger in the event its tangible book value, which was $27.33 million at June 30, 2014, is below $22 million on the closing date under the terms of the reorganization agreement. If Houston City Bancshares has a tangible book value of $7.2 million or less on the closing date of the merger, and if the transaction still received bank regulatory approval and was consummated, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would not receive any cash consideration, but only shares of Independent common stock. The result is that once the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock have approved the reorganization agreement and the merger, Independent can require Houston City Bancshares to complete the merger even though the aggregate cash merger consideration could be reduced to $0 and only the $56.52 of shares of Independent common stock would be payable.

Houston City Bancshares does not intend to resolicit proxies from its shareholders in the event that Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $22 million on the closing date.

If the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value, which was $27.33 million at June 30, 2014, is below $22 million on the closing date, Independent’s board of directors intends to exercise its independent judgment in determining whether to complete the merger or to terminate the reorganization agreement. Houston City Bancshares does not have a corresponding contractual right to choose not to complete the merger should its tangible book value fall below $22 million on the closing date, even if this means a reduction in the cash merger consideration below $14.8 million (i.e., the reduced aggregate cash merger consideration for $22 million tangible book value on the closing date). In this event, the decision whether to complete the merger will rest solely with Independent. Without the right to decline to complete the merger, there would be no reason for Houston City Bancshares to resolicit proxies from its shareholders under these circumstances. In determining whether to approve the reorganization agreement and the merger, the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock should consider that they could possibly receive reduced aggregate cash merger consideration if the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares were to fall prior to closing.

You may pay U.S. federal income tax as a result of the merger.

The amount of the cash consideration that you receive in the merger in exchange for your common stock of Houston City Bancshares is anticipated to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger” on page 75.

 

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Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the merger is pending.

Uncertainty about the effect of the merger on employees and customers may have an adverse effect on Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and consequently on Independent. These uncertainties may impair Houston City Bancshares’ and Houston Community Bank’s respective ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel until the merger is completed, and could cause customers and others that deal with either Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank to seek to change existing business relationships with either Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank. In addition, the reorganization agreement restricts Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank from taking other specified actions until the merger occurs without the consent of Independent. These restrictions may prevent Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank from pursuing attractive business opportunities that may arise prior to the completion of the merger. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Conduct of Business Pending Effective Time” beginning on page 60 of this proxy statement/prospectus for a description of the restrictive covenants to which Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank are subject.

Integrating Houston Community Bank into Independent Bank’s operations may be more difficult, costly or time-consuming than Independent expects.

Independent, Independent Bank, Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank have operated and, until the merger is completed, will continue to operate, independently. Accordingly, it is possible that the process of integrating Houston Community Bank’s operations into Independent Bank’s operations could result in the disruption of operations, the loss of Houston Community Bank customers and employees and make it more difficult to achieve the intended benefits of the merger. Specifically, inconsistencies between the standards, controls, procedures and policies of Independent Bank and those of Houston Community Bank could adversely affect Independent Bank’s ability to maintain relationships with current customers and employees of Houston Community Bank if and when the merger is completed. Further, as with any merger of banking institutions, business disruptions may occur that may cause Independent Bank to lose customers or may cause customers to withdraw their deposits from Houston Community Bank prior to the merger’s consummation and from Independent Bank thereafter. The realization of the anticipated benefits of the merger may depend in large part on Independent’s ability to integrate Houston Community Bank’s operations into Independent Bank’s operations, and to address differences in business models and cultures. Moreover, the combined effect of integrating the acquisition of Collin Bank, which was completed in the fourth quarter of 2013, the acquisitions of Live Oak Financial, which was completed in the first quarter of 2014, and the acquisition of BOH Holdings, which was completed in the second quarter of 2014, with most of the integration activities expected to occur in the months following the respective dates of acquisition, may stretch Independent’s management and could result in Independent experiencing operational difficulties in such integrations. If Independent is not able to integrate the operations of the foregoing companies and Houston Community Bank into Independent Bank’s operations successfully and on a timely basis, some or all of the expected benefits of the acquisitions may not be realized.

Some of the directors and officers of Houston City Bancshares may have interests and arrangements that may have influenced their decisions to support or recommend that you approve the reorganization agreement.

The interests of some of the directors and officers of Houston City Bancshares may be different from those of Houston City Bancshares shareholders. The directors and certain officers of Houston City Bancshares are or will be participants in arrangements relating to or that are affected by the merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of Houston City Bancshares shareholders. These interests are described in more detail in the section of this proxy statement/prospectus entitled “Financial Interests of Directors and Officers of Houston City Bancshares in the Merger” beginning on page 73.

 

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Independent may fail to realize the cost savings anticipated from the merger.

Although Independent anticipates that it will realize certain cost savings as to the Houston Community Bank operations and otherwise from the merger if and when the Houston Community Bank operations are fully integrated into Independent Bank’s operations, it is possible that Independent may not realize all of the cost savings that Independent has estimated it can realize. For example, unanticipated growth in Independent’s business may require Independent to continue to operate or maintain some facilities or support functions that are currently expected to be combined or reduced as a result of the merger. Independent’s realization of the estimated cost savings also will depend on Independent’s ability to combine the operations of Independent Bank and Houston Community Bank in a manner that permits those costs savings to be realized. Independent is not able to integrate Houston Community Bank’s operations into Independent Bank’s operations successfully, the anticipated cost savings may not be fully realized, if at all, or may take longer to realize than expected.

Houston City Bancshares shareholders will have a reduced ownership and voting interest after the merger and will exercise less influence over management.

Houston City Bancshares shareholders currently have the right to vote in the election of the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares and on other matters affecting Houston City Bancshares. The merger will transfer control of Houston City Bancshares to Independent and to the shareholders of Independent. When the merger occurs, each Houston City Bancshares shareholder will become a shareholder of Independent with a percentage ownership of Independent much smaller than such shareholder’s percentage ownership of Houston City Bancshares. Because of this, Houston City Bancshares shareholders will have less influence on the management and policies of Independent than they now have on the management and policies of Houston City Bancshares.

The dissenters’ rights appraisal process is uncertain.

Houston City Bancshares shareholders may or may not be entitled to receive more than the amount provided for in the reorganization agreement for their shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock if they elect to exercise their right to dissent from the proposed merger, depending on the appraisal of the fair value of the Houston City Bancshares common stock pursuant to the dissenting shareholder procedures under the TBOC. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders” and Appendix C. For this reason, the amount of cash that you might be entitled to receive should you elect to exercise your right to dissent to the merger may be more or less than the value of the merger consideration to be paid pursuant to the reorganization agreement. In addition, it is a condition in the reorganization agreement that the holders of not more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock shall have exercised their statutory dissenters’ rights under the TBOC. The number of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that will exercise dissenters’ rights under the TBOC is not known and therefore there is no assurance of this closing condition being satisfied.

The fairness opinion obtained by Houston City Bancshares from its financial advisor will not reflect changes in circumstances subsequent to the date of the fairness opinion.

Hovde Group, Houston City Bancshares’ financial advisor in connection with the proposed merger, has delivered to the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares its opinion dated as of May 29, 2014. The opinion of Hovde Group stated that as of such date, and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth therein, the merger consideration was fair to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders from a financial point of view. The opinion is necessarily based on economic, market, regulatory and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to Hovde Group, as of the date thereof. Events occurring after the date of the opinion could materially affect the assumptions used in preparing the opinion and its resulting conclusion. Any such changes, or changes in other factors on which the opinion is based, may materially alter or affect the relative values of Independent and Houston City Bancshares.

 

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The shares of Independent common stock to be received by Houston City Bancshares shareholders as a result of the merger will have different rights than the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock and in some cases may be less favorable.

The rights associated with Houston City Bancshares common stock are different from the rights associated with Independent common stock and in some cases may be less favorable. See “Comparison of Rights of Shareholders of Houston City Bancshares and Independent” on page 99 for a more detailed description of the shareholder rights of each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this proxy statement/prospectus that are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of operations of Independent after the merger is completed as well as information about the merger, including Independent’s future revenues, income, expenses, provision for taxes, effective tax rate, earnings per share and cash flows, Independent’s future capital expenditures and dividends, Independent’s future financial condition and changes therein, including changes in Independent’s loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses, Independent’s future capital structure or changes therein, the plan and objectives of management for future operations, Independent’s future or proposed acquisitions, the future or expected effect of acquisitions on Independent’s operations, results of operations and financial condition, Independent’s future economic performance and the statements of the assumptions underlying any such statement. Such statements are typically identified by the use in the statements of words or phrases such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “is anticipated,” “is estimated,” “is expected,” “is intended,” “objective,” “plan,” “projected,” “projection,” “will affect,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will decrease,” “will grow,” “will impact,” “will increase,” “will incur,” “will reduce,” “will remain,” “will result,” “would be,” variations of such words or phrases (including where the word “could,” “may” or “would” is used rather than the word “will” in a phrase) and similar words and phrases indicating that the statement addresses some future result, occurrence, plan or objective. The forward-looking statements that we make are based on Independent’s current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to future results and occurrences, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many possible events or factors could affect the future financial results and performance of each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares before the merger or Independent after the merger, and could cause those results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These possible events or factors include, but are not limited to:

 

    worsening business and economic conditions nationally, regionally and in Independent’s target markets, particularly in Texas and the geographic areas in which Independent operates or particularly affecting the financial industry generally;

 

    Independent’s dependence on its management team and its ability to attract, motivate and retain qualified personnel;

 

    the concentration of Independent’s business within its geographic areas of operation in Texas;

 

    deteriorating asset quality and higher levels of nonperforming assets and loan charge-offs;

 

    concentration of Independent’s loan portfolio in commercial and residential real estate loans and changes in the prices, values and sales volumes of commercial and residential real estate;

 

    inaccuracy of the assumptions and estimates Independent makes in establishing reserves for probable loan losses and other estimates;

 

    lack of liquidity, including as a result of a reduction in the amount of sources of liquidity Independent currently has;

 

    material decreases in the amount of deposits Independent holds;

 

    regulatory requirements to maintain minimum capital levels;

 

    changes in market interest rates that affect the pricing of Independent’s loans and deposits and its interest margins and net interest income;

 

    fluctuations in the market value and liquidity of the securities that Independent holds for sale and changes in the securities market;

 

    effects of competition from a wide variety of local, regional, national and other providers of financial, investment and insurance services, which likely will increase;

 

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    the institution and outcome of litigation and other legal proceeding against Independent or to which Independent becomes subject;

 

    the impact of recent and future legislative and regulatory changes, including changes in banking, securities and tax laws and regulations and their application by Independent’s regulators, such as the Dodd-Frank Act;

 

    changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the bank regulatory agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;

 

    governmental monetary and fiscal policies;

 

    changes in the scope and cost of FDIC, insurance and other coverage;

 

    the effects of war or other conflicts, acts of terrorism (including cyber-attacks) or other catastrophic events, including storms, droughts, tornadoes and flooding, that may affect general economic conditions;

 

    Independent’s actual cost savings resulting from the merger are less than expected, Independent is unable to realize those cost savings as soon as expected or Independent incurs additional or unexpected costs;

 

    Independent’s actual cost savings resulting from the merger or the Collin Bank, Live Oak Financial or BOH Holdings acquisitions are less than expected, Independent is unable to realize those cost savings as soon as expected or Independent incurs additional or unexpected costs;

 

    Independent’s revenues after the merger are less than expected;

 

    deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption before and after the merger, including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than Independent expected;

 

    the risk that the businesses of Independent and each of Houston City Bancshares, Collin Bank, Live Oak Financial and BOH Holdings will not be integrated successfully, or such integrations may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected;

 

    the failure of Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders to approve the reorganization agreement;

 

    the ability to obtain the governmental approvals of the merger on the proposed terms and schedule;

 

    the quality of the assets acquired from other organizations being lower than determined in Independent’s due diligence investigation and related exposure to unrecoverable losses on loans acquired;

 

    general business and economic conditions in the markets Independent or Houston City Bancshares serve change or are less favorable than expected;

 

    changes occur in business conditions and inflation;

 

    personal or commercial customers’ bankruptcies increase; and

 

    technology-related changes are harder to make or more expensive than expected.

For other factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates contained in forward-looking statements, please read the “Risk Factors” section of this proxy statement/prospectus.

Independent urges you to consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating all such forward-looking statements Independent may make. As a result of these and other matters, including changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other factors, the actual results relating to the subject matter

 

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of any forward-looking statement may different materially from the anticipated results expressed or implied in that forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement made by Independent in any report, filing, press release, document, report or announcement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Independent undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

A forward-looking statement may include a statement of the assumptions or bases underlying the forward-looking statement. Independent believes that it has chosen these assumptions or bases in good faith and that they are reasonable. However, Independent cautions you that assumptions or bases almost always vary from actual results, and the differences between assumptions or bases and actual results can be material. Therefore, Independent cautions you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.

 

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GENERAL INFORMATION

This document constitutes a proxy statement of Houston City Bancshares and is being furnished to all record holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares to be used at the special meeting of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares to be held on September 10, 2014. The purpose of the special meeting is to consider and vote to approve the reorganization agreement, which provides for, among other things, the initial merger of IBGHCB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent, with and into Houston City Bancshares, with Houston City Bancshares being the surviving entity, the subsequent merger of Houston City Bancshares with and into Independent, with Independent being the surviving entity, and then the bank merger of Houston Community Bank with and into Independent Bank, with Independent Bank being the surviving bank. This document also constitutes a prospectus relating to offer and sale of the Independent common stock to be issued to holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock upon completion of the merger of Houston City Bancshares and IBGHCB.

Independent has supplied all of the information contained herein relating to Independent and Independent Bank, and Houston City Bancshares has supplied all of the information contained herein relating to Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank.

THE SPECIAL MEETING

Date, Place and Time of the Special Meeting

The special meeting of Houston City Bancshares shareholders will be held at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, on September 10, 2014, at the offices of Houston Community Bank, 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067.

Matters to be Considered

The purpose of the special meeting is to consider and vote on the following:

Proposal One: approve the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of June 2, 2014, by and between Independent and Houston City Bancshares and the related Agreement and Plan of Merger, which is attached to the reorganization agreement as Exhibit A, pursuant to which IBGHCB will merge with and into Houston City Bancshares, all on the terms and subject to conditions contained therein; and

Proposal Two: to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates if the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines such an adjournment is necessary to permit further solicitation of additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement.

Completion of the merger is conditioned on, among other things, shareholder approval of the reorganization agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement. No other business may be conducted at the special meeting.

Recommendation of the Houston City Bancshares Board of Directors

On June 2, 2014, the Houston City Bancshares board of directors unanimously approved the reorganization agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. Based on Houston City Bancshares’ reasons for the merger described in this proxy statement/prospectus, including the fairness opinion of Hovde Group, the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares believes that the merger is in the best interests of Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders.

Accordingly, the Houston City Bancshares board of directors unanimously recommends that Houston City Bancshares shareholders vote as follows:

“FOR” approval of the reorganization agreement and the merger; and.

 

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“FOR” any proposal to adjourn the special meeting that the Houston City Bancshares board of directors determines is necessary, including to permit further solicitation of additional proxies on the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement.

See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Recommendation of Houston City Bancshares’ Board and Its Reasons for the Merger” beginning on page 48.

Holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock should carefully read this proxy statement/prospectus, including any documents incorporated by reference, and the Appendices in their entirety for more detailed information concerning the merger and the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement.

Houston City Bancshares Record Date; Shareholders Entitled to Vote

The record date for the special meeting is August 5, 2014, or the record date. Only record holders of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock at 5:00 p.m. Central Time, or the close of business, on the record date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof. At the close of business on the record date, the only outstanding securities of Houston City Bancshares with a right to vote on the proposals was Houston City Bancshares common stock, with 551,993 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock issued and outstanding. Each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding on the record date is entitled to one vote on each proposal. Holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, must vote in favor of the reorganization agreement in order to permit consummation of the merger.

Voting by Houston City Bancshares’ Directors and Executive Officers Subject to the Voting Agreement

All of the directors and executive officers of Houston City Bancshares have entered into an agreement to vote the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock they control in favor of approval of the reorganization agreement and the merger and in the manner most favorable to the consummation of the merger and the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement; provided, however, that the Houston City Bancshares shareholders who entered into the voting agreement would be permitted to vote to accept a superior proposal, if any, under the terms of the reorganization agreement. As of the record date, 174,213 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, or approximately 31.56% of the outstanding shares of such common stock, entitled to vote at the special meeting, are bound by the voting agreement.

Quorum and Adjournment

No business may be transacted at the special meeting unless a quorum is present. Shareholders who hold shares representing at least a majority of each class of the shares entitled to vote at the special meeting must be present in person or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum, but the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting must be present, in person or by proxy, at the special meeting in order for the necessary vote to be able to take action on the merger proposal. The affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock is required to approve the reorganization agreement. As a result, if shares representing at least two-thirds of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding on the close of business on the record date are not present at the special meeting, the presence of a quorum will still not permit the merger to be approved at the special meeting.

If a quorum is not present, or if fewer shares than are required are voted in favor of the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement, then the special meeting may be adjourned to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies, if the approval of a majority of the votes cast at the special meeting on such proposal is obtained.

 

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No notice of an adjourned special meeting need be given unless after the adjournment, a new record date is fixed for the adjourned special meeting, in which case a notice of the adjourned special meeting shall be given to each Houston City Bancshares shareholder of record entitled to vote at the special meeting. At any adjourned special meeting, all proxies will be voted in the same manner as they would have been voted at the original convening of the special meeting, except for any proxies that have been effectively revoked or withdrawn prior to the adjourned special meeting.

All shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock represented at the special meeting, including shares that are represented but that vote to abstain and broker nonvotes, will be treated as present for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum.

Required Vote

The required votes to approve the Houston City Bancshares proposals are as follows:

Proposal One: approving the reorganization agreement and the merger requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting. Failures to vote, broker nonvotes and abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against this proposal.

Proposal Two: approving the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies requires the approval of a majority of the votes cast by holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock at the special meeting, regardless of whether there is a quorum. Failures to vote, broker nonvotes and abstentions will have no effect on the vote for the proposal.

Voting of Proxies by Holders of Record

If you were a record holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock at the close of business on the record date, a proxy card is enclosed for your use. Houston City Bancshares requests that you vote your shares as promptly as possible by submitting your Houston City Bancshares proxy card by mail using the enclosed return envelope. When the accompanying proxy card is returned properly executed, the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock represented by it will be voted at the special meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof in accordance with the instructions contained in the proxy card.

If a proxy card is returned without an indication as to how the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock represented by it are to be voted with regard to a particular proposal, the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock represented by the proxy will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Houston City Bancshares board of directors and, therefore, such shares will be voted:

“FOR” Proposal One approving the reorganization agreement and the merger; and

“FOR” Proposal Two approving the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary to permit solicitation of additional proxies.

At the date hereof, the Houston City Bancshares board of directors has no knowledge of any business that will be presented for consideration at the special meeting and that would be required to be set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus or the related proxy card other than the matters set forth in Houston City Bancshares’ Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders.

No other matter can be brought up or voted upon at the special meeting.

Your vote is important. Accordingly, if you were a record holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock on the record date of the special meeting, please sign and return the enclosed proxy card whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting in person.

 

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Attending the Meeting; Voting in Person

Only record holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock on the record date, their duly appointed proxies, and invited guests may attend the special meeting. All attendees must present government-issued photo identification (such as a driver’s license or passport) for admittance. The additional items, if any, that attendees must bring to gain admittance to the special meeting depend on whether they are shareholders of record or proxy holders. A Houston City Bancshares shareholder who holds shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock directly registered in such shareholder’s name who desires to attend the special meeting in person should bring government-issued photo identification.

A shareholder who holds shares in “street name” through a broker, bank, trustee or other nominee (referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus as a “beneficial owner”) who desires to attend the special meeting in person must bring proof of beneficial ownership as of the record date, such as a letter from the broker, bank, trustee or other nominee that is the record owner of such beneficial owner’s shares, a brokerage account statement or the voting instruction form provided by the broker.

A person who holds a validly executed proxy entitling such person to vote on behalf of a record owner of Houston City Bancshares shares who desires to attend the special meeting in person must bring the validly executed proxy naming such person as the proxy holder, signed by the Houston City Bancshares shareholder of record, and proof of the signing shareholder’s record ownership as of the record date.

No cameras, recording equipment or other electronic devices will be allowed in the meeting room. Failure to provide the requested documents at the door or failure to comply with the procedures for the special meeting may prevent Houston City Bancshares shareholders from being admitted to the special meeting.

Revocation of Proxies

A Houston City Bancshares shareholder entitled to vote at the special meeting may revoke a proxy at any time before such time that the proxy card for any such holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock must be received at the special meeting by taking any of the following three actions:

 

    delivering written notice of revocation to Brad Fagan, Corporate Secretary, Houston City Bancshares, Inc., 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77067;

 

    delivering a proxy card bearing a later date than the proxy that such shareholder desires to revoke; or

 

    attending the special meeting and voting in person.

Merely attending the special meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy; a Houston City Bancshares shareholder must cast a subsequent vote at the special meeting using forms provided for that purpose. The last valid vote that we receive before or at the special meeting is the vote that will be counted.

If you hold your shares in “street name” through a bank or broker, you must contact such bank or broker if you desire to revoke your proxy.

Tabulation of Votes

Houston City Bancshares has appointed Brad Fagan to serve as the Inspector of Election for the special meeting. The Inspector of Election will independently tabulate affirmative votes, negative votes and abstentions.

Solicitation of Proxies

The Houston City Bancshares board of directors is soliciting proxies for the special meeting from holders of its Houston City Bancshares common stock entitled to vote at such special meeting. In accordance with the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares will pay its own cost of soliciting proxies from its

 

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shareholders, including the cost of mailing this proxy statement/prospectus. In addition to solicitation of proxies by mail, proxies may be solicited by Houston City Bancshares’ officers, directors and regular employees, without additional remuneration, by personal interview, telephone or other means of communication.

Houston City Bancshares will make arrangements with brokerage houses, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward proxy solicitation materials to beneficial owners of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Houston City Bancshares may reimburse these brokerage houses, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable expenses incurred in forwarding the proxy materials.

Abstentions and shares held of record by a broker or nominee that are voted on any matter are included in determining whether a quorum exists at the special meeting. Brokers that are members of the NYSE or NASDAQ Global Select Market, as holders of record, are permitted to vote on certain routine matters in their discretion, but not on nonroutine matters. The proposal to approve the reorganization agreement is a nonroutine matter. Accordingly, if a holder of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock holds such shares in “street name” and does not provide voting instructions to his or her bank, broker or nominee that is a member of NYSE or NASDAQ Global Select Market, those shares will not be voted on the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement and the merger at the special meeting unless you receive a proxy from that broker that will allow you to vote the shares you beneficially own and that are held by that broker.

Adjournments

Any adjournment of the special meeting may be made from time to time if the approval of the holders of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock at the special meeting is obtained, whether or not a quorum exists, without further notice other than by an announcement made at the special meeting (unless a new record date is fixed). If a quorum is not present at the special meeting, or if a quorum is present at the special meeting but there are not sufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to approve the proposals, then Houston City Bancshares shareholders may be asked to vote on a proposal to adjourn the special meeting so as to permit solicitation of additional proxies.

Questions and Additional Information

If a Houston City Bancshares shareholder has questions about the merger or the process for voting or if additional copies of this document or a replacement proxy card are needed, please contact W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., Houston City Bancshares’ Chairman of the Board, at (281) 537-7200.

PROPOSAL TO APPROVE THE REORGANIZATION AGREEMENT

(Proposal One)

The following information describes the material aspects of the merger. A copy of the reorganization agreement is included as Appendix A to this proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated herein by reference. You are urged to read the reorganization agreement in its entirety.

Terms of the Merger

The reorganization agreement provides for the acquisition of Houston City Bancshares by Independent through certain merger transactions. Specifically, the reorganization agreement provides for the initial merger of IBGHCB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent, with and into Houston City Bancshares, with Houston City Bancshares being the surviving entity, the subsequent merger of Houston City Bancshares with and into Independent, with Independent being the surviving entity, and then the bank merger of Houston Community Bank with and into Independent Bank, with Independent Bank being the surviving bank. If the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares approve the reorganization agreement at the special meeting, and if the required

 

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regulatory approvals are obtained and the other conditions to the parties’ obligations to effect the merger are satisfied or are waived by the party entitled to do so, the parties anticipate that the merger will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014, although delays could occur.

Independent is currently the sole shareholder of Independent Bank, a Texas state bank, and Houston City Bancshares is currently the sole indirect shareholder of Houston Community Bank, N.A., a national banking association. Houston City Bancshares owns 100% of the capital stock of HCB Nevada, Inc., a Nevada corporation, which, in turn, owns 100% of the capital stock of Houston Community Bank. Houston City Bancshares has agreed to dissolve HCB Nevada, Inc. prior to the closing date. Upon the effectiveness of the merger, both Independent Bank and the Houston Community Bank will be wholly owned subsidiaries of Independent. Pursuant to the reorganization agreement, immediately following the effectiveness of the merger, Houston Community Bank will merge with and into Independent Bank, with Independent Bank being the surviving bank following the bank merger.

If Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve the reorganization agreement and the merger is completed, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive a cash amount equal to $30.44, or the per share cash consideration, subject to a potential downward adjustment based upon the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date, and a number of shares of Independent common stock, or the per share stock consideration, equal to the quotient of (i) $56.52, divided by (ii) the average, determined to one-one hundredth of one cent, of the volume weighted sale price per share of Independent common stock on NASDAQ Global Select Market System for the ten consecutive trading days ending on and including the third trading day preceding the closing date, as reported by Bloomberg, or the average sales price. Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014 of $48.01 and assuming that the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares is at least $24,000,000 on the closing date, upon completion of the merger, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive approximately 1.1773 shares of Independent common stock plus $30.44 in cash for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own.

If the average sales price is less than 90% of $47.1770, or $42.4593, Independent may in its sole discretion elect to: (a) increase the per share cash consideration from $30.44 to an amount up to $43.48, subject to the tangible book value adjustment; and (b) reduce the per share stock consideration to a number of shares of Independent common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the difference between $86.96 and the increased amount of the per share cash consideration; divided by (y) the average sales price.

The amount of aggregate cash consideration will be reduced if Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement, is less than $24,000,000 as of the closing date. If, as of the closing date, Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $24,000,000, the aggregate cash consideration will be reduced by an amount equal to $24,000,000 minus Houston City Bancshares’ actual tangible book value as of the closing date. In the event of such reduction, the per share cash consideration would be reduced by an amount equal to the quotient of (i) the amount of such reduction, divided by (ii) the number of Houston City Bancshares shares outstanding on the closing date.

The cash portion of the merger consideration ($16.8 million) would be adjusted downward if the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares is less than $24 million on the closing date of the merger. Pursuant to the terms of the reorganization agreement, the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares will be determined from Houston City Bancshares’ financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied, adjusted as provided for below. Any unrealized gains or losses in investment securities (other than certain specified investment securities which are excluded) are included in the calculation of tangible book value.

As of June 30, 2014, tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares was approximately $27.33 million, and will be increased or decreased, as the case may be, by the amount of net income or net loss, respectively, of Houston City Bancshares through the closing date. Management of Houston City Bancshares estimates that net

 

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income will be approximately $1.52 million from July 1, 2014 through October 31, 2014. The calculation of tangible book value will include a decrease for the following costs and expenses of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, on an after tax equivalent basis, currently estimated to be, in the aggregate, approximately $1.92 million:

 

    any and all costs related to the transactions contemplated by the reorganization document, which would include any:

 

    investment banking fees, legal fees and accounting fees; and

 

    director, officer or employee bonuses or payments and any change in control payments or other payments due under employment arrangements or anticipated “stay” or “retention” bonuses paid or to be paid to Houston City Bancshares and/or Houston Community Bank employees;

 

    any costs or fees (including forfeited prepaid expenses) arising from or related to the termination of any of Houston City Bancshares’ material contracts;

 

    the printing and mailing costs related to sending this joint proxy statement/prospectus to Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders;

 

    the premium for D&O insurance tail coverage; and

 

    accruals for all ad valorem taxes owed by Houston City Bancshares on a pro-rated basis for the period ended on the closing time.

The table set forth below shows the estimate for the amounts that would affect the calculation of Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value, assuming the closing of the merger on October 31, 2014:

 

     Estimate  

Tangible book value as of June 30, 2014

   $ 27,330,000   

Estimated costs and expenses of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank related to the merger and other required deductions:

  

Costs related to the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement:

  

Investment banking, legal and accounting fees

     (950,000

Employee and director payments

     (773,000

Costs related to the termination of material contracts and forfeited prepaid expenses

     (155,000

Printing and mailing costs

     (3,000

Premium for director and officer insurance tail coverage

     (40,000
  

 

 

 

Estimated total costs and expenses

     (1,921,000

Estimated income from July 1, 2014, through October 31, 2014

     1,520,000   
  

 

 

 

Estimated tangible book value as of October 31, 2014

   $ 26,929,000   
  

 

 

 

These amounts are only estimates and are based upon several assumptions, many of which are beyond the control of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank. Accordingly, the actual amount of Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value may vary from these estimated amounts.

Houston City Bancshares will provide Independent with a preliminary calculation of tangible book value at least three business days before the closing date. If Independent disagrees with such calculation of tangible book value, Houston City Bancshares and Independent will meet to resolve any such disagreement. If the parties cannot resolve any such disagreement, then an independent accounting firm mutually agreed to by Houston City Bancshares and Independent will resolve any such disagreement, which resolution will be final and binding upon both parties.

If, as of the closing date, Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $24 million, the $16.8 million aggregate cash merger consideration to be paid to holders of Houston City Bancshares common

 

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stock would be reduced by an amount equal to the difference between $24 million minus Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as of the closing date.

For example, should the tangible book value be reduced to $22.0 million on the closing date, then there would be a reduction in the aggregate cash merger consideration of $2.0 million, and the aggregate cash merger consideration distributed among the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would be $14.8 million rather than $16.8 million. If Houston City Bancshares has a tangible book value of $7.2 million or less on the closing date of merger, if the transaction still received bank regulatory approval and was consummated, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock would not receive any cash consideration, but only shares of Independent common stock.

Independent’s obligation to consummate the merger is conditioned upon Houston City Bancshares having a tangible book value of at least $22 million on the closing date. Should the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value be less than $22 million on the closing date, then Independent may, in its sole discretion refuse to close the transactions and consummate the merger, or Independent may elect to proceed with the transactions and consummate the merger, in which case the cash merger consideration would be further reduced below $14.8 million. If the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value is below $22 million on the closing date, Independent’s board of directors intends to exercise its independent judgment in determining whether to complete the merger or to terminate the reorganization agreement. In making this determination, the Independent board of directors will exercise its fiduciary duties, including fulfilling its duty to review the reasons why the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value was lower than $22 million, whether that lower valuation negatively impacts the benefits that Independent hoped to achieve as a result of the merger, whether the corresponding lower cash consideration to be paid in such event off-sets any potential negative consequences with moving ahead with the merger, and the Independent board of directors will consult with its legal and financial advisors in evaluating whether it would be in the best interests of the Independent shareholders to complete the merger in light of all the relevant facts and circumstances surrounding the lower tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares.

Houston City Bancshares will not resolicit proxies from its shareholders in the event that the Houston City Bancshares tangible book value is below $22 million and Independent elects to complete the merger. Please refer to the risk factor, “Houston City Bancshares does not intend to resolicit proxies from its shareholders in the event that Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value is less than $22 million on the closing date,” on page 31.

If Houston City Bancshares achieves the estimates set forth above and the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date is at least $24 million, there would be no downward adjustment, and holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock on the closing date would receive $30.44 cash for each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they own. If the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares on the closing date is less than $24 million, each share of Houston City Bancshares common stock would receive cash in an amount equal to the difference of (i) $16,802,666 less (ii) the shortfall in the tangible book value from the $24 million tangible book value threshold divided by (iii) the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding immediately before the effective time of the merger, expected to be 551,993 shares.

If the tangible book value on the calculation date is greater than $24,000,000, then on the day prior to the closing date, Houston City Bancshares may distribute to its shareholders an amount equal to the difference between (i) the actual amount of tangible book value as of the fifth business day preceding the closing date, less (ii) $24,000,000.

Treatment of Shares of Houston City Bancshares Common Stock

As a result of the merger, holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be entitled to receive whole shares of Independent common stock and cash, with cash paid in lieu of a fractional share, and will no longer be owners of Houston City Bancshares common stock. As a result of the merger, certificates of Houston

 

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City Bancshares common stock will represent only the right to receive the merger consideration pursuant to the reorganization agreement. Houston City Bancshares will cease to exist following the completion of the merger.

Fractional shares of Independent common stock will be paid in cash, without interest. The market price of Independent common stock will fluctuate from the date of this proxy statement/prospectus through the third trading date prior to the effective date of the merger, which is the date on which the per share stock consideration is determined for the merger. Because of the possibility of the tangible book value adjustment to the amount of the per share cash consideration and the fluctuation in the market price of Independent common stock that will comprise the per share stock consideration, you will not know the exact amount of cash or the exact number of shares of Independent common stock you will receive in connection with the merger when you vote on the reorganization agreement. However, the value of the stock consideration will be $56.52 worth of Independent common stock, with fractional shares being added to the initial $30.44 worth of cash consideration, assuming there is no tangible book value adjustment, as described above.

Background of the Merger

From time to time, the board of directors and management of Houston City Bancshares have reviewed Houston City Bancshares’ future prospects for earnings and asset growth and the viability of Houston City Bancshares’ continued operations as an independent bank. On June 5, 2013, W. Phillip Johnson, Chairman of the board, met with representatives of Hovde Group to discuss the strategic alternatives available to Houston City Bancshares for maximizing shareholder value including, among other things, continued independence or a strategic merger or affiliation with another financial institution. As part of this discussion, Hovde Group also updated Mr. Johnson on market conditions.

During the following month, Mr. Johnson had several follow-up conversations with representatives of Hovde Group. As part of these discussions, Mr. Johnson expressed a willingness to meet with management of Independent and another company, Bank B, and requested that Hovde Group facilitate these meetings.

On August 5, 2013, representatives of Houston City Bancshares, Independent and Hovde Group met in Houston, Texas. Both banks expressed an interest in exchanging some preliminary information and executed a confidentiality agreement two days later.

Through August, certain information was exchanged and Hovde Group held several conversations with Houston City Bancshares and Independent resulting in a letter of intent from Independent received by Houston City Bancshares on August 30, 2013. The terms contained within the letter outlined an offer for $45 million, consisting of $13.5 million in cash and the remainder in Independent common stock.

On September 5, 2013, representatives of Houston City Bancshares, Bank B and Hovde Group met in Houston, Texas. While Houston City Bancshares’ management and representatives of Hovde Group had subsequent discussions with Bank B, discussions concluded without any proposal.

On September 11, 2013, Hovde Group was formally engaged to advise and assist Houston City Bancshares’ board by providing financial advisory services regarding its strategic alternatives including, but not limited to, a potential sale or merger. On September 17, 2013, Hovde Group met with Houston City Bancshares’ board to discuss the offer from Independent and evaluate Houston City Bancshares’ strategic alternatives.

During the following week, Independent indicated that another initiative required its undivided attention which would prohibit Independent from proceeding with Houston City Bancshares at that time.

At Houston City Bancshares’ board meeting on October 16, 2013, Hovde Group and the board discussed the possibility of holding discussions with additional strategic partners.

 

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During the next two months, Hovde Group contacted three new parties, each of which signed a confidential agreement. One of these parties was Bank C which met with senior management of Houston City Bancshares and Hovde Group on December 12, 2013. On December 20, 2013, Bank C submitted a letter of intent to purchase Houston City Bancshares for $46 million with the consideration consisting entirely of cash. Representatives of Hovde Group engaged in subsequent discussions with the other two parties, but those discussions concluded without any proposal.

In late December, Independent expressed its interest in reopening discussions with Houston City Bancshares. On January 9, 2014, representatives of Independent met with senior management of Houston City Bancshares in Houston, Texas. On January 14, 2014, Independent submitted a letter of intent indicating a $48 million price for all of Houston City Bancshares’ capital stock, to be paid in a combination of cash and common stock of Independent. The letter required Houston City Bancshares to deliver $24 million in tangible shareholders’ equity at closing.

On January 21, 2014, Houston City Bancshares’ Chairman requested that Hovde Group contact Bank C to inquire whether it would increase its offer. Bank C increased their offer to an all-cash price of $47 million, including a requirement of $23 million in tangible shareholders’ equity at closing. On January 23, 2014, this letter was reviewed by Houston City Bancshares’ board, and after significant discussion among its board members, Houston City Bancshares decided that an all-cash offer provided greater certainty for its shareholders and invited Bank C to conduct a detailed due diligence.

Preparations were made in early February and onsite due diligence was conducted during the week of February 10, 2014. Due diligence continued throughout February and Bank C’s counsel began drafting a reorganization agreement; however, on March 6, 2014, Bank C expressed it would no longer be able to proceed with the contemplated transaction at that time.

Houston City Bancshares’ board requested that Hovde Group contact Independent. Hovde Group had several conversations with Independent that resulted in a letter of intent from Independent on March 31, 2014. This letter contemplated a $48 million price for all of Houston City Bancshares’ capital stock, to be paid in a combination of cash and common stock of Independent. The number of shares to be issued to Houston City Bancshares’ stockholders will be determined based on the volume weighted average price of Independent’s common stock for ten consecutive trading days ending on and including the third trading day preceding the Closing Date. The letter required Houston City Bancshares to deliver $24 million in tangible shareholders’ equity at closing.

During the week of April 28, 2014, Independent conducted onsite due diligence and its counsel began drafting a reorganization agreement.

On May 5, 2014, Houston City Bancshares’ counsel received the initial draft of the reorganization agreement. During the month of May, due diligence continued and certain terms of the reorganization agreement were negotiated.

On May 19, 2014, a team led by the senior management of Houston City Bancshares conducted its onsite diligence at Independent’s headquarters in McKinney, Texas.

On May 29, 2014, Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors met with its legal and financial advisors to discuss the proposed reorganization agreement, which was in its substantially final form. The Houston City Bancshares board of directors heard a presentation from Hovde Group on the financial aspects of the transaction. At the conclusion of this discussion and after responding to questions from the directors, Hovde Group rendered to Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors its oral opinion that the aggregate merger consideration to be received from Independent, which consisted of $16.8 million in cash and $31.2 million in Independent common

 

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stock, subject to adjustment as provided in the proposed reorganization agreement, was fair to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares from a financial point of view. Hovde Group’s oral opinion was subsequently confirmed by delivery of its written opinion, dated May 29, 2014, to the Houston City Bancshares board of directors. Thereafter, Houston City Bancshares’ legal counsel, Harris Law Firm, PC, reviewed the terms and conditions of the proposed reorganization agreement and ancillary legal documents with the board of directors, discussing in detail the business points, contingencies, timing issues and fiduciary concerns.

Based upon the board of directors’ review and discussion of the proposed reorganization agreement, the opinion of Hovde Group and other relevant factors, Houston City Bancshares’ board unanimously authorized and approved the execution of the proposed reorganization agreement with Independent. On June 2, 2014, Houston City Bancshares executed the proposed reorganization agreement and Independent announced the transaction.

Recommendation of Houston City Bancshares’ Board and Its Reasons for the Merger

Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors has unanimously approved the reorganization agreement and unanimously recommends that the Houston City Bancshares shareholders vote “FOR” approval of the reorganization agreement.

Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors has determined that the merger is fair to, and in the best interests of, Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders. In approving the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors consulted with Hovde Group with respect to the financial aspects and fairness of the merger consideration from a financial point of view, to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders, and with its outside legal counsel as to its legal duties and the terms of the reorganization agreement. In arriving at its determination, Houston City Bancshares’ board also considered a number of factors, including the following:

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors’ familiarity with and review of information concerning the business, results of operations, financial condition, competitive position and future prospects of Houston City Bancshares;

 

    the current and prospective environment in which Houston City Bancshares operates, including national, regional and local economic conditions, the competitive environment for banks, thrifts and other financial institutions generally and the increased regulatory burdens on financial institutions generally and the trend toward consolidation in the banking industry and in the financial services industry;

 

    the financial presentation of Hovde Group and the opinion of Hovde Group dated as of May 29, 2014 that, as of May 29, 2014 (the date on which Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors approved the reorganization agreement), and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set forth in the opinion, the merger consideration to be received from Independent is fair, from a financial point of view, to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares (see “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Fairness Opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ Financial Advisor”);

 

    that shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will receive part of the merger consideration in shares of Independent common stock, which is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange, thereby representing a more liquid and flexible investment than does Houston City Bancshares common stock;

 

    the treatment of the merger as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to Houston City Bancshares stock exchanged for Independent stock;

 

    that the number of shares to be issued to Houston City Bancshares stockholders will be determined based on the volume weighted average price of Independent’s common stock for ten consecutive trading days ending on and including the third trading day preceding the closing date;

 

    the ability of Independent to pay the cash portion of the aggregate merger consideration;

 

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    the results that Houston City Bancshares could expect to obtain if it continued to operate independently, and the likely benefits to shareholders of that course of action, as compared with the value of the merger consideration offered by Independent;

 

    the non-economic terms of the transaction, including the impact on existing customers and employees;

 

    the ability of Independent to receive approval from the appropriate regulatory authorities in a timely manner;

 

    that a merger with a larger holding company would provide the opportunity to realize economies of scale, increase efficiencies of operations and enhance the development of new products and services; and

 

    the ability of Independent as an experienced acquirer of financial institutions to integrate the operations of Houston City Bancshares.

The reasons set out above for the merger are not intended to be exhaustive but do include all material factors considered by Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors in approving the merger. In reaching its determination, the Houston City Bancshares board of directors did not assign any relative or specific weights to different factors, and individual directors may have given different weights to different factors. Based on the reasons stated, the board believed that the merger was in the best interest of Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders, and therefore the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares unanimously approved the reorganization agreement and the merger. In addition, all members of Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors have entered into voting agreements requiring them to vote the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock over which they have voting authority in favor of the reorganization agreement.

HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES’ BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT

HOLDERS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES COMMON STOCK

VOTE FOR THE REORGANIZATION AGREEMENT.

Fairness Opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ Financial Advisor

The fairness opinion of Houston City Bancshares’ financial advisor, Hovde Group, is described below. The description contains projections, estimates and other forward-looking statements about the future earnings or other measures of the future performance of Houston City Bancshares. The projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions, which are inherently uncertain, including factors related to general economic and competitive conditions. Accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in the projections. You should not rely on any of these statements as having been made or adopted by Houston City Bancshares or Independent. You should review the copy of the Fairness Opinion, which is attached as Appendix B.

Hovde Group has acted as Houston City Bancshares’ financial advisor in connection with the proposed merger. Hovde Group is a nationally recognized investment banking firm with substantial experience in transactions similar to the merger and is familiar with Houston City Bancshares, its wholly owned subsidiary, Houston Community Bank, and its operations. As part of its investment banking business, Hovde Group is continually engaged in the valuation of businesses and their securities in connection with, among other things, mergers and acquisitions.

Hovde Group reviewed the financial aspects of the proposed merger with Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors and, on May 29, 2014, rendered a written opinion to Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors that the merger consideration to be paid in connection with the merger was fair to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares from a financial point of view.

 

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The full text of Hovde Group’s written opinion is included in this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Appendix B and is incorporated herein by reference. You are urged to read the opinion in its entirety for a description of the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by Hovde Group. The summary of the opinion of Hovde Group set forth in this proxy statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such opinion.

Hovde Group’s opinion is directed to Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors and addresses only the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the merger consideration to Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders. It does not address the underlying business decision to proceed with the merger and does not constitute a recommendation to any of the shareholders as to how such shareholder should vote at the special meeting on the merger or any related matter.

During the course of its engagement, and as a basis for arriving at its opinion, Hovde Group reviewed and analyzed material bearing upon the financial and operating conditions of Houston City Bancshares, Houston Community Bank and Independent and material prepared in connection with the merger, including, among other things, the following:

 

    reviewed a draft of the reorganization agreement, as provided to Hovde Group by Houston City Bancshares;

 

    reviewed certain unaudited financial statements of Houston City Bancshares and Independent for the three-month period ended March 31, 2014;

 

    reviewed certain historical annual reports of each of Houston City Bancshares and Independent, including audited annual reports for Houston Community Bank and Independent for the year ending December 31, 2013;

 

    reviewed certain historical publicly available business and financial information concerning each of Houston City Bancshares and Independent;

 

    reviewed certain internal financial statements and other financial and operating data concerning Houston City Bancshares, including, without limitation, internal financial analyses and forecasts prepared by management of Houston City Bancshares, and held discussions with senior management of Houston City Bancshares regarding recent developments and regulatory matters;

 

    analyzed financial projections prepared by certain members of senior management of Houston City Bancshares;

 

    discussed with certain members of senior management of Houston City Bancshares the business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects of Houston City Bancshares and Independent, as well as the history and past and current operations of Houston City Bancshares and Independent, Houston City Bancshares’ and Independent’s historical financial performance and Houston City Bancshares’ and Independent’s outlook and future prospects;

 

    reviewed the terms of recent merger, acquisition and control investment transactions, to the extent publicly available, involving financial institutions and financial institution holding companies that we considered relevant;

 

    analyzed the pro forma impact of the merger on the combined company’s earnings per share, consolidated capitalization and financial ratios;

 

    assessed the general economic, market and financial conditions;

 

    took into consideration our experience in other similar transactions and securities valuations as well as our knowledge of the banking and financial services industry;

 

    reviewed and analyzed certain publicly available financial and stock market data relating to selected public companies that Hovde Group deemed relevant to its analysis;

 

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    discussed with management of Houston City Bancshares their assessment of the rationale for the merger; and

 

    performed such other analyses and considered such other factors as we have deemed appropriate.

In rendering its opinion, Hovde Group assumed, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of the financial and other information and representations contained in the materials provided to it by Houston City Bancshares, and in the discussions it had with the management of Houston City Bancshares. Hovde Group relied upon the reasonableness and achievability of the financial forecasts and projections (and the assumptions and bases therein) provided to Hovde Group by Houston City Bancshares and assumed that the financial forecasts, including without limitation, the projections regarding under-performing and non-performing assets and net charge-offs were reasonably prepared by Houston City Bancshares on a basis reflecting the best currently available information and judgments and estimates by Houston City Bancshares, and that such forecasts will be realized in the amounts and at the times contemplated thereby. Hovde Group did not assume any responsibility to verify such information or assumptions independently.

Hovde Group is not an expert in the evaluation of loan and lease portfolios for purposes of assessing the adequacy of the allowances for loan losses with respect thereto. Hovde Group assumed that such allowances for Houston City Bancshares and Independent are, in the aggregate, adequate to cover such losses. Hovde Group was not requested to make, and did not conduct, an independent evaluation, physical inspection or appraisal of the assets, properties, facilities or liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of Houston City Bancshares or Independent, the collateral securing any such assets or liabilities, or the collectability of any such assets, and Hovde Group was not furnished with any such evaluations or appraisals, nor did Hovde Group review any loan or credit files of Houston City Bancshares or Independent.

Hovde Group assumed that the merger will be consummated substantially in accordance with the terms set forth in the reorganization agreement, without any waiver of material terms or conditions by Houston City Bancshares or any other party to the reorganization agreement and that the final reorganization agreement will not differ materially from the draft Hovde Group reviewed. Hovde Group assumed that the merger is, and will be, in compliance with all laws and regulations that are applicable to Houston City Bancshares, Independent and their respective affiliates. Hovde Group further assumed that, in the course of obtaining the necessary regulatory and government approvals, no restriction will be imposed on Independent or the surviving institutions that would have a material adverse effect on the surviving institutions or the contemplated benefits of the merger. Hovde Group also assumed that no changes in applicable law or regulation will occur that will cause a material adverse change in the prospects or operations of the institutions after the merger.

Hovde Group’s opinion does not consider, include or address: (i) any other strategic alternatives currently (or which have been or may be) contemplated by the board of directors or Houston City Bancshares; (ii) the legal, tax or accounting consequences of the merger on Houston City Bancshares or Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders; (iii) any advice or opinions provided by any other advisor to the board of directors or Houston City Bancshares; or (iv) whether Independent has sufficient cash, available lines of credit or other sources of funds to enable it to pay the cash portion of the merger consideration. Hovde Group’s opinion is not a solvency opinion and does not in any way address the solvency or financial condition of Houston City Bancshares.

Houston City Bancshares engaged Hovde Group on September 11, 2013, to provide Houston City Bancshares with financial advisory services. Pursuant to the terms of the engagement, Hovde Group received a fee for the delivery of its fairness opinion. At the time the merger is completed, Houston City Bancshares will pay Hovde Group a completion fee, which is contingent upon the completion of the merger. Pursuant to the engagement agreement, in addition to its fees and regardless of whether the merger is consummated, Houston City Bancshares has agreed to reimburse Hovde Group for certain reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in performing its services and to indemnify Hovde Group against certain claims, losses, and expenses arising out of the merger or Hovde Group’s engagement.

 

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In performing its analyses, Hovde Group made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond the control of Hovde Group, Houston City Bancshares and Independent. Hovde Group’s opinion was necessarily based on financial, economic, market, and other conditions and circumstances as they existed on, and on the information made available to Hovde Group as of, the date of its opinion. Hovde Group has no obligation to update or reaffirm its opinion at any time. Any estimates contained in the analyses performed by Hovde Group are not necessarily indicative of actual values or future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by these analyses. Additionally, estimates of the value of businesses or securities do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices at which such businesses or securities may be sold or the prices at which any securities may trade at any time in the future. Accordingly, these analyses and estimates are inherently subject to substantial uncertainty. Hovde Group’s opinion does not address the relative merits of the merger as compared to any other business combination in which Houston City Bancshares might engage. In addition, Hovde Group’s fairness opinion was among several factors taken into consideration by Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors in making its determination to approve the reorganization agreement and the merger. Consequently, the analyses described below should not be viewed as solely determinative of the decision of Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors or Houston City Bancshares’ management with respect to the fairness of the merger consideration.

The following is a summary of the material analyses prepared by Hovde Group and presented to Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors on May 29, 2014 in connection with the fairness opinion. This summary is not a complete description of the analyses underlying the fairness opinion or the presentation prepared by Hovde Group, but it summarizes the material analyses performed and presented in connection with such opinion. The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex analytical process involving various determinations as to the most appropriate and relevant methods of financial analysis and the application of those methods to the particular circumstances. Therefore, a fairness opinion is not readily susceptible to partial analysis or summary description. In arriving at its opinion, Hovde Group did not attribute any particular weight to any analysis or factor that it considered, but rather made qualitative judgments as to the significance and relevance of each analysis and factor. The financial analyses summarized below include the information presented in tabular format. The analyses and the summary of the analyses must be considered as a whole and selecting portions of the analyses and factors or focusing on the information presented below in tabular format, without considering all analyses and factors or the full narrative description of the financial analyses, including the methodologies and assumptions underlying the analyses, could create a misleading or incomplete view of the process underlying the analyses and opinion of Hovde Group. The tables alone are not a complete description of the financial analyses.

All net income information for Houston City Bancshares and other Subchapter S banks incorporated in these analyses are represented on an after-tax basis utilizing a 35% tax rate after taking into consideration any tax-free income, to the extent tax-free income information was readily available. For Houston City Bancshares, all tangible equity calculations are based upon the minimum tangible equity required at closing of $24 million.

Throughout the following analyses, Hovde Group references an estimated transaction value of $48 million. This is based upon the cash consideration of $16.8 million plus the stock consideration of $31.2 million of Independent common stock.

Precedent Transactions Analysis (Texas Group). As part of its analysis, Hovde Group reviewed publicly available information related to select acquisition transactions of banks based in Texas announced since January 1, 2010, in which each target had assets between $100 million and $1 billion, a return on average assets exceeding 0.70%, and non-performing assets represented less than 2.5% of total assets. Information for the target

 

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institutions was based on the most recent quarter prior to announcement of the transaction. The resulting group consisted of the following 10 transactions:

 

Buyer (State)

  

Target (State)

Independent Bank Group, Inc. (TX)

   BOH Holdings, Inc. (TX)

Independent Bank Group, Inc. (TX)

   Live Oak Financial Corp. (TX)

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (TX)

   Orange Savings Bank, SSB (TX)

Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (CA)

   First Associations Bank (TX)

Overton Financial Corporation (TX)

   First National Bank of Canton (TX)

FVNB Corp. (TX)

   First State Bank (TX)

Carlile Bancshares, Inc. (TX)

   Northstar Financial Corporation (TX)

Independent Bank Group, Inc. (TX)

   I Bank Holding Company, Inc. (TX)

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (TX)

   Sam Houston Financial Corp. (TX)

Veritex Holdings, Inc. (TX)

   Professional Capital, Inc. (TX)

For each precedent transaction, Hovde Group derived and compared the implied ratio of deal value to the implied ratio based on certain financial characteristics of Houston City Bancshares as follows:

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted (the “Price-to-Tangible Book Value Multiple”);

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s total assets (the “Price-to-Total Assets Multiple”).

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s last twelve months net income (the “Price-to-LTM EPS Multiple”); and

 

    the multiple of the difference between the purchase consideration and the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted, to the acquired company’s core deposits (the “Premium-to-Core Deposits Multiple”).

The results of the analysis are set forth in the table below. Transaction multiples for the merger were derived from an aggregate price of $48 million for Houston City Bancshares.

 

Implied Value to Houston City Bancshares
Based On:

   Price to Tang.
Book Value
Multiple
    Price to Total
Assets Multiple
    Price to LTM
EPS Multiple
     Premium to
Core Deposits

Multiple
 

Reorganization Agreement

     200     14.9     15.0x         12.6

Precedent Transactions:

         

Maximum

     262     23.8     21.9x         18.4

Minimum

     118     12.1     10.5x         2.7

Notes: LTM EPS = last twelve months earnings per share.

 

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Comparative Company Analysis (Texas Group). Using publicly available information, Hovde Group compared the financial performance of Houston City Bancshares with that of the maximum and minimum of the precedent transactions. The performance highlights are based on the most recent quarter information of Houston City Bancshares at March 31, 2014.

 

     ROAA     ROAE     Efficiency
Ratio
    NPAs/
Assets
    LLR/
NPAs
 

Houston City Bancshares

     1.09     13.0     64.3     0.2     374.1

Precedent Transactions:

          

Maximum

     2.25     21.6     88.1     2.2     410.0

Minimum

     0.93     10.0     40.6     0.0     66.1

Notes: ROAA = return on average assets; ROAE = return on average equity; NPAs = nonperforming assets; and LLR = loan loss reserves.

Precedent Transactions Analysis (Southwest Group). As part of its analysis, Hovde Group reviewed publicly available information related to select acquisition transactions of banks based in Texas announced since January 1, 2012, in which each target had assets between $100 million and $750 million, a return on average assets exceeding 0.65%, and non-performing assets represented less than 2.0% of total assets. Information for the target institutions was based on the most recent quarter prior to announcement of the transaction. The resulting group consisted of the following 10 transactions:

 

Buyer (State)

  

Target (State)

BancorpSouth, Inc. (MS)

   Ouachita Bancshares Corp. (LA)

Independent Bank Group, Inc. (TX)

   Live Oak Financial Corp. (TX)

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (MO)

   Summit Bancshares, Inc. (OK)

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (TX)

   Orange Savings Bank, SSB (TX)

Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (CA)

   First Associations Bank (TX)

Jeff Davis Bancshares, Inc. (LA)

   Guaranty Capital Corporation (LA)

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. (LA)

   PSB Financial Corporation (LA)

Overton Financial Corporation (TX)

   First National Bank of Canton (TX)

American Bancorporation, Inc. (OK)

   Osage Bancshares, Inc. (OK)

FVNB Corp. (TX)

   First State Bank (TX)

For each precedent transaction, Hovde Group derived and compared the implied ratio of deal value to the implied ratio based on certain financial characteristics of Houston City Bancshares as follows:

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted (the “Price-to-Tangible Book Value Multiple”);

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s total assets (the “Price-to-Total Assets Multiple”).

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s last twelve months net income (the “Price-to-LTM EPS Multiple”); and

 

    the multiple of the difference between the purchase consideration and the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted, to the acquired company’s core deposits (the “Premium-to-Core Deposits Multiple”).

 

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The results of the analysis are set forth in the table below. Transaction multiples for the merger were derived from an aggregate price of $48 million for Houston City Bancshares.

 

Implied Value to Houston City Bancshares
Based On:

   Price to Tang.
Book Value
Multiple
    Price to Total
Assets Multiple
    Price to LTM
EPS Multiple
     Premium to
Core Deposits

Multiple
 

Reorganization Agreement

     200     14.9     15.0x         12.6

Precedent Transactions:

         

Maximum

     220     19.1     25.2x         12.8

Minimum

     118     8.1     13.2x         2.7

Notes: LTM EPS = last twelve months earnings per share.

Comparative Company Analysis (Southwest Group). Using publicly available information, Hovde Group compared the financial performance of Houston City Bancshares with that of the maximum and minimum of the precedent transactions. The performance highlights are based on the most recent quarter information of Houston City Bancshares at March 31, 2014.

 

     ROAA     ROAE     Efficiency
Ratio
    NPAs/
Assets
    LLR/
NPAs
 

Houston City Bancshares

     1.09     13.0     64.3     0.2     374.1

Precedent Transactions:

          

Maximum

     1.73     21.8     73.3     2.0     410.0

Minimum

     0.67     4.2     53.8     0.0     51.1

Notes: ROAA = return on average assets; ROAE = return on average equity; NPAs = nonperforming assets; and LLR = loan loss reserves.

Precedent Transactions Analysis (Nationwide Group). As part of its analysis, Hovde Group reviewed publicly available information related to select acquisition transactions of banks based in the United States announced since January 1, 2013, in which each target had assets between $100 million and $500 million, a return on average assets exceeding 0.80%, and non-performing assets represented less than 1.5% of total assets. Information for the target institutions was based on the most recent quarter prior to announcement of the transaction. The resulting group consisted of the following 17 transactions:

 

Buyer (State)

  

Target (State)

Home BancShares, Inc. (AR)

   Florida Traditions Bank (FL)

First Citizens Bancshares, Inc. (TN)

   Southern Heritage Bcshs, Inc. (TN)

Salisbury Bancorp, Inc. (CT)

   Riverside Bank (NY)

First Financial Bancorp. (OH)

   Insight Bank (OH)

First Financial Bancorp. (OH)

   First Bexley Bank (OH)

NewBridge Bancorp (NC)

   CapStone Bank (NC)

New Century Bancorp, Inc. (NC)

   Select Bancorp, Inc. (NC)

Community & Southern Hldgs, Inc. (GA)

   Verity Capital Group, Inc. (GA)

Independent Bank Group, Inc. (TX)

   Live Oak Financial Corp. (TX)

Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (CA)

   BankAsiana (NJ)

CBTCO Bancorp (NE)

   Bradley Bancorp (NE)

CNB Financial Corporation (PA)

   FC Banc Corp. (OH)

Heritage Financial Corporation (WA)

   Valley Community Bcshs, Inc. (WA)

Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (CA)

   San Diego Trust Bank (CA)

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. (MT)

   Wheatland Bankshares, Inc. (WY)

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (TX)

   Orange Savings Bank, SSB (TX)

Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)

   Somerset Hills Bancorp (NJ)

 

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For each precedent transaction, Hovde Group derived and compared the implied ratio of deal value to the implied ratio based on certain financial characteristics of Houston City Bancshares as follows:

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted (the “Price-to-Tangible Book Value Multiple”);

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s total assets (the “Price-to-Total Assets Multiple”).

 

    the multiple of the purchase consideration to the acquired company’s last twelve months net income (the “Price-to-LTM EPS Multiple”); and

 

    the multiple of the difference between the purchase consideration and the acquired company’s tangible book value, as adjusted, to the acquired company’s core deposits (the “Premium-to-Core Deposits Multiple”).

The results of the analysis are set forth in the table below. Transaction multiples for the merger were derived from an aggregate price of $48 million for Houston City Bancshares.

 

Implied Value to Houston City Bancshares
Based On:

   Price to Tang.
Book Value
Multiple
    Price to Total
Assets Multiple
    Price to LTM
EPS

Multiple
     Premium to
Core Deposits

Multiple
 

Reorganization Agreement

     200     14.9     15.0x         12.6

Precedent Transactions:

         

Maximum

     185     18.3     24.3x         10.5

Minimum

     109     11.0     6.8x         1.2

Notes: LTM EPS = last twelve months earnings per share.

Comparative Company Analysis (Nationwide Group). Using publicly available information, Hovde Group compared the financial performance of Houston City Bancshares with that of the maximum and minimum of the precedent transactions. The performance highlights are based on the most recent quarter information of Houston City Bancshares at March 31, 2014.

 

     ROAA     ROAE     Efficiency
Ratio
    NPAs/
Assets
    LLR/
NPAs
 

Houston City Bancshares

     1.09     13.0     64.3     0.2     374.1

Precedent Transactions:

          

Maximum

     2.50     21.4     78.6     1.4     666.0

Minimum

     0.80     6.6     52.0     0.0     77.0

Notes: ROAA = return on average assets; ROAE = return on average equity; NPAs = nonperforming assets; and LLR = loan loss reserves.

No company or transaction used as comparison in the above transaction analyses is identical to Houston City Bancshares or Independent, and no transaction was consummated on terms identical to the terms of the reorganization agreement. Accordingly, an analysis of these results is not strictly mathematical. Rather, it involves complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operating characteristics of the companies.

Discounted Cash Flow Analysis. Taking into account various factors including, but not limited to, Houston City Bancshares’ recent performance, the current banking environment and the local economy in which the Houston City Bancshares operates, Hovde Group determined earnings estimates for a forward looking five-year period with the assistance of information and guidance provided by the management of Houston City Bancshares. These estimates were based on asset growth of 5% annually through 2016 and 4% thereafter. The after-tax return on average assets ranged between 1.0% and 1.1% per year. It was assumed that distributions of

 

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50% of pre-tax earnings would be paid each year to cover the estimated tax obligation due under the Subchapter S election and the remainder would serve as discretionary cash flow to shareholders. A range of discount rates between 11% and 15% were employed in determining the present value of the cash flows plus the terminal value. Hovde Group utilized three different discounted cash flow methodologies to arrive at implied values for Houston City Bancshares.

For the first discounted cash flow analysis (“DCF Perpetuity”), an aggregate value to Houston City Bancshares shareholders was calculated based on the present value of future free cash flows after tax. Hovde Group utilized a terminal value at the end of 2019 based on Houston City Bancshares’ earnings increasing perpetually thereafter at an annual rate of 4.0%. Present values were calculated based on the free cash flows plus the terminal value and the range of discount rates. The resulting values of the DCF Perpetuity ranged between $30 million and $47.9 million with a midpoint of $36.9 million.

In the second discounted cash flow analysis (“DCF PE Multiple”), the same earnings estimates were used; however in arriving at the terminal value of Houston City Bancshares’ earnings stream at the end of 2018, Hovde Group applied the median price-to-earnings multiple from precedent transactions in the Texas Group. Present values were calculated based on the free cash flows plus the terminal value and the range of discount rates. The resulting values of the DCF PE Multiple ranged between $41 million and $48.6 million with a midpoint of $44.6 million.

In the third and final discounted cash flow analysis (“DCF PTBV Multiple”), the same earnings estimates and dividends were used as in the DCF PE Multiple analysis; however, in arriving at the terminal value at the end of 2018, Hovde Group applied the median price-to-tangible book value multiple from precedent transactions in the Texas Group. Present values were calculated based on the free cash flows plus the terminal value and the range of discount rates. The resulting values of the DCF PTBV Multiple ranged between $34.2 million and $40.5 million with a midpoint of $37.2 million.

These analyses and their underlying assumptions yielded a range of values for Houston City Bancshares, and the median values is outlined in the table below:

 

Implied Value to Houston City Bancshares Based On:

   Implied
Transaction
Value
(Millions)
     Price to Tang.
Book Value
Multiple
    Price to
LTM Net
Income
Multiple
     Price to
Assets
Multiple
    Premium to
Core
Deposits
Multiple
 

Reorganization Agreement

   $ 48.0         200     15.0x         14.9     12.6

DCF Perpetuity (midpoint)

   $ 36.9         154     11.6x         11.4     6.7

DCF PE Multiple (midpoint)

   $ 44.6         186     14.0x         13.8     10.8

DCF PTBV Analysis (midpoint)

   $ 37.2         155     11.7x         11.5     6.9

Notes: LTM = last twelve months.

Hovde Group noted that while the discounted cash flow present value analysis is a widely used valuation methodology, it relies on numerous assumptions, including asset and earnings growth rates, dividend payout rates, terminal values and discount rates. Hovde Group’s analysis does not purport to be indicative of the actual values or expected values of Houston City Bancshares’ Common Stock.

 

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Public Peer Analysis. As part of its analysis, Hovde Group reviewed a selected group of financial institutions deemed to be comparable to Independent. This group was based on publicly-traded financial institutions with a significant portion of their operations in the Southwest region with total assets between $1 billion and $15 billion (the “Public Peer Group”). The Public Peer Group consisted of the following 12 institutions:

 

Public Peer (State)

IBERIABANK Corporation (LA)

BancorpSouth, Inc. (MS)

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. (TX)

Trustmark Corporation (MS)

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (TX)

Home BancShares, Inc. (AR)

BancFirst Corporation (OK)

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (TX)

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (AR)

ViewPoint Financial Group, Inc. (TX)

Southside Bancshares, Inc. (TX)

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. (LA)

The table below shows the results of this analysis comparing the values and multiples of Independent to the Public Peer Group. This analysis utilized the closing common stock prices on May 28, 2014.

 

     Price to Book
Value
Multiple
    Price to Tang.
Book
Multiple
    Price to LTM
Core EPS
Multiple
     Price to 2014
Est. EPS
Multiple
     Price to
2015 Est.
EPS
Multiple
     Dividend
Yield
 

Independent

     233     285     30.1x         20.6x         15.5x         0.5

Public Peer Group:

               

Maximum

     340     368     30.6x         22.9x         19.3x         4.0

Minimum

     114     162     11.9x         11.7x         11.3x         0.0

Notes: LTM = last twelve months; and Est. EPS = estimated earnings per share. EPS estimates are based on the mean of research analysts as compiled by FactSet Research Systems Inc.

Comparative Company Analysis (Public Peer Group). Using publicly available information, Hovde Group compared Independent’s financial performance with that of the maximum and minimum of the institutions included in the Public Peer Group. Independent’s performance highlights are based on Independent’s most recent quarter information at March 31, 2014.

 

     ROAA     ROATCE     Efficiency
Ratio
    Net Interest
Margin
    NPAs +
90PD/
Assets
    TCE / Tang.
Assets
 

Independent

     0.92     10.1     63.8     4.2     0.2     8.9

Public Peer Group:

            

Maximum

     2.06     17.6     81.2     5.6     3.0     14.5

Minimum

     0.66     6.1     43.8     3.0     0.2     5.8

Notes: ROAA = return on average assets; ROATCE = return on average tangible common equity; NPAs + 90PD = nonperforming assets plus loans 90 days past due; and TCE = tangible common equity.

No company used for comparison in the above transaction analyses is identical to Independent. Accordingly, the analysis and comparison is not strictly mathematical. Rather, it involves complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operating characteristics of the companies.

 

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Other Factors and Analyses. Hovde Group took into consideration various other factors and analyses, including but not limited to: current market environment; merger and acquisition environment; movements in the common stock valuations of selected publicly traded banking companies; and movements in the S&P 500 Index.

Conclusion. Based upon the foregoing analyses and other investigations and assumptions set forth in its opinion, without giving specific weight to any one factor or comparison, Hovde Group determined that the merger consideration to be paid in connection with the merger is fair from a financial point of view to Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders. Each shareholder is encouraged to read Hovde Group’s fairness opinion in its entirety. The full text of this fairness opinion is included as Appendix B to this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

Exchange of Houston City Bancshares Stock Certificates

As soon as practical after the effective time of the merger, with the intent to be ten business days after the effective time of the merger, Independent’s transfer and exchange agent, Wells Fargo Bank Shareowner Services, will mail a letter of transmittal and instructions to you for use in surrendering your Houston City Bancshares stock certificates. When you properly surrender your stock certificates or provide other satisfactory evidence of ownership, and return the letter of transmittal duly executed and completed in accordance with its instructions, the exchange agent will promptly (with the intent to be no later than five business days after such surrender) cancel the surrendered stock certificates and deliver to you a notice required under the TBOC specifying, among other things, the number of shares of Independent common stock, which shall be solely in uncertificated book-entry form credited to the account of the holder of record as established in the Direct Representation System, and cash to which you are entitled under the reorganization agreement. No Independent stock certificates will be issued with respect to the Independent common stock to be issued under the reorganization agreement.

You should not send in your certificates until you receive the letter of transmittal and instructions.

At the effective time of the merger, and until surrendered as described above, other than shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock subject to the exercise of dissenters’ rights, each outstanding Houston City Bancshares stock certificate will be deemed for all purposes to represent only the right to receive the merger consideration to be paid pursuant to the reorganization agreement without interest thereon. With respect to any Houston City Bancshares stock certificate that has been lost, stolen or destroyed, Independent will pay the merger consideration attributable to such stock certificate upon receipt of a surety bond or other adequate indemnity, as required in accordance with Independent’s standard policy, and evidence reasonably satisfactory to Independent of ownership of the shares in question. After the effective time of the merger, Houston City Bancshares’ transfer books will be closed and no transfer of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time will be permitted on Independent’s stock transfer books.

To the extent permitted by law, you will be entitled to vote after the effective time of the merger at any special meeting of Independent’s shareholders the number of whole shares of Independent common stock into which your shares of Houston City Bancshares are converted, regardless of whether you have surrendered your Houston City Bancshares stock certificates to the exchange agent. Whenever Independent declares a dividend or other distribution on Independent common stock which has a record date after the effective time of the merger, the declaration will include dividends or other distributions on all shares of Independent common stock issued pursuant to the reorganization agreement. However, no dividend or other distribution payable to the holders of record of Independent common stock will be delivered to you until you surrender your Houston City Bancshares stock certificates.

Effective Time of the Merger

The merger will become effective at the date and time specified in the certificate of merger to be filed with the Secretary of State of Texas regarding the initial merger of IBGHCB with and into Houston City Bancshares.

 

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It is anticipated that the bank merger will be completed on the same day. If the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares approve the reorganization agreement at the special meeting, and if all required regulatory approvals are obtained and the other conditions to the parties’ obligations to effect the merger are satisfied or waived by the party entitled to do so, Independent anticipates that the merger will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014, although delays could occur.

Independent cannot assure you that the necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals will be obtained or that the other conditions to completion of the merger can or will be satisfied.

Conduct of Business Pending Effective Time

From the date of the reorganization agreement to and including the closing date, Houston City Bancshares has agreed to, and has agreed to cause Houston Community Bank to:

 

    maintain its corporate existence in good standing;

 

    maintain the general character of its business and conduct its business in its ordinary and usual manner;

 

    extend credit only in accordance with existing lending policies and practices;

 

    use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve its business organization intact; retain the services of its present employees, officers, directors and agents; retain its present customers, depositors, suppliers and correspondent banks; and preserve its goodwill and the goodwill of its suppliers, customers and others having business relationships with it;

 

    use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any approvals or consent required to maintain all existing contracts, leases and documents relating to or affecting its properties, assets and business;

 

    maintain all offices, machinery, equipment, materials, supplies, inventories, vehicles and other properties owned, leased or used by it (whether under its control or the control of others) in good operating repair and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted;

 

    comply in all material respects with all laws, regulations, ordinances, codes, orders, licenses and permits applicable to its properties and operations, where such noncompliance with which would reasonably be expected to cause a material adverse change;

 

    timely file all tax returns required to be filed by it and promptly pay all taxes, assessments, governmental charges, duties, penalties, interest and fines that become due and payable, except those being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;

 

    withhold from each payment made to each of its employees the amount of all taxes (including federal income taxes, FICA taxes and state and local income and wage taxes) required to be withheld therefrom and pay the same to the proper tax receiving officers;

 

    continue to follow and implement policies, procedures and practices regarding the identification, monitoring, classification and treatment of all assets in substantially the same manner as it has in the past;

 

    account for all transactions in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (unless otherwise instructed by regulatory accounting principles, in which instance account for such transaction in accordance with regulatory accounting principles) specifically, without limitation, (i) maintaining the allowance for loan and lease losses account for Houston Community Bank at not less than $2,091,000 and (ii) paying or accruing for by the closing date of the merger all liabilities, obligations, costs and expenses owed or incurred by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank on or before the closing date;

 

    perform all of its material obligations under contracts, leases and documents relating to or affecting its assets, properties and business, except such obligations as it may in good faith dispute;

 

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    maintain and keep in full force and effect, in all material respects, presently existing insurance coverage and give all notices and present all claims under all insurance policies in due and timely fashion; and

 

    timely file all reports required to be filed with governmental authorities and observe and conform, in all material respects, to all applicable laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, codes, orders, licenses and permits, except those being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.

From the date of the reorganization agreement through the effective time of the merger, Houston City Bancshares has agreed not to, and has agreed not to cause Houston Community Bank to, without the prior written consent of Independent:

 

    introduce any new material method of management or operation;

 

    intentionally take any action that could reasonably be anticipated to result in a material adverse change to its financial condition, assets, properties, reserves, liabilities and business or results of operations;

 

    take or fail to take any action that could reasonably be expected to cause its representations and warranties made in the reorganization agreement to be inaccurate in any material respect at the effective time of the merger or preclude Houston Community Bank from making such representations and warranties at the effective time of the merger;

 

    declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution with respect to its capital except that (i) Houston Community Bank may pay dividends to Houston City Bancshares, (ii) Houston City Bancshares may pay a dividend of $0.50 per share to holders of its common stock on July 15, 2014, (iii) Houston City Bancshares may pay a dividend of $0.50 per share to holders of its common stock on October 15, 2014, if the closing date is not on or prior to that date and (iv) if the tangible book value, as calculated pursuant to the reorganization agreement on the fifth business day preceding the closing date, is greater than $24,000,000, then on the day prior to the closing date, Houston City Bancshares may distribute to its shareholders an amount equal to the difference between the actual amount of tangible book value on such date less $24,000,000.

 

    enter into, alter, amend, renew or extend any material contract or commitment that would result in an obligation of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank to make payments in excess of $25,000, except for loans and extensions of credit in the ordinary course of business;

 

    mortgage, pledge or subject to lien, charge, security interest or any other encumbrance or restriction any of its properties, business or assets, tangible or intangible, except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;

 

    cause or allow the loss of insurance coverage, unless replaced with coverage that is substantially similar (in amount and insurer) to that in effect as of the date of the reorganization agreement;

 

    incur any indebtedness, obligation or liability, whether absolute or contingent, other than the receipt of deposits and trade debt or except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices or in connection with the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement or any of the agreements or documents contemplated therein;

 

    discharge or satisfy any lien or pay any obligation or liability, whether absolute or contingent, due or to become due, except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices except for the obligations of Houston Community Bank under the retention agreements that are payable by Houston City Bancshares on or before the closing date;

 

    issue, reserve for issuance, grant, sell or authorize the issuance of any shares of its capital stock or other securities or subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, rights or commitments of any kind relating to the issuance thereto, except to the extent any commitment to do so is outstanding as of the date of the reorganization agreement;

 

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    amend or otherwise change its certificate of formation or bylaws;

 

    sell, transfer, lease to others or otherwise dispose of any material amount of its assets or properties, discount or arrange for a payoff of a charged off or deficiency credit, cancel or compromise any material debt or claim, or waive or release any right or claim other than in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices, but any such transaction involving amounts in excess of $100,000 shall be deemed to not be in the ordinary course of business;

 

    enter into any material transaction other than in the ordinary course of business;

 

    except in the ordinary course of the business and consistent with past practices, enter into or give any promise, assurance or guarantee of the payment, discharge or fulfillment of any undertaking or promise made by any other third person, firm or corporation;

 

    sell or knowingly dispose of, or otherwise divest itself of the ownership, possession, custody or control, of any corporate books or records of any nature that, in accordance with sound business practice, normally are retained for a period of time after their use, creation or receipt, except at the end of the normal retention period;

 

    except for salary increases in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, (i) make any material change in the rate of compensation, commission, bonus or other direct or indirect remuneration payable, (ii) pay, agree to, or orally promise to pay, conditionally or otherwise, any bonus or extra compensation, pension, severance or vacation pay, to or for the benefit of any of its shareholders, directors, officers or employees, or (iii) enter into any employment or consulting contract (other than as contemplated by the reorganization agreement) or other agreement with any director, officer or employee or adopt, amend in any material respect or terminate (other than termination of any employee benefit plans contemplated by the reorganization agreement) any pension, employee welfare, retirement, stock purchase, stock option, stock appreciation rights, termination, severance, income protection, golden parachute, savings or profit-sharing plan (including trust agreements and insurance contracts embodying such plans), any deferred compensation or collective bargaining agreement, any group insurance contract or any other incentive, welfare or employee benefit plan or agreement maintained by it for the benefit of its directors, employees or former employees;

 

    engage in any transaction with any of its affiliates, except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;

 

    acquire any capital stock or other equity securities or acquire any equity or ownership interest in any bank, corporation, partnership or other entity, except (i) through settlement of indebtedness, foreclosure or the exercise of creditors’ remedies or (ii) in a fiduciary capacity, the ownership of which does not expose it to any liability from the business, operations or liabilities of such person;

 

    except as contemplated by the reorganization agreement, terminate, cancel or surrender any contract, lease or other agreement or unreasonably permit any damage, destruction or loss which, in any case or in the aggregate, may reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change to its financial condition or business operations;

 

    dispose of, permit to lapse, transfer or grant any rights under, or knowingly breach or infringe upon, any United States or foreign license or proprietary right or materially modify any existing rights with respect thereto, except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;

 

    make any capital expenditures, capital additions or betterments in excess of an aggregate of $25,000;

 

    hire or employ any new officer or hire or employ any new nonofficer employee, other than to replace nonofficer employees;

 

   

make any, or acquiesce with any, change in accounting methods, principles or material practices, except as required by generally accepted accounting principles, or regulatory accounting principles,

 

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including, without limitation, making any “reverse provision for loan losses” or other similar entry or accounting method that would reduce the allowance for loan and lease losses of Houston Community Bank;

 

    pay a rate on deposits at Houston Community Bank materially higher than is consistent with the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;

 

    make any new loan to a single borrower and his related interests in excess of $500,000, and Houston City Bancshares is to provide to Independent a weekly written report of all loans made, renewed or modified by Houston Community Bank;

 

    renew, extend the maturity of, or alter the material terms of, any loan except in compliance with Houston Community Bank’s existing policies and procedures and consistent with past practices and prudent banking principles;

 

    renew, extend the maturity of, or alter any of, the material terms of any classified loan or extension of credit;

 

    sell (but payment at maturity or prepayment is not deemed a sale) investment securities or purchase investment securities, other than U.S. Treasuries with a maturity of two years or less; or

 

    redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital.

For a complete description of such restrictions on the conduct of the business of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, Independent refers you to the reorganization agreement, which is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement/prospectus.

From the date of the reorganization agreement through the effective time of the merger, Independent has agreed to:

 

    maintain its corporate existence in good standing;

 

    maintain the general character of its business and conduct its business in its ordinary and usual manner;

 

    extend credit only in accordance with existing lending policies and practices;

 

    use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve its business organization intact; retain the services of its present employees, officers, directors and agents; retain its present customers, depositors, suppliers and correspondent banks; and preserve its goodwill and the goodwill of its suppliers, customers and others having business relationships with it; and

 

    promptly furnish or make available to Houston City Bancshares true and complete copies of each additional report filed with the SEC and each additional Independent Bank Call Report filed with to the FDIC.

No Solicitation

Houston City Bancshares agreed that it will not, and that it will cause Houston Community Bank and the respective employees, directors, officers, financial advisors and agents of each of them not to:

 

    solicit, knowingly encourage, initiate or participate in any negotiations or discussions with any third party with respect to any proposal that could reasonably be expected to lead to an acquisition proposal, whether by business combination, purchase of securities or assets or otherwise;

 

    disclose to any third party any information concerning the business, properties, books or records of Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank in connection with any acquisition proposal, other than as provided in the reorganization agreement or as required by applicable law; or

 

    cooperate with any third party to make any acquisition proposal, other than a sale of assets of Houston Community Bank in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices.

 

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Promptly upon receipt of any unsolicited offer, Houston City Bancshares is required to communicate to Independent the terms of any proposal or request for information and the identity of the parties involved.

Provided that Houston City Bancshares has complied with the restrictions set forth above, if after the date of the reorganization agreement and before obtaining approval of the merger by its shareholders Houston City Bancshares receives a bona fide, unsolicited written acquisition proposal, it may engage in negotiations and discussions with, and furnish any information and other access to, any person making such acquisition proposal if, and only if, board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal and financial advisors, that (i) such acquisition proposal is or is reasonably capable of becoming a superior proposal and (ii) the failure of the Houston City Bancshares board of directors to furnish such information or access or enter into such discussions or negotiations would reasonably be expected to be a violation of its fiduciary duties to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares; but before furnishing any material nonpublic information, Houston City Bancshares must receive from the person making such acquisition proposal an executed confidentiality agreement with terms at least as restrictive in all material respects on such person as the confidentiality agreement entered into with Independent. In such case, Houston City Bancshares is required to:

 

    promptly notify Independent of the receipt of such acquisition proposal or any request for nonpublic information relating to Houston City Bancshares or for access to its properties, books or records by any person that has made, or may be considering making, an acquisition proposal;

 

    communicate the material terms of such acquisition proposal to Independent, including as they may change upon any modification or amendment to the terms thereof; and

 

    keep Independent reasonably apprised of the status of and other matters relating to any such acquisition proposal on a timely basis.

An “acquisition proposal” means a written offer or proposal from a party other than Independent that contains a fixed price per share or a mathematically ascertainable formula for calculating a price per share for the Houston City Bancshares common stock regarding any of the following involving Houston City Bancshares: (i) any merger, reorganization, consolidation, share exchange, recapitalization, business combination, liquidation, dissolution or other similar transaction involving any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets or equity securities or deposits of Houston City Bancshares, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, which could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, prevent or materially delay the completion of the merger; (ii) any tender offer or exchange offer for 50% or more of the outstanding shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock or the filing of a registration statement in connection therewith; or (iii) any public announcement of a proposal, plan or intention to do, or any agreement to engage in any of the foregoing. A “superior proposal” means a bona fide acquisition proposal made by a party other than Independent that the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares determines in its good faith judgment to be more favorable to Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders than the merger and for which financing, to the extent required, is then committed or which, in the good faith judgment of the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares is reasonably capable of being obtained by such third person.

Conditions to Completion of the Merger

The reorganization agreement contains a number of conditions to the obligations of Independent and Houston City Bancshares to complete the merger that must be satisfied as of the closing date, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

    approval of the reorganization agreement and the merger by the holders of the percentage of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock required for approval under the Houston City Bancshares certificate of formation and the TBOC;

 

   

receipt of all approvals and consents required by applicable law from all applicable governmental authorities in connection with the reorganization agreement, any other agreement contemplated thereby

 

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and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, which approvals and consents do not impose any material requirement upon Independent or its subsidiaries that are reasonably unacceptable to Independent;

 

    the registration statement of which this proxy statement/prospectus forms a part has become effective and no stop order suspending its effectiveness is in effect and no proceedings for that purpose have been initiated and continuing or threatened by the SEC, and all necessary approvals under state securities laws relating to the issuance or trading of the Independent common stock to be issued have been received;

 

    the shares of Independent common stock to be issued to Houston City Bancshares shareholders being authorized for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market;

 

    no action shall have been taken, and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been promulgated, enacted, entered, enforced or deemed applicable to the reorganization agreement, or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, by any governmental authority, including by means of the entry of a preliminary or permanent injunction, that would (i) make the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated thereby, or the transactions contemplated thereby, illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (ii) impose material limits on the ability of any party to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or (iii) could reasonably be expected to subject Independent, Houston City Bancshares, Houston Community Bank or any of their respective subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, shareholders or employees, to criminal or civil liability upon the consummation of the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated thereby, or the transactions contemplated thereby;

 

    the other party’s representations and warranties contained in the reorganization agreement being true and correct as of the date of the reorganization agreement and being true and correct in all material respects as of the closing date and receipt of a certificate signed by an appropriate representative of the other party to that effect;

 

    the absence of a material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, reserves, liabilities, business or results of operations of either party or any event that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in a material adverse effect on either party;

 

    the performance or compliance in all material respects by each party with its respective covenants and obligations required by the reorganization agreement to be performed or complied with before the closing of the merger and receipt of a certificate signed by an appropriate representative of the other party to that effect; and

 

    the volume-weighted average of the sales price per share of Independent common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market over a ten consecutive trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the closing date (i.e., the average sales price) being at least $37.7416.

In addition to the conditions listed above, Houston City Bancshares’ obligations to complete the merger is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:

 

    Independent’s delivery of the merger consideration to Wells Fargo Bank Shareowner Services, as exchange agent;

 

    the receipt by Houston City Bancshares of an opinion from Harris Law Firm, PC to the effect that for federal income tax purposes (i) the initial merger and the subsequent merger, together, will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and (ii) each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code.

 

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In addition to the conditions listed above, Independent’s obligation to complete the merger is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions by Houston City Bancshares:

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ tangible book value as of the closing date of the merger must not be less than $22,000,000;

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ allowance for loan losses as of the closing date must be at least equal to $2,091,000;

 

    all Houston City Bancshares employee plans must be terminated in accordance with their respective terms and all applicable laws and regulations and the affected participants must be notified of such terminations;

 

    each of the retention agreements between Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and their respective officers must be terminated and each such officer must have executed a termination and release of their respective agreement;

 

    the support agreements entered into by the directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank may not have terminated and remain in full force and effect;

 

    receipt by Independent of an executed release and support agreement from each of the directors and executive officers of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank releasing Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and their respective successors from any and all claims of such directors and executive officers, subject to certain limited exceptions;

 

    receipt of the resignations of each of the directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, effective as of the closing date of the merger;

 

    the employment agreements between Independent Bank and each of W. Phillip Johnson, Jr., C. Jeff Smith, Sheryl McKellar, KC Curtis, and Claude B. Leatherwood, which have been executed, but are not currently effective, shall not have been terminated and remain in full force and effect;

 

    holders of no more than 5% of the capital stock of Houston City Bancshares shall have demanded or exercised their statutory dissenters’ rights under the TBOC;

 

    all material consents and approvals from all nongovernmental third parties which are required to be obtained under the terms of any contract, agreement or instrument to which Houston City Bancshares is a party must have been obtained;

 

    the receipt by Independent of an opinion from Andrews Kurth LLP to the effect that (i) the initial merger and the subsequent merger, together, will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, (ii) each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code; (iii) the bank merger will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and (iv) each of Independent Bank and Houston Community Bank will be a party to such reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code;

 

    Houston City Bancshares must have caused its subsidiary, HCB Nevada, Inc., to be liquidated and dissolved.

Any condition to the completion of the merger, except the required shareholder and regulatory or governmental approvals, and the absence of an order or ruling prohibiting the merger, may be waived in writing by the party to the reorganization agreement entitled to the benefit of such condition.

Additional Agreements

In addition to the agreements described above, each party agreed in the reorganization agreement to take certain other actions, including but not limited to the following:

 

    each party agreed to use commercially reasonable best efforts to cause the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement in accordance with its terms and conditions;

 

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    each party agreed to promptly notify the other party in writing of any litigation, or of any claim, controversy or contingent liability that might reasonably be expected to become the subject of litigation, against such party or affecting any of its properties, if such litigation or potential litigation is reasonably likely, in the event of an unfavorable outcome, to result in a material adverse change to such party;

 

    each party agreed to promptly notify the other party of any legal action, suit or proceeding or judicial, administrative or governmental investigation, pending or, to the best knowledge of such party, threatened against such party, or Houston Community Bank in the case of Houston City Bancshares, that (i) questions or would reasonably be expected to question the validity of the reorganization agreement or the agreements contemplated thereby, or any actions taken or to be taken by such party, or Houston Community Bank in the case of Houston City Bancshares, pursuant thereto or (ii) seeks to enjoin or otherwise restrain the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement;

 

    each party agreed to promptly notify the other party in writing if any change occurred or was threatened (or any development occurred or was threatened involving a prospective change) in the business, financial condition or operations of such party, or Houston Community Bank in the case of Houston City Bancshares, that has resulted in or would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change;

 

    each party agreed that the confidential information provided by the other party would be used solely for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and any other agreement contemplated thereby, and that such confidential information would be kept confidential by such party;

 

    each party agreed that it would not make, issue or release, or cause to be made, issued or released, any announcement, statement, press release, acknowledgment or other public disclosure of the existence, terms, conditions or status of the reorganization agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby without the prior written consent of the other party; and

 

    each agreed to provide to the other party, at least three business days prior to the closing of the merger, with supplemental disclosure schedules pursuant to the reorganization agreement reflecting any material changes between the date of the reorganization agreement and the closing date.

Houston City Bancshares agreed in the reorganization agreement to take certain other actions, including, but not limited to the following:

 

    agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all consents and approvals from regulatory authorities and other third parties required in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement, and to cooperate in all commercially reasonable respects with Independent to obtain all such approvals and consents required of such other party;

 

    agreed, to the extent permitted by law, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to provide Independent all information concerning Houston City Bancshares that is required for inclusion in this proxy statement/prospectus, or any other application, filing, statement or document to be made or filed with any regulatory or governmental authority in connection with the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and to promptly inform Independent if Houston City Bancshares becomes aware that any information provided or cross referenced contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and to take the necessary steps to correct such information;

 

    agreed to promptly notify Independent in writing if it becomes aware of any fact or condition that makes untrue, or shows to have been untrue, in any material respect, any material information furnished to Independent by Houston City Bancshares or any representation or warranty made in or pursuant to the reorganization agreement or that results in Houston City Bancshares’ failure to comply with any covenant, condition or agreement contained in the reorganization agreement;

 

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    agreed to afford Independent’s officers, directors, employees, attorneys, accountants, investment bankers and authorized representatives full access during regular business hours to the books, contracts, commitments, personnel and records of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, and furnish such period such other information concerning Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank as Independent may reasonably request;

 

    agreed to give notice, and to cause Houston Community Bank to give notice, to one designee of Independent of, and shall invite such designee to attend, all regular and special meetings of the Houston City Bancshares board of directors and the Houston Community Bank board of directors and all regular and special meetings of any senior management committee (including the executive committee and the loan and discount committee of Houston Community Bank) of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank; except that such designee shall be required to excuse himself from such special meetings while the reorganization agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby or related thereto are being discussed;

 

    agreed to cause Houston Community Bank to terminate, subject to compliance with applicable law, all Houston Community Bank employee benefit plans and to terminate and pay all amounts owed under any employment agreements;

 

    agreed to use its best efforts to cause the directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank to execute and deliver a voting agreement agreeing to vote the shares of stock of Houston City Bancshares owned by them in favor of the reorganization agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby (which has occurred);

 

    agreed to make available to Independent a list of the Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders and their addresses, a list showing all transfers of Houston City Bancshares’ stock and such other information as Independent may reasonably request regarding both the ownership and prior transfers of the Houston City Bancshares capital stock;

 

    agreed, consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, to make such accounting entries as Independent may reasonably request in order to conform the accounting records of Houston City Bancshares to the accounting policies and practices of Independent;

 

    agreed to purchase before closing of the merger an extended reporting period for three years under its existing directors and officers liability insurance policy for purposes of covering actions occurring prior to the effective time of the merger;

 

    agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain releases and support agreements signed by, and receipt of resignations from, each of the directors and executive officers of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank releasing Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and their respective successors from any and all claims of such directors and officers, subject to certain limited exceptions, agreeing to support, and not compete with, the business of Independent Bank and resigning from the board of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, as applicable;

 

    agreed to promptly furnish Independent with true and complete copies of each additional Houston City Bancshares regulatory report and Houston Community Bank call report as soon as such reports are available.

 

    agreed that Independent, at its sole cost and expense, shall have the right to the same extent that Houston City Bancshares has the right to, upon written notice to Houston City Bancshares, inspect any real property leased or owned by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank, including conducting asbestos surveys and sampling, environmental assessments and investigations, and other environmental surveys and analysis, and to conduct further investigation if deemed desirable by Independent and upon reasonable written notice to Houston City Bancshares and subject to Houston City Bancshares’ right to place reasonable time and place restrictions on any such further investigation, and further subject to Independent’s obligation to make available to Houston City Bancshares the results and reports of any such investigation or survey;

 

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    agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause certain of its executive officers to execute and deliver to Independent, simultaneously with the execution of the reorganization agreement, an employment agreement providing for their continued employment with Independent Bank (which has occurred); and

 

    agreed to take all steps necessary to cause the liquidation and dissolution of HCB Nevada, Inc. prior to the closing date.

Independent agreed in the reorganization agreement to take certain other actions, including, but not limited to the following:

 

    agreed to prepare and file a registration statement with the SEC with respect to the shares of Independent common stock to be issued pursuant to the reorganization agreement, and use its reasonable best efforts to cause the registration statement to become and remain effective; Independent further agreed that none of the information supplied or to be supplied by it for inclusion in (i) the registration statement will, at the time the registration statement and any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and (ii) the proxy statement/prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto will, at the date(s) of mailing to Houston City Bancshares shareholders and at the time of the special meeting, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and Independent will take the necessary steps to correct such information;

 

    agreed to file all documents required to be filed to have the shares of the Independent common stock to be issued pursuant to the reorganization agreement included for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and use its reasonable best efforts to effect said listing;

 

    agreed to promptly prepare all documentation, to effect all filings and to obtain all permits, consents, approvals and authorizations of all third parties and federal or state bank regulatory or governmental authority necessary to consummate the merger and the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement;

 

    agreed that for a period of three years from the effective time of the merger to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each person entitled to indemnification from Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank against all liabilities arising out of actions or omissions occurring at or prior to the effective time of the merger;

 

    agreed, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to, and to cause each of its subsidiaries to, upon reasonable notice from Houston City Bancshares, afford Houston City Bancshares’ employees and officers and authorized representatives reasonable access to the properties, books and records of Independent and its subsidiaries during normal business hours and furnish Houston City Bancshares with such additional financial and operating data and other information as to the business and properties of Independent as Houston City Bancshares may reasonably request from time to time;

 

    agreed to duly form and organize IBGHCB as a Texas corporation;

 

    agreed that it may, but shall not be required to, offer employment to the employees of Houston Community Bank, who will be entitled to receive, from and after the effective time of the merger, the same pension, profit sharing, health, welfare, incentive, vacation and other benefits as are customarily offered or afforded to the employees of Independent; and

 

   

agreed that the Independent common stock to be issued by Independent to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares pursuant to the reorganization agreement will, on the issuance and delivery to such shareholders pursuant to the reorganization agreement, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, will be free of any preemptive rights of the shareholders of Independent or any

 

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other person, firm or entity, and will be, except for Independent common stock issued to any shareholders of Houston City Bancshares who may be deemed to be an “affiliate” (under the Exchange Act) of Independent after completion of the merger, will be registered with the SEC and will be freely tradable by each Houston City Bancshares shareholders who is not a dealer for purposes of the Securities Act.

Representations and Warranties of Houston City Bancshares and Independent

In the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares has made representations and warranties to Independent, and Independent has made representations and warranties to Houston City Bancshares. The more significant of these relate to (among other things):

 

    corporate organization and existence;

 

    authority and power to execute the reorganization agreement and the bank merger agreement and to complete the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and the bank merger agreement;

 

    the absence of conflicts between the execution of the reorganization agreement and completion of the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and the parties’ charter documents, applicable law and certain other agreements;

 

    capitalization;

 

    compliance with applicable laws and regulatory filings, including tax filings;

 

    the accuracy of their financial statements and reports;

 

    pending or threatened litigation and other proceedings;

 

    actions taken by regulatory authorities and its ability to receive required regulatory approval;

 

    the absence of certain changes and events; and

 

    the absence of undisclosed liabilities.

Houston City Bancshares also has made additional representations and warranties to Independent with respect to (among other things):

 

    its investments;

 

    its loan portfolio and reserve for loan losses;

 

    the existence of indebtedness, certain loan agreements and related matters;

 

    title and conditions of personal property assets;

 

    its compliance with regulatory and environmental laws;

 

    its compliance with tax laws, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns;

 

    the existence of certain contracts and commitments and contractual relationships;

 

    its insurance coverage and fidelity bonds;

 

    its employment relations;

 

    its employees, compensation and benefits plans;

 

    its deferred compensation and salary continuation arrangements, including no excess parachute payments;

 

    its related person transactions;

 

 

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    its absence of certain business practices;

 

    the absence of guarantees;

 

    its data processing agreements;

 

    its deposit accounts;

 

    its loan practices and compliance with financial institution laws, rules and regulations;

 

    its ownership and use of intellectual property rights;

 

    completeness of its books and records;

 

    its compliance with zoning and related laws;

 

    dissenting shareholders;

 

    business combination restrictions;

 

    its receipt of a fairness opinion; and

 

    Houston City Bancshares’ performance of its fiduciary responsibilities as trustee, custodian, guardian or escrow agent.

Independent has also made additional representations and warranties to Houston City Bancshares with respect to (among other things) its compliance with its SEC reporting obligations, NASDAQ listing and corporate governance rules and the accuracy of its governmental and regulatory reports.

For detailed information concerning these representations and warranties, reference is made to Articles III and IV of the reorganization agreement included as Appendix A to this proxy statement/prospectus.

The reorganization agreement contains representations and warranties that Houston City Bancshares and Independent made to and solely for the benefit of each other. These representations and warranties are subject to materiality standards, which may differ from what may be viewed as material by investors and shareholders, and, in certain cases, were used for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties rather than establishing matters as facts. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties also are qualified by information in confidential disclosure schedules that the parties have exchanged in connection with signing the reorganization agreement. Although neither Houston City Bancshares nor Independent believes that the disclosure schedules contain information that the federal securities laws require to be publicly disclosed, the disclosure schedules do contain information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations and warranties set forth in the attached reorganization agreement.

Accordingly, you should not rely on the representations and warranties as characterizations of the actual state of facts, since they were only made as of the date of the reorganization agreement and are modified in important part by the underlying disclosure schedules. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may have changed since the date of the reorganization agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Independent’s public disclosures in this proxy statement/prospectus.

Amendment or Waiver of the Reorganization Agreement

No termination, cancellation, modification, amendment, deletion, addition or other change in the reorganization agreement, or any provision thereof, or waiver of any right or remedy therein provided, is effective for any purpose unless specifically set forth in a writing signed by the party or parties to be bound thereby. The waiver of any right or remedy in respect to any occurrence or event on one occasion is not deemed a waiver of such right or remedy in respect to such occurrence or event on any other occasion.

 

 

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Termination of the Reorganization Agreement

Independent and Houston City Bancshares can mutually agree at any time to terminate the reorganization agreement without completing the merger. In addition, either Independent or Houston City Bancshares may decide, without the consent of the other, to terminate the reorganization agreement if:

 

    the conditions to such party’s obligations to close have not been satisfied on or before December 31, 2014; subject to a 30-day extension for the receipt of regulatory approvals and provided that the terminating party is not in breach of the reorganization agreement;

 

    the required regulatory approvals have not been obtained; or

 

    if the reorganization agreement and merger is not approved by the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares at the special meeting.

Houston City Bancshares may terminate the reorganization agreement, without the consent of Independent, if:

 

    Independent breaches or fails to perform in any material respect any of its representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements contained in the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated by the reorganization agreement, and such failure has not been cured within a period of 30 calendar days after written notice from Houston City Bancshares; or

 

    at any time prior to the special meeting in order to enter into, concurrently with such termination, an acquisition agreement or similar agreement with respect to a superior proposal, that has been received and considered by Houston City Bancshares and the Houston City Bancshares board in accordance with all of the requirements of the reorganization agreement; or

 

    there has been any material adverse change since March 31, 2014, in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Independent.

In addition, Independent may terminate the reorganization agreement, without the consent of Houston City Bancshares, if:

 

    Houston City Bancshares breaches or fails to perform in any material respect any of its representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements contained in the reorganization agreement or any other agreement contemplated by the reorganization agreement, and such failure has not been cured within a period of 30 calendar days after written notice from Independent;

 

    the Houston City Bancshares board has (i) recommended to the holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they tender their shares in a tender or exchange offer commenced by an unaffiliated third party for more than 15% of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock, (ii) effected a change in the board’s recommendation with respect to the merger or recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders acceptance or approval of any alternative acquisition proposal, (iii) notified Independent in writing that Houston City Bancshares is prepared to accept a superior proposal or (iv) resolved to do the foregoing;

 

   

any of the following have occurred with respect to environmental matters regarding Houston City Bancshares: (i) the factual substance of any representations and warranties of Houston City Bancshares in the reorganization agreement is not materially true and accurate, (ii) the results of any environmental inspection or other environmental survey by Independent are disapproved by Independent because such inspection or survey identifies a material or potential material violation of applicable environmental laws, (iii) Houston City Bancshares refusal to allow such inspection or survey in a manner that Independent reasonably considers necessary, (iv) such inspection or survey identifies an event, condition or circumstance that would or potentially could reasonably be expected to require a material remedial or cleanup action or result in a material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares, (v) such

 

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inspection or survey reveals the presence of any underground or above ground storage tank in, on or under any real property owned or leased by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank that is not shown to be in material compliance with all applicable environmental laws, or that has had a release of petroleum or some other hazardous material that has not been cleaned up to the satisfaction of the relevant governmental authority or any other party with a right to compel such cleanup, or (vi) such inspection or survey identifies the presence of any asbestos-containing material in, on or under any real property owned or leased by Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank, the removal of which could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares, subject, in the case of each of the foregoing, to notice and the right of Houston City Bancshares to satisfactorily correct any such matter;

 

    Independent determines, in good faith after consulting with counsel, there is a substantial likelihood that any necessary regulatory approval will not be obtained or will be obtained only upon one or more conditions that make it inadvisable to proceed with the transactions; or

 

    there has been any material adverse change since March 31, 2014, in the financial condition, assets, properties, liabilities, reserves, business or results of operations of Houston City Bancshares or Houston Community Bank.

Termination Fee and Expense Reimbursements

To compensate Independent for entering into the reorganization agreement, taking actions to consummate the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreement and incurring the related costs and expenses and other losses and expense, including foregoing the pursuit of other opportunities, provided that Independent is not in material breach of the reorganization agreement, the reorganization agreement provides that Houston City Bancshares will pay to Independent a termination fee of $1,500,000 if the reorganization agreement is terminated:

 

    by Houston City Bancshares because it receives an alternative acquisition proposal and, under certain terms and conditions, determines that it is a superior proposal to that of the reorganization agreement after giving effect to any adjustment made by Independent to the merger consideration;

 

    by either Independent or Houston City Bancshares if the Houston City Bancshares shareholders do not approve the reorganization agreement and the merger at the special meeting and either (i) at the time of such disapproval, there exists an acquisition proposal with respect to Houston City Bancshares other than that of Independent that has not been withdrawn prior to the special meeting or (ii) within 12 months of the termination of the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares enters into a definitive agreement with any third party with respect to any acquisition proposal; or

 

    by Independent if the Houston City Bancshares board has (i) recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders that they tender their shares in a tender or exchange offer commenced by an unaffiliated third party for more than 15% of the outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock, (ii) effected a change in the board’s recommendation with respect to the merger or recommended to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders acceptance or approval of any alternative acquisition proposal, (iii) notified Independent in writing that Houston City Bancshares is prepared to accept a superior proposal or (iv) resolved to do the foregoing.

Except with respect to termination fees and expenses, as discussed above, in the event of the termination of the reorganization agreement without breach by any party, the reorganization agreement will be void and have no effect, without liability on the part of any party or the directors, officers or shareholders of any party, except as specifically contemplated in the reorganization agreement.

Financial Interests of Directors and Officers of Houston City Bancshares in the Merger

In considering the recommendation of the board of directors of Houston City Bancshares to vote for the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement, you should be aware that certain directors and officers of

 

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Houston City Bancshares have interests in the merger that are in addition to, or different from, their interests as shareholders of Houston City Bancshares. The board of Houston City Bancshares was aware of these interests and considered them in approving the reorganization agreement. These interests include:

 

    Employment Agreements with Independent Bank. Independent and Independent Bank have entered into employment agreements with each of the following persons, to be effective, if at all, upon completion of the merger, that include noncompetition and nonsolicitation obligations to Independent Bank. Pursuant to these agreements, the executive officer is entitled to receive a salary, a one-time bonus upon completion of the merger, annual bonus, restricted shares of Independent common stock and certain additional incentives from Independent and Independent Bank. The following persons have such employment agreements and the parenthetical amounts represent the aggregate financial interest that each person is expected to receive from Independent upon completion of the merger, excluding amounts for salary and incentive bonus payments to be earned for service to be rendered to Independent Bank and excluding the value of any Independent restricted stock awards that vest over time and are dependent upon continued employment with Independent: KC Curtis ($50,000), Claude B. Leatherwood ($50,000), Sheryl McKellar ($50,000) and C. Jeff Smith ($80,000). The aggregate financial interests of all of these persons as a result of the merger is $230,000.

 

    Support Agreements. Independent has entered into separate support agreements with each of the non-employee directors of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank, specifically, John H. Baker, Allen B. Daniels, John H. Ring, David Scardino and James Raymond to be effective, if at all, upon completion of the merger, which provide, among other things, that such director agrees to support and not to harm Houston Community Bank’s goodwill and its customer and client relationships, as well as limited noncompetition and nonsolicitation obligations following the closing date.

 

    Indemnification. The directors and officers of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank will receive indemnification from Independent for a period of three years after completion of the merger to the same extent and subject to the conditions set forth in the respective articles of incorporation or articles of association and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank and continued director and officer liability coverage for a period of three years after completion of the merger. Any amounts paid by Houston Community Bank to purchase continued director and officer liability coverage will reduce Houston City Bancshares’ closing tangible book value for purposes of calculating the merger consideration payable to Houston City Bancshares shareholders.

 

    Retention Payments. Certain of the executive officers of Houston Community Bank have entered into retention agreements, which provide, among other things, for payments to be made in connection with the completion of the merger or in some circumstances, if within a specified period following the merger, such executive is terminated by Independent and/or Independent Bank. The reorganization agreement provides that it is a condition to the closing of the merger that these agreements be terminated. The following is a list of those executive officers of Houston City Bancshares and/or Houston Community Bank with such agreements that Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank expects to make payments under as a result of the merger, together with the aggregate amounts potentially payable under these agreements as a result of the completion of the merger (excluding the value of the merger consideration such individuals may receive as shareholders of Houston City Bancshares and Houston Community Bank): Harry Blake ($15,000), KC Curtis ($84,000), Brad Fagan ($15,000), Claude B. Leatherwood ($300,000), Sheryl McKellar ($84,000), C. Jeff Smith ($80,000). The total aggregate retention payments that could be paid to these individuals as a result of the completion of the merger is $578,000. Any amounts paid in connection with the termination of these agreements will reduce the tangible book value of Houston City Bancshares at closing and could reduce the amount of merger consideration payable to the shareholders of Houston City Bancshares.

 

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Voting Agreement

The directors of Houston City Bancshares have entered into an agreement to vote, referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus as the voting agreement, the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that they control in favor of approval of the reorganization agreement and the related agreement and plan of merger in the manner most favorable to the consummation of the merger and the transactions contemplated by the reorganization agreements; provided, however, that the Houston City Bancshares shareholders who entered into the voting agreement are permitted to vote to accept a superior proposal, if any, under the terms of the reorganization agreement. As of the record date, 174,213 shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, or approximately 31.56% of the outstanding shares of the Houston City Bancshares common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting, were bound by the voting agreement. A copy of the form of Voting Agreement is included as Exhibit B to the reorganization agreement included in Appendix A.

NASDAQ Global Select Market Listing

Independent has agreed to file all documents required to be filed to have the shares of Independent common stock to be issued pursuant to the reorganization agreement approved for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and to use its reasonable best efforts to effect such listing. The obligations of the parties to complete the merger are subject to such shares having been authorized for listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger

The following discussion addresses the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Independent merger to U.S. holders (as defined below) of Houston City Bancshares common stock. The discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, referred to as the “Code,” Treasury regulations, administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to change (possibly with retroactive effect) and to differing interpretations, and is the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP and Harris Law Firm, PC insofar as it sets forth specific legal conclusions under U.S. federal income tax law. The opinion of counsel is included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this proxy statement/prospectus forms a part.

This discussion applies only to U.S. holders (as defined below) that hold their Houston City Bancshares common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code, each of which we refer to in this document as a “holder.” Further, this discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal taxation that may be relevant to a particular stockholder in light of its personal circumstances or to stockholders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, including:

 

    banks or trusts,

 

    tax-exempt organizations,

 

    insurance companies,

 

    dealers in securities or foreign currency,

 

    traders in securities who elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting,

 

    pass-through entities and investors in such entities,

 

    foreign persons,

 

    U.S. expatriates,

 

    regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts,

 

    broker-dealers,

 

    holders liable for the alternative minimum tax,

 

 

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    holders that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar,

 

    holders who received their Houston City Bancshares common stock through the exercise of employee stock options, through a tax-qualified retirement plan or otherwise as compensation, and

 

    holders who hold Houston City Bancshares common stock as part of a hedge, straddle, constructive sale, conversion transaction or other integrated investment.

In addition, the discussion does not address any alternative minimum tax or any state, local or foreign tax consequences of the Independent merger, nor does it address any tax consequences arising under the unearned income Medicare contribution tax pursuant to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of Houston City Bancshares common stock who is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; (ii) a corporation or other entity taxable as a corporation created or organized under the laws of the United States or any of its political subdivisions; (iii) an estate that is subject to U.S. federal income tax on its income regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust (A) if a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that was in existence on August 29, 1996 and has made a valid election to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

This discussion does not address the tax treatment of partnerships (or entities or arrangements that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or persons that hold their Houston City Bancshares common stock through partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a partnership, including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. We urge such partners and partnerships to consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular tax consequences of the Independent merger to them.

We urge each holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock to consult its tax advisor with respect to the particular tax consequences of the Independent merger to such holder.

Tax Opinions

The obligations of the parties to complete the Independent merger are conditioned on, among other things, the receipt by Independent and Houston City Bancshares of opinions from Andrews Kurth LLP and Harris Law Firm, PC, respectively, each dated the closing date of the Independent merger, that for U.S. federal income tax purposes the Independent merger will be treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. The conditions relating to receipt of the opinions may be waived by both Independent and Houston City Bancshares. Neither Independent nor Houston City Bancshares currently intends to waive the conditions related to the receipt of the opinions. However, if these conditions were waived, Houston City Bancshares would resolicit the approval of its shareholders prior to completing the Independent merger. In addition, the obligation of each of Andrews Kurth LLP and Harris Law Firm, PC to deliver such opinions is conditioned on the Independent merger’s satisfying the continuity of proprietary interest requirement. That requirement generally will be satisfied if the aggregate value of the Independent common stock constitutes at least 42% of the aggregate value of the aggregate merger consideration at the time the Independent merger becomes effective. The opinions will be based on certain facts, representations, covenants and assumptions, including representations of Independent and Houston City Bancshares.

If any of the representations or assumptions upon which such opinions are based are inconsistent with the actual facts, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Independent merger could be adversely affected. These opinions are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts, and neither Independent nor

 

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Houston City Bancshares intends to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Independent merger. Therefore, while the Independent merger is conditioned upon the delivery by tax counsel to each of Independent and Houston City Bancshares of its opinion that the Independent merger will qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service will not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of those set forth below.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger Generally

The following discussion regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Independent merger assumes that the Independent merger will be consummated as described in the reorganization agreement and this proxy statement/prospectus and Independent and Houston City Bancshares will not waive the opinion condition described above in “—Tax Opinions.” The Independent merger will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a reorganization qualifying under the provisions of Section 368(a) of the Code. If the Independent merger is treated as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, the Independent merger will have the following U.S. federal income tax consequences.

If, pursuant to the Independent merger, a holder exchanges all of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock actually owned by it for a combination of Independent common stock and cash, the holder will recognize gain (but not loss) equal to the lesser of cash received (excluding any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Independent common stock) or gain realized in the Independent merger. The amount of gain realized will equal the amount by which the cash plus the fair market value, at the effective time of the Independent merger, of the Independent common stock exceeds the adjusted tax basis in the Houston City Bancshares common stock to be surrendered in exchange therefor. For this purpose, gain or loss must be calculated separately for each identifiable block of shares surrendered in the exchange, and a loss realized on one block of shares may not be used to offset a gain realized on another block of shares. We urge holders to consult their tax advisors regarding the manner in which cash and Independent common stock should be allocated among different blocks of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Any recognized gain generally will be long-term capital gain if the holder’s holding period with respect to the Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered is more than one year at the effective time of the Independent merger. If, however, the cash received has the effect of the distribution of a dividend, the gain will be treated as a dividend to the extent of the holder’s ratable share of accumulated earnings and profits of Houston City Bancshares as calculated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See “—Possible Treatment of Cash as a Dividend” below.

The aggregate adjusted tax basis of Independent common stock received (including fractional shares deemed received and redeemed as described below) by a holder that exchanges its shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock for a combination of Independent common stock and cash pursuant to the Independent merger will be equal to the aggregate adjusted tax basis of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered for Independent common stock and cash, reduced by the amount of cash received by the holder pursuant to the Independent merger (excluding any cash received instead of a fractional share of Independent common stock) and increased by the amount of gain (including any portion of the gain that is treated as a dividend as described below but excluding any gain or loss resulting from the deemed receipt and redemption of fractional shares described below), if any, recognized by the holder on the exchange. The holding period of the Independent common stock (including fractional shares deemed received and redeemed as described below) will include the holding period of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered.

Possible Treatment of Cash as a Dividend

Any gain recognized by a holder may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of the holder’s ratable share of Houston City Bancshares’ accumulated “earnings and profits.” In general, the determination of whether the gain recognized in the exchange will be treated as capital gain or has the effect of a distribution of a dividend depends upon whether and to what extent the exchange reduces the holder’s

 

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deemed percentage stock ownership of Independent. For purposes of this determination, the holder is treated as if it first exchanged all of its shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock solely for Independent common stock and then Independent immediately redeemed, which we refer to as the “deemed redemption,” a portion of the Independent common stock in exchange for the cash the holder actually received. The gain recognized in the deemed redemption will be treated as capital gain if the deemed redemption is (1) “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the holder or (2) “not essentially equivalent to a dividend.”

The deemed redemption will generally be “substantially disproportionate” with respect to a holder if the percentage described in (2) below is less than 80% of the percentage described in (1) below. Whether the deemed redemption is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to a holder will depend upon the holder’s particular circumstances. At a minimum, however, in order for the deemed redemption to be “not essentially equivalent to a dividend,” the deemed redemption must result in a “meaningful reduction” in the holder’s deemed percentage stock ownership of Independent. That determination requires a comparison of (1) the percentage of the outstanding stock of Independent that the holder is deemed actually and constructively to have owned immediately before the deemed redemption and (2) the percentage of the outstanding stock of Independent that is actually and constructively owned by the holder immediately after the deemed redemption. In applying the above tests, a holder may, under the constructive ownership rules, be deemed to own stock that is owned by other persons or stock underlying a holder’s option to purchase in addition to the stock actually owned by the holder.

The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that a stockholder in a publicly held corporation whose relative stock interest is minimal (e.g., less than 1%) and who exercises no control with respect to corporate affairs is generally considered to have a “meaningful reduction” if that stockholder has a relatively minor (e.g., approximately 3%) reduction in its percentage stock ownership under the above analysis. Accordingly, the gain recognized in the exchange by such a stockholder would be treated as capital gain.

These rules are complex and dependent upon the specific factual circumstances particular to each holder. Consequently, we urge each holder that may be subject to these rules to consult its tax advisor as to the application of these rules to the particular facts relevant to such holder.

Cash Received Instead of a Fractional Share.

A holder who receives cash instead of a fractional share of Independent common stock will be treated as having received such fractional share and then as having received such cash in redemption of the fractional share. Gain or loss generally will be recognized based on the difference between the amount of cash received instead of the fractional share and the portion of the holder’s aggregate adjusted tax basis of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered which is allocable to the fractional share. Such gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the holding period for such shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock is more than one year at the effective time of the Independent merger. Long-term capital gains of noncorporate taxpayers are subject to reduced rates of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Dissenters

Upon the proper exercise of dissenters’ rights, a holder will exchange all of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock actually owned by that holder solely for cash and that holder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and its adjusted tax basis in the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered, which gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the holder’s holding period with respect to the Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered is more than one year. Long-term capital gains of noncorporate taxpayers are subject to reduced rates of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Although the law is unclear, if the holder constructively owns shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that are exchanged for shares of Independent common stock in the Independent merger or otherwise owns shares of Independent common stock actually or constructively after the Independent merger, the consequences to that holder may be similar to the consequences

 

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described above under the heading “—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger Generally,” except that the amount of consideration, if any, treated as a dividend may not be limited to the amount of that holder’s gain.

Certain Tax Reporting Rules

Under applicable Treasury regulations, “significant holders” of Houston City Bancshares stock will be required to comply with certain reporting requirements. A Houston City Bancshares stockholder should be viewed as a “significant holder” if, immediately before the Independent merger, such holder held 5% or more, by vote or value, of the total outstanding Houston City Bancshares common stock. Significant holders generally will be required to file a statement with the holder’s U.S. federal income tax return for the taxable year that includes the consummation of the Independent merger. That statement must set forth the holder’s adjusted tax basis in, and the fair market value of, the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock surrendered pursuant to the Independent merger (both as determined immediately before the surrender of shares), the date of the Independent merger, and the name and employer identification number of Independent, Houston City Bancshares, and IBGHCB, and the holder will be required to retain permanent records of these facts. We urge each holder of Houston City Bancshares common stock to consult its tax advisor as to whether such holder may be treated as a “significant holder.”

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Payments of cash pursuant to the Independent merger may, under certain circumstances, be subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the recipient provides proof of an applicable exemption or furnishes its taxpayer identification number, and otherwise complies with all applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules are not an additional tax and will be allowed as a refund or credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.

This discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences is for general information only and is not tax advice. We urge holders of Houston City Bancshares common stock to consult their tax advisors with respect to the application of U.S. federal income tax laws to their particular situations as well as any tax consequences arising under the U.S. federal estate or gift tax rules, or under the laws of any state, local, foreign or other taxing jurisdiction or under any applicable tax treaty.

Accounting Treatment

The merger will be accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Under this method, Houston City Bancshares’ assets and liabilities as of the date of the merger will be recorded at their respective fair values. Any difference between the purchase price for Houston City Bancshares and the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired (including core deposit intangibles) will be recorded as goodwill. In accordance with ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations, issued in July 2001, the goodwill resulting from the merger will not be amortized to expense, but instead will be reviewed for impairment at least annually and to the extent goodwill is impaired, its carrying value will be written down to its implied fair value and a charge will be made to earnings. Core deposit and other intangibles with definite useful lives recorded by Independent in connection with the merger will be amortized to expense in accordance with such rules. The consolidated financial statements of Independent issued after the merger will reflect the results attributable to the acquired operations of Houston City Bancshares beginning on the date of completion of the merger.

 

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Ownership of Independent Common Stock After the Merger

Based on the closing price of Independent common stock on July 31, 2014 of $48.01 per share, Independent would issue 649,861 shares of its common stock to Houston City Bancshares shareholders in connection with the merger. If the average sales price of Independent’s common stock is less than $42.4593, Independent may in its sole discretion elect to: (a) increase the per share cash consideration from $30.44 to an amount up to $43.48, subject to the tangible book value adjustment; and (b) reduce the per share stock consideration to a number of shares of Independent common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the difference between $86.96 and the increased amount of the per share cash consideration; divided by (y) the average sales price.

Based on 16,370,707 shares of Independent common stock outstanding and the closing price of $48.01 on July 31, 2014, immediately after the merger, the former Houston City Bancshares shareholders would own approximately 3.8% of the outstanding shares of Independent common stock assuming 649,861 shares of Independent common stock are issued in the merger. That ownership percentage would be reduced by any future issuances of shares of Independent common stock.

Restrictions on Resales of Independent Common Stock Received in the Merger

The shares of Independent common stock issued in the merger will not be subject to any restrictions on transfer arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except for shares of Independent common stock issued to any Houston City Bancshares shareholder who may be deemed to be an “affiliate” of Independent after completion of the merger. “Affiliates” generally are defined as persons or entities who control, are controlled by or are under common control with Independent at or after the effective time of the merger and generally include executive officers, directors and beneficial owners of 10% or more of the common stock of Independent. Former Houston City Bancshares shareholders who are not affiliates of Independent after the completion of the merger may sell their shares of Independent common stock received in the merger at any time.

Former Houston City Bancshares shareholders who become affiliates of Independent after completion of the merger will be subject to the volume and sale limitations of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, until they are no longer affiliates of Independent. This proxy statement/prospectus does not cover resales of Independent common stock received by any person upon completion of the merger, and no person is authorized to make any use of or rely on this proxy statement/prospectus in connection with or to effect any resale of Independent shares.

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

The acquisition of Houston City Bancshares by Independent requires the approval of the Federal Reserve. The bank merger requires the approval of the FDIC and the TDB with a notice of the merger to be filed with the OCC. Independent filed an application with the Federal Reserve, and Independent Bank and Houston Community Bank filed applications with the FDIC and TDB for applicable regulatory approval on June 30, 2014.

Independent expects to receive all necessary regulatory approvals. You should note that the approval of any notice or application merely implies satisfaction of regulatory criteria for approval, and does not include review of the merger from the standpoint of the adequacy of the consideration to be received by, or fairness to, shareholders. Regulatory approval does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of the proposed merger.

Independent cannot assure you as to whether or when the requisite regulatory approvals will be obtained, and, if obtained, Independent cannot assure you as to the date of receipt of any of these approvals, the terms thereof or the absence of any litigation challenging them. Independent and Houston City Bancshares are not aware of any other material governmental approvals or actions that are required prior to the parties’ completion of the merger.

 

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Dissenters’ Rights of Houston City Bancshares Shareholders

General. If you hold one or more shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, you are entitled to dissenters’ rights under Texas law and have the right to dissent from the merger and have the appraised fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock as of the date immediately prior to the effective date of the merger paid to you in cash. The appraised fair value may be more or less than the value of the shares of Independent common stock and cash being paid in the merger in exchange for shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. If you are contemplating exercising your right to dissent, we urge you to read carefully the provisions of Chapter 10, Subchapter H of the Texas Business Organizations Code, or TBOC, which are attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Appendix C and which qualify in all respects the following discussion of those provisions, and consult with your legal counsel before electing or attempting to exercise these rights. The following discussion describes the steps you must take if you want to exercise your right to dissent. You should read this summary and the full text of the law carefully. In this description of the dissenters’ rights of the Houston City Bancshares shareholders, references to the “merger” are to the merger of Houston City Bancshares and IBGHCB.

How to Exercise and Perfect Your Right to Dissent. To be eligible to exercise your right to dissent to the merger:

 

    you must, prior to the special meeting of the Houston City Bancshares shareholders, provide Houston City Bancshares with a written objection to the merger that states that your right to dissent will be exercised if the reorganization agreement are approved and the merger is completed and that provides an address to which a notice of effectiveness of the merger should be delivered or mailed to you if the merger is completed;

 

    you must vote your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock against approval of the reorganization agreement at the special meeting in person or by proxy;

 

    you must, not later than the 20th day after Independent (which will be the ultimate the successor to Houston City Bancshares) sends you notice that the merger was completed, deliver to Independent a written demand for payment of the fair value of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock you own that states the number and class of shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock you own, your estimate of the fair value of such stock and an address to which a notice relating to the dissent and appraisal procedures may be sent; and

 

    you must, not later than the 20th day after you make your demand for payment to Independent as described above, submit your certificates representing Houston City Bancshares common stock to Independent.

If you intend to exercise your right to dissent from the merger, prior to the special meeting you must send the notice of objection to Houston City Bancshares, addressed to:

Houston City Bancshares, Inc.

11390 Veterans Memorial Drive,

Houston, Texas 77067

Attention: Chairman of the Board and Secretary

If you fail to send the written objection to the merger in the proper form and prior to the special meeting, to vote your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock at the special meeting against the approval of the merger and the reorganization agreement or to submit your demand for payment in the proper form and on a timely basis, you will lose your right to dissent from the merger. If you fail to submit to Independent on a timely basis the certificates representing the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock after you have submitted the demand for payment as described above, Independent will have the option to terminate your right of dissent as to your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. In any instance of a termination or loss of a your

 

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right of dissent, you will instead receive the merger consideration. If you comply with the first two items above and the merger is completed, Independent will send you a written notice advising you that the merger has been completed. Independent Bank must deliver this notice to you within ten days after the merger is completed.

Your Demand for Payment. If the merger is completed, you have provided your written objection to the merger to Houston City Bancshares in a timely manner and in proper form and you have voted against the reorganization agreement at the special meeting as described above and you desire to receive the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock in cash, you must, within 20 days of the date on which Independent sends to you the notice of the effectiveness of the merger, give Independent a written demand for payment of the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. The fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock will be the value of the shares on the day immediately preceding the merger, excluding any appreciation or depreciation in anticipation of the merger. After the merger is completed, your written demand and any notice sent to Independent must be addressed to:

Independent Bank Group, Inc.

1600 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 400

McKinney, Texas 75069-3257

Attention: President and Secretary

Your written demand must include a demand for payment for your shares for which rights of dissent and appraisal are sought and must state the number of shares and class of Houston City Bancshares common stock you own and your estimate of the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock and an address to which a notice relating to the dissent and appraisal procedures may be sent. This written demand must be delivered to Independent within 20 days of the date on which Independent sends to you the notice of the effectiveness of the merger. If your written demand for payment in proper form is not received by Independent within that 20 day period, you will be bound by the merger and you will not be entitled to receive a cash payment representing the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Instead, you will receive shares of Independent common stock and cash as the merger consideration set forth in the reorganization agreement.

Delivery of Stock Certificates. If you have satisfied the requirements for the exercise of your right to dissent described above, including the delivery of the written demand for payment to Independent as described above, you must, not later than the 20th day after you make your written demand for payment to Independent, submit to Independent your certificate or certificates representing the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock you own. You may submit those certificates with your demand for payment if you prefer. In accordance with the provisions of the TBOC, Independent will note on each such certificate that you have demanded payment of the fair value of the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that were represented by such certificate under the provisions of the TBOC relating to the rights of dissenting owners. After making those notations on those certificates, Independent will return each such certificate to you at your request. If you fail to submit all of the certificates representing the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock for which you have exercised the right of dissent in a timely fashion, Independent will have the right to terminate your rights of dissent and appraisal with respect to all of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock unless a court, for good cause shown, directs Independent not to terminate those rights.

Independent’s Actions Upon Receipt of Your Demand for Payment. Within 20 days after Independent receives your written demand for payment and your estimate of the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock submitted as described above, Independent must send you written notice stating whether or not it accepts your estimate of the fair value of your shares.

If Independent accepts your estimate, Independent will notify you that it will pay the amount of your estimated fair value within 90 days after the effective date of the merger. Independent will make this payment to you only if you have surrendered the share certificates representing your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, duly endorsed for transfer, to Independent.

 

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If Independent does not accept your estimate, Independent will notify you of this fact and will make an offer of an alternative estimate of the fair value of your shares that it is willing to pay you within 120 days after the effective date of the merger, which you may accept within 90 days after the effective date of the merger or decline.

Payment of the Fair Value of Your Shares of Houston City Bancshares Common Stock Upon Agreement of an Estimate. If you and Independent have reached an agreement on the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock within 90 days after the effective date of the merger, Independent must pay you the agreed amount within 120 days after the effective date of the merger, provided that you have surrendered the share certificates representing your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, duly endorsed for transfer, to Independent.

Commencement of Legal Proceedings if a Demand for Payment Remains Unsettled. If you and Independent have not reached an agreement as to the fair market value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock within 90 days after the effective date of the merger, you or Independent may, within 60 days after the expiration of the 90 day period, commence proceedings in Collin County, Texas, asking the court to determine the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. The court will determine if you have complied with the provisions of the TBOC regarding their right of dissent and if you have become entitled to receive payment for your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. The court will appoint one or more qualified persons to act as appraisers to determine the fair value of your shares in the manner prescribed by the TBOC. The appraisers will determine the fair value of your shares and will report this value to the court. Once the appraisers’ report is filed with the court, you will receive a notice from the court indicating that the report has been filed. You will be responsible for obtaining a copy of the report from the court. If you or Independent objects to the report or any part of it, the court will hold a hearing to determine the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock. Both you and Independent may address the court about the report. The court will determine the fair value of your shares and direct Independent to pay that amount, plus interest, which will begin to accrue 91 days after the merger is completed. The court may require you to share in the court costs relating to the matter to the extent the court deems it fair and equitable that you do so.

Rights as a Shareholder. If you have made a written demand on Independent for payment of the fair value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, you will not thereafter be entitled to vote or exercise any other rights as a shareholder of Independent, but will only have the right to receive payment for your shares as described herein and the right to maintain an appropriate action to obtain relief on the ground that the merger would be or was fraudulent. In the absence of fraud in the transaction, your right under the dissent provisions described herein is the exclusive remedy for the recovery of the value of your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock or money damages with respect to the merger.

Withdrawal of Demand. If you have made a written demand on Independent for payment of the fair value of your Houston City Bancshares common stock, you may withdraw such demand at any time before payment for your shares has been made or before a petition has been filed with a court for determination of the fair value of your shares. If you withdraw your demand or are otherwise unsuccessful in asserting your dissenters’ rights, you will be bound by the merger and you will have the same rights to receive of the merger consideration with respect to your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock as you would have had if you had not made a demand for payment as to those shares, as well as to participate to the appropriate extent in any dividends or distributions on the shares of Independent common stock that may have been paid to Independent shareholders after the effective date of the merger. Such rights will, however, be subject to any change in or adjustment to those shares made because of an action taken after the date your demand for payment.

Beneficial Owners. Persons who beneficially own shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock that are held of record in the name of another person, such as a broker, bank, trustee or other nominee, and who desire to have the right of dissent exercised as to those shares must act promptly to cause the record holder of those shares

 

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to take the actions required under Texas law to exercise the dissenter’s rights with respect to those shares. Only the persons in whose names shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock are registered on the share transfer records of Houston City Bancshares may exercise the right of dissent and appraisal discussed above.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Independent Merger” on page 75 for a discussion on how the federal income tax consequences of your action will change if you elect to dissent from the merger.

You should remember that if you return a signed proxy card, but fail to provide instructions as to how your shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock are to be voted, you will be considered to have voted in favor of the reorganization agreement and you will not be able to assert dissenters’ rights. You should also remember that if you otherwise vote at the special meeting in favor of the reorganization agreement, you will not be able to assert dissenters’ rights.

 

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PROPOSAL TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING

(Proposal Two)

If there are not sufficient votes to constitute a quorum or to approve the reorganization agreement at the time of the special meeting, the special meeting may be adjourned to a later date or dates in order to permit further solicitation of additional proxies. Pursuant to the TBOC, the Houston City Bancshares board of directors is not required to fix a new record date to determine the Houston City Bancshares shareholders entitled to vote at the adjourned special meeting. At the adjourned special meeting, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the special meeting. If the Houston City Bancshares board of directors does not fix a new record date, it is not necessary to give any notice of the time and place of the adjourned special meeting other than an announcement at the special meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days. If a new record date is fixed, notice of the adjourned special meeting shall be given as in the case of an original special meeting.

In order to allow proxies that have been received at the time of the special meeting to be voted for an adjournment, if necessary, this proposal regarding the question of adjournment is being submitted to the Houston City Bancshares shareholders as a separate matter for their consideration. If approved, the adjournment proposal will authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by the Houston City Bancshares board of directors to vote in favor of adjourning the special meeting and any later adjournments. If the Houston City Bancshares shareholders approve this adjournment proposal, Houston City Bancshares could adjourn the special meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies to gain a quorum for the special meeting or approve the reorganization agreement, including the solicitation of proxies from Houston City Bancshares shareholders who previously have voted against the reorganization agreement. Among other things, approval of the adjournment proposal could mean that, even if proxies representing a sufficient number of votes against the reorganization agreement have been received, Houston City Bancshares could adjourn the special meeting without a vote on the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement and seek to convince the holders of those shares to change their votes to votes in favor of the proposal to approve the reorganization agreement.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of holders of the majority of the shares for which votes are cast at the special meeting is needed to approve this proposal. Abstentions and broker nonvotes will not be counted as votes cast and, therefore, will not affect this proposal. Further, the failure to vote, either by proxy or in person, will not have an effect on this proposal. Unless instructions to the contrary are specified in a proxy properly voted and returned through available channels, the proxies will be voted FOR this proposal.

Certain directors and shareholders of Houston City Bancshares entered into a voting agreement with Independent, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote FOR the this proposal to adjourn the special meeting. For more information regarding the voting agreement, please see the section entitled “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Voting Agreement” beginning on page 75.

HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES’ BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL.

 

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BUSINESS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

General

Houston City Bancshares was incorporated as a Texas corporation in 1985 to serve as a bank holding company for Houston Community Bank. Houston City Bancshares does not, as an entity, engage in separate business activities of a material nature apart from the activities it performs for Houston Community Bank. Its primary activities are to provide assistance in the management and coordination of Houston Community Bank’s financial resources. Houston City Bancshares has no significant assets other than all of the outstanding common stock of Houston Community Bank. Houston City Bancshares derives its revenues primarily from the operations of Houston Community Bank in the form of distributions received from Houston Community Bank. Houston Community Bank is a national banking association that was chartered in 1981.

Houston City Bancshares owns Houston Community Bank through a wholly-owned intermediate holding company, HCB Nevada, Inc., a Nevada corporation and registered bank holding company with its principal offices in Carson City, Nevada (“HCB Nevada”). HCB Nevada has no significant assets other than all of the outstanding common stock of Houston Community Bank. As required by the reorganization agreement, Houston City Bancshares will dissolve HCB Nevada prior to the Closing Date.

As a bank holding company, Houston City Bancshares is subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or Federal Reserve, in accordance with the requirements set forth in the BHC Act and by the rules and regulations issued by the Federal Reserve.

As of March 31, 2014, Houston City Bancshares had, on a consolidated basis, total assets of $323 million, total deposits of $296 million, total loans (net of unearned discount and allowance for loan losses) of $199.6 million, and total shareholders’ equity of $26.6 million. Houston City Bancshares does not file reports with the SEC. Houston City Bancshares does, however, voluntarily provide annual reports, including unaudited financial statements, to its shareholders in advance of its annual meeting.

Products and Services

Houston Community Bank is a traditional commercial bank offering a variety of banking services to consumer and commercial customers in the Houston, Texas, area. Houston Community Bank offers a range of consumer and commercial loans. Commercial loans offered include loans to small- and medium-sized businesses for the purpose of purchasing equipment, inventory, facilities or for working capital. Consumer loans offered include loans for the purpose of purchasing automobiles, recreational vehicles, personal residences, household goods, home improvements or for educational needs.

Houston Community Bank offers depository services and various checking account services. Houston Community Bank also offers commercial treasury management services, safe deposit boxes, debit card services, merchant bank card services, traveler’s checks, wire transfer services, cashier’s checks, money orders, telephone banking, Internet banking, direct deposit and automatic transfers between accounts. Houston Community Bank has ATMs at each of its locations. Houston Community Bank’s business is not seasonal in any material respect.

Houston Community Bank funds its lending activities primarily from the core deposit base. Houston Community Bank obtained deposits from the local market with no material position (in excess of 10% of total deposits) dependent upon any one person or entity, except that a director of Houston City Bancshares has deposits, and two companies of which he shares ownership and of which he is an officer, have deposits, in the aggregate of approximately $30 million. This amount exceeds 10% of Houston City Bancshares total deposits.

 

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Properties

Houston Community Bank owns its 12,423 square foot main and principal executive offices, which are located at 11390 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Harris County, Texas 77067. Houston Community Bank also operates banking offices throughout the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area at the following locations:

 

Location

   Own or
Lease
   Sq. Ft.  

Harris County

     

•       Humble Branch

   Own      3,150   

Brazoria County

     

•       Pearland Branch

   Own      5,402   

Fort Bend County

     

•       Sugar Land Branch

   Lease      4,489   

•       Stafford Branch

   Own      4,000   

Montgomery County

     

•       Porter Branch

   Own      3,195   

The offices of Houston Community Bank are located in the four largest and fastest-growing counties in the Houston metropolitan area. The Houston-The Woodlands—Sugar Land, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area (“Houston MSA”) is the fifth largest in the country and the city of Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States, according to 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The Houston MSA had the second highest percentage employment growth of the 12 most populous MSAs during the 12 months ended October 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Competition

The table below lists Houston Community Bank’s deposit market share as of June 30, 2013 (the most recent date as of which the relevant data is available from the FDIC), for the Houston MSA, which is the only market in which Houston Community Bank provides services.

 

Market Area

   Market Rank      Branch
Count
     Deposits In
Market
(in thousands)
     Market
Share (%)
 

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland

     45 of 95         6       $ 270,440         0.16   

Each activity in which Houston City Bancshares is engaged involves competition with other banks, as well as with nonbanking financial institutions and nonfinancial enterprises. In addition to competing with other commercial banks within and outside its primary service area, Houston City Bancshares competes with other financial institutions engaged in the business of making loans or accepting deposits, such as savings and loan associations, credit unions, industrial loan associations, insurance companies, small loan companies, financial companies, mortgage companies, real estate investment trusts, certain governmental agencies, credit card organizations and other enterprises. Houston City Bancshares also competes with suppliers of equipment in furnishing equipment financing. Banks and other financial institutions with which Houston City Bancshares competes may have capital resources and legal loan limits substantially higher than those maintained by Houston City Bancshares.

Employees

As of July 31, 2014, Houston City Bancshares had 69 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees, none of whom is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Legal Proceedings

Houston Community Bank is, from time to time, subject to various pending and threatened legal actions which arise out of the normal course of its business. As of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, there are no material threatened or pending legal proceedings against Houston City Bancshares.

 

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BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES COMMON STOCK BY

MANAGEMENT AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of Houston City Bancshares common shares as of the record date by (1) each director, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the three other most-highly compensated executive officers of Houston City Bancshares, (2) each person who is known by Houston City Bancshares to own beneficially 5% or more of the common shares of Houston City Bancshares, and (3) all directors and executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, based on information furnished by such shareholders, management of Houston City Bancshares believes that each person has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares indicated as owned by such person.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

   Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
     Percentage
Beneficially
Owned(1)
 

Principal Shareholders that are not Directors or Executive Officers:

     

Virgil Elwood Smith(2)

     96,396         17.46

Nancy Vernon

     47,398         8.59   

Josephine Scardino(3)

     46,672         8.46   

Directors and Named Executive Officers:

     

W. Phillip Johnson, Jr.

     42,370         7.68   

Claude Leatherwood

     21,585         3.91   

C. Jeff Smith

     10,217         1.85   

John Baker

     59,836         10.84   

John Ring

     16,805         3.04   

David Scardino

     250         *   

Allen Daniels

     2,900         *   

James Raymond

     250         *   

Brad Fagan

     —           —     

Harry Blake

     4,489         *   

Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (10 persons)

     158,702         28.75   

 

 * Indicates ownership which does not exceed 1.00%.
(1) The percentages are based on 551,993 shares of Houston City Bancshares’ common stock outstanding as of the record date.
(2) Includes 26,576 shares each held by The Ruth Smith GST Exempt QSST and The Virgil Elwood Smith GST Exempt QSST, each of which Virgil Elwood Smith is Trustee, and 21,622 shares each held by The Ruth Smith Non-Exempt QSST and The Virgil Elwood Smith Non-Exempt QSST, each of which Mr. Smith is Trustee.
(3) Includes 23,336 shares held directly by Mrs. Scardino and 23,336 shares held by The Scardino Exempt Family QSST Trust, of which Mrs. Scardino is a co-trustee.

 

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COMPARATIVE MARKET PRICES AND DIVIDEND DATA

Independent

From April 3, 2013, through January 1, 2014, Independent common stock was listed for trading on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “IBTX.” On January 2, 2014, Independent common stock started trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Quotations of the sales volume and the closing sales prices of the common stock of Independent are listed daily in the NASDAQ Global Select Market’s listings.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low intraday sales prices for Independent common stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Market and NASDAQ Global Select Market and the cash dividends declared per share:

 

     High      Low      Cash
Dividend
Per Share
 

Quarter ended March 31, 2014 (beginning April 3, 2013)

   $ 31.66       $ 26.00         —     

Quarter ended September 30, 2013

     37.69         29.20       $ 0.06   

Quarter ended December 30, 2013

     50.58         35.67         0.06   

Quarter ended March 31, 2014

   $ 59.96       $ 48.54       $ 0.06   

Quarter ended June 30, 2014

     61.49         44.86         0.06   

Quarter ended September 30, 2014 (through July 31, 2014)

     56.20         47.54         0.00   

Houston City Bancshares shareholders are advised to obtain the current stock quotation for Independent common stock. The market price of Independent common stock will fluctuate from the date of this proxy statement/prospectus through the third trading date prior to the effective date of the merger, which is the date on which the per share stock consideration is determined for the merger. Because of the possibility of an adjustment to each of the number of shares constituting the per share stock consideration and the per share cash consideration, you will not know the exact number of shares of Independent common stock or the exact amount of cash that you will receive in connection with the merger when you vote on the reorganization agreement. See “Proposal to Approve the Reorganization Agreement—Terms of the Merger.”

Prior to April 3, 2013, there was no established public trading market for Independent common stock. However, Independent occasionally became aware of trades and transactions in its common stock and in certain instances the prices at which these trades were executed. Due to the limited information available, the following price information may not accurately reflect the actual market value of the shares of Independent common stock during the applicable period. The following data includes trades between individual investors and Independent and between shareholders of Independent. It does not include restricted stock issued by Independent. The following table sets forth the per share price paid in connection with sales of its common stock for each quarter during 2011 and 2012 and the first quarter of 2013 through the date indicated as adjusted to give pro forma effect to our 3.2-for-1 stock split that was effective as of February 22, 2013:

 

     Sales
Price
     Number of
Trades
     Number
of Shares
Traded
 

Quarter ended March 31, 2012(1)

     —           —           —     

Quarter ended March 31, 2012

     —           —           —     

Quarter ended September 30, 2012(2)(3)

   $ 31.25         6         6,630   

Quarter ended December 31,2012(4)

     —           —           —     

First Quarter 2013 (through April 2, 2013)

     —           —           —     

 

(1) Excludes the sale of 992,000 shares of Independent common stock to its existing shareholders and accredited investors at a price of $20.31 per share, with such price determined by Independent’s board of directors.
(2) Reflects the purchase of shares by Independent to remain within the S corporation limitation regarding the maximum number of shareholders in anticipation of the acquisition of CGI. The price was determined by Independent’s board of directors.

 

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(3) Excludes the sale of 246,160 shares of Independent common stock by Independent to its existing shareholders and accredited investors at a price of $20.31 per share to fund a portion of the CGI acquisition. The price was determined by Independent’s board of directors, consistent with the negotiated price of the shares issued to the target shareholders in such acquisition.
(4) Excludes the issuance of 182,221 shares of Independent common stock to the shareholders of CGI in connection with the acquisition of that entity. The shares issued as merger consideration were valued between the parties at $20.31 per share.

These figures represent actual transfers or issuances of Independent common stock reflected on its stock transfer records. Because Independent may not become aware of all trades of its common stock prior to April 3, 2013, the immediately preceding table may not include all trades that occurred during the reported periods. The prices given in that table are the result of limited trading and may not be representative of the actual value of Independent common stock during the applicable period. In addition, in most instances, Independent does not have actual knowledge of the prices at which the shares of Independent common stock reflected in the immediately preceding table were sold and in providing this information has relied in most cases on comments made by a third party without its independent verification.

After the merger, Independent currently expects to continue to pay (when, as and if declared by Independent’s board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose and subject to regulatory restrictions) regular quarterly cash dividends. There is no assurance that Independent will continue to pay dividends in the future. Future dividends on Independent common stock will depend upon its earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, the general economic and regulatory climate, its ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to the common stock and other factors deemed relevant by the board of directors of Independent. See “Summary—Dividends.”

As a holding company, Independent is ultimately dependent upon its subsidiaries particularly Independent Bank, to provide funding for its operating expenses, debt service and dividends. Various banking laws applicable to Independent Bank limit the payment of dividends and other distributions by Independent Bank to Independent, and may therefore limit Independent’s ability to pay dividends on its common stock. If required payments on Independent’s outstanding junior subordinated debentures held by its unconsolidated subsidiary trusts are not made or are suspended, Independent will be prohibited from paying dividends on its common stock. Regulatory authorities could impose administratively stricter limitations on the ability of Independent Bank to pay dividends to Independent if such limits were deemed appropriate to preserve certain capital adequacy requirements.

Houston City Bancshares

There is no established public trading market for the shares of Houston City Bancshares common stock, and no market for Houston City Bancshares common stock is expected to develop if the merger does not occur. No registered broker/dealer makes a market in Houston City Bancshares’ common stock, and Houston City Bancshares’ common stock is not listed for trading or quoted on any stock exchange or automated quotation system. Houston City Bancshares acts as the transfer agent and registrar for its own shares. As of the record date, there were approximately 58 holders of Houston City Bancshares’ common stock.

Houston City Bancshares becomes aware of trades of shares as transfer agent of its common stock and sometimes the prices at which these trades are made. In that regard, during the period from January 1, 2011, through July 31, 2014, there were only two trades of Houston City Bancshares’ common stock.

The most recent trade of Houston City Bancshares common stock occurred on February 29, 2012, when 5,000 shares were traded at a price of $60.85 per share. There have been other limited transfers of Houston City Bancshares’ common stock, but which were excluded as they were transferred between related parties (as gifts or to trusts or estates or heirs). Because of limited trading, the price described above may not be representative of the actual or fair value of Houston City Bancshares’ common stock.

Houston City Bancshares is not obligated to register its common stock or, upon any registration, to create a market for its common stock.

 

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For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, Houston City Bancshares paid quarterly distributions, which were intended as pass through distributions of taxable income for S corporation purposes, as follows:

 

Date Paid

   Amount of
Distributions
Per Share
     Total
Distribution
Amount
 

January 15, 2013

   $ 1.25       $ 689,991.25   

April 15, 2013

     1.00         551,993.00   

July 13, 2013

     1.00         551,993.00   

October 15, 2013

     0.50         275,996.50   

January 15, 2012

   $ 1.25       $ 682,491.25   

April 13, 2012

     1.25         688,741.25   

July 13, 2012

     1.25         688,741.25   

October 15, 2012

     1.25         689,991.25   

For the year-to-date period ended July 31, 2014, Houston City Bancshares paid quarterly distributions as follows:

 

Date Paid

   Amount of
Distributions
Per Share
     Total
Distribution
Amount
 

January 15, 2014

   $ 0.75       $ 413,994.75   

April 15, 2014

     0.50         275,996.50   

July 31, 2014

     0.50         275,996.50   

Houston City Bancshares is not obligated to repurchase its common stock or, upon any registration rights, to create a market for its common stock.

Houston City Bancshares’ shareholders are entitled to receive distributions out of legally available funds as and when declared by Houston City Bancshares’ board of directors, in its sole discretion. As a Texas corporation, Houston City Bancshares is subject to certain restrictions on distributions under the TBOC. Generally, a Texas corporation may pay distributions to its shareholders out of its surplus (the excess of its assets over its liabilities and stated capital) unless the corporation is insolvent or the payment of the distribution would render the corporation insolvent.

Consistent with its policy that bank holding companies should serve as a source of financial strength for their subsidiary banks, the Federal Reserve has stated that, as a matter of prudent banking, a bank holding company generally should not maintain a rate of distributions to shareholders unless its net income available has been sufficient to fully fund the distributions, and the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the bank holding company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition.

Houston City Bancshares does not engage in separate business activities of a material nature. As a result, Houston City Bancshares’ ability to pay distributions depends upon the distributions received from Houston Community Bank. As a national banking association, Houston Community Bank’s ability to pay distributions is restricted by certain laws and regulations. Under the National Bank Act, Houston Community Bank generally may not declare a distribution without prior OCC approval if the total amount of all distributions declared by the bank in any calendar year exceeds the bank’s total net profits for that year and its retained net profits for the preceding two calendar years, less any required transfers to surplus. Federal law also prohibits Houston Community Bank from paying distributions that would be greater than the bank’s undivided profits after deducting statutory bad debt in excess of the bank’s allowance for loan and lease losses.

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act, Houston Community Bank may not pay any distribution if the payment of the distribution would cause Houston Community Bank to become undercapitalized or if Houston Community Bank is “undercapitalized.” The FDIC may further restrict the

 

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payment of distributions by requiring that Houston Community Bank maintain a higher level of capital than would otherwise be required to be “adequately capitalized” for regulatory purposes. If, in the opinion of the FDIC, Houston Community Bank is engaged in an unsound practice (which could include the payment of distributions), the FDIC may require, generally after notice and hearing, that Houston Community Bank cease such practice. The FDIC has indicated that paying distributions that deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe banking practice. The FDIC also has issued policy statements providing that insured depository institutions generally should pay distributions only out of current operating earnings.

Under regulatory capital guidelines, Houston Community Bank must maintain a Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets ratio of at least 4.0%, a Tier 1 capital to risk weighted assets ratio of at least 4.0%, and a total risk based capital to risk weighted assets ratio of at least 8.0%. As of March 31, 2014, Houston Community Bank had a ratio of Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets of 8.98%, a ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 14.19%, and a ratio of total risk based capital to risk-weighted assets of 15.24%.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF INDEPENDENT CAPITAL STOCK

General

The following summarizes some of the important rights of Independent shareholders. This discussion does not purport to be a complete description of these rights. These rights can be determined in full only by reference to federal and state banking laws and regulations, the TBOC and Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws.

Independent’s authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of July 31, 2014, Independent had 16,370,707 outstanding shares of its common stock and 23,938.35 shares of its Series A preferred stock were outstanding. All of Independent’s shares outstanding at that date were fully paid and nonassessable. As of July 31, 2014, Independent had 401 holders of record of common stock.

Independent Common Stock

Voting Rights. Subject to any special voting rights that may be given to any series of preferred stock that Independent may issue in the future, holders of Independent’s common stock are entitled to one vote per share in the election of directors and on all other matters submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders. No shareholder has the right of cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors.

With respect to any matter other than the election of directors or a matter for which the affirmative vote of the holders of a specified portion of the shares entitled to vote is required by Texas law or Independent’s certificate of formation, the act of the shareholders will be the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on, and voted for or against, the matter at a meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is present. For purposes of such a vote, however, all abstentions and broker nonvotes are not counted as voted either for or against such matter.

In elections of directors in which the number of nominees for election as director does not exceed the number of directors to be elected (generally referred to as an “uncontested election”), the directors will be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the holders of shares entitled to vote in the election of directors at a meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is present. If the number of nominees for election exceeds the number of directors to be elected at a meeting of shareholders (generally referred to as an “contested election”), directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast. For purposes of determining whether a director is elected in an uncontested election, a majority of the votes cast means that the number of votes cast for a director must exceed the number of votes cast against that director, and abstentions and broker nonvotes shall not be counted as votes cast either for or against any nominee for director. For purposes of determining whether a director is elected in a contested election, the nominees equal in number to the number of directors to be elected who receive the highest number of votes among all nominees will be elected as directors.

Dividend Rights. Holders of Independent’s common stock are entitled to dividends when, as and if declared by Independent’s board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Liquidation Rights. In the event of Independent’s liquidation, the holders of Independent common stock will be entitled to share ratably in any assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities.

Other. Independent’s common stock has no preemptive or conversion rights and is not entitled to the benefits of any redemption or sinking fund provision.

Transfer Agent and Registrar. The transfer agent and registrar for Independent’s common stock is Wells Fargo Bank Shareowner Services, at 1110 Centre Point Curve, Suite 101, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120-4101.

 

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Listing. Independent’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “IBTX.”

Independent Preferred Stock

Upon authorization of Independent’s board of directors, Independent may issue shares of one or more series of its preferred stock from time to time. Independent’s board of directors may, without any action by holders of common stock (and except as may be otherwise provided in the terms of any series of preferred stock of which there are shares outstanding holders of preferred stock) adopt resolutions to designate and establish a new series of preferred stock. Upon establishing such a series of preferred stock, the board will determine the number of shares of preferred stock of that series that may be issued and the rights and preferences of that series of preferred stock. Independent’s board of directors has not designated or established any series of preferred stock. The rights of any series of preferred stock may include, among others:

 

    general or special voting rights;

 

    preferential liquidation or preemptive rights;

 

    preferential cumulative or noncumulative dividend rights;

 

    redemption or put rights; and

 

    conversion or exchange rights.

Independent may issue shares of, or rights to purchase shares of, one or more series of Independent’s preferred stock that have been designated from time to time, the terms of which might:

 

    adversely affect voting or other rights evidenced by, or amounts otherwise payable with respect to, the common stock or other series of preferred stock;

 

    discourage an unsolicited proposal to acquire Independent; or

 

    facilitate a particular business combination involving Independent.

Any of these actions could have an anti-takeover effect and discourage a transaction that some or a majority of Independent’s shareholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which Independent’s shareholders might receive a premium for their stock over Independent’s then market price.

Independent Series A Preferred Stock

The following description is a general summary of the terms of our Senior Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, or Series A preferred stock. The description below and in any prospectus supplement relating to the offer for sale of shares of a series of our preferred stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our certificate of formation, as amended, and the applicable certificate of designation to our certificate of formation establishing the terms of the Series A preferred stock being offered for sale by means of a prospectus supplement and our bylaws, as amended, each of which we will make available upon request. The descriptions herein and in the applicable prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information that you may find useful or that may be important to you. You should refer to the provisions of our certificate of formation, the applicable certificate of designation and our bylaws because they, and not the summaries, define your rights as a holder of shares of our Series A preferred stock. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 104 for more information.

Original Issuance. In connection with the consummation of the acquisition of BOH Holdings, Inc. on April 15, 2014, we exchanged a share of our Series A preferred stock for each share of the BOH Holdings Series C preferred stock then outstanding. Our Series A preferred stock provides the same relative rights, preferences, privileges and voting powers, and is subject to the same limitations and restrictions as were the shares of the

 

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BOH Holdings Series C preferred stock, taken as a whole, existing immediately prior to the consummation of the acquisition. All of our outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock issued in the BOH Holdings, Inc. acquisition is held and owned by the U.S. Treasury. The following is a summary of the relative rights, privileges and preferences of our Series A preferred stock.

Authorized Shares. There are 23,938.35 authorized shares of the series of our Series A preferred stock, all of which are issued and outstanding.

Ranking. The Series A preferred stock is ranked senior to the common stock with respect to dividend rights and rights to participate in our assets upon our winding up or termination.

Exchange/Conversion Rights. Holders of shares of the Series A preferred stock have no rights to exchange or convert their shares into any other securities of the Company.

Dividends. Holders of Series A preferred stock are entitled to receive at the end of each quarterly dividend period an amount equal to one-quarter of the applicable dividend rate (which rate is approximately 1%) multiplied by the liquidation amount per each share of Series A preferred stock, which liquidation amount is currently equal to $1,000 per share, or approximately $60,000 per quarter.

Voting Rights. The holders of the Series A preferred stock have no general voting rights other than as required under Texas law or expressly provided by the Company and summarized below.

The written consent of the U.S. Treasury, as long as the U.S. Treasury holds any shares of Series A preferred stock, or the written consent of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock if the U.S. Treasury no longer holds any such shares, is required generally to approve the following actions by the Company, subject to certain exceptions as stated in the statement of designation for the Series A preferred stock:

 

    Authorization of any shares of, or securities convertible, exchangeable or exercisable for shares of, any Company capital stock ranking senior to the Series A preferred stock with respect to either or both the payment of dividends and/or the distribution of our assets upon our winding up or termination;

 

    Any amendment of the statement of designation for the series of the Series A preferred stock that would adversely affect the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers for such Series A preferred stock;

 

    Certain share exchanges or reclassifications involving the Series A preferred stock or any merger of the Company unless the shares of Series A preferred stock remain outstanding or become securities of the resulting entity or its ultimate parent and the shares continue to have equivalent rights, preferences, privileges and voting powers;

 

    Any sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company unless the Series A preferred stock were redeemed in full in connection with such sale; and

 

    The consummation of certain change of control transactions resulting in the surviving entity continuing as a bank holding company or savings and loan holding company, unless the shares of Series A preferred stock are converted into securities of the surviving entity or its ultimate parent and the shares continue to have equivalent rights, preferences, privileges and voting powers.

Board Observer Rights. A majority of the outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock have the right to designate a representative to be invited to attend, in a nonvoting capacity, all meetings of the Company’s board of directors in the event that the Company has failed to timely pay dividends due upon the Series A preferred stock for an aggregate of five quarterly dividend periods, whether or not consecutive. This right to select an observer terminates upon timely dividend payments for four consecutive quarterly dividends periods, but would be revived in the event there are additional failures to make timely dividend payments for five quarters, in the aggregate, following the termination of observer rights.

 

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Director Designation Rights. Whenever dividends on the Series A preferred stock have not been declared and timely paid in full for an aggregate of six quarterly dividend periods, whether or not consecutive, and the aggregate liquidation preferences of the then-outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock is greater than or equal to $25 million, the authorized number of the Company’s directors will be increased by two and the holders of Series A preferred stock, voting together as a single class, will have the right to elect two directors to fill those newly created directorships at either its next annual meeting (if one is to be held within thirty days) or at a special meeting of shareholders, and this right continues until complete and timely dividend payment have been made for four consecutive quarterly dividend periods. This right to appoint directors revives in the event of any such future failure of the Company to pay complete and timely dividends.

Preemptive Rights. Holders of the Series A preferred stock do not have any preemptive rights.

Liquidation Rights. The holders of Series A preferred stock have a liquidation preference equal to the “liquidation amount” per share plus any accrued and unpaid dividends on each such share. The current liquidation amount for the Series A preferred stock is $1,000 per share.

Redemption Rights. The Company has the option to redeem, in whole or in part, any or all of the shares of the Series A preferred stock, subject to any required regulatory approval, for a price per share equal to the sum of the liquidation amount per share plus any unpaid dividends for the then current quarterly dividend period up to the day before the redemption date.

Restriction on Redemption and Repurchases of Company Securities. Under the terms of the Series A preferred stock, we may not repurchase or redeem any of its shares of its capital stock, including any equity securities or trust preferred securities issued by us or any of our affiliates, unless after giving effect to such repurchase or redemption, our Tier 1 capital would be at least equal to $79,376,715 and all dividends have been paid on the Series A preferred stock for the most recently completed quarterly dividend period (or sufficient funds have been reserved).

If the Company does not declare and pay the required dividends on the Series A preferred stock, then for the period of time beginning on the last day of such quarterly dividend period until the last day of the third quarterly dividend period immediately following, the Company will be prohibited from redeeming, purchasing, repurchasing or otherwise acquiring any shares of its capital stock at any time, subject to certain enumerated exceptions.

 

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Business Combinations under Texas Law

A number of provisions of Texas law, Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws could have an anti-takeover effect and make more difficult the acquisition of Independent by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise and the removal of incumbent directors. These provisions are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of Independent to negotiate first with Independent’s board of directors.

Independent is subject to the provisions of Title 2, Chapter 21, Subchapter M of the TBOC, or the Texas Business Combination Law, which provides that a Texas corporation may not engage in specified types of business combinations, including mergers, consolidations and asset sales, with a person, or an affiliate or associate of that person, who is an “affiliated shareholder.” For purposes of this law, an “affiliated shareholder” is generally defined as the holder of 20% or more of the corporation’s voting shares, for a period of three years from the date that person became an affiliated shareholder. The law’s prohibitions do not apply if:

 

    the business combination or the acquisition of shares by the affiliated shareholder was approved by the board of directors of the corporation before the affiliated shareholder became an affiliated shareholder; or

 

    the business combination was approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting shares of the corporation not beneficially owned by the affiliated shareholder, at a meeting of shareholders called for that purpose, not less than six months after the affiliated shareholder became an affiliated shareholder.

Independent has more than 100 shareholders and is considered to be an “issuing public corporation” for purposes of this law. The Texas Business Combination Law does not apply to the following:

 

    the business combination of an issuing public corporation: where the corporation’s original certificate of formation or bylaws contain a provision expressly electing not to be governed by the Texas Business Combination Law; or that adopts an amendment to its certificate of formation or bylaws, by the affirmative vote of the holders, other than affiliated shareholders, of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting shares of the corporation, expressly electing not to be governed by the Texas Business Combination Law and so long as the amendment does not take effect for 18 months following the date of the vote and does not apply to a business combination with an affiliated shareholder who became affiliated on or before the effective date of the amendment;

 

    a business combination of an issuing public corporation with an affiliated shareholder that became an affiliated shareholder inadvertently, if the affiliated shareholder divests itself, as soon as possible, of enough shares to no longer be an affiliated shareholder and would not at any time within the three- year period preceding the announcement of the business combination have been an affiliated shareholder but for the inadvertent acquisition;

 

    a business combination with an affiliated shareholder who became an affiliated shareholder through a transfer of shares by will or intestacy and continuously was an affiliated shareholder until the announcement date of the business combination; and

 

    a business combination of a corporation with its wholly owned Texas subsidiary if the subsidiary is not an affiliate or associate of the affiliated shareholder other than by reason of the affiliated shareholder’s beneficial ownership of voting shares of the corporation.

Neither Independent’s certificate of formation nor Independent’s bylaws contain any provision expressly providing that Independent will not be subject to the Texas Business Combination Law. The Texas Business Combination Law may have the effect of inhibiting a non-negotiated merger or other business combination involving Independent, even if that event would be beneficial to Independent’s shareholders.

 

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Certain Certificate of Formation and Bylaw Provisions Potentially Having an Anti-takeover Effect

Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws contain certain provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and thus discourage potential takeover attempts and make it more difficult for Independent’s shareholders to change management or receive a premium for their shares. These provisions include:

 

    authorization for Independent’s board of directors to issue shares of one or more series of preferred stock without shareholder approval;

 

    the establishment of a classified board of directors, with directors of each class serving a three-year term;

 

    a requirement that directors only be removed from office for cause and only upon a majority shareholder vote;

 

    a provision that vacancies on Independent’s board of directors, including newly created directorships, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office;

 

    a prohibition of shareholder action by written consent, requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the shareholders;

 

    the requirement that shareholders representing two-thirds of the outstanding shares of common stock approve all amendments to Independent’s certificate of formation or bylaws and approve mergers and similar transactions;

 

    the requirement that any shareholders that desire to bring business before Independent’s annual meeting of shareholders or nominate candidates for election as directors at Independent’s annual meeting of shareholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing;

 

    the prohibition of cumulative voting in the election of directors; and

 

    a limitation on the ability of shareholders to call special meetings to those shareholders or groups of shareholders owning at least 20% of Independent’s outstanding shares of common stock.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Independent’s certificate of formation provides that its directors are not liable to Independent or its shareholders for monetary damages for an act or omission in their capacity as a director. A director may, however, be found liable for:

 

    any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to Independent or its shareholders;

 

    acts or omissions not in good faith that constitute a breach of the director’s duty to Independent;

 

    acts or omissions not in good faith that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

    any transaction from which the director receives an improper benefit, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken with the scope of the director’s duties;

 

    acts or omissions for which the liability of the director is expressly provided by an applicable statute; and

 

    acts related to an unlawful stock repurchase or payment of a dividend.

Independent’s certificate of formation also provides that Independent will indemnify its directors and officers, and may indemnify its employees and agents, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Texas law from any expenses, liabilities or other matters.

 

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COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF SHAREHOLDERS OF HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES AND INDEPENDENT

The rights of shareholders of Houston City Bancshares under the certificate of formation and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares will differ in some respects from the rights that shareholders of Houston City Bancshares will have as shareholders of Independent under the certificate of formation and bylaws of Independent. Copies of Independent’s certificate of formation and bylaws have been previously filed by Independent with the SEC. Copies of Houston City Bancshares’ certificate of formation and bylaws are available upon written request from Independent.

Certain differences between the provisions contained in the certificate of formation and bylaws of Independent and the certificate of formation and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares, as such differences may affect the rights of shareholders, are summarized below. The summary set forth below is not intended to be complete and is qualified by reference to Texas law, as appropriate, and the certificate of formation and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares and the certificate of formation and bylaws of Independent.

 

HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

  

INDEPENDENT

Capitalization:

 

  
The certificate of formation of Houston City Bancshares authorizes the issuance of up to 1,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $1.00 per share.   

The certificate of formation of Independent authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01.

 

The board of directors is authorized to provide for the issuance of preferred stock in one or more classes or series and to fix the rights, designations, preferences related thereto. No shares of preferred stock are outstanding.

Corporate Governance:

 

  
The rights of the Houston City Bancshares shareholders are governed by Texas law and the certificate of formation and bylaws of Houston City Bancshares.    The rights of the Independent shareholders are governed by Texas law and the certificate of formation and bylaws of Independent.

Convertibility of Stock:

 

  
The common stock of Houston City Bancshares is not convertible into any other securities of Houston City Bancshares.    The common stock of Independent is not convertible into any other securities of Independent.

Preemptive Rights:

 

  
Preemptive rights are denied pursuant to the certificate of formation.    Preemptive rights are denied pursuant to the certificate of formation.

Election of Directors:

 

  

Under Texas law, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the shareholders entitled to vote in the election of directors at a meeting of the shareholders at which a quorum is present unless otherwise provided in the certificate of formation or bylaws.

 

  

Under Texas law, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the shareholders entitled to vote in the election of directors at a meeting of the shareholders at which a quorum is present unless otherwise provided in the certificate of formation or bylaws.

 

 

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HOUSTON CITY BANCSHARES

  

INDEPENDENT

The bylaws provide that, with the exception of board vacancies, directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the shareholders and shall serve until a successor is qualified and elected, or until the earlier