8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): July 1, 2005

FIRST CITIZENS BANCORPORATION, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

SOUTH CAROLINA	0-11172	57-0738665
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1225 Lady Street Columbia, South Carolina	29201
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (803) 733-3456

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

Item 8.01. Other Events

On July 1, 2005, Registrant announced that First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Registrant, and Summit Financial Corporation, parent company of Summit National Bank, have consummated their merger effective July 1, 2005. A copy of the Registrant’s press release is being furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

The following exhibit is being furnished with this report:

Exhibit No.	Exhibit Description
99.1	Copy of press release dated July 1, 2005

Disclosures About Forward Looking Statements

The discussions included in this Report and its exhibits may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995, including Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. For the purposes of these discussions, any statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward looking statements. Such statements are often characterized by the use of qualifying words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “projects,” or other statements concerning opinions or judgments of the Registrant and its management about future events. The accuracy of such forward looking statements could be affected by such factors as, including but not limited to, the financial success or changing conditions or strategies of the Registrant’s customers or vendors, fluctuations in interest rates, actions of government regulators, the availability of capital and personnel or general economic conditions.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	FIRST CITIZENS BANCORPORATION, INC.
	(Registrant)
Date: July 1, 2005	By:	/s/ Craig L. Nix
		Craig L. Nix
		Chief Financial Officer

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EXHIBIT INDEX

99.1 Copy of press release dated July 1, 2005

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

For immediate release	For information, contact
	First Citizens
	Janice C. Burt
	Phone: (803) 931-8539
	Fax: (803) 312-8850
	Email: janburt@firstcitizensonline.com

First Citizens Completes Summit Acquisition

Columbia, SC, July 1, 2005 – On July 1, 2005, First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc. and Summit Financial Corporation, a financial holding company headquartered in Greenville, SC, completed their merger. Summit National Bank, the subsidiary of Summit Financial Corporation, officially has become a division of First Citizens Bank.

The Summit division operates three full-service offices in Greenville and one full-service office in Spartanburg, SC.

J.B. Schwiers, Chief Operating Officer of Summit Bank, commented that the alliance with First Citizens will benefit Summit customers by making expanded banking services and products available to them, while the customer-service orientation they value remains intact. “First Citizens is known for its personalized service, which also is a hallmark of Summit. Our customers can take advantage of the benefits of a larger bank, while they enjoy the same friendly service and the same friendly faces,” Schwiers said. “For the immediate future we will continue to operate Summit’s former branches under Summit’s name, and management and staffing at each former Summit branch will also remain the same.”

Peter Bristow, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Citizens, stated that First Citizens’ presence in the Upstate will be enhanced by the merger with Summit. “In our quest to become South Carolina’s bank of choice, First Citizens has built a strategic alliance that will further strengthen our performance in the key Greenville-Spartanburg markets,” Bristow said. “The commonalities we share – the community banking philosophy driven by a customer-centered culture – allow First Citizens to strategically grow while maintaining the personal touch and urgent service that define our bank.”

First Citizens Bancorporation, Inc. is the parent company of First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc. and The Exchange Bank of South Carolina, Inc. First Citizens offers services in commercial and retail banking through its 150 offices in South Carolina and its seven offices in Georgia. The Exchange Bank operates four offices in South Carolina. As of March 31, 2005, First Citizens Bancorporation had total consolidated assets of $4.75 billion.

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