Southern First Bancshares is the holding company for Southern First Bank, a South Carolina-chartered commercial bank operating 12 retail offices across seven markets in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Southern First takes deposits and makes loans to small and mid-sized businesses and individuals, competing in the community banking segment on the basis of personalized, relationship-driven service rather than branch scale. The bank markets this approach as "ClientFIRST" — each customer gets a dedicated banker — and targets markets where community banks have been absorbed by large regional or national institutions. Southern First grows by hiring experienced bankers who bring existing client relationships, rather than opening branches. The loan portfolio is heavily weighted toward real estate, with commercial real estate making up roughly 44% of loans and consumer real estate another 36.5%. Like most banks, Southern First earns the spread between deposit rates and loan rates, and manages profitability through loan volume growth, net interest margin, credit quality, and operating efficiency. The bank keeps overhead low with a deliberately lean branch network, and roughly 58% of deposits come through remote or mobile channels rather than physical offices. Southern First has grown entirely organically, expanding from South Carolina into North Carolina and Atlanta using its banker-hiring playbook, with a new office planned for Cary, North Carolina in late 2026.