First Mid Invests in Downtown Mattoon

MATTOON, Ill., Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, parent company of First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, N.A. (better known as First Mid) recently completed the purchase of the former Consolidated Communications Building, located at 1421 Charleston Avenue.  The building contains 33,000 square feet of space and was originally constructed in 1929 by the Masonic Order.  It was used in that capacity until Illinois Consolidated purchased the building in 1991.  With the Masonic Building, First Mid now maintains seven buildings in the Mattoon community, which house corporate operations and the Mattoon banking facilities.  This building will serve as First Mid's Corporate Headquarters.

First chartered on April 17, 1865 as First National Bank of Mattoon, with the approval of President Lincoln and signed by Comptroller of the Currency, First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust has since grown into a $1.5 billion organization.  One of the oldest community banks in America, First Mid has been in business for over 145 years.  The company that began as one bank in Mattoon has now expanded its overall service area to 38 locations in 25 Illinois communities offering traditional banking services along with Trust & Wealth Management and Insurance services.    

In 2010, the company was included on the prestigious Forbes Magazine list of Most Trustworthy Companies in the United States.  In June 2011, the bank was ranked in the Top 200 publicly traded community banks by US Banker magazine.  These designations represent First Mid's long-standing dedication to its customers, its employees, and to the communities it serves.

Chairman & CEO, Bill Rowland stated, "Since the beginning, we have continued to work to provide our customers with a convenient network of banking centers and better technology while still offering the service you expect from a community bank.  Our heritage as a Mattoon community bank has helped us remain focused on this mission.  Our roots are in Coles County – and we're proud of that fact."

About First Mid:

First Mid provides comprehensive banking, trust and wealth management, and insurance services through its operating subsidiaries First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, N.A., and First Mid Insurance Group. It operates banking centers and ATMs in over 25 communities in Illinois.  Its stock trades in the over the counter market under the symbol "FMBH."  More information about First Mid is available at www.firstmid.com.      

For more information contact:

Mandy Lewis
VP, Director of Marketing
[email protected]
217.258.0675

SOURCE First Mid