Exhibit 99.1
Southern First Named a Top Performing Bank by Sandler O’Neill
Greenville, South Carolina, October 2, 2019– Southern First Bancshares, Inc.(NASDAQ: SFST), holding company for Southern First Bank, has been named by Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. as one of the nation's top performing small-cap banks and thrifts, included in the firm's Sm-All Stars Class of 2019. Southern First was also included in the Sm-All Stars Class of 2015.
The 2019 Sm-All-Star Class includes 30 banks. To identify the small-cap companies that made the list, Sandler O'Neill evaluated all 394 publicly traded banks and thrifts with a market cap below $2.5 billion. To incorporate a liquidity restraint, Sandler O’Neill placed a $25 million cutoff at the low-end of the market cap range.
The Sm-All Stars designation was established to identify the top performing small-cap banks and thrifts in the United States. Performance metrics of Sm-All Star institutions are exceptional, exceeding the industry metrics. Companies were selected based on various financial screening criteria, including growth, profitability, credit quality and capital strength.
ABOUT SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES
FINANCIAL CONTACT: MIKE DOWLING 864-679-9070
MEDIA CONTACT: ART SEAVER 864-679-9010
WEB SITE:www.southernfirst.com