Wintrust Financial Corporation
                727 North Bank Lane, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- ---------------------
September 17, 1999


FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Edward J. Wehmer, President/CEO - Wintrust Financial Corporation, (847) 615-4096
David A. Dykstra, CFO - Wintrust Financial Corporation, (847) 615-4096
John Leopold, President/CEO - Tricom, Inc., (414) 410-2200


                    WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES
                    ----------------------------------------
                         PLANS TO ACQUIRE TRICOM, INC.
                         -----------------------------

         LAKE  FOREST,  ILLINOIS -  Wintrust  Financial  Corporation  (Wintrust)
(Nasdaq:  WTFC)  announced  the signing of an agreement to purchase  100% of the
common stock of ten year old, Milwaukee-based Tricom, Inc. (Tricom), a financial
and administrative service bureau to the staffing industry.

         Tricom   provides   short-term   accounts   receivable   financing  and
value-added  out-sourced  administrative  services,  such as data  processing of
payrolls, billing and bookkeeping services, to clients in the temporary staffing
industry. Tricom currently has clients located nationally that provide temporary
staffing  services to a  diversified  client base. On an  annualized  basis,  it
currently finances and processes payrolls with associated  billings in excess of
$200 million and generates revenues of nearly $7 million.  Historically,  Tricom
has had minimal credit losses associated with its business.

         The proposed  acquisition  will, by virtue of the funding  resources of
Wintrust,  provide Tricom with  additional  capital needed to expand its lending
services in a national market. Tricom revenue is derived primarily from interest
income from  lending  activities  and fee revenue from  administrative  services
provided to its clients.  The acquisition is consistent  with Wintrust's  stated
strategy of adding a variety of diversified earning asset and fee-based business
niches to augment its community-based banking revenues.



          "This acquisition is anticipated to be accretive by at least $0.08 per
diluted common share in the first full year  subsequent to the closing date, and
accretive  by at least  $0.14 per diluted  common  share if the  transaction  is
evaluated  based on cash basis EPS," stated Edward J. Wehmer,  President and CEO
of Wintrust.  "This  transaction is a win/win for both companies.  We believe we
are acquiring a company with outstanding growth and profit potential, as well as
a dedicated  management  team. All of the senior officers have agreed to stay on
and  manage  the  operations  of  Tricom.  We are very  excited  about  this new
relationship."

         "The staffing  industry  continues to enjoy double digit expansion even
though unemployment is at record lows," said John Leopold, President and Founder
of Tricom.  "The Wintrust  relationship  will make new financial and  management
resources  available  that will allow us to offer  services into segments of the
staffing  industry  previously  unavailable to us. It also should position us to
service other  targeted  industries  similar to staffing that could benefit from
our focused financial and administrative  expertise.  We have been expanding our
service capacity over the past two years in anticipation of  accomplishing  this
type of business  combination.  We are very excited  about our future,"  Leopold
added.  Leopold will continue as president of Tricom after the  consummation  of
the transaction.

         The  purchase  price  will be  comprised  of part cash and part  stock,
including the issuance of  approximately  228,000  shares of Wintrust  Financial
Corporation  Common Stock.  The transaction  will be recorded using the purchase
method of accounting, is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close
in October 1999.

         Tricom is planned to operate as a subsidiary of Hinsdale Bank and Trust
Company, a wholly-owned Wintrust subsidiary.  Hinsdale Bank and Trust Company is
a  state  chartered,   Federal  Reserve  member  commercial  bank.  It  provides
depository, lending, safe deposit and other general banking services.

         Wintrust is a financial  services holding company whose common stock is
traded on the Nasdaq Stock  Market(R)  under the ticker symbol  "WTFC".  Its six
suburban Chicago community bank subsidiaries,  each of which was founded as a de
novo bank since December 1991, are located in high income retail markets -- Lake
Forest Bank and Trust  Company,  Hinsdale  Bank and Trust  Company,  North Shore
Community Bank and Trust Company in Wilmette, Libertyville



Bank and Trust Company,  Barrington  Bank and Trust  Company,  N.A., and Crystal
Lake Bank and Trust  Company,  N.A..  The banks also operate  facilities in Lake
Bluff, Glencoe,  Winnetka,  Clarendon Hills and Western Springs,  Illinois.  The
Company's finance subsidiary,  First Insurance Funding  Corporation,  one of the
largest commercial  insurance premium finance companies  operating in the United
States, serves commercial loan customers throughout the country.  Wintrust Asset
Management Company, N.A., a trust and investment subsidiary,  allows Wintrust to
service  customers'  trust  and  investment  needs  at  each  banking  location.
Currently, Wintrust operates a total of 23 banking offices and is in the process
of constructing  one additional  branch facility.  All of the Company's  banking
subsidiaries are locally managed with large local boards of directors.  Wintrust
Financial Corporation has been one of the fastest growing de novo bank groups in
Illinois.

                           Forward-Looking Information
                           ---------------------------

         This  press  release  contains  forward-looking  statements  within the
meaning of the  Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995  relating to
anticipated  financing  and  payroll  processing  volumes,  revenue,  as well as
profitability  and earnings per share  estimates.  Actual  results  could differ
materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements due to factors
such as changes in economic conditions,  unanticipated changes in interest rates
that negatively impact new financing growth, competition and the related pricing
of  accounts  receivable  financing  products,  future  events  that  may  cause
unforeseen  loan  losses,  slower  than  anticipated  development  and growth of
Tricom's  business,  unforeseen  difficulties  in integrating  the  acquisition,
unforeseen changes in the temporary staffing industry,  difficulties in adapting
successfully to  technological  changes as needed to compete  effectively in the
marketplace,  effectiveness  of the  Company's  and  its  vendors'  preparedness
efforts  towards  processing  date sensitive data associated with the Year 2000,
and the ability to attract and retain  experienced  key  management.  Therefore,
there can be no assurances  that future actual results will  correspond to these
forward-looking statements.


                                      # # #