Exhibit 99

Contact:    Gary S. Paul                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
            (716) 842-5130                November 24, 1999


BUFFALO, NEW YORK --M&T Bank Corporation ("M&T") (NYSE:MTB) announced that it
has been authorized by its Board of Directors to purchase and hold as treasury
stock up to 190,465 additional shares of its common stock. This represents
approximately 2.5% of common shares currently outstanding. The additional shares
of treasury stock will be used in connection with the possible future exercise
of outstanding stock options granted under M&T's 1983 Stock Option Plan. Under
this authorization, shares of common stock may be purchased from time-to-time in
the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. M&T's previously
announced program to reacquire 134,342 shares authorized on February 16, 1999
was completed on November 22, 1999. As of October 31, 1999, M&T had 7,794,088
shares of common stock outstanding, and it held 307,451 shares as treasury
stock.

M&T is a $21.8 billion bank holding company whose subsidiaries include
Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (Buffalo, New York) and M&T Bank,
National Association (Oakfield, New York).