First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces First Quarter Earnings and Declares Cash Dividend

CHARLESTON, S.C., April 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today net income available to common shareholders of $4.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013, compared with $6.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2012 and $770 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2012. Diluted net income per common share was $0.26 for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, compared with $0.41 for the prior quarter and $0.05 for the same quarter last year.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings and Declares Cash Dividend

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today net income available to common shareholders of $6.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2012, compared with $5.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2012 and $14.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2011. Diluted net income per common share was $0.41 for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, compared with $0.34 for the prior quarter and $0.88 for the same quarter last year. The quarter ended December 31, 2011 included a $12.7 million after-tax gain from a bulk loan sale of certain performing loans and classified assets.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH) announced today that it will host a conference call for institutional investors and analysts on Friday, January 25, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results. The conference call will coincide with the news release announcing fourth quarter earnings which will be distributed after the market closes on Thursday, January 24, 2013.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. CEO and CFO to Present at the Sandler O'Neill 2012 East Coast Financial Services Conference

CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 9, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH) CEO R. Wayne Hall and CFO Blaise B. Bettendorf will present at the Sandler O'Neill 2012 East Coast Financial Services Conference Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 10:55 a.m. ET. The presentation will be broadcast on First Financial's website at

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Earnings and Declares Cash Dividend

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today net income available to common shareholders of $5.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2012, compared with $11.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012 and $113 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2011. Diluted net income per common share was $0.34 for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, compared with $0.70 for the prior quarter and $0.01 for the same quarter last year. The quarter ended June 30, 2012 included a $9.0 million after-tax gain on the acquisition of Plantation Federal Bank ("Plantation") and a $3.1 million after-tax net charge related to repositioning the balance sheet.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH) announced today that it will host a conference call for institutional investors and analysts on Friday, October 26, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results. The conference call will coincide with the news release announcing third quarter earnings which will be distributed after the market closes on Thursday, October 25, 2012.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Second Quarter Earnings and Declares Cash Dividend

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today net income available to common shareholders of $11.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012, compared with $770 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and a net loss of $(44.0) million for the three months ended June 30, 2011. Diluted net income per common share was $0.70 for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, compared with $0.05 for the prior quarter and a net loss of $(2.50) for the same quarter last year. The quarter ended June 30, 2012 included a $9.0 million after-tax gain on the acquisition of Plantation Federal Bank ("Plantation") and a $3.1 million after-tax net charge related to repositioning the balance sheet, as described below. The quarter ended June 30, 2011 included additional provision for loan losses of $40.1 million after-tax related to the bulk loan sale.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH) announced today that it will host a conference call for institutional investors and analysts on Friday, July 27, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results. The conference call will coincide with the news release announcing second quarter earnings which will be distributed after the market closes on Thursday, July 26, 2012.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Announces First Quarter Financial Results and Declares Cash Dividends

CHARLESTON, S.C., April 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today net income of $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with $15.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2011 and a net loss of $(430) thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2011. The quarter ended March 31, 2012 included a $2.1 million write-down of the state deferred tax asset due to First Federal's conversion to a state-chartered commercial bank and the quarter ended December 31, 2011 included a $20.8 million pre-tax gain ($12.7 million after-tax) from a bulk loan sale. After the effect of the preferred stock dividend and related accretion, First Financial reported net income (loss) available to common shareholders of $770 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with $14.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2011 and $(1.4) million for the three months ended March 31, 2011. Diluted net income (loss) per common share was $0.05 for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, compared with $0.88 for the prior quarter and $(0.08) for the same quarter last year.

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

First Federal Bank Assumes the Deposits and Purchases Substantially All the Assets of Plantation Federal Bank in an FDIC-Assisted Transaction

CHARLESTON, S.C., April 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Holdings, Inc. ("First Financial") (Nasdaq:FFCH), the holding company for First Federal Bank ("First Federal"), announced today that First Federal has entered into a purchase and assumption agreement that includes a commercial loan loss share arrangement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") to assume all deposits as well as certain assets and other liabilities of Plantation Federal Bank ("Plantation"), a full-service community bank headquartered in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. The transaction was effective at the close of business today.