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Southern First Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

By PR Newswire | October 20, 2026, 8:45 AM

GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST) (Southern First), today announced its financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2026. Strong loan growth and continued margin expansion drove year-over-year net interest income growth of 26%. Net income was $12.2 million and diluted earnings per share was $1.28, representing a $0.22, or 21% increase over the third quarter of 2025, and an $0.08 increase from the second quarter of 2026. Return on average assets was 1.03%, up 23 basis points over the third quarter of last year, and tangible common equity to assets was 9.47%, up 129 basis points from the third quarter of 2025. Key asset quality metrics were consistent both on a linked quarter and year-over-year basis. Net charge-offs were approximately $719 thousand, or 0.07% of average loans, annualized, and nonperforming assets were 0.30% of total assets. Provision for credit losses increased by $375 thousand from the prior quarter, and the allowance for credit losses represented 1.07% of loans.

Southern First logo.

"The consistent high performance of our company continued in the third quarter. We increased retail client deposits by $163 million, representing an 18% annualized growth rate, while our loan portfolio grew by $145 million or 14% annualized growth during the quarter. Our team's focus on organic growth and delivering an excellent client experience is creating tremendous value for our company and its shareholders. We capitalized on profitable growth opportunities and robust business activity across our markets while maintaining disciplined expense management. As a result, we further expanded margin and improved overall profitability metrics. Our third quarter net income was $12.2 million, a 41% increase from the same quarter last year and a 9% increase over the second quarter of 2026. We are proud of our accomplishments in the third quarter, which we believe put us in a great position to finish strong in 2026," stated Art Seaver, Chief Executive Officer.

Financial Highlights – Third Quarter 2026:

Earnings

  • Diluted earnings per common share was $1.28, up $0.22 or 21% compared to the third quarter of 2025 and up by $0.08 from the second quarter of 2026
  • Net income improved to $12.2 million, a $3.6 million increase or 41% compared to the third quarter of 2025 and a $1.0 million increase or 9%, compared to the second quarter of 2026
  • Total revenue was $37.5 million, an increase of $6.4 million or 21% year-over-year and $1.7 million on a linked quarter basis
  • Net interest income improved by $7.1 million or 26% year-over-year driven primarily by new loan volume
  • Net interest margin was 3.02%, a 40-basis point increase from 2.62% for the third quarter of 2025 and a 15-basis point increase from the second quarter of 2026
  • Noninterest income was $2.9 million compared to $3.6 million for the third quarter of 2025, due to retaining a larger percentage of mortgage loans rather than selling to the secondary market
  • Service fees on deposit accounts increased 45% compared to the third quarter of 2025 and 5% from last quarter due in part to an increased focus on treasury management services
  • Noninterest expense to average assets was 1.71%, compared to 1.74% for the third quarter of 2025
  • Return on average equity was 10.54%, compared to 9.78% for the third quarter of 2025
  • Return on average assets was 1.03%, compared to 0.80% for the third quarter of 2025

Balance Sheet

  • Total loans were $4.2 billion, up $145 million or 14% (annualized) from the second quarter of 2026
  • Retail deposits were $3.7 billion, up $163 million or 18% (annualized) from the second quarter of 2026
  • Wholesale deposits were reduced by $181.5 million, or 32% from the third quarter of 2025 and increased by only $7 million from the second quarter of 2026
  • Book value per common share was $48.68, an increase of 8% (annualized) from the second quarter of 2026
  • Tangible common equity (TCE) ratio was 9.47%, down 15 basis points on a linked quarter basis and up from 8.18% for the third quarter of 2025
  • Common Equity Tier 1 ratio (CET1) was 12.75%, down seven basis points from the second quarter of 2026 and up from 10.88% for the third quarter of 2025

Asset Quality

  • Nonperforming assets to total assets were 0.30%, compared to 0.27% for the linked quarter, while accruing loans 30 days or more past due to total loans decreased to 0.09%, compared to 0.10% for the second quarter of 2026
  • Classified assets/Tier 1 capital plus allowance for credit losses was 3.25% compared to 3.15% for the linked quarter end
  • Provision for credit losses was $1.4 million and includes a $1.2 million provision for loan losses and a $220 thousand provision for unfunded commitments driven by new loan growth; allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.07% for the quarter
  • Net charge-offs were 0.07% as a percentage of average loans on an annualized basis

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA - Unaudited





















Quarter Ended









Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30



3Q26 vs 3Q25





2026

2026

2026

2025

2025



$ Change

% Change

Income Statement Summary ($ in thousands):



















Net interest income

$

34,666

32,370

30,259

28,744

27,529



7,137

25.9 %

Noninterest income



2,864

3,508

3,540

3,090

3,600



(736)

(20.4 %)

Total Revenue



37,530

35,878

33,799

31,834

31,129



6,401

20.6 %

Provision for credit losses



1,400

1,025

1,300

650

850



550

64.7 %

Noninterest expense



20,304

20,393

20,015

18,416

18,946



1,358

7.2 %

Income before income tax expense



15,826

14,460

12,484

12,768

11,333



4,493

39.6 %

Income tax expense



3,599

3,265

2,597

2,911

2,671



928

34.7 %

Net income available to common shareholders



12,227

11,195

9,887

9,857

8,662



3,565

41.2 %

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



















Earnings per common share, diluted



1.28

1.20

1.19

1.20

1.06



0.22

20.8 %

Net interest margin (tax-equivalent)(1)



3.02 %

2.87 %

2.88 %

2.72 %

2.62 %



­­—

­­—

Return on average assets(2)



1.03 %

0.96 %

0.91 %

0.90 %

0.80 %



­­—

­­—

Return on average equity(2)



10.54 %

10.28 %

10.67 %

10.77 %

9.78 %



­­—

­­—

Efficiency ratio(3)



54.10 %

56.84 %

59.22 %

57.85 %

60.86 %



­­—

­­—

Noninterest expense to average assets (2)



1.71 %

1.75 %

1.84 %

1.68 %

1.74 %



­­—

­­—

Balance Sheet ($ in thousands):



















Total loans(4)

$

4,175,526

4,030,255

3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021



386,505

10.2 %

Total deposits



4,105,204

3,935,452

3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417



428,787

11.7 %

Retail deposits(5)



3,718,676

3,556,045

3,371,721

3,163,914

3,108,411



610,265

19.6 %

Total assets



4,880,902

4,700,171

4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589



522,313

12.0 %

Book value per common share



48.68

47.77

46.00

44.89

43.51



5.17

11.9 %

Loans to deposits



101.71 %

102.41 %

101.78 %

103.45 %

103.06 %



­­—

­­—

Holding Company Capital Ratios(6):



















Total risk-based capital ratio



14.29 %

14.42 %

12.83 %

12.89 %

12.79 %



­­—

­­—

Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio



13.09 %

13.19 %

11.40 %

11.44 %

11.26 %



­­—

­­—

Leverage ratio



10.30 %

10.11 %

9.05 %

8.93 %

8.72 %



­­—

­­—

Common Equity Tier 1 ratio(7)



12.74 %

12.82 %

11.03 %

11.06 %

10.88 %



­­—

­­—

Tangible common equity(8)



9.47 %

9.62 %

8.29 %

8.37 %

8.18 %



­­—

­­—

Asset Quality Ratios:



















Nonperforming assets/total assets



0.30 %

0.27 %

0.26 %

0.32 %

0.27 %



­­—

­­—

Classified assets/Tier 1 capital plus allowance for credit losses



3.25 %

3.15 %

3.25 %

4.28 %

3.97 %



­­—

­­—

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



0.09 %

0.10 %

0.20 %

0.14 %

0.18 %



­­—

­­—

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



0.03 %

0.01 %

0.01 %

0.00 %

0.00 %



­­—

­­—

Allowance for credit losses/loans(4)



1.07 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %



­­—

­­—

Allowance for credit losses/nonaccrual loans



350.76 %

395.41 %

378.22 %

305.65 %

364.50 %



­­—

­­—























[Footnotes to table located on page 7]

INCOME STATEMENTS – Unaudited























Quarter Ended









Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30



3Q26 vs 3Q25

(in thousands, except per share data)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025



$ Change

% Change

Interest income



















Loans

$

56,081

53,077

51,257

51,069

50,999



5,082

10.0 %

Investment securities



1,666

1,504

1,399

1,268

1,342



324

24.1 %

Federal funds sold



2,754

3,550

1,955

2,193

2,645



109

4.1 %

  Total interest income



60,501

58,131

54,611

54,530

54,986



5,515

10.0 %

Interest expense



















Deposits



23,356

23,094

21,697

23,052

24,703



(1,347)

(5.5 %)

Borrowings



2,479

2,667

2,655

2,734

2,754



(275)

(10.0 %)

  Total interest expense



25,835

25,761

24,352

25,786

27,457



(1,622)

(5.9 %)

Net interest income



34,666

32,370

30,259

28,744

27,529



7,137

25.9 %

Provision for credit losses



1,400

1,025

1,300

650

850



550

64.7 %

Net interest income after provision for credit losses



33,266

31,345

28,959

28,094

26,679



6,587

24.7 %

Noninterest income



















Mortgage banking income



638

1,323

1,493

1,689

1,600



(962)

(60.1 %)

Service fees on deposit accounts



906

866

756

634

625



281

45.0 %

ATM and debit card income



622

651

588

638

601



21

3.5 %

Income from bank owned life insurance



481

457

446

450

439



42

9.6 %

Loss on sale of securities



-

-

-

(515)

-



-

0.0 %

Other income



217

211

257

194

335



(118)

(35.2 %)

  Total noninterest income



2,864

3,508

3,540

3,090

3,600



(736)

(20.4 %)

Noninterest expense



















Compensation and benefits



12,078

12,252

11,980

10,529

11,299



779

6.9 %

Occupancy



2,553

2,551

2,490

2,465

2,447



106

4.3 %

Outside service and data processing costs



2,403

2,416

2,267

2,144

2,158



245

11.4 %

Insurance



939

858

892

994

961



(22)

(2.3 %)

Professional fees



758

782

675

732

605



153

25.3 %

Marketing



420

423

399

346

412



8

1.9 %

Other



1,153

1,111

1,312

1,206

1,064



89

8.4 %

  Total noninterest expenses



20,304

20,393

20,015

18,416

18,946



1,358

7.2 %

Income before provision for income taxes



15,826

14,460

12,484

12,768

11,333



4,493

39.6 %

Income tax expense



3,599

3,265

2,597

2,911

2,671



928

34.7 %

Net income available to common shareholders

$

12,227

11,195

9,887

9,857

8,662



3,565

41.2 %





















Earnings per common share – Basic

$

1.30

1.22

1.21

1.22

1.07



0.23

21.5 %

Earnings per common share – Diluted



1.28

1.20

1.19

1.20

1.06



0.22

20.8 %

Basic weighted average common shares



9,426

9,185

8,163

8,106

8,091



1,335

16.5 %

Diluted weighted average common shares



9,567

9,319

8,293

8,229

8,176



1,391

17.0 %

 [Footnotes to table located on page 7]

NET INTEREST INCOME AND MARGIN - Unaudited













For the Three Months Ended



September 30, 2026

June 30, 2026

September 30, 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

$     291,431

$     2,754

3.75 %

$     384,694

$     3,550

3.70 %

$     238,552

$     2,645

4.40 %

  Investment securities, taxable

162,554

1,635

3.99 %

147,886

1,473

4.00 %

141,143

1,307

3.67 %

  Investment securities, nontaxable(1)

6,004

40

2.66 %

6,283

40

2.57 %

7,811

45

2.31 %

  Loans(9)

4,102,292

56,081

5.42 %

3,978,639

53,077

5.35 %

3,783,885

50,999

5.35 %

    Total interest-earning assets

4,562,281

60,510

5.26 %

4,517,502

58,140

5.16 %

4,171,391

54,996

5.23 %

  Noninterest-earning assets

158,185





157,905





150,552





    Total assets

$4,720,466





$4,675,407





$4,321,943





Interest-bearing liabilities



















NOW accounts

$   536,071

2,080

1.54 %

$   500,978

1,738

1.39 %

$   329,301

746

0.90 %

Savings & money market

1,816,413

13,856

3.03 %

1,752,548

12,908

2.95 %

1,599,710

13,509

3.35 %

Time deposits

768,768

7,420

3.83 %

871,563

8,448

3.89 %

984,078

10,448

4.21 %

Total interest-bearing deposits

3,121,252

23,356

2.97 %

3,125,089

23,094

2.96 %

2,913,089

24,703

3.36 %

FHLB advances and other borrowings

240,043

2,272

3.76 %

240,000

2,252

3.76 %

240,087

2,296

3.79 %

Subordinated debentures

13,403

207

6.13 %

24,777

415

6.72 %

24,903

458

7.30 %

Total interest-bearing liabilities

3,374,698

25,835

3.04 %

3,389,866

25,761

3.05 %

3,178,079

27,457

3.43 %

Noninterest-bearing liabilities

885,686





848,704





792,575





Shareholders' equity

460,082





436,837





351,289





Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$4,720,466





$4,675,407





$4,321,943





Net interest spread





2.23 %





2.11 %





1.80 %

Net interest income (tax equivalent) / margin



$34,675

3.02 %



$32,379

2.87 %



$27,539

2.62 %

Less: tax-equivalent adjustment(1)



9





9





10



Net interest income



$34,666





$32,370





$27,529



[Footnotes to table located on page 7]

BALANCE SHEETS - Unaudited





















Ending Balance









Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30



3Q26 vs 3Q25

(in thousands, except per share data)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025



$ Change

% Change

Assets



















Cash and cash equivalents:



















  Cash and due from banks

$

21,615

30,102

32,723

27,821

24,600



(2,985)

(12.1 %)

  Federal funds sold



268,891

259,049

228,235

183,473

178,534



90,357

50.6 %

  Interest-bearing deposits with banks



108,993

72,483

81,818

58,289

79,769



29,224

36.6 %

    Total cash and cash equivalents



399,499

361,634

342,776

269,583

282,903



116,596

41.2 %

Investment securities:



















  Investment securities available for sale



146,321

144,388

124,224

127,730

131,040



15,281

11.7 %

  Other investments



20,473

20,484

20,377

20,063

20,066



407

2.0 %

    Total investment securities



166,794

164,872

144,601

147,793

151,106



15,688

10.4 %

Mortgage loans held for sale



2,678

8,594

13,723

11,569

6,906



(4,228)

(61.2 %)

Loans (4)



4,175,526

4,030,255

3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021



386,505

10.2 %

Less allowance for credit losses



(44,693)

(44,232)

(43,378)

(42,280)

(41,799)



(2,894)

6.9 %

    Loans, net



4,130,833

3,986,023

3,898,841

3,802,844

3,747,222



383,611

10.2 %

Bank owned life insurance



57,159

56,677

56,221

55,775

55,324



1,835

3.3 %

Property and equipment, net



87,524

88,006

88,580

83,465

84,586



2,938

3.5 %

Deferred income taxes



15,020

13,946

13,812

13,702

12,657



2,363

18.7 %

Other assets



21,395

20,419

19,848

18,763

17,885



3,510

19.6 %

    Total assets

$

4,880,902

4,700,171

4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589



522,313

12.0 %

Liabilities



















Deposits

$

4,105,204

3,935,452

3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417



428,787

11.7 %

FHLB Advances



240,000

240,000

240,000

240,000

240,000



-

0.0 %

Subordinated debentures



13,403

13,403

24,903

24,903

24,903



(11,500)

(46.2 %)

Other liabilities



60,243

59,048

60,631

53,131

60,921



(678)

(1.1 %)

    Total liabilities



4,418,850

4,247,903

4,198,989

4,034,837

4,002,241



416,609

10.4 %

Shareholders' equity



















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



-

-

-

-

-



-

-

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



95

95

82

82

82



13

15.9 %

Nonvested restricted stock



(185)

(912)

(1,302)

(1,338)

(1,929)



1,744

(90.4 %)

Additional paid-in capital



189,801

188,932

127,168

125,924

125,035



64,766

51.8 %

Accumulated other comprehensive loss



(12,411)

(8,372)

(7,865)

(7,454)

(8,426)



(3,985)

47.3 %

Retained earnings



284,752

272,525

261,330

251,443

241,586



43,166

17.9 %

    Total shareholders' equity



462,052

452,268

379,413

368,657

356,348



105,704

29.7 %

    Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$

4,880,902

4,700,171

4,578,402

4,403,494

4,358,589



522,313

12.0 %





















Common Stock



















Book value per common share

$

48.68

47.77

46.00

44.89

43.51



5.17

11.9 %

Stock price:



















  High



64.60

61.51

61.08

55.50

45.54



19.06

41.9 %

  Low



59.26

54.95

51.26

41.15

38.74



20.52

53.0 %

  Period end



59.26

61.10

54.50

51.52

44.12



15.14

34.3 %

Common shares outstanding



9,491

9,468

8,248

8,213

8,189



1,302

15.9 %























[Footnotes to table located on page 7]

ASSET QUALITY MEASURES - Unaudited





Quarter Ended





September 30

June 30

March 31

December 31

September 30

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025

Nonperforming Assets













Commercial













  Owner occupied RE

$

4,100

2,667

2,317

259

262

  Non-owner occupied RE



2,013

2,030

1,712

6,917

6,911

  Commercial business



1,376

1,330

909

189

195

Consumer













  Real estate



4,901

4,805

5,786

5,763

3,394

  Home equity



352

354

745

705

705

Total nonaccrual loans



12,742

11,186

11,469

13,833

11,467

Other real estate owned



1,693

1,375

475

275

275

Total nonperforming assets

$

14,435

12,561

11,944

14,108

11,742

Nonperforming assets as a percentage of:













  Total assets



0.30 %

0.27 %

0.26 %

0.32 %

0.27 %

  Total loans



0.35 %

0.31 %

0.30 %

0.37 %

0.31 %

Classified assets/Tier 1 capital plus allowance for credit losses



3.25 %

3.15 %

3.25 %

4.28 %

3.97 %

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



0.09 %

0.10 %

0.20 %

0.14 %

0.18 %





 

Quarter Ended





September 30

June 30

March 31

December 31

September 30

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025

Allowance for Credit Losses













Balance, beginning of period

$

44,232

43,378

42,280

41,799

41,285

Loans charged-off



(727)

(155)

(78)

(150)

(55)

Recoveries of loans previously charged-off



8

59

26

81

69

  Net loans (charged-off) recovered



(719)

(96)

(52)

(69)

14

Provision for credit losses - loans



1,180

950

1,150

550

500

Balance, end of period

$

44,693

44,232

43,378

42,280

41,799

Allowance for credit losses to gross loans



1.07 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

1.10 %

Allowance for credit losses to nonaccrual loans



350.76 %

395.41 %

378.22 %

305.65 %

364.50 %

Net charge-offs (recoveries) to average loans QTD (annualized)



0.07 %

0.01 %

0.01 %

0.01 %

0.00 %

[Footnotes to table located on page 7]

LOAN COMPOSITION - Unaudited



















Quarter Ended









Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30



3Q26 vs 3Q25

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025



$ Change

% Change

Commercial



















Owner occupied RE

$

776,310

755,419

759,602

736,979

705,383



70,927

10.1 %

Non-owner occupied RE



1,035,079

967,698

950,696

956,812

943,304



91,775

9.7 %

Construction



78,346

66,105

69,463

63,666

71,928



6,418

8.9 %

Business



720,487

713,017

677,742

619,667

604,411



116,076

19.2 %

Total commercial loans



2,610,222

2,502,239

2,457,503

2,377,124

2,325,026



285,196

12.3 %

Consumer



















Real estate



1,184,127

1,167,282

1,148,129

1,153,285

1,159,693



24,434

2.1 %

Home equity



289,725

273,017

262,530

248,685

239,996



49,729

20.7 %

Construction



44,377

36,371

33,879

24,997

25,842



18,535

71.7 %

Other



47,075

51,346

40,178

41,033

38,464



8,611

22.4 %

Total consumer loans



1,565,304

1,528,016

1,484,716

1,468,000

1,463,995



101,309

6.9 %

Total gross loans, net of deferred fees    



4,175,526

4,030,255

3,942,219

3,845,124

3,789,021



386,505

10.2 %

Less—allowance for credit losses



(44,693)

(44,232)

(43,378)

(42,280)

(41,799)



(2,894)

6.9 %

Total loans, net

$

4,130,833

3,986,023

3,898,841

3,802,844

3,747,222



383,611

10.2 %





















Yield on average loans



5.42 %

5.35 %

5.33 %

5.29 %

5.35 %



­­—

­­—

DEPOSIT COMPOSITION - Unaudited



















Quarter Ended









Sept 30

Jun 30

Mar 31

Dec 31

Sept 30



3Q26 vs 3Q25

(dollars in thousands)



2026

2026

2026

2025

2025



$ Change

% Change

Non-interest bearing

$

823,165

799,246

799,692

732,287

736,518



86,647

11.8 %

Interest bearing:



















   NOW accounts



567,855

538,443

495,657

423,270

343,615



224,240

65.3 %

   Money market accounts



1,871,255

1,765,697

1,652,125

1,573,039

1,572,738



298,517

19.0 %

   Savings



29,792

29,460

30,332

29,470

29,381



411

1.4 %

   Time deposits, less than $250,000



173,487

175,971

170,496

180,783

202,353



(28,866)

(14.3 %)

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



639,650

626,635

725,153

777,954

791,812



(152,162)

(19.2 %)

Total deposits

$

4,105,204

3,935,452

3,873,455

3,716,803

3,676,417



428,787

11.7 %





















Total retail deposits



3,718,676

3,556,045

3,371,721

3,163,914

3,108,411



610,265

19.6 %

Total wholesale deposits



386,528

379,407

501,734

552,889

568,006



(181,478)

(32.0 %)

Cost of average deposits



2.35 %

2.37 %

2.37 %

2.50 %

2.69 %



­­—

­­—

Cost of average retail deposits



2.16 %

2.11 %

2.06 %

2.18 %

2.36 %



­­—

­­—

Loans to deposits



101.71 %

102.41 %

101.78 %

103.45 %

103.06 %



­­—

­­—























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 $386.5 million.

 (6) September 30, 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 $4.9 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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