M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies Welcomes Corrigan & Company as Newest Addition to Advisor Firm Lineup.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies today announced the addition of Corrigan & Company to its lineup of Community Bank Advisor Firms. Corrigan & Company, a leading executive benefits firm based in Santa Barbara, California, formerly known as BenmarkWest, solidifies the presence M Benefits Solutions - Bank Strategies maintains in the Western United States.

M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies specializes in providing executive and director benefit planning services to community banks through Advisor Firms located in key markets across the country. The Advisor Firms, which are recognized leaders in the Bank Owned Life Insurance ("BOLI") market, specialize in helping banks attract, retain, and reward key executives and directors through the design, implementation, and administration of benefit programs that maximize the use of a bank's financial resources. M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies is the Independent Community Bankers of America's ("ICBA") Preferred Service Provider for executive and director benefits.

BOLI remains an excellent tool for offsetting the costs of employee benefits, including medical, group life, and other ERISA benefits, as well as qualified retirement plan benefits. In addition, BOLI can be used to recover costs associated with the implementation of nonqualified benefit plans, which are often used to attract and retain key executives, and can serve as an efficient asset/liability management tool, bringing balance sheet advantages that can ultimately enhance earnings per share.

Donald H. Friedman, president and chief executive officer of M Benefit Solutions, said: "We are excited to welcome Corrigan & Company as our newest Advisor Firm. The firm maintains strong relationships in the community bank arena and has diverse benefits expertise, both of which will bring tremendous value to our company and, most importantly, to the clients we serve. Corrigan & Company's geographic location is also of tremendous value as it extends our reach into a strategically important part of the country. We look forward to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the Corrigan team."

Corrigan & Company is led by Michael E. Corrigan, the company's founder and chairman. After entering the securities business in 1978 with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith, Michael has held sales, investment, and senior management positions with several regional and national financial institutions. He has also held senior executive positions in a large Savings and Loan Association and was the CEO of a regional securities broker-dealer. Michael's insurance experience includes senior management positions at two large life insurance companies where, in successive roles, he was responsible for acquisitions, investments, product design, sales and general administration.

Michael E. Corrigan, commented: "Over the past decade, Corrigan & Company has been the largest producing firm with Benmark, building a client roster of over 90 financial institutions and a dominant presence in the Western United States. We knew what we wanted in a partner and we did extensive due diligence before selecting M Benefit Solutions. As an Advisor Firm of M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies, we will bring to our clients leading edge technology and administration systems, with access to every product we can sell presently and several additional BOLI products that are available only through our joint venture relationship with M Benefit Solutions or through other M Financial Member Firms. This combination of great service capabilities and superior products will allow us to provide our existing clients with the things they have come to expect from an intermediary in this rapidly evolving market."

About M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies:

M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies, based in Portland, Oregon, is a division of M Benefit Solutions, a Member Firm of M Financial Group, and is a recognized leader in the community bank executive and director benefits and BOLI marketplace. Through a network of firms located in key markets across the country, M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies helps banks attract, retain and reward key executives and directors through the design, implementation and administration of benefit programs that maximize the use of a bank's financial resources. For more information, please visit www.mben.com/bank.