First Palmetto Bank
Camden, South Carolina, Kershaw County
$1.1B in total assets, the 979th largest of 4,309 US banks and 14th of 44 headquartered in South Carolina.
- FDIC certificate
- 28396
- Established
- 1904
- Owned by
- First Palmetto Financial Corp
- Primary regulator
- FDIC
- Website
- www.firstpalmetto.com
At a glance
Compared with 12 banks headquartered in South Carolina with $1 billion to $10 billion in assets, as of June 30, 2026.
| Measure | This bank | Percentile | Peer range, middle 90% | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $1.1B | 2% | $1.8B | |
| Loans | $797M | 17% | $1.0B | |
| Deposits | $994M | 8% | $1.5B | |
| Return on assets | 1.25% | 75% | 1.17% | |
| Net interest margin | 3.59% | 50% | 3.54% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 54.8% | 17% | 59.2% | |
| Equity to assets | 9.21% | 42% | 9.55% | |
| Loans to deposits | 80% | 42% | 84% |
Growth
Total assets grew 5.0% a year over the last 5 years and 5.8% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Acquisitions
| Closed | Acquired bank | Assets at acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 1992 | First Federal Savings and Loan Association Darlington, SC | $26M |
| Oct 1990 | First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Camden Camden, SC | $98M |
| Nov 1980 | Patriot Federal Savings and Loan Association Lake City, SC | n/a |
Where they operate
22 branches in 12 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kershaw County, SC | $308M | 31.4% | 1 of 7 |
| Horry County, SC | $187M | 1.5% | 14 of 21 |
| Richland County, SC | $135M | 0.7% | 11 of 23 |
| Lexington County, SC | $83M | 1.2% | 14 of 19 |
| Lancaster County, SC | $73M | 7.7% | 5 of 10 |
| Greenville County, SC | $56M | 0.3% | 28 of 36 |
Deposits by branch from the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 2026. Rank among all banks with branches in that county.
Branch history since 2016
Net gain of 1 branch since 2016 (21 to 22, +4.8%). 5 opened, 0 acquired, 4 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 21 | |||
| 2016 | Opened Little River and Loris | 2 | 0 | +2 | 23 |
| 2017 | Closed Myrtle Beach | 0 | 1 | −1 | 22 |
| 2018 | Opened BethuneClosed Columbia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| 2020 | Opened Columbia | 1 | 0 | +1 | 23 |
| 2021 | Opened GreenvilleClosed North Myrtle Beach | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 |
| 2022 | Closed Charleston | 0 | 1 | −1 | 22 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate | 46% | 38% | |
| 1-4 family residential | 39% | 33% | |
| Construction and land | 10% | 11% | |
| Business (C&I) | 3% | 8% | |
| Consumer | 1% | 6% | |
| Multifamily | 1% | 3% | |
| Farmland | 1% | 1% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 45% | 56% | |
| Time deposits | 33% | 24% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 21% | 21% |
Brokered deposits are 0.0% of deposits (peers 6.7%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.15% | 0.11% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Reserves to loans | 1.55% | 1.12% |
| Leverage ratio | 9.42% | 9.74% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in South Carolina
Largest competitors in Kershaw County, SC
Figures as of June 30, 2026 from the bank's Call Report, FDIC structure and branch data, and the Federal Reserve. Short link: bankingstats.com/first-palmetto