EXHIBIT 99


For further information:
Media Contact:             James E. Adams, CFO, 419-783-8910, rfcmkt@rurban.net
Investor Contact:          Valda Colbart, 419-784-2759, rfcinv@rurban.net


           Rurban Announces Release from Regulatory Written Agreement

Defiance, Ohio - February 18, 2005 - Rurban Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: RBNF)), a
leading provider of full-service community banking, investment management, trust
services and bank data processing, announced today that its regulatory
authorities, the Federal Reserve Bank and Ohio Department of Financial
Institutions, have given approval for release of the Written Agreement entered
into July 5, 2002.

Kenneth A. Joyce, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rurban, commented,
"We are pleased to announce the release of the Written Agreement to our
shareholders. Rurban has been extremely focused on becoming stronger financially
by achieving six quarters of consecutive earnings, and restructuring our policy
and procedures and internal operations. As a result of this release, we can
focus on improving the profitability of the organization and the expansion of
the franchise."

About Rurban Financial Corp.

Rurban Financial Corp. is a publicly held bank holding company based in
Defiance, Ohio and is located on the Internet at http://www.rurbanfinancial.net
.. Rurban's common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market System under the
symbol RBNF. The Company currently has 10,000,000 shares of stock authorized and
4,568,388 shares outstanding. Rurban's wholly owned subsidiaries are The State
Bank and Trust Company, Reliance Financial Services, N.A., Rurbanc Data
Services, Inc. (RDSI) and RFCBC, Inc. The bank offers a full range of financial
services through their offices in Defiance, Paulding and Fulton Counties.
Reliance Financial Services offers a diversified array of trust and financial
services to customers throughout the Mid-West. RDSI provides data processing
services to community banks in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements within this document, which are not statements of historical
fact, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from those
predicted by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties inherent in the
national and regional banking, insurance and mortgage industries, competitive
factors specific to markets in which Rurban and its subsidiaries operate, future
interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory actions, capital market
conditions, general economic conditions, geopolitical events, the loss of key
personnel and other factors.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and
Rurban undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to
reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made.
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to
Rurban or any person acting on our behalf are qualified by these cautionary
statements.