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Southern Community Financial Corporation : Southern Community Receives Local and International Honors

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^{Published in Business and Finance on Monday, August 10th 2009 at 15:09 GMT, Last Modified on 2009-08-10 15:09:10 by Market Wire}  

WINSTON-SALEM, NC--(Marketwire - August 10, 2009) - Southern Community Bank and Trust (NASDAQ: [ SCMF ]) (NASDAQ: [ SCMFO ]) has recently received three awards in local and international competitions recognizing its commitment to providing customers with unparalleled levels of service and support.

Southern Community was voted the "Best Bank in the Triad" by readers of the Winston-Salem Journal in the Readers' Choice 2009 Awards. Voters indicated that Southern Community is preferred to other banks serving the Triad area, citing the bank's commitment to providing the same services found at a larger banks, but with a focus on the type of personal attention customers find at home-town institutions.

Southern Community received the Model Bank 2009 Award in the "Online Banking Experience" category from Celent, a global financial research and consulting firm, for its effective use of technology to enhance customers' online banking experience through the redesign of its website, [ www.smallenoughtocare.com ].

Celent recognized Southern Community's website for its ability to strategically reinforce the bank's "small enough to care" branding through a live chat feature, a call center with extended hours, easy-to-use new account opening procedures, and the online introduction of the ME Banking (Maximum Earnings Banking) initiative that rewards customers with a premium interest rate and other perks if they meet specific criteria for electronic banking and debit card usage. Southern Community was the only community bank to receive an award among the small selection of 18 banks recognized internationally by Celent.

For the seventh consecutive year, Southern Community also came out a winner in the Vision Awards annual report competition sponsored by the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP). The bank's 2008 annual report received a Bronze Award in a contest that drew more than 3,500 entries from 22 countries.

The theme of the annual report was tied to the extraordinary economic climate of 2008, and its consequences for the financial industry. Against this backdrop, the report showed how Southern Community fared better than most by adhering to its guiding principles. The report received perfect scores for narrative and message clarity.

"We're always searching for new and innovative ways to enhance our customers' banking experience," said Jeff Clark, Southern Community's president. "These local and international honors underscore our core values of being a customer-centered, service-focused bank."

Southern Community Financial Corporation is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and is the holding company of Southern Community Bank and Trust, a community bank, with 22 banking offices throughout North Carolina. Southern Community Financial Corporation's common stock and trust preferred securities are listed on the NASDAQ Global Select under the trading symbols SCMF and SCMFO, respectively. Additional information about Southern Community is available on its website at [ www.smallenoughtocare.com ].