CSTR CapStar Financial Holdings Inc

Tennessee Business Corporation Act

The Tennessee Business Corporation Act (the “ TBCA ”) provides that a corporation may indemnify its directors and officers against liability incurred in connection with a proceeding if (i) the director or officer acted in good faith, (ii) in the case of conduct in his or her official capacity with the corporation, the director or officer reasonably believed such conduct was in the corporation’s best interests and in all other cases, the director or officer reasonably believed that his or her conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and (iii) in connection with any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. Conversely, the TBCA provides that a corporation may not indemnify a director or officer (i) in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation or (ii) in connection with any other proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the director or officer, whether or not involving action in the director or officer’s official capacity, in which the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by the director or officer. Unless limited by the corporation’s charter, in cases where the director or officer is wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which the director or officer was a party because the director or officer is or was a director or officer of the corporation, the TBCA mandates that the corporation indemnify the director or officer against reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding. With respect to the advancement of expenses, the TBCA provides that a corporation may pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by a director or officer who is a party to a proceeding in advance of final disposition of the proceeding if (i) the director or officer furnishes the corporation a written affirmation of the director or officer’s good faith belief that the director or officer has met the applicable standard of conduct described above, (ii) the director or officer furnishes the corporation a written undertaking to repay the advance if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer is not entitled to indemnification and (iii) a determination is made that the facts then known to those making the advancement determination would not preclude the director or officer from being indemnified. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the TBCA provides that, unless the corporation’s charter provides otherwise, a court of competent jurisdiction, upon application, may order that a director or officer be indemnified if (i) the director or officer is entitled to mandatory indemnification as described above, in which case the court will also order the corporation to pay the reasonable fees of such director or officer incurred to obtain the court-ordered indemnification or (ii) in consideration of all relevant circumstances, the court determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, notwithstanding the fact that (a) the director or officer did not meet the applicable standard of conduct described above or (b) the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation in a proceeding by or in right of the corporation or was adjudged liable on the basis that he or she received improper personal benefit, in which case such director or officer’s indemnification would be limited to reasonable expenses incurred. The TBCA also permits a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any director or officer regarding liability asserted against or incurred by the director or officer in his or her capacity as a director or officer whether or not the corporation would have the ability to indemnify the officer or director from the same liability under the TBCA.

The TBCA is not exclusive of rights relating to indemnification and advancement of expenses to which a director may be entitled in the corporation’s charter, bylaws, or, when authorized by such charter or bylaws, in a resolution of the shareholders or directors or by agreement. A corporation may not indemnify a director if a final judgment adverse to such director establishes his or her liability for any breach of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, for any acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or for unlawful distributions. A corporation may indemnify and advance expenses to an officer who is not a director to the extent, consistent with public policy, that may be provided in its charter, its bylaws, an action of its board of directors or contract.

Charter and Bylaws

The Company’s charter states that, to the fullest extent permitted by the TBCA, the Company will indemnify its directors and officers from and against any and all expenses, liabilities and other matters covered by the TBCA. Such right of indemnification is not exclusive of rights to which directors and officers may be entitled under any bylaw, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to action in their official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, and such right of indemnification will continue as to a director or officer who has ceased to be a director or officer of the Company.

In addition, the Company’s charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the TBCA, a director will not be liable to the Company or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Under the TBCA, however, there is no elimination of liability for:

The Company’s charter does not eliminate or limit its right or the right of its shareholders to seek injunctive or other equitable relief not involving monetary damages.

Pursuant to the Company’s bylaws, a director or officer of the Company who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that the director or officer is or was a director or officer of the Company or is or was serving at the Company’s request as a director, officer, manager or employee of an affiliate or of another entity, whether the basis of such proceeding is an alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, manager, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, manager, or employee or agent, will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company to the fullest extent authorized by the TBCA against all expense, liability and loss reasonably incurred by the director or officer if the director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner the director or officer reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the Company’s best interests or the best interests of any other entity, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the director or officer’s conduct was unlawful. Such right of indemnification will continue as to a director or officer who has ceased to be a director or officer of the Company and includes the right to require the Company to pay the expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that an advancement of expenses incurred by a director or officer will be made only upon delivery to the Company of an undertaking to repay all amounts advanced if the director or officer is determined not to be entitled to be indemnified for such expenses. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses provided by the Company’s bylaws are not exclusive of any other right which a director or officer may have or acquire under any statute, the Company’s charter, bylaws, any agreement, any vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. In addition, the Company’s bylaws provide that it may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any director or officer against any liability asserted against and incurred by the director or officer in his or her capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent whether or not the Company would have had the power to indemnify against such liability.

These descriptions of director liability and indemnification provisions are intended as a summary only and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the Company’s charter and bylaws, each of which has been filed with the Commission.