**Exhibit 31.1**

 

Rule 13a-14(a) Certificationof the Chief Executive Officer

 

I, James R. Clarkson,president and chief executive officer, certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSBof HCSB Financial Corporation;

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this report doesnot contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a materialfact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances underwhich such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the periodcovered by this report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report, fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periodspresented in this report;

 

4.               The small business issuer’s othercertifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintainingdisclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and have:

 

a)  Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the smallbusiness issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to usby others within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisreport is being prepared;

 

b)  Designed such internal control over financialreporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to bedesigned under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding thereliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statementsfor external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accountingprinciples;

 

c)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the smallbusiness issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisreport our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

 

d)  Disclosed in this report any change in thesmall business issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurredduring the small business issuer’s fourth fiscal quarter that has materiallyaffected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small businessissuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.     The small business issuer’s other certifying officers and I havedisclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the small business issuer’s auditors and the auditcommittee of the small business issuer’s board of directors (or personsperforming the equivalent functions):

 

a)  All significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small businessissuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in the smallbusiness issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.

 
| Date:  | March 21, 2008 |   |   | /s/James R.  Clarkson                         |
|--------|---------------------|--------|--------|-----------------------------------------------|
|   |                |   |   | James R. Clarkson                             |
|   |                |   |   | President &  Chief Executive Officer |

 

 

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