EXHIBIT 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Trustees
First Financial Holdings, Inc. Sharing Thrift Plan
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (No. 33-22837) on Form S-8 of First Financial Holdings, Inc., dated June 27, 1988, as amended, of our report dated June 19, 2009 on the First Financial Holdings, Inc. Sharing Thrift Plan financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 included in the Annual Report (Form 11-K) for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007.
/s/Elliott Davis LLC
Columbia, South Carolina
June 19, 2009