Automatic Shelf Registration Statement of Securities of Well-known Seasoned Issuers (s-3asr)

CADE Cadence Bank

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



TITLE OF EACH CLASS OF SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED	AMOUNT TO BE REGISTERED ⁽¹⁾	PROPOSED MAXIMUM OFFERING PRICE PER UNIT ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾	PROPOSED MAXIMUM AGGREGATE OFFERING PRICE ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾	AMOUNT OF REGISTRATION FEE ⁽³⁾
Common Stock ⁽⁴⁾
Preferred Stock ⁽⁵⁾
Debt Securities ⁽⁶⁾
Depositary Shares ⁽⁷⁾
Purchase Contracts ⁽⁸⁾
Warrants ⁽⁹⁾
Rights ⁽¹⁰⁾
Units ⁽¹¹⁾

(1)	The registered securities may be offered for U.S. dollars or the equivalent thereof in foreign currencies, currency units or composite currencies. The registered securities may be sold separately, together or as units with other registered securities.

(2)	Certain information as to each class of securities to be registered is not specified, in accordance with General Instruction II.E. to Form S-3 under the Securities Act.

(3)

In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant is deferring the payment of the entire registration fee. Pursuant to Rule 457(o), the table does not specify, by each class, information as to the amount to be registered, proposed maximum offering price per unit or proposed maximum aggregate offering price. Unless otherwise indicated in an amendment to this filing, no separate consideration will be received for common stock, preferred stock or debt securities that are issued upon conversion or exchange of debt securities, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants, stock purchase contracts or rights registered hereunder.

(4)	We are registering an indeterminate number of shares of common stock. We are also registering an indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be issuable upon conversion of the debt securities or the preferred stock or upon exercise of warrants or rights registered hereby.

(5)

We are registering an indeterminate number of shares of preferred stock as may be sold from time to time by us. We are also registering an indeterminate number of shares of preferred stock as shall be issuable upon exercise of warrants or rights registered hereby. In addition, we are also registering such indeterminate number of shares of preferred stock, for which no consideration will be received by us, as may be issued upon conversion or exchange of debt securities of the Company.

(6)

We are registering an indeterminate principal amount of debt securities (which may be senior or subordinated). If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price may be increased to the extent not to exceed the proposed maximum aggregate offering price less the dollar amount of any securities previously issued. Also, in addition to any debt securities that may be issued directly under this registration statement, we are registering an indeterminate amount of debt securities as may be issued upon the conversion or exchange of other debt securities, preferred stock or depositary shares, for which no consideration will be received by us, or upon exercise of warrants or rights registered hereby.

(7)	We are registering an indeterminate number of depositary shares to be evidenced by depositary receipts, representing a fractional interest of a share of preferred stock.

(8)	We are registering an indeterminate number of purchase contracts, which may require the holder thereof to purchase or sell our debt securities, common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares.

(9)	We are registering an indeterminate number of warrants representing rights to purchase debt securities, shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares registered hereby.

(10)	We are registering an indeterminate number of rights representing rights to purchase shares of common stock or other securities registered hereby.

(11)	We are registering an indeterminable number of units, which will be comprised of two or more of the securities registered hereby in any combination.

We may offer and sell from time to time, in one or more series, shares of our common stock or preferred stock, our debt securities, which may consist of notes, debentures, or other evidences of indebtedness, depositary shares, purchase contracts, warrants, rights and units comprised of two or more of these securities in any combination. The debt securities and preferred stock may be convertible into or exchangeable for other securities of ours. In addition, Cadence Bancorp, LLC, the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus, may offer and sell shares of our Class A common stock from time to time, at prices and on terms that will be set forth in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our Class A common stock to be offered by the selling stockholder.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that we or the selling stockholder may offer. Each time we and/or the selling stockholder offer any securities pursuant to this prospectus, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the offering and the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities being offered, and, if the selling stockholder is offering and selling securities, the selling stockholder. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. To understand the terms of the securities offered, before deciding to invest you should carefully read this prospectus with the applicable supplements, which together provide the specific terms of the securities we are offering.

The securities may be sold directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. See “Plan of Distribution” on page 30 of this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such agents or underwriters and any applicable discounts or commissions will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale also will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We are an “emerging growth company” under the federal securities laws and, as such, are eligible for reduced public company reporting and other requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See the section entitled “ Risk Factors ” contained on page 10 of this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement, and in the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus before deciding to invest in any of these securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The securities referred to in this prospectus will not be savings accounts, deposits or other obligations of any of our bank or non-bank subsidiaries and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.

The date of this prospectus is May 21, 2018


	Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS		1
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA		2
IMPLICATIONS OF BEING AN EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY		2
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION		3
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		5
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		7
RISK FACTORS		10
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES		10
USE OF PROCEEDS		11
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCK		12
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES		16
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES		19
DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS		22
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS		23
DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS		25
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS		27
DESCRIPTION OF GLOBAL SECURITIES		28
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION		30
LEGAL MATTERS		34
EXPERTS		34

This prospectus is part of a shelf registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) using an automatic “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we or the selling stockholder may from time to time offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings, denominated in U.S. dollars or the equivalent in foreign currencies, currency units or composite currencies.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities covered by it. Each time we and/or the selling stockholder offer these securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of the offer and include a discussion of any risk factors or other special considerations that apply to the securities. In addition, if the selling stockholder sells securities under this prospectus, the prospectus supplement will contain specific information about the selling stockholder. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any pricing supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus to “we,” “our,” “us,” “ourselves,” “the Company,” “the company,” and “our company” refer to Cadence Bancorporation, a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries after giving effect to the reorganization transactions that were completed in July 2015, pursuant to which Cadence Financial Corporation, a Mississippi corporation, was merged with and into Cadence Bancorporation, a Delaware corporation previously formed by Cadence Financial Corporation, with Cadence Bancorporation surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cadence Bancorp, LLC. For all periods prior to the completion of such reorganization transactions, these terms refer to Cadence Financial Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries. All references to the “selling stockholder” refer to Cadence Bancorp, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. All references in this prospectus to “Cadence Bank” or “the Bank” refer to Cadence Bank, National Association (N.A.), our wholly owned bank subsidiary. Unless otherwise indicated, references to our “common stock” include our Class A common stock and our Class B non-voting common stock.

We include cross-references in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement to captions in these materials where you can find further related discussions. The table of contents and the table of contents included in the accompanying prospectus supplement provide the pages on which these captions are located.

Unless indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we have not taken any action that would permit us to publicly sell these securities in any jurisdiction outside the United States. If you are an investor outside the United States, you should inform yourself about and comply with any restrictions as to the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus.

1

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, and any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, may include industry, market and competitive position data and forecasts that are based on industry publications and studies conducted by independent third parties. The industry publications and third-party studies generally state that the information that they contain has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Although we believe that the market position, market opportunity and market size information included in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, is generally reliable, we have not verified the data, which is inherently imprecise. The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, related to industry, market and competitive data position may be materially different than actual results.

IMPLICATIONS OF BEING AN EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY

As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenues during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). An emerging growth company may take advantage of reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise generally applicable to public companies. As an emerging growth company:

•

we may present less than five years of selected historical financial data;

•

we are exempt from the requirement to obtain an attestation and report from our auditors on management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;

•

we are permitted to have an extended transition period for adopting any new or revised accounting standards that may be issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or the SEC;

•

we are permitted to provide less extensive disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements; and

•

we are not required to give our stockholders nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements.

We have elected to take advantage of the scaled disclosures and other relief described above in this prospectus, and we may take advantage of these exemptions until December 31, 2022 or such earlier time that we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” In general, we would cease to be an “emerging growth company” if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenues, at the end of a fiscal year in which we have more than $700 million in market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates on June 30 of such year after we have been public for a year, or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three year period. For so long as we may choose to take advantage of some or all of these reduced burdens, the level of information that we provide stockholders may be different than you might get from other public companies in which you hold stock.

2

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our website at www.cadencebancorporation.com. Information contained in or linked to our website is not a part of this prospectus. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facilities at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can also obtain copies of the documents upon the payment of a duplicating fee to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

The SEC also maintains an Internet world wide web site that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers like us who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is: http://www.sec.gov.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we file separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, except for any information that is superseded by information that is included directly in this document or in a more recent incorporated document.

This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC (excluding any portion of these documents that has been furnished to and deemed not to be filed with the SEC).


Report(s)		Period(s) of Report(s) or Date(s) Filed
• Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 19, 2018, including portions incorporated by reference therein to our Definitive Proxy Statement and our Revised Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, in each case filed with the SEC on March 30, 2018		For the year ended December 31, 2017

• Quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on May 15, 2018		For the quarter ended March 31, 2018

• Current Reports on Form 8-K		Filed on February 8, 2018, February 13, 2018, May 14, 2018, May 18, 2018 and May 21, 2018

This prospectus also incorporates by reference all future documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), after the date of this prospectus until the completion of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus or until we terminate this offering. These documents include periodic reports, such as annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K (other than current reports furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K), as well as proxy statements.

The information incorporated by reference contains information about us and our business, financial condition and results of operations and is an important part of this prospectus.

You can obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this document through us, or from the SEC through the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Documents incorporated by reference are available from us

3

In addition, we maintain an Internet website, www.cadencebancorporation.com. We make available, through our website, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. This reference to our website is for the convenience of investors as required by the SEC and shall not be deemed to incorporate any information on the website into this registration statement.

Neither we nor the selling stockholder have authorized anyone to give any information or make any representation about us that is different from, or in addition to, those contained in this prospectus or in any of the materials that we have incorporated into this prospectus. If anyone does give you information of this sort, you should not rely on it. If you are in a jurisdiction where offers to sell, or solicitations of offers to purchase, the securities offered by this document are unlawful, or if you are a person to whom it is unlawful to direct these types of activities, then the offer presented in this document does not extend to you. The information contained in this document speaks only as of the date of this document unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies.

4

This prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplements and the other documents we incorporate by reference in this prospectus, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

There are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following:

•

business and economic conditions generally and in the financial services industry, nationally and within our current and future geographic market areas;

•

economic, market, operational, liquidity, credit and interest rate risks associated with our business;

•

lack of seasoning in our loan portfolio;

•

deteriorating asset quality and higher loan charge-offs;

•

the laws and regulations applicable to our business;

•

our ability to achieve organic loan and deposit growth and the composition of such growth;

•

increased competition in the financial services industry, nationally, regionally or locally;

•

our ability to maintain our historical earnings trends;

•

our ability to raise additional capital to implement our business plan;

•

material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting;

•

the composition of our management team and our ability to attract and retain key personnel;

•

the fiscal position of the U.S. federal government and the soundness of other financial institutions;

•

our ability to monitor our lending relationships;

•

the composition of our loan portfolio, including the identity of our borrowers and the concentration of loans in energy-related industries and in our specialized industries;

•

the portion of our loan portfolio that is comprised of participations and shared national credits;

•

the amount of nonperforming and classified assets we hold;

•

time and effort necessary to resolve nonperforming assets;

•

our ability to identify potential candidates for, consummate, and achieve synergies resulting from, potential future acquisitions;

•

environmental liability associated with our lending activities;

5

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in this prospectus. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

6

This summary provides a general description of the securities we may offer, and the Class A common stock that the selling stockholder may offer. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. For a more complete understanding of us and the terms of the securities we and/or the selling stockholder may offer, you should read carefully this entire prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” section, the applicable prospectus supplement for the securities and the other documents we refer to and incorporate by reference. In particular, we incorporate important business and financial information into this prospectus by reference.

Cadence Bancorporation

Cadence Bancorporation is a bank holding company and a Delaware corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas, and is the parent company of Cadence Bank, N.A. Formed in 2009 by banking industry veterans, we secured $1.0 billion of capital commitments in 2010 and built our franchise on the heels of three successful acquisitions: Cadence Bank, N.A. in March 2011, the franchise of Superior Bank in April 2011 and Encore Bank, N.A. in July 2012. Today, we are a growth-oriented, middle-market focused commercial relationship bank providing a broad range of banking and wealth management services to businesses, high net worth individuals, business owners and retail customers through a network of 65 branches as of March 31, 2018, with branches in Alabama (25), Florida (14), Texas (11), Mississippi (11) and Tennessee (4). We completed our initial public offering and listing on the NYSE in April 2017. As of March 31, 2018, we had $11.0 billion of assets, $8.6 billion of net loans, $9.0 billion in deposits and $1.4 billion in shareholders’ equity. We generated $38.8 million, $102.4 million and $65.8 million of net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 and years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

We are focused on organic growth and expanding our position in our markets. Through our experienced and motivated team of commercial relationship managers and our integrated, client-centric approach to banking, we have successfully grown each of our businesses. We believe our franchise is positioned for continued growth as a result of (i) our attractive geographic footprint, (ii) our focus and ability to provide differentiated, customized service to a wide variety of industries and clients, (iii) our stable and cost efficient deposit funding base, (iv) our veteran board of directors, management team and relationship managers, (v) our capital position and (vi) our credit quality and risk management processes.

Our principal executive office is located at 2800 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 3800, Houston, Texas 77056, and our telephone number is (713) 871-4000. Our website address is www.cadencebancorporation.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of, nor incorporated by reference into, this prospectus.

Additional information about us and our subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 3 of this prospectus.

The Securities We and/or the Selling Stockholder May Offer

We and/or the selling stockholder may use this prospectus to offer securities from time to time in one or more offerings. A prospectus supplement, which we will provide each time we and/or the selling stockholder offer securities, will describe the amounts, prices and detailed terms of the securities and may describe risks associated with an investment in the securities in addition to those described in the “Risk Factors” section on page 10 of this prospectus. We and/or the selling stockholder will also include in the prospectus supplement, where applicable, information about material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities. Terms used in this prospectus will have the meanings described in this prospectus unless otherwise specified.

7

We and/or the selling stockholder may sell the securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents or directly to purchasers. We and/or the selling stockholder, as well as any agents acting on our behalf and/or on behalf of the selling stockholder, as applicable, reserve the sole right to accept or to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of such securities. Each prospectus supplement will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of such securities described in that prospectus supplement and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them.

Common Stock

We may sell our common stock, and/or the selling stockholder may sell our Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share. In a prospectus supplement, we and/or the selling stockholder will describe the aggregate number of shares offered and the offering price or prices of the shares.

Our Class A common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “CADE.” We expect that any shares of our Class A common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on such exchange, subject to official notice of issuance. Any prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on the NYSE or any other securities exchange of the other securities covered by the prospectus supplement.

Preferred Stock; Depositary Shares

We may sell shares of our preferred stock in one or more series. In a prospectus supplement, we will describe the specific designation, the aggregate number of shares offered, the dividend rate or manner of calculating the dividend rate, the dividend periods or manner of calculating the dividend periods, the ranking of the shares of the series with respect to dividends, liquidation and dissolution, the stated value of the shares of the series, the voting rights of the shares of the series, if any, whether and on what terms the shares of the series will be convertible or exchangeable, whether and on what terms we can redeem the shares of the series, whether we will offer depositary shares representing shares of the series and if so, the fraction or multiple of a share of preferred stock represented by each depositary share, whether we will list the preferred stock or depositary shares on a securities exchange and any other specific terms of the series of preferred stock.

Debt Securities

Our debt securities may be senior or subordinated in priority of payment. We will provide a prospectus supplement that describes the ranking, whether senior or subordinated, the specific designation, the aggregate principal amount, the purchase price, the maturity, the redemption terms, the interest rate or manner of calculating the interest rate, the time of payment of interest, if any, the terms for any conversion or exchange, including the terms relating to the adjustment of any conversion or exchange mechanism, the listing, if any, on a securities exchange and any other specific terms of the debt securities.

Purchase Contracts

We may issue purchase contracts, including purchase contracts issued as part of a unit with one or more other securities, for the purchase or sale of our debt securities, preferred stock, depositary shares or common stock. The price of our debt securities or price per share of common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula contained in the purchase contracts. We may issue purchase contracts in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish.

8

We may sell warrants to purchase our debt securities, shares of preferred stock or shares of our common stock. In a prospectus supplement, we will inform you of the exercise price and other specific terms of the warrants, including whether our or your obligations, if any, under any warrants may be satisfied by delivering or purchasing the underlying securities or their cash value.

Rights

We may distribute rights to the holders of our common stock or other securities to purchase a specified number of shares of our common stock or other securities that the holder owns as of record date set by our board of directors. In a prospectus supplement, we will inform you of the exercise price and other specific terms of the rights.

Units

We may sell any combination of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus, together as units. In a prospectus supplement, we will describe the particular combination of securities constituting any units and any other specific terms of the units.

9

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in our updates to those Risk Factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, together with all of the other information appearing in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. In addition to those risk factors, there may be additional risks and uncertainties of which management is not aware or on which management is not focused or that management deems immaterial. Our business, financial condition or results or operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

Our historical ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated are set forth in the table below. The following table should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For further information, see Exhibit 12.1 (Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges) to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

As of and for the
three months
ended March 31,

As of and for the year ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014 ⁽¹⁾

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

Including interest on deposits

3.15x

3.37x

2.65x

2.16x

2.82x

Excluding interest on deposits

11.21x

9.95x

6.44x

4.28x

5.78x

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Preferred Dividends ⁽¹⁾

Including interest on deposits

3.15x

3.37x

2.65x

2.16x

2.46x

Excluding interest on deposits

11.21x

9.95x

6.44x

4.28x

4.44x

(1)	Preferred stock dividends were paid in 2014 on the preferred stock assumed by the Company in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Encore Bancshares Inc. These securities were redeemed in full by the Company in August 2014.

10

We do not currently know the number or types of securities that ultimately will be sold pursuant to this prospectus or the prices at which such securities will be sold. Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement relating to a specific issue of securities accompanying this prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds from sale of the securities to support our organic growth and for general corporate purposes, which may include, but is not limited to, repayment of debt, maintenance of our required regulatory capital, and potential future acquisition opportunities that we believe may be complementary to our business and provide attractive risk-adjusted returns.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the securities by selling stockholder.

11

The following is a summary of our common stock and preferred stock and certain terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “charter”) and our amended and restated bylaws (our “bylaws”). This discussion summarizes some of the important rights of our stockholders but does not purport to be a complete description of these rights and may not contain all of the information regarding our common stock and preferred stock that is important to you. These rights can only be determined in full, and the descriptions herein are qualified in their entirety, by reference to federal and state banking laws and regulations, the DGCL, and our charter and bylaws, copies of which are filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and applicable law.

General

Our charter authorizes us to issue up to 300,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.01 par value per share, 300,000,000 shares of Class B non-voting common stock, $0.01 par value per share and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. As of the date of this prospectus, we have 83,625,000 shares of Class A common stock and no shares of Class B non-voting common stock or preferred stock outstanding.

The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.

Common Stock

Class A Common Stock and Class B Non-Voting Common Stock

All issued and outstanding shares of our common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. All authorized but unissued shares of our common stock are available for issuance by our board of directors without any further stockholder action. Our charter provides that, except with respect to voting rights and conversion rights, the Class A common stock and Class B non-voting common stock are treated equally and identically.

Voting Rights. Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any certificate of designation for any series of preferred stock, the holders of Class A common stock possess all voting power for the election of our directors and all other matters requiring stockholder action, except with respect to amendments to our charter that alter or change the powers, preferences, rights or other terms of any outstanding preferred stock if the holders of such affected series of preferred stock are entitled to vote on such an amendment. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share on matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of Class B non-voting common stock have no voting power, and have no right to participate in any meeting of stockholders or to have notice thereof, except as required by applicable law and except that any action that would significantly and adversely affect the rights of the Class B non-voting common stock with respect to the modification of the terms of the securities or dissolution will require the approval of the Class B non-voting common stock voting separately as a class.

Except as otherwise provided by law, our charter or our bylaws or in respect of the election of directors, all matters to be voted on by our stockholders are required to be approved by a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter. In the case of an election of directors, where a quorum is present a plurality of the votes cast is sufficient to elect each director.

Conversion of Class B Non-Voting Common Stock. Each share of Class B non-voting common stock will be convertible into a share of Class A common stock at the option of the holder; provided, however, that each share of Class B non-voting common stock will not be convertible in the hands of the initial holder and will only be convertible at the time it is transferred to a third party unaffiliated with such initial holder, subject to the

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transfer restrictions described in the next sentence, if and only to the extent such conversion would not, after giving effect to such conversion, cause the transferee (together with such transferee’s related persons and any persons with which such transferee is acting in concert) to own, control or have the power to vote shares of Class A common stock in excess of the ownership limit described below. Shares of Class B non-voting common stock may only be transferred through one or more of the following alternatives: (1) to an affiliate of a holder or to the Company, (2) in a widely dispersed public offering, (3) in a private sale in which no purchaser would acquire Class A common stock and/or Class B non-voting common stock in an amount that, after the conversion of such Class B non-voting common stock into Class A common stock, is (or represents) 2% or more of a class of our voting securities or (4) to a purchaser acquiring majority control of the Company notwithstanding such transfer.

Conversion of Class A Common Stock Upon LLC Distribution. Each share of Class A common stock owned by Cadence Bancorp, LLC will automatically convert into a share of Class B non-voting common stock upon a distribution or other transfer to a member of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, or upon the liquidation of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, to the extent that such distribution, transfer or liquidation would otherwise result in such member of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, together with its affiliates, owning in excess of 9.9% of our Class A common stock (or any class of our voting securities), excluding for purposes of this calculation any reduction in ownership resulting from transfers by such holder of our voting securities. In addition, Cadence Bancorp, LLC will have the right to cause shares of Class A common stock owned by it to convert into shares of Class B non-voting common stock to the extent that a distribution or other transfer to a member of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, or a liquidation of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, would otherwise result in shares of Class A common stock being received in respect of non-voting units of Cadence Bancorp, LLC.

Dividend Rights. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B non-voting common stock are equally entitled to ratably receive dividends if, as and when declared from time to time by our board of directors at its own discretion out of funds legally available for that purpose, after payment of dividends required to be paid on outstanding preferred stock, if any. Under Delaware law, we can only pay dividends either out of “surplus” or out of the current or the immediately preceding year’s net profits. Surplus is defined as the excess, if any, at any given time, of the total assets of a corporation over its total liabilities and statutory capital. The value of a corporation’s net assets can be measured in a number of ways and may not necessarily equal their book value.

Liquidation Rights. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of Class A common stock and Class B non-voting common stock will be equally entitled to receive ratably the assets available for distribution to the stockholders after payment of all liabilities and accrued but unpaid dividends and liquidation preferences on any outstanding preferred stock.

Other. Neither the Class A common stock nor the Class B non-voting common stock have any preemptive or conversion rights pursuant to the terms of our charter and bylaws (other than the right of holders of shares of Class B non-voting common stock to convert such shares into shares of Class A common stock and the right of Cadence Bancorp, LLC to convert shares of Class A common stock into shares of Class B non-voting common stock as described in “—Conversion of Class B Non-Voting Common Stock” and “—Conversion of Class A Common Stock Upon LLC Distribution,” respectively, above). There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

Preferred Stock

Pursuant to our charter, shares of preferred stock are issuable from time to time, in one or more series, with the designations of the series, the voting rights of the shares of the series (if any), the powers, preferences and relative, participation, optional or other special rights (if any), and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof as our board of directors from time to time may adopt by resolution (and without further stockholder approval), subject to certain limitations. Each series will consist of that number of shares as will be stated and expressed in the certificate of designations providing for the issuance of the stock of the series.

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Certain provisions of Delaware law and certain provisions that are included in our charter and bylaws summarized below may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider to be in its best interests, including attempts that might result in a premium being paid over the market price for the shares held by stockholders.

Preferred Stock

Our charter contains provisions that permit our board of directors to issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, shares of preferred stock in one or more series and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting the series and the designation of the series, the voting rights (if any) of the shares of the series, and the powers, preferences and relative, participation, optional and other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions, of the shares of such series.

Classified Board

Our charter provides that our board of directors is divided into three classes, designated Class I, Class II and Class III and that each class will be an equal number of directors, as nearly as possible, consisting of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire board of directors. The term of initial Class I directors shall terminate on the date of the 2018 Annual Meeting, the term of the initial Class II directors shall terminate on the date of the 2019 Annual Meeting, and the term of the initial Class III directors shall terminate on the date of the 2020 Annual Meeting. At each succeeding Annual Meeting of Stockholders beginning in 2018, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that Annual Meeting will be elected for a three year term.

Removal of Directors

Our charter provides that stockholders may only remove a director for cause by a vote of no less than a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote.

Director Vacancies

Vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors until the next annual meeting of stockholders, or at a special meeting of stockholders called for that purpose.

No Cumulative Voting

Our charter provides that stockholders do not have the right to cumulative votes in the election of directors.

Special Meetings of Stockholders

Our charter and bylaws provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by any officer at the request of a majority of our board of directors, by the chairman of the board of directors or by our Chief Executive Officer.

Advance Notice Procedures for Director Nominations

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice thereof in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice generally must be delivered to and received at our principal executive offices before notice of the meeting is issued by the secretary of the Company, with such notice being served not less than 90 nor more than 120 days before the meeting. Although the bylaws do not give the board of directors the power to approve or disapprove

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stockholder nominations of candidates to be elected at an annual meeting, the bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company.

Action by Written Consent

Our charter and bylaws provide that any action to be taken by the stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by written consent if less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock is owned by Cadence Bancorp, LLC. As long as Cadence Bancorp, LLC owns a majority of Class A common stock, action may be taken by written consent if applicable voting requirements are otherwise satisfied.

Amending our Charter and Bylaws

Our charter may be amended or altered in any manner provided by the DGCL. Our bylaws may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by stockholders only upon approval of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of the Class A common stock. Additionally, our charter provides that our bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed by the board of directors by a majority vote.

Authorized but Unissued Shares

Our authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock, Class B non-voting common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Exclusive Jurisdiction

Our charter provides that the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty and any action asserting a claim pursuant to the DGCL, our charter, our bylaws or under the internal affairs doctrine.

Business Combinations with Interested Stockholders

We do not elect in our charter not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Subject to certain exceptions, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination (as defined in such section) with an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation or any person affiliated with such person) for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to such time the board of directors of such corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of such corporation at the time the transaction commenced (excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock of such corporation outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned (A) by persons who are directors and also officers of such corporation and (B) by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer); or (iii) on or subsequent to such time the business combination is approved by the board of directors of such corporation and authorized at a meeting of stockholders (and not by written consent) by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation not owned by the interested stockholder.

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The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We have filed, as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, the form of indentures pursuant to which the debt securities will be issued and will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, a form of debt security that describes the terms of the particular debt securities we are offering before the issuance of the related debt securities. We may issue debt securities from time to time in one or more distinct series. The debt securities may be senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. Senior debt securities may be issued under a senior indenture and subordinated debt securities may be issued under a subordinated indenture. If we issue debt securities pursuant to an indenture, we will specify the trustee under such indenture in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will include in a supplement to this prospectus the specific terms of debt securities being offered, including the terms, if any, on which debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for common stock or other debt securities. The statements and descriptions in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement regarding provisions of debt securities and any indentures are summaries of those provisions, do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the debt securities and the indentures (including any amendments or supplements we may enter into from time to time which are permitted under the debt securities or any indenture).

The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the terms of the debt securities or any series thereof, including, if applicable:

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the title of the debt securities and whether the debt securities will be unsubordinated debt securities or subordinated debt securities;

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any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

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the date or dates on which the principal amount of the debt securities will mature;

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if the debt securities bear interest, the rate or rates at which the debt securities bear interest, or the method for determining the interest rate, and the date or dates from which interest will accrue;

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if the debt securities bear interest, the dates on which interest will be payable, or the method for determining such dates, and the regular record dates for interest payments;

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the place or places where the payment of principal, any premium and interest will be made, where the debt securities may be surrendered for transfer or exchange and where notices or demands to or upon us may be served;

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any optional redemption provisions, which would allow us to redeem the debt securities in whole or in part;

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any sinking fund or other provisions that would obligate us to redeem, repay or purchase the debt securities;

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if the currency in which the debt securities will be issuable is United States dollars, the denominations in which any registered securities will be issuable, if other than denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof;

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if other than the entire principal amount, the portion of the principal amount of debt securities which will be payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities;

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the events of default and covenants relevant to the debt securities, including, the inapplicability of any event of default or covenant set forth in the indenture relating to the debt securities, or the applicability of any other events of defaults or covenants in addition to the events of default or covenants set forth in the indenture relating to the debt securities;

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the name and location of the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee under the indenture for such debt securities;

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if other than United States dollars, the currency in which the debt securities will be paid or denominated;

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if the debt securities are to be payable, at our election or the election of a holder of the debt securities, in a currency other than that in which the debt securities are denominated or stated to be payable, the terms and conditions upon which that election may be made, and the time and manner of determining the exchange rate between the currency in which the debt securities are denominated or stated to be payable and the currency in which the debt securities are to be so payable;

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the designation of the original currency determination agent, if any;

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if the debt securities are issuable as indexed securities, the manner in which the amount of payments of principal, any premium and interest will be determined;

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if the debt securities do not bear interest, the dates on which we will furnish to the applicable trustee the names and addresses of the holders of the debt securities;

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any provisions for the satisfaction and discharge or defeasance or covenant defeasance of the indenture under which the debt securities are issued;

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the date as of which any bearer securities and any global security will be dated if other than the date of original issuance of the first debt security of a particular series to be issued;

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whether and under what circumstances we will pay additional amounts to non-United States holders in respect of any tax assessment or government charge;

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whether the debt securities will be issued in whole or in part in the form of a global security or securities and, in that case, any depositary and global exchange agent for the global security or securities, whether the global form shall be permanent or temporary;

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if debt securities are to be issuable initially in the form of a temporary global security, the circumstances under which the temporary global security can be exchanged for definitive debt securities and whether the definitive debt securities will be registered securities and provisions relating to the payment of interest in respect of any portion of a global security payable in respect of an interest payment date prior to the exchange date;

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the extent and manner to which payment on or in respect of debt securities will be subordinated to the prior payment of our other liabilities and obligations;

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whether payment of any amount due under the debt securities will be guaranteed by one or more guarantors, including one or more of our subsidiaries;

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whether the debt securities will be secured or unsecured;

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whether the debt securities will be convertible and the terms of any conversion provisions;

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the forms of the debt securities;

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a discussion of any material United States federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of the debt securities; and

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any other terms of the debt securities, which terms shall not be inconsistent with the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

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Unless indicated in a prospectus supplement, we may issue additional debt securities of a particular series without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series outstanding at the time of the issuance. Any such additional debt securities, together with all other outstanding debt securities of that series, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the applicable indenture. We intend to disclose any restrictive covenants for any issuance or series of debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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We may offer depositary shares, which will be evidenced by depositary receipts, representing fractional interests in shares of preferred stock of any series. In connection with the issuance of any depositary shares, we will enter into a deposit agreement with a bank or trust company, as depositary, which will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following briefly summarizes the material provisions of the deposit agreement and of the depositary shares and depositary receipts, other than pricing and related terms disclosed for a particular issuance in an accompanying prospectus supplement. This description is not complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all provisions of the deposit agreement, depositary shares and depositary receipts. You should read the particular terms of any depositary shares and any depositary receipts that we offer and any deposit agreement relating to a particular series of preferred stock described in more detail in a prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement will also state whether any of the generalized provisions summarized below do not apply to the depositary shares or depositary receipts being offered.

General

We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. In such event, we will issue receipts for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fraction of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. For a description of our preferred stock, see “Description of Our Common Stock and Preferred Stock—Preferred Stock.”

The shares of any series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and depositary we select. Each owner of a depositary share will be entitled to all the rights and preferences of the underlying preferred stock, including any dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights described in the particular prospectus supplement, in proportion to the applicable fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by such depositary share.

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional shares of preferred stock in accordance with the terms of the applicable prospectus supplement.

Dividends and Other Distributions

The preferred stock depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the deposited preferred stock to the record holders of depositary shares relating to the preferred stock in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date.

In the case of a distribution other than in cash, the preferred stock depositary will distribute any property received by it other than cash to the record holders of depositary shares entitled to receive it in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holder. If the preferred stock depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such a distribution, it may, with our approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the holders of the depositary shares.

The amounts distributed in any such distribution, whether in cash or otherwise, will be reduced by any amount required to be withheld by us or the preferred stock depositary on account of taxes.

Withdrawal of Preferred Stock

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement and unless the related depositary shares have been called for redemption, when a holder surrenders depositary receipts at the office of the preferred stock depositary maintained for that purpose, and pays any necessary taxes, charges or other fees, the holder will be entitled to receive the number of whole shares of the related series of preferred stock, and any money or other

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property, if any, represented by the holder’s depositary shares. Once a holder exchanges depositary shares for whole shares of preferred stock, that holder generally cannot “re-deposit” these shares of preferred stock with the preferred stock depositary, or exchange them for depositary shares. If a holder delivers depositary receipts that represent a number of depositary shares other than a whole number of shares of preferred stock for redemption or exchange, the preferred stock depositary will issue a new depositary receipt to the holder that evidences the remainder of depositary shares at the same time that the preferred stock is withdrawn.

Redemption, Conversion and Exchange of Preferred Stock

If a series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares is to be redeemed, the depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the preferred stock depositary resulting from the redemption, in whole or in part, of that series of preferred stock. The depositary shares will be redeemed by the preferred stock depositary at a price per depositary share equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share payable in respect of the shares of preferred stock redeemed.

Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the preferred stock depositary, the preferred stock depositary will redeem, as of the same date, the number of depositary shares representing shares of preferred stock redeemed. If fewer than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by the preferred stock depositary by lot or ratably or by any other equitable method, in each case as we may determine.

If a series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares is to be converted or exchanged, the holder of depositary receipts representing the shares of preferred stock being converted or exchanged will have the right or obligation to convert or exchange the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipts.

After the redemption, conversion or exchange date, the depositary shares called for redemption, conversion or exchange will no longer be outstanding. When the depositary shares are no longer outstanding, all rights of the holders will end, except the right to receive money, securities or other property payable upon redemption, conversion or exchange.

Voting Deposited Preferred Stock

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of any series of deposited preferred stock are entitled to vote, the preferred stock depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares relating to that series of preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary receipts on the record date will be entitled to instruct the preferred stock depositary to vote the amount of the preferred stock represented by the holder’s depositary shares. The preferred stock depositary will try, if practical, to vote the amount of such series of preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions.

We will agree to take all reasonable actions that the preferred stock depositary determines are necessary to enable the preferred stock depositary to vote as instructed. The preferred stock depositary will abstain from voting shares of any series of preferred stock held by it for which it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing those preferred shares.

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may at any time be amended by agreement between us and the preferred stock depositary. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters any existing right of the holders of depositary receipts will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by the holders of depositary receipts representing at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. Additionally, in the case of amendments relating to or

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affecting rights to receive dividends or distributions or voting or redemption rights, approval is also required by the holders of depositary receipts representing not less than a specified percentage or all of the depositary shares of such series or class then outstanding, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Every holder of an outstanding depositary receipt at the time any such amendment becomes effective will be deemed, by continuing to hold the depositary receipt, to consent and agree to the amendment and to be bound by the deposit agreement, as amended.

We may direct the preferred stock depositary to terminate the deposit agreement at any time by mailing notice of termination to the record holders of the depositary receipts then outstanding at least 30 days prior to the date fixed for termination. Upon termination, the preferred stock depositary will deliver to each holder of depositary receipts, upon surrender of those receipts, such number of whole shares of the series of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares together with cash in lieu of any fractional shares, to the extent we have deposited cash for payment in lieu of fractional shares with the preferred stock depositary. In addition, the deposit agreement will automatically terminate if:

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all of the outstanding shares of the preferred stock deposited with the preferred stock depositary have been withdrawn, redeemed, converted or exchanged; or

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there has been a final distribution in respect of the deposited preferred stock in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and the distribution has been made to the holders of the related depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts.

Charges of Preferred Stock Depositary; Taxes and Other Governmental Charges

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We also will pay charges of the preferred stock depositary in connection with the initial deposit of preferred stock and any redemption of preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges, including a fee for the withdrawal of shares of preferred stock upon surrender of depositary receipts, as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts.

Prospective purchasers of depositary shares should be aware that special tax, accounting and other issues may be applicable to instruments such as depositary shares.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

The preferred stock depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its intent to do so, and we may at any time remove the preferred stock depositary, any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a successor preferred stock depositary meeting the requirements specified in the deposit agreement and its acceptance of such appointment.

Miscellaneous

The preferred stock depositary will forward all reports and communications from us which are delivered to the preferred stock depositary and which we are required to furnish to the holders of the deposited preferred stock.

Neither we nor the preferred stock depositary will be liable if we are or the preferred stock depositary is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstances beyond our or its control in performing our or its obligations under the deposit agreement. Our obligations and the obligations of the preferred stock depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of the duties under the deposit agreement, and we and the preferred stock depositary will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares, depositary receipts or shares of preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the preferred stock depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or upon information provided by holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.

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The price of our debt securities or the price per share of our common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula contained in the purchase contracts. We may issue purchase contracts in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish.

The applicable prospectus supplement may contain, where applicable, the following information about the purchase contracts issued under it:

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whether the purchase contracts obligate the holder to purchase or sell, or both purchase and sell, our debt securities, common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares, and the nature and amount of each of those securities, or method of determining those amounts;

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whether the purchase contracts are to be prepaid or not;

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whether the consideration per share of common stock or preferred stock or per depositary share may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by a specific reference to a formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts;

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whether the purchase contracts are to be settled by delivery, or by reference or linkage to the value, performance or level of our common stock or preferred stock;

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any acceleration, cancellation, termination or other provisions relating to the settlement of the purchase contracts;

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United States federal income tax considerations relevant to the purchase contracts; and

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whether the purchase contracts will be issued in fully registered or global form.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any purchase contracts. The preceding description and any description of purchase contracts in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the purchase contract agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such purchase contracts.

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We may issue warrants for the purchase of our debt securities, or shares of our common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any of our debt securities, shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from the debt securities, shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares. The warrants will be issued under warrant agreements to be entered into between Cadence Bancorporation and a warrant agent, as is named in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular issue of warrants. The warrant agent will act solely as an agent of Cadence Bancorporation in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of warrants or beneficial owners of warrants.

The following outlines the some of the anticipated general terms and conditions of the warrants. Further terms of the warrants and the applicable warrant agreement will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following description and any description of the warrants in a prospectus supplement may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms and provisions of the applicable warrant agreement.

General

If warrants are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:

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the title of the warrants;

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the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued;

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the designation, aggregate principal amount and terms of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise of any debt warrants and the price at which such debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

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the price or prices at which the warrants may be exercised to purchase the securities underlying them;

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the number of shares purchasable upon exercise of any common stock warrants and the price at which such shares of common stock may be purchased upon such exercise;

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the designation, number of shares and terms of the preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of any preferred stock warrants and the price at which such shares of preferred stock may be purchased upon such exercise;

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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, common stock or preferred stock will be separately transferable;

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if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

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the date on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire;

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whether the warrants will be issued in registered or bearer form;

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a discussion of certain federal income tax, accounting and other special considerations, procedures and limitations relating to the warrants; and

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any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants.

If in registered form, warrants may be presented for registration of transfer, and may be exercised at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement. Before the exercise of their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise.

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Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase such principal amount of debt securities or such number of shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares at such exercise price as shall in each case be set forth in, or can be calculated according to information contained in, the prospectus supplement relating to the warrant. Warrants may be exercised at such times as are set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such warrants. After the close of business on the expiration date of the warrants, or such later date to which such expiration date may be extended by Cadence Bancorporation, unexercised warrants will become void.

Subject to any restrictions and additional requirements that may be set forth in the prospectus supplement, warrants may be exercised by delivery to the warrant agent of the certificate evidencing such warrants properly completed and duly executed and of payment as provided in the prospectus supplement of the amount required to purchase the debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares purchasable upon such exercise. The exercise price will be the price applicable on the date of payment in full, as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants. Upon receipt of such payment and the certificate representing the warrants to be exercised, properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver the debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by such certificate are exercised, a new certificate will be issued for the remaining amount of warrants.

Additional Provisions

The exercise price payable and the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of each stock warrant will be subject to adjustment in certain events, including:

•

the issuance of the stock dividend to holders of common stock or preferred stock, respectively;

•

a combination, subdivision or reclassification of common stock or preferred stock, respectively; or

•

any other event described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In lieu of adjusting the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of each stock warrant, we may elect to adjust the number of stock warrants. We may, at our option, reduce the exercise price at any time. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of stock warrants, but we will pay the cash value of any fractional shares otherwise issuable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case of any consolidation, merger, or sale or conveyance of the property of Cadence Bancorporation as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, the holder of each outstanding stock warrant will have the right upon the exercise thereof to the kind and amount of shares of stock and other securities and property, including cash, receivable by a holder of the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock into which such stock warrants were exercisable immediately prior thereto.

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This section describes the general terms of the rights to purchase common stock or other securities that we may offer using this prospectus. Further terms of the rights will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following description and any description of the rights in a prospectus supplement may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms of any agreement relating to the rights.

We may issue rights to purchase shares of our common stock or our preferred stock, depositary shares, senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities, subordinated debt securities, or any combination thereof. The rights may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached or separate from the other securities. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between a rights agent and us. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the rights and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with the holders or beneficial owners of rights

Rights may be issued independently or together with any other security and may or may not be transferable. As part of the rights offering, we may enter into a standby underwriting or other arrangement under which the underwriters or any other person would purchase any securities that are not purchased in such rights offering. The prospectus supplement relating to any rights we offer will describe the specific terms of the offering and the rights, including:

•

the title of the rights;

•

the record date for determining security holders entitled to the rights distribution;

•

the number of rights issued and the number of shares of common stock or other securities that may be purchased upon exercise of the rights;

•

the rights agent;

•

the designation and terms of the underlying securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights and the number of such underlying securities initially issuable upon exercise of the rights;

•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the other securities with which the rights are issued and the number of such rights securities issued with each such underlying right;

•

the date, if any, on and after which the rights will be separately transferable;

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum number of rights that may be exercised at any one time; the exercise price of the rights;

•

the steps required to exercise the rights;

•

the conditions to the completion of the offering, if any;

•

the withdrawal, termination and cancellation rights, if any;

•

the date on which the rights will become effective and the date on which the rights will expire;

•

whether the rights will include oversubscription rights, so that the holder may purchase more securities if other holders do not purchase their full allotments;

•

whether we intend to sell the shares of common stock or other securities that are not purchased in the offering to an underwriter or other purchaser under a contractual standby commitment or other arrangement;

•

our ability to withdraw or terminate the rights offering prior to the expiration date of the rights;

•

any material U.S. Federal income tax consequences; or

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Each right will entitle the holder of rights to purchase for cash the principal amount of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities at the exercise price provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights will be issued in registered form only.

Prior to the exercise of their rights, holders of rights will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon the exercise of the rights, and will not be entitled to, among other things, vote or receive dividend payments or other distributions on the securities purchasable upon exercise.

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This section identifies the general terms of the rights to issue units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, stock purchase contracts or any combination of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus. Further terms of the rights will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following description and any description of the rights in a prospectus supplement may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms of any agreement relating to the rights.

The applicable prospectus supplement or supplements will also describe:

•

the designation and the terms of the units and of any combination of the securities constituting the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or traded separately;

•

any additional terms of the agreement governing the units;

•

any additional provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities constituting the units;

•

any applicable material United States federal income tax consequences; and

•

whether the units will be issued in fully registered form.

The terms and conditions described under “Description of Debt Securities,” “Description of Warrants,” and “Description of Common Stock and Preferred Stock” will apply to each unit that includes such securities and to the securities included in each unit, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We will issue the units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as unit agent. We may issue units in one or more series, which will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may issue the securities in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depository or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depository or its nominee. In those cases, one or more registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depository for the registered global security, the nominees of the depository or any successors of the depository or those nominees.

If not described below, any specific terms of the depository arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depository arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depository or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depository will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depository, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.

So long as the depository, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, that depository or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depository for that registered global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take, the depository for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

Payments of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, debt securities, and any payments to holders with respect to other securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depository or its nominee will be made to the depository or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the registered global security. None of Cadence Bancorporation, the trustees, the warrant agents or any preferred stock depositary, as applicable, will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or the payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

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We expect that the depository for any of the securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest or other distribution of underlying securities or other property to holders on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that registered global security as shown on the records of the depository. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.

If the depository for any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depository or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depository registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security that had been held by the depository. In addition, under the terms of the indenture, we may at any time and in our sole discretion decide not to have any of the securities represented by one or more registered global securities. We understand, however, that, under current industry practices, the depository would notify its participants of our request, but will only withdraw beneficial interests from a global security at the request of each participant. We would issue definitive certificates in exchange for any such interests withdrawn. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the name or names that the depository gives to the applicable trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depository’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depository from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security that had been held by the depository.

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In addition, we or the selling stockholder may enter into option, share lending or other types of transactions that require us or the selling stockholder to deliver shares of common stock to an underwriter, broker or dealer, who will then resell or transfer the shares of common stock under this prospectus. We or the selling stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with respect to our securities. For example, we or the selling stockholder may:

•

enter into transactions involving short sales of the shares of common stock by underwriters, brokers or dealers;

•

sell shares of common stock short and deliver the shares to close out short positions;

•

enter into option or other types of transactions that require us to deliver shares of common stock to an underwriter, broker or dealer, who will then resell or transfer the shares of common stock under this prospectus; or

•

loan or pledge the shares of common stock to an underwriter, broker or dealer, who may sell the loaned shares or, in the event of default, sell the pledged shares.

Each time that we and/or the selling stockholder use this prospectus to sell our securities, we will also provide a prospectus supplement that contains the specific terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement will set forth the terms of the offering of such securities, including:

•

the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the type and amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them; and

•

the public offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us and any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

Sales of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions:

•

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

•

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

•

at prices related to prevailing market prices; or

•

at negotiated prices.

Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.

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If underwriters are used in the sale of any securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters. Generally, the underwriters’ obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions precedent. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they purchase any of the securities.

We and/or the selling stockholder may sell the securities through agents from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities and any commissions we pay to them. Generally, any agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

We and/or the selling stockholder may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase our securities at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions or discounts we pay for solicitation of these contracts.

In connection with the sale of any of the securities, underwriters or agents may receive compensation from us and/or the selling stockholder in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive compensation from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Discounts, concessions and commissions may be changed from time to time. Dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act of, and any discounts, concessions or commissions they receive from us and any profit on the resale of securities they realize may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under applicable federal and state securities laws.

Pursuant to a requirement by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the maximum commission or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer may not be greater than 8% of the gross proceeds received by us from the sale of any securities registered pursuant to SEC Rule 415.

Agents and underwriters may be entitled to indemnification by us and/or the selling stockholder against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof. Agents and underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us and/or the selling stockholder in the ordinary course of business.

Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than our Class A common stock, which is listed on the NYSE. We expect that any Class A common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. We may elect to list any series of debt securities or preferred stock on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.

We and/or the selling stockholder may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates in connection with those derivatives, then the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. In that event, the

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third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us, the selling stockholder or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us and/or the selling stockholder in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of securities. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment).

Until the distribution of the securities is completed, rules of the SEC may limit the ability of any underwriters and selling group members to bid for and purchase the securities. As an exception to these rules, underwriters are permitted to engage in some transactions that stabilize the price of the securities. Such transactions consist of bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities.

Underwriters may engage in overallotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.

The lead underwriters may also impose a penalty bid on other underwriters and selling group members participating in an offering. This means that if the lead underwriters purchase securities in the open market to reduce the underwriters’ short position or to stabilize the price of the securities, they may reclaim the amount of any selling concession from the underwriters and selling group members who sold those securities as part of the offering.

In general, purchases of a security for the purpose of stabilization or to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might be in the absence of such purchases. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of a security to the extent that it were to discourage resales of the security before the distribution is completed.

We and the selling stockholder do not make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above might have on the price of the securities. In addition, we and the selling stockholder do not make any representation that underwriters will engage in such transactions or that such transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

If we and/or the selling stockholder offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we and/or the selling stockholder may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We and/or the selling stockholder may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we and/or the selling stockholder do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we and/or the selling stockholder may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us and/or the selling stockholder.

Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us and/or the selling stockholder or perform services for us and/or the selling stockholder in the ordinary course of business.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we and/or the selling stockholder will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by particular institutions to purchase securities from us and/or the selling stockholder at the public offering price set forth in such prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in such prospectus supplement. Each delayed delivery contract will be for an amount no less than, and the aggregate amounts of securities sold under delayed delivery contracts shall be not less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with which such contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others, but will in all cases be subject to our and/or the selling stockholder’s approval. The obligations of any purchaser under any such contract will be subject to the

32

conditions that (a) the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject, and (b) if the securities are being sold to underwriters, we and/or the selling stockholder shall have sold to the underwriters the total amount of the securities less the amount thereof covered by the contracts. The underwriters and such other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of such contracts.

To comply with applicable state securities laws, the securities offered by this prospectus will be sold, if necessary, in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, securities may not be sold in some states unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

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In connection with particular offerings of our securities in the future, and unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York, New York. Additional legal matters may be passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Cadence Bancorporation at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, and for each of the years then ended, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and Registration Statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, and for the year ended December 31, 2015, by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their respective reports thereon appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated in this prospectus by reference, and are included in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.

The consolidated financial statements of State Bank Financial Corporation as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 and for each of the three years then ended, appearing in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 21, 2018 have been audited by Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the “DGCL”) permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) under Section 174 of the DGCL (regarding, among other things, the payment of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions), or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Our certificate of incorporation provides for such limitation of liability.

Section 145(a) of the DGCL empowers a corporation to indemnify any director, officer, employee or agent, or former director, officer, employee or agent, who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation), by reason of such person’s service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or such person’s service, at the corporation’s request, as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding; provided that such director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, provided that such director or officer had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

Section 145(b) of the DGCL empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit; provided that such director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification may be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which

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such director or officer shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses that the court shall deem proper. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, except as otherwise provided in the bylaws, we are required to indemnify any such person in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) commenced by such person only if the commencement of such proceeding (or part thereof) by any such person was authorized by the board of directors.

In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that we must indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by law. We are also expressly required to advance certain expenses to our directors and officers and carry directors’ and officers’ insurance providing indemnification for our directors and officers for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification provisions and the directors’ and officers’ insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.

The form of Underwriting Agreement for any offering of securities hereby will provide for indemnification of directors and officers of the Registrant by the underwriters against certain liabilities.

Item 16.

Exhibits


EXHIBIT NO.		DESCRIPTION

1.1		Form of Underwriting Agreement for any offering of securities. ⁽¹⁾

2.1		Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 11, 2018, by and between Cadence Bancorporation and State Bank Financial Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Cadence Bancorporation, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 14, 2018).

4.1		Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Cadence Bancorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Cadence Bancorporation (Registration No. 333-216809), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2017).

4.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws of Cadence Bancorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Cadence Bancorporation (Registration No. 333-216809), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2017).

4.3		Form of common stock certificate of Cadence Bancorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Cadence Bancorporation (Registration No. 333-216809), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2017).

4.4		Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of April 19, 2017, by and between Cadence Bancorporation and Cadence Bancorp, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Cadence Bancorporation, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 19, 2017).

4.5		Form of Senior Indenture.

4.6		Form of Subordinated Indenture.

4.7		Form of Senior Debt Securities. ⁽¹⁾

4.8		Form of Subordinated Debt Securities. ⁽¹⁾

4.9		Form of Specimen Preferred Stock Certificate. ⁽¹⁾

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EXHIBIT NO.		DESCRIPTION

4.10		Form of Deposit Agreement for Depositary Shares. ⁽¹⁾

4.11		Form of Purchase Contract. ⁽¹⁾

4.12		Form of Warrant Agreement. ⁽¹⁾

4.13		Form of Unit Agreement. ⁽¹⁾

5.1		Opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

12.1		Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

23.1		Consent of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (contained in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2		Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

23.3		Consent of KPMG LLP.

23.4		Consent of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP.

24.1		Powers of attorney (included on signature page).

25.1		Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of , as Trustee under the Senior Indenture. ⁽¹⁾

25.2		Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of , as Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture. ⁽¹⁾

(1)	To be filed, if necessary, as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(b)

Financial Statement Schedules:

Not Applicable.

Item 17.

Undertakings.

(a)	The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however , that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

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(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining any liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the Registrant or used or referred to by the Registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the Registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the Registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this

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(c) If applicable, the undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to supplement the prospectus, after the expiration of the subscription period, to set forth the results of the subscription offer, the transactions by the underwriters during the subscription period, the amount of unsubscribed securities to be purchased by the underwriters, and the terms of any subsequent reoffering thereof. If any public offering by the underwriters is to be made on terms differing from those set forth on the cover page of the prospectus, a post-effective amendment will be filed to set forth the terms of such offering.

(d) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

(e) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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Each of the undersigned officers and directors of Cadence Bancorporation does hereby severally constitute and appoint Paul B. Murphy, Jr., Valerie C. Toalson and Jerry W. Powell, and each of them acting alone, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any registration statement (including any amendment thereto) of the Registrant to be filed after the date hereof pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC and any applicable securities exchange or securities self-regulatory body, granting to said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Signature		Title	Date

By:	/s/ Paul B. Murphy, Jr. Paul B. Murphy, Jr.	Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)	May 21, 2018

By:	/s/ Valerie C. Toalson Valerie C. Toalson	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	May 21, 2018

By:	/s/ William B. Harrison, Jr. William B. Harrison, Jr.	Director	May 21, 2018

By:	/s/ Robert K. Steel Robert K. Steel	Director	May 21, 2018

By:	/s/ J. Richard Fredericks J. Richard Fredericks	Director	May 21, 2018

By:	/s/ Scott M. Stuart Scott M. Stuart	Director	May 21, 2018

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CADENCE BANCORPORATION

By:		/s/ Paul B. Murphy, Jr.
		Paul B. Murphy, Jr.
		Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

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