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                                                                   Exhibit 10(A)
 

                           ANSON SAVINGS BANK, INC.
                             EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


     THIS AGREEMENT entered into as of April 28, 1998, by and between ANSON
SAVINGS BANK, INC. (hereinafter referred to as the "Savings Bank") and EUGENE M.
WARD (hereinafter referred to as the "Officer") and is joined in by ANSON
BANCORP, INC., the parent holding company of the Savings Bank (hereinafter
referred to as the "Holding Company").

     WHEREAS, the Officer has heretofore been employed by the Savings Bank as
its President and Chief Executive Officer; and

     WHEREAS, the Savings Bank is a state-chartered stock savings bank and the
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Holding Company; and

     WHEREAS, the Savings Bank desires to retain the services of the Officer as
the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Savings Bank upon the terms and
conditions set forth herein; and

     WHEREAS, the services of the Officer, his experience and knowledge of the
affairs of the Savings Bank, and his reputation and contacts in the industry and
the local community are extremely valuable to the Savings Bank; and

     WHEREAS, the Savings Bank wishes to attract and retain such well-qualified
executives and it is in the best interest of the Savings Bank and of the Officer
to secure the continued services of the Officer notwithstanding any change in
control of the Savings Bank or the Holding Company; and

     WHEREAS, the Savings Bank considers the establishment and maintenance of a
sound and vital management to be part of its overall corporate strategy and to
be essential to protecting and enhancing the best interests of the Holding
Company, the Savings Bank and their stockholders; and

     WHEREAS, the parties desire to enter into this Agreement in order to set
forth the terms and conditions of the Officer's employment relationship with the
Savings Bank.
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     NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises and mutual
promises, covenants and conditions hereinafter set forth and other good and
valuable considerations, the receipt and sufficiency of which hereby are
acknowledged, the parties hereby do agree as follows:

     1.   Employment.  The Savings Bank hereby agrees to employ the Officer and
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the Officer hereby agrees to accept employment, upon the terms and conditions
stated herein, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Savings Bank.
The Officer shall render such administrative and management services to the
Savings Bank as are customarily performed by persons situated in a similar
executive capacity.  The Officer shall promote the business of the Savings Bank
and perform such other duties as shall, from time to time, be reasonably
prescribed by the Board of Directors of the Savings Bank (the "Board").

     2.   Compensation.  The Savings Bank shall pay the Officer during the term
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of this Agreement, as compensation for all service rendered by him to the
Savings Bank, a base salary at the rate of $69,000 per annum, payable in cash
not less frequently than monthly; provided that the rate of such salary shall be
reviewed by the Board not less often than annually.  Such rate of salary, or
increased rate of salary, as the case may be, may be further increased, but not
decreased, from time to time in such amounts as the Board, in its discretion,
may decide.  In determining salary increases, the Board shall compensate the
Officer for increases in the cost of living and may also provide for performance
or merit increases.  Participation in incentive compensation, deferred
compensation, discretionary bonus, profit-sharing, retirement, stock option and
other employee benefit plans that the Savings Bank or the Holding Company have
adopted or may from time to time adopt, and participation in any fringe
benefits, shall not reduce the salary payable to the Officer

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under this Section. The Officer will be entitled to such customary fringe
benefits, vacation and sick leave as are consistent with the normal practices
and established policies of the Savings Bank.

     3.   Annual Bonus.  The Board has established a program for awarding an
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annual bonus to all employees of the Savings Bank (the "Annual Bonus").  Under
the terms of the Annual Bonus plan, after the "Profits" of the Savings Bank
exceed a certain dollar figure which is determined annually by the Board, an
aggregate amount equal to ten percent of the Profits of the Savings Bank is
divided pro rata among the full-time employees of the Savings Bank based on each
employee's annual base salary, provided that each such Annual Bonus shall not
exceed twenty percent of each such employee's annual salary.  The Savings Bank
agrees to pay the Officer his pro rata share of the Annual Bonus on or before
September 5 of each fiscal year provided that the Officer is still an employee
of the Savings Bank as of June 30 of each fiscal year.  "Profit" for purposes of
determining the Annual Bonus shall be the profit of the Savings Bank before
income taxes as determined by the Savings Bank's certified public accountant
(the "CPA") and certified by the CPA to the Board of the Savings Bank in the
annual audit report prepared by said CPA and covering the subject fiscal year.
For example, if the Board set the profit goal at $50,000 and the profits of the
Savings Bank were determined to be $60,000, there would be a $6,000 Annual Bonus
to be distributed pro rata among all the employees of the Savings Bank.

     4.   Participation in Retirement and Employee Benefit Plans; Fringe
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Benefits.  The Officer shall be entitled to participate in any plan relating to
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deferred compensation, stock awards, stock options, stock ownership plan, stock
purchases, pension, thrift, profit sharing, group life insurance, medical and
dental coverage, disability coverage, education, or other retirement or employee
benefits that the Savings Bank or the Holding Company have adopted, or may, from
time

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to time adopt, for benefit of their executive employees and for employees
generally, subject to the eligibility rules of such plans.

     The Officer shall also be entitled to participate in any other fringe
benefits which are now or may be or become applicable to the Officer or the
Savings Bank's other executive employees, including the payment of reasonable
expenses for attending annual and periodic meetings of trade associations, and
any other benefits which are commensurate with the duties and responsibilities
to be performed by the Officer under this Agreement.  The Savings Bank shall
reimburse the Officer for all out-of-pocket reasonable and necessary business
expenses which the Officer may incur in connection with his services on behalf
of the Savings Bank. Additionally, the Officer shall be entitled to such
vacation and sick leave as shall be established under uniform employee policies
promulgated by the Directors.

     5.   Term.  The initial term of employment under this Agreement shall be
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for the period commencing upon the effective date of this Agreement and ending
three (3) calendar years from the effective date of this Agreement.  On each
anniversary of the effective date of this Agreement, the term of this Agreement
shall automatically be extended for an additional one year period beyond the
then effective expiration date unless written notice from the Savings Bank or
the Officer is received 90 days prior to an anniversary date advising the other
party that this Agreement shall not be further extended; provided that the
Directors shall review the Officer's performance annually and make a specific
determination pursuant to such review to renew this Agreement prior to the 90
day notice period.

     6.   Loyalty.  The Officer shall devote his full efforts and entire
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business time to the performance of his duties and responsibilities under this
Agreement.

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     The Officer agrees that he will hold in confidence all knowledge or
information of a confidential nature with respect to the respective businesses
of the Holding Company, the Savings Bank or of their subsidiaries, if any,
received by him during the term of this Agreement and will not disclose or make
use of such information, except in the ordinary course of his duties under this
Agreement, without the prior written consent of the Holding Company or the
Savings Bank.

     7.   Standards.  The Officer shall perform his duties and responsibilities
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under this Agreement in accordance with such reasonable standards expected of
employees with comparable positions in comparable organizations and as may be
established from time to time by the Board. The Savings Bank will provide the
Officer with the working facilities and staff customary for similar executives
and necessary for him to perform his duties.

     8.   Termination and Termination Pay.
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     (a) The Officer's employment under this Agreement shall be terminated upon
the death of the Officer during the term of this Agreement, in which event, the
Officer's estate shall be entitled to receive the compensation due the Officer
through the last day of the calendar month in which his death shall have
occurred and for a period of one month thereafter.  Notwithstanding the
foregoing, in the event of the Officer's death following a change in control (as
defined in Paragraph 10), the Officer's designated beneficiary or the designated
beneficiary's estate shall be entitled to receive the compensation due the
Officer through the last day of the remaining terms of this Agreement.

     (b) The Officer's employment under this Agreement may be terminated at any
time by the Officer upon sixty (60) days' written notice to the Board of
Directors.  Upon such termination, the Officer shall be entitled to receive
compensation through the effective date of such termination.

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     (c) In the event the Officer becomes disabled during the term of his
employment under this Agreement and it is determined by the Savings Bank that
the Officer is permanently unable to perform his duties hereunder, the Savings
Bank shall continue to compensate the Officer at the level of compensation
described in Paragraph 2 above, and shall continue to provide the Officer each
of the other benefits set forth or described in this Agreement, for the
remaining term of this Agreement, less any other payments provided under any
disability income plan of the Savings Bank which is applicable to the Officer.
In the event of any disagreement between the Officer and the Savings Bank as to
whether the Officer is physically or mentally incapacitated such as will result
in the termination of the Officer's employment pursuant to this Paragraph 8(c),
the question of such incapacity shall be submitted to an impartial and reputable
physician for determination, selected by mutual agreement of the Officer and the
Savings Bank or, failing such agreement, by two (2) physicians (one (1) of whom
shall be selected by the Savings Bank and the other by the Officer), and such
determination of the question of such incapacity by such physician or physicians
shall be final and binding on the Officer and the Savings Bank.  The Savings
Bank shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such physician or physicians
in making any determination required under this Paragraph 8(c).

     (d) The Board may terminate the Officer's employment at any time, but any
termination by the Board, other than termination for cause, shall not prejudice
the Officer's right to compensation or other benefits under this Agreement for
the remaining period which would have been covered by this Agreement if such
termination had not occurred.  The Officer shall have no right to receive
compensation or other benefits for any period after termination for "cause."
Termination for "cause" shall include termination because of the Officer's
personal dishonesty,

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incompetence, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty involving personal
profit, intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any
law, rule, regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses) or
final cease-and-desist order, or material breach of any provisions of this
Agreement.

     9.   Additional Regulatory Requirements.
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     (a) If the Officer is suspended and/or temporarily prohibited from
participating in the conduct of the Savings Bank's affairs by a notice served
under Section 8(e)(3) or Section 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act
(12 U.S.C. 1818(e)(3) and (g)(1)), the Savings Bank's obligations under this
Agreement shall be suspended as of the date of service, unless stayed by
appropriate proceedings.  If the charges in the notice are dismissed, the
Savings Bank shall (i) pay the Officer all of the compensation withheld while
its contract obligations were suspended and (ii) reinstate (in whole or in part)
any of its obligations which were suspended.

     (b) If the Officer is removed and/or permanently prohibited from
participating in the conduct of the Savings Bank's affairs by an order issued
under Section 8(e)(4) or Section 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act
(12 U.S.C. 1818(e)(4) and (g)(1)), all obligations of the Savings Bank under
this Agreement shall terminate as of the effective date of the order, but vested
rights of the contracting parties shall not be affected.

     (c) If the Savings Bank is in default as defined in Section 3(x)(1) of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. (S) 1818(x)(1)), all obligations under
this Agreement shall terminate as of the date of default, but this paragraph
shall not affect any vested rights of the contracting parties.

     (d) All obligations under this Agreement shall be terminated, except to the
extent determined that continuation of the Agreement is necessary for the
continued operation of the

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Savings Bank, (i) by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the
"Corporation"), at the time the Corporation enters into an agreement to provide
assistance to or on behalf of the Savings Bank under the authority contained in
Section 13(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. (S) 1818(c)); or
(ii) by the Administrator of the Savings Institutions Division of the North
Carolina Department of Commerce (the "Administrator"), at the time the
Administrator approves a supervisory merger to resolve problems related to
operation of the Savings Bank or when the Savings Bank is determined by the
Administrator to be in an unsafe or unsound condition. Any rights of the parties
that have already vested, however, shall not be affected by such action.

     10.  Change in Control.
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     (a) In the event of a "Change in Control" (as defined in Subparagraph (c)
below), the term of employment under this Agreement automatically shall be
extended for a period of three (3) years beginning on the date of the Change in
Control, and the acquiror shall be bound by the terms of this Agreement and
shall be prohibited, during the remainder of such term, from:

          (i) Assigning Officer any duties and/or responsibilities that are
          inconsistent with his position, duties, responsibilities or status at
          the time of the Change in Control or with his reporting
          responsibilities or equivalent titles with the Savings Bank in effect
          at such time; or

          (ii) Adjusting Officer's annual base salary rate other than in
          accordance with the provisions of Subparagraph 10(b) of this
          Agreement; or

          (iii) Reducing in level, scope or coverage or eliminating Officer's
          life insurance, medical or hospitalization insurance, disability
          insurance, profit sharing plans, stock option plans, stock purchase
          plans, deferred compensation plans, management retention plans,
          retirement plans, stock ownership plan or similar plans or benefits,
          including, without limitation, the provision of the Officer's
          automobile and payment of civic and social club dues, being provided
          by the Savings

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          Bank or the Holding Company to the Officer as of the effective date of
          the Change in Control; or

          (iv)  Transferring Officer to a location outside of Anson County,
          North Carolina, without the Officer's express written consent.

     (b) In the event of a Change in Control, in lieu of continuing to receive
the Annual Bonus described in Paragraph 3, the Officer's base salary shall be
adjusted to include an amount equal to the average of the Officer's pro rata
share of the two previous years' Annual Bonus, and such adjusted base salary
shall be increased by not less than six percent (6%) annually beginning at the
date of the Change in Control and continuing each year for the three-year term
thereafter.

     (c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "Change in Control" shall
mean any of the following events:

          (i)  a change in control of a nature that would be required to be
          reported in response to Item 1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K, as
          in effect on the date hereof, pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
          Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"); or

          (ii)  such time as any "person" (as such term is used in Sections
          13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) is or becomes the "beneficial
          owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or
          indirectly, of securities of the Holding Company or Savings Bank
          representing 25 percent or more of the combined voting power of the
          outstanding Common Stock of the Holding Company or Common Stock of the
          Savings Bank, as applicable; or

          (iii)  individuals who constitute the Board or board of directors of
          the Holding Company on the date hereof (the "Incumbent Board" and
          "Incumbent Holding Company Board," respectively) cease for any reason
          to constitute at least a majority thereof, provided that any person
          becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election was
          approved by a vote of at least three-quarters of the directors
          comprising the Incumbent Board or Incumbent Holding Company Board, as
          applicable, or whose nomination for election by the Savings Bank's or
          Holding Company's shareholders was

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          approved by the Savings Bank's or Holding Company's Board of Directors
          or Nominating Committee, as applicable, shall be considered as though
          he or she were a member of the Incumbent Board or Incumbent Holding
          Company Board, as applicable; or

          (iv) either the Holding Company or the Savings Bank consolidates or
          merges with or into another corporation, association or entity or is
          otherwise reorganized, where neither the Holding Company nor the
          Savings Bank, respectively, is the surviving corporation in such
          transaction; or

          (v) all or substantially all of the assets of either the Holding
          Company or the Savings Bank are sold or otherwise transferred to or
          are acquired by any other entity or group.

     Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Paragraph 10, a transaction or
event shall not be considered a Change in Control if, prior to the consummation
or occurrence of such transaction or event, Officer and Savings Bank agree in
writing that the same shall not be treated as a Change in Control for purposes
of this Agreement.

     (d) In the event any dispute shall arise between the Officer and the
Savings Bank as to the terms or interpretation of this Agreement, including this
Section 10, whether instituted by formal legal proceedings or otherwise,
including any action taken by the Officer to enforce the terms of this Section
10 or in defending against any action taken by the Savings Bank, the Savings
Bank shall reimburse the Officer for all costs and expenses incurred in such
proceedings or actions, including attorney's fees, in the event the Officer
prevails in any such action.

     11.  Successors and Assigns.
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     (a) This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon any
corporate or other successor of the Savings Bank which shall acquire, directly
or indirectly, by conversion,

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merger, consolidation, purchase or otherwise, all or substantially all of the
assets of the Holding Company or the Savings Bank.

     (b) Since the Savings Bank is contracting for the unique and personal
skills of the Officer, the Officer shall be precluded from assigning or
delegating his rights or duties hereunder without first obtaining the written
consent of the Savings Bank.

     12.  Modification; Waiver; Amendments.  No provision of this Agreement may
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be modified, waived or discharged unless such waiver, modification or discharge
is agreed to in writing, signed by the Officer and on behalf of the Savings Bank
by such officer as may be specifically designated by the Directors.  No waiver
by either party hereto, at any time, of any breach by the other party hereto of,
or compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed
by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions
or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time.  No amendments or
additions to this Agreement shall be binding unless in writing and signed by
both parties, except as herein otherwise provided.

     13.  Applicable Law.  This Agreement shall be governed in all respects
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whether as to validity, construction, capacity, performance or otherwise, by the
laws of North Carolina, except to the extent that federal law shall be deemed to
apply.

     14.  Severability.  The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed
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severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not
affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof.

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     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the day
and year first hereinabove written.

                              ANSON SAVINGS BANK, INC.


                              By:/s/ Preston A. Burns
                                 ----------------------------------
                                 Chairman of the Board


                              /s/ Eugene M. Ward
                              ------------------------------------- (SEAL)
                              Eugene M. Ward


     The foregoing Agreement is consented and agreed to by Anson Bancorp, Inc.,
the parent holding company of Anson Savings Bank, Inc.

                              ANSON BANCORP, INC.


                              By:/s/ Preston A. Burns
                                 --------------------------------
                                 Chairman of the Board

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