First Citizens Helps Consumers Grow Their Savings through New “Set to Save” Program

COLUMBIA, SC – June 4, 2009 – First Citizens today announced the launch of its new automatic savings program called Set to Save. The program makes saving money easy, and pays customers $50 to build up a cash reserve during a time when it may seem easier to put off saving.

With Set to Save, customers decide how much money they want to save each month. That amount is then automatically transferred from the customers’ checking account to their savings account. After the twelfth consecutive transfer, First Citizens will pay customers $50 as a reward for making saving a priority.

“Today, more than ever, our customers are interested in saving money for short-term emergencies and long-term goals, and we know that growing one’s savings account can be a very difficult thing to do, said Christie Hill, chief marketing officer for First Citizens. We want to make it easy for our customers to save money and reach their financial goals faster. Our Set to Save program gives them a carefree way to save by setting up the automatic transfer. We do the rest, and we’re giving customers a $50 reward for being diligent savers.”

Consumers can sign up for a Set to Save account through Monday, Aug. 31. For more information about Set to Save, please visit www.firstcitizensonline.com.

About First Citizens
First Citizens Bancorporation, Inc., is the parent company of First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc., The Exchange Bank of South Carolina, Inc., and Merchants and Farmers Bank of Comer, Ga. First Citizens Bank offers services in commercial and retail banking through its 183 offices in South Carolina and Georgia. As of March 31, 2009, First Citizens Bancorporation, Inc. had total consolidated assets of $7.23 billion.

For more information, visit the First Citizens web site at www.firstcitizensonline.com.