The Southern Bank announced April 7 the appointment of M.J. “J” Huggins III as its new chief executive officer.
Huggins brings 40 years of experience in community banking leadership to The Southern Bank, which is headquartered in the Upstate. He most recently served as director of credit risk management at United Bank after spending 23 years with Crescent Bank, now CresCom Bank, in various executive oppositions.
“This was an opportunity I simply could not pass up,” Huggins said. “I’m excited to reunite with an exceptional team, including Jamin Hujik and Scott Frierson, who were instrumental in building CresCom’s success. Together, we have a tremendous opportunity to elevate The Southern Bank and redefine what a community bank can be.”
Hujik remains CEO of Southern Financial Corp., the holding company for The Southern Bank.
Huggins serves on the boards of the Business Development Corporation of South Carolina and the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking and Coastal Carolina University. Huggins resides in Charleston.
The Southern Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Financial Corp. and provides financial services to personal and business customers across South Carolina and Georgia.
