BOYERTOWN, Pa., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- National Penn Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: NPBC) is pleased to announce that it was recognized in the 2009 edition of the Staton Institute's "America's Finest Companies Annual Investment Directory." This is the eleventh consecutive year that National Penn was named to the list.

This year's America's Finest Companies list contains only 307 out of more than 19,000 public U.S.-based companies. To be included, companies must have at least 10 straight years of higher earnings and/or dividends per share. National Penn completed its 30th consecutive year of higher earnings and 30th consecutive year of higher dividends in 2008.

For the fifth consecutive year, National Penn Bancshares, Inc. was named to Staton's "Super 50 Team," which comprises only 20 public U.S. companies that have a combined total of at least 50 years of higher earnings and dividends per share.

The Staton Institute also named National Penn to the following lists this year:

-- Earnings All-Stars, i.e., companies that have achieved higher earnings per share for at least 20 consecutive years.

-- America's Smartest Companies for posting at least 10 straight years of higher earnings per share and paying a higher cash dividend every year since 1993 or earlier. Fewer than 6 percent of the companies in the America's Finest Companies annual listing qualify to be in this elite group. Out of all publicly traded companies in the US, the companies named as America's Smartest are in the top 0.1 percent.

"Being named to this elite group of companies for the eleventh consecutive year speaks to the performance of our directors and employees in providing value for our shareholders and customers," said Glenn E. Moyer, president and chief executive officer, National Penn Bancshares, Inc. "We are honored to receive these well-regarded recognitions."

Founded by Bill Staton, a Chartered Financial Analyst with an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, The Staton Institute publishes America's Finest Companies(R), an investment directory of all publicly-traded U.S. companies with at least 10 consecutive years of higher earnings and/or dividends per share.

National Penn Bancshares, Inc., with $9.2 billion in assets, is the fifth largest bank holding company based in Pennsylvania.

Headquartered in Boyertown, National Penn operates 127 offices: 124 offices in Pennsylvania and one office in Maryland through National Penn Bank and its FirstService Bank, HomeTowne Heritage Bank, KNBT, and Nittany Bank divisions, and two offices in Delaware through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Christiana Bank & Trust Company.

National Penn's financial services affiliates consist of National Penn Investors Trust Company; National Penn Capital Advisors, Inc.; Vantage Investment Advisors, LLC; National Penn Leasing Company; National Penn Insurance Agency, Inc.; Caruso Benefits Group, Inc.; and Higgins Insurance Associates, Inc.

National Penn Bancshares, Inc. common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "NPBC". Additional information about the National Penn family is available on the Company's Web site at http://www.nationalpennbancshares.com.

SOURCE National Penn Bancshares, Inc.