SouthState Bank
A southeastern U.S. regional bank serving retail, commercial, wealth-management, and related financial needs.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
SouthState Bank is an American regional banking brand and a subsidiary of SouthState Corporation, a bank holding company. The institution serves customers across the southeastern and south-central United States through a branch network and related banking operations. Its footprint includes Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Texas, and Colorado. The bank offers a combination of consumer banking, commercial banking, lending, treasury and cash-management services, and wealth-related products. It has grown primarily through consolidation with community and regional banks rather than through a single nationwide retail model. The institution traces its origins to First National Bank, established in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in 1933. The original bank remained closely associated with its South Carolina community base for decades. In 2002, it adopted the name South Carolina Bank and Trust, while the holding company changed its name from First National Corp. to SCBT Financial Corp. in 2003. During this period, the organization expanded beyond Orangeburg and developed a larger presence in the Columbia and Greenville areas. By 2013, it was described as South Carolina's fourth-largest bank, with approximately $1 billion in assets. Expansion accelerated through acquisitions and mergers. In 2007, SCBT Financial completed the purchase of TSB Financial Corporation and its Scottish Bank subsidiary, adding locations in the Charlotte, North Carolina, market. Those offices operated under the North Carolina Bank and Trust name. In 2013, SCBT announced a merger with First Financial Holdings of Charleston, whose banking operations included First Federal Bank of Charleston and affiliated institutions in the Carolinas and Georgia. The transaction was the largest acquisition in SCBT's history at that point and created a multi-bank organization with a substantially broader South Carolina and neighboring-state presence. In 2014, SCBT Financial became SouthState Corporation, and its principal bank adopted the SouthState Bank name. First Federal Bank also transitioned to the SouthState brand later that year. The combination expanded the institution's coastal South Carolina operations and brought reported assets to approximately $8 billion. SouthState subsequently continued its branch-based expansion. It acquired branches associated with Bank of America in 2014, completed the purchase of Southeastern Bank Financial Corp. in 2017, and acquired Charlotte-based Park Sterling Corporation later in 2017. These transactions added offices and customers in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. A major strategic turning point came in 2020, when SouthState completed its merger with CenterState Bank. The combined institution retained the SouthState name and moved its headquarters to Winter Haven, Florida. The merger substantially increased the bank's scale and strengthened its Florida presence while preserving its identity as a regional institution. In 2024, SouthState Corporation agreed to acquire Independent Bank Group, a Texas-based bank holding company, in an approximately $2 billion all-stock transaction. The transaction became effective on January 1, 2025, adding branches in Texas and Colorado and extending SouthState's geographic reach beyond its traditional southeastern core. As of May 26, 2025, the SouthState banking organization was reported to have 371 branches in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Colorado, and Texas. The brand's positioning remains that of a relationship-oriented regional bank: large enough to provide diversified financial services and multi-state coverage, but still rooted in local markets, community banking relationships, and commercial lending. Its current identity reflects the accumulated operations of several predecessor banks rather than a single original market.
History
SouthState Bank developed from First National Bank, founded in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in 1933. The institution operated for many years as a community bank serving its home market and surrounding South Carolina communities. In 2002, it changed its name to South Carolina Bank and Trust, reflecting a broader commercial and regional identity, and moved its headquarters to Columbia. The holding company followed with a corporate name change from First National Corp. to SCBT Financial Corp. in 2003. During the 2000s and early 2010s, SCBT expanded through organic growth and acquisitions. Its 2007 acquisition of TSB Financial Corporation and The Scottish Bank established a presence in the Charlotte area. The acquired offices were renamed North Carolina Bank and Trust. By 2013, SCBT had offices in multiple South Carolina markets, parts of Georgia, and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and was described as South Carolina's fourth-largest bank with about $1 billion in assets. SCBT's most consequential early combination was its merger with First Financial Holdings of Charleston, announced in 2013. First Financial had been established in 1934 and operated 66 locations across the Carolinas. The transaction brought together SCBT, First Federal Bank of Charleston, North Carolina Bank and Trust, Community Bank & Trust of Cornelia, Georgia, and the Savannah Bank of coastal Georgia. Leadership arrangements called for SCBT chief executive Robert R. Hill Jr. to remain CEO, SCBT chair Robert R. Horger to remain chair, First Financial chief executive R. Wayne Hall to become president, and First Financial chair Paula Harper Bethea to become vice chair. In 2014, SCBT Financial changed its name to SouthState Corporation, and SCBT became SouthState Bank. First Federal Bank adopted the SouthState name later that year. The rebranding supported a unified corporate identity across the combined organization. The merger broadened SouthState's South Carolina footprint from the Midlands and Upstate into coastal markets and was reported to have increased assets to approximately $8 billion. That year, SouthState also acquired 13 Bank of America branches in markets where it had not previously maintained a presence. The bank continued its regional consolidation strategy in 2017. On January 4, it completed the acquisition of Augusta, Georgia-based Southeastern Bank Financial Corp., adding nine Georgia Bank & Trust branches and three Southern Bank & Trust branches in South Carolina. In April, SouthState agreed to acquire Park Sterling Corporation of Charlotte for approximately $690.8 million. The transaction closed in November 2017 and added 43 branches across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia; branch signage was changed to SouthState in 2018. SouthState's 2020 merger with CenterState Bank represented a significant change in scale and geographic emphasis. The combined bank kept the SouthState name and moved its headquarters from South Carolina to Winter Haven, Florida. The resulting institution was reported to have approximately $34 billion in assets, making it a substantially larger regional bank with a stronger Florida presence. The next major expansion came through the planned acquisition of Independent Bank Group. In May 2024, SouthState Corporation agreed to acquire the McKinney, Texas-based bank holding company in an approximately $2 billion all-stock transaction. The deal became effective on January 1, 2025, adding 92 branches in Texas and Colorado. By May 26, 2025, SouthState Bank was reported to operate 371 branches across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Colorado, and Texas. Its evolution illustrates the consolidation of community-bank franchises into a multi-state regional banking platform while retaining a local-market and relationship-banking orientation.
- 2025
Independent Bank Group transaction takes effect
[1]The transaction becomes effective and adds 92 branches in Texas and Colorado.
- 2020
CenterState merger completed
[1]SouthState completes its merger with CenterState Bank and moves its headquarters to Winter Haven, Florida.
- 2017
Southeastern Bank Financial acquisition completed
[1]The acquisition adds branches in Georgia and South Carolina.
- 2017
Park Sterling acquisition completed
[1]SouthState completes its acquisition of Park Sterling, adding 43 branches across four states.
- 2014
SouthState corporate and bank brands introduced
[1]SCBT Financial becomes SouthState Corporation and SCBT becomes SouthState Bank.
- 2013
First Financial Holdings merger announced
[1]SCBT announces its largest transaction to date, combining with Charleston-based First Financial Holdings and its affiliated banking operations.
- 2007
TSB Financial acquisition expands North Carolina presence
[1]SCBT Financial completes its acquisition of TSB Financial Corporation and The Scottish Bank, adding Charlotte-area offices.
- 2003
Holding company becomes SCBT Financial Corp.
[1]First National Corp. changes its corporate name to SCBT Financial Corp.
- 2002
Name changes to South Carolina Bank and Trust
[1]The bank adopts the South Carolina Bank and Trust name and moves its headquarters to Columbia.
- 1933
First National Bank is founded
[1]First National Bank begins operations in Orangeburg, South Carolina, forming the institutional origin of SouthState Bank.
Products and positioning
A relationship-oriented regional bank combining community-market presence with multi-state consumer, commercial, and wealth-management capabilities.
Retail banking
Consumer banking
SouthState's consumer banking franchise is delivered through its multi-state branch network and includes everyday deposit accounts, checking and savings products, certificates of deposit, residential mortgage services, home-equity products, and consumer lending. The offering is designed for households in the bank's regional footprint and is complemented by digital and relationship-based branch access. Specific product names and current terms are not established by the supplied sources.
Commercial banking
Commercial banking
Commercial banking is a core part of SouthState's regional-bank model. Services generally address business deposits, commercial credit, commercial real estate, working capital, treasury management, and other operating needs for companies and institutions. The bank's acquisitions expanded this capability across community and metropolitan markets in the Southeast, Texas, and Colorado. The supplied reference material does not identify a single flagship commercial product.
Wealth management
Wealth management
SouthState also provides wealth-related services as part of its broader financial-services platform. These services are positioned alongside consumer and commercial banking and may address investment, trust, planning, and private-client needs. The available reference material confirms wealth management as a typical product area but does not provide enough detail to identify specific current programs or product launches.
Brand decisions
2024
Agree to acquire Independent Bank GroupM&ABackground
SouthState pursued expansion beyond its traditional southeastern footprint and sought to add a substantial Texas and Colorado banking presence.
Action taken
SouthState Corporation agreed to an approximately $2 billion all-stock acquisition of Independent Bank Group.
Aftermath
The transaction became effective on January 1, 2025 and added 92 branches in Texas and Colorado.
Transaction value. Approximately $2 billion (Announced May 20, 2024)
2020
Complete the CenterState Bank merger and relocate headquartersM&ABackground
SouthState sought greater scale and a stronger presence in Florida through a combination with CenterState Bank.
Action taken
The merger was completed, the SouthState name was retained, and headquarters moved to Winter Haven, Florida.
Aftermath
The combined bank was reported to have approximately $34 billion in assets and a materially larger regional footprint.
Combined assets. $34 billion (At completion of the 2020 merger)
2014
Adopt a unified SouthState brandStrategyBackground
Following the First Financial Holdings combination, SCBT Financial controlled several predecessor banking brands across the Carolinas and Georgia.
Action taken
The holding company changed its name to SouthState Corporation, and SCBT and First Federal adopted the SouthState Bank name.
Aftermath
The rebranding created a common identity for the expanded organization and accompanied a broader multi-state regional-bank strategy.
Recent events
South State announces planned acquisition of Duncan-Williams[2]
Reported:
South State Corporation announced that it is set to acquire Memphis-based Duncan-Williams. The transaction had been approved by South State’s board and was set to close in the first quarter of 2021; financial terms were not disclosed.
- Unconfirmed
CenterState Bank and South State Bank complete merger[3]
Reported:
CenterState Bank completed its merger with South State Bank. The combined bank will operate under the South State name.
Sources3 sources
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