First Reliance Bank Announces Scholarship Program to Assist Francis Marion University Students

FLORENCE, South Carolina – First Reliance Bank has created a scholarship program for outstanding business and finance students at Francis Marion University. The University will award the cash scholarship each spring to one winning applicant. The scholarship is good for one academic year – consisting of two semesters – and is applied to the winning student’s account the following semester after being awarded.

“We are pleased to support this annual scholarship recognizing outstanding future or current business or finance students at Francis Marion University,” says F.R. (Rick) Saunders, Jr., President and CEO of First Reliance Bank. “It is fitting recognition for students who are working hard to create better opportunities for themselves. That is something we truly believe in at First Reliance – we call it continuous improvement – and we are proud to help students who embrace that idea.”

Amount of the scholarship will vary each year according to the spending policy of the Francis Marion University Foundation. The estimated annual amount ranges from $750 to $1250. The exact award amount will be announced in early March, when the winning applicant is announced.

Detailed scholarship information and application forms are available at any FRB branch location, the school office at Florence Christian School, and online at www.firstreliance.com. The completed application can be submitted to any First Reliance Bank branch office.

ABOUT FIRST RELIANCE BANK
First Reliance Bank, founded in 1999, has assets of approximately $700 million, and employs over 150 highly talented associates. The bank serves Columbia, Charleston, and Florence markets in South Carolina. The bank has been recognized for its success including being the only company ever to be named to The Top 25 Fastest Growing Companies™ in South Carolina four times including 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006 (SC Chamber/Elliott Davis). In June 2007, the bank was added to the Palmetto 25, a list of S.C.’s largest publicly held companies. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 the bank was also recognized as One of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by the SC BIZ and was named 2009 Lender of the Year by the South Carolina Finance and Housing Development Authority. First Reliance Bank offers a unique Hometown Heroes package of benefits to serve those who are serving our communities, Check ‘N Save, a community outreach program for the unbanked or under-banked, a Customer Service Guaranty, a 5 Way Mortgage Guarantee, FREE Coin Machines, and a Worldwide NO FEE ATM Network. It also offers 8-8 Extended Hours in all of their Florence, Charleston, West Columbia and Lexington locations and is open on most traditional bank holidays. Its There’s More To Banking Than Money™ brand strategy has earned the young bank a customer satisfaction rating of 98% (Lamothe & Associates, Inc., Research Firm) and the number one market share in its headquarters city of Florence, SC.. First Reliance Bank is traded as FSRL.OB. Information about the Company is available on the company’s website at www.firstreliance.com.