AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (the "Agreement") is made and entered into as of May 15, 1997, by and between XXXXX BANKCORP, INC. ("TARGET"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Georgia, with its principal office located in Ocilla, Georgia, and ABC BANCORP ("PURCHASER"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Georgia, with its principal office located in Moultrie, Georgia. PREAMBLE -------- Certain terms used in this Agreement are defined in Section 10.1 hereof. The Boards of Directors of TARGET and PURCHASER are of the opinion that the transactions described herein are in the best interests of TARGET and PURCHASER and their respective shareholders. This Agreement provides for the combination of TARGET with PURCHASER pursuant to the merger of TARGET with and into PURCHASER, as a result of which the outstanding shares of the capital stock of TARGET shall be converted into the right to receive shares of common stock of PURCHASER (except as provided herein), and the shareholders of TARGET shall become shareholders of PURCHASER (except as provided herein). The transactions described in this Agreement are subject to the approvals of the shareholders of TARGET, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance and the satisfaction of certain other conditions described in this Agreement. It is the intention of the parties to this Agreement that the Merger for federal income tax purposes shall qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Simultaneous with the Closing of the Merger, The Bank of Ocilla, a wholly- owned Georgia state bank subsidiary of TARGET, will be merged with and into The Citizens Bank of Tifton ("Citizens Bank"), a wholly-owned Georgia state bank subsidiary of PURCHASER, and will thereafter be operated as a branch of Citizens Bank.
