Exhibit 23.4



                       Consent of Independent Accountants


We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement to be
filed on Form S-1 of Seacoast Financial Services Corporation of our report dated
January 26, 1998, except as to Note 17, which is as of March 23, 1998, relating
to the consolidated balance sheets of Sandwich Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries as
of December 31, 1997 and 1996 and the related consolidated statements of
operations, changes in stockholders 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 on Form 10-K of Sandwich Bancorp, Inc. We also
consent to the reference to our firm under the heading "Experts" in the
Registration Statement.

                                        /s/ KPMG Peat Marwick LLP



Boston, Massachusetts
September 10, 1998