Affinity Bancshares, Inc. (AFBI)

Affinity Bancshares, Inc. was the holding company for Affinity Bank, a community bank headquartered in Covington, Georgia. The bank traces its roots to 1928, when it was founded as a savings institution that became known as Newton Federal Bank. It served individuals, families and businesses in the Atlanta metropolitan area and surrounding Georgia communities.

The bank offered deposit products such as checking, savings, certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts. On the lending side it made commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, one- to four-family residential mortgages, construction and land loans and consumer loans. It also kept a portfolio of investment securities that included U.S. Treasury and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal and corporate bonds.

The holding company had its start in the mutual-to-stock conversion process. Community First Bancshares, Inc. completed its initial public offering in 2017, and its shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In 2021 the company completed a second-step conversion and was renamed Affinity Bancshares, Inc., with the bank adopting the Affinity Bank name. Its common stock traded on Nasdaq under the symbol AFBI.

The company emphasized relationship-based banking and, over time, built its commercial lending and expanded its presence beyond its original thrift business. It operated as a relatively small public institution, which meant that compliance and listing costs weighed more heavily than for larger banks. Consolidation among community banks in the Southeast made smaller institutions common acquisition targets.

In 2026, Affinity agreed to be acquired by Fidelity Bank, the banking subsidiary of Fidelity BancShares (N.C.), Inc., based in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. The transaction was reported at about 142.8 million dollars. Under the agreement, Affinity stockholders were to receive $23.00 per share in cash, with no adjustment to the price based on Affinity's adjusted stockholders' equity.

Fidelity Bank announced completion of the acquisition on July 31, 2026. The release described the combined organization as having about 5.5 billion dollars in total assets, 4.6 billion dollars in deposits and 3.6 billion dollars in loans, with branches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. Fidelity, which was founded in 1909, is closely held and its stock is not publicly traded.

As a result of the merger, Affinity's common stock stopped trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market and was delisted, with a Form 25 filed with the SEC on August 7, 2026. Affinity Bank's operations were taken under the Fidelity Bank organization, and Affinity no longer files public reports as a separate company.