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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.5




                   CONSENT OF SANDLER O'NEILL & PARTNERS, L.P.



          We hereby consent to the inclusion of our opinion letter dated
April 19, 2001 to the Board of Directors of MB Financial, Inc. (the
"Company") as an Appendix to the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus relating to
the proposed merger of each of the Company and MidCity Financial Corporation
with and into MB-MidCity, Inc. contained in the Registration Statement on Form
S-4 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, and
to the references to our firm and such opinion in such Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we come
within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), or the rules and regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder (the "Regulations"), nor do we
admit that we are experts with respect to any part of such Registration
Statement within the meaning of the term "experts" as used in the Act or the
Regulations.

/s/ Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.

October 3, 2001