of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On September 10, 2026, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.22 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on October 15, 2026, to the stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 30, 2026. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.…

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement Agreement and Plan of Reorganization On September 2, 2026, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”), a Kansas corporation and the parent company of Equity Bank (“Equity Bank”), a Kansas state bank, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Agreement”), by and among the Company, a to be formed Iowa corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and Lincoln Bancorp (“Lincoln”), an Iowa corporation and the paren…

Other Events. On May 20, 2026, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. approved a share repurchase plan for up to 1,000,000 shares of outstanding common stock over a one-year period beginning on the earlier of either completion of purchases under the October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 authorization or expiration of the current authorization on September 30, 2026. The repurchase program does not obligate Equity to acquire a specific dollar amount or number of shares, and it may be…

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On May 20, 2026, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.18 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on July 15, 2026, to the stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2026. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Equity Bancsh…

Director — Randee R. Koger: Randee R. Koger retired from the Board, and D. Scott Rogerson was elected to fill the vacant position.

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On February 18, 2026, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.18 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on April 15, 2026, to the stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2026. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Equity…

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. The information set forth in

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. On February 13, 2026, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”), as borrower, entered into the Ninth Amendment (the “Amendment”) to its Loan and Security Agreement (the “Agreement”) with ServisFirst Bank. The Amendment extended the maturity date of the commitment to extend credit under the Agreement to February 10, 2027. The foregoing summary of the Amendment does not purport to be a complete description of the terms and conditions of the Amendment an…

Director — Randee R. Koger: Randee R. Koger is retiring from the Board of Directors effective at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On January 2, 2026, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (“the Company”) issued a press release announcing that it has completed its merger with Frontier Holdings LLC (“Frontier”), the holding company of Frontier Bank, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated August 29, 2025, by and among the Company, Winston Merger Sub, Inc, and Frontier effective January 1, 2026. A copy of the press release issued by the Company reporting the closing of the merger is attached hereto as Ex…

Other Events. On December 10, 2025, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.18 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on January 15, 2026, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2025. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Equit…

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On September 11, 2025, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. approved a share repurchase plan for up to 1,000,000 shares of outstanding common stock beginning on October 1, 2025, and concluding on September 30, 2026. The repurchase program does not obligate Equity to acquire a specific dollar amount or number of shares, and it may be extended, modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Non-objection from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City related to th…

Other Events. On September 11, 2025, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.18 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on October 15, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 30, 2025. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Equ…

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement Agreement and Plan of Reorganization On August 29, 2025, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”), a Kansas corporation and the parent company of Equity Bank (“Equity Bank”), a Kansas state bank, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Agreement”), by and among the Company, Winston Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a Nebraska corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and Frontier Holdings, LLC (“Frontier”), a Nebraska…

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. Notes Offering On July 17, 2025, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) completed an offering of $75 million in aggregate principal amount of its 7.125% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2035 (the “Notes”) pursuant to Subordinated Note Purchase Agreements (collectively, the “Note Purchase Agreement”) with certain qualified institutional buyers and institutional accredited investors (the “Purchasers”). The Notes were offered and sold by…

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. The information set forth in

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Other Events. On July 3, 2025, Equity Bancshares, Inc. (“the Company”) issued a press release announcing that it has completed its merger with NBC Corp. of Oklahoma (“NBC”), the holding company of NBC Bank, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated April 2, 2025 by and among the Company, Red River Merger Sub, Inc, and NBC. A copy of the press release issued by the Company reporting the closing of the merger is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by refe…

Other Events. On May 21, 2025, the Board of Directors of Equity Bancshares, Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.15 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on July 15, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2025. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Equity Bancshares…

of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.