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                                  EXHIBIT 23.1


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               CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

The Board of Directors
First Charter Corporation:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements of First
Charter Corporation on Form S-4 (No. 333-95003), on Form S-3 (No. 333-60641) and
on Forms S-8 (Nos. 333-54019, 333-54021, 333-54023, 33-60949, and 333-71497), of
our report dated January 16, 2001, relating to the consolidated balance sheets
of First Charter Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000 and 1999,
and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders' equity and cash
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2000,
included in the 2000 Annual Report on Form 10-K of First Charter Corporation.



                                                        KPMG LLP



Charlotte, North Carolina
March 23, 2001