EXHIBIT 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Trustees

First Financial Holdings, Inc. Sharing Thrift Plan

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (No. 33-22837) on Form S-8 of First Financial Holdings, Inc., dated June 27, 1988, as amended, of our report dated June 25, 2010 on the First Financial Holdings, Inc. Sharing Thrift Plan financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 included in the Annual Report (Form 11-K) for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008.

/s/Elliott Davis, LLC

Columbia, South Carolina

June 30, 2010