First Community Bank recognized for outstanding lending services to small businesses
April 21, 2021First Community Bank was recently recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) South Carolina district office as the top 504 third party lender of the year for fiscal year…
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United Community Banks, Inc. reports first quarter results
April 21, 2021United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCBI) (United) announced that net income for the first quarter reached a record $73.7 million and pre-tax, pre-provision income was $81.6 million. The quarter benefited…
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United Community Bank welcomes Tom Coker as Commercial Relationship Manager
April 20, 2021United Community Bank announced that Tom Coker has joined the team as Commercial Relationship Manager. In this role, Coker will be responsible for providing commercial customers with products and services…
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United Community Bank offers families tips for National Teach Children to Save Day
April 20, 2021United Community Bank is proud to celebrate National Teach Children to Save Day on April 22 to help youth in their communities learn to make smart money choices. Established by…
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South Carolina Federal announces 2021 Scholarship Winners
April 15, 2021South Carolina Federal Credit Union is honored to announce the winners of its 2021 scholarship program. Out of nearly 1,000 candidates, nine students were acknowledged for their academic achievements, volunteer…
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How to Think About Insuring that Second Home
March 30, 2021By Molly A. Thomas, FPQP™ Many people dream of a second home—a place to go for some rest and relaxation, a place to call your own, a place for family…
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First Reliance Bank hires human resources director
March 29, 2021Veteran leader joins to manage bank’s employee relations and recruitment Leslie Chaplin has joined First Reliance Bank as executive vice president, director of human resources. Based in Columbia, S.C., Chaplin…
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The Rast McFadden Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley announces new name and team members
March 9, 2021The Rast Group at Morgan Stanley, announced today its new name change from The Rast Group to The Rast McFadden Wealth Management Group and added new team members. The changes…
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United Community Bank prepares to amplify brand with new Chief Marketing Officer
March 4, 2021United Community Bank is expanding its executive leadership team by adding Francie Staub as Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Staub will spearhead the bank’s digital marketing, advertising, branding and…
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First Community Bank names Alex Huggins mortgage sales manager and vice president
March 2, 2021First Community Bank is pleased to announce the promotion of Alex Huggins to the new role of mortgage sales manager and vice president. Alex will be responsible for originating loans,…
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State Treasurer Curtis Loftis recognizes Denise Harrel of DuBose Middle School as Educator of the Month
February 26, 2021South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized DuBose Middle School’s Denise Harrel as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for February. “We know that…
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United Community Bank recognized again as a top financial institution for Small Business Banking
February 25, 2021United Community Bank has been recently recognized with multiple Greenwich Excellence Awards for U.S. Small Business Banking for the year ended 2020. United received five awards in total, two of…
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SPACs – Special Purpose Acquisition Companies
February 24, 2021By William R. Jeter, CFA, CFP® SPACs are currently all of the rage in financial media. Why? As with any investment being heavily promoted, you can almost always understand by…
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Northbridge Wealth opens second office in Chapin
February 22, 2021Northbridge Wealth, announced the establishment of its new office located in Chapin, South Carolina. This milestone is a commitment by Northbridge Wealth in its mission to provide wealth management strategies…
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Whom Should I Select to Serve as Trustee?
February 22, 2021By Jonathan J. Robertson, CFP® When people are updating their estate documents, they frequently leave assets in trust for someone else. The key concept behind the idea of a trust…
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First Community Bank names J. Ted Nissen President
February 18, 2021The First Community Bank Board of Directors announced today that Ted Nissen, Chief Banking Officer and Executive Vice President, has been named President, a newly established role. He will work…
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Highest Morningstar Rating for Wallick Investments’ Fidelis
February 17, 2021Wallick Investments, LLC’s faith and factor-based separate account composite, Fidelis, received a 5-star Morningstar RatingTM among 446 Large-Cap Value products for 3-year, 5-year and Overall risk-adjusted performance as of December…
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Nancye Bailey earns Certified Association Executive credential
February 16, 2021ASAE has announced that Nancye Bailey, President of NDB Association & Event Management, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE®) designation. The CAE is the highest professional credential in the…
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Southern First announces promotion of Kevin Lee to Market Executive
February 16, 2021Southern First Bank (NASDAQ: SFST), a unique Southeastern financial institution poised to expand and grow, announces the promotion of Kevin Lee to Market Executive of the Charleston region. With over…
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Make Learning to Save Fun and Easy for Kids this America Saves Week
February 16, 2021By State Treasurer Curtis Loftis When it comes to learning something new, you often hear, “it’s never too late.” But when it comes to smart money habits, it’s almost never…
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State Treasurer Curtis Loftis reminds teachers about application deadline for SC Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program
February 16, 2021March 31 is deadline for third cohort of master teachers State Treasurer Curtis Loftis is reminding teachers interested in participating in the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program that…
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United Community Bank rank earns top honors from Forbes
February 16, 2021United Community Bank has recently been recognized on two prestigious lists by Forbes magazine. For the eighth consecutive year, the bank was named to Forbes list of America’s Best 100…
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SCRA announces investment in drone-related startup, UASidekick
February 16, 2021South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) announces its affiliate, SC Launch, Inc.’s, investment of $200,000 in UASidekick, Inc., a Greenville-based drone software company. UASidekick became an SC Launch Member Company in…
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A Conversation with Dominik Mjartan, Optus Bank
February 15, 2021Optus Bank was founded 100 years ago by visionary African American leaders who established Victory Savings and Loan to provide access to capital to individuals and business excluded from the…
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Wells Fargo invests in six Black-owned banks, including Optus in Columbia
February 10, 2021Wells Fargo recently announced equity investments in six African American Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) as part of its March 10, 2020, pledge to invest up to $50 million in Black-owned…
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VentureSouth invests over $9 million in 26 Southeast companies in 2020
February 8, 2021Despite the myriad challenges brought on by a global pandemic, VentureSouth announced another strong year of investment activity for 2020, with a total of $9.2 million invested in 26 early…
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United Community Bank expanding, announcing corporate headquarters in Greenville County, SC
February 3, 2021United Community Bank, a retail and commercial bank and one of the largest full-service financial institutions in the Southeast, today announced plans to locate its corporate headquarters in Greenville County,…
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South Carolina Planned Giving Council welcomes three new board members
February 1, 2021The South Carolina Planned Giving Council recently announced the addition of three new board members as well as a new slate of officers. Michelle Hardy, Benita Hopkins and Daniel Prohaska…
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First Community Bank’s Jeff P. Spears appointed to the University of South Carolina Board of Visitors
February 1, 2021First Community Bank senior vice president and regional market president in Augusta, GA, Jeff P. Spears, has been appointed to serve as the second judicial district representative to the University…
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State Treasurer Curtis Loftis recognizes Tammi Campbell of Airport High School as Educator of the Month
January 29, 2021South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Airport High School’s Tammi Campbell as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for January. “Thanks to her efforts, Ms.…
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Creating a Budget: Empowerment Over Constraint
January 29, 2021By Anne Marie E. Ashworth, CFP® For many, budgeting has a lot of negative connotations. Tracking where money comes from and where it goes leaves some feeling frustrated and guilty.…
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Southern First reports 2020 financial results
January 26, 2021Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST), holding company for Southern First Bank, today announced its financial results for three-month period and year ended December 31, 2020. “While 2020 was a…
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United Community Bank strengthens commercial lending leadership
January 25, 2021United Community Bank announced a new leader for its growing Middle Market and Asset Based Lending divisions. Experienced banker John Thompson has been named Middle Market and Asset Based Lending…
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State Treasurer Curtis Loftis announces SC maintains high credit ratings, despite COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts
January 22, 2021State Treasurer Curtis Loftis announced that South Carolina continues to maintain high bond ratings with the three major credit rating agencies. In preparation for a January bond issuance, Moody’s Investors…
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Financial Planning Association of South Carolina announces new Board Member
January 20, 2021The Financial Planning Association of South Carolina announced that William Hardaway, III, CPA, PFS, CFP has joined the Board of Directors. Hardaway is from Florence and has been employed with…
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Southern First Bank expands to Charlotte market Doug Smith, Tiffani Tedder, & Ashley Gibson to provide leadership
January 15, 2021Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST), holding company for Southern First Bank, announces its expansion to Charlotte, NC. The Bank intends to establish a full-service retail office upon regulatory approval.…
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Glassdoor names South Carolina Federal a Best Place to Work in 2021
January 14, 2021South Carolina Federal Credit Union has once again been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in 2021 by Glassdoor. South Carolina Federal ranked No. 30 in the…
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Hobbs Group Advisors, LLC’s Thomas Manly receives CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification
January 13, 2021Thomas Manly, CFP®, of Hobbs Group Advisors, LLC, in Columbia, South Carolina has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL…
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VentureSouth portfolio company to go public
January 13, 2021VentureSouth announced that its portfolio company Proterra, a leading commercial electric vehicle technology company with manufacturing operations in South Carolina, will become publicly listed through a merger with special purpose…
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AllSouth Federal Credit Union now serves Orangeburg County
January 12, 2021AllSouth Federal Credit Union announced the expansion of their field of membership to include Orangeburg County. AllSouth now proudly serves nine counties in the Midlands area to include Calhoun, Fairfield,…
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The Capital Corporation advises Forensic Engineering Technologies, LLC on its partnership with J.S. Held
January 11, 2021Greenville, South Carolina January 8, 2021 Transaction: The Capital Corporation announced that Forensic Engineering Technologies, LLC (“FET”, headquartered in Orlando, Florida) has partnered with J.S. Held LLC (“J.S. Held”,…
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South Carolina Federal now accepting applications for $45,000 in scholarships
January 7, 2021South Carolina Federal Credit Union is now accepting applications for its 11th annual scholarship program. The credit union will award $45,000 to nine students attending a traditional or technical college…
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Countybank Foundation donates $25,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lakelands Region
December 17, 2020Countybank and Greenwood Capital recently donated $25,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lakelands Region. The donation will go toward a capital campaign to support the renovation of…
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Chetwood joins First Citizens Bank as Manager of Commercial Banking in Columbia, S.C.
December 16, 2020Holt Chetwood has joined First Citizens Bank as manager of commercial banking for the Columbia, S.C., market. He leads First Citizens’ commercial banking team in the area and is responsible…
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Resource Financial approved as Freddie Mac mortgage lender
December 16, 2020Resource Financial Services, South Carolina’s largest privately owned mortgage bank, has been approved by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) as a Conventional Mortgage lender. This distinction allows the…
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Synovus
December 15, 2020Synovus is a financial services company with approximately $53 billion in assets. The company provides commercial and retail banking services, including private banking, mortgage services, treasury management, wealth management, premium…
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John Griggs expands Synovus leadership responsibilities to the Grand Strand
December 15, 2020Synovus today announced that John Griggs will have responsibilities for the bank’s offices in the Grand Strand. Griggs has served as South Carolina Central Region market executive since January 2019,…
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Wells Fargo surprises Harvest Hope with $50,000 donation this holiday season
December 9, 2020Wells Fargo’s Region Bank President Justin Hawkins recently surprised Barry Phillips, Harvest Hope Food Bank’s director of operations, with a $50,000 donation as part of Wells Fargo’s “Many hearts. One…
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United Community Bank welcomes Jay Rajaee as Chief Security Officer
December 7, 2020United Community Bank welcomed Jay Rajaee as Chief Security Officer, a crucial role within the organization focusing on all aspects of information security and risk management. Rajaee has more than…
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Resource Financial Services
December 1, 2020Resource Financial Services was established in 2008 as a retail mortgage lender serving borrowers across the Southeast. The company is licensed in 12 states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia,…
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