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Exhibit 23 - Consent of Certified Public Accountant

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
F & M Bank Corp.

    We consent to the use of our report, dated January 26, 2001, relating to the
consolidated  balance  sheets of F & M Bank Corp.  as of  December  31, 2000 and
1999,   and  the  related   consolidated   statements  of  income,   changes  in
stockholders'  equity,  and cash  flows for each of the years in the  three-year
period ended December 31, 2000,  which report appears on Page 22 in the December
31, 2000 Annual Report on Form 10-K of F & M Bank Corp.

                                    S. B. Hoover & Company, L.L.P.

Harrisonburg, VA
March 28, 2001