Common Contracts

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

First Financial • March 29th, 2012 • New York

• Contract Type
  First Financial
• Filed
  March 29th, 2012
• Jurisdiction
  New York

First Financial Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Charleston (the “Bank”) and the United States Department of the Treasury (the “Selling Shareholder”) each confirms its agreement with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch” and together with any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 11 hereof, the “Underwriters”), for whom Merrill Lynch is acting as Representative (in such capacity, the “Representative”), with respect to the sale by the Selling Shareholder and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of shares of Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Preferred Stock”) set forth in Schedule A hereto. The aforesaid 65,000 shares of Preferred Stock to be purchased by the Underwriters are referred to herein, collectively, as the “Securities.”