Exhibit 10.e
                                                                   Pages 131-135

                    SAMPLE OF FIRST BANCORP SENIOR MANAGEMENT
                      SPLIT-DOLLAR LIFE INSURANCE AGREEMENT


STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY


                      SPLIT DOLLAR LIFE INSURANCE AGREEMENT


    This Agreement is entered into this ____ day of _____________, 20___, by and
between FIRST BANCORP, (hereinafter called the "Employer"), and ____________,
(hereinafter called the "Employee").

     WHEREAS, the Employee is a valued Employee of the Employer and the Employer
wishes to retain him/her in its employ; and

    WHEREAS, the Employer, as an inducement to such continued employment, wishes
to assist the Employee with his personal life insurance program;

    NOW, THEREFORE, the Employer and the Employee agree as follows:

    1.  Description of the Policy - Policy Ownership.
        ---------------------------------------------

        The Employee has purchased, or will purchase, a certain policy of life
insurance on the Employee's life, being Policy No. ________________ issued by
________________ Life Insurance Company (hereinafter called the "Insurer") in
the face amount of $100,000 (said policy being hereinafter called the "Policy").
The Employee shall be the sole owner of all rights and incidents of ownership in
the Policy and may exercise all ownership rights granted to the owner by the
terms of the Policy, except as otherwise may be provided herein and in the
Collateral Assignment attached hereto and marked Exhibit A.

    2.  Premium Payments.
        ----------------

        After the execution of this Agreement, and during the term of this
Agreement, the Employer shall pay each premium on the Policy as it becomes due.

    3.  Policy Loans.
        ------------

        The Employee shall have the sole right to obtain loans secured by the
Policy. While this Agreement remains in effect, the Employee agrees that the
total of any such loans shall not exceed the amount, if any, by which the cash
value of the Policy exceeds the total unreimbursed payments made by the Employer
toward premiums under the Policy.


    4.  Collateral Assignment.
        ---------------------

        To secure the repayment to the Employer of the premium payments made
pursuant to Section 2, the Employee shall execute a Collateral Assignment of the
Policy and transfer possession of the Policy to the Employer. A copy of said
Collateral Assignment is attached hereto, marked Exhibit A and incorporated
herein by reference.

    5.  Payment of Policy Proceeds Upon Death of Employee.
        -------------------------------------------------

        In the event of the Employee's death, the Employer shall have an
interest in the Policy proceeds equal to the total amount of premiums paid
pursuant to Section 2 of this Agreement. The balance, if any, of the proceeds of
the Policy, shall be paid to the beneficiary designated in the Policy by the
Employee.

    6.  Procedures at Employee's Death.
        ------------------------------

        Upon the death of the Employee while the Policy and this Agreement are
in force, the Employer shall promptly take all necessary steps, including
rendering of such assistance as may reasonably be required by the Employee's
beneficiary, to obtain payment from the Insurer of the amounts payable under the
Policy to the respective parties, as provided under Section 5 above.

    7.  Termination of Employment.
        -------------------------

        If the Employee terminates employment with the Employer, the Employer
will cease paying the premiums on the Policy. However, the Employee will have
the option of making the premium payments that become due subsequent to the date
of his/her termination of employment. If the Employee pays the premiums as they
become due, then this Agreement will continue in full force and effect.

    8.  Termination of Agreement.
        ------------------------

        This Agreement shall terminate upon the occurrence of any of the
following events:

                  (a)      the total cessation of the business of the Employer.

                  (b)      bankruptcy, receivership, or dissolution of the
                           Employer.


                  (c)      payment in full by the Employee to the Employer of
                           the total cumulative premiums paid by the Employer to
                           the Insurer pursuant to Section 2, reduced by any
                           amounts previously paid to the Employer by the
                           Employee.

                  (d)      the Employee's failure to pay the premiums that
                           become due after termination of employment in
                           accordance with Section 7.

                  (e)      performance of the Agreement's terms following the
                           death of the Employee in accordance with Section 5.

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    9.  Disposition of Policy upon Termination of Agreement.
        ---------------------------------------------------

        Upon the termination of this Agreement for any reason other than Section
8(c) or Section 8(e) above, the Employee shall have the option for 90 days of
obtaining the release of the Collateral Assignment of the Policy to the
Employer. To obtain such release, the Employee shall repay to the Employer the
total amount of unreimbursed premium payments made by the Employer pursuant to
Section 2. Upon receipt of such amount, the Employer shall release the
Collateral Assignment of the Policy.

        If the Employee does not repay such amount to the Employer within the
time period provided above, the Employer may enforce its rights under the
Collateral Assignment but the Employee shall not be liable for any deficiency
realized by the Employer upon the exercise of the Employer's rights under the
Collateral Assignment.

    10. Discharge of Insurer.
        --------------------

        The Insurer shall be fully discharged from its obligations under the
Policy by payment of the Policy death benefits to the beneficiary or
beneficiaries named in the Policy subject to the terms and conditions of the
Policy and the Collateral Assignment. In no event shall the Insurer be
considered a party to this Agreement, or to any modification or amendment
hereof. No provision of this Agreement, nor any modification or amendment
hereof, shall in any way be construed as enlarging, changing, varying or in any
other way affecting the obligations of the Insurer as expressly provided in the
Policy, except insofar as the provisions hereof are made a part of the Policy by
the Collateral Assignment.

    11. Miscellaneous Provisions.
        ------------------------

                  (a)      This Agreement may not be amended, altered or
                           modified except by a written instrument signed by the
                           parties hereto or their respective successors or
                           assigns and may not be otherwise terminated except as
                           provided herein.

                  (b)      The interpretation and effect of this Agreement shall
                           be governed by the laws of the State of North
                           Carolina.

                  (c)      This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure
                           to the benefit of the Employer, Employee and their
                           respective successors and assigns.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed multiple originals of this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.


                                                    EMPLOYER:

[CORPORATE SEAL]                                    FIRST BANCORP

Attest:                                             By:  _______________________
                                                         President

- ------------------------
Secretary



                                                    EMPLOYEE:


                                                    ----------------------------


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                                                                       EXHIBIT A


                       SPLIT DOLLAR COLLATERAL ASSIGNMENT


A.                For Value Received, __________________ (the "Assignor") hereby
                  assigns, transfers and sets over to First Bancorp, a North
                  Carolina corporation (the "Assignee"), as the interest of such
                  Assignee may appear, Policy No. _________________ issued by
                  ________________ Life Insurance Company (the "Insurer") and
                  any supplementary contracts issued in connection therewith
                  (said policy and contracts being herein called the "Policy")
                  upon the life of ________________ (the "Insured"), subject to
                  all the terms and conditions of the Policy and to all superior
                  liens, if any, which the Insurer may have against the Policy.
                  The Assignor by execution of this Agreement agrees and the
                  Assignee by the execution and acceptance of this Assignment
                  agrees to the conditions and provisions herein set forth.

B.                It is expressly agreed that the only specific right which
                  passes by virtue of this Assignment to Assignee is the right
                  of Assignee to collect from the Insurer Assignee's Interest
                  (as hereinafter defined) from the cash surrender value or
                  other proceeds or payments under the Policy upon the death of
                  the Insured or upon the earlier termination of that certain
                  Split Dollar Life Insurance Agreement dated _______________ by
                  and between Assignor and Assignee (the "Split Dollar
                  Agreement").

C.                It is expressly agreed that all rights not specifically set
                  forth in paragraph B of this Assignment are reserved and
                  excluded from this Assignment and do not pass by virtue
                  hereof.

D.                This Assignment is made and the Policy is to be held as
                  collateral security for the repayment of certain amounts
                  heretofore or hereafter advanced by the Assignee pursuant to
                  the Split Dollar Agreement.

E.                The Assignee covenants and agrees with the Assignor as
                  follows:

                  1.       That the Assignee will upon request forward without
                           unreasonable delay to the Insurer a signed statement
                           of the total of Assignee's Interest in the Policy
                           under the Split Dollar Agreement. The Assignee's
                           Interest in the Policy under the Split Dollar
                           Agreement as of any determination date shall be an
                           amount equal to the total cumulative premiums paid by
                           the Assignee to the Insurer through such
                           determination date pursuant to the provisions of
                           Section 2 of the Split Dollar Agreement reduced by
                           the premiums reimbursed to Assignee by the Assignor
                           prior to such determination date.

                  2.       That the Assignee will upon request forward without
                           unreasonable delay to the Insurer the Policy for
                           necessary endorsements including, but not limited to,
                           endorsement or a designation or change of beneficiary
                           or election of an optional mode of settlement.

                  3.       That the Assignee will forward without unreasonable
                           delay to the Insurer a formal Statement of Release of
                           this Assignment if the Split Dollar Agreement is
                           terminated for any reason and the obligation which
                           this Assignment secures is satisfied in accordance
                           with the terms of the Split Dollar Agreement.

F.                The Insurer is hereby authorized to recognize the Assignee's
                  claims to rights hereunder without investigating the reason
                  for any action taken by the Assignee, or the validity or the
                  amount due to the Assignee under the Split Dollar Agreement,

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                  or the application to be made by the Assignee of any amounts
                  to be paid to the Assignee. The sole signature of an officer
                  of Assignee shall be sufficient for the exercise of those
                  rights in the Policy which have been assigned hereby, and
                  checks for all amounts claimed by the Assignee by reason of
                  this Assignment shall be drawn to the exclusive order of the
                  Assignee. The Insurer may accept and rely upon the signed
                  statement of the Assignee as conclusive evidence of the extent
                  of the Assignee's collateral interest, and the receipt by the
                  Assignee of the sums claimed hereunder and paid by the Insurer
                  shall be a complete release and discharge to the Insurer to
                  the extent of such payment.

G.                The Assignee may take or release other security, may grant
                  extensions, renewals or indulgences with respect to the
                  amounts due it under the Split Dollar Agreement, or may apply
                  to such amounts due it in such order as the Assignee shall
                  determine, the proceeds of the Policy hereby assigned or any
                  amount received on account of the Policy by the exercise of
                  any right permitted under this Assignment without resorting to
                  other security.

H.                The Assignor declares that no proceedings in bankruptcy are
                  pending against him/her and that his/her property is not
                  subject to any assignment for the benefit of creditors.


    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Assignment this
____ day of _____________, 20___.



                                                    ASSIGNEE:

                                                    FIRST BANCORP

Attest:                                             By:  _______________________
                                                    President

- ------------------------
Secretary

                                                    ASSIGNOR:


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