Meridian Bank, Eldred, Illinois, was closed today by the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation-Division of Banking, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC approved the assumption of all the deposits of Meridian Bank by National Bank, Hillsboro, Illinois.

All depositors of Meridian Bank, including any with deposits in excess of the FDIC's insurance limits, will automatically become depositors of National Bank, and they will continue to have uninterrupted access to their money. Depositors will still be insured with the new institution. Therefore, there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain deposit insurance.

The failed bank's four offices in Altamont, Carlyle, and Eldred will reopen for normal hours on Saturday, October 11th and the Alton office will reopen Tuesday, October 14th, as branches of National Bank. Over the weekend, customers of Meridian Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

Meridian Bank had total assets of $ 39.18 million in total assets and $ 36.88 million in total deposits as of September 25, 2008. National Bank will purchase approximately $7.55 million of Meridian's assets, and did not pay the FDIC a premium for the right to assume all of the failed bank's deposits. The FDIC will retain the remaining assets for later disposition.

Customers with questions about today's transaction or who would like more information about the failure of Meridian Bank can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/meridian.html, or call the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-894-4713, today until 9 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and thereafter from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. All times are Central Time.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to its Deposit Insurance Fund will be between $13 million and $14.5 million. National Banks' acquisition of all deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund compared to all alternatives.

Meridian Bank is the first bank to be closed in Illinois since Universal FSB, Chicago, Illinois on June 27, 2002. This year a total of fifteen FDIC-insured institutions have been closed.

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Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 8,451 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200). PR-99-2008