LOCKPORT, N.Y., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FNFG) will be branding ATMs in 95 Sheetz in Western Pennsylvania with completion targeted for September 2009. These branded ATMs will display First Niagara's logo on the ATMs, welcome screens and receipts. Sheetz ATMs are surcharge-free to all cardholders.
The branded ATMs, located from Erie to Greater Pittsburgh, offer First Niagara customers an additional delivery channel, complementing their new Western Pennsylvania branch network. First Niagara will be acquiring 57 branches from National City Bank, a subsidiary of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., in a transaction that is expected to close in September 2009.
"We feel by branding these ATMs, First Niagara will provide a wonderful convenience for current and prospective customers in Western Pennsylvania. First Niagara branded, surcharge free ATM's are a great example of our commitment to helping customers to save time and money," said J. Lanier Little, Executive Vice President, Consumer Banking.
First Niagara currently has 136 ATMs and 113 branches throughout Upstate New York and will have an additional 69 ATMs and 57 branches throughout Western Pennsylvania.
The Western Pennsylvania branch expansion is the latest in a series of acquisitions that First Niagara has undertaken over the past decade. Adding First Niagara branded ATMs located in Sheetz throughout Western Pennsylvania represents a continuance of First Niagara's growth strategy.
ABOUT FIRST NIAGARA FINANCIAL GROUP
First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary First Niagara Bank, has assets of $11.6 billion and deposits of $6.2 billion. First Niagara Bank is a full-service, community-focused bank that provides financial services to individuals, families and businesses through 113 branches and four Regional Market Centers across Upstate New York. In April 2009, the company announced plans to add another 57 branches in Pittsburgh, Warren and Erie, Pa., additional deposits of $4.2 billion and additional loans of $839 million in an acquisition that is expected to close in September 2009. First Niagara recently reached an agreement to acquire 83 branches from Harleysville National Corporation in the Philadelphia area, including $3.6 billion in loans and $4.1 billion in deposits. The acquisition is expected to close in early 2010. For more information, visit www.fnfg.com.
SOURCE First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.
