ITASCA, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 11/06/08 -- First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. ("First Midwest") (NASDAQ: FMBI) today announced that it will be participating in the Sandler O'Neill East Coast Financial Services Conference to be held in Palm Beach, Florida on November 12 through 14. Michael L. Scudder, First Midwest's President and Chief Executive Officer, will give a presentation on behalf of the company at the Conference at 1:00 PM (ET) on Thursday, November 13, 2008.

The presentation will be broadcast via live and replay webcast (audio only with user controlled PowerPoint slides). Interested individuals may listen to the live webcast and view a copy of the slides by accessing http://www.thomson-webcast.net/us/dispatching/SOP_20081113. First Midwest's live presentation will also be available via audio conference. Dial-in numbers are: (800) 265-0241; International (617) 847-8704; Passcode: Session 2. For those unable to attend the live broadcast, a replay of the webcast will be available within 24 hours of the live presentation for approximately 7 days following the presentation.

First Midwest is the premier relationship-based banking franchise in the growing Chicagoland banking market. As one of the Chicago metropolitan area's largest independent bank holding companies, First Midwest provides the full range of both business and retail banking and trust and investment management services through 98 offices located in 62 communities, primarily in metropolitan Chicago. First Midwest was recently recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workforce Flexibility in the greater Chicago Area.