On January 20, 2016, United Community Banks, Inc. (the “Registrant”) issued a news release announcing its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (the “News Release”). The News Release, including financial schedules, is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. In connection with issuing the News Release, on January 20, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. ET, the Registrant intends to hold a conference call/webcast to discuss the News Release. In addition to the News Release, during the conference call the Registrant intends to discuss certain financial information contained in the Fourth Quarter 2015 Investor Presentation (the “Investor Presentation”), which will be posted to the Registrant’s website at www.ucbi.com. The Investor Presentation is attached as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

The presentation of the Registrant’s financial results includes operating and core earnings measures, which are measures of performance determined by methods other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. Management included non-GAAP operating and core earnings measures because it believes they are useful for evaluating the Registrant’s operations and performance over periods of time, and uses operating and core earnings measures in managing and evaluating the Registrant’s business and intends to refer to them in discussions about the Registrant’s operations and performance. Operating earnings measures exclude merger-related charges and an impairment charge associated with properties purchased for future branch expansion. Core earnings measures also exclude credit related costs such as the provision for loan losses and foreclosed property expense, securities gains and losses, income taxes and other items of a non-recurring nature. Operating and core earnings measures are useful in evaluating the underlying earnings performance trends of the Registrant. Management believes these non-GAAP performance measures may provide users of the Registrant’s financial information with a meaningful measure for assessing the Registrant’s financial results and comparing those financial results to prior periods.

Operating and core earnings measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative to or substitute for, the Registrant’s performance measures determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.