Steven M. Eldred, President and Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank and Trust, expressed his optimism for the potential new opportunities made possible by the acquisition. "For more than 127 years we've provided great service and sound financial advice to the Stateline. Our goal is simple; to help our customers succeed financially. In doing this we build a brighter future for our employees, customers and the communities we serve. We are proud to bring our brand of community banking to Monroe and Argyle."

ABOUT First National

First National Bank and Trust Company, headquartered in Beloit, WI, operates 11 banking locations in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The bank has total assets of $631 million and offers full service banking to its customers, including consumer mortgage services, trust, brokerage and retirement services. Additional information about First National Bank and Trust Company is available on the company's website at www.bankatfirstnational.com.

ABOUT AMCORE

AMCORE Financial, Inc. is headquartered in Northern Illinois and has banking assets of $4.4 billion with 69 locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, (excluding Argyle and Monroe). AMCORE provides a full range of consumer and commercial banking services, a variety of mortgage lending products and wealth management services including trust, brokerage, private banking, financial planning, investment management, insurance and comprehensive retirement plan services.

AMCORE common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "AMFI." Further information about AMCORE Financial, Inc. can be found at the Company's website at www.AMCORE.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains, and our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and written or oral statements made by the Company's officers and directors to the press, potential investors, securities analysts and others will contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, and the Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby with respect to, among other things, the financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of AMCORE. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon beliefs and assumptions of AMCORE's management and on information currently available to such management. The use of the words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "should", "may", "will" or similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and AMCORE undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events.

Contemplated, projected, forecasted or estimated results in such forward-looking statements involve certain inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors - many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict - could cause actual results to differ materially from those in its forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following possibilities: (I) heightened competition, including specifically the intensification of price competition, the entry of new competitors and the formation of new products by new or existing competitors; (II) adverse state, local and federal legislation and regulation or adverse findings or rulings made by local, state or federal regulators or agencies regarding AMCORE and its operations; (III) failure to obtain new customers and retain existing customers and related deposit relationships; (IV) inability to carry out marketing and/or expansion plans; (V) ability to attract and retain key executives or personnel; (VI) changes in interest rates including the effect of prepayments; (VII) general economic and business conditions which are less favorable than expected; (VIII) equity and fixed income market fluctuations; (IX) unanticipated changes in industry trends; (X) unanticipated changes in credit quality and risk factors; (XI) success in gaining regulatory approvals when required; (XII) changes in Federal Reserve Board monetary policies; (XIII) unexpected outcomes on existing or new litigation in which AMCORE, its subsidiaries, officers, directors or employees are named defendants; (XIV) technological changes; (XV) changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; (XVI) changes in assumptions or conditions affecting the application of "critical accounting estimates"; (XVII) inability of third-party vendors to perform critical services for the Company or its customers; (XVIII) disruption of operations caused by the conversion and installation of data processing systems; (XIX) adverse economic or business conditions affecting specific loan portfolio types in which the Company has a concentration, such as construction and land development loans; (XX) zoning restrictions or other limitations at the local level, which could prevent limited branch offices from transitioning to full-service facilities; (XXI) possible changes in the creditworthiness of customers and value of collateral and the possible impairment of collectibility of loans; (XXII) changes in lending terms to the Company and the Bank by the Federal Reserve, Federal Home Loan Bank, or any other regulatory agency or third party; (XXIII) the recently enacted Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, and the various programs the U.S. Treasury and the banking regulators are implementing to address capital and liquidity issues in the banking system, all of which may have significant effects on the Company and the financial services industry, the exact nature and extent of which cannot be determined at this time; and (XXIV) failure by the company to comply with the provisions of any regulatory order or agreement to which the Company is subject could result in additional and material enforcement actions by the applicable regulatory agencies.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: AMCORE Financial, Inc.

CONTACT:  AMCORE Financial, Inc.
Media Inquiries:
Katherine Taylor
815-961-7164
First National Bank and Trust
Media Inquiries:
Laura Pomerene
608-363-8048

Contacts:
Tom McGraw
Chief Executive Officer
(650) 875-4864

Dave Curtis
Chief Financial Officer
(650) 875-4862

Website: www.fnbnorcal.com

SOURCE: FNB Bancorp

http://www.fnbnorcal.com

First National Bancshares, holding company for the 13-branch, Spartanburg-based First National Bank of the South, posted a loss of $12.7 million for the third quarter of 2009. The primary reason was a $9.2 million non-cash provision for loan losses. The remainder of the loss is attributable to extraordinary levels of charges for increased costs for FDIC insurance, OCC regulatory assessments, and expenses associated with remediating non-performing assets.

Total quarterly deposits once again increased to $683.8 million on September 30, 2009, up from $646.8 million, as of December 31, 2008, which management believes provides the bank with a strong funding base. With the bank's conservative cash management, liquidity stands at approximately $137 million, providing stability to depositors and investors, and the bank's loan-to-deposit ratio is 83.6 percent.

"With a new CEO, our leadership intensifies First National's focus on the core basics of successful banking -- Capital, Credit Quality, and Confidence in our Brand. First National's emphasis on fundamentals -- demonstrating leadership by growing deposits and fee income, decreasing expenses, sustaining excess liquidity, and improving asset quality -- has proven fruitful," C. Dan Adams, Chairman of First National Bancshares, said. "We continue to take measures to improve our capital ratios by reducing assets and have increased our loan loss provisions. Our dedicated Special Assets group has resolved $39.3 million in assets this year."

During the quarter, J. Barry Mason was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of First National Bancshares and First National Bank of the South. Mason joined First National from Arthur State Bank (ASB), where he was Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer and a member of the ASB Board of Directors. Mason was part of the executive team at Arthur State Bancshares that helped grow the Company from $88 million in assets, $25 million in loans outstanding, and four branches in 1995 to $663 million in assets, a $548 million loan portfolio, and 23 branches today.

Also during the quarter, First National became the largest community bank in the Spartanburg area, based on the FDIC's Summary of Deposits Report, as of June 30, 2009, and jumped to number two among all banks. It increased its statewide community bank ranking to seventh in South Carolina.

The second quarter opening of the Bank's 13th branch in the Fort Mill/Tega Cay area has demonstrated successful integration into this growing area, attracting new account openings and deposit growth.

Also during the quarter, the Company's Board of Directors as a group invested $550,500 in the Company as a demonstration of confidence in the Company and its new leadership.

"Excluding elevated FDIC premiums and OCC regulatory assessments, First National's year-to-year quarterly operating expenses continue to decline, and we will continue to evaluate prudent investments in areas with the greatest potential for growth," Mason said. "Going forward, First National expects to continue to make loans, attract deposits, and prudently grow our community investments."

Like all banks, First National's deposits are FDIC-insured up to at least $250,000 per depositor through December 31, 2013 -- providing added protection and value for its customers.

First National Bancshares' 10-Q filing with full financial tables can be reviewed at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission site, www.sec.gov.

About First National Bancshares

First National Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq:FNSC) is a $785.8-million asset bank holding company, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It provides a wide range of financial services to consumer and commercial customers through its wholly owned banking subsidiary, First National Bank of the South, which has 13 full-service branches in six South Carolina counties. First National Bancshares was incorporated in 1999 to conduct general banking business through its wholly owned bank subsidiary, First National Bank of the South. Additional information about First National is available online at www.fnbwecandothat.com.

Certain statements in this news release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to future plans and expectations, and are thus prospective. Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to (1) statements regarding potential future economic recovery, (2) statements with respect to First National's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts, and (3) other statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," and "projects," as well as similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, we can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by our company or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by our company will be achieved.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: (1) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly and have an effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; (2) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which First National conducts operations may be different than expected resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in the credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, including the resultant effect on the company's loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses; (3) the rate of delinquencies and amounts of charge-offs, the level of allowance for loan loss, the rates of loan growth, or adverse changes in asset quality in First National's loan portfolio, which may result in increased credit risk-related losses and expenses; (4) changes in the U.S. legal and regulatory framework; and (5) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) could have a negative impact on the company. Additional factors that could cause First National's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in First National's reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the company or any person acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements above. First National does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: First National Bancshares, Inc.

CONTACT: Byrum Innovation Group, Inc.
Media Contact:
Reed Byrum, APR
864.567.7468
reedbyrum@byruminnovation.com

SOURCE: First Chester County Corporation

First Chester County Corporation 
John A. Featherman, III, Chairman and CEO 
484-881-4000 
john.featherman@1nbank.com