GSA Daily Staff Report
Published May 12, 2010

Carolina First Bank, the banking subsidiary for The South Financial Group based in Greenville, has been named Export Lender of the Year for South Carolina by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Carolina First was responsible for the highest number of SBA loans to small business exporters and the highest number of loans through SBA’s Export Working Capital Program in 2009.

“Carolina First is excited to receive this recognition, and it confirms our commitment to grow and strengthen our banking relationships with small businesses in the Carolinas,” said Richard Bradshaw, executive vice president and director of SBA lending. “Our company is focused on building relationships with small business customers because we understand their needs and can provide outstanding service.”

Carolina First will be recognized at an awards luncheon during the 2010 South Carolina Salute to Small Business today in Columbia.

The South Financial Group is a bank holding company that serves small businesses, middle market companies and retail customers in the Carolinas and Florida.

As of March 31, it had about $12.4 billion in total assets and 176 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 March 31, approximately 44% of TSFG’s total customer deposits were in South Carolina, 45% were in Florida, and 11% were in North Carolina.