SCHEDULE 14A
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SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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RURBAN FINANCIAL CORP.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Tina Farrington, 419-784-2549, rfcmkt@rurban.net
INVESTOR CONTACT: Sandra Stockhorst, 419-784-4023, rfcinv@rurban.net
HARDGROVE NEWLY NOMINATED BOARD MEMBER
FOR RURBAN FINANCIAL CORP.
DEFIANCE, Ohio, March 24, 2004/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rurban Financial Corp.
(Nasdaq: RBNF News; "Rurban"), a leading provider of full-service banking,
investment management, trust services and bank data processing, announces the
nomination of Richard L. Hardgrove to its holding company Board of Directors. If
elected, the Board anticipates appointing Mr. Hardgrove to serve as a director
of its lead bank, The State Bank and Trust Company. The Board also plans to
appoint Mr. Hardgrove to the Audit Committee and to designate him as its "audit
committee financial expert" under the new SEC's and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.
Mr. Hardgrove has been nominated for election in the Rurban Proxy mailed on
March 22, 2004. Rurban's Annual Shareholder Meeting takes place on April 26,
2004.
"The shareholders and the Board will benefit from having an individual with the
depth of banking experience that Richard Hardgrove possesses. His prior
experience as President and Executive Vice President of a major regional Ohio
bank as well as his 30 plus years in the banking industry allows him to satisfy
the new "financial expert" guidelines under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. His
unique breadth of experience in all phases of banking and his well-earned
reputation as an industry leader make him an excellent choice for the Rurban
Board," said Ken Joyce, Rurban President and CEO.
Mr. Hardgrove retired from full-time duties as President and CEO of a banking
division of Sky Bank in November 2001. He served as the Deputy Superintendent of
Banks - State of Ohio from 1996-1998 and served as the CEO and COO of First
National Bank of Ohio from 1983 to 1995. Mr. Hardgrove has also served on the
Board of Directors for First Merit Corporation and Sky Financial Group.
ABOUT RURBAN FINANCIAL CORP.
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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
4,567,296 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 RFC
Banking Company, loan subsidiary (RFCBC). 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 and Missouri.
Forward-Looking Statements
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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.