Semi-Annual Changes to the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank Index

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. NDAQ today announced the results of the semi-annual evaluation of the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank Index ABQI, which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, December 22, 2014.

The following 10 securities will be added to the Index: Cascade Bancorp CACB, Horizon Bancorp HBNC, Mercantile Bank Corporation MBWM, Opus Bank OPB, Peoples Financial Services Corp. PFIS, ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. SFBS, Stonegate Bank SGBK, Square 1 Financial, Inc. SQBK, Talmer Bancorp, Inc. TLMR and United Community Financial Corp. UCFC.

The Index is designed to track the performance of banks and thrifts, or their holding companies, listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market^®. The Index is intended to serve as a benchmark for investment products by including the larger and more liquid community banks. The NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank Index is reviewed on a semi-annual basis. For more information about the NASDAQ OMX ABA Community Bank Index, including detailed eligibility criteria, visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/.

As a result of the evaluation, the following 9 securities will be removed from the Index: Bridge Capital Holdings BBNK, Bridge Bancorp, Inc. BDGE, The Bank of Kentucky Financial Corp. BKYF, Sierra Bancorp BSRR, Kearny Financial KRNY, Pacific Continental Corporation PCBK, Suffolk Bancorp SUBK, Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. SUSQ and Territorial Bancorp Inc. TBNK.

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The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular financial product or an overall investment strategy. Neither The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any financial product or any representation about the financial condition of any company or fund. Statements regarding Nasdaq's proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.

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