EXHIBIT 4

 
                  CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION, PREFERENCES AND
                                   RIGHTS OF
                 SERIES A JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
                                        
                                       of

                           FIRST COASTAL CORPORATION

             Pursuant to Section 151 of the General Corporation Law
                            of the State of Delaware


          I, Gregory T. Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer, of First
Coastal Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, in accordance with the provisions of
Section 103 thereof, DO HEREBY CERTIFY:

          That pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of Directors
by the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the said
Corporation, the said Board of Directors on February 25, 1998 adopted the
following resolution creating a series of 200,000 shares of Preferred Stock
designated as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock:

          RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority granted to and vested in the
Board of Directors of this Corporation (the "Board") in accordance with the
provisions of its Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, a series of
Preferred Stock of the Corporation be and it hereby is created, and that the
designation and amount thereof and the voting rights or powers, preferences and
relative, participating, optional and other special rights of the shares of such
series, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof are as
follows:

          Section 1.  Designation and Amount.  The shares of such series, par
                      ----------------------                                 
value $1.00 per share, shall be designated as "Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock" and the number of shares constituting such series shall be
200,000.  Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of
the Board of Directors; provided, that no decrease shall reduce the number of
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock to a number less than
the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon
the conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Corporation
convertible into Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.

 
          Section 2.  Dividends and Distributions.
                      --------------------------- 

          (A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any
shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior and superior to the shares
of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the
holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall be
entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of
funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on
the 15th day of April, July, October and January, in each year (each such date
being referred to herein as a "Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"), commencing on
the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after first issuance of a share or
fraction of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, in an
amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of (a) $.10
or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, 10 times
the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 10 times the aggregate
per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other
distributions, other than a dividend payable in shares of common stock, par
value $1.00 per share, of the Corporation (the "Common Stock"), or a subdivision
of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise),
declared on the Common Stock, since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date, or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date,
since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock.  In the event the Corporation shall at any time
after February 25, 1998 (the "Rights Declaration Date") (i) declare or pay any
dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the
outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a
smaller number of shares, then in each such case the amount to which holders of
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock were entitled
immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall
be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is
the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event
and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.

          (B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) above
immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock
(other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in the
event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock
during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next
subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $.10 per share on the
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on
such subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.


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          (C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock from the Quarterly
Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares of Series
A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, unless the date of issue of such shares
is prior to the record date set for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date,
in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of
issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders
of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock entitled to receive a
quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of
which event such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.  Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear
interest.  Dividends paid on the shares of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the
time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-
by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding.  The Board of
Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a
dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be no more
than 50 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.

          Section 3.  Voting Rights.  The holders of shares of Series A Junior
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Participating Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:

          (A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth,
each share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall entitle the
holder thereof to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the
stockholders of the Corporation.  In the event the Corporation shall at any time
after the Rights Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock
payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock,
or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares,
then in each such case the number of votes per share to which holders of shares
of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior
to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such number by a fraction the
numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event;
provided that in no event shall each share of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock entitle the holder thereof to more than one vote on all matters
submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation.

          (B) Except as otherwise provided by law, the holders of shares of
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of


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Common Stock shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote
of stockholders of the Corporation.

          (C) Except as set forth herein, holders of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their
consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote
with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate
action.

          Section 4.  Certain Restrictions.
                      -------------------- 

          (A) Whenever dividends or distributions payable on the Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are not paid, thereafter
and until such dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares
of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been
paid in full, the Corporation shall not:

          (i) declare or pay dividends on, or make any other distributions on,
or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock
ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or
winding up) to the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock; or

          (ii) declare or pay dividends on, or make any other distributions on,
any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are
payable in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such
shares are then entitled; or

          (iii)     redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration
shares of any stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any time redeem, purchase
or otherwise acquire shares of any such parity stock in exchange for shares of
any stock of the Corporation ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock; or

          (iv) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock
ranking on a parity with the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock,
except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as
determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such
terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the 


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respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of
the respective series and classes, shall determine in good faith will result in
fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.

          (B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation
to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the
Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4,
purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.

          Section 5.   Reacquired Shares.  Any shares of Series A Junior
                       -----------------                                
Participating Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation
in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and canceled promptly after the
acquisition thereof.  All such shares shall upon their cancellation become
authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of
a new series of Preferred Stock to be created by resolution or resolutions of
the Board of Directors, subject to the conditions and restrictions on issuance
set forth herein.

          Section 6.  Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up.
                      -------------------------------------- 

          (A) Upon any liquidation (voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or
winding up of the Corporation, no distribution shall be made to the holders of
shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock shall have received $500.00 per share, plus any unpaid dividends
and distributions payable thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such
payment (the "Series A Liquidation Preference").  Following the payment of the
full amount of the Series A Liquidation Preference, no additional distributions
shall be made to the holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall have received
an amount per share (the "Common Adjustment") equal to the quotient obtained by
dividing (i) the Series A Liquidation Preference by (ii) 10 (as appropriately
adjusted as set forth in subparagraph (C) below to reflect such events as stock
splits, stock dividends and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock)
(such number in clause (ii) immediately above being referred to as the
"Adjustment Number").  Following the payment of the full amount of the Series A
Liquidation Preference and the Common Adjustment in respect of all outstanding
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and Common Stock,
respectively, holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and
holders of shares of Common Stock shall receive their ratable and proportionate
share of the remaining assets to be distributed in the ratio of the Adjustment
Number to one 


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(1) with respect to such Preferred Stock and Common Stock, on a
per share basis, respectively.

          (B) In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets
available to permit payment in full of the Series A Liquidation Preference and
the liquidation preferences of all other series of preferred stock, if any,
which rank on a parity with the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock,
then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of such
parity shares in proportion to their respective liquidation preferences.  In the
event, however, that there are sufficient assets available to permit payment in
full of the Common Adjustment, then such remaining assets shall be distributed
ratably to the holders of Common Stock.

          (C) In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Rights
Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of
Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the
outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case
the Adjustment Number in effect immediately prior to such event shall be
adjusted by multiplying such Adjustment Number by a fraction the numerator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that
were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

          Section 7.  Consolidation, Merger, etc.  In case the Corporation shall
                      ---------------------------                               
enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which
the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or
securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case the shares of
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall at the same time be
similarly exchanged or changed in an amount per share (subject to the provision
for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to 10 times the aggregate amount of
stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case
may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or
exchanged.  In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Rights
Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of
Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the
outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case
the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or
change of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall be
adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the
number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and
the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.


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          Section 8.  Redemption.  The outstanding shares of Series A Junior
                      ----------                                            
Participating Preferred Stock may be redeemed as a whole, but not in part, at
any time, or from time to time, at the option of the Board, at a cash price per
share equal to 105 percent of (i) the product of the Adjustment Number times the
Average Market Value (as such term is hereinafter defined) of the Common Stock,
plus (ii) all dividends which on the redemption date are payable on the shares
to be redeemed and have not been paid or declared, and a sum sufficient for the
payment thereof set apart, without interest.  The "Average Market Value" is the
average of the closing sale prices of the Common Stock during the 30 day period
immediately preceding the date before the redemption date on the Composite Tape
for New York Stock Exchange Listed Stocks, or, if such stock is not quoted on
the Composite Tape, on the New York Stock Exchange, or, if such stock is not
listed on such Exchange, on the principal United States securities exchange
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, on which such
stock is listed, or, if such stock is not listed on any such exchange, the
average of the closing sale prices with respect to a share of Common Stock
during such 30 day period, as quoted on the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System or any system then in use, or if no
such quotations are available, the fair market value of the Common Stock as
determined by the Board in good faith.

          Section 9.  Ranking.  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the
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contrary, the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall rank junior to
all other series of the Corporation's Preferred Stock as to voting rights, the
payment of dividends and the distribution of assets in liquidation, unless the
terms of any such series shall provide otherwise.

          Section 10.  Amendment. The Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as
                       ---------                                               
amended, of the Corporation shall not be further amended in any manner which
would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of
the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely
without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the
outstanding shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, voting
separately as a class.

          Section 11.  Fractional Shares.  Series A Junior Participating
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Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share which shall entitle the
holders, in proportion to such holders fractional shares, to exercise voting
rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to have the benefit
of all other rights of holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.


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          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have executed and subscribed this Certificate
and do affirm the foregoing as true under the penalties of perjury this 25th day
of February, 1998.

                                 FIRST COASTAL CORPORATION


                                 By:/s/ Gregory T. Caswell
                                    ----------------------
                                    Gregory T.Caswell
                                    President and Chief Executive         
                                    Officer



Attest:


By:/s/ Dennis D. Byrd
   --------------------
    Dennis D. Byrd
    Treasurer
 
 
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