Exhibit 99.1


May 17, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contacts:         Mark Brock
                  mbrock@wrayward.com
                  704-926-1305

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                            Citizens South Bank Names
                       Market President for North Georgia
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GASTONIA,  N.C. - Citizens South Bank  (NASDAQ:CSBC) has named a 25-year Georgia
banking  executive as market  president for north Georgia.  In the newly created
position, Tony Stancil,  formerly with Crescent Bank & Trust Company of Cherokee
County,  Georgia, will have overall  responsibilities for operations of the Bank
of Hiawassee,  which Citizens South recently  acquired  through an FDIC-assisted
acquisition.

     "As a Georgia  native  with  in-depth  experience  in all  aspects  of bank
management, Tony is the ideal candidate for bringing the Bank of Hiawassee under
the  Citizens  South  umbrella  and for  helping  us to grow  and  enhance  this
franchise for the benefit of our customers,"  said Kim Price,  president and CEO
of Citizens  South.  "Tony will become a member of our senior  management  team,
which  will  assure  a  close,  strategic  integration  of  our  entire  banking
operation."

     Prior to joining Citizens South, Stancil served as executive vice president
and special assets manager with Crescent Bank.  During his tenure with Crescent,
he also  served as a senior  lending  officer and as  Cherokee  County  division
president. Stancil's career has also included service with Regions Bank where he
served as Cherokee County market executive.

     A native of Cherokee County, Stancil earned a bachelor's degree in business
administration  from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Helen, have two
sons.



     "Citizens  South will be an  outstanding  corporate  citizen  for the North
Georgia region,  offering the financial strength and banking expertise needed to
meet our customers ever changing  needs," Stancil said. "Our team at the Bank of
Hiawassee is fully  committed to working in  partnership  with our customers and
with all of the communities we serve."

     The Bank of  Hiawassee  has five  locations  in three  counties in Northern
Georgia  just south of the North  Carolina  state  line.  In  Hiawassee,  (Towns
County) it operates under the name of Bank of Hiawassee,  while in  Blairsville,
(Union  County) it operates  under the name of Bank of  Blairsville  and in Blue
Ridge, (Fannin County) it operates under the name of Bank of Blue Ridge.


About Citizens South Banking Corporation

     Citizens South Bank was founded in 1904 and is  headquartered  in Gastonia,
N.C. With the acquisition of Bank of Hiawassee in March, Citizens South expanded
its total number of  full-service  offices to 21 and  increased  total assets to
more than $1.1 billion.

     The  Bank  is  a  wholly  owned   subsidiary  of  Citizens   South  Banking
Corporation,  and shares of the common stock of the Company  trade on the NASDAQ
Global   Market   under   the   ticker   symbol   "CSBC".    On   the   Web   at
www.citizenssouth.com.

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