CF BANCORP, INC.                    EXHIBIT 99.1
                             101 WEST THIRD STREET
                             DAVENPORT, IOWA  52801

                                                               October ___, 1995

 To The Stockholders of CF Bancorp, Inc.:

   You are cordially invited to attend a Special Meeting of Stockholders to be
 held on the 20th day of November, 1995, at 2:00 p.m., local time, at Citizens
 Federal Savings Bank, 101 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa.

   The Special Meeting is being called to enable Stockholders to consider and
 vote upon the approval and adoption of a Merger Agreement, dated May 31, 1995
 (the "Agreement"), entered into by and between First Midwest Bancorp, Inc., a
 Delaware corporation ("First Midwest"), and CF Bancorp, Inc., a Delaware
 corporation ("CF").  Pursuant to the Agreement, CF will merge with and into
 First Midwest, the separate existence of CF will cease and Citizens Federal
 Savings Bank ("Citizens Federal"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CF and its
 principal asset, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of First Midwest (the
 "Merger").

   Stockholders will also be called to consider and vote upon the approval and
 adoption of an amendment to CF's Certificate of Incorporation, in conjunction
 with the Merger. The Charter Amendment would repeal Article Fourth, Section C,
 of CF's Certificate of Incorporation in its entirety. Article Fourth, Section
 C, of CF's Certificate of Incorporation currently imposes certain restrictions
 on voting by stockholders owning more than 10% of CF's outstanding Common
 Stock. Under the Agreement and Plan of Merger, adoption of the Charter
 Amendment is a condition precedent to First Midwest's obligation to consummate
 the Merger. However, in the event the Stockholders of CF approve the Charter
 Amendment but the Merger is not consummated for any reason, the Board of
 Directors of CF intends to abandon the Charter Amendment prior to the filing of
 such amendment with the Secretary of State of Delaware. Therefore, if the
 Merger is not consummated, Article Fourth, Section C, of CF's Certificate of
 Incorporation will not be repealed and will remain unchanged.

   If the Agreement is approved by the Stockholders of CF, and the Merger
 becomes effective, each outstanding share of Common Stock of CF will be
 converted into 1.4545 shares of First Midwest Common Stock. The consummation of
 the Merger is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions notwithstanding
 the approval of the Merger by the Stockholders of CF at the Special Meeting.

   First Midwest is an Illinois-based holding company comprised of a commercial
 bank that is a national banking association, four nonbank affiliates that offer
 trust, investment advisory, credit life insurance and mortgage banking related
 services in the same markets served by the bank and four inactive Illinois
 state-chartered banks.  Stockholders of CF who receive First Midwest Common
 Stock will have a security which is issued by a larger, more diversified
 financial institution and is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under
 the symbol "FMBI".

   After carefully considering the Merger, the Agreement and the benefits which
 will result to the Stockholders of CF, the Board of Directors of CF has
 determined that the Merger is in the best interest of the Stockholders and
 urges that you vote in favor of the Merger.

   YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.  APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED MERGER REQUIRES THE
 AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF THE HOLDERS OF A MAJORITY OF THE OUTSTANDING SHARES OF CF
 COMMON STOCK AND APPROVAL OF THE CHARTER AMENDMENT REQUIRES THE AFFIRMATIVE
 VOTE OF HOLDERS OF 80% OF THE SHARES OF SUCH STOCK.  WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT
 TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN PERSON, PLEASE SIGN AND DATE THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY
 AND MAIL IT PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.

                                      Sincerely,

                                      Paul L. Eckert, President
                                      and Chief Executive Officer