SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 11-K

                                  ANNUAL REPORT
                        PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

[X]      ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
         OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 7, 1996].

For the fiscal year ended         December 31, 2000
                         ---------------------------------------------

                                       OR

[ ]      TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
         EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED].

For the transition period from _______________ to  ______________________

                         Commission File Number 0-23971

A.  Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from that
    of the issuer named below:

     Gaston Federal Bank Employees' Savings & Profit Sharing Plan and Trust

B:  Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the address
    of its principal executive office:


                          Gaston Federal Bancorp, Inc.
                              245 West Main Avenue
                                  P.O. Box 2249
                       Gastonia, North Carolina 28053-2249













                              SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT

                  FOR GASTON FEDERAL BANK EMPLOYEES' SAVINGS &
                          PROFIT SHARING PLAN AND TRUST


This is a summary of the annual report for the Gaston Federal Bank Employees'
Savings & Profit Sharing Plan and Trust, EIN 56-0233080, Plan No. 004, for the
period January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000. The annual report has been
filed with the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA).

                            Basic Financial Statement

Benefits under the plan are provided through a trust fund. Plan expenses were
$44,007. These expenses included $30,273 in benefits paid to participants and
beneficiaries and $13,734 in other expenses. A total of 72 persons were
participants in or beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan year,
although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.

The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, was
$2,764,469 as of December 31, 2000, compared to $2,553,630 as of January 1,
2000. During the plan year the plan experienced an increase in its net assets of
$210,839. This increase includes unrealized appreciation and depreciation in the
value of plan assets; that is, the difference between the value of the plan's
assets at the end of the year and the value of the assets at the beginning of
the year or the cost of assets acquired during the year. The plan had total
income of $254,846 including employer contributions of $57,374, employee
contributions of $177,590, and earnings from investments of $(44,999).

                      Your Rights To Additional Information

You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part
thereof, on request. Th items listed below are included in that report:

         1.       financial information; and
         2.       information regarding any common or collective trusts, pooled
                  separate accounts, master trusts or 103-12 investment entities
                  in which the plan participates.

 To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call
Gaston Federal Bank, P.O. Box 2249, Gastonia, NC 28053-2249, (704) 868-5200.

You also have the right to receive from the plan administrator, on request and
at no charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the plan and
accompanying notes, or a statement of income and expenses of the plan and
accompanying notes, or both. If you request a copy of the full annual report
from the plan administrator, these two statements and accompanying notes will be
included as part of that report.

You also have the legally protected right to examine the annual report at the
main office of the plan (Gaston Federal Bank, P.O. Box 2249, Gastonia, NC 28053-
2249) and at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a
copy from the U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs.  Requests
to the Department should be addressed to: Public Disclosure Room, N-5638,
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.






                                   SIGNATURES


         The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit
plan) have duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                        GASTON FEDERAL BANK EMPLOYEES' SAVINGS &
                                        PROFIT SHARING PLAN AND TRUST






Date:   June 22, 2001                   By:    /s/ Paul L. Teem, Jr.
                                           -------------------------------------
                                              Name:   Paul L. Teem, Jr.
                                              Title:  Executive Vice President
                                                      and Secretary