AMENDMENT
                                     TO
                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


     WHEREAS, the undersigned CENIT Bancorp, Inc.  ("Bancorp"),  CENIT Bank, FSB
("Bank") and Michael S. Ives ("Executive")  entered into an Employment Agreement
as of July 1, 1995 ("Agreement"); and

     WHEREAS, the undersigned desire to amend the Agreement in certain respects.

     NOW,  THEREFORE,  the  parties  agree to amend the  Agreement  as  follows,
effective November 26, 1996.

     1. In Section 6 of the Agreement,  the first sentence of subsection  (e)(1)
shall be amended to read as follows:

     (1)  Notwithstanding  the foregoing  provisions  of this  Section,  neither
Bancorp nor the Bank shall terminate  Executive's  employment without cause (nor
shall any decision previously made to terminate  Executive's  employment without
cause be effective) nor shall Bancorp or the Bank,  without cause, fail to renew
this  Agreement  pursuant to Section 3 during any period of time when Bancorp or
the Bank has  knowledge  that any  person(s),  entity or concern has taken steps
reasonably  calculated  to effect a change of  control of Bancorp or the Bank as
defined in Section 7 of this  Agreement  until,  in the opinion of the Boards of
Directors  of  Bancorp  and the Bank,  the  person(s),  concern  or  entity  has
abandoned or terminated its efforts to effect a change of control.

     2.  Section 7 of the  Agreement  shall be  deleted  and  replaced  with the
following:

     7. CHANGE OF CONTROL:  Notwithstanding  the provisions of Section 6 of this
Agreement,  if  during  the Term of this  Agreement  Executive's  employment  is
terminated  without cause or Executive  resigns for good reason within 12 months
after a change of control of Bancorp or the Bank, Bancorp and the Bank shall pay
to Executive, in lieu of the compensation specified in subsections 6(e) and (f),
severance pay (subject to any  applicable  payroll or other taxes required to be
withheld) equal to 2.99 times Executive's average annual compensation includable
in Executive's gross income for federal income tax purposes for Executive's most
recent five taxable  years ending before the date on which the change in control
occurs.  Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, however, if a change in control
for purposes of this Agreement occurs in a taxable year of the




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Executive  but does not  constitute  and is followed by a change in control
for  purposes  of Section  280G of the  Internal  Revenue  Code that occurs in a
subsequent  taxable  year of the  Executive,  severance  pay shall be based upon
Executive's  most recent five taxable  years ending before the date on which the
change of control  occurs for purposes of Section  280G of the Internal  Revenue
Code.  Severance pay shall be paid in cash (except to the extent that  Executive
and the Bank and  Bancorp  agree  that it shall be paid in other  property)  and
shall be paid in one lump sum on or before  Executive's  last day of employment;
except that,  at the option of  Executive,  any cash amount  required to be paid
hereby  shall be paid by  Bancorp  and the  Bank in  consecutive  equal  monthly
installments  over the six (6) months  following the month in which  termination
occurs, payable on the first day of each such month. As provided in Section 9 of
this  Agreement,  the  severance pay described in this Section is subject to the
limitations  set forth in  Section  280G of the  Internal  Revenue  Code and the
regulations  thereunder,  and such  severance  pay is intended to be the maximum
amount  payable that will not give rise to an "excess  parachute  payment" under
that statute.  Accordingly, the provisions of this Section are to be interpreted
in the broadest  possible way in order to pay to  Executive  the maximum  amount
that, at the time  concerned,  will not constitute an excess  parachute  payment
under Section 280G.

     (a) For purposes of this Agreement,  a change of control shall be deemed to
have occurred upon the occurrence of any of the following:

     (i) The  acquisition  by any  "person"  or "group"  (as defined in Sections
13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange  Act),  (other than Bancorp,  any  subsidiary of
Bancorp or any  Bancorp or  subsidiarys  employee  benefit  plan)  directly  or
indirectly,  as "beneficial  owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange
Act) of  securities  of Bancorp  representing  twenty  percent  (20%) or more of
either the then  outstanding  shares or the  combined  voting  power of the then
outstanding securities of Bancorp;

     (ii) Either a majority of the  directors  of Bancorp  elected at  Bancorp's
annual stockholders meeting shall have been nominated for election other than by
or at the direction of the "incumbent  directors" of Bancorp,  or the "incumbent
directors" shall cease to constitute a majority of the directors of Bancorp. The
term "incumbent  director" shall mean any director who was a director of Bancorp
on  November  1, 1996 and any  individual  who  becomes a  director  of  Bancorp
subsequent  to  November  1, 1996 and who is elected or  nominated  by or at the
direction of at least two-thirds of the then incumbent directors;

     (iii) The  shareholders of Bancorp approve (x) a merger,  consolidation  or
other  business  combination  of Bancorp with any other  "person" or "group" (as
defined in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the 1934 Act) or affiliate thereof, other
than a merger or




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consolidation  that would  result in  the  outstanding  common  stock of Bancorp
immediately   prior  thereto   continuing  to  represent  (either  by  remaining
outstanding or by being converted into common stock of the surviving entity or a
parent or affiliate  thereof) at least fifty  percent  (50%) of the  outstanding
common  stock of  Bancorp  or such  surviving  entity or a parent  or  affiliate
thereof  outstanding  immediately  after  such  merger,  consolidation  or other
business  combination,  or (y) a plan of complete  liquidation  of Bancorp or an
agreement for the sale or disposition by Bancorp of all or substantially  all of
Bancorp's assets; or

     (iv) Any other event or circumstance  which is not covered by the foregoing
subsections  but which the Board of  Directors of Bancorp  determines  to affect
control of Bancorp  and with  respect to which the Board of  Directors  adopts a
resolution  that the event or  circumstance  constitutes a Change in Control for
purposes of the Agreement.

     (b) The control change date is the date on which an event described in (i),
(ii), (iii) or (iv) occurs.

     (c) If  Executive  collects any part or all of the  severance  pay provided
under  this  Section by or through a lawyer or  lawyers,  following  a change of
control  and a dispute  with  Bancorp  or the Bank  regarding  the terms of this
Section and any related  provision of the  Agreement,  Bancorp and Bank will pay
all costs of any such collection or enforcement, including reasonable legal fees
and other out of pocket  expenses  incurred by the  Executive,  up to that point
when  Bancorp and Bank offer to settle the  dispute  for an amount  equal to the
amount that Executive is entitled to recover.

     (d)  The  payments  described  in  this  Section  7 will  be due  Executive
regardless of any subsequent employment obtained by Executive.
 
     3. In Section 8 of the  Agreement,  the first  sentence of  subsection  (c)
shall be amended to read as follows:

     (c) The  provisions  contained in  subsections  (a) and (b) above shall not
apply and  shall  have no force and  effect  at any time  following  a change of
control.

     4.  Section 9 of the  Agreement  shall be  deleted  and  replaced  with the
following:

     9.  LIMITATION  OF  BENEFITS:  It is the  intention  of the parties that no
payment be made or benefit  provided  to  Executive  that  would  constitute  an
"excess  parachute  payment"  within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and
any  regulations  thereunder,  thereby  resulting  in a loss  of an  income  tax
deduction by Bancorp or the Bank or the

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imposition of an excise tax on Executive under Section 4999 of the Code. If  the
independent  accountants serving as auditors for Bancorp or the Bank immediately
prior to the date of a  change  of  control  determine  that  some or all of the
payments or benefits  scheduled  under this  Agreement,  when  combined with any
other  payments or benefits  provided to  Executive  by Bancorp or the Bank on a
change of control,  would constitute  nondeductible excess parachute payments by
Bancorp  or the Bank  under  Section  280G of the  Code,  then the  payments  or
benefits  scheduled under this Agreement will be reduced to one dollar less than
the  maximum  amount  which may be paid or  provided  without  causing  any such
payments or benefits  scheduled under this Agreement or otherwise  provided on a
change  of  control  to be  nondeductible.  The  determination  made  as to  the
reduction  of  benefits  or  payments  required  hereunder  by  the  independent
accountants  shall be binding on the parties.  Executive shall have the right to
designate within a reasonable period which payments or benefits  scheduled under
this  Agreement  will be reduced;  except that if no direction is received  from
Executive,  Bancorp  or the Bank  shall  implement  the  reductions  under  this
Agreement in its discretion.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the parties have executed this Amendment to Employment
Agreement effective November 26, 1996.

                                            Executive:


                                                                               
                                            Michael S. Ives


                                            CENIT Bancorp, Inc.


                                            By:                                

                                            Its:                            


                                            CENIT Bank, FSB


                                            By:                                

                                            Its:                               




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