EXHIBIT 99.1

                          PRESS RELEASE

                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



DATE:            February 4, 1999

CONTACTS:        (NBC Capital Corporation)
                 L. F. Mallory, Jr., Chairman of the Board and
Chief
                  Executive Officer (601-324-4777)
                 Richard Haston, Executive Vice President and 
                  Chief Financial Officer (601) 324-4258

                 (FFBS Bancorp, Inc.)  Symbol "FFBS"
                 Frank Griffin, President and Chief Executive
Officer
                  (601)328-4631



                      NBC CAPITAL CORPORATION
                      Starkville, Mississippi

                         FFBS BANCORP, INC.
                       Columbus, Mississippi


                                  


               COLUMBUS' FIRST FEDERAL TO MERGE WITH NBC


STARKVILLE - The Boards of Directors of NBC Capital Corporation
and FFBS Bancorp, Inc., the parent company for First Federal Bank for
Savings, Columbus, Mississippi, have jointly announced that they have
reached an agreement to merge the two companies whereupon NBC Capital
Corporation would be the surviving company.  First Federal was originally
chartered in Columbus in 1892.

NBC Capital Corporation, with approximately $780 million in assets,
currently operates 32 banking offices in East Mississippi and Tuscaloosa,
Alabama.  The company earned $9.3 million in 1998 prior to its recently
concluded merger with First National Corporation of West Point.  First
Federal has assets of $160 million and operates four banking offices in
Columbus and New Hope, Mississippi.  The resulting entity will have assets
of approximately $940 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, each share of FFBS common stock will be
exchanged for .7702 shares of NBC common stock.  Based on the current
market price for NBC $40.00), the per share value of the transaction is
$30.81.  The aggregate value of the transaction, including the exercise of
all stock options, is approximately $50.6 million.  The transaction will be
a tax-free exchange and accounted for as a pooling of interest.  The
transaction, which is pending shareholder and regulatory approval, is
expected to be completed in mid-1999.

"First Federal has provided quality financial service to the citizens of
Columbus and Lowndes County since 1892," stated L. F. Mallory, Jr.,
Chairman and CEO of NBC Capital Corporation.  "They have a well earned
reputation of offering excellent personal service to their customers and
have excelled as a retail mortgage lender in the Columbus/Lowndes County
market. They are a successful organization," said Mallory.  "We look
forward to our association with them and plan to further enhance their
mortgage activities as well as provide additional financial services to
their many loyal customers," concluded Mallory.

"We are pleased to unite with NBC," stated Frank Griffin, President and CEO
of FFBS Bancorp.  "We are familiar with their management and corporate
culture.  They are strong financially and share our values and commitment
to customer service.  We believe our union and NBC will provide our
customers with additional financial services that will be useful to them,"
concluded Griffin.

William McIntyre, Chairman of FFBS Bancorp shared Griffin's enthusiasm. 
"NBC is a quality institution that knows this market.  We look forward
to our companies coming together and the tremendous opportunity this
union represents for those served by First Federal and NBC," concluded
McIntyre.