EX-1.1 2 a2143052zex-1_1.htm EXHIBIT 1.1
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Exhibit 1.1

750,000 Shares

GREENVILLE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.

Common Stock
par value $0.01 per share

Underwriting Agreement

September , 2004

Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.,
As representative of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
919 Third Avenue
6^th Floor
New York, New York 10022

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Greenville First Bancshares, Inc., a South Carolina corporation (the "Company"), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an aggregate of 750,000 shares (the "Firm Shares") and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 112,500 additional shares (the "Optional Shares") of the common stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Stock") of the Company (the Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being collectively called the "Shares").

1. (a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(i) A registration statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333 -118267) (the "Initial Registration Statement") in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto but including all documents incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained therein, delivered to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement"), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement or document incorporated by reference therein has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, is hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"); the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called

the "Registration Statement"; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus";

(ii) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(iii) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;

(iv) The reports, filings and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be (or, if an amendment with respect to any such documents was filed or became effective, when such amendment was filed or became effective), complied in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make to the statements therein not misleading;

(v) The consolidated financial statements, audited and unaudited (including the notes thereto), included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations and cash flows of the Company and its subsidiaries for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as otherwise stated therein. The financial statement schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial, pro forma and statistical data included in the Prospectus are accurate in all material respects and present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited and unaudited consolidated financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement;

(vi) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development that may cause a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs,

management, financial position, business prospects, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus;

(vii) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;

(viii) The Company is a registered bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended ("BHCA") with respect to Greenville First Bank, N.A. (the "Bank") and has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of South Carolina, with power and authority (corporate and otherwise) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to any liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any jurisdiction;

(ix) The Bank is the only subsidiary of the Company. The Bank is duly incorporated and is validly existing as a national banking association, in good standing under the laws of the United States, and is a member of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"). The Bank has the power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to any liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any jurisdiction, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect; the activities of the Bank are permitted to a nationally chartered commercial bank and the deposit accounts of the Bank are insured up to the applicable limits by the FDIC;

(x) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading "Capitalization", and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and nonassessable; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned, directly or through other subsidiaries of the Company, by the Company free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity;

(xi) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, when duly executed by the Underwriters, will constitute the valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms;

(xii) The unissued Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the "Description of Securities—Common Stock" contained in the Prospectus;

(xiii) Except as described in the Prospectus, (A) there are no outstanding rights (contractual or otherwise), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, or agreements or understandings with respect to the sale or issuance of, any shares of capital stock of or other equity interest in the Company; and (B) there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a Registration Statement under the Act or otherwise register any securities the Company owned or to be owned by such person;

(xiv) The issue and sale of the Shares by the Company and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any federal, state, local or foreign court or governmental agency or body (each a "Governmental Entity") having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares and except as may be required under the rules and regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or "blue sky" laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

(xv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its articles of incorporation or charter (as applicable) or bylaws or in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound;

(xvi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Description of Securities", insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the capital stock of the Company and under the caption "Underwriting", insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate and complete;

(xvii) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries conduct their respective businesses in compliance in all material respects with all federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws, rules, regulations, decisions, directives and orders applicable to them (including, without limitation, all regulations and orders of, or agreements with, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of the Federal Reserve System and the FDIC, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, all other applicable fair lending laws or other laws relating to discrimination and the Bank Secrecy Act and Title III of the USA Patriot Act), and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any communication from any Governmental Entity asserting that the Company or any of its subsidiaries is not in compliance with any statute, law, rule, regulation, decision, directive or order;

(xviii) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental actions or suits, investigations proceedings before or by any Government Entity, now pending or, to the

knowledge of the Company, threatened or contemplated by Government Entities or threatened by others, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject (A) that is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement by the Act or by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and not disclosed therein or (B) which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, assets, current or future consolidated financial position, business prospects, stockholders' equity or results of operations or otherwise of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated herein (a "Material Adverse Effect"); all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their property is the subject, either individually or in the aggregate, which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to their respective businesses, would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and there are no contracts or documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries which would be required to be described in the Registration Statement or to be filed as exhibits thereto by the Act or by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder which have not been so described and filed;

(xix) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries possess all permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations of (collectively, "Governmental Licenses"), and has made all filings, applications and registrations with all Governmental Entities to permit the Company or such subsidiary to conduct the business now operated by the Company or its subsidiaries; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect;

(xx) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to or subject to any order, decree, agreement, memorandum or understanding or similar agreement with, or a commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission to, any Governmental Entity charged with the supervision or regulation of depository institutions or engaged in the insurance of deposits (including the FDIC) or the supervision or regulation of it or any of its subsidiaries and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been advised by any such Governmental Entity that such Governmental Entity is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum or understanding, commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission;

(xxi) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including, without limitation, those applicable to emissions to the environment, waste management, and waste disposal (collectively, the "Environmental Laws"), except where such noncompliance would not be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, or except as disclosed in the Prospectus, and to the knowledge of the Company, there are no circumstances that would prevent, interfere with or materially increase the cost of such compliance in the future;

(xxii) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there is no claim under any Environmental Law, including common law, pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or its subsidiaries (an "Environmental Claim"), which would be

reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, and, to the knowledge of the Company, under applicable law, there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, events or incidents, including, without limitation, releases of any material into the environment, that are reasonably likely to form the basis of any Environmental Claim against the Company or its subsidiaries which would be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(xxiii) The Company and each of its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights and licenses necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses and have no reason to believe that the conduct of their respective businesses will conflict with, and have not received any notice of any claim of conflict with, any such rights of others;

(xxiv) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand, and the directors, officers, customers or suppliers of the Company on the other hand, which is required to be described in the Registration Statement by the Act or by the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder which has not been so described;

(xxv) The statistical and market related data contained in the Prospectus and Registration Statement are based on or derived from sources which the Company believes are reliable and accurate;

(xxvi) Other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the knowledge of the Company, no such legal or governmental proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened or contemplated by others;

(xxvii) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company", as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act");

(xxviii) The Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the business in which they are engaged; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business, or (ii) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance;

(xxix) Elliott, Davis, LLC, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and such accountants are not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"); and

(xxx) The Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will comply with those provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that will become effective in the future upon their effectiveness.

(xxxi) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, clients or customers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described.

(xxxii) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), that is maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its affiliates for employees or former employees of the Company and its affiliates has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"); no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any such plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; and for each such plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no "accumulated funding deficiency" as defined in Section 412 of the Code has been incurred, whether or not waived, and the fair market value of the assets of each such plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions) exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such plan determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions.

(xxxiii) The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(xxxiv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

(xxxv) No person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company hereunder.

(xxxvi) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.

(xxxvi) No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

(xxxvii) The Company is in compliance with the corporate governance and other rules and requirements of Nasdaq and will comply with any such provisions that will become effective in the future upon their effectiveness.

(b) The Bank represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(i) The Bank has been duly chartered and is validly existing as a commercial bank in good standing, with power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign

corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction;

(ii) The Bank is not in violation of its stock charter, bylaws or other charter documents or in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Bank is a party or by which it may be bound, or to which any of the property of the Bank is subject; and

(iii) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Bank and the compliance by the Bank with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Bank is a party or by which the Bank is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Bank is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the Bank or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Bank or any of its properties.

2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $ , the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.

The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of shares in excess of the number of Firm Shares. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, no earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.

It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., for such Underwriter's account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Firm Shares and the Optional Shares, if any, which such Underwriter has agreed to purchase. Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., individually and not as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Firm Shares or the Optional Shares, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the relevant Time of Delivery but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. may request upon at least forty-eight hours' prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same day) funds to the account specified by the Company to Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. at least 48 hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the "Designated Office"). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, a.m., Eastern time, on , 2004 or such other time and date as Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, a.m., New York time, on the date specified by Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. in the written notice given by Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. of the Underwriters' election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the "First Time of Delivery", such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the "Second Time of Delivery", and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a "Time of Delivery".

(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 7(k) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Alston & Bird LLP, 1201 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (the "Closing Location"), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 4, "New York Business Day" shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission's close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or prospectus or

suspending any such qualification, promptly to use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;

(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(c) Prior to 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may from time to time reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, not to, and not to allow its directors and executive officers to, offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement), without your prior written consent. A list of such directors and executive officers is set forth on Schedule II hereto.

(f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail;

(g) During a period of five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission);

(h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds";

(i) If the Company elects to rely on Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Eastern time on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act;

(j) To use its best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market System ("Nasdaq");

(k) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 of the Act; and

(l) During the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the later of the fifth anniversary of the First Time of Delivery or the date on which the Underwriters receive full payment in satisfaction of any claim for indemnification or contribution to which they may be entitled pursuant to Section 9 of this Agreement, neither the Company nor the Bank shall, without the prior written consent of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., take or permit to be taken any action that could result in the Bank's common stock becoming subject to any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien or encumbrance; provided, however, that this covenant shall be null and void if the FRB, the OCC, the FDIC, or any other federal agency having jurisdiction over the Bank, by regulation, policy statement or interpretive release or by written order or written advice addressed to the Bank and specifically addressing the provisions of Section 8 hereof, permits indemnification of the Underwriters by the Bank as contemplated by such provisions.

6. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following, whether or not the transactions contemplated herein are completed: (i) the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, disbursements, fees and expenses of Underwriters' counsel and marketing, syndication and travel expenses; (ii) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company's counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (iii) the cost of printing or producing any agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iv) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (v) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market; (vi) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, securing any required review by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (vii) the cost of

preparing stock certificates; (viii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (ix) the cost of obtaining all securities and regulatory approvals from any applicable Governmental Entity, and (ix) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section.

7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

(b) Alston & Bird LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, with respect to such matters as you may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(c) Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a form of such opinion to be delivered is attached as Exhibit A), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you;

(d) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., Eastern time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, Elliott Davis, LLC shall have furnished to you a "comfort" letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you, with respect to the financial statements of the Company and certain financial information contained in the Prospectus.

(e)(i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(f) On or after the date hereof (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company's debt securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization", as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company's debt securities;

(g) On or after the date hereof there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or on the Nasdaq; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company's securities on the Nasdaq; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York or South Carolina authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, including without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities occurring after the date hereof, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v), in the judgment of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(h) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed for quotation on the Nasdaq;

(i) The Company has obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of an agreement from each officer and director of the Company set forth on Schedule II in accordance with Section 5(e) hereof (and in the form set forth on Exhibit B) prior to the filing of the Initial Registration Statement;

(j) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;

(k) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (e) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request; and

(l) On or prior to the First Time of Delivery or the Second Time of Delivery, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the underwriter such further certificates and documents as the Underwriter may reasonably request.

8. (a) The Company and the Bank, jointly and severally, will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such fees

and expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company and the Bank shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. expressly for use therein (provided that the Company and the Underwriters hereby acknowledge and agree that the only information that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the Prospectus in the section entitled "Underwriting" and the information contained under the captions "Underwriting—Stabilization" and "Underwriting—Passive Market Making"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnification provided for in this paragraph (a) shall not apply to the Bank to the extent that such indemnification by the Bank is found in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to constitute a covered transaction under Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act.

(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. expressly for use therein (provided that the Company and the Underwriters hereby acknowledge and agree that the only information that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the Prospectus in the section entitled "Underwriting" and the information contained under the captions "Underwriting—Stabilization" and "Underwriting—Passive Market Making"); and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the

defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company or the Bank may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act or

who is an affiliate or partner of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company or the Bank, as the case may be, and to each other person, if any, who controls the Company or the Bank within the meaning of the Act or who is an affiliate of the Company or the Bank, as the case may be.

9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.

(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-tenth of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-tenth of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company as provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or

any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved by you, including fees, expenses and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof.

12. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the representative at 919 Third Avenue, 6^th Floor, New York, NY 10022, Attention: General Counsel; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile to Greenville First Bancshares, Inc., 112 Haywood Road, Greenville, South Carolina 29607, Attention: R. Arthur Seaver, Jr.; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters' Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term "business day" shall mean any day when the Commission's office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

15. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

16. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

17. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent to or approval of any departure herefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing signed by the parties hereto.

[Signatures on Next Page]

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us four counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters, the Company and the Bank. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signer thereof.

		Very truly yours,
		Greenville First Bancshares, Inc.
		By:				.
		Name:
		Title:
		Greenville First Bank, N.A
		By:				.
		Name:
		Title:

Accepted as of the date hereof:
SANDLER O'NEILL & PARTNERS, L.P. As representative of the several Underwriters
By:	Sandler O'Neill & Partners Corp. the sole general partner
By:		.
	Name: Title:

SCHEDULE I

Underwriter			Total Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased		Number of Optional Shares to be Purchased if Maximum Option Exercised
Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P


	Total

SCHEDULE II

List of Directors and Executive Officers
Subject to Lock-Up Agreement

EXHIBIT A

ISSUER COUNSEL LEGAL OPINIONS

Pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Underwriting Agreement, counsel for the Company shall furnish an opinion to the Underwriter to the effect that:

(i) The Company is a registered bank holding company under the BHCA; has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of South Carolina, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;

(ii) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading "Capitalization", and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company (including the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; and the Shares conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Prospectus;

(iii) Except as described in the Prospectus, (A) there are no outstanding rights (contractual or otherwise), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, or agreements or understandings with respect to the sale or issuance of, any shares of capital stock of or other equity interest in the Company; and (B) there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act or otherwise register any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person;

(iv) The Company has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to any liability or disability by reason of failure to be so qualified in any jurisdiction, except where such failure to be so qualified would not have a Material Adverse Effect;

(v) The Bank has been duly chartered and is validly existing as a nationally chartered commercial bank, in each case in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction; the activities of the Bank are activities permitted to nationally chartered commercial banks under applicable law and the rules and regulations of the OCC and the deposit accounts of the Bank are insured up to the applicable limits by the FDIC; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Bank has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned, directly or through other subsidiaries of the Company, by the Company free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.

(vi) To the best of such counsel's knowledge, the Company and the Bank have good and marketable title to all real property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Bank; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and the Bank are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and the Bank;

(vii) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and the Bank are conducting their respective businesses in compliance in all material respects with all laws, rules, regulations, decisions, directives and orders (including, without limitation, all regulations and orders of, or

agreements with, the FDIC, the OCC, the FRB, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, the Home Mortgae Disclosure Act and all other applicable fair lending laws or other laws relating to discrimination and the Bank Secrecy Act and Title III of the USA Patriot Act) and neither the Company nor the Bank has received any communication from any Governmental Entity asserting that the Company or the Bank is not in compliance with any statute, law, rule, regulation, decision, directive or order; there is no action, suit, investigation or proceeding before or by any government, governmental instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, now pending or, to the knowledge of such counsel, threatened or contemplated against or affecting the Company or the Bank (A) that is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement and not disclosed therein, (B) that could result, individually or in the aggregate, in any Material Adverse Effect, (C) that could materially and adversely affect the properties, assets or leasehold interests of the Company and the Bank, considered as one enterprise, or (D) that could adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement; all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their property is the subject, which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to their respective businesses, either individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect;

(viii) The Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Bank;

(ix) The issue and sale of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery by the Company and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which the Company or the Bank is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or the Bank is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, as amended, or Bylaws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or Governmental Entity;

(x) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or Governmental Entity is required for the issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares, and except as may be required under the rules and regulations of the NASD and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

(xi) Neither the Company nor the Bank is in violation of its articles of incorporation or charter (as applicable) or bylaws or, to such counsel's knowledge, in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound;

(xii) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Description of Capital Stock", insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock and under the captions "Supervision and Regulation" and "Underwriting", insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate and complete;

(xiii) To the best of such counsel's knowledge, each of the Company and the Bank possess all Governmental Licenses and have made all filings, applications and registrations with all Governmental Entities that are required in order to permit the Company or the Bank to conduct

its business as presently conducted, except where the failure to possess such Governmental License or to have made such filing, application or registration would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor the Bank has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect;

(xiv) To the best of such counsel's knowledge, neither the Company nor the Bank is a party to or subject to any order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding or similar arrangement with, or a commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission to, any Governmental Entity charged with the supervision or regulation of depository institutions or engaged in the insurance of deposits (including the OCC or the FDIC) or the supervision or regulation of it or any of its subsidiaries and neither the Company nor the Banks has been advised by any such Governmental Entity that such Governmental Entity is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding, commitment letter, supervisory letter or similar submission;

(xv) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be, an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company", as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act;

(xvi) Since January 1, 2004, the Company reports and filings furnished to or filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they were filed with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and they have no reason to believe that any such documents, when such documents were so filed, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such documents were so filed, not misleading;

(xvii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further amendments and supplements thereto made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; and such counsel does not know of any contracts or other agreements of a character required to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus or required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus which are not filed or incorporated by reference or described as required;

(xviii) The Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and the corporate governance and other rules and regulations of Nasdaq;

In addition, although such counsel does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, except for those referred to in the opinion in subsection (xii), they have no reason to believe that, as of its effective date, the Registration Statement or any further amendment thereto made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or that, as of its

date, the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or that, as of such Time of Delivery, either the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and they do not know of any amendment to the Registration Statement required to be filed.

In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials. Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).

EXHIBIT B

GREENVILLE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.
Public Offering of Common Stock

July , 2004

Sandler O'Neill & Partners L.P.
        As representative of the several Underwriters
        Listed in Schedule I to the
        Underwriting Agreement referenced below
919 Third Avenue
6^th Floor
New York, New York 10022

Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that you, as representative, propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement"), on behalf of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I to such agreement (collectively, the "Underwriters"), with Greenville First Bancshares, Inc.,, a South Carolina corporation (the "Company"), providing for a public offering (the "Offering") of the Company's common stock, $0.01 par value (the "Common Stock"), pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form SB-2 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In consideration of the agreement by the Underwriters to participate in the Offering, and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that (other than as set forth below), during the period beginning from the date of the prospectus relating to the Offering (the "Prospectus") and continuing to and including the date 180 days after such date, the undersigned will not sell, offer, agree to sell, contract to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of or hedge, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any shares of Common Stock or warrants or other rights to purchase shares of Common Stock or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, owned directly by the undersigned (including holding as a custodian) or with respect to which the undersigned has or may be deemed to have beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the "Undersigned's Shares") or publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing.

The foregoing restriction is expressly agreed to preclude the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transaction or arrangement that is designed to, or which reasonably could be expected to, lead to or result in a sale, disposition or transfer, in whole or in part, of any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Undersigned's Shares, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, even if such shares would be disposed of by someone other than the undersigned. Such prohibited hedging or other transactions would include, without limitation, any short sale or any purchase, sale or grant of any right (including, without limitation, any put or call option) with respect to any of the Undersigned's Shares or with respect to any security that includes, relates to, or derives any significant part of its value from the Undersigned's Shares.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the Undersigned's Shares (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, provided that the donee or donees thereof agree to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, (ii) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that the trustee of the trust agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein, and provided further that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, or (iii) with the prior written consent of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., on behalf of the Underwriters. For purposes of this Agreement, "immediate family" shall mean any

relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin. The undersigned now has and, except as contemplated by clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, for the duration of this Agreement will have, good and marketable title to the Undersigned's Shares, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, and claims whatsoever. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company and its transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the Undersigned's Shares, except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent are hereby authorized to decline to make or authorize any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Agreement (this "Agreement").

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this Agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Offering. The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement. The undersigned further understands that this Agreement is irrevocable and agrees that the provisions of this Agreement shall be binding also upon the successors, assigns, heirs and legal representatives of the undersigned.

The undersigned understands that, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Agreement.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

		Yours very truly,
		Signature
		Name

		Address

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GREENVILLE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC. Public Offering of Common Stock