Exhibit 23.1






            Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm






The Board of Directors
The South Financial Group, Inc.:

We consent to the use of our report dated March 5, 2004, with respect to the
consolidated balance sheets of The South Financial Group, Inc. and subsidiaries
as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related consolidated statements of
income, changes in shareholders' equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows
for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003,
incorporated by reference herein and to the references to our firm under the
heading "Experts" in the prospectus.

Our report refers to the fact that on January 1, 2002, The South Financial
Group, Inc. and subsidiaries adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets".


/s/ KPMG LLP


Greenville, South Carolina
January 26, 2005