Exhibit 99
First National Lincoln Corporation Declares Dividend
DAMARISCOTTA, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- June 17, 2005 -- The Board of Directors of First National Lincoln Corporation (NASDAQ NM: FNLC), yesterday declared a quarterly dividend of 13.0 cents per share. This second-quarter dividend, which is payable July 29, 2005, to shareholders of record as of July 8, 2005, represents an increase of 18.2% or 2.0 cents per share over the second-quarter dividend declared in 2004 of 11.0 cents per share.
"With this increase of 0.5 cents per share over this year's first-quarter dividend of 12.5 cents per share, the Company has now raised its dividend for 39 consecutive quarters," noted Daniel R. Daigneault, FNLC's President & Chief Executive Officer. "This translates into an annual dividend of 52.0 cents per share, and based on yesterday's closing price of $16.50 per share, our dividend yield is 3.15%.
"Sharing our profits in the form of cash dividends continues to be seen by our Board of Directors as important to our Shareholders," President Daigneault went on. "I am happy to report that the merger integration for our acquisition of FNB Bankshares in the first quarter of 2005 is going well, and with the strong operating results we posted in the first quarter, we have continued the trend of increasing our dividend each quarter. For these reasons, I continue to view First National Lincoln Corporation as an extremely attractive investment alternative."
First National Lincoln Corporation, headquartered in Damariscotta, Maine, is the bank holding company for The First, N.A. and First Advisors. The First is an independent community bank serving Midcoast and Downeast Maine with fourteen offices in Lincoln, Knox, Hancock and Washington Counties that provide consumer and commercial banking products and services. First Advisors provides investment advisory and trust services from four offices in Damariscotta, Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor and Brunswick, Maine.
Forward-looking and cautionary statements: except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, as discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For additional information contact F. Stephen Ward, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, at 207.563.3272.
