UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20429

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 6, 2021

CARTER BANKSHARES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1300 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, Virginia 24112

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(276) 656-1776

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ¨

On January 6, 2021, Carter Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CARE) (the “Company”) announced that the Company will be closing 24 branches of Carter Bank & Trust, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary (the “Bank”), throughout its footprint, through the closure or sale of those branches (referred to herein as the “branch closures”). The branch closures are expected to occur on or about April 16, 2021, as part of a strategic network optimization plan that is being implemented to support the long-term, sustainable growth of the Company.

These market adjustments are aligned with the Company’s strategic goals to enhance franchise value, improve operating efficiency in the communities it will continue to serve, and increase working capital for growth in emerging markets. This decision was based on the results of a long-term study of market trends, financial analysis, CRA assessment, and branch activity.

The Bank’s customers who will be affected by the branch closures will receive a letter of notice about the impending branch closures and a resource guide to help them navigate the expected changes in service. The Company has appointed a dedicated team to facilitate a smooth transition for its customers and teammates.

Important Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this Current Report on Form 8-K constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, outlook for earnings, revenues, expenses, capital and liquidity levels and ratios, asset levels, asset quality, financial position, and other matters regarding or affecting the Company and its future business and operations, and specifically including information related to the anticipated branch closures. Forward looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “will likely result,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “intend,” “ believe,” “assume,” “strategy,” “trend,” “plan,” “outlook,” “outcome,” “continue,” “remain,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “comfortable,” “current,” “position,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve” and variations of such words and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as will, would, should, could or may. Although we believe the assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of these assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions could be incorrect. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and trends to differ materially from those made, projected, or implied in or by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could affect our business and financial results, see the “Risk Factors” outlined in our periodic and current report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs and assumptions using information available at the time the statements are made. We caution you not to unduly rely on forward-looking statements because the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and projections about future events may, and often do, differ materially from actual results. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as to the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect developments occurring after the statement is made.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.