E3-00587. Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and § 225.41 of the Board’s Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank holding company. The factors that are considered in acting on the notices are set forth in paragraph 7 of the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)).

The notices are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The notices also will be available for inspection at the office of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing to the Reserve Bank indicated for that notice or to the offices of the Board of Governors. Comments must be received not later than January 2, 2004.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (A. Linwood Gill, III, Vice President) 701 East Byrd Street, Richmond, Virginia 23261-4528:

1. Herman Eugene Ratchford, Triangle Real Estate of Gastonia, Inc., Herman Eugene Ratchford, Jr., and James Henry Ratchford, all of Gastonia, North Carolina, as a group acting in concert to acquire voting shares of First South Bancorp, Inc., Spartanburg, South Carolina, and thereby indirectly acquire voting shares of First South Bank, Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, December 12, 2003.

Robert deV. Frierson,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.