First Mid Illinois Bancshares : Matthew St. Ledger Joins First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust as Regional President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2017 Media Contact: Laura Zuhone Investor Contact: Aaron Holt VP, Director of Marketing AVP, Shareholder Relations 217-258-0675 217-258-0463

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MATTHEW ST. LEDGER JOINS FIRST MID-ILLINOIS BANK & TRUST AS REGIONAL PRESIDENT

MATTOON, IL - Matthew St. Ledger recently joined First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust as Senior Vice President, Regional President. He manages the banking operations of the First Mid Southern Illinois Region with banking centers in Carbondale, Carmi, Carterville, De Soto, Harrisburg, Lawrenceville, Marion, Mt. Carmel, Mt.

Vernon and Murphysboro. St. Ledger is responsible for growing core business lines, including agriculture, commercial and personal banking, Trust & Wealth Management and Insurance.

"We are very fortunate to have Matthew join the First Mid team", said Eric McRae, Chief Credit Officer. "With over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, he brings a vast amount of knowledge, experience and maturity to this management position."

Prior to joining First Mid, he held various roles with Farm Credit Illinois serving as Vice President of Credit Services and most recently, Vice President of Financial Services. St. Ledger earned an Associate's Degree in Accounting form Olney Central College and a Bachelor's Degree in Agribusiness Economics from Southern Illinois University.

About First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc.: First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc. is the parent company of First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, N.A. ("First Mid Bank"), Mid-Illinois Data Services, Inc., and First Mid Insurance Group. Our mission is to fulfill the financial needs of our communities with exceptional personal service, professionalism and integrity, and deliver meaningful value and results for customers and shareholders.

First Mid Bank was first chartered in 1865 and has since grown into a more than $2.8 billion community- focused organization that provides financial services through a network of 53 banking centers in 37 Illinois communities. Our talented team is comprised of over 600 men and women who take great pride in First Mid Bank and the Company, their work and their ability to serve our customers. More information about the Company is available on our website at www.firstmid.com. Our stock is traded in The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the ticker symbol "FMBH".

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