CHANGE-IN-CONTROL AGREEMENT







CHANGE-IN-CONTROL AGREEMENT






            THIS CHANGE-IN-CONTROL AGREEMENT is made and entered into
as of the 13th day of April, 2005 by and between FIRST CHARTER CORPORATION (the
"Company"), a North Carolina corporation, and Stephen J. Antal("Employee"), an individual
residing in Davidson, North Carolina.




Background Statement




            First Charter Bank (the
"Bank") is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.  Employee is a valued employee of the
Bank.  In order to induce Employee to
continue employment with the Bank and to enhance Employee's job security, the
Company desires to provide compensation to Employee in the event Employee's
employment is terminated following a change- in-control of the Company, as
hereinafter provided.




            NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, the
compensation the Company agrees to pay to Employee, Employee's continued
employment with the Bank, and of other good and valuable considerations, the
receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and
Employee agree as follows:




            1.         Termination following a Change-in-Control.  If a Change-in-Control (as defined in
Section 1(iii) hereof) occurs and if, within one year following the
Change-in-Control, the employment of Employee is terminated (x) by the Company
or the Bank other than for Cause or (y) by Employee for Good Reason, Employee's
Compensation shall continue to be paid, subject to applicable withholdings, by
the Company for a period of 12-months
following such termination of employment. 
In lieu of receiving payment of Compensation for such 12-month period in installments, the
Employee may elect, at any time prior to the earlier to occur of a
Change-in-Control or action by the Board of Directors of the Company with
respect to an event which would, upon consummation, result in a
Change-in-Control (which election shall be evidenced by notice filed with the
Company), to be paid the present value of any such Compensation in a lump sum
within 30 days of termination of the Employee's employment under circumstances
entitling such Employee to Compensation hereunder.  The calculation of the amount due shall be made by the
independent accounting firm then performing the Company's independent audit,
and such calculation, including but not limited to the discount factor used to
determine present value, shall be conclusive.




            For purposes of this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the meanings indicated:




         (i)            Cause. 
Termination by the Company or the Bank for "Cause" shall mean
(A) termination on account of willful misconduct of a material nature by the
Employee in connection with performance of his duties as an employee; (B) use
of alcohol or narcotics that affects his ability to perform his duties as an
employee; (C) conviction of a felony or serious misdemeanor involving moral
turpitude; (D) embezzlement or theft from the Company or the Bank; (E) gross
inattention to or dereliction of duty; or (F) performance by the Employee of
any other willful acts which Employee knew or reasonably should have known
would be materially detrimental to the Company or the Bank.





        (ii)            Good Reason.  Termination by the Employee for "Good Reason" shall
mean (A) a material reduction in Employee's position, duties, responsibilities
or status as in effect immediately preceding the Change-in-Control, or a change
in Employee's title resulting in a material reduction in his responsibilities
or position with the Company or the Bank as in effect immediately preceding the
Change-in-Control, in either case without Employee's consent; (B) a material
reduction in the rate of Employee's base salary as in effect immediately
preceding the Change-in-Control or a material decrease in the bonus percentage
to which Employee was entitled pursuant to any of the Company's incentive bonus
plans at the end of the fiscal year immediately preceding the
Change-in-Control, in either case without Employee's consent; provided, however,
that nothing herein shall be construed to guarantee the Employee's bonus award
if performance, either by the Company or Employee, is below target as set forth
in any of the Company's such incentive bonus plans; or (C) the relocation of
Employee, without his consent, to a location outside a 30 mile radius of
Concord, North Carolina, following a Change-in-Control.




       (iii)            Change-in-Control.  For purposes of this Agreement,
"Change-in-Control" shall mean (A) the consummation of a merger,
consolidation, share exchange or similar transaction of the Company with any
other corporation as a result of which the holders of the voting capital stock
of the Company as a group would receive less than 50% of the voting capital
stock of the surviving or resulting corporation; (B) the sale or transfer
(other than as security for obligations of the Company) of substantially all
the assets of the Company; (C) in the absence of a prior expression of approval
by the Board of Directors, the acquisition of more than 20% of the Company's
voting capital stock by any person within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"),
other than a person, or group including a person, who beneficially owned, as of
the date of this Agreement, more than 5% of the Company's securities; (D)
during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of
such period constitute the Board of Directors of the Company cease for any
reason to constitute at lease a majority thereof unless the election, or the
nomination for election by the Company's shareholders, of each new director was
approved by a vote of at lease two-thirds of the directors then still in office
who were directors at the beginning of the period; or (E) any other
change-in-control of the Company of a nature that would be required to be
reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A promulgated
under the Exchange Act or the acquisition of control, within the meaning of
Section 2(a)(2) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, or Section
602 of the Change in Bank Control Act of 1978, of the Company by any person,
company or other entity.




       (iv)            Compensation.  Employee's Compensation shall consist of the following: (A)
Employee's annual base salary, as paid by the Company or the Bank, in effect
immediately preceding the Change-in-Control and (B) the average of any bonus
paid by the Company or the Bank to Employee during the two most recent fiscal
years ending prior to such Change-in-Control pursuant to any of the Company's
incentive bonus plan.





            2.         Additional Benefits.  Upon termination of Employee's employment
entitling Employee to Compensation set forth in Section 1 hereof, the Company
shall maintain in full force and effect for the continued benefit of Employee
for such 12-month period health
insurance (including coverage for Employee's dependents to the extent dependent
coverage is provided by the Company for its employees generally) under such
plans and programs in which Employee was entitled to participate immediately
prior to the date of such termination of employment, provided that Employee's
continued participation is possible under the general terms and provisions of
such plans and programs.  In the event
that Employee's participation in any such plan or program is barred, the
Company shall arrange to provide Employee with health insurance benefits for
such 12-month period substantially
similar to those which Employee would otherwise have been entitled to receive
under such plans and programs from which his continued participation is
barred.  However, in no event will
Employee receive from the Company the health insurance contemplated by this
Section 2 if Employee receives comparable insurance from any other source.




            3.        Limit on Payments.  It is the intention of the Company and
Employee that no portion of the payment made under this Agreement, or payments
to or for Employee under any other agreement or plan, be deemed to be an excess
parachute payment as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the "Code") or any successor provision.  The Company and Employee agree that the
present value of any payment hereunder and any other payment to or for the
benefit of Employee in the nature of compensation, receipt of which is
contingent on a Change-in-Control of the Company, and to which Section 280G of
the Code or any successor provision thereto applies, shall not exceed an amount
equal to one dollar less than the maximum amount that Employee may receive
without becoming subject to the tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code or any
successor provision or which the Company may pay without loss of deduction
under Section 280G of the Code or any successor provisions.  Present value for purposes of this Agreement
shall be calculated in accordance with Section 1274(b)(2) of the Code or any
successor provision.  In the event that
the provisions of Section 280G and 4999 of the Code or any successor provisions
are repealed without succession, this Section 3 shall be of no further force or
effect.




            4.         Effect of Agreement.  Nothing contained in this Agreement shall
confer upon Employee any right to continued employment by the Company or the
Bank or shall interfere in any way with the right of the Company or the Bank to
terminate his employment at any time for any reason.  The provisions of this Agreement shall not affect in any way the
right or power of the Company to change its business structure or to effect a
merger, consolidation, share exchange or similar transaction, or to dissolve or
liquidate, or sell or transfer all or part of its business or
assets.




            5.         Source of Payment.  All payments provided for under this
Agreement shall be paid in cash from the general funds of the Company, and no
special or separate fund shall be established, and no other segregation of
assets shall be made to assure payment, except as provided to the contrary in
funded benefits plans.  Employee shall
have no right, title or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the
Company may make to aid the Company in meeting its obligations hereunder.  Nothing contained herein, and no action
taken pursuant to the provisions hereof, shall create or be construed to create
a trust of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and
Employee or any other person.  To the
extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company
hereunder, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured
creditor of the Company.





         6.            General Provisions.


         (i)            Binding Effect.  This Agreement shall be binding upon, and
inure to the benefit of, Employee and the Company and their respective permitted
successors and assigns.  Neither this
Agreement nor any right or interest hereunder shall be assignable by Employee,
his beneficiaries, or legal representatives without the Company's prior written
consent.  The Company will require any
successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation,
share exchange or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or
assets of the Company, by agreement in form and substance satisfactory to
Employee, to expressly assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same
manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it
if no such succession had taken place. 
Failure of the Company to obtain such agreement prior to the
effectiveness of any such succession shall be a breach of this Agreement and
shall entitle Employee to compensation from the Company in the same amount and
on the same terms as he would be entitled to hereunder if he terminated his
employment for Good Reason, except that for purposes of implementing the
foregoing, the date on which any such succession becomes effective shall be
deemed the date Employee's employment was terminated.  As used in this Agreement, "Company" shall mean the
Company as defined herein and any successor to its business and/or assets as
aforesaid that executes and delivers the agreement provided for in this Section
6(i) or that otherwise becomes bound by all the terms and provisions of this
Agreement by operation of law.




        (ii)            Amendment of Agreement.  This Agreement may not be modified or
amended except by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto.




       (iii)            Headings and Gender.  The headings of paragraphs herein are
included solely for convenience of reference and shall not control the meaning
or interpretation of any of the provisions of this Agreement.




       (iv)            Governing Law.  This Agreement has been executed and
delivered in the State of North Carolina, and its validity, interpretation,
performance and enforcement shall be governed by the laws of such state.




            IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto as
of the day and year first above stated.






                                                                        FIRST
CHARTER CORPORATION         


                                                                        


                                                                        By:    /s/
LAWRENCE M. KIMBROUGH          


 


                                                                           


                                                                        EMPLOYEE:  






                                                                                   /s/
STEPHEN J. ANTAL                       (SEAL)