NEWS RELEASE
Dec. 1, 2009
ABA Media Contact: John Hall
(202) 663-5473
E-mail: jhall@aba.com

                                 AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION MAKES ADDITIONS TO 
                                               ABA NASDAQ COMMUNITY BANK INDEX

WASHINGTON ©¤ The American Bankers Association has added four banks to the ABA NASDAQ Community Bank Index (ABAQ), effective Dec. 1.  The index includes 469 community banks with a market capitalization of about $100 billion.

The Index, launched in December 2003, is the most broadly representative stock index for community banks and remains an important tool for giving banks more visibility with analysts and investors.

The Index includes all banks and savings associations or their holding companies listed on the NASDAQ, with the exception of any of the 50 largest bank and thrift charters based on asset size, banks classified as having an "international specialization" and banks classified as having a "credit card specialization."  Asset size and business classifications are based on the most recently available FDIC data.

The Index is calculated on both a total return and price return basis.  The Index is reported daily as a total return index, which means that the value of reinvested dividends is included in the calculation. The total return index is commonly used as a benchmark in proxy statements.

Price changes throughout the trading day are updated every 15 seconds and can be accessed using the symbol ABAQ.  These intraday price quotes are available on ABA's Web site at www.aba.com and through such financial data services as Yahoo and Bloomberg. ABAQ listings are published daily in the Market Monitor column of the American Banker newspaper.

The index is adjusted for splits and spin-offs. Newly eligible companies are added on June 1 and Dec. 1.  The complete list can be accessed on ABA's Web site at www.aba.com.

Additions to the index, as of Dec. 1, are:

  • Hudson Valley Holding (HUVL), Yonkers, N.Y.; 
  • Territorial Bancorp Inc. (TBNK), Honolulu;
  • First United Bancorp, Inc. (FUBC), Boca Raton, Fla; and
  • First Chester County  (FCEC), West Chester, Pa.

           The American Bankers Association brings together banks of all sizes and charters into one association. ABA works to enhance the competitiveness of the nation's banking industry and strengthen America¡¯s economy and communities. Its members ¨C the majority of which are banks with less than $125 million in assets ¨C represent over 95 percent of the industry¡¯s $13.5 trillion in assets and employ over 2 million men and women.

                                                            # # #