Greene County Bank Set to Launch Sunday Banking Hours.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Greene County Bank, the banking operations of Greeneville, Tennessee-based Greene County Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:GCBS), today announced that, beginning on January 7, it will have at least one bank office open in each of its major markets on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This will make Greene County Bank the first bank in Tennessee to offer person-to-person banking services in each of its major markets seven days a week!

Greene County Bank currently operates 49 branches throughout East and Middle Tennessee, as well as one each in Bristol, Virginia, and western North Carolina under a variety of banking trade names. Currently the bank offers drive-thru banking from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 37 of these offices and Saturday drive-thru services at 38 offices. With the expansion of drive-thru hours to Sunday afternoons, 22 bank offices will be open throughout the entire week.

"January brings a new year and with it comes a new and exciting time for our bank and our customers," Stan Puckett, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said. "The addition of Sunday afternoon hours will allow our employees to attend worship services of their choice and will expand the higher level of personal banking service commitment for which our Bank is known.

"Over the past few years, we set our sights on becoming 'Tennessee's Most Convenient Bank,' even adopting that slogan last year to help frame our vision for innovative and pioneering efforts to provide the highest level of personal service to our customers," Puckett added. "The Bank has long offered a full suite of technology-based conveniences such as Internet banking, Internet BillPay, telephone banking, debit cards, night deposit boxes, ATMs, and free worldwide ATM transactions for customers. These tools give our customers access to their accounts at virtually any hour of the day. With extended drive-thru hours on weekdays, Saturdays and now on Sundays, we're offering our customers additional choices that provide attentive, person-to-person banking service to better fit the hectic work weeks and daily schedules many of us face today."

Greeneville, Tennessee-based Greene County Bancshares, Inc., with total assets of approximately $1.7 billion, is the holding company for Greene County Bank. Greene County Bank, founded in 1890, has 49 branches throughout East and Middle Tennessee, one branch each in Bristol, Virginia, and Hot Springs, North Carolina, and a wealth management office in Lebanon, Tennessee. In addition, Greene County Bank also conducts separate businesses through three wholly owned subsidiaries: Superior Financial Services, Inc., a consumer finance company; GCB Acceptance Corporation, a consumer finance company specializing in subprime automobile lending; and Fairway Title Co., a title insurance company.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements regarding Greene County Bancshares, Inc., as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty and actual results could differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. A discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements is included in the Greene County Bancshares, Inc. filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.