Amerant Bancorp Inc. Appoints Carlos Iafigliola as President and CEO

CORAL GABLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2026--

Amerant Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: AMTB) (the “Company” or “Amerant”) today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed Carlos Iafigliola as President and Chief Executive Officer (“President and CEO”), effective May 18, 2026. Mr. Iafigliola has also been appointed President and CEO of Amerant Bank N.A., the Company’s main operating subsidiary (the “Bank”). Mr. Iafigliola has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since November 2025.

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Odilon Almeida, Chair of the Board, commented, “Following a comprehensive search process, the Board determined that Carlos is the right executive to lead Amerant into its next phase of value creation. With more than 20 years at the Company, including serving as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer since Amerant became a public company, Carlos has consistently demonstrated deep knowledge of our business, disciplined execution, and unwavering commitment to our customers, team members, and shareholders. He has also provided strong and effective leadership as Interim Chief Executive Officer. The Board has full confidence in Carlos and his ability to advance our strategic priorities, further strengthen our franchise, and drive sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.”

Carlos Iafigliola said, “I am honored by the Board’s confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue leading Amerant. Together with the Board, senior management, and the entire Amerant team, we remain focused on executing our strategic plan and building a stronger, more efficient company that delivers profitable growth. Guided by our disciplined, phased roadmap to stabilize, optimize, and grow the Company, I believe we are well positioned to deliver exceptional service to our customers and solid long-term financial performance.”

Mr. Iafigliola brings nearly three decades of experience in the financial services industry. Since November 2025, he has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of both the Company and the Bank. He previously served as SEVP, and Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) of Amerant, where he led the Bank’s core conversion, the sale of the Company’s Houston franchise, and broader operational streamlining initiatives. He has also played a key role in advancing the Company’s digital transformation and operational modernization efforts. In that role, he oversaw critical areas including loan and deposit operations, treasury management, technology and digital services, project management, and branch expansion. Prior to serving as COO, Mr. Iafigliola served as EVP, Chief Financial Officer from 2020 to 2023. Earlier in his career at Amerant, he held positions of increasing responsibility, including Treasury Manager and Asset & Liability Manager.

About Amerant Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: AMTB)

Amerant Bancorp Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida since 1979. The Company operates through its main subsidiary, Amerant Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”), as well as its other subsidiary, Amerant Investments, Inc. The Company provides individuals and businesses with deposit, credit and wealth management services. The Bank, which has operated for more than 45 years, is headquartered in Florida and operates 23 banking centers — 21 in South Florida and 2 in Tampa. For more information, visit investor.amerantbank.com

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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” including statements with respect to the Company’s objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Examples of forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: our future operating or financial performance, statements regarding expectations, plans or objectives for future operations, products or services, as well as our expectations regarding executing on our strategy and improving our cost structure and operational efficiency. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “should,” “indicate,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “point to,” “project,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “goals,” “outlooks,” “modeled,” “dedicated,” “create,” and other similar words and expressions of the future.

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Carlos Iafigliola, President and Chief Executive Officer, Amerant Bancorp Inc.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Federal officials on Thursday gave final approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant the key easement means the pipeline will keep operating but with added conditions for detecting leaks and monitoring groundwater, among others. The announcement brings an end to a drawn-out legal and regulatory saga stemming from the protests in 2016 and 2017, though further litigation over the pipeline is likely.

The $3.8 billion, multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since June 2017 from North Dakota’s Bakken oil field to a terminal in Illinois. The line carries about 4% of U.S. daily oil production, or roughly 540,000 barrels per day,

The Corps is “decisively putting years of delays to rest and moving out to safely execute this crossing beneath Lake Oahe," Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said in a statement.

The pipeline crosses the river upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which straddles the Dakotas. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline, fearing a spill and contamination of its water supply. In 2016 and 2017, thousands of people camped and protested for months near the river crossing.

The protests resulted in hundreds of arrests and related criminal cases and lawsuits, some of them still ongoing, including litigation that threatens the future of the environmental group Greenpeace.

In December, the Corps released its final environmental impact statement nearly six years after a federal judge ordered a more rigorous review of the pipeline's crossing. In that document, the Corps endorsed the option to grant the easement for the crossing and keep the pipeline operating with modifications.

Those measures include enhanced leak detection and monitoring systems, expanded groundwater and surface water monitoring and third-party expert evaluation of the leak and detection systems, among others, the Corps said. The conditions also include water supply contingency planning and other studies coordinated with affected tribes.

The Corps had weighed several options, including removing or abandoning the pipeline's river crossing or even rerouting it north. The agency said its decision “best balances public safety, protection of environmental resources, and leak detection and response considerations while meeting the project’s purpose and need.”

Pipeline developer Energy Transfer hailed the decision, saying the pipeline has been safely operating for nearly 10 years and is critical to the country’s energy infrastructure.

“We want to thank the Corps for the tremendous amount of time and effort put in by so many to bring this matter to a thoughtful close,” said Vicki Granado, a company spokesperson.

The Associated Press sent text messages and emails to media representatives for the tribe and left a voicemail at the tribe's headquarters. They didn't immediately respond Thursday.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Interior Secretary and former North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer each welcomed the decision to ensure the pipeline continues operating.

The Corps' announcement came as officials and oil industry leaders were gathered for a trade conference in Bismarck.

Energy Transfer and Enbridge are in early stages of a project to move about 250,000 daily barrels of light Canadian crude oil through the Dakota Access Pipeline by using another pipeline and building a 56-mile connecting line, spokespersons for the companies said. Enbridge will decide sometime in mid-2026 whether to move ahead.

FILE - A sign for the Dakota Access Pipeline is seen north of Cannonball, N.D. and the Standing Rock Reservation on May 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)