First Community Bank Receives Top Rating from Industry Group

COLUMBIA, SC – First Community Bank announced that it has received the highest performance rating from BauerFinancial, the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating firm. The 5-Star (“Superior”) Rating indicates that a bank is one of the strongest in the country excelling in areas like capital adequacy and asset quality.

The Bauer rating system is based on a complex analysis of financial criteria including capitalization, asset quality, profitability, liquidity and risk. BauerFinancial’s Star Ratings are assigned on a scale of zero-to-five stars and reflect the current overall financial picture of the bank. Areas reviewed include capital ratio, profitability/loss trend, evaluating the level of delinquent loans, charge-offs and repossessed assets, the market versus book value of the investment portfolio, regulatory supervisory agreements, the community reinvestment rating (CRA), historical data and liquidity. No institution pays Bauer Financial to rate it, nor can any choose to be excluded.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be included in this esteemed group,” said First Community Bank President and CEO Mike Crapps. “These performance levels reflect our commitment to being the premier community bank in the markets we serve.”

First Community Bank

First Community Bank, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Lexington, South Carolina, is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Community Corporation (NASDAQ: FCCO). First Community is a full service commercial bank offering deposit and loan products and services for businesses and consumers, residential mortgage lending, and financial planning/investment advisory services. First Community has a network of 14 banking offices located in the Midlands of South Carolina, Aiken, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia.