ITASCA, IL--(Marketwired - Oct 21, 2014) - First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company" or "First Midwest") (NASDAQ: FMBI), the holding company of First Midwest Bank (the "Bank"), today reported results of operations and financial condition for the third quarter of 2014. Net income for the third quarter of 2014 was $18.5 million, or $0.25 per share. This compares to $18.5 million, or $0.25 per share, for the second quarter of 2014, and $29.3 million, or $0.39 per share, for the third quarter of 2013. Results for 2013 included the benefit of $0.15 per share, attributed to the sale of an equity investment, net of certain other treasury related actions.

"It was a strategically dynamic quarter for us," said Michael L. Scudder, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. "Operating performance was solid, reflecting strong top-line revenue growth and improved operating efficiency. Our performance benefited from both the successful completion of the Popular Community Bank branch acquisition and multi-year efforts to dispose of certain selected branch properties. These benefits in turn partially were offset by acquisition and integration related costs as well as the impact of a singular, anomalous corporate credit loss. At its core, the quarter reflected continued loan and fee growth, balanced business investment, and improved operating leverage."

Mr. Scudder continued, "Announced in July, our acquisition of Great Lakes Financial Resources, Inc. remains on track with regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve in hand and a planned closing before year end. Targeted acquisitions together with organic business investment have added to a talented group of colleagues providing greater product and operational depth, while enhancing an already strong core deposit foundation. These efforts leave us well positioned for future performance and growth."

SELECT HIGHLIGHTS

Solid Operating Performance

• Increased earnings per share to $0.28, excluding acquisition and integration related expenses, up 9% from the second quarter of 2014.
  
  

• Expanded total loans to nearly $7 billion at September 30, 2014, an increase of 10% from June 30, 2014 and 16% from September 30, 2013.
  
  

• Increased top-line revenue to $107 million, up 8% and 7% from June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2013, respectively.
  
  

  • Improved net interest margin to 3.72%, up 7 basis points from the second quarter of 2014 and 9 basis points from the third quarter of 2013.
    
    

  • Realized fee-based revenues of $30 million, up 10% from the second quarter of 2014 and 7% from the third quarter of 2013.
    
    

• Improved efficiency ratio to 62.02%, excluding acquisition and integration related expenses, compared to 63.60% for the second quarter of 2014.
  
  

• Increased return on average tangible common equity to 11.73% for the third quarter of 2014, compared to 10.15% for the second quarter of 2014.
  
  

Credit and Capital

• Improved the ratio of non-accrual loans to total loans to 1.08% at September 30, 2014, a level 14% lower than September 30, 2013.
  
  

• Increased provision for credit losses by $5.4 million from the linked quarter to address a large corporate credit exposure.
  
  

• Paid dividends per share of $0.08, consistent with the second quarter of 2014 and up from $0.04 for the third quarter of 2013.
  
  

Significant Quarter Events

• Completed the acquisitions of the Chicago banking operations of Popular Community Bank and National Machine Tool Financial Corporation.
  
  

• Received regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve for the Great Lakes Financial Resources, Inc. acquisition.
  
  

• Realized pre-tax gains of $4 million from the disposition of two branch properties.
  
  

ACQUISITIONS

On July 7, 2014, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the south suburban Chicago-based Great Lakes Financial Resources, Inc. ("Great Lakes"), the holding company for Great Lakes Bank. As part of the acquisition, the Company will acquire eight locations, approximately $490 million in deposits, and $234 million in loans. The Company has received approval for this acquisition from the Federal Reserve, and the acquisition is expected to close before the end of 2014, subject to approval by the stockholders of Great Lakes and certain closing conditions.

On August 8, 2014, the Bank completed the acquisition of the Chicago banking operations of Banco Popular North America ("Popular"), doing business as Popular Community Bank, which is a subsidiary of Popular, Inc. The acquisition included Popular's twelve full-service retail banking offices and its small business and middle market commercial lending activities in the Chicago metropolitan area. On the date of acquisition, the Bank assumed $732 million in deposits and acquired $550 million in loans.

On September 26, 2014, the Bank completed the acquisition of National Machine Tool Financial Corporation ("National Machine Tool"). In business for more than 28 years and a customer of the Bank for more than 15 years, National Machine Tool provides equipment leasing and financing alternatives to traditional bank financing. The addition of equipment leasing to First Midwest's product offerings affords us the opportunity to leverage our sales platform to augment National Machine Tool's historical lease production of $40 million per year.

OPERATING PERFORMANCE

For the third quarter of 2014, total average interest-earning assets increased $298.9 million and $378.8 million from the second quarter of 2014 and the third quarter of 2013, respectively. The increase compared to both prior periods was driven by loans from the Popular acquisition as well as organic loan growth.

Compared to both prior periods, the increase in total average interest-bearing liabilities resulted primarily from the Popular acquisition. In addition, the decline in borrowed funds was due to the second quarter of 2014 prepayment of $114.6 million of FHLB advances with a weighted-average rate of 1.08%, which is net of the yield earned on the cash used for the prepayment.

Tax-equivalent net interest margin for the current quarter was 3.72%, increasing 7 basis points from the second quarter of 2014 and 9 basis points from the third quarter of 2013. The Popular acquisition contributed approximately half of the improvement compared to both prior periods, adding a greater proportion of higher yielding, fixed rate loans along with low cost deposits. In addition, certain loan hedging strategies and an increase in the yield on covered interest-earning assets drove the higher margin.

Compared to the second quarter of 2014, tax-equivalent net interest income increased by $4.8 million primarily due to the Popular acquisition, which contributed $3.5 million of the increase. In addition, continued organic loan growth and the full quarter impact of the prepayment of the FHLB advances in the second quarter of 2014 drove the increase.

Total fee-based revenues increased 9.8% compared to the linked-quarter, reflecting growth across all categories. Higher levels of service charges on deposit accounts were impacted by an increase in service charge volume from existing and new customers acquired in the Popular transaction. New customer relationships across all service offerings continued to drive the increase in wealth management fees. The increase in card-based fees reflects higher transaction volumes, as well as incentives from a renewed vendor contract. Fee income generated by sales of capital market products to commercial clients drove the increase in other service charges, commissions, and fees.

Compared to the third quarter of 2013, total fee-based revenues grew 6.7% due to growth in service charges on deposits accounts, wealth management fees, and card-based fees. Total noninterest income during the third quarter of 2013 was impacted by certain significant transactions, including a $34.0 million gain on the sale of an equity investment, a $7.8 million gain on the termination of two FHLB forward commitments, and a $13.3 million write-down of the cash surrender values of certain BOLI policies.

Total noninterest income of $37.1 million grew 19.0% from the second quarter of 2014. In the third quarter of 2014, we completed the disposition of two branch properties at pre-tax gains of $4.0 million as a part of multi-year efforts to optimize our retail distribution. In addition, we sold $9.3 million in longer-duration corporate bonds at a pre-tax gain of $2.0 million.

The efficiency ratio, excluding acquisition and integration related expenses, improved to 62.02% from 63.60% compared to the linked quarter. Total noninterest expense for the third quarter of 2014 was higher compared to the second quarter of 2014 and the third quarter of 2013 primarily as a result of acquisition and integration related costs, totaling $3.7 million for the third quarter of 2014 and $830,000 for the second quarter of 2014. In addition, recurring costs associated with operating the newly acquired Popular locations contributed to the increase. During the third quarter of 2014, the Company also recorded a $430,000 valuation adjustment relative to the closing of a banking facility.

LOAN PORTFOLIO AND ASSET QUALITY

Compared to the linked quarter, the majority of the loan growth was related to the Popular acquisition, which added $533.2 million of loans at September 30, 2014, and solid performance from our legacy sales platform concentrated within our commercial and industrial and agricultural loan categories.

Total loans of $6.5 billion rose by $570.8 million, or 9.6%, from June 30, 2014 and $916.8 million, or 16.4%, from September 30, 2013. Total loans, excluding acquired loans, grew 2.5% on an annualized basis from June 30, 2014 and 6.9% from September 30, 2013.

In addition to the Popular loans, the year-over-year increase in total loans resulted from well-balanced growth distributed across the majority of categories. Strong growth in the commercial and industrial and agricultural loan categories reflects the impact of greater resource investments and expansion into certain sector-based lending areas, such as agri-business, asset-based lending, and healthcare.

Non-performing assets, excluding acquired and covered loans and covered OREO, decreased by $1.8 million from June 30, 2014 and $29.3 million, or 21.9%, from September 30, 2013. Lower levels of accruing TDRs and OREO contributed to the decline from September 30, 2013.

The linked quarter increase in charge-offs primarily relates to the recognition of a $7.5 million loss attributable to a longstanding commercial borrowing relationship. This loss emanated from reported accounting irregularities and the resulting impact on the borrower's adherence to customary debt covenants. The Company is aggressively pursuing all appropriate collection and other remedies. Exclusive of this aberrant circumstance, net charge-off levels approximated the linked and prior year quarters.

CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Overall, the Company's capital ratios decreased compared to the prior periods presented. The Popular acquisition drove this decrease due to the addition of risk-weighted assets and average assets, including goodwill and intangible assets, in the third quarter of 2014. The Bank's regulatory ratios exceeded all regulatory mandated ratios for characterization as "well-capitalized" as of September 30, 2014.

The Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per common share during the third quarter of 2014, which follows a dividend increase from $0.07 to $0.08 per common share during the second quarter of 2014.

About the Company

First Midwest, with assets of approximately $9.0 billion, is the premier relationship-based financial institution in the dynamic Chicagoland banking market. As one of Illinois' largest independent bank holding companies, First Midwest, through its subsidiary bank and other affiliates, provides a full range of business and retail banking and wealth management services through approximately 100 banking offices located in metropolitan Chicago, northwest Indiana, central and western Illinois, and eastern Iowa. First Midwest has been recognized by J.D. Power as having the "Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in the Midwest Region^*" according to the 2014 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study(SM). The Company website is www.firstmidwest.com.

^* First Midwest Bank received the highest numerical score among retail banks in the Midwest region in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study^SM. Study based on 80,445 total responses measuring 21 providers in the Midwest region (IA, IL, KS, MO, MN, WI) and measures opinions of consumers with their primary banking provider. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed January 2014. Individual experiences may vary. Visit JDPower.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

The Company's accounting and reporting policies conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and general practice within the banking industry. As a supplement to GAAP, the Company provides non-GAAP performance results, which the Company believes are useful because they assist investors in assessing the Company's operating performance. This includes, but is not limited to, earnings per share, excluding acquisition and integration related expenses, top-line revenue, tax-equivalent net interest income (including its individual components), the efficiency ratio, tier 1 common capital to risk-weighted assets, tangible common equity to tangible assets, tangible common equity, excluding other comprehensive loss, to tangible assets, tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets, and non-performing assets to tangible common equity and allowance for credit losses. Although intended to enhance investors' understanding of the Company's business and performance, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, the expected completion date, financial benefits and other effects of the proposed merger of the Company and Great Lakes. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "target," and words of similar import. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future results or events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that actual results or events and the Company's financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results, events and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, expected synergies, cost savings and other financial benefits of the proposed transaction between the Company and Great Lakes might not be realized within the expected timeframes or might be less than projected; the requisite stockholder and regulatory approvals for the proposed transaction between the Company and Great Lakes might not be obtained; credit and interest rate risks associated with the Company's and Great Lakes' respective businesses, customer borrowing, repayment, investment and deposit practices, and general economic conditions, either nationally or in the market areas in which the Company and Great Lakes operate or anticipate doing business, are less favorable than expected; customer and employee reactions to the proposed transaction between the Company and Great Lakes; new regulatory or legal requirements or obligations; and other risks and important factors that could affect the Company's future results identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and the risks and other factors identified in other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on currently available information. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release after the date hereof.

Additional Information

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval.

The Company filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC in connection with the proposed merger of the Company and Great Lakes that includes a preliminary proxy statement of Great Lakes and a preliminary prospectus of the Company, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. Stockholders are advised to read the registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information about the Company, Great Lakes and the proposed transaction. These documents and other documents relating to the merger filed by the Company can be obtained free of charge from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These documents also can be obtained free of charge by accessing the Company's website at www.firstmidwest.com under the tab "Investor Relations" and then under "SEC Filings." Alternatively, these documents can be obtained free of charge from the Company upon written request to First Midwest Bancorp, Inc., Attn: Corporate Secretary, One Pierce Place, Suite 1500, Itasca, Illinois 60143 or by calling (630) 875-7463, or from Great Lakes upon written request to Great Lakes Financial Resources, Inc., Attn: Thomas S. Agler, President, 4600 West Lincoln Highway, Matteson, Illinois 60443 or by calling (708) 283-5800.

Participants in the Great Lakes Transaction

The Company, Great Lakes and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Great Lakes stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction between the Company and Great Lakes under the rules of the SEC. Certain information regarding the interests of these participants, and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, may be obtained by reading the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction. Free copies of this document may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph. Additional information about the Company and its directors and officers may be found in the definitive proxy statement of the Company relating to its 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed with the SEC on April 17, 2014. This definitive proxy statement can be obtained free of charge from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Conference Call

A conference call to discuss the Company's results, outlook, and related matters will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. (ET). Members of the public who would like to listen to the conference call should dial (877) 507-0639 (U.S. domestic) or (412) 317-6003 (International) and ask for the First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. Earnings Conference Call. The number should be dialed 10 to 15 minutes prior to the start of the conference call. There is no charge to access the call. The conference call will also be accessible as an audio webcast through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website, www.firstmidwest.com/investorrelations. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available on the Company's website or by dialing (877) 344-7529 (U.S. domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (International) conference I.D. 10053777 beginning one hour after completion of the live call until 9:00 A.M. (ET) on October 29, 2014. Please direct any questions regarding obtaining access to the conference call to First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. Investor Relations, via e-mail, at investor.relations@firstmidwest.com.

Accompanying Financial Statements and Tables

Accompanying this press release is the following unaudited financial information:
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

Press Release and Additional Information Available on Website

This press release, the accompanying financial statements and tables, and certain additional unaudited Selected Financial Information are available through the "Investor Relations" section of First Midwest's website at www.firstmidwest.com/investorrelations.