CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS



The  Board of Directors
First Charter Corporation


We consent to the  incorporation by reference in the  Registration  Statement of
First Charter Corporation (the  "Corporation") on Form S-3 (No.  33-52004),  the
Registration  Statement  of the  Corporation  on Form  S-8 (No.  33-60949),  the
Registration  Statement of the Corporation on Form S-4 (No. 33-63157) as amended
by the Corporation's  Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto on Form S-8 and the
Registration  Statement of the Corporation on Form S-8 (No.  333-43617) and the
Registration Statement of the Corporation on Form S-4 (333-35905) as amended by
the Corporation's Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto on Form S-8, of our
report dated January 23, 1998,  relating to the  consolidated  balance sheets of
First Charter Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, 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, 1997,
which report appears in the December 31, 1997 Annual Report to Shareholders  and
is incorporated by reference in the Form 10-K of First Charter Corporation.





                                                      KPMG Peat Marwick LLP


Charlotte, North Carolina
March 31, 1998