EXHIBIT 23
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The Board of Directors
Wintrust Financial Corporation:


We consent to  incorporation  by reference in the  Registration  Statement  (No.
333-33459)  on Form S-8 of Wintrust  Financial  Corporation  of our report dated
March 19, 1999, relating to the consolidated statements of condition of Wintrust
Financial Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1998 and 1997, and the
related consolidated statements of operations,  changes in shareholders' equity,
and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31,
1998,  which report is incorporated by reference in the December 31, 1998 annual
report on Form 10-K of Wintrust Financial Corporation.


/s/ KPMG LLP

Chicago, Illinois
March 30, 1999