Southstate Bank Corp Company Profile

South State Corporation (formerly First Financial Holdings, Inc. (from July 26, 2013 through June 29, 2014) and SCBT Financial Corporation (from February 20, 2004 through July 25, 2013)), headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, is a bank holding company incorporated in 1985 under the laws of South Carolina. We provide a wide range of banking services and products to our customers through our wholly-owned bank subsidiary, South State Bank (formerly SCBT) (the “Bank”), a South Carolina-chartered commercial bank that opened for business in 1934. The Bank operates Minis & Co., Inc. and First Southeast 401k Fiduciaries, both wholly owned registered investment advisors, and First Southeast Investor Services, a wholly-owned limited service broker-dealer. We do not engage in any significant operations other than the ownership of our banking subsidiary.

The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. We coordinate the financial resources of the consolidated enterprise and thereby maintain financial, operation and administrative systems that allow centralized evaluation of subsidiary operations and coordination of selected policies and activities. The Company’s operating revenues and net income are derived primarily from cash dividends received from our Bank.

The current regulatory environment for financial institutions includes substantial enforcement activity by the federal banking agencies, the U.S. Department of Justice, the SEC, and other state and federal law enforcement agencies. This environment entails significant potential increases in compliance requirements and associated costs.

We are a bank holding company registered with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and are subject to the supervision of, and to regular inspection by, the Federal Reserve Board. In addition, as a South Carolina bank holding company organized under the South Carolina Banking and Branching Efficiency Act, we are subject to limitations on sale or merger and to regulation by the South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions (the “SCBFI”). Our Bank is organized as a South Carolina-chartered commercial bank. It is subject to regulation, supervision, and examination by the SCBFI and the FDIC. The following discussion summarizes certain aspects of banking and other laws and regulations that affect the Company and our Bank.

We began operating in 1934 in Orangeburg, South Carolina and have maintained our ability to provide superior customer service while also leveraging our size to offer many products more common to larger banks. We have pursued a growth strategy that relies on organic growth supplemented by the acquisition of select financial institutions or branches in certain market areas.