First Financial offers a complete line of banking and other related financial services to consumer and commercial customers. Through its thrift subsidiary, First Federal, it operates a total of 55 offices located in the Charleston Metropolitan area, Horry, Georgetown, Florence and Beaufort counties in South Carolina and Brunswick County in coastal North Carolina.

First Financial offers a wide range of insurance, investment and trust products through the First Southeast family: First Southeast Insurance Services, Inc.; First Southeast Investor Services, Inc; and First Southeast Fiduciary & Trust Services, Inc. First Financial purchased operations of Associated Insurors, Inc. of Myrtle Beach in June 2000, the Kinghorn Insurance Agency in May 2001 and Johnson Insurance Associates, Inc. and Benefit Administrators, Inc. in Columbia in August 2002. In March 2003, First Southeast Insurance Services, Inc. purchased Woodruff and Company in Columbia and merged it into Johnson Insurance Associates, Inc. In 2004 Kimbrell Insurance Group was purchased. In June 2006, First Federal purchased Employer Benefit Strategies, Inc. In October 2006, First Southeast Insurance purchased Peoples Insurance Agency located in Beaufort. With its recent purchases, First Southeast Insurance Services, Inc. is now one of the largest independent insurance agencies in South Carolina.

• Holding company incorporated in Delaware in September 1987 with reorganization of First Federal into holding company effective June 30, 1988.
• First Financial acquired Peoples Federal Savings and Loan Association, Conway, SC on October 9, 1992.
• First Financial acquired Investors Savings Bank in Florence, SC on November 7, 1997. Investors Savings was merged into Peoples Federal.
• First Southeast Services Group
  • First Southeast Insurance Services offers comprehensive retail and commercial insurance products and services.
  • First Southeast Investor Services is a full service broker-dealer.
  • Kinghorn Insurance Services.
  • First Southeast Fiduciary and Trust Services provides varied and comprehensive options for asset management.
  • Johnson Insurance Associates, Inc.
  • Employer Benefits Strategies, Inc.
  • Peoples Insurance Agency.
• New and expanded banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses.
• Significant investments in retail office and other distribution channels
• New branch automation and sales system
• Growing Correspondent Lending program (three southeastern states)

First Financial Stock

• First Federal converted to a federally-chartered stock S & L through the sale of 924,609 shares at $11 per share in November 1983.  ($1.25-adjusted for splits)
• 10% stock dividend paid in May 1985.
• Secondary Offering of 575,000 shares at $18 per share in October 1985. ($2.25 - adjusted for splits)
• Two-for-one stock splits in March 1986, October 1993 and March 1998.
• First cash dividend paid $.0125 per share (adjusted for splits) in February 1986, and the most recent dividend paid $.255 on November 23, 2007.
• There are 11,656,592 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2007.

• Total assets = $2,853,106
• Total stockholders' equity = $186,626 million
• Stockholders' equity to assets = 6.46%
• Subsidiary exceeds all regulatory capital requirements and meets the definition of a "well capitalized" financial institution.
• Total employees (all companies): 947