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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003

OR

For the transition period from                    to                    

Commission file number: 001-13901

ABC BANCORP

(A GEORGIA CORPORATION)

I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER 58-1456434

24 2nd AVENUE, S.E., MOULTRIE, GEORGIA 31768

TELEPHONE NUMBER: (229) 890-1111

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, Par Value $1 Per Share

Check whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Check if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 126-2).    Yes  x    No  ¨

As of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by nonaffiliates of the registrant was approximately $126,396,550 million. As of March 1, 2004, the registrant had outstanding 9,765,180 shares of common stock, $1.00 par value per share.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The information required by Part III of this Annual Report is incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report.

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PART I

ABC Bancorp (“ABC”) was organized as a bank holding company under the Federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended in 1981 (the “BHCA”), and the bank holding company laws of Georgia.

ABC provides, through its commercial bank subsidiaries described below (sometimes hereinafter referred to as “Banks”), banking services to individuals and businesses in Southern Georgia, Southeastern Alabama and Northern Florida. ABC’s executive office is located at 24 2nd Avenue, S.E., Moultrie, Georgia 31768, its telephone number is (229) 890-1111 and its Internet address is http://www.abcbancorp.com. As a registered bank holding company, ABC is subject to the applicable provisions of the Federal Bank Holding Company Act and the Georgia Bank Holding Company Act, as well as to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the State of Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. ABC makes available, free of charge through its Internet website, copies of its annual reports and quarterly reports as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files such materials with the SEC. ABC will make available free of charge paper copies of its current reports on Form 8-K upon request.

Our primary business as a bank holding company is to manage the business and affairs of our Banks. Our Banks provide a broad range of retail and commercial banking services to its customers, including checking, savings, NOW, money market accounts, time deposit accounts of various types and IRAs; loans for business, agriculture, real estate, personal uses, home improvement and automobiles; credit cards through MBNA, N.A.; debit cards; overdraft protection services; Internet banking; letters of credit; brokerage services through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.; fixed rate annuities through PFIC Corporation; safe deposit box rentals; bank official checks; and electronic funds transfer services, including wire transfers, automated teller machines and ACH transactions.

While we have decentralized certain of our management responsibilities, we maintain efficient centralized operating systems. As a result, corporate policy, strategy and certain administrative policies are established by our board of directors, while lending and community-specific marketing decisions are made primarily by each bank to allow it to respond to differing needs and demands of its own market. Data processing functions are centralized in ABC’s data processing division located in Moultrie, Georgia. Within this framework, our Banks focus on providing personalized services and quality products to their customers to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Our objective is to establish ABC as a major financial institution in Southern Georgia, Southeastern Alabama and Northern Florida. Management has pursued this objective through an acquisition-oriented growth strategy and a prudent operating strategy.

As a bank holding company, we perform central data processing functions, purchasing and other common functions and provide certain management services for our Banks. Traditional banking services are conducted by our Banks.

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Our Subsidiaries

Following is a list of our Banks, the market areas served by the Banks and the estimated relative size of the Banks as compared with their major competitors.

All of our Banks offer traditional loan and deposit services discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Only American Banking Company provides trust services directly to its customers and to the customers of the other subsidiary banks. All of the Banks maintain correspondent relationships with other commercial banks and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. As compensation for services provided by the correspondent banks, the Banks maintain certain balances in noninterest-bearing accounts with those banks. The principal correspondent bank for all of our Banks is SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, Georgia.

On August 30, 2001, ABC formed ABC Bancorp Capital Trust I, a Delaware statutory trust and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABC (the “Trust”), for the purpose of (i) issuing and selling its common securities to ABC and its trust preferred securities to the public, and (ii) using the proceeds from the sale of the trust preferred securities to purchase 9.00% Subordinated Debentures (the “Subordinated Debentures”) from ABC. In the quarter ended December 31, 2001, the Trust sold its securities and used the proceeds to purchase the Subordinated Debentures, which are the sole asset of the Trust. ABC pays interest on the Subordinated Debentures to the Trust at the end of each quarter at an annual rate of 9.00%, which is equal to the dividend rate payable by the Trust to the holders of its preferred securities. The cost of the issuance of the Trust’s preferred securities is treated as a deferred asset and will be amortized over a period of five years to September 30, 2006, the earliest redemption date. Following the offer and sale of the Trust’s securities, ABC owned and currently holds all of the outstanding common securities of the Trust, its only voting securities, and as a result the Trust is a subsidiary of the Company. See Notes to ABC’s Consolidated Financial Statements included in this annual report for a further discussion regarding the issuance of Trust’s preferred securities.

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Our Market Areas and Competition

Our market area is located in Southern Georgia, Southeastern Alabama and Northern Florida. The Banks’ main offices and larger branches are located in the southern Georgia cities of Albany, Brunswick, Cairo, Colquitt, Cordele, Donalsonville, Douglas, Jekyll Island, Moultrie, Ocilla, Quitman, St. Simons Island, Thomasville, Tifton and Valdosta, the southern Alabama cities of Abbeville, Clayton, Dothan, Eufaula and Headland and the northern Florida cities of Trenton and Newberry. Our Banks have a total of 36 offices located in either the cities or counties in which the main offices are located or in nearby cities.

We have subsidiary banks in several high-growth market areas that offer favorable growth and profitability potential, including banks in the cities of Valdosta, Tifton, Brunswick, St. Simons and Cordele, which are located along the I-75 corridor of Georgia, a major north-south transportation artery. We also have banks in Albany, Georgia and Dothan, Alabama, both of which are developing commercial and industrial “hubs” where residents of the numerous smaller, surrounding cities find jobs, entertainment, consumer products and services and medical services.

The banking industry in Georgia, Alabama and Florida is highly competitive. In recent years, intense market demands, economic pressures, fluctuating interest rates and increased customer awareness of product and service differences among financial institutions have forced banks to diversify their services and become more cost effective. Each of our Banks faces strong competition in attracting deposits and making loans. Their most direct competition for deposits comes from other commercial banks, thrift institutions, credit unions and issuers of securities such as brokerage firms. Interest rates, convenience of office locations and marketing are all significant factors in our Banks’ competition for deposits.

Competition for loans comes from other commercial banks, thrift institutions, savings banks, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, credit unions and other institutional lenders. Our Banks compete for loan originations through the interest rates and loan fees they charge and the efficiency and quality of services they provide. Competition is affected by the general availability of lendable funds, general and local economic conditions, current interest rate levels and other factors that are not readily predictable.

Management expects that competition will become more intense in the future due to changes in state and federal laws and regulations and the entry of additional bank and nonbank competitors. See “Supervision and Regulation”.

Growth Strategy

We intend to grow within our existing markets, to branch into or acquire financial institutions in existing markets and to branch into or acquire financial institutions in other markets consistent with our capital requirements and management abilities.

We seek opportunities to acquire banks at acceptable prices. Our operating strategy is to provide high quality community banking services to our customers and increase market share through solicitation of new business, repeat business, referrals from customers and selected promotional strategies.

Lending Policy

We have sought to maintain a comprehensive lending policy that meets the credit needs of each of the communities served by our Banks, including low- and moderate-income customers, and to employ lending procedures and policies consistent with this approach. All loans are subject to our written loan policy, which is reviewed annually, updated as needed, and provides that lending officers have sole authority to approve loans of various maximum amounts commensurate with their seniority and experience. Each Bank’s president has sole discretion to approve loans in varying principal amounts up to specified limits established for each president. Each Bank’s Board of Directors reviews and approves loans that exceed management’s lending authority and, in certain instances, other types of loans. New credit extensions are reviewed daily by each Bank’s senior management and at least monthly by its Board of Directors.

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The lending officers at each Bank have authority to make loans only in the county in which the Bank is located and its contiguous counties. Occasionally, the Loan Committee of the Company will approve a loan for purposes outside of the market area of our Banks, provided the Bank has established a relationship with the borrower by making loans for purposes within the Banks’ market area. Our lending policy requires analysis of the borrower’s projected cash flow and ability to service the debt. For agricultural loans, the lending officer visits the borrower regularly during the growing season and re-evaluates the loan in light of the borrower’s updated cash flow projections. Each subsidiary bank is assigned an approval limit by the holding company, which serves as the maximum limit of new extensions of credit each Bank can approve. That approval limit is reviewed annually by the Holding Company and adjusted as needed. All extensions of credit in excess of the Banks’ internal approval limits are reviewed by ABC’s Senior Credit Officer. Further approval by the Holding Company Loan Committee may also be needed. Under our ongoing loan review program, all loans are subject to sampling and objective review by an assigned loan reviewer who is independent of the originating loan officer.

We actively market our services to qualified lending customers in both the commercial and consumer sectors. Our commercial lending officers actively solicit the business of new companies entering the market as well as longstanding members of that market’s business community. Through personalized professional service and competitive pricing, we have been successful in attracting new commercial lending customers. At the same time, we actively advertise our consumer loan products and continually seek to make our lending officers more accessible.

Each Bank continually monitors its loan portfolio to identify areas of concern and to enable management to take corrective action when necessary. Each Bank’s lending officers and Board of Directors meet periodically to review all past due loans, the status of large loans and certain other matters. Individual lending officers are responsible for reviewing collection of past due amounts and monitoring any changes in the financial status of the borrowers.

Lending Activities

General. We provide a broad range of commercial and retail lending services to corporations, partnerships and individuals, including agricultural, commercial business loans, commercial and residential real estate construction and mortgage loans, loan participations, consumer loans, revolving lines of credit and letters of credit. The loan department of each Bank makes loans to consumers and originates and services residential mortgages. We maintain a diversified loan portfolio and make no foreign or energy-related loans.

Real Estate Loans. Our real estate loans are for a term of years, although rarely more than ten, over which period the principal thereof is amortized, and are generally secured by residential real estate, farmland or commercial real estate. Real estate related loans represent a significant portion of the loan portfolio.

Agricultural Loans. Our agricultural loans are made to finance crop production expenses and to finance the purchase of farm-related equipment or farmland. Agricultural loans typically involve seasonal fluctuations in amounts. Although we typically look to an agricultural borrower’s cash flow as the principal source of repayment, agricultural loans are also generally secured by a security interest in the crops or the farm-related equipment and, in some cases, an assignment of crop insurance or a mortgage on real estate. In addition, a portion of our agricultural loans are guaranteed by the FmHA Guaranteed Loan Program.

Commercial and Industrial Loans. General commercial and industrial loans consist of loans made primarily to manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of goods, service companies and other industries. Management believes that a significant portion of these loans are, to varying degrees, agricultural-related. Our Banks have also generated loans which are guaranteed by the U. S. Small Business Administration. Management believes that making such loans helps the local community and also provides ABC with a source of income and solid future lending relationships as such businesses grow and prosper. The primary repayment risk for commercial loans is the failure of the business due to economic or financial factors. Although we typically look to a commercial borrower’s cash flow as the principal source of repayment for such loans, some commercial loans are secured by inventory, equipment, accounts receivable and other assets.

Consumer Lending. Our consumer loans include motor vehicle, home improvement, home equity, student and signature loans and small personal credit lines. Many of our Banks also offer credit cards to their customers via a marketing agreement with MBNA.

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Compliance with Community Reinvestment Act. Each of our Banks has a Community Reinvestment Act Officer who develops and oversees that Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act program and makes quarterly reports to that Bank’s Board of Directors. Our Banks regularly sponsor or participate in community programs designed to ascertain and meet the credit needs of each of the communities they serve, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. Some of these activities include participating in community meetings to explain the availability of Small Business Administration, Farmers’ Home Loan Administration and Regional Development Center loans, and sponsoring educational seminars for area farmers. In addition, each of our Georgia Banks participate in the Georgia Residential Finance Authority program which makes low interest rate loans to rehabilitate low income rental housing.

Deposits

Checking, savings, NOW, money market accounts and other time accounts are the primary sources of our Banks’ funds for loans and investments. Our Banks obtain most of their deposits from individuals and from businesses in their respective market areas.

Our Banks have not had to attract new or retain old deposits by paying depositors rates of interest on certificates of deposit, money market and other interest-bearing accounts significantly above rates paid by other banks in our respective market areas. In the future, increasing competition among banks in our market areas may cause our Banks’ interest margins to shrink. Our Banks have never accepted deposits for which a broker’s commission was paid.

Investment Activities

Our investment policy is designed to maximize income from funds not needed to meet loan demand in a manner consistent with appropriate liquidity and risk objectives. Under this policy, our Banks may invest in federal, state and municipal obligations, corporate obligations, public housing authority bonds, industrial development revenue bonds and Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) securities and satisfactorily rated trust preferred obligations. Our Banks’ investments must satisfy certain investment quality criteria. Our Banks’ investments must be rated at least “BAA” by either Moody’s or Standard and Poor’s. Securities rated below “A” are periodically reviewed for creditworthiness. Our Banks may purchase non-rated municipal bonds only if the issuer of such bonds is located in the Bank’s general market area and such bonds are determined by the purchasing Bank to have a credit risk no greater than the minimum ratings referred to above. Industrial development authority bonds, which normally are not rated, are purchased only if the issuer is located in the purchasing Bank’s market area and if the bonds are considered to possess a high degree of credit soundness. Our Banks typically have not purchased a significant amount of GNMA securities, which normally have higher yields than our Banks’ other investments.

While our investment policy permits our Banks to trade securities to improve the quality of yields or marketability or to realign the composition of the portfolio, our Banks historically have not done so to any significant extent.

Our investment committee implements the investment policy and portfolio strategies, monitors the portfolio and reports to each Bank’s Board and ALCO committees. Reports on all purchases, sales, net profits or losses and market appreciation or depreciation of the bond portfolio are reviewed by our Boards of Directors each month. Once a year, the written investment policy is reviewed by our Board of Directors.

The Banks’ securities are kept in safekeeping accounts at correspondent banks.

Asset/Liability Management

Our objective is to manage our assets and liabilities to provide a satisfactory, consistent level of profitability within the framework of established cash, loan, investment, borrowing and capital policies. The overall philosophy of our management is to support asset growth primarily through growth of core deposits, which include deposits of all categories made by individuals, partnerships, corporations and other entities. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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Properties

The table below sets forth the location, size and other information with respect to our real properties. Except for the leased 120 Third Avenue, S.E., Moultrie, Georgia, Jekyll Island property and 1817 South Oates Street in Dothan, Alabama, all properties are owned by ABC or our Banks and are unencumbered.

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Employees

At December 31, 2003, our Company and our Banks employed approximately 500 employees. We consider our relationship with our employees to be satisfactory.

We have adopted one retirement plan for our employees, the ABC Bancorp 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. This plan provides deferral of compensation by our employees and contributions by ABC. ABC and our Banks made contributions for all eligible employees in 2003. We also maintain a comprehensive employee benefits program providing, among other benefits, hospitalization and major medical insurance and life insurance. Management considers these benefits to be competitive with those offered by other financial institutions in our market areas. Our employees are not represented by any collective bargaining group.

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

General

As a bank holding company, we are subject to the regulation, supervision and reporting requirements of the Federal Reserve Board, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, the Alabama State Banking Department and the Florida Department of Banking and Finance. Our Banks are state and federally chartered banks. The FDIC to the full extent permitted by law insures each of our Banks. As a result, our Banks are subject to the supervision, examination and reporting requirements of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, the Alabama State Banking Department, the Florida Department of Banking and Finance, the FDIC and the OCC.

The Bank Holding Company Act requires every bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before:

The Bank Holding Company Act further provides that the Federal Reserve may not approve any transaction that would result in a monopoly or that would substantially lessen competition in the banking business, unless the public interest in meeting the needs of the communities to be served outweighs the anti-competitive effects. The Federal Reserve is also required to consider the financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding companies and banks involved and the convenience and needs of the communities to be served. Consideration of financial resources generally focuses on capital adequacy, and consideration of convenience and needs issues focuses, in part, on the performance under The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, both of which are discussed in more detail.

The Bank Holding Company Act generally prohibits a bank holding company from engaging in activities other than:

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The activities in which holding companies and their affiliates are permitted to engage were substantially expanded by The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which was signed on November 12, 1999. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act repeals the anti-affiliation provisions of The Glass-Steagall Act to permit the common ownership of commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act also amends The Bank Holding Company Act to permit a financial holding company to, among other things, engage in any activity that the Federal Reserve determines to be (i) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity or (ii) complementary to a financial activity and not a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally. The Federal Reserve must consult with the Secretary of the Treasury in determining whether an activity is financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity. Holding companies may continue to own companies conducting activities which had been approved by federal order or regulation on the day before The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was enacted. Effective August 24, 2000, pursuant to a previously-filed election with the Federal Reserve, ABC became a financial holding company.

In determining whether a particular activity is permissible, the Federal Reserve considers whether performing the activity can be expected to produce benefits to the public that outweigh possible adverse effects, such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest or unsound banking practices. The Federal Reserve has the power to order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or control of any subsidiary when the continuation of the activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any bank subsidiary of that bank holding company.

Our Banks are also subject to numerous state and federal statutes and regulations that affect their business, activities and operations, and each is supervised and examined by one or more state or federal bank regulatory agencies. The FDIC, the OCC, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, the Alabama State Banking Department and the Florida Department of Banking and Finance regularly examine the operations of our Banks and are given the authority to approve or disapprove mergers, consolidations, the establishment of branches and similar corporate actions. These agencies also have the power to prevent the continuance or development of unsafe or unsound banking practices or other violations of law.

Payment of Dividends and Other Restrictions

ABC is a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiaries. There are various legal and regulatory limitations under federal and state law on the extent to which our subsidiaries can pay dividends or otherwise supply funds to ABC.

The principal source of ABC’s cash revenues is dividends from its subsidiaries, and there are certain limitations under federal and state laws on the payment of dividends by our subsidiaries. The prior approval of applicable regulatory authorities, as the case may be, is required if the total dividends declared by any subsidiary Bank in any calendar year exceeds the Bank’s net profits (as defined) for that year combined with its retained net profits for the preceding two calendar years, less any required transfers to surplus or a fund for the retirement of any preferred stock or 50% of the Bank’s net profits for the previous year in the case of Georgia banks. The relevant federal and state regulatory agencies also have authority to prohibit a state member bank or bank holding company, which would include ABC and its Banks, from engaging in what, in the opinion of such regulatory body, constitutes an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting its business. The payment of dividends could, depending upon the financial condition of the subsidiary, be deemed to constitute an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting its business.

Under Georgia law (which would apply to any payment of dividends by the Georgia Banks to ABC), the prior approval of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance is required before any cash dividends may be paid by a state bank if: (i) total classified assets at the most recent examination of such bank exceed 80% of the equity capital (as defined, which includes the reserve for loan losses) of such bank; (ii) the aggregate amount of dividends declared or anticipated to be declared in the calendar year exceeds 50% of the net profits (as defined) for the previous calendar year; or (iii) the ratio of equity capital to adjusted total assets is less than 6%.

Retained earnings of our Banks available for payment of cash dividends under all applicable regulations without obtaining governmental approval were approximately $7.7 million as of December 31, 2003.

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In addition, our Banks are subject to limitations under Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act with respect to extensions of credit to, investments in, and certain other transactions with, ABC. Furthermore, loans and extensions of credit are also subject to various collateral requirements.

The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the Federal Reserve’s view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the holding company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earning retention that is consistent with the holding company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The Federal Reserve also indicated that it would be inappropriate for a holding company experiencing serious financial problems to borrow funds to pay dividends. Furthermore, under the prompt corrective action regulations adopted by the Federal Reserve, the Federal Reserve may prohibit a bank holding company from paying any dividends if one or more of the holding company’s bank subsidiaries are classified as undercapitalized.

Bank holding companies are required to give the Federal Reserve prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of its outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of their consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve order, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve. This notification requirement does not apply to any company that meets the well-capitalized standard for commercial banks, has a safety and soundness examination rating of at least a “2” and is not subject to any unresolved supervisory issues. As of December 31, 2003, ABC meets these requirements.

Capital Adequacy

ABC must comply with the Federal Reserve’s established capital adequacy standards, and our Banks are required to comply with the capital adequacy standards established by the FDIC and the OCC. The Federal Reserve has promulgated two basic measures of capital adequacy for bank holding companies: a risk-based measure and a leverage measure. A bank holding company must satisfy all applicable capital standards to be considered in compliance.

The risk-based capital standards are designed to:

Assets and off-balance-sheet items are assigned to broad risk categories, each with appropriate weights. The resulting capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of total risk-weighted assets and off-balance-sheet items.

The minimum guideline for the ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets is 8%. At least half of total capital must be comprised of Tier 1 Capital, which is common stock, undivided profits, minority interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries and noncumulative perpetual preferred stock, less goodwill and certain other intangible assets. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 Capital, which is subordinated debt, other preferred stock and a limited amount of loan loss reserves. During 2001, we increased our consolidated ratios by issuing trust preferred securities in the amount of $34,500,000. At December 31, 2003, $30,191,000 (25% of total Tier 1 Capital) was included in Tier 1 Capital and the balance included in Tier 2 Capital. At December 31, 2003, ABC’s total risk-based capital ratio and its Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio were 15.60% and 13.85%, respectively.

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In addition, the Federal Reserve has established minimum leverage ratio guidelines for bank holding companies. These guidelines provide for a minimum ratio of Tier 1 Capital to average assets, less goodwill and certain other intangible assets, of 3% for bank holding companies that meet specified criteria. All other bank holding companies generally are required to maintain a minimum leverage ratio of 4%. ABC’s ratio at December 31, 2003 was 10.77%. The guidelines also provide that bank holding companies experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions will be expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels without significant reliance on intangible assets. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has indicated that it will consider a “tangible Tier 1 Capital leverage ratio” and other indicia of capital strength in evaluating proposals for expansion or new activities. The Federal Reserve has not advised ABC of any specific minimum leverage ratio or tangible Tier 1 Capital leverage ratio applicable to it.

Our Banks are subject to risk-based and leverage capital requirements adopted by the FDIC and the OCC that are substantially similar to those adopted by the Federal Reserve for bank holding companies. All of our Banks were in compliance with applicable minimum capital requirements as of December 31, 2003.

Neither ABC nor any of our Banks has been advised by any federal banking agency of any specific minimum capital ratio requirement applicable to it.

In January 2001, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued a second consultative paper entitled “Proposal for a New Basel Capital Accord”. This proposal, which will apply to all banks and holding companies that are parents of banking groups, is expected to be finalized by the middle of 2004. Implementation of this new framework, to the extent it is adopted and promulgated by the Federal Reserve, is expected to begin at the end of 2006. The Company is monitoring the status and progress of this proposal.

Failure to meet capital guidelines could subject a bank to a variety of enforcement remedies, including issuance of a capital directive, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, a prohibition on taking brokered deposits, and certain other restrictions on its business. As described below, the FDIC can impose substantial additional restrictions upon FDIC-insured depository institutions that fail to meet applicable capital requirements.

Prompt Corrective Action

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (or “FDI Act”), among other things, requires the federal regulatory agencies to take “prompt corrective action” if a depository institution does not meet minimum capital requirements. The FDI Act establishes five capital tiers: “well capitalized”, “adequately capitalized”, “undercapitalized”, “significantly undercapitalized” and “critically undercapitalized”. A depository institution’s capital tier will depend upon how its capital levels compare to various relevant capital measures and certain other factors, as established by regulation.

The federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted regulations establishing relevant capital measurers and relevant capital levels applicable to FDIC-insured banks. The relevant capital measures are the Total Capital ratio, Tier 1 Capital ratio and the leverage ratio. Under the regulations, a FDIC-insured bank will be:

An institution may be downgraded to, or deemed to be in, a capital category that is lower than is indicated by its capital ratios if it is determined to be in an unsafe or unsound condition or if it receives an unsatisfactory examination rating with respect to certain matters. As of December 31, 2003, all of our Banks had capital levels that qualify as “well capitalized” under such regulations.

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The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act allows bank holding companies that are “well managed” and “well capitalized” and whose depositor subsidiaries have “satisfactory” or better Community Reinvestment Act ratings to become financial holding companies that may engage in a substantially broader range of nonbanking activities than are currently permissible, including insurance underwriting and securities activities. As previously stated, ABC became a financial holding company effective August 24, 2000.

The FDI Act generally prohibits an FDIC-insured bank from making a capital distribution (including payment of a dividend) or paying any management fee to its holding company if the bank would thereafter be “undercapitalized”. “Undercapitalized” banks are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit a capital restoration plan. The federal regulators may not accept a capital plan without determining, among other things, that the plan is based on realistic assumptions and is likely to succeed in restoring the bank’s capital. In addition, for a capital restoration plan to be acceptable, the bank’s parent holding company must guarantee that the institution will comply with such capital restoration plan. The aggregate liability of the parent holding company is limited to the lesser of: (i) an amount equal to 5% of the bank’s total assets at the time it became “undercapitalized”; and (ii) the amount which is necessary (or would have been necessary) to bring the institution into compliance with all capital standards applicable with respect to such institution as of the time it fails to comply with the plan. If a bank fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is “significantly undercapitalized”.

“Significantly undercapitalized” insured banks may be subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell sufficient voting stock to become “adequately capitalized”, requirements to reduce total assets and the cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks. “Critically undercapitalized” institutions are subject to the appointment of a receiver or conservator. A bank that is not “well capitalized” is also subject to certain limitations relating to so-called “brokered” deposits.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act requires federal bank regulatory agencies to encourage financial institutions to meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income borrowers in their local communities. An institution’s size and business strategy determines the type of examination that it will receive. Large, retail-oriented institutions are examined using a performance-based lending, investment and service test. Small institutions are examined using a streamlined approach. All institutions may opt to be evaluated under a strategic plan formulated with community input and pre-approved by the bank regulatory agency.

The Community Reinvestment Act regulations provide for certain disclosure obligations. Each institution must post a notice advising the public of its right to comment to the institution and its regulator on the institution’s Community Reinvestment Act performance and to review the institution’s Community Reinvestment Act public file. Each lending institution must maintain for public inspection a file that includes a listing of branch locations and services, a summary of lending activity, a map of its communities and any written comments from the public on its performance in meeting community credit needs. The Community Reinvestment Act requires public disclosure of a financial institution’s written Community Reinvestment Act evaluations. This promotes enforcement of Community Reinvestment Act requirements by providing the public with the status of a particular institution’s community reinvestment record.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act made various changes to The Community Reinvestment Act. Among other changes, Community Reinvestment Act agreements with private parties must be disclosed and annual Community Reinvestment Act reports must be made available to a bank’s primary federal regulator. A bank holding company will not be permitted to become a financial holding company and no new activities authorized under The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act may be commenced by a holding company or by a bank financial subsidiary if any of its bank subsidiaries received less than a “satisfactory” Community Reinvestment Act rating in its latest Community Reinvestment Act examination.

Privacy

Financial institutions are required to disclose their policies for collecting and protecting confidential information. Customers generally may prevent financial institutions from sharing personal financial information with nonaffiliated third parties except for third parties which market the institutions’ own products and services. Additionally, financial institutions generally may not disclose consumer account numbers to any nonaffiliated third party for use in telemarketing, direct mail marketing or other marketing through electronic mail to consumers.

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The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act also includes provisions to protect consumer privacy by prohibiting banks from disclosing non-public, personal, financial information to unaffiliated parties without the consent of the customer, and by requiring annual disclosure of the Banks’ privacy policies. Each Bank’s primary regulator is responsible for promulgating rules to implement these provisions.

Legislative and Regulatory Changes

On October 26, 2001, President Bush signed into law the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”). Among its other provisions, the USA PATRIOT Act requires each financial institution: (i) to establish an anti-money laundering program; (ii) to establish due diligence policies, procedures and controls with respect to its private banking accounts involving foreign individuals and certain foreign banks; and (iii) to avoid establishing, maintaining, administering, or managing correspondent accounts in the United States for, or on behalf of, foreign banks that do not have a physical presence in any country. The USA PATRIOT Act also requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe, by regulations to be issued jointly with the federal banking regulators and certain other agencies, minimum standards that financial institutions must follow to verify the identity of customers, both foreign and domestic, when a customer opens an account. In addition, the USA PATRIOT Act contains a provision encouraging cooperation among financial institutions, regulatory authorities and law enforcement authorities with respect to individuals, entities and organizations engaged in, or reasonably suspected of engaging in, terrorist acts or money laundering activities. Most specific changes are to take effect October 1, 2003. At this time, the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act will not have a material impact on the business of ABC and our banks.

On July 30, 2002, the President signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes Act”), which mandated a variety of reforms intended to address corporate and accounting fraud. The Sarbanes Act provides for the establishment of a new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) which will enforce auditing, quality control and independence standards for firms that audit Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting companies and the PCAOB will be funded by fees from all SEC reporting companies. The Sarbanes Act imposes higher standards for auditor independence and restricts provision of consulting services by auditing firms to companies they audit and in addition, certain audit partners must be rotated periodically. The Sarbanes Act requires chief executive officers and chief financial officers, or their equivalents, to certify to the accuracy of periodic reports filed with the SEC, subject to civil and criminal penalties if they knowingly or willfully violate this certification requirement. In addition, under the Sarbanes Act, counsel will be required to report specific violations. Directors and executive officers must report most changes in their ownership of a company’s securities and executives will have restrictions on trading, and loans. The Sarbanes Act also increases the oversight and authority of audit committees of publicly traded companies. Although ABC anticipates it will incur additional expense in complying with the provisions of the Sarbanes Act and the related rules, management does not expect that such compliance will have a material impact on ABC’s financial condition or results of operation. Certain provisions of the Sarbanes Act were effective immediately upon passage or at various times in fiscal 2003. Other provisions of the Sarbanes Act will be effective through fiscal 2004 and after.

Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Banking is a business which depends on interest rate differentials. In general, the difference between the interest paid by a bank on its deposits and its other borrowings, and the interest received by a bank on its loans and securities holdings, constitutes the major portion of a bank’s earnings. Thus, our earnings and growth will be subject to the influence of economic conditions generally, both domestic and foreign, and also to the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States and its agencies, particularly the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve regulates the supply of money through various means, including open market dealings in United States government securities, the discount rate at which banks may borrow from the Federal Reserve and the reserve requirements on deposits. The nature and timing of any changes in such policies and their effect on ABC cannot be predicted.

Current and future legislation and the policies established by federal and state regulatory authorities will affect our future operations. Banking legislation and regulations may limit our growth and the return to our investors by restricting certain of our activities.

In addition, capital requirements could be changed and have the effect of restricting our activities or requiring additional capital to be maintained. We cannot predict what changes, if any, will be made to existing federal and state legislation and regulations or the effect that such changes may have on our business.

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Federal Home Loan Bank System

All of our Banks have correspondent relationships with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB Atlanta”), which is one of 12 regional Federal Home Loan Banks (or “FHLBs”) that administer the home financing credit function of savings companies. Each FHLB serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region. FHLBs are funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System and make loans to members (i.e., advances) in accordance with policies and procedures, established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB which are subject to the oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Board. All advances from the FHLB are required to be fully secured by sufficient collateral as determined by the FHLB. In addition, all long-term advances are required to provide funds for residential home financing.

FHLB Atlanta provides certain services to certain of our Banks such as processing checks and other items, buying and selling Federal funds, handling money transfers and exchanges, shipping coin and currency, providing security and safekeeping of funds or other valuable items, and furnishing limited management information and advice. As compensation for these services, our Banks maintain certain balances with FHLB Atlanta in interest-bearing accounts.

Under federal law, the FHLBs are required to provide funds for the resolution of troubled savings companies and to contribute to low- and moderately-priced housing programs through direct loans or interest subsidies on advances targeted for community investment and low- and moderate-income housing projects.

Title 6 of the GLB Act, entitled the Federal Home Loan Bank System Modernization Act of 1999 (called the “FHLB Modernization Act”), has amended the Federal Home Loan Bank Act by allowing for voluntary membership and modernizing the capital structure and governance of the FHLBs. The new capital structure established under the FHLB Modernization Act sets forth new leverage and risk-based capital requirements based on permanence of capital. It also requires some minimum investment in the stock of the FHLBs of all member entities. Capital will include retained earnings and two forms of stock: Class A stock redeemable within six months written notice and Class B stock redeemable within five years written notice. The FHLB Modernization Act provides a transition period to the new capital regime, which will not be effective until the FHLBs enact implementing regulations. The FHLB Modernization Act also reduces the period of time in which a member exiting the FHLB system must stay out of the system.

Real Estate Lending Evaluations

The federal regulators have adopted uniform standards for evaluations of loans secured by real estate or made to finance improvements to real estate. Banks are required to establish and maintain written internal real estate lending policies consistent with safe and sound banking practices and appropriate to the size of the institution and the nature and scope of its operations. The regulations establish loan to value ratio limitations on real estate loans. Our Bank’s loan policies establish limits on loan to value ratios that are equal to or less than those established in such regulations.

Changing Regulatory Structure

The laws and regulations affecting banks and bank holding companies are in a state of change. The rules and the regulatory agencies in this area have changed significantly over recent years, and there is reason to expect that similar changes will continue in the future. It is not possible to predict the outcome of these changes.

One of the major additional burdens imposed on the banking industry is the increased authority of federal agencies to regulate the activities of federal and state banks and their holding companies. The Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC have extensive authority to police unsafe or unsound practices and violations of applicable laws and regulations by depository institutions and their holding companies. These agencies can assess civil money penalties. Other laws such as the Sarbanes Act have expanded the agencies’ authority in recent years, and the agencies have not yet fully tested the limits of their powers. In addition, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, the Alabama State Banking Department and the Florida Department of Banking and Finance possess broad enforcement powers to address violations of their banking laws by banks chartered in their respective states.

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Economic Environment

The policies of regulatory authorities, including the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve, have a significant effect on the operating results of bank holding companies and their subsidiaries. Among the means available to the Federal Reserve to affect the money supply are open market operations in U.S. government securities, changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings, and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These means are used in varying combinations to influence overall growth and distribution of bank loans, investments and deposits and their use may affect interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits.

The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have materially affected the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The nature of future monetary policies and the effect of these policies on the business and earnings of ABC and our Banks cannot be predicted.

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Our principal properties consist of the properties of our Banks. For a description of our properties, see “Item 1 - Business - Properties” included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Neither ABC nor any of our Banks is a party to, nor is any of their property the subject of, any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine proceedings incidental to the business of our Banks, nor to the knowledge of the management of ABC are any such proceedings contemplated or threatened against it or our Banks.

No matters were submitted to a vote of our shareholders during the fourth quarter of 2003.

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the executive officers of ABC.

Officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

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PART II

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The following table presents selected consolidated financial information for ABC. The data set forth below are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of ABC. The selected financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by, the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere herein.

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA (Continued)

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

ABC’s 2003 Annual Report contains forward-looking statements in addition to historical information. ABC cautions that there are various important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such indicated results will be realized.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, ABC is required to note the variety of factors that could cause ABC’s actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in ABC’s forward-looking statements. These factors include legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding deregulation and restructuring of the banking industry; the extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in ABC’s markets; potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or internal restructuring, that may be pursued by ABC, state and federal banking regulations; changes in or application of environmental and other laws and regulations to which ABC is subject; political, legal and economic conditions and developments; financial market conditions and the results of financing efforts; changes in commodity prices and interest rates; weather, natural disasters and other catastrophic events; and other factors discussed in ABC’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “project”, and similar expressions signify such forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of ABC. Any such statement speaks only as of the date the statement was made. ABC undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Additional information with respect to factors that may cause results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements is included in the ABC’s current and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

ABC has established certain accounting and financial reporting policies to govern the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America in the preparation of our financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by management which have a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities; management considers these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The judgments and assumptions used by management are based on historical experience and other factors which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Because of the nature of the judgments and assumptions made by management, actual results could differ from the judgments and estimates adopted by management which could have a material impact on the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the results of ABC’s operations. We believe the following accounting policies applied by ABC represent critical accounting policies.

Allowance for Loan Losses

We believe the allowance for loan losses is a critical accounting policy that requires the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. The allowance for loan losses represents management’s estimate of probable loan losses inherent in the loan portfolio. Calculation of the allowance for loan losses represents a critical accounting estimate due to the significant judgment, assumptions and estimates related to the amount and timing of estimated losses, consideration of current and historical trends and the amount and timing of cash flows related to impaired loans.

Management believes that the allowance for loan losses is adequate. While management uses available information to recognize losses on loans, future additions to the allowance for loan losses may be necessary based on changes in economic conditions. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the subsidiary banks’ allowances for loan losses. Such agencies may require the subsidiary banks to recognize additions to the allowance for loan losses based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination.

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Considering current information and events regarding a borrower’s ability to repay its obligations, management considers a loan to be impaired when the ultimate collectibility of all amounts due, according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement, is in doubt. When a loan is considered to be impaired, the amount of impairment is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate. If the loan is collateral-dependent, the fair value of the collateral is used to determine the amount of impairment. Impairment losses are included in the allowance for loan losses through a charge to the provision for losses on loans.

Subsequent recoveries are credited to the allowance for loan losses. Cash receipts for accruing loans are applied to principal and interest under the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Cash receipts on impaired loans for which the accrual of interest has been discontinued are applied first to principal and then to interest income.

The accounting for impaired loans described above applies to all loans, except for large pools of smaller-balance, homogeneous loans that are collectively evaluated for impairment, loans that are measured at fair value or at the lower of cost or fair value, and debt securities. The allowance for loan losses for large pools of smaller-balance, homogeneous loans is established through consideration of such factors as changes in the nature and volume of the portfolio, overall portfolio quality, adequacy of the underlying collateral, loan concentrations, historical charge-off trends, and economic conditions that may affect the borrowers’ ability to pay.

Certain economic and interest rate factors could have a material impact on the determination of the allowance for loan losses. The national economy showed signs of rebounding during the fourth quarter of 2003. If the economy’s momentum continues, certain factors could evolve which would positively impact our net interest margin. An increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve Bank would favorably impact our net interest margin. An improving economy could result in the expansion of businesses and creation of jobs which would positively affect ABC’s loan growth and improve our gross revenue stream. Conversely, certain factors could result from an expanding economy which could increase our credit costs and adversely impact our net earnings. A significant rapid rise in interest rates could create higher borrowing costs and shrinking corporate profits which could have a material impact on borrowers’ ability to pay. We will continue to concentrate on maintaining a high quality loan portfolio through strict administration of our loan policy.

Another factor that we have considered in the determination of the allowance for loan losses is loan concentrations to individual borrowers or industries. At December 31, 2003, we had 12 individual credit relationships that exceeded $5.0 million with none exceeding $12.0 million.

A substantial portion of our loan portfolio is in the commercial real estate and residential real estate sectors. Those loans are secured by real estate in ABC’s primary market area. A substantial of portion of other real estate owned is located in those same markets. Therefore, the ultimate collectibility of a substantial portion of our loan portfolio and the recovery of a substantial portion of the carrying amount of other real estate owned are susceptible to changes to market conditions in ABC’s primary market area.

We are closely monitoring certain portions of our loan portfolio that we believe have a higher credit risk profile under the current environment based solely upon their industry classification which includes agricultural and agribusiness loans. Based on current information, we have not identified any problem credits included in these categories, which are not already classified as nonperforming or impaired loans. However, if the economic recovery takes longer than expected, the allowance for loan losses could be impacted by adverse developments in these credits.

Income Taxes

SFAS No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” requires the asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for deferred income taxes. We use the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes and provide deferred income taxes for all significant income tax temporary differences. See Note 11 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details.

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as depreciation and the provision for loan losses, for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities that are included in our consolidated balance sheet.

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We must also assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance or adjust this allowance in a period, we must include an expense within the tax provisions in the statement of income.

We have recorded on our consolidated balance sheet net deferred tax assets of $4,363,000 which includes amounts relating to loss carryforwards. We believe there will be sufficient taxable income in the future allowing us to utilize these loss carryforwards in the tax jurisdictions where they exist.

Long-Lived Assets, Including Intangibles

We evaluate long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, specifically identifiable intangibles and goodwill, when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets might not be recoverable. Factors that could trigger an impairment include significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets and significant negative industry or economic trends.

The determination of whether an impairment has occurred is based on an estimate of undiscounted cash flows attributable to the assets as compared to the carrying value of the assets. If an impairment has occurred, the amount of the impairment loss recognized would be determined by estimating the fair value of the assets and recording a loss if the fair value was less than the book value.

In determining the existence of impairment factors, our assessment is based on market conditions, operational performance and legal factors of our Company and its subsidiary banks. Our review of factors present and the resulting appropriate carrying value of our goodwill, intangibles, and other long-lived assets are subject to judgments and estimates that management is required to make. Future events could cause us to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that our goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets might be impaired.

Performance Overview

We reported net income of $12.010 million, or $1.22 per diluted common share in 2003, compared to $10.355 million, or $1.05 per diluted common share in 2002 and $9.633 million, or $1.04 per diluted common share in 2001. The return on average assets was 1.04% in 2003 compared to .90% in 2002 and 1.00% in 2001. The return on average common shareholders’ equity was 10.85% in 2003 compared to 9.81% in 2002 and 10.30% in 2001. As a result of a new accounting rule issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), no amount of goodwill was expensed in 2003 or 2002, except for the impairment charge of $9,000 in 2003. During 2001, we expensed $668,000 or $.07 per diluted common share associated with goodwill.

During 2003, we focused on three priorities: preserving asset quality, minimizing shrinkage of our net interest margin and controlling noninterest expenses. As a result of our focus on asset quality, nonperforming assets decreased 13% during the year, our charge-off ratio was 22 basis points lower than the previous year, and the ratio of our allowance for loan losses to nonperforming assets increased 26 basis points during the year. Due to the improvement of asset quality, we reduced our provision for loan losses $1.7 million to $3.9 million in 2003 compared to $5.6 million in 2002.

Due to the record low interest rate environment during 2003, our net interest margin decreased $.8 million or 1.85% to $42.4 million in 2003 compared to $43.2 million in 2002. To lessen the adverse impact on net interest margins, we avoided paying excessive interest rates on non-core deposits and relied on lower cost alternative funding. Although this strategy lessened the adverse impact on interest margins, it resulted in a shrinkage of $4.1 million or .5% in average deposits during 2003 compared to 2002.

As a result of our focus on controlling noninterest expenses, we reduced noninterest expenses $2.7 million or 7.04% to $35.1 million in 2003 compared to $37.8 million in 2002.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

General

Our principal asset is the ownership of our Banks. Accordingly, our results of operations are primarily dependent upon the results of operations of our Banks. Our Banks conduct a commercial banking business which consists of attracting deposits from the general public and applying those funds to the origination of commercial, consumer and real estate loans (including commercial loans collateralized by real estate). The Banks’ profitability depends primarily on net interest income, which is the difference between interest income generated from interest-earning assets (i.e., loans and investments) less the interest expense incurred on interest-bearing liabilities (i.e., customer deposits and borrowed funds). Net interest income is affected by the relative amounts of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, and the interest rate paid and earned on these balances. Net interest income is dependent upon the Banks’ interest rate spread, which is the difference between the average yield earned on its interest-earning assets and the average rate paid on its interest-bearing liabilities. When interest-earning assets approximate or exceed interest-bearing liabilities, any positive interest rate spread will generate interest income. The interest rate spread is impacted by interest rates, deposit flows and loan demand. Additionally, and to a lesser extent, the profitability of the Banks is affected by such factors as the level of noninterest income and expenses, the provision for loan losses and the effective tax rate. Noninterest income consists primarily of service charges on deposit accounts and other fees and income from the sale of investment securities and origination of mortgage loans. Noninterest expenses consist of compensation and benefits, occupancy-related expenses and other operating expenses.

Earnings Summary

We reported earnings of $12.0 million for 2003 representing an increase of $1.6 million or 15% compared to earnings of $10.4 million for 2002. Diluted earnings per common share were $1.22 in 2003 compared to $1.05 per common share in 2002 and $1.04 per common share in 2001.

As a result of accounting changes required by FASB, we discontinued the amortization of goodwill in 2002. As required by FASB, we will periodically test goodwill to determine whether the carrying value of our goodwill is impaired. We continue to amortize core deposit premiums and other identifiable intangibles as a noncash charge that increases our operating expenses. Intangible asset amortization included as an operating expense amounted to $1.0 million, $1.8 million and $1.2 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

Net interest income, on a taxable-equivalent basis, decreased 1.85% in 2003 to $42.5 million from $43.3 million in 2002. Net interest income increased 12.47% in 2002 to $43.3 million from $38.5 million in 2001. The significant increase in net interest income in 2002 is attributable to bank acquisitions consummated in 2001 and accounted for as purchase transactions. The net interest margin decreased 11 basis points to 3.98% in 2003 from 4.09% in 2002. The net interest margin decreased 24 basis points to 4.09% in 2002 from 4.33% in 2001. Over the past three years, the net interest margin has been impacted by changes in balance sheet mix and fair market value purchase accounting adjustments related to recent purchase acquisitions which have affected the yields earned and rates paid on the underlying assets and liabilities. These factors, coupled with the decrease in general interest rates as a result of action undertaken by the Federal Reserve, have resulted in net interest margin compression over the past three years.

Our provision for loan losses totaled $3.9 million in 2003, $5.6 million in 2002 and $4.6 in 2001. The allowance for loan losses represented 1.78% of total loans outstanding at both December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002. The allowance for loan losses represented 1.85% of total loans outstanding at December 31, 2001. The allowance for loan losses is discussed in more detail under “Summary of Loan Loss Experience.”

Noninterest income decreased 6.41% to $14.6 million in 2003 compared to $15.6 million in 2002. Noninterest income increased 33.3% in 2002 from $11.7 million in 2001. The decrease in noninterest income in 2003 is attributable to securities transactions. In 2002, we recorded gains on sales of securities in the amount of $1.6 million; whereas in 2003, we recorded losses on sales of securities in the amount of $5,000. We recorded an increase of $.2 million in mortgage origination fees in 2003 from the amount recorded in 2002. We also recorded in 2003 approximately $.6 million representing gains on the sale of bank property and the reversal of contingent liabilities recorded in connection with the sale of our credit card portfolio in 2002. The increase in noninterest income in 2002 compared to 2001 represented increases in service charges on deposit accounts and mortgage origination fees.

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Noninterest expense decreased $2.7 million to $35.1 million in 2003 from $37.8 million in 2002. Salaries and employee benefits increased $1.4 million; equipment and occupancy expense decreased $.3 million; and all other expenses decreased a net of $3.8 million. These reductions resulted from our focus on controlling expenses. Noninterest expense increased $7.0 million in 2002 compared to 2001. The majority of the increase resulted from the purchase acquisitions consummated in 2001.

Net Interest Income

A portion of interest income is earned on tax-exempt investments such as state and municipal bonds. In an effort to state this tax-exempt income and its resultant yields on a basis comparable to all other taxable investments, an adjustment is made to analyze this income on a taxable-equivalent basis assuming a 34% federal income tax rate.

Net interest income totaled $42.4 million in 2003 representing a decrease of $.8 million compared to net interest income of $43.2 million in 2002. Net interest income increased 13.68% in 2002 over 2001. The decrease in net interest income in 2003 was attributable to a decrease in general interest rates as a result of action undertaken by the Federal Reserve. In 2003, the net interest spread declined 6 basis points resulting in a net interest margin decline of 11 basis points. In 2002, the net interest spread increased 2 basis points, but the net interest margin declined 24 basis points. Net interest income in 2003 reflected a decrease in the average yield on earning assets of 70 basis points, while the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities declined only 64 basis points. In 2002, net interest income reflected a decrease in the average yield on earning assets of 150 points, while the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities declined 152 basis points. Over the past three years, the net interest margin has been impacted by changes in earning assets mix and the decrease in general interest rates precipitated by actions of the Federal Reserve.

The yield on loans decreased 62 basis points in 2003, 141 basis points in 2002 and 89 basis points in 2001 as a significant portion of our loan portfolio repriced as interest rates fell through 2003, 2002 and 2001. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased 64 basis points in 2003, 152 basis points in 2002 and 34 basis points in 2001 as deposits repriced when interest rates declined. Average borrowings increased $4.3 million in 2003 and $35.4 million in 2002 as an alternative funding source when loan growth exceeded deposit growth. The average rate paid on borrowings in 2003 decreased 13 basis points to 3.93%. The effects of changes in rates and average volumes are set forth in the table titled “Rate/Volume Analysis.”

Average earning assets increased $9.2 million, or .87%, to $1,067.4 million in 2003 compared to $1,058.2 in 2002. In 2002, average earning assets increased $169.2 million, or 19.03%, from $889.0 million in 2001. Average loans increased $14.0 million, or 1.69%, to $841.9 million in 2003 compared to $827.9 in 2002. Average loans increased $129.6 million, or 18.56%, in 2002 compared to average loans of $698.3 million in 2001. Loan growth has remained strong in our market. The growth in average loans in 2002 also reflected the impact of acquisitions consummated in 2001 and accounted for as purchase transactions. The average balance of our securities portfolio increased $14.3 million, or 8.44% during 2003 and $10.0 million, or 6.30% during 2002. Average investment securities represented 15.83% of total average assets in 2003 and 14.68% of total average assets in 2002. All of our investment securities are classified as available for sale. Average earning assets as a percentage of total average assets was 92.28% in 2003 compared to 92.00% in 2002 and 92.60% in 2001.

Average interest-bearing liabilities decreased $8.3 million, or .90%, in 2003 compared to an increase of $159.2 million, or 20.91% in 2002 and an increase of $134.9 million, or 21.53% in 2001. Average interest-bearing deposits decreased $13.0 million, or 1.62%, in 2003 compared to an increase of $94.4 million, or 13.83%, in 2002 and an increase of $117.3 million, or 20.74% in 2001. The decrease in average interest-bearing deposits in 2003 resulted from management’s decision to avoid paying the relatively high interest rates on non-core deposits. The increase in average interest-bearing deposits in 2002 was attributable to the purchase acquisitions consummated in 2001. Approximately 14% of total average deposits were noninterest-bearing in 2003 compared to 13% for both 2002 and 2001.

Average short-term borrowings do not represent a material source of funds and the average amounts outstanding during the last three years have remained fairly constant. Other borrowings represent primarily advances by the Federal Home Loan Bank. Average other borrowings increased $3.1 million, or 2.99%, to $106.8 million in 2003 compared to $103.7 in 2002. Average other borrowings increased $34.5 million, or 49.86%, in 2002 compared to average borrowings of $69.2 million in 2001. The increase in average other borrowings in 2002 was attributable to greater utilization of Federal Home Loan advances to fund loan growth. In late 2001, we issued trust preferred securities in the amount of $34.5 million which have been included in interest-bearing liabilities and have remained unchanged since issue.

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Noninterest Income

Noninterest income totaled $14.6 million in 2003 compared to $15.6 million in 2002 and $11.7 million in 2001. The decrease of $1.0 million in 2003 resulted from a decrease of $1.6 million in gains on sale of investments securities offset by an increase of $.4 million in service charges on deposit accounts, mortgage origination fees, and other service charges and fees. Other net noninterest income increased $.2 million in 2003 attributable primarily to nonrecurring transactions related to sale of branch real estate and the reversal of contingent liabilities recorded in connection with the sale of our credit card portfolio in 2002.

Noninterest income increased $3.9 million in 2002 compared to 2001. Service charges on deposit accounts increased $2.8 million, or 36.64%, to $10.6 million in 2002 compared to $7.7 million in 2001 on an increase in average deposits of $112.9 million, or 14.46% to $893.8 million in 2002 from $780.9 million in 2001. The increase in service charges on deposit accounts and the increase in average deposits was directly related to the purchase acquisitions consummated in 2001. Origination fees on mortgage loans increased $.5 million or 52.34% to $1.4 million from $.9 million in 2001. The significant increase in mortgage fee income resulted from the volume of mortgage refinancing generated by the decrease in mortgage rates and the inclusion of results of operations for the entire year in 2002 for banks acquired in 2001, whose results of operations were included only since the date of acquisition in accordance with purchase accounting. In 2002, we realized $1. 6 million in gain on sale of securities as compared to $1.2 million in gain on sale of securities in 2001. All other noninterest income increased $214,000 or 20.74 % in 2002 from 2001 and $237,000 or 29.81% in 2001 from 2000. Such increases were primarily attributable to the 2001 bank acquisitions.

Following is a comparison of noninterest income for 2003, 2002 and 2001.

Noninterest Expense

In compliance with the requirements of FASB Statement No. 91, “Accounting for Nonrefundable Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or Acquiring Loans and Initial Direct Costs of Leases”, we allocated $3.4 million of salaries to loan costs in 2003, $3.1 million in 2002 and $3.2 million in 2001. After adjusting salaries and benefits for amounts allocated to loan costs, total salaries and benefits increased $1.7 million, or 7.98%, to $23.0 million in 2003 compared to $21.3 million in 2002. The total full-time equivalent employees remained at approximately 500 employees for both 2003 and 2002. Salaries and employee benefits increased $3.0 million, or 16.39% to $21.3 in 2002 from $18.3 million in 2001. Approximately $2.0 million, or 66.66% of the increase, resulted from the inclusion of salaries and employee benefits for the entire year in expense for 2002 whereas salaries and benefits were included in expense in 2001 from the dates banks were acquired in accordance with purchase accounting. Salaries increased $1.9 million; bonuses increased $.6 million; retirement expense increased $.2 million; and all other employee benefits, including stock options and other grants, insurance and payroll taxes, increased $.3 million.

Equipment and occupancy expense decreased $.3 million to $4.7 million in 2003 compared to $5.0 million in 2002. Equipment and occupancy expense increased $.2 million to $5.0 million in 2002 from $4.8 million in 2001. The 2002 bank acquisitions had the effect of increasing equipment and occupancy expense $.5 million in 2002. This increase was offset by a reduction in leased equipment expense of $.2 million in 2002 and other reductions totaling $.1 million attributable to decreased depreciation .

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The decrease of $.8 million in amortization of intangible assets in 2003 compared to 2002 resulted from a reduction in amortization of core deposit premiums paid on prior acquisitions. Amortization of intangible assets charged to expense increased $.6 million in 2002 compared to 2001. As of January 1, 2002, we were required to adopt the provisions of SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” The adoption of this statement had the effect of reducing amortization expense by approximately $.6 million for amortization of goodwill charged to expense in 2001. Amortization expense for 2002 also included approximately $1.2 million additional amortization related to the 2001 bank acquisitions. The additional expense related to acquisitions, net of the nonamortization provisions of the newly adopted accounting statement resulted in a net increase in amortization expense in 2002 of $.6 million.

Data processing fees remained constant in 2003 compared to 2002. Data processing fees increased $.3 million to $1.5 million in 2002 from $1.2 million in 2001. The significant increase in fees was attributable to increased volume of transactions processed resulting from bank acquisitions and the inclusion of the acquired banks’ results of operations for the entire year in 2002 as opposed to inclusion of operations of the acquired banks from the dates of acquisition in 2001. Bank transactions and all accounting data are now processed online on equipment at the Banks, parent company offices or central operations.

All other noninterest expense decreased $3.1 million to $8.2 million in 2003 from $11.3 million in 2002. The decrease was attributed to management’s focus on controlling operating expenses in 2003. Significant reductions include decreases in conversion fees of $.7 million, accounting and auditing fees of $.3 million, OREO losses and other losses of $.2 million and postage, stationary and supplies of $.3 million. All other expense increased $2.8 million to $11.5 million in 2002 from $8.7 million in 2001. Approximately $.9 million, or 33.62% of the increase, was attributable to the 2001 acquisitions. Included in the 2002 expense was $.6 million resulting from other real estate losses and sale or abandonment of fixed assets. In 2002, we incurred $.7 million more in conversion charges compared to 2001, $.4 million in additional bank analysis charges and $.3 million in additional postage and stationery supplies. All other expense increased $1.1 million in 2002 over 2001.

Following is a comparison of noninterest expense for 2003, 2002 and 2001.

Income Taxes

Income taxes totaled $6.0 million in 2003, $5.1 million in 2002 and $4.7 million in 2001. The effective tax rate was 33% for each of the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity management involves the matching of the cash flow requirements of customers, who may be either depositors desiring to withdraw funds or borrowers needing assurance that sufficient funds will be available to meet their credit needs, and the ability of ABC and our Banks to meet those needs. We seek to meet liquidity requirements primarily through management of short-term investments (principally interest-bearing deposits in banks) and monthly amortizing loans. Another source of liquidity is the repayment of maturing single payment loans. In addition, our Banks maintain relationships with correspondent banks which could provide funds to them on short notice, if needed.

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The liquidity and capital resources of ABC and our Banks are monitored on a periodic basis by state and federal regulatory authorities. At December 31, 2003, the Banks’ short-term investments were adequate to cover any reasonable anticipated immediate need for funds. During 2003, we increased our capital by retaining net earnings of $6,935,000 after payment of dividends. After recording a decrease in capital of $1,114,000 for unrealized losses on securities available for sale, net of taxes, an increase of $469,000 for restricted stock transactions, an increase of $9,000 for the exercise of stock options, a decrease of $170,000 for the repurchase of treasury shares, total capital increased $6,129,000 during 2003. At December 31, 2003, total capital of ABC amounted to $113,613,000. We are aware of no events or trends likely to result in a material change in our liquidity.

The following table summarizes short-term borrowings for the periods indicated:

The following table sets forth certain information about contractual cash obligations as of December 31, 2003.

Our operating leases represent short-term obligations, normally with maturities of one year or less. Many of the operating leases have thirty-day cancellation provisions. The total contractual obligations for operating leases do not require a material amount of our cash funds.

At December 31, 2003, we had $1,478,000 in binding commitments for capital expenditures.

In accordance with risk capital guidelines issued by the Federal Reserve Board, we are required to maintain a minimum standard of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 8%. Additionally, all member banks must maintain “core” or “Tier 1” capital of at least 4% of total assets (“leverage ratio”). Member banks operating at or near the 4% capital level are expected to have well-diversified risks, including no undue interest rate risk exposure, excellent control systems, good earnings, high asset quality, and well managed on- and off-balance sheet activities; and, in general, be considered strong banking organizations with a composite 1 rating under the CAMEL rating system of banks. For all but the most highly rated banks meeting the above conditions, the minimum leverage ratio is to be 4% plus an additional 100 to 200 basis points.

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The following table summarizes the regulatory capital levels of our Company at December 31, 2003.

Each Bank also met its individual regulatory capital requirements at December 31, 2003.

Commitments and Lines of Credit

In the ordinary course of business, our Banks have granted commitments to extend credit to approved customers. Generally, these commitments to extend credit have been granted on a temporary basis for seasonal or inventory requirements and have been approved by the Banks’ Board of Directors. Our Banks have also granted commitments to approved customers for standby letters of credit. These commitments are recorded in the financial statements when funds are disbursed or the financial instruments become payable. The Banks use the same credit policies for these off balance sheet commitments as they do for financial instruments that are recorded in the consolidated financial statements. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitment amounts expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.

Following is a summary of the commitments outstanding at December 31, 2003 and 2002.

Impact of Inflation

The consolidated financial statements and related consolidated financial data presented herein have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices within the banking industry which require the measurement of financial position and operating results in terms of historical dollars without considering the changes in the relative purchasing power of money over time due to inflation. Unlike most industrial companies, virtually all the assets and liabilities of a financial institution are monetary in nature. As a result, interest rates have a more significant impact on a financial institution’s performance than the effects of general levels of inflation.

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SELECTED STATISTICAL INFORMATION OF ABC BANCORP

The following statistical information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” and the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report and in the documents incorporated herein by reference.

Average Balances and Net Income Analysis

The following tables set forth the amount of the our interest income or interest expense for each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and the average interest rate for total interest-earning assets and total interest-bearing liabilities, net interest spread and net yield on average interest-earning assets. Federally tax-exempt income is presented on a taxable-equivalent basis assuming a 34% federal tax rate.

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