GSA Daily Staff Report
Published March 3, 2010

Christopher S. Gompper has been promoted to interim president of bank operations for Carolina First bank in North Carolina and South Carolina, parent company The South Financial Group Inc. said today.

Gompper’s focus will be day-to-day implementation of the bank’s strategy and plans to be the relationship bank of choice in local markets. Gompper also will be responsible for retail performance and delivery functions, marketing and wealth management.

He will take over responsibilities formerly held by Scott Frierson, who left the bank last September.

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Carolina First bank president resigns

“We are pleased to have someone with Chris’ depth of experience and solid balance of sales, banking and strategy in this position,” said Lynn Harton, President and CEO of The South Financial Group. “He has the leadership abilities to build on the successful momentum of our local teams and to continue to aggressively take the steps necessary to improve our financial performance.”

Gompper, pictured, has more than 25 years of banking experience. He joined Carolina First in June 2005 as executive vice president of bank strategy and business segment performance. He was responsible for bank strategy and performance of commercial, retail and private banking, including marketing and branch administration functions. Additionally, Gompper managed the corporate level business units for treasury and merchant services, international, brokerage and trust.

“Our team in the Carolinas is focused on making a difference for our customers and communities,” Gompper said. “I am delighted to take on this new role, particularly given our talented and dedicated team. We are focused on the future and are excited about our opportunities to deepen our customer relationships and continue to expand our business.”

Prior to joining Carolina First, Gompper managed treasury and card services sales activities for AmSouth Bank in Birmingham, Ala. across its six-state franchise. Prior to that, he held senior management positions with a variety of banking companies, including Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase.

Gompper earned a BS degree in financial management from Florida Southern College. He earned a Certified Cash Manager designation from the Association of Financial Professionals. He has served as a board member of NCR National Financial Standards Committee and a committee member for the Association of Financial Professionals.

The South Financial Group is a bank holding company focused on serving small businesses, middle market companies, and retail customers in the Carolinas and Florida. As of Dec. 31, it had approximately $11.9 billion in total assets and 177 branch offices. TSFG operates Carolina First Bank, which conducts banking operations in North Carolina and South Carolina as Carolina First bank and in Florida as Mercantile Bank.

As of Dec. 31, approximately 45% of TSFG’s total customer deposits were in South Carolina; 43% were in Florida; and 12% were in North Carolina.