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                                                                   EXHIBIT 23


                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS


The Board of Directors
Carolina First Bancshares, Inc.



We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement (No.
33-63390) on Form S-3 of Carolina First Bancshares, Inc. of our report dated
January 19, 1996 relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Carolina First
Bancshares, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1995 and 1994 and the
related consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and
cash flows for the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1995, which
report appears in the December 31, 1995 annual report on Form 10-K of Carolina
First Bancshares, Inc.  Our report contains an explanatory paragraph relating to
the changes in methods of accounting for certain investments in debt and equity
securities and income taxes.







                                                           KPMG Peat Marwick LLP




Charlotte, North Carolina
March 22, 1996