Five Star Bank Expands Commercial Lending and Cash Management Teams

• John M. Berry joins as Commercial Market Executive
• Mark Magee joins as Director of Treasury Services
• Kerth Friel joins as Loan Administration Manager

WARSAW, N.Y., July 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five Star Bank (the “Bank”), subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI), today announced the further expansion of its commercial lending and cash management teams with the recent hiring of three experienced bankers.

• John M. Berry was named Senior Vice President and Commercial Market Executive for Commercial Real Estate. Mr. Berry is responsible for expanding Five Star Bank’s business in both conventional project financing as well as affordable housing. He brings more than 30 years of experience in commercial banking and commercial real estate finance in Upstate New York and the Northeast region of the U.S. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President and Northeast Region Team Leader for Community Development Lending & Investment at KeyBank. Previously he served as First Vice President of Commercial Real Estate for First Niagara Bank.
  
   
• Mark Magee was named Vice President and Director of Treasury Services. He manages the Bank’s cash management business for commercial customers and prospects, works with business partners to develop and deploy new cash management products and services, and is developing internal processes and associate training to enhance the treasury customer experience. He joined Five Star Bank after a 29-year career in Banking Treasury Management at HSBC Bank N.A. Mr. Magee has been a Certified Treasury Professional since 2001.
  
   
• Kerth Friel was named Loan Administration Manager. Mr. Friel is responsible for the commercial loan closing and funding process at Five Star Bank. He has 20 years of Western New York banking experience and brings in-depth expertise to the administration of the Bank’s Commercial Loan portfolio. He most recently served as Senior Closing Coordinator for Community Development Lending at KeyBank. Previously he served as Portfolio Administrator for Commercial Real Estate at First Niagara Bank.

William L. Kreienberg, Chief Corporate Development Executive, stated, “We are proud to have these experienced banking professionals join our organization, further expanding our capabilities and improving our product offerings. Their hires demonstrate our commitment to the continued growth and strengthening of our commercial organization. Our customers will benefit from the knowledge, expertise and relationships they bring to Five Star Bank.”

About Five Star Bank and Financial Institutions, Inc.

Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices throughout Western and Central New York State. Additional Five Star Bank information is available at , on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Five Star Bank, Scott Danahy Naylon, LLC (“SDN”), Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”) and HNP Capital, LLC (“HNP Capital”) are subsidiaries of Financial Institutions, Inc. SDN provides a broad range of insurance services to personal and business clients across 45 states. Courier Capital and HNP Capital provide customized investment management, investment consulting and retirement plan services to individuals, businesses, institutions, foundations and retirement plans. Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 650 individuals. Financial Institutions, Inc. stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at .

Contact:

Shelly J. Doran

(585) 627-1362 or

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at