FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 7, 2004

Arthur State Bank Acquires New Rock Hill Location

Rock Hill, SC – Arthur State Bank recently acquired an existing bank building located at 201 South Herlong Avenue. The branch is on the corner of South Herlong and Constitution Boulevard and is scheduled to open in February 2004. The branch will offer both drive-thru and ATM access. Operating hours will be 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday - Thursday and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Friday with the drive-thru opening at 8:30 AM Monday - Friday.

Arthur State Bank is a full service community bank providing various deposit accounts including free personal checking, business checking, certificate's of deposit, IRA's and saving accounts. Other services include a Trust department and consumer, commercial and mortgage loans. The bank also offers free online and telephone banking services.

Arthur State Bank is privately owned and based in Union, SC. The bank was founded in 1933 and celebrated its 70^th anniversary in 2003. Arthur State Bank operates 14 offices in the Upstate including Chesnee, Clinton, Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, and Woodruff. The new Rock Hill branch will be our fifteenth location.

Arthur State Bank is a member FDIC.

For more information, please visit our website www.arthurstatebank.com or contact Jason Land at 864-253-4290.