UPDATE 1-SCBT Financial Q3 profit misses Wall Street estimates

* Q3 EPS of $0.14 missed estimates

* Bad loan provisions up 47 pct to 10.3 mln

Oct 22 (Reuters) - SCBT Financial Corp (SCBT.O) posted a quarterly profit that missed analysts' expectations as it set aside more money to cover sour loans.

Net income available to common shareholders was $1.8 million, or 14 cents a share, for the third quarter, compared with $2.2 million, or 17 cents a share, a year earlier.

Analysts were looking for a profit of 18 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

SCBT Financial set aside $10.3 million as provision for loan losses during the period, a 47 percent increase from $7 million a year back.

Net interest margin -- the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay on deposits -- decreased 6 basis points to 3.98 percent.

Columbia, South Carolina-based SCBT's shares, which have rallied 21 percent in the past year, closed at $30.79 Thursday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Tenzin Dekeva in Bangalore; Editing by Jarshad Kakkrakandy) ((tenzin.dekeva@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: tenzin.dekeva.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))