FIRST RELIANCE BANK'S NEW RESIDENTIAL LENDING SPECIALIST WILL HELP CUSTOMERS ASSESS THEIR NEEDS & DETERMINE THEIR BEST OPTIONS

Sandy Bishop Joins A Team Dedicated To Providing Exceptional Customer Service

LEXINGTON, South Carolina, March 25, 2011 - Sandra “Sandy” Bishop has joined First Reliance Bank as a Residential Lending Specialist for the Lexington, S.C. area.

Bishop joins a mortgage team dedicated to providing excellent customer service as they help their customers learn about the mortgage options available to them. Like her colleagues in the Mortgage Department, Bishop will help customers assess their needs, and then make recommendations about options that can best meet those needs.

“Sandy is a great addition to our team,” said Rick Saunders, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Reliance Bank. “First Reliance Bank is dedicated to making our customers‘ lives better, and Sandy's experience and knowledge will help us to deliver on that purpose.”

A resident of Lexington, Bishop developed her expertise in loan management through two decades in mortgage lending in the Carolinas and Georgia. Her knowledge of all aspects of mortgage loans and the residential loan process was gained through positions as a senior loan originator at 1st Trust Mortgage in Wilmington, N.C.; President and CEO of Sand Dollar Mortgage in Kure Beach, N.C., Branch Manager of Taylor, Green & Whitaker in Savannah, G.A..; and as a loan qualification specialist/manager at United Guaranty (AIG) in Atlanta, G.A.

“For twenty years, Sandy has sharpened her skills as a loan officer, while developing a real talent for putting people at ease as they sort through loan options,” said Saunders. “Customers will find her to be an excellent resource dedicated to helping them to identify just which of our products will work best for them.”

ABOUT FIRST RELIANCE BANK

First Reliance Bank, founded in 1999, has assets of approximately $500 million, and employs over 135 highly-talent associates. The bank serves the Columbia, Lexington, Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Florence markets in South Carolina. The bank has been recognized as “One of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by the SC BIZ for five consecutive years and was named 2009 Lender of the Year by the South Carolina Housing 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 Mortgage Service Guaranty, 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 commitment to making customers‘ lives better, and the idea that “There‘s More to Banking Than Money©” has earned the young bank a customer satisfaction rating of 99% (2010 results from an outside survey 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.