EXHIBIT 99.1




                        [LOGO] Sistersville [Letterhead]
                        ================================
                                 Bancorp, Inc.

                         726 Wells Street, P.O. Box 187
                             Sistersville, WV 26175
                                  304-652-3671



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
- ---------------------                   --------------------------------
October 15, 1998                        Stanley M. Kiser
                                        President & CEO
                                        (304) 652-3671


             Sistersville Bancorp, Inc. Announces Stock Repurchase
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     Sistersville,  WV - Sistersville Bancorp,  Inc., the parent holding company
of  First  Federal  Savings  Bank,  today  announced  that it has  received  the
necessary  regulatory and Board approval to initiate a repurchase  plan covering
up to 5% or 31,417 shares of the  Company's  common stock to be purchased in the
open  market.   The  company  currently  has  628,357  shares  of  common  stock
outstanding.  Mr. Stanley M. Kiser, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company,  indicated  that the  repurchase  would be made  from time to time in
open-market  transactions,  subject  to  the  availability  of  stock,  and  the
repurchased shares would be available for general corporate use.

     First  Federal  Savings  Bank is a federally  chartered  savings bank which
conducts  business in  Sistersville,  West  Virginia.  The Bank's  deposits  are
insured  up to the  maximum  legal  amount  by  the  Federal  Deposit  Insurance
Corporation (FDIC). The Company's common stock is traded in the over-the-counter
market with quotations  available  through the OTC  "Electronic  Bulletin Board"
under the symbol "SVBC".