Wesley Whitener joins First Citizens as Senior Vice President and Appraisal Manager

April 10, 2009

COLUMBIA, SC- April 10, 2009 –  First Citizens is pleased announce Wesley Whitener has joined the bank as senior vice president and appraisal manager. Whitener is responsible for managing the centralized Appraisal Department, which provides appraisal ordering and review for all areas. She is based at the First Citizens Center in Columbia.

Whitener is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelors of Science degree in financial management and a minor in accounting. Prior to joining First Citizens, Whitener was a senior underwriter and regional underwriting manager at Bank of America in the CMBS Capital Markets Group. Whitener serves on the Discovery Council of EdVenture Museum and on the Clemson Masters in Real Estate Development board.

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 Dec. 31, 2008, First Citizens Bancorporation, Inc. had total consolidated assets of $7.02 billion. For more information, visit the First Citizens web site at www.firstcitizensonline.com.