INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANT'S CONSENT




Board of Directors
CFS Bancshares, Inc.


We consent to the incorporation by reference in this  Registration  Statement on
Form S-8 of our report dated  November 17,  2000,  relating to the  consolidated
balance sheets of CFS Bancshares, Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 30, 2000
and 1999, and the related consolidated  statements of operations,  stockholders'
equity and comprehensive  income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in
the three-year  period ended September 30, 2000, which report is included in CFS
Bancshares,  Inc.'s  Annual  Report on Form  10-KSB  for the  fiscal  year ended
September  30,  2000.  We also  consent to the  reference  to our firm under the
headings "Experts" in the Prospectus.



                                              /s/ KPMG LLP



Birmingham, Alabama
July 12, 2001