Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) is the bank holding company for Southern First Bank, a community-focused financial institution headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Through its subsidiary bank, the company provides a full range of commercial and consumer banking services to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and professional clients. Southern First Bancshares operates as a single-bank holding company under Federal Reserve oversight, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making, and relationship banking.
The company’s core business activities include accepting a variety of deposit accounts such as checking, savings, money market, and certificate of deposit products. On the lending side, Southern First Bancshares offers commercial real estate, construction, equipment financing, and lines of credit tailored to the needs of local enterprises. For individual customers, the bank provides mortgage lending, home equity financing, and consumer installment loans. Wealth management and trust services are also available through dedicated teams, delivering investment management, retirement planning, fiduciary administration, and estate settlement solutions.
Geographically, Southern First Bancshares serves communities across upstate South Carolina and the Charlotte metropolitan area in North Carolina. Its branch network and ATMs are concentrated in Greenville, Spartanburg, and surrounding counties, with select locations in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. The company’s strategy focuses on deepening market penetration in its core footprint by leveraging local market expertise, community involvement, and strategic partnerships with real estate, legal, and accounting professionals.
Founded in 1999 and headquartered on Main Street in downtown Greenville, Southern First Bancshares has grown through organic expansion and selective de novo branch openings. The company is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert R. Brooks Jr., supported by a senior management team with extensive regional banking experience. This leadership group is committed to maintaining strong capital levels, prudent risk management practices, and a customer-centric culture that reflects the institution’s long-standing community banking heritage.
