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Farmers National Banc Corp ShareholderInformation
Corporate Headquarters
First Busey Corporation,
201 W. MA
Street, Urbana,
Illinois 61801,
(217) 365-4556.
Viiit Busey’s world wide web sit;e at WWW.bwey.com
Annual Meeting
The tiual
Meeting of Shareholders
of ~st
Busey Corporation will be held on ~esday
April 25, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. at The Forurn at Cm-le.
First J3mey Corporation Common Stock
First
Busey Corporation Common Stock is traded on Nasdaq National Market under the
symbol BUSE. First Busey Co~oration’s mark”et makers are Stephens Inc., Little Rock, Howe
B~es
Investments,
Inc., Chicalgo, and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Inc., St. Louis.
Annual Report on Fore, 1O-K
A copy of
the Annual Report
on Form 1O-K fled with the Securities
and Exchange
Commission may be obtained without charge by written request to First Busey Corporation,
201”W. Main Street, Urbana,
IL 61801.
Stock ~ansfer Agent
First Busey Corporation acts as its own transfer agent.
AnnualReporf DesignedBy BuseyMarketing
Table ofCor&tents
Letter to Shareholders ......................................................................................
Doug Mills, Chairman of the Board, First Busey Corporation,
discusses
the Busey of today and tomorrow
Financial Charts ................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key five-year performance graphs
Busey’s Management
Forum
.........................................................................
Busey’s Management
team answers questions
Busey Associates ..............................................................................................
Interviews with several /ong-time Busey Associates
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Consolidated Financial Statements
..............................................................
:
A comparison of First Busey Corporation’s
financial petiormance
Focus on ............................................................................................................
Busey-Mi//s Community Foundation
First Federal Savings and Loan of Bloomington
Board of Directors and Mar)agement
Teams ..............................................
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CorporateProfile
First
Busey Corporation is a financial
services
company headquartered
in Urbana,
Illinois, providing a full range of fiancial
services to more than 46,000 households. First
Busey Corporation has more than 1,600 Shareholders
including its associates, who own in
excess of 10% of the outstanding shares through their benefit plans.
The flagship subsidiary is Busey Bank, which has 16 Banking Centers in Champaign,
Ford and McLean Counties as well as one Banking Center in Indianapolis. Busey provides
electronic
delivery
of
financial
services
through Busey
e-bank. Busey Bank has Loan
Production Offices in Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida, as well as a full-service broker/dealer
subsidiary, First Busey Securities,
Inc. First Busey Securities
currently has in excess of
$430 million under care. Busey Travel and Busey Insurance Services, Inc. are Busey Bank’s
other subsidiaries. First Busey Trust & Investment Co.
is a wholly owned subsidi~
of
First Busey Corporation specializing in asset management and trust services. Currently, First
Busey Wst
has total assets under administration of $970 million. In October of 1999, First
Busey Corporation acquired Eagle B~~cGroup,
Inc., a unitary thrift holding company owning
100% of the outstanding shares of First Federal Savings and Loan of Bloomington,
Illinois.
First Federal has 4 Banking Centers in McLean Coun@.
Dear Sharehol(3ers,
The end of a century presents us the opportunity to evaluate the past, determine where we stand
today and plan for the future. In the business arena, things are certainly Werent
today than they
used to be.. .or are they? In a recent interview, Tim Koogle, CEO of one of the most famous Internet
portals, was asked what makes his company Yahoo, so success~. His reply,
‘We’re doing what we
like to do and we’re in it for the long haul:
certainly echoes my comments over the past 29 years—
‘We want
to keep Busey–Busey while having fun doing it!” For as much as things change,
some
things stay the same!
As I reflect on the past for the Busey Organization,
I would have to say that we saved the best
for last! On October 29, 1999, we colnpleted the acquisition of Eagle BancGroup,
Inc. and subse-
quently, First Federal Savings and L,oan of Bloomington. This acquisition added $180 million in
assets to the Busey Organization
and approximately
65 outstanding
and dedicated employees.
The future for the Busey Organization
in McLean County is terrific, and coupled with our other
expansion plans, shotid position the Corporation for the future.
Financially, we ended the century with a strong, solid performance. Net income increased by 10%,
with deposits growing 24%. Our Commercial Lending Division had an outstanding year, generating
a 34% increase in the loan portfolio while continuing to maintain Busey’s high standard of credit
quality. Although the entire financial
industry was hit hard during 1999 with many stock prices
showing
a decline
for the year,
tfi.s was not
the case with First Busey Corporation
stock.
We began the year at $18.25 per share and closed on December
31, 1999 at $22.625 per share,
an increase
of 24% for the year. Although our ratios are a little higher
than our peer group,
I believe it is founded on our strong performance
in the past, our recent acquisitions and our future
expansion plans.
As we work at creating our next strategic plan,
‘Vision 201OJ’ rest assured we will continue to
focus on remaining a successti
independent
community bank!
.3 P. David Kuhl
President
Busey Bank
[2
~..
—
Edwin A. Scharlau II
Chairman of the Board
Busey Investment Group
Douglas C. Mills
Chairman of the Board
First Busey Corporation
Total Assets
(in millions)
Diluted Earnings
(dollars)
Per Share
m
Return
(percentage)
on Average Assets
Dividend
(dollars)
m
Return
(percentage)
on Average Equity
Closing Stock Price
(dollars)
Susan Abboit
Executive Ece President
Busey Bank
To what do you
attribute Busey’s retail
growth in 1999?
relationship, many
customers will have
a solid foundation
for their financial
Susm This year we
needs. The launching
added several
innova-
Of Our Customer
tive products to
Management
Bueey’s &eady
cut-
~ogram allowed
&g
edge line up.
Carefree Checking
with Overdraft
us to enhance
relationships with
our customers, and
Advantage
reinforces
several successti
Busey’s community
Certificate of Deposit
bank image with a
specials aIso added
free checking product.
to our success.
With Care&ee
Checking, a Visa
Check Card, a Busey
e-bd
account and a
Busey investment
HOW have changes
in technology enabled
Busey to better
seine their customers
while improving
profitability?
Don: At Busey we
know that by provid-
ing Our associates
tith the right tech-
nology tools at their
desktops, we enable
them to provide high
quality setice
to our
customers.
In 1998,
we brought our data
processtig
in-house.
Don Schlofi
Executive Vice President
Busey Bank
This move allows
us to have greater
@
@
control over the daily
processtig
as well as
Competition for
Asset Management
in Buseyk markets
i:~becoming
stronger and
contain costs. With
strongec What is
—
m--”~-
.)V -
(~
-g
r-
1
time to the customer.
this area?
this change we were
able to improve the
statement rendering
process and delivery
Our investment
in
Busey e-bank provides
24-hour banking
services
to our
customers. Several
new features were
added to electronic
banking in 1999,
the Busey
Investment Group
L....a~/a
doing to remain a
(Left) Scott MacAdam
dominant player in
Executive Vice President
First Busey Dust
(Right) Glen Paine
President
First Busey must
In 1999, we added an
Scott & Glen:
Our greatest
strength in providing
outstanding asset
management
services
Insurance Specialist,
is our highly qualified
thereby enabling us to
and experienced
better serve that very
such as electronic bill
professional
stti. Our
important
customer
presentment,
and
we look forward
to adding more in
the future.
—
tilients have at their
need. In order to
disposal the expertise
maintain our
of Certified Financial
Analysts, Attorneys,
Accountants,
and
Farm Managers
leadership position,
we will continue to
focus on the 3 B’s —
Best people,
allowing us to cover
Best technology and
all aspects of the
financial spectnun.
Best investment
approach.
With new
challenges
in the
travel industry,
airline commission
cuts and on-line
travel services,
what changes has
Busey ~avel made
to stay competitive
and profitable?
Becky We have
positioned Busey
Eavel
for success
in several ways.
By consolidating
our three offices
into one and by
opening our
travel store,
we now offer
one-stop shopping
for our customers.
Our first endeavor
,
Becky Beskow
President
Busey Davel
into the retail
market with
/
/
/
?
luggage, maps and
travel books has
proven to be very
successti. We have
they continue to
have the expertise
needed to assist
our clients with
also made a concerted
their travel plans.
effort h secure and
retain corporate
travel business.
Our greatest efforts,
though, are directed
towards our travel
agents, making sure
e
@
With the changing
face of banking in
Bloomington [Normal
due to b% bank buy-
outs and mergers,
how do yozLplan on
positioning Busey
Bank in this market?
Dave: %e banking
industry in McLean
County has certainly
changed over the past
few years. Now, as
part of the Busey
Organization, we
anticipate capitalizing
on their outstanding
history of being a
community-oriented
bank serving the
fiancial
needs of
Busey ~avel,
303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign
.:
—
exceptional
in terms
of new relationships.
Our assets were up
over $200 million!
Most importmtly,
we continue to
develop a team
of dedicated profes-
sionals who enjoy
what they do.
~ey
are committed
to providing our
clients with “world
class” investment
and financial
planning services
right here in
Central Illinois.
Dave Wampler
President, First Federal Savings
and Loan of Bloomin@on
financial services
organization that
focuses on the
individual needs of
our clients with a
team of experienced
professionals who
are specialists in
various disciplines.
The combination
of First Busey
Securities,
Inc. and
First Busey Trust&
Investment Co. has
been well received by
our clients and our
associates alike. Our
growth this year was
the people of McLean
County. With Busey,
we can provide our
customers with
products and expand-
ed services that
would typically be
unavailable
from a
bank our size. The
Busey Organization
is committed to
increasing its position
in the McLean
County market.
l
@
Have we accom-
plished the goals
that were mentioned
in last year’s Annual
Report with the
creation of the Busey
Investment Group?
A
@
Cd
Without
a doubt, the answer
is YES! Our goal was
to create a seamless
Curt Anderson
President, Busey Investment Group
What are the greatest
management
challenges as Busey
continues to grow?
Barb Busey’s
strength has been
built on a foundation
of associates who are
totally committed to
serving the financial
needs of our
customers while
providing an
adequate retm to
our Shareholders.
As the Busey
Organization
continues to grow,
we accept the
challenge to seek
out individuals who
are committed to
these ideals.
Barb Kuhl
Executive Ece President
First Busey Corporation
As a veteran
Florida banke<
what opportunities do
you see for Busey as
it opens its first retail
branch in Ft. Myers?
Mike Geml
President
Busey Bank Florida,
Subsidiary of First Federal
Savings and Loan of Bloomington
consistency. me
Ft. Myers/Cape Coral
area has been named
the 13th fastest grow-
Mike: This area in
ing metro area in the
Florida has lost its
U.S. for the last 10
ancestral banks
through mergers
and acquisitions,
which creates an
years. We plan to
actively pursue this
booming market
with a Ml array
opportunity for the
of services.
community bank.
We plan to build upon
the Busey history,
longevi~ and strong
foundation to attract
customers looking
for stability and
a Busey Bank
a
Indianapolis was
chartered in 1998.
How has this branch
pe~ormed
and what
do you see as your
biggest opportunities
in this market?
eA
Don: Busey
Indianapolis had a
record yea in 1999
with $36 million in
new commercial
loans. Our Return
on Equity exceeded
16% and we reported
no loan losses.
We were dso ranked
~h
in SBA lending
for the entire State
of Indiana at
$5.5 million. Our
focus on small to
medium sized
businesses allows
us a great opportuni-
ty, as this is a
segment of the
market that the
larger fiancial
institutions have not
adequately served.
In fact, our corporate
deposits nearly
tripled in 1999. We
provide these busi-
nesses with seasoned
bankers, who can
quic~y respond to
their needs.
e
—
@
aA
What is the strategy
for the Loan Division
as you enter the new
millennium?
Lee: Busey Bank
has just completed
an outstanding
year in the
Lending
Division. We
saw signifi-
cant growth
with Our
loan portfo-
lio increas-
ing by 1470.
This is almost
double our growth
rate in 1998. A
strong contributor
to this success is
the structure we
have put in place to
increase loans.
Champaign County
is a very stable
market, but with
little growth. To
complement
our
strong lending base
in this market, over
the past several years
we have added offices
in two growing areas
of the country,
Indianapolis and
Florida. Also,
in 1999,
(Left) Don Monteith
Executive Vice President
Busey Bank
(Right) Lee O’Neill
Executive Vice President
Busey Bank
we added First
Federal Savings and
Loan of Bloomington,
located in the fastest
growing county in
downstate Illinois. All
of these locations are
staffed with experi-
enced lenders who
have a strong sense of
the Busey Loan
Culture. Most impor-
tantly our non-per-
forming asset ratio is
among the best in our
peer group.
During her 43 years with Busey Bank, Nancy Merz has
earned her reputation as being tenacious when it comes
to fraud prevention. She takes a no-nonsense
attitude
of deceptive
practices
including
fraud and
about
the prevention
p,
.
k?
R:
,.
p
L
k.
i
:C
.
r
~~
forgeries. When Nancy took on these responsibfities
in the 1970’s, she
saw the usual overdr~
but not the baud that she reports seeing
today. “At that time, I saw perhaps one forgery a year,” she notes.
Times have changed but so have the methods Busey has put into place
to aid with loss prevention. Viideo cameras are installed in every lobby
and at every ATM machine,
aIlowing for reliable
identification
of
forgery suspects and robbers. An e-mail alert system notifies
cus-
tomer-contact personnel at all banking centers to be on the lookout for
potentially
firauddent
transactions. Account Executives
also have a
system that (checks for previous unsatisfactory
banking relationships
before customers open new accounts.
“Soon Busey’s Customer Service
Representatives will have access to customers’
signatures
on their
L
computers. The matching of signatures with each transaction will
simcantly
reduce forgeries,”
she stated. Nancy’s
efforts are
totally focused on safeguarding
the Bank’s and our customers’
assets. Nancy is a true Busey Banker.
I
~~
: @--
v
(Lefi) Nancy Mea 1970
(Background)N(]ncy Merz Second Vice President,SpecialServices
ethnology
was
certainly
the buzz
ment
in technolo~.
Today, Busey has one of
word of the nineties and it was no dif-
the top-rated Internet b-g
sites on the
I
ferent in the Busey Organization.
Jeff
Web, surpassing some of the largest b~
in
Gaines has seen fisthand
the value Busey
the country!” Another notable enhancement
to
_-
places on technolo~,
having begun his
come along in the technology
arena is ~
mainframe
computer. Busey has con-
any one of our Bfig
Centers locat-
tinued that tiovative
stance over the years,
ed in three.,gounties @ Illinois, one in Indiana
.,
.
showcasing it again in 1997 by being one of the
and one ti-Florida to do their banking,”
—.
fist
communi~
banks in the countW to offer
How ‘-~
technology
change banking
in
Internet
banking
services.
Jeff
e~cplains,
the
future?
“Technology
will
continue,
“Busey has shown a strong commitment
to
providing
its customers with the very best
.
enhance:~the= safety
—
%
~
fiancial:
syste~ w~e
q
to
.
the
4“
and soundness
of
providing more cost-”~
I
financial services available through its invesfi
efficient products.n.
?.*A,
-,,
“i
(FarLefl) JefGaines, 1976
(Leff) Jeff Gaines, Senior Vice President
erry Warnes laughs when customers joke about bankers’ hours. Whihthey
J_-”” ~
a day. It is no;.mcommon
the job twenty-few-hours
.,4
“.
.-
.
.
Jerry works a shortened wcjrkday, they ~ow that as a community b’~er,
for a customer,
to approach Jerry while he is mowing his lawn or to question him about a_ceticate
——
—
special a! .a U@ty ~gh School
football game. Je~
-.. .
iakes.it all in stride.
*
imp~that
Jerry is on
L
EL
looking for=a~vice,
:
of-deposit
--.-1~—.
‘1 think it is a compli-
..
q
ment when cus~~fiers feel comf~tiable
,.+
enough to :$firoach me *T_hows
..,.
.:,
to _@CUSSthe~*-
ing needs,” he Zays.. Jerry joined tile Busey orgfi~t~on
----
..=------
- ..——.
. .
15 years ago when Busey acqfied
*~-
Citizens_B~-offolom~
.He indicates that, yTh~e was al~t O! concew in the COmmW~tY that
-’
‘the big boys uptiwn’ wotid change our little bank; ~ut we found that the relationship with Busey
....+! . ~-,
was a positive one, allowing us to otier additiond-p~oducts without losing the hometown person-
..... .
al service.” AS for the future of commtity
b-g,
“mere d
~ways be customers who want
that extra attention. They want to b-~ able to p_til up a chair in my office and chat about the
-------
_
weather.- But I also see other custoaiers. who wkthe
convenience
of products like
—e.
Busey e>bank, AT~s
,=
and an investment ~dtiso
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