CENIT BANCORP, INC.

                 ALTERNATIVE STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHT AGREEMENT
                                   (Officers)

GRANTEE:                      Roger J. Lambert                                 
DATE OF GRANT:                September 22, 1998                              
NUMBER OF SHARES:             3,000                                          
PRICE:                        $22.25                                          

     This Alternative Stock Appreciation Right Agreement is made as of the above
date of grant by and between CENIT Bancorp,  Inc.  ("Corporation") and the above
named  Grantee to implement  the grant to the Grantee of the  Alternative  Stock
Appreciation  Right  described  herein  ("Right"),   made  by  the  Compensation
Committee of the Corporation on September 22, 1998. This Right is independent of
and is not granted under the CENIT Long-Term  Incentive Plan ("Long-Term Plan"),
but for convenience,  capitalized  terms used herein shall have the same meaning
as defined in the Long-Term Plan unless  otherwise  defined herein or unless the
context requires otherwise.  For purposes of this Right,  "terminate employment"
and "termination of employment"  shall mean terminate  employment or termination
of employment with

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Bancorp and/or a Subsidiary as a consequence of which the Optionee is no longer
employed by Bancorp or any Subsidiary.

     The  grant  to  Grantee  of this  Right by the  Corporation  is made on the
following terms and conditions:

     1. (a) This  Right  shall  become  exercisable  as  follows:  

        If Grantee Is Continuously                     Right Is Exercisable As 
      Employed With  Corporation and/or               To This Number of Shares  
       Subsidiaries Through This Date:                     On That Date:  

          September 22, 1999                                   750  
          September 22, 2000                                   750  
          September 22, 2001                                   750  
          September 22, 2002                                   750

          (b)  Notwithstanding  subparagraph  1(a), and subject to  subparagraph
     1(d), this Right shall become exercisable in full upon the earliest of: 

               (1) A Change in Control  with respect to the  Corporation;  
               (2) The date of the Grantee's Retirement;  
               (3) The date of the Grantee's death; or 
               (4) The date of the Grantee's Permanent Disability,  

     as determined by the Committee.
 
          (c)  Notwithstanding  subparagraph  1(a), and subject to  subparagraph
     1(d),  (1) if the Grantee  terminates  employment  (other than for cause or
     after cause exists) prior to Retirement but after  attaining age fifty-five
     (55) and completing ten (10)

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years of continuous employment with the Corporation and/or its Subsidiaries, and
(2) if upon termination of employment,  the Grantee enters into a noncompetition
agreement with the Corporation  that is  satisfactory  to the Committee,  in its
sole discretion,  this Right shall continue to become  exercisable in accordance
with the  schedule in  subparagraph  1(a) as if the  Grantee had not  terminated
employment.

          (d)  Notwithstanding  subparagraphs  1(a),  1(b) and 1(c),  this Right
     shall  become   exercisable  only  in  the  event  that  the  Corporation's
     stockholders  do not approve the Long-Term Plan at the  Corporation's  1999
     Annual Meeting of stockholders (or at any earlier meeting at which approval
     of the Long-Term Plan is voted upon by the Corporation's stockholders).

     2.  Once  exercisable,  this  Right  may be  exercised  until  the close of
business on the earliest to occur of the following:

          (a) The date which is ten (10)  years from the Date of Grant.  

          (b) The date of the  Grantee's  voluntary  termination  of  employment
     prior to a Change in Control for reasons other than Retirement.

          (c)  The  date  of the  Grantee's  termination  of  employment  by the
     Corporation or a Subsidiary for cause. 

          (d) The date which is six (6) months from the Grantee's termination of
     employment in the case of: (1) termination of employment by the Corporation
     or a

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Subsidiary  without  cause;  (2)  Retirement;  or (3) voluntary  termination  of
employment after a Change in Control (other than after cause exists).

          (e) The date which is one (1) year from the Grantee's date of death or
     Permanent Disability.

     3. This Right may be  exercised  in whole or in part by  delivering  to the
Treasurer  of the  Corporation  written  notice  of  exercise  on the form to be
provided for that purpose, and the date on which any such delivery is made shall
be the "Date of Exercise" as to the applicable portion of this Right.

     4. Notwithstanding the foregoing,  this Right shall not be exercised unless
the exercise shall comply,  in the opinion of counsel for the Corporation,  with
all applicable  provisions of law,  including state and federal  securities laws
and  rules  and  regulations  thereunder,  and any  listing  agreement  with any
securities exchange on which the Shares may be listed.

     5. The exercise of this Right will entitle the Grantee to receive an amount
equal to the product of (a) the excess of (1) the Fair  Market  Value of a share
of Common Stock on the Date of Exercise  over (2) the Price,  multiplied  by (b)
the number of Shares with respect to which the Right is exercised. The amount to
which  Grantee  becomes  entitled  shall be paid (without any payment by Grantee
other than any required tax withholding amounts) in cash.

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     6. If the Grantee  terminates  employment for any reason, the Grantee shall
forfeit  this  Right to the  extent  that  either  (a) this Right has not become
exercisable (or does not continue to become exercisable) pursuant to paragraph 1
on the date employment terminates, or (b) this Right does not remain exercisable
after termination of employment pursuant to paragraph 2.

     7. This Right shall not be  transferable  by Grantee  other than by will or
the laws of descent and distribution.  During the Grantee's lifetime, this Right
shall  be  exercisable  only by  Grantee,  or in the  event of  Grantee's  legal
disability,   his  legal  representative.   After  the  death  of  Grantee,  any
exercisable Right may be exercised by Grantee's personal  representative,  heirs
or legatees.

     8. Tax obligations of the Grantee resulting from the exercise of this Right
shall be withheld or provided for in a manner prescribed by the Committee.

     9. The number and class of Shares subject to this Right and the Price shall
be adjusted by the  Committee,  as appropriate  and  equitable,  to reflect such
events  as  stock  dividends,  dividends  payable  other  than  in  cash,  other
extraordinary    dividends,    stock   splits,    recapitalizations,    mergers,
consolidations or reorganizations of or by the Corporation.

     10.  Notwithstanding  anything herein to the contrary,  this Right shall be
void and of no effect from its inception  upon approval of the Long-Term Plan or
any

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successor  plan or program  pursuant  to which the grant of Options  made to the
Grantee by the Committee on September 22, 1998 remains in effect.

     IN TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  Grantee has hereunto  affixed his signature and the
Corporation  has caused this  Agreement to be executed in its corporate  name by
its duly authorized officer all as of the date first hereinabove written.

                                            CENIT BANCORP, INC.


                                            By:---------------------------

                                                 Its:---------------------



                                            ------------------------------ 
                                            GRANTEE

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