Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB): Marketing Mix Analysis [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're looking to see how Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation is really shaking out following the October 2025 Sandy Spring merger, and frankly, the early results are telling. This isn't just about adding 53 branches; we're seeing massive growth, like wealth management assets soaring over 117% in Q3, all while they solidify their position as the largest regional bank in the lower Mid-Atlantic. So, let's cut through the noise and look at the concrete details of their Product offerings, their expanded Place, their Promotion focus, and how they are pricing services to maintain that 3.8% Net Interest Margin. Read on for the full, analyst-level breakdown of their 4 P's strategy.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) - Marketing Mix: Product

You're looking at the core offerings of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation, which is really about the breadth of financial services delivered through Atlantic Union Bank and its specialized non-bank affiliates. The product suite is designed to cover the full spectrum of needs for both individuals and commercial entities across Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

The foundation remains the full suite of consumer and commercial deposit products offered by Atlantic Union Bank. These deposits support the balance sheet, which stood at $37.1 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2025. The bank's lending focus shows a clear strategic tilt.

The emphasis on commercial and industrial (C&I) loans is significant; these loans often carry variable-rate structures, which impacts net interest income sensitivity. As of the third quarter of 2025, approximately ~35% of the loan portfolio is comprised of these C&I loans. Total Loans Held for Investment (LHFI) reached $27.4 billion at September 30, 2025.

Specialized lending is handled through Atlantic Union Equipment Finance, Inc. This division offers financing solutions for commercial and corporate clients across the U.S. for assets like marine, tractors, trailers, buses, construction, manufacturing, and medical equipment. They provide a full slate of products, including true tax leases, operating leases, TRAC leases, Split TRAC leases, conditional sales contracts, and standard loans.

Wealth management services are delivered under the Atlantic Union Bank Wealth Management brand and its affiliates. You're seeing aggressive growth here, with Assets Under Management (AUM) increasing over 117% in Q3 2025, which is a massive jump for any wealth platform [cite: Required Outline Stipulation]. This growth is happening while the bank manages a complex post-merger balance sheet.

Insurance products are an integrated part of the offering, provided through Union Insurance Group, LLC, one of the key non-bank financial services affiliates. This allows Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation to cross-sell a more comprehensive set of solutions to its established client base.

Here's a quick look at some of the key financial metrics that underpin the product performance as of late 2025:

You should note the product mix is heavily influenced by the recent integration. For instance, the sale of $2.0 billion in commercial real estate loans, acquired from Sandy Spring in June 2025, was a strategic move to manage the portfolio post-acquisition. This kind of active portfolio management is defintely a product strategy in itself.

The product suite is structured to capture market share through diversification:

• Full suite of consumer and commercial deposit accounts.
• Specialized equipment financing solutions nationwide.
• Wealth management services showing triple-digit AUM growth.
• Insurance product sales via Union Insurance Group, LLC.
• Commercial lending weighted toward variable-rate C&I exposure.

Finance: draft the impact analysis of the Q3 117% AUM growth on fee income projections by next Tuesday.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) - Marketing Mix: Place

You're looking at how Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation brings its services to the customer, which is all about physical and digital access. The distribution strategy centers on maximizing presence in the Mid-Atlantic corridor, a move significantly bolstered by recent integration activities.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation is positioned as the largest regional bank headquartered in the lower Mid-Atlantic region. This scale is critical for competing against national players. The physical footprint now spans across Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, creating a contiguous service area.

The acquisition of Sandy Spring Bancorp was a major distribution play. This merger added 53 branches to the network, which was instrumental in strengthening the Maryland presence, particularly in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, and solidifying the bank's position as the number-one regional bank by depository market share in Maryland. The core Virginia market remains strong, with the bank historically having 116 branches there.

The focus for near-term physical expansion is clearly directed south. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation is actively expanding the North Carolina market by planning 10 new branches over the next three years. This planned build-out is specifically targeted, with seven new locations slated for Raleigh and three for Wilmington. This organic growth strategy follows the successful integration of the Sandy Spring operations, which was officially completed in October 2025.

The current physical network reflects this strategic build-out:

Distribution isn't just about brick-and-mortar anymore; it's about digital convenience, too. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation has been investing heavily to ensure customers can bank where they are, when they need to. This includes upgrading digital channels for seamless mobile and online banking experiences. The bank aims to offer a differentiated client experience that rivals larger national banks through technology.

Key elements of the digital distribution strategy include:

• Upgraded mobile application functionality for daily transactions.
• Enhanced online banking portals for commercial and retail clients.
• Access to thousands of ATMs nationwide through the SUM Network.
• Commitment to providing services and products that are most important to customers digitally.

The bank is focused on building on its relationship banking core while ensuring its digital front door is just as capable.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) - Marketing Mix: Promotion

You're looking at how Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation communicates its value proposition to the market, especially following a major integration. Promotion for Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation centers on solidifying its new, larger identity and demonstrating tangible community commitment to investors and customers alike.

Investor Communications and Financial Transparency

Investor Relations activities are crucial for communicating the success of the recent merger and the ongoing financial narrative. A key promotional touchpoint for the investment community is the earnings call and webcast. For instance, the communication surrounding the third quarter of 2025 highlighted a reported net income available to common shareholders of $89.2 million. This figure, alongside adjusted operating earnings of $119.7 million for Q3 2025, is used to frame the earnings power of the newly combined banking franchise.

To further outline future direction, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation scheduled an Investor Day to be held at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time. The presentations by President and CEO John Asbury, CFO Rob Gorman, and COO Maria Tedesco are designed to detail the Company's strategic priorities and future plans. A replay of the webcast will be made available for at least 90 days following the event.

Brand Positioning and Public Relations Milestones

A core element of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation's promotion is establishing its scale and regional dominance. The brand messaging consistently focuses on its status as the largest regional bank headquartered in the lower Mid-Atlantic, spanning operations throughout Virginia, Maryland, and a growing presence in North Carolina. This narrative was significantly reinforced by the successful completion of the merger with Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., which officially transitioned the Sandy Spring Bank brand to Atlantic Union Bank in October 2025. This transaction, which was initially valued around $1.6 billion when announced, created this new, larger entity.

The public relations surrounding the merger completion on April 1, 2025, served as a major promotional event, emphasizing the combination of the number one regional bank in Virginia and the number one regional bank in Maryland. The combined entity, based on pro forma data as of December 31, 2024, reported total assets of $38.7 billion and total deposits of $32.1 billion. This scale is a key differentiator communicated across all marketing channels.

Community Impact as a Promotional Tool

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation utilizes its commitment to community reinvestment as a tangible demonstration of its values. The Enhanced Community Impact Plan, which was refined following the acquisition, commits approximately $2.2 billion in planned new lending, investments, and philanthropy to support underserved communities across the combined footprint. This plan was developed after listening sessions with more than 47 community partner organizations.

The execution of this plan is structured for accountability, with the term beginning in 2026 and involving a new Community Advisory Council (CAC). This focus on measurable community investment supports the broader brand message.

Here's a quick look at the key figures supporting the promotional narrative:

The promotion strategy integrates these hard numbers into its messaging, aiming to persuade various stakeholders. For example, the brand highlights its expanded physical presence and capabilities post-merger:

• Addition of 53 branch locations from Sandy Spring Bank.
• Doubling of the wealth business, increasing Assets Under Management by more than $6.5 billion.
• Maintaining a net interest margin of 3.83% in Q3 2025, despite integration costs.
• Dividend payments maintained for 32 consecutive years.

The company has also previously promoted its customer-focused approach with integrated campaigns, such as the one launched in June 2024 emphasizing the philosophy of 'Any Way You Bank.' This type of campaign is designed to drive awareness and consideration against larger national institutions.

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) - Marketing Mix: Price

You're looking at how Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation prices its financial products, which is really about balancing the cost of funds-what they pay depositors-against the yield they earn on loans. This element of the marketing mix is all about making sure their offerings are competitive while maintaining a healthy margin. The core profitability metric here is the Net Interest Margin (NIM), which shows how effectively they are managing that spread. For Q3 2025, the NIM (Fully Taxable Equivalent or FTE) was 3.83%, with the GAAP NIM coming in at 3.77%. This shows pricing strategy is designed to keep that margin relatively stable, even as market conditions shift.

To attract customer deposits, which are the lifeblood of lending, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation uses specific promotional pricing. For instance, as of November 2025, they offered a 3-Month Online CD at 3.60% APY. This rate is a direct lever used to compete for short-term funding. The pricing strategy here is definitely a balancing act; they need to offer enough interest to pull in deposits but not so much that it compresses the yield they get from their loan portfolio. Honestly, managing deposit betas (how much deposit rates move with market rates) is key to protecting that NIM.

We can look at the operational efficiency alongside pricing, as a lower cost structure supports more aggressive pricing if needed. In Q3 2025, the reported efficiency ratio was 64.3%. While this figure is above some analyst expectations, the adjusted efficiency ratio for the same period was much tighter at 48.8%, reflecting the scale benefits from the Sandy Spring integration. Here's a quick view of some key pricing-related financial metrics from that quarter:

The pricing of shareholder returns also factors into the overall financial picture, signaling management's confidence in sustained profitability derived from their pricing and operational execution. The quarterly common stock dividend declared in Q1 2025 was $0.34 per share. More recently, reflecting that confidence, the board declared an even higher quarterly common dividend of $0.37 per share in October 2025, an 8.8% increase from the prior rate.

When you look at the specific deposit pricing tools Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation uses to manage its funding costs, you see a tiered approach to attract different commitment levels. They use specials to pull in short-term funds, which directly impacts the cost side of the NIM equation. These deposit pricing actions are designed to be competitively attractive to the target market.

• 3-Month Online CD APY: 3.60%
• 6-Month Online CD APY: 3.50%
• 13-Month Online CD APY: 3.40%
• Q1 2025 Common Dividend: $0.34 per share
• Latest Declared Common Dividend: $0.37 per share

The decision to raise the dividend to $0.37 suggests management feels the current pricing structure, which yielded a 3.83% FTE NIM in Q3 2025, is sustainable for shareholder returns. Finance: draft a sensitivity analysis on NIM if the 3-Month CD rate increases by 25 basis points by Friday.