First Charter Completes Merger with Gwinnett Banking Company.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- First Charter Corporation (NASDAQ: FCTR) today announced that the merger of Gwinnett Banking Company of Lawrenceville, Georgia into First Charter Bank has been completed. The merger of the two banks is part of the previously announced merger of the holding companies (First Charter Corporation and Gwinnett Bancorp, Inc.), which was completed November 1, 2006.

This marks the first acquisition that First Charter has made outside of North Carolina. Bob James, President & CEO of First Charter Corporation commented, "We have been preparing for the completion of this merger since last June. First Charter and Gwinnett Banking Company teammates have been working diligently over the past several months to bring together the strengths of both companies to the Atlanta market." He continued, "This is an important milestone for our company and an integral component of our overall growth strategy."

Corporate Profile

First Charter Corporation (NASDAQ: FCTR), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a regional financial services company with assets of $4.9 billion and is the holding company for First Charter Bank. First Charter operates 57 financial centers, four insurance offices, and 137 ATMs in North Carolina and Georgia, and also operates loan origination offices in Asheville, North Carolina and Reston, Virginia. First Charter provides businesses and individuals with a broad range of financial services, including banking, financial planning, wealth management, investments, insurance, and mortgages. For more information about First Charter, visit the Company's Web site at www.FirstCharter.com or call 800-601-8471.