First Charter Bank Opens New Financial Center In Greater Charlotte Market

Business Wire, Jan 14, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- First Charter (NASDAQ: FCTR) opened a new full-service banking center in the greater Charlotte market today. The banking center is located in the Cureton Shopping Center, 8100 Kensington Road, in Waxhaw, North Carolina. The new banking center replaces the former First Charter Waxhaw banking center located at 1100 N. Broome Street that closed at the end of business January 11th.

Bob James, First Charter President and CEO noted, "This new banking center in the Waxhaw community further supports our strategic growth strategy and provides our customers in Union County a larger, more convenient location for their banking needs." He continued, "Waxhaw has been an important market for First Charter since we first opened a banking center in this community in 1989. We're pleased to continue to deliver Expect More service to our customers in Union County."

Gina Jordan will serve as financial center manager for the Cureton financial center. Gina is a native of Union County, North Carolina and has more than twenty years of banking industry experience.

The new 4,500 square foot First Charter Financial Center will provide full-service banking to individuals and businesses and will offer a complete range of personal, business and investment services. The financial center will include another 6,500 square feet for three drive thru

teller lanes and a fourth lane for the drive thru ATM. Yates Chreitzberg Hughes is the architect for the project and Liles Construction is the general contractor.

About First Charter

First Charter Corporation (NASDAQ: FCTR), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a regional financial services company with assets of $4.8 billion and is the holding company for First Charter Bank. First Charter operates 60 locations, four insurance offices, and 137 ATMs in North Carolina and Georgia, and also operates loan origination offices in Asheville, North Carolina and Reston, Virginia. First Charter provides businesses and individuals with a broad range of financial services, including banking, financial planning, wealth management, investments, insurance, and mortgages. For more information about First Charter, visit the Corporation's Web site at www.firstcharter.com or call 800-601-8471.