[6] On March 31, 2011, Park Sterling Corp. announced its first acquisition, Community Capital Corp. of Greenwood, South Carolina, in a deal worth $32.4 million.
[8] On May 14, 2012, Park Sterling Corp. announced it was buying Citizens South Banking Corp. of Gastonia, North Carolina, in a deal valued at $77.4 million.
Citizens South began as Gastonia Mutual Building and Loan Association in 1904[8] and was "Gaston County's oldest community bank".
[9] Because of its policy of only lending locally, the bank was the only financial institution in Gaston County, North Carolina, to survive The Great Depression.
[11] Citizens South opened a $5.5 million 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2) headquarters in June 2004, a "Georgian-style, white-columned brick building" which was nicknamed "Taj Ma-Hoyle" after board chairman David Hoyle.
[14] Citizens South also bought two failed north Georgia banks in deals made with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
[17] An operations center would remain in Gastonia after the deal closed in October, and Citizens South CEO Kim Price would become Park Sterling vice chairman.
[8][18] On May 1, 2014, Park Sterling completed a $6.5 million deal with Provident Community Bank of Rock Hill, South Carolina.