Southern First Bank
Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville County
$4.7B in total assets, the 307th largest of 4,309 US banks and 2nd of 44 headquartered in South Carolina.
- FDIC certificate
- 35295
- Established
- 2000
- Owned by
- Southern First Bancshares Inc
- Primary regulator
- FDIC
- Website
- http://www.southernfirst.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 | $4.7B | 98% | $1.6B | |
| Loans | $4.0B | 98% | $955M | |
| Deposits | $4.0B | 98% | $1.4B | |
| Return on assets | 0.92% | 8% | 1.19% | |
| Net interest margin | 2.93% | 2% | 3.60% | |
| Efficiency ratio | 57.4% | 25% | 59.2% | |
| Equity to assets | 8.68% | 17% | 9.55% | |
| Loans to deposits | 101% | 98% | 80% |
Growth
Total assets grew 12.2% a year over the last 5 years and 13.8% a year over 10 years, without acquisitions.
Where they operate
12 branches in 8 counties.
Largest markets by deposits
| County | Deposits | Market share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County, SC | $1.7B | 9.5% | 5 of 36 |
| Charleston County, SC | $761M | 3.7% | 8 of 32 |
| Fulton County, GA | $573M | 0.4% | 14 of 46 |
| Lexington County, SC | $349M | 5.1% | 6 of 19 |
| Wake County, NC | $275M | 0.3% | 17 of 36 |
| Guilford County, NC | $149M | 1.1% | 16 of 22 |
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 3 branches since 2016 (9 to 12, +33.3%). 5 opened, 0 acquired, 2 closed or sold.
| Period | What happened | Opened or acquired | Closed or sold | Net change | Branches at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | Starting point | 9 | |||
| 2017 | Opened Atlanta and Raleigh | 2 | 0 | +2 | 11 |
| 2019 | Opened Greensboro and Summerville | 2 | 0 | +2 | 13 |
| 2020 | Closed Columbia and Lexington | 0 | 2 | −2 | 11 |
| 2021 | Opened Charlotte | 1 | 0 | +1 | 12 |
Balance sheet and earnings
Loans by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 family residential | 42% | 32% | |
| Commercial real estate | 37% | 39% | |
| Business (C&I) | 11% | 8% | |
| Construction and land | 6% | 11% | |
| Multifamily | 2% | 3% | |
| Consumer | 1% | 6% | |
| Farmland | 1% | 1% |
Deposits by type
| Type | Share | This bank | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other interest-bearing | 60% | 54% | |
| Noninterest-bearing | 20% | 21% | |
| Time deposits | 20% | 25% |
Brokered deposits are 9.5% of deposits (peers 5.9%).
Return on assets
Trailing four quarters, with the peer median.
Credit and capital
| This bank | Peer median | |
|---|---|---|
| Noncurrent loans | 0.28% | 0.11% |
| Net charge-offs, annualized | 0.01% | 0.02% |
| Reserves to loans | 1.09% | 1.14% |
| Leverage ratio | 8.89% | 9.74% |
Noncurrent loans exclude government-guaranteed portions.
Related banks
Similar size in South Carolina
Largest competitors in Greenville 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/southern-first