BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) _ United Community Banks Inc. (UCBI) on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $48.6 million.

The bank, based in Blairsville, Georgia, said it had earnings of 61 cents per share.

The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 58 cents per share.

The bank holding company posted revenue of $166.6 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $146.8 million, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $145 million.

For the year, the company reported profit of $184.3 million, or $2.31 per share. Revenue was reported as $574.1 million.

United Community Banks shares have dropped almost 4% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $29.74, an increase of 20% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on UCBI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/UCBI

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News