Exhibit 99.1

Southern First Reports Results for Third Quarter of 2015

Greenville, South Carolina, October 27, 2015 – Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST), holding company for Southern First Bank, today reported net income available to the common shareholders of $2.7 million, or $0.41 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2015. In comparison, net income available to common shareholders was $1.6 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2014. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, net income to common shareholders was $7.3 million, or $1.12 per diluted share. In comparison, net income available to common shareholders for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $3.9 million, or $0.79 per diluted share.

“I’m proud of our team for its performance in generating record earnings and over $50 million in core deposit growth,” stated Art Seaver, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

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Operating Results
Net interest margin for the third quarter of 2015 was 3.62%, compared to 3.73% for the prior quarter, and 3.66% for the third quarter of 2014. Average interest-earning assets for the third quarter of 2015 increased by $157.1 million, compared to the third quarter of 2014, while our average interest-bearing liabilities for the third quarter of 2015 increased by $104.6 million, compared to the same period in 2014. However, the yield on our interest-earning assets declined by eight basis points, as compared to the third quarter of 2014, due primarily to a lower average loan yield, and the cost of our interest-bearing liabilities declined by three basis points driven by growth in lower-costing deposits, as compared to the same period in 2014.

Noninterest income was $2.1 million and $1.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, noninterest income was $6.4 million and $4.0 million, respectively. The increase in noninterest income during the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2015 relates primarily to increases in loan and mortgage fee income. A significant portion of our loan and mortgage fee income relates to income derived from mortgage originations of $1.3 million and $3.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, and $820 thousand and $1.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.

Noninterest expense was $6.9 million and $6.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and $21.0 million and $18.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The increase in noninterest expense during the 2015 periods relates primarily to an increase in salaries and benefits, partially offset by a decrease in other noninterest expense. In addition, real estate owned expenses increased by $907 thousand during the nine months ended September 30, 2015, as compared to the prior year, and related primarily to one commercial property.

During the three months ended September 30, 2015, we recorded total credit costs of $1.0 million, including an $875 thousand provision for loan losses and $148 thousand of expenses related to the sale and management of other real estate owned. In addition, net loan charge-offs for the third quarter of 2015 were $434 thousand, or 0.18% of average loans, annualized. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, our total credit costs were $1.4 million, consisting of a $1.3 million provision for loan losses and $71 thousand of expenses related to other real estate owned. Net loan charge-offs for the third quarter of 2014 were $1.1 million, or 0.54% of average loans, annualized. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, total credit costs were $3.5 million and $3.4 million, respectively. Our allowance for loan losses was $13.4 million, or 1.35% of loans, at September 30, 2015 which provides approximately 186% coverage of nonaccrual loans, compared to $11.3 million, or 1.36% of loans, and approximately 142% coverage of nonaccrual loans at September 30, 2014.

Nonperforming assets were $9.8 million, or 0.84% of total assets, as of September 30, 2015. Comparatively, nonperforming assets were $10.0 million, or 0.97% of total assets, at December 31, 2014, and $11.5 million, or 1.14% of total assets, at September 30, 2014. Of the $9.8 million in total nonperforming assets as of September 30, 2015, nonperforming loans represent $7.2 million and other real estate owned represents $2.6 million. Classified assets improved to 18% of tier 1 capital plus the allowance for loan losses at September 30, 2015, compared to 25% at September 30, 2014.

Gross loans were $993.2 million, excluding loans held for sale, as of September 30, 2015, compared to $871.4 million at December 31, 2014, and $832.7 million at September 30, 2014. Of the $121.8 million of loan growth during the first nine months of 2015, $36.8 million was in the Greenville market, $29.8 million was in the Columbia market, and $55.2 million was in the Charleston market. Core deposits, which exclude out-of-market deposits and time deposits of $100,000 or more, increased to $713.5 million at September 30, 2015, compared to $585.1 million at December 31, 2014 and $557.4 million at September 30, 2014. During the first nine months of 2015, core deposits grew by $128.4 million with growth of $32.9 million in the Greenville market, $55.3 million in the Columbia market, and $40.2 million in the Charleston market.

Shareholders’ equity totaled $91.1 million as of September 30, 2015, compared to $83.0 million at December 31, 2014, and $73.6 million as of September 30, 2014. As of September 30, 2015, our capital ratios continue to exceed the regulatory requirements for a “well capitalized” institution.

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ABOUT SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES

Southern First Bancshares, Inc., Greenville, South Carolina is a registered bank holding company incorporated under the laws of South Carolina. The Company consists of Southern First Bank, the third largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. Southern First Bancshares has been providing financial services since 1999 and now operates in nine locations in the Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston markets of South Carolina. Southern First Bancshares has assets of approximately $1.2 billion and its common stock is traded in the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SFST.” More information can be found at www.southernfirst.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to future plans and expectations, and are thus prospective. Such forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “targets,” and “projects,” as well as similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, we can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by our company or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by our company will be achieved.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: (1) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly and have an effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; (2) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which we conduct operations may be different than expected resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in the credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, including the resultant effect on the company’s loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses; (3) the rate of delinquencies and amounts of charge-offs, the level of allowance for loan loss, the rates of loan growth, or adverse changes in asset quality in our loan portfolio, which may result in increased credit risk-related losses and expenses; (4) changes in the United States legal and regulatory framework; and (5) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) could have a negative impact on the company. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the company or any person acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements above. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

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