Midwest Banc Announces $.12 per Share Quarterly Dividend

Midwest Banc Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBHI), a community-based bank holding company, reported that the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $.12 per share, payable on Tuesday, October 4, 2005, to common stockholders of record as of Friday, September 16, 2005.

The Company has paid quarterly dividends since 1984. The $.12 per share dividend is the same amount as last quarter.

Information on MBHI is available on the Internet at www.midwestbanc.com.

Midwest Banc Holdings, Inc., a community-based holding company, provides a wide range of retail and commercial lending services, personal and corporate trust services, residential mortgage origination, and securities and insurance brokerage activities throughout the greater Chicago metropolitan area and Western Illinois. The Company's principal operating subsidiaries are: Midwest Bank and Trust Company, Midwest Bank of Western Illinois, Midwest Financial and Investment Services, Inc. and Midwest Bank Insurance Services, L.L.C. Midwest Bank and Trust Company provides commercial and retail banking services to the greater metropolitan Chicago area through 17 banking centers located in Cook, DuPage, McHenry and Lake Counties.

This press release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and should be reviewed in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other publicly available information regarding the Company, copies of which are available from the Company upon request. Such publicly available information sets forth certain risks and uncertainties related to the Company's business which should be considered in evaluating "Forward-Looking Statements."

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