Southern First Reports First Quarter 2026 Results

By PR Newswire | April 21, 2026, 8:30 AM

GREENVILLE, S.C., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST) (Southern First), today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2026. Strong loan growth and continued margin expansion drove year-over-year net interest income growth of 29%. Net income was $9.9 million and diluted earnings per share was $1.19, representing a $0.54, or 83%, increase over the first quarter of 2025, and relatively unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2025. Return on average assets was 0.91%, up 39 basis points over the first quarter of last year, and tangible common equity to assets was 8.29%, up 41 basis points from the first quarter of 2025. Net charge-offs were approximately $50 thousand, or 0.01% of average loans, annualized, consistent with linked quarter and year-over-year results. Nonperforming assets were 0.26% of total assets, down from 0.32% for the fourth quarter. Provision for credit losses increased by $650 thousand, and the allowance for credit losses represented 1.10% of loans, consistent with the past several quarters.

"We are excited to report our first quarter 2026 results which include record retail deposit growth of nearly $210 million, representing a 27% annualized growth rate. Our first quarter 2026 net income was $9.9 million and is 88% higher than the same quarter last year. We have tremendous momentum in growing client relationships and raised additional capital in the form of common equity this quarter to support our growth expectations," stated Art Seaver, Chief Executive Officer.

On April 15, 2026, Southern First announced an underwritten public offering of 1,050,000 shares of common stock and granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to 157,500 additional shares. The offering closed on April 17, 2026, with a total of 1,207,500 shares issued at $54.00 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $65.2 million before discounts and expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include supporting organic growth initiatives, providing capital to the Company's bank subsidiary, redeeming or repurchasing outstanding indebtedness, including subordinated debt, and for working capital purposes.

Financial Highlights – First Quarter 2026:

Earnings

  • Diluted earnings per common share was $1.19, up $0.54, or 83%, compared to the first quarter of 2025; and down slightly by $0.01 from the fourth quarter of 2025
  • Net income improved to $9.9 million, a $4.6 million increase, or 88%, compared to the first quarter of 2025
  • Total revenue was $33.8 million, an increase of $7.3 million, or 28%, year-over-year and $2.0 million on a linked quarter basis
  • Net interest income improved by $6.9 million, or 29% year-over-year, driven primarily by new loan volume
  • Net interest margin was 2.88%, a 16 basis point increase from 2.72% for the fourth quarter of 2025, and included a $543 thousand repayment of interest on one large nonaccrual loan
  • Noninterest income was $3.5 million compared to $3.1 million for the first quarter last year; the increase was impacted by a one-time $515 thousand loss on the sale of securities in the fourth quarter of 2025
  • Noninterest expense to average assets was 1.84%, compared to 1.87% for first quarter of 2025
  • Return on average equity was 10.67%, compared to 6.38% for the first quarter of 2025
  • Return on average assets was 0.91%, compared to 0.52% for the first quarter of 2025

Balance Sheet

  • Total loans were $3.9 billion, up $97.1 million, or 10% (annualized), from the fourth quarter of 2025
  • Retail deposits were $3.4 billion, up $207.8 million, or 27% (annualized) from the fourth quarter of 2025
  • Book value per common share was $46.00, an increase of 10% (annualized) from the fourth quarter of 2025
  • Tangible common equity (TCE) ratio was 8.29%, down 8 basis points on a linked quarter basis driven by loan growth, and up from 7.88% for the first quarter of 2025
  • Common equity Tier1 ratio (CET1) was 11.03%, down slightly from the fourth quarter of 2025, and up from 10.75% for the first quarter 2025

Asset Quality

  • Nonperforming assets to total assets were 0.26%, compared to 0.32% for the linked quarter, primarily due to the repayment of a large nonaccrual loan, while accruing loans 30 days or more past due to total loans were 0.20%, compared to 0.14% for the fourth quarter
  • Classified assets were 3.25% as a percentage of total loans compared to 4.28% for the linked quarter end
  • Provision for credit losses was $1.3 million and includes a $1.2 million provision for loan losses and a $150 thousand provision for unfunded commitments driven by new loan growth; Allowance for credit losses to total loans remained at 1.10% for the quarter
  • Net charge-offs were 0.01% as a percentage of average loans on an annualized basis

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA



















Quarter Ended



Mar 31 2026-





March 31

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31



Mar 31 2025





2026

2025

2025

2025

2025



Change

Income Statement Summary ($ in thousands):

















Net interest income

$

30,259

28,744

27,529

25,295

23,383



29.4 %

Noninterest income



3,540

3,090

3,600

3,334

3,114



13.7 %

Total Revenue



33,799

31,834

31,129

28,629

26,497



27.6 %

Provision for credit losses



1,300

650

850

700

750



73.3 %

Noninterest expense



20,015

18,416

18,946

19,336

18,836



6.3 %

Income before income tax expense



12,484

12,768

11,333

8,593

6,911



80.6 %

Income tax expense



2,597

2,911

2,671

2,012

1,645



57.9 %

Net income available to common shareholders



9,887

9,857

8,662

6,581

5,266



87.8 %



















Earnings ($ in thousands, except per share data):

















Earnings per common share, diluted



1.19

1.20

1.06

0.81

0.65



83.1 %

Net interest margin (tax-equivalent)(1)



2.88 %

2.72 %

2.62 %

2.50 %

2.41 %



0.47

Return on average assets(2)



0.91 %

0.90 %

0.80 %

0.63 %

0.52 %



0.39

Return on average equity(2)



10.67 %

10.77 %

9.78 %

7.71 %

6.38 %



4.29

Efficiency ratio(3)



59.22 %

57.85 %

60.86 %

67.54 %

71.08 %



(11.86)

Noninterest expense to average assets (2)



1.84 %

1.68 %

1.74 %

1.86 %

1.87 %



(0.03)

Balance Sheet ($ in thousands):

















Total loans(4)

$

3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021

3,746,841

3,683,919



7.0 %

Total deposits



3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417

3,636,329

3,620,886



7.0 %

Retail deposits(5)



3,371,721

3,163,914

3,108,411

3,075,631

3,020,392



11.6 %

Total assets



4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589

4,308,067

4,284,311



6.9 %

Book value per common share



46.00

44.89

43.51

42.23

41.33



11.3 %

Loans to deposits



101.78 %

103.45 %

103.06 %

103.04 %

101.74 %



0.04

Holding Company Capital Ratios(6):

















Total risk-based capital ratio



12.83 %

12.89 %

12.79 %

12.63 %

12.69 %



0.14

Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio



11.40 %

11.44 %

11.26 %

11.11 %

11.15 %



0.25

Leverage ratio



9.05 %

8.93 %

8.72 %

8.73 %

8.79 %



0.26

Common equity Tier 1 ratio(7)



11.03 %

11.06 %

10.88 %

10.71 %

10.75 %



0.28

Tangible common equity(8)



8.29 %

8.37 %

8.18 %

8.02 %

7.88 %



0.41

Asset Quality Ratios:

















Nonperforming assets/total assets



0.26 %

0.32 %

0.27 %

0.27 %

0.26 %



­­—

Classified assets/Tier 1 capital plus allowance for

credit losses



3.25 %

4.28 %

3.97 %

4.35 %

4.31 %



(1.06)

Accruing loans 30 days or more past due/loans(4)



0.20 %

0.14 %

0.18 %

0.14 %

0.27 %



(0.07)

Net charge-offs (recoveries)/average loans(4) (YTD

annualized)



0.01 %

0.00 %

0.00 %

0.00 %

0.00 %



0.01

Allowance for credit losses/loans(4)



1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %



Allowance for credit losses/nonaccrual loans



378.22 %

305.65 %

364.50 %

362.35 %

378.09 %



0.13

 

INCOME STATEMENTS – Unaudited





















Quarter Ended



Mar 31 2026 -





Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31



Mar 31 2025

(in thousands, except per share data)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025



Change

Interest income

















Loans

$

51,257

51,069

50,999

48,992

47,085



8.9 %

Investment securities



1,399

1,268

1,342

1,357

1,403



(0.3 %)

Federal funds sold



1,955

2,193

2,645

1,969

1,159



68.7 %

  Total interest income



54,611

54,530

54,986

52,318

49,647



10.0 %

Interest expense

















Deposits



21,697

23,052

24,703

24,300

23,569



(7.9 %)

Borrowings



2,655

2,734

2,754

2,723

2,695



(1.5 %)

  Total interest expense



24,352

25,786

27,457

27,023

26,264



(7.3 %)

Net interest income



30,259

28,744

27,529

25,295

23,383



29.4 %

Provision for credit losses



1,300

650

850

700

750



73.3 %

Net interest income after provision for credit losses



28,959

28,094

26,679

24,595

22,633



27.9 %

Noninterest income

















Mortgage banking income



1,493

1,689

1,600

1,569

1,424



4.8 %

Service fees on deposit accounts



756

634

625

567

539



40.3 %

ATM and debit card income



588

638

601

586

552



6.5 %

Income from bank owned life insurance



446

450

439

413

403



10.7 %

Loss on sale of securities



-

(515)

-

-

-



0.0 %

Other income



257

194

335

199

196



31.1 %

  Total noninterest income



3,540

3,090

3,600

3,334

3,114



13.7 %

Noninterest expense

















Compensation and benefits



11,980

10,529

11,299

11,674

11,304



6.0 %

Occupancy



2,490

2,465

2,447

2,523

2,548



(2.3 %)

Outside service and data processing costs



2,267

2,144

2,158

2,189

2,037



11.3 %

Insurance



892

994

961

910

1,010



(11.7 %)

Professional fees



675

732

605

609

509



32.6 %

Marketing



399

346

412

397

374



6.7 %

Other



1,312

1,206

1,064

1,034

1,054



24.5 %

  Total noninterest expenses



20,015

18,416

18,946

19,336

18,836



6.3 %

Income before provision for income taxes



12,484

12,768

11,333

8,593

6,911



80.6 %

Income tax expense



2,597

2,911

2,671

2,012

1,645



57.9 %

Net income available to common shareholders

$

9,887

9,857

8,662

6,581

5,266



87.7 %



















Earnings per common share – Basic

$

1.21

1.22

1.07

0.81

0.65



86.2 %

Earnings per common share – Diluted



1.19

1.20

1.06

0.81

0.65



83.1 %

Basic weighted average common shares



8,163

8,106

8,091

8,090

8,078



1.1 %

Diluted weighted average common shares



8,293

8,229

8,176

8,124

8,111



2.2 %

[Footnotes to table located on page 6]

 

NET INTEREST INCOME AND MARGIN - Unaudited













For the Three Months Ended



March 31, 2026

December 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

(dollars in thousands)

Average

Balance

Income/

Expense

Yield/

Rate(2)

Average

Balance

Income/

Expense

Yield/

Rate(2)

Average

Balance

Income/

Expense

Yield/

Rate(2)

Interest-earning assets



















Federal funds sold and interest-

bearing deposits

$     211,039

$     1,956

3.76 %

$     218,291

$     2,193

3.99 %

$     107,821

$     1,159

4.36 %

  Investment securities, taxable

141,309

1,368

3.93 %

138,616

1,229

3.52 %

143,609

1,361

3.84 %

  Investment securities, nontaxable(1)

6,332

40

2.58 %

7,641

51

2.63 %

7,914

55

2.80 %

  Loans(9)

3,899,002

51,257

5.33 %

3,830,741

51,069

5.29 %

3,673,912

47,085

5.20 %

    Total interest-earning assets

4,257,682

54,621

5.20 %

4,195,289

54,542

5.16 %

3,933,256

49,660

5.12 %

  Noninterest-earning assets

156,466





151,515





157,053





    Total assets

$4,414,148





$4,346,804





$4,090,309





Interest-bearing liabilities



















NOW accounts

$   421,527

1,102

1.06 %

$   360,509

834

0.92 %

$   306,707

597

0.79 %

Savings & money market

1,649,248

11,819

2.91 %

1,614,469

12,530

3.08 %

1,520,632

12,750

3.40 %

Time deposits

895,101

8,776

3.98 %

937,557

9,688

4.10 %

930,282

10,222

4.46 %

Total interest-bearing deposits

2,965,876

21,697

2.97 %

2,912,535

23,052

3.14 %

2,757,621

23,569

3.47 %

FHLB advances and other borrowings

240,000

2,245

3.79 %

240,000

2,295

3.79 %

240,000

2,244

3.79 %

Subordinated debentures

24,903

411

6.69 %

24,903

439

6.99 %

24,903

451

7.34 %

Total interest-bearing liabilities

3,230,779

24,353

3.06 %

3,177,438

25,786

3.22 %

3,022,524

26,264

3.52 %

Noninterest-bearing liabilities

807,686





806,235





732,761





Shareholders' equity

375,683





363,131





335,024





Total liabilities and shareholders'

equity

$4,414,148





$4,346,804





$4,090,309





Net interest spread





2.15 %





1.94 %





1.60 %

Net interest income (tax equivalent) /

margin



$30,268

2.88 %



$28,756

2.72 %



$23,396

2.41 %

Less: tax-equivalent adjustment(1)



9





12





13



Net interest income



$30,259





$28,744





$23,383



[Footnotes to table located on page 6]

 

BALANCE SHEETS - Unaudited



















Ending Balance



Mar 31 2026 -





Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31



Mar 31 2025

(in thousands, except per share data)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025



Change

Assets

















Cash and cash equivalents:

















  Cash and due from banks

$

32,723

27,821

24,600

25,184

24,904



31.4 %

  Federal funds sold



228,235

183,473

178,534

180,834

263,612



(13.4 %)

  Interest-bearing deposits with banks



81,818

58,289

79,769

65,014

16,541



394.6 %

    Total cash and cash equivalents



342,776

269,583

282,903

271,032

305,057



12.4 %

Investment securities:

















  Investment securities available for sale



124,224

127,730

131,040

128,867

131,290



(5.4 %)

  Other investments



20,377

20,063

20,066

19,906

19,927



2.3 %

    Total investment securities



144,601

147,793

151,106

148,773

151,217



(4.4 %)

Mortgage loans held for sale



13,723

11,569

6,906

10,739

11,524



19.1 %

Loans (5)



3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021

3,746,841

3,683,919



7.0 %

Less allowance for credit losses



(43,378)

(42,280)

(41,799)

(41,285)

(40,687)



6.6 %

    Loans, net



3,898,841

3,802,844

3,747,222

3,705,556

3,643,232



7.0 %

Bank owned life insurance



56,221

55,775

55,324

54,886

54,473



3.2 %

Property and equipment, net



88,580

83,465

84,586

85,921

87,369



1.4 %

Deferred income taxes



13,812

13,702

12,657

12,971

13,080



5.6 %

Other assets



19,848

18,763

17,885

18,189

18,359



8.1 %

    Total assets

$

4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589

4,308,067

4,284,311



6.9 %

Liabilities

















Deposits

$

3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417

3,636,329

3,620,886



7.0 %

FHLB Advances



240,000

240,000

240,000

240,000

240,000



0.0 %

Subordinated debentures



24,903

24,903

24,903

24,903

24,903



0.0 %

Other liabilities



60,631

53,131

60,921

61,373

60,924



(0.5 %)

    Total liabilities



4,198,989

4,034,837

4,002,241

3,962,605

3,946,713



6.4 %

Shareholders' equity

















Preferred stock - $.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares

authorized



-

-

-

-

-



0.0 %

Common Stock - $.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares

authorized



82

82

82

82

82



0.0 %

Nonvested restricted stock



(1,302)

(1,338)

(1,929)

(2,774)

(3,372)



(61.4 %)

Additional paid-in capital



127,168

125,924

125,035

124,839

124,561



2.1 %

Accumulated other comprehensive loss



(7,865)

(7,454)

(8,426)

(9,609)

(10,016)



(21.5 %)

Retained earnings



261,330

251,443

241,586

232,924

226,343



15.5 %

    Total shareholders' equity



379,413

368,657

356,348

345,462

337,598



12.4 %

    Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$

4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589

4,308,067

4,284,311



6.9 %



















Common Stock

















Book value per common share

$

46.00

44.89

43.51

42.23

41.33



11.3 %

Stock price:

















  High



61.08

55.50

45.54

38.51

38.50



58.6 %

  Low



51.26

41.15

38.74

30.61

31.88



60.8 %

  Period end



54.50

51.52

44.12

38.03

32.92



65.6 %

Common shares outstanding



8,248

8,213

8,189

8,181

8,169



1.0 %

[Footnotes to table located on page 6]

 

ASSET QUALITY MEASURES - Unaudited





Quarter Ended





March 31

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025

Nonperforming Assets













Commercial













  Owner occupied RE

$

2,317

259

262

-

-

  Non-owner occupied RE



1,712

6,917

6,911

6,941

6,950

  Commercial business



909

189

195

717

1,087

Consumer













  Real estate



5,786

5,763

3,394

3,028

2,414

  Home equity



745

705

705

708

310

Total nonaccrual loans



11,469

13,833

11,467

11,394

10,761

Other real estate owned



475

275

275

275

275

Total nonperforming assets

$

11,944

14,108

11,742

11,669

11,036

Nonperforming assets as a percentage of:













  Total assets



0.26 %

0.32 %

0.27 %

0.27 %

0.26 %

  Total loans



0.30 %

0.37 %

0.31 %

0.31 %

0.30 %

Classified assets/Tier 1 capital plus allowance for credit

losses



3.14 %

4.22 %

3.90 %

4.28 %

4.24 %

Accruing loans 30 days or more past due/loans(4)



0.20 %

0.14 %

0.18 %

0.14 %

0.27 %





Quarter Ended





March 31

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025

Allowance for Credit Losses













Balance, beginning of period

$

42,280

41,799

41,285

40,687

39,914

Loans charged-off



(78)

(150)

(55)

(68)

(78)

Recoveries of loans previously charged-off



26

81

69

16

101

  Net loans (charged-off) recovered



(52)

(69)

14

(52)

23

Provision for credit losses



1,150

550

500

650

750

Balance, end of period

$

43,378

42,280

41,799

41,285

40,687

Allowance for credit losses to gross loans



1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

Allowance for credit losses to nonaccrual loans



378.22 %

305.65 %

364.50 %

362.35 %

378.09 %

Net charge-offs (recoveries) to average loans QTD

(annualized)



0.01 %

0.01 %

0.00 %

0.01 %

0.00 %

[Footnotes to table located on page 6]

 

LOAN COMPOSITION - Unaudited





















Quarter Ended



Qtr



Yr





March 31

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31



Over Qtr



Over Yr

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025



$ Change



$ Change

Commercial





















Owner occupied RE

$

759,602

736,979

705,383

686,424

673,865



22,623



85,737

Non-owner occupied RE



950,696

956,812

943,304

939,163

926,246



(6,116)



24,450

Construction



69,463

63,666

71,928

68,421

90,021



5,797



(20,558)

Business



677,742

619,667

604,411

589,661

561,337



58,075



116,405

Total commercial loans



2,457,503

2,377,124

2,325,026

2,283,669

2,251,469



80,379



206,034

Consumer





















Real estate



1,148,129

1,153,285

1,159,693

1,164,187

1,147,357



(5,156)



772

Home equity



262,530

248,685

239,996

234,608

223,061



13,845



39,469

Construction



33,879

24,997

25,842

25,210

23,540



8,882



10,339

Other



40,178

41,033

38,464

39,167

38,492



(855)



1,686

Total consumer loans



1,484,716

1,468,000

1,463,995

1,463,172

1,432,450



16,716



52,266

Total gross loans, net of deferred fees    



3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021

3,746,841

3,683,919



97,095



258,300

Less—allowance for credit losses



(43,378)

(42,280)

(41,799)

(41,285)

(40,687)



(1,098)



(2,691)

Total loans, net

$

3,898,841

3,802,844

3,747,222

3,705,556

3,643,232



95,997



255,609























Yield on average loans



5.33 %

5.29 %

5.35 %

5.28 %

5.20 %



n/a



n/a

 

DEPOSIT COMPOSITION - Unaudited





















Quarter Ended



Qtr



Yr





March 31

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31



Over Qtr



Over Yr

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2025

2025

2025

2025



$ Change



$ Change

Non-interest bearing

$

799,692

732,287

736,518

761,492

671,609



67,405



128,083

Interest bearing:





















   NOW accounts



495,657

423,270

343,615

341,903

371,052



72,387



124,605

   Money market accounts



1,652,125

1,573,039

1,572,738

1,537,400

1,563,181



79,086



88,944

   Savings



30,332

29,470

29,381

32,334

32,945



862



(2,613)

   Time deposits, less than $250,000



170,496

180,783

202,353

194,064

181,407



(10,287)



(10,911)

   Time deposits, $250,000 and over(10)



725,153

777,954

791,812

769,136

800,692



(52,801)



(75,539)

  Total deposits

$

3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417

3,636,329

3,620,886



156,652



252,569























Total retail deposits



3,371,721

3,163,914

3,108,411

3,075,631

3,020,392



207,807



351,329

Total wholesale deposits



501,734

552,889

568,006

560,697

600,494



(51,155)



(98,760)

Cost of average deposits



2.37 %

2.50 %

2.69 %

2.75 %

2.78 %



n/a



n/a

Cost of average retail deposits



2.06 %

2.18 %

2.36 %

2.42 %

2.43 %



n/a



n/a

Loans to deposits



101.78 %

103.45 %

103.06 %

103.04 %

101.74 %



n/a



n/a

























Footnotes to tables:



 (1) The tax-equivalent adjustment to net interest income adjusts the yield for assets earning tax-exempt income to a comparable yield on a taxable basis.

 (2) Annualized for the respective three-month period.

 (3) Noninterest expense divided by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income.

 (4) Excludes mortgage loans held for sale.

 (5) Excludes out of market (wholesale) deposits totaling $501.7 million.

 (6) March 31, 2026 ratios are preliminary.

 (7) The common equity Tier 1 ratio is calculated as the sum of common equity divided by risk-weighted assets.

 (8) The tangible common equity ratio is calculated as total equity less preferred stock divided by total assets.

 (9) Includes mortgage loans held for sale.

(10) Includes out of market deposits

 

ABOUT SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES

Southern First Bancshares, Inc., Greenville, South Carolina is a registered bank holding company incorporated under the laws of South Carolina. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, Southern First Bank, is the second largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. Southern First Bank has been providing financial services since 1999 and now operates in 12 locations in the Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston markets of South Carolina as well as the Charlotte, Triangle and Triad regions of North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. Southern First Bancshares has consolidated assets of approximately $4.6 billion and its common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "SFST."  More information can be found at www.southernfirst.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to future plans and expectations, and are thus prospective. Such forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "preliminary", "intend," "plan," "target," "continue," "lasting," and "project," as well as similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, we can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by our company or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by our company will be achieved.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: (1) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly and have an effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; (2) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the company conducts operations may be different than expected; (3) the rate of delinquencies and amounts of charge-offs, the level of allowance for credit loss, the rates of loan and deposit growth as well as pricing of each product, or adverse changes in asset quality in our loan portfolio, which may result in increased credit risk-related losses and expenses; (4) changes in legislation, regulation, policies, or administrative practices, whether by judicial, governmental, or legislative action, including, but not limited to, changes affecting oversight of the financial services industry or consumer protection; (5) the impact of changes to Congress and the office of the President on the regulatory landscape and capital markets; (6) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) could continue to have a negative impact on the company; (7) changes in interest rates, which may continue to affect the company's net income, interest expense, prepayment penalty income, mortgage banking income, and other future cash flows, or the market value of the company's assets, including its investment securities; (8) trade wars, government shutdowns, or a potential recession which may cause adverse risk to the overall economy, and could indirectly pose challenges to our clients and to our business; (9) any increase in FDIC assessments which have increased and may continue to increase our cost of doing business; and (10) changes in accounting principles, policies, practices, or guidelines. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements above. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law.

MEDIA CONTACT:

ART SEAVER  864-679-9010

FINANCIAL CONTACT:

CHRIS ZYCH 864-679-9070

WEB SITE: www.southernfirst.com

Cision
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SOURCE Southern First Bancshares, Inc.

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