The South Financial Group, Inc. (TSFG) is a bank holding company. TSFG operates principally through Carolina First Bank, a South Carolina-chartered commercial bank, which conducts banking operations in South Carolina and North Carolina (as Carolina First), in Florida (as Mercantile), and on the Internet (as Bank CaroLine). TSFG’s subsidiaries provide a range of financial services, including deposits, loans, treasury management, merchant processing, full-service brokerage and investments, business and personal insurance, trust, investment management, and financial planning. As of December 31, 2008, TSFG conducted business through 82 branch offices in South Carolina, 71 in Florida, and 27 in North Carolina. As of December 31, 2008, it had $13.6 billion in assets, $10.2 billion in loans, $9.4 billion in deposits, and $1.6 billion in shareholders’ equity.