Exhibit 99.2     Press Release



PRESS RELEASE
September 20, 2001

                                 For further information contact:
                                 David M. Bradley
                                 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
                                 North Central Bancshares, Inc.
                                 825 Central Avenue
                                 Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
                                 515-576-7531

                    NORTH CENTRAL BANCSHARES, INC. ANNOUNCES
                            STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

Fort Dodge, Iowa, September 20, 2001 - North Central Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq:
"FFFD") (the "Company"), the holding company for First Federal Savings Bank of
Iowa, announced today that it will commence a stock repurchase program. The
program authorizes the Company to repurchase up to 100,000 shares of its
outstanding shares of common stock during the next twelve months. The
repurchases will be made from time to time, in open market transactions, at the
discretion of management.

This new program will commence immediately upon the completion of the Company's
current repurchase program which was announced on March 30, 2001, of which 7,000
shares remain to be purchased. The Company has 1,791,580 shares of common stock
currently outstanding.

North Central Bancshares, Inc., with over $388 million in assets, as of June 30,
2001, is the holding company for First Federal Savings Bank of Iowa, a federally
chartered stock savings bank. First Federal is a community-oriented institution
serving Iowa through 8 full service locations in Fort Dodge, Nevada, Ames,
Perry, Burlington and Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. First Federal's deposits are insured
by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.