Summary：**First Reliance Bancshares Shares Strong Q2 2026 Earnings, Boosting Investor Confidence** FLORENCE

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**First Reliance Bancshares Shares Strong Q2 2026 Earnings, Boosting Investor Confidence**
FLORENCE, S.C., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- First Reliance Bancshares, Inc. (OTCQX:FSRL), the holding company for First Reliance Bank, reported solid second‑quarter results that lifted shares and reinforced market optimism about the regional lender’s trajectory.

**Introduction**
The company announced Q2 2026 net income of $48.3 million, a 12% increase year‑over‑year, while diluted earnings per share rose to $1.42 from $1.27. Total revenue reached $212 million, driven by a 9% jump in net interest income and a 6% rise in fee‑based income. The announcement, issued after the market close, sent the stock up 4.8% in after‑hours trading.

**Key Developments**
Loan growth remained a bright spot, with the loan portfolio expanding to $7.4 billion, up 8% from the prior quarter. Commercial real estate and small‑business lending led the advance, reflecting the bank’s focus on relationship‑based underwriting. Deposits grew 5% to $9.1 billion, improving the loan‑to‑deposit ratio to 81%, a level analysts view as comfortably balanced for a regional institution. Credit quality stayed stable; non‑performing assets fell to 0.38% of total loans, down from 0.42% at year‑end 2025. The bank also announced a $0.30 per share quarterly