Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
                                               Registration No. 333-64584

[MB FINANCIAL LOGO]                                   [MIDCITY FINANCIAL LOGO]

                 A MERGER PROPOSAL--YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT



         MB Financial, Inc. and MidCity Financial Corporation have agreed to
combine in a merger of equals. We believe that the combination of our
organizations' respective strengths will result in a company well-positioned
to become one of the premier business banks in Chicago.

         In the transaction, both MB Financial and MidCity Financial will be
merged into a newly formed company. EACH SHARE OF MB FINANCIAL COMMON STOCK
WILL BE EXCHANGED FOR ONE SHARE OF COMMON STOCK OF THE NEW COMPANY. EACH
SHARE OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL COMMON STOCK WILL BE EXCHANGED FOR 230.32955
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF THE NEW COMPANY, WITH CASH PAID IN LIEU OF
FRACTIONAL SHARE INTERESTS. BASED ON THE CLOSING PRICES OF MB FINANCIAL
COMMON STOCK ON APRIL 19, 2001 AND OCTOBER 3, 2001 OF $16.50 AND $25.49, THE
PER SHARE VALUE AS OF EACH OF THOSE DATES OF THE CONSIDERATION TO BE RECEIVED
BY MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS FOR EACH MB FINANCIAL SHARE HELD WAS $16.50 AND
$25.49, AND THE PER SHARE VALUE AS OF EACH OF THOSE DATES OF THE
CONSIDERATION TO BE RECEIVED BY MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS FOR EACH
MIDCITY FINANCIAL SHARE HELD WAS $3,800.44 AND $5,871.10. THE MERGER
CONSIDERATION IS FIXED AND WILL NOT BE ADJUSTED PRIOR TO THE MERGER
REGARDLESS OF STOCK PRICE CHANGES.

         WE EXPECT THE MERGER TO BE TAX-FREE TO BOTH MB FINANCIAL AND MIDCITY
FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS, EXCEPT FOR TAXES DUE ON CASH RECEIVED BY MIDCITY
FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS IN LIEU OF FRACTIONAL SHARES OF NEW COMPANY COMMON STOCK.



         MB Financial common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market
National Market system under the symbol MBFI. While MidCity Financial common
stock is traded in the pink sheets under the symbol MCYF, it has historically
traded on a limited basis and generally in privately negotiated transactions.
MB Financial's stockholders will own approximately 40%, and MidCity
Financial's stockholders will own approximately 60%, of the new company. The
new company plans to maintain an annual dividend payout ratio of at least 25%
of net income, excluding extraordinary or non-recurring gains, with an
initial quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share.

         Each of us will hold a special meeting of stockholders on November
6, 2001 to vote upon adoption of the merger agreement. Further information
about the merger and the special meetings is contained in the accompanying
joint proxy statement-prospectus. YOU ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS IN ITS ENTIRETY, ESPECIALLY THE SECTION DESCRIBING RISK
FACTORS THAT BEGINS ON PAGE 13.

         Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of shares you
own. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND YOUR COMPANY'S SPECIAL MEETING, PLEASE
VOTE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SHARES ARE REPRESENTED AT THAT
MEETING. IF YOU DO NOT VOTE, IT WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS VOTING AGAINST
ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.



         We strongly support this combination of our companies and join with our
boards of directors in recommending that you vote "FOR" adoption of the merger
agreement.



Sincerely,




/s/ Mitchell Feiger                        /s/ E.M. Bakwin
Mitchell Feiger                            E.M. Bakwin
President and Chief Executive Officer      Chairman and Chief  Executive Officer
MB Financial, Inc.                         MidCity Financial Corporation



         NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE
SECURITIES REGULATOR HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE SECURITIES TO BE
ISSUED IN CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER OR DETERMINED IF THIS DOCUMENT IS
ACCURATE OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.

         THE SECURITIES TO BE ISSUED IN CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER ARE NOT
SAVINGS OR DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS OF ANY BANK OR NONBANK
SUBSIDIARY OF ANY OF THE PARTIES, AND THEY ARE NOT INSURED BY THE FEDERAL
DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE BANK INSURANCE FUND, THE SAVINGS
ASSOCIATION INSURANCE FUND OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY.

This joint proxy statement-prospectus is dated as of October 5, 2001 and is
first being mailed to stockholders on or about October 9, 2001.



                           ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

      This joint proxy statement-prospectus incorporates important business
and financial information about MB Financial from other documents that are
not included in or delivered with this joint proxy statement-prospectus. This
information is available to you without charge upon your written or oral
request. You can obtain the documents incorporated by reference in this joint
proxy statement-prospectus without charge through the Securities and Exchange
Commission website at http://www.sec.gov or by requesting them in writing or
by telephone from MB Financial by contacting Doria Koros, Secretary, MB
Financial, Inc., 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622;
telephone number (773) 645-7868. Because MidCity Financial is not a reporting
company with the SEC, all business and financial information about MidCity
Financial required to be included in this joint proxy statement- prospectus
is contained in this joint proxy statement-prospectus and is not incorporated
by reference from other documents.

      IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST ANY DOCUMENTS, PLEASE DO SO BY OCTOBER 30,
2001 IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THEM BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETINGS. See "Where You Can
Find More Information" beginning on page 144.



                                 MB FINANCIAL, INC.
                              1200 North Ashland Avenue
                               Chicago, Illinois 60622
                                    (773)278-4040

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

               NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     o    DATE:    TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2001
     o    TIME:    10:30: A.M., CHICAGO TIME
     o    PLACE:   MANUFACTURERS BANK, NILES BRANCH
                   7557 WEST OAKTON STREET
                   NILES, ILLINOIS 60714


To MB Financial Stockholders:

     We are pleased to notify you of and invite you to a special meeting of
stockholders. At the meeting, you will be asked to vote on the following
matters:

     o   adoption of the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger,
         dated as of April 19, 2001, by and among MidCity Financial Corporation,
         MB Financial and MB-MidCity, Inc., pursuant to which each of MidCity
         Financial and MB Financial will merge with and into MB-MidCity, to be
         renamed MB Financial, Inc. after the merger, as described in the
         attached joint proxy statement-prospectus; and

     o   any other business that may be properly submitted to a vote at the
         special meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the special
         meeting.

     Common stockholders of record at the close of business on September 27,
2001 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting and any
adjournments or postponements of the special meeting. The affirmative vote of
the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of MB Financial common
stock as of that date is required to adopt the merger agreement. A list of
stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting will be available for
examination by any MB Financial stockholder at the main office of MB
Financial during ordinary business hours for at least ten days prior to the
special meeting, and also will be available for inspection at the special
meeting.

     YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. To ensure that your shares are voted at the
special meeting, please complete, sign and date your proxy card and return it in
the enclosed envelope promptly. If you hold your shares in "street name" with a
bank or broker, check your proxy card to see if you can also vote by telephone
or through the internet.

                                        By Order of the Board of Directors


                                        /s/ Mitchell Feiger
                                        Mitchell Feiger
                                        PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

October 9, 2001
Chicago, Illinois



                           MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION
                               801 West Madison Street
                               Chicago, Illinois 60607
                                    (312) 421-7600

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

             NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     o    DATE:    TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2001
     o    TIME:    8:30 A.M., CHICAGO TIME
     o    PLACE:   THE MID-CITY NATIONAL BANK OF CHICAGO,
                   NORTH RIVERSIDE BRANCH
                   7222 W. CERMAK ROAD
                   NORTH RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS 60546



To MidCity Financial Stockholders:

     We are pleased to notify you of and invite you to a special meeting of
stockholders. At the meeting, you will be asked to vote on the following
matters:

     o    adoption of the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger,
          dated as of April 19, 2001, by and among MidCity Financial, MB
          Financial, Inc. and MB-MidCity, Inc., pursuant to which each of
          MidCity Financial and MB Financial will merge with and into
          MB-MidCity, to be renamed MB Financial, Inc. after the merger, as
          described in the attached joint proxy statement-prospectus; and

     o    any other business that may be properly submitted to a vote at the
          special meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the special
          meeting.

     Common stockholders of record at the close of business on September 12,
2001 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting and any
adjournments or postponements of the special meeting. The affirmative vote of
the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of MidCity
Financial common stock as of that date is required to adopt the merger
agreement. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting
will be available for examination by any MidCity Financial stockholder at the
main office of MidCity Financial during ordinary business hours for at least
ten days prior to the special meeting, and also will be available for
inspection at the special meeting.

     Under Delaware law, holders of MidCity Financial common stock who submit a
written demand for appraisal of their shares and who perfect their appraisal
rights by complying with the other applicable statutory procedures under
Delaware law will be entitled to receive a cash payment for the fair value of
their shares as determined by the Delaware Chancery Court. A summary of the
applicable requirements of Delaware law is contained in the attached joint proxy
statement-prospectus under the caption "The Merger--Appraisal Rights." In
addition, the text of the applicable provisions of Delaware law is attached as
Appendix E to the attached joint proxy statement-prospectus.

     YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. To ensure that your shares are voted at the
special meeting, please complete, sign and date your proxy card and return it in
the enclosed envelope promptly. If you hold your shares in "street name" with a
bank or broker, check your proxy card to see if you can also vote by telephone
or through the internet.

                                            By Order of the Board of Directors


                                            /s/ E.M. Bakwin
                                            E.M. Bakwin
                                            CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
October 9, 2001
Chicago, Illinois



                                TABLE OF CONTENTS




                                                                                              Page
                                                                                              ----
                                                                                           
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE SPECIAL MEETINGS..................................1

SUMMARY..........................................................................................3
     The Merger..................................................................................3
     The Special Meetings........................................................................9
     Share Ownership of Management and Directors................................................10
     Stock Price and Dividend Information.......................................................11

RISK FACTORS....................................................................................13

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.................................................16

SELECTED HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL DATA................................................17
     How We Prepared the Financial Statements...................................................17
     Pooling of Interests Accounting Treatment..................................................17
     Merger-Related and Integration-Related Expenses............................................17
     Periods Covered............................................................................17
     Selected Consolidated Financial and Other Data of MB Financial, Inc........................18
     Selected Consolidated Financial and Other Data of MidCity Financial Corporation............20
     Selected Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Data.............................22
     Comparative Unaudited Per Share Data.......................................................23

THE SPECIAL MEETINGS............................................................................24
     MB Financial Special Meeting...............................................................24
     MidCity Financial Special Meeting..........................................................28

THE MERGER......................................................................................32
     General....................................................................................32
     Background of the Merger...................................................................32
     Reasons for the Merger and Recommendations of the Boards of Directors......................37
     Opinion of MB Financial's Financial Advisor................................................42
     Opinions of MidCity Financial's Financial Advisors.........................................51
     Consideration to be Received in the Merger.................................................67
     Exchange of Certificates...................................................................67
     Treatment of MB Financial Stock Options....................................................68
     The Bank Merger............................................................................68
     Accounting Treatment.......................................................................68
     Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger.......................68
     Appraisal Rights...........................................................................71
     Restrictions on Resales by Affiliates......................................................73
     Conduct of Business Pending the Merger.....................................................73
     Representations and Warranties.............................................................75
     Conditions to Completion of the Merger.....................................................76
     Waiver; Amendment..........................................................................77
     Termination of the Merger Agreement........................................................77
     Fees Associated with Termination of the Merger Agreement...................................78
     Employee Benefit Matters...................................................................79
     Interests of Insiders in the Merger........................................................79
     Voting Agreements..........................................................................85
     Expenses...................................................................................85


                                        i


     Stock Listing...............................................................................85

MANAGEMENT AFTER THE MERGER......................................................................86
     Board of Directors and Corporate Governance Provisions......................................86
     Executive Officers of the New Company.......................................................90
     Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers............................................91

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS................................................93
     Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Balance Sheet As of June 30, 2001..............................94
     Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Balance Sheet.........................................95
     Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income For the Six Months
      Ended June 30, 2001........................................................................96
     Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income For the Six Months
      Ended June 30, 2000........................................................................97
     Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income For the Year Ended
      December 31, 2000..........................................................................98
     Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income For the Year Ended
      December 31, 1999..........................................................................99
     Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income For the Year Ended
      December 31, 1998.........................................................................100

BUSINESS OF MB FINANCIAL, INC...................................................................101
     General....................................................................................101
     Recent Accounting Developments.............................................................102
     Additional Information.....................................................................102

BUSINESS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION.......................................................102
     General....................................................................................102
     History and Development....................................................................102
     Business Areas.............................................................................104
     Lending Activities.........................................................................104
     Investment Securities......................................................................106
     Sources of Funds...........................................................................108
     Competition................................................................................110
     Legal Proceedings..........................................................................110
     Personnel..................................................................................110

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
     AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION.................................111
     General....................................................................................111
     Analysis of Net Interest Income............................................................112
     Comparison of Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2001 and 2000......115
     Comparison of Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2001 and 2000........116
     Comparison of Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2000 and 1999.........116
     Comparison of Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 1999 and 1998.........117
     Comparison of Financial Condition at June 30, 2001 to December 31, 2000....................118
     Comparison of Financial Condition at December 31, 2000 to December 31, 1999................118
     Asset Quality..............................................................................118
     Asset and Liability Management.............................................................122
     Liquidity..................................................................................124
     Capital Resources..........................................................................124
     Cash Flows.................................................................................126
     Recent Accounting Developments.............................................................126

                                       ii


SUPERVISION AND REGULATION......................................................................126
     General....................................................................................126
     Capital Adequacy...........................................................................127
     Prompt Corrective Action  .................................................................128
     Dividends  ................................................................................128
     FDIC Insurance Assessments.................................................................129
     Liability of Commonly Controlled Institutions..............................................129
     Transactions with Affiliates  .............................................................129
     Community Reinvestment Act.................................................................129
     Interstate Banking and Branching   ........................................................130
     Recent Legislation.........................................................................130
     Future Legislation and Changes in Regulations..............................................131

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK OF THE NEW COMPANY.................................................131
     General....................................................................................131
     Common Stock...............................................................................131
     Preferred and Other Stock..................................................................132
     Other Anti-Takeover Provisions.............................................................132

COMPARISON OF STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS................................................................132
     Authorized Capital Stock...................................................................133
     Dividends..................................................................................133
     Advance Notice Requirements for Presentation of Business and Nominations of Directors
      at Annual Meetings of Stockholders........................................................134
     Cumulative Voting for Election of Directors................................................134
     Restrictions on Voting Rights..............................................................135
     Number and Classification of Directors.....................................................135
     Removal of Directors.......................................................................135
     Filling Vacancies on the Board of Directors................................................136
     Amendment of Corporate Governance Documents................................................136
     Business Combinations with Certain Persons.................................................137
     Prevention of Greenmail....................................................................138
     Super-Majority Stockholder Vote for Mergers, Acquisitions and Certain Other Transactions...139
     Non-Shareholder Constituency Provision.....................................................139
     Action By Stockholders Without a Meeting...................................................140
     Special Meetings of Stockholders...........................................................141
     Limitations on Directors' and Officers' Liability..........................................141
     Indemnification............................................................................142
     Appraisal Rights...........................................................................142
     Stockholder Inspection Rights..............................................................143

LEGAL AND TAX MATTERS...........................................................................143

EXPERTS.........................................................................................143

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS...........................................................................144
     New Company................................................................................144
     MB Financial...............................................................................144
     MidCity Financial..........................................................................144

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION.............................................................144

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION..................................F-1



                                            iii


APPENDICES
     A   Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among MidCity
         Financial, MB Financial and MB-MidCity, Inc.
     B   Opinion of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.
     C   Opinion of Hovde Financial LLC
     D   Opinion of Alex Sheshunoff & Co. LLP
     E   Delaware Statute Regarding Dissenters' Rights of Appraisal
     F   Form of Charter of New Company
     G   Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws of New Company


                                              iv


        QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE SPECIAL MEETINGS


Q:   WHY DO MB FINANCIAL AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL WANT
     TO MERGE?

A:   We want to merge because we believe that by combining our complimentary
     strengths, we will be well-positioned to be one of the premier business
     banks in Chicago.  MB Financial is strong in the areas of commercial
     lending, equipment leasing, commercial real estate finance, long-term
     healthcare and community reinvestment.  MidCity Financial possesses
     strengths in trust, investment and deposit services, as well as
     commercial lending and other areas.  The merger also presents
     opportunities for cost savings and revenue enhancements that will
     serve the interests of stockholders of both companies.

     Cost savings expected to be realized during the first year of combined
     operations are estimated to be approximately $8.2 million. These cost
     savings are expected to come from a number of areas, including: two
     executive officers of MidCity Financial retiring upon completion of the
     merger; reduced need for outsourcing services and temporary help; cost
     efficiencies in marketing and other areas; and reduced director fees and
     professional and legal fees. Revenue enhancements of approximately $2.5
     million are expected as a result of the maturity of approximately $250
     million in investment securities, and the investment of the proceeds in
     higher- yielding loans collateralized by the assignment of leases.



     MidCity Financial has historically paid a dividend to its stockholders. The
     new company formed as part of the merger to be the resulting entity, MB-
     MidCity, Inc., is expected to maintain an annual dividend payout ratio of
     at least 25% of net income, excluding extraordinary or non-recurring gains,
     with an initial dividend target of $0.15 per quarter. This is an added
     benefit for MB Financial stockholders, who currently do not receive a cash
     dividend. MidCity Financial stockholders also may benefit from the
     liquidity gained by owning shares in an actively traded public company. The
     new company will be renamed MB Financial, Inc. upon completion of the
     merger.


Q:   WHAT WILL I RECEIVE IN THE MERGER?




     Holders of MB Financial common stock before the merger will receive one
     share of common stock of the new company for each share held prior to the
     merger. Holders of MidCity Financial common stock will receive 230.32955
     shares of common stock of the new company for each MidCity Financial share
     held. Cash will be paid in lieu of fractional share interests in the new
     company.



Q:   WHEN DO YOU EXPECT THE MERGER WILL BE
     COMPLETED?

A:   We expect to complete the merger in the fourth quarter of 2001.
     Because, however, the merger is subject to various conditions to closing,
     we cannot predict the exact timing.

Q:   WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW?


A:   After carefully reading and considering the information contained in this
     joint proxy statement-prospectus, please respond by completing, signing
     and dating your proxy card and returning it in the enclosed postage-paid
     envelope as soon as possible so that your shares may be represented at
     your company's special meeting.  If you hold your shares in street name
     with a bank or broker, check your proxy card to see whether you may also
     vote by telephone or through the internet.  YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
     WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND YOUR COMPANY'S SPECIAL MEETING, PLEASE
     VOTE PROMPTLY.


Q:   WHAT IF I DON'T VOTE?

A:   If you fail to respond, it will have the same effect
     as a vote against adoption of the merger
     agreement.

     If you are the record holder of your shares (meaning a stock certificate
     has been issued in your name and/or your name appears on your company's
     stock ledger) and you respond but do not indicate how you want to vote,
     your proxy will be counted as a vote in favor of adoption of the merger
     agreement.

     If your shares are held in street name with a broker, your broker will vote
     your shares on the merger agreement proposal ONLY if you provide
     instructions to it on how to vote. Shares that are not voted because you do
     not properly instruct your broker will have the effect of votes against
     adoption of the merger agreement.

     If you respond and abstain from voting, your abstention will have the same
     effect as a vote against adoption of the merger agreement.

Q:   CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE AFTER I HAVE DELIVERED MY
     PROXY?

A:   Yes. You can change your vote at any time before the polls close at your
     company's special


                                       2


     meeting. If you are the record holder of your shares, you can do this in
     one of three ways. First, you can submit a written statement to the
     Secretary of MB Financial or MidCity Financial, as appropriate, that you
     would like to revoke your proxy. Second, you can complete and submit a
     new proxy. Finally, you can attend your company's special meeting and
     vote in person.

     If your shares are held with a bank, broker or other third party, you
     should contact the holder of your shares to change your vote.

Q:   SHOULD I SEND IN MY STOCK CERTIFICATES NOW?

A:   No.  After we complete the merger, you will receive written instructions on
     how to exchange your stock certificates for shares of the new company.
     Please do not send in your stock certificates with your proxy.









Q:   WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETINGS OR THE
     MERGER?

A:   If you have any questions about the special meetings or the merger, you
     should contact:

         if you are a MB Financial stockholder:

         MB FINANCIAL, INC.
         Doria Koros
         Secretary
         1200 North Ashland Avenue
         Chicago, Illinois  60622
         Telephone: (773) 645-7868

         if you are a MidCity Financial stockholder:

         MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION
         Ronald D. Santo
         Executive Vice President and Secretary
         801 West Madison Street
         Chicago, Illinois  60607
         Telephone: (312) 421-7600


                                       3


                                     SUMMARY

     THIS SECTION HIGHLIGHTS SELECTED INFORMATION IN THIS JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS AND MAY NOT CONTAIN ALL OF THE INFORMATION IMPORTANT TO
YOU. TO UNDERSTAND THE MERGER MORE FULLY AND FOR A MORE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF
THE LEGAL TERMS OF THE MERGER, YOU SHOULD READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY,
INCLUDING THE APPENDICES, AND THE DOCUMENTS TO WHICH WE REFER IN THIS JOINT
PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS. A LIST OF THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
APPEARS ON PAGE 144 UNDER THE HEADING "WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION."




                                   THE MERGER
                                    (PAGE 32)


     WE HAVE ATTACHED THE MERGER AGREEMENT TO THIS JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS AS APPENDIX A. PLEASE READ THE MERGER AGREEMENT CAREFULLY.
IT IS THE LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT GOVERNS THE MERGER.


WE ARE COMBINING IN A MERGER OF EQUALS.


     We are proposing to combine our companies in a merger of equals
transaction. The transaction will be effected by the separate and simultaneous
merger of each of our companies into a newly formed Maryland corporation,
MB-MidCity, Inc., with MB-MidCity, Inc. as the surviving entity.



     For simplicity, the mergers of our companies into MB-MidCity, Inc. are in
most places in this joint proxy statement-prospectus referred to as the
merger. Upon the merger becoming effective, the name of MB- MidCity, Inc. will
change to MB Financial, Inc. In most places in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus, we refer to MB-MidCity, Inc. as the new company. The new
company has not, to date, conducted any activities other than those incident to
its formation, the matters contemplated by the merger agreement and the filing
with the SEC of the registration statement of which this joint proxy
statement-prospectus is a part.



MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS WILL RECEIVE ONE SHARE AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL
STOCKHOLDERS WILL RECEIVE 230.32955 SHARES OF NEW COMPANY COMMON STOCK FOR EACH
SHARE HELD PRIOR TO THE MERGER. (SEE PAGE 67.)


     Holders of MB Financial common stock before the merger will receive one
share of common stock of the new company for each share held prior to the merger


                                       4


(sometimes referred to in this document as the "MB Financial exchange ratio").
Each share of MidCity Financial common stock will be exchanged for 230.32955
shares of common stock of the new company (sometimes referred to in this
document as the "MidCity Financial exchange ratio"). MidCity Financial
stockholders will receive cash in lieu of fractional share interests in new
company common stock in an amount determined by multiplying the fractional share
interest by the average closing price of MB Financial common stock for five
trading days immediately preceding the effective time of the merger.


     If the trading price of new company common stock were $16.50 per share (the
closing price of MB Financial common stock on April 19, 2001, the last trading
day before the merger was announced), the value of each share of MB Financial
common stock and MidCity Financial common stock based on the respective exchange
ratios would be $16.50 and $3,800.44. These values would increase to $25.49
and $5,871.10 if the trading price of new company common stock were $25.49
(the closing price of MB Financial common stock on October 3, 2001, the
latest practicable date prior to the printing of this joint proxy statement-
prospectus). See "Stock Price and Dividend Information."


THE EXCHANGE RATIOS ARE FIXED.  (SEE PAGE 67.)


     The MB Financial and MidCity Financial exchange ratios are fixed and will
not be adjusted for stock price changes.


         Both of our boards of directors agreed to fixed exchange ratios
because they believed that this would be the best means of capturing the
relative contribution of each company to the combined entity based on
fundamental financial factors. Each board also considered the fact that fixed
exchange ratios would create relative certainty as to the number of shares
that would be issued in the merger. The boards also observed that fixed
exchange ratios have become common in the financial services industry and are
typically used in merger of equals transactions. In addition, the boards were
mindful of the fact that each would have the right to terminate the merger
agreement in the event of a specified decline in the market value of MB
Financial common stock, as described on page 9 in the final bullet point
under the heading "The merger agreement can be terminated under certain
circumstances." The MidCity Financial board also recognized that while the
fixed MidCity Financial exchange ratio exposes MidCity Financial stockholders
to a decline in the value of the consideration they will receive in the
merger to the extent the market price of MB Financial falls, it also presents
the opportunity for an increase in value to the extent the price of MB
Financial common stock rises. These considerations are discussed in greater
detail under "The Merger--Reasons for the Merger and Recommendations of the
Boards of Directors" beginning on page 37.

THE NEW COMPANY PLANS TO PAY A QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND OF $0.15 PER SHARE.


                                       5


     Following the merger, the new company expects to maintain an annual
dividend payout ratio of at least 25% of net income, excluding extraordinary or
non- recurring gains. The initial quarterly dividend is expected to be $0.15 per
share. See "Stock Price and Dividend Information."


THE MERGER WILL GENERALLY BE TAX-FREE TO STOCKHOLDERS.
(SEE PAGE 68.)


     The merger will generally be tax-free to stockholders, except to the extent
cash is paid in lieu of a fractional share interest in new company common stock.
One of the conditions to completion of the merger is that each of us receive an
opinion from our tax counsel to that effect. The merger will not, however, be
tax-free to MidCity Financial stockholders who exercise their rights under
Delaware law to be paid in cash for the fair value of their MidCity Financial
shares. See "The Merger--Appraisal Rights."


     The material federal income tax consequences of the transaction are
described in more detail under "The Merger--Material United States Federal
Income Tax Consequences of the Merger."


     TAX MATTERS ARE VERY COMPLICATED AND THE TAX CONSEQUENCES THAT THE MERGER
WILL HAVE ON YOU WILL DEPEND ON THE FACTS OF YOUR OWN SITUATION. YOU SHOULD
CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL TAX ADVISOR FOR A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE TAX
CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER TO YOU.


STOCK PRICE INFORMATION.  (SEE PAGE 11.)



         MB Financial common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market National
Market system under the symbol MBFI. While MidCity Financial common stock is
traded in the pink sheets under the symbol MCYF, it has historically traded on a
limited basis and generally in privately negotiated transactions.



         The following table sets forth the last reported sale prices per
share of MB Financial common stock and the equivalent per share prices for
MidCity Financial common stock giving effect to the merger on (1) April 19,
2001, the last trading day preceding public announcement of the signing of
the merger agreement and (2) October 3, 2001, the last practicable date prior
to the mailing of this joint proxy statement-prospectus. The equivalent per
share price of MidCity Financial common stock at each date was determined by
multiplying the last reported sale price of MB Financial common stock on that
date by 230.32955, the MidCity Financial exchange ratio.




                                           EQUIVALENT
                              MB           PRICE PER
                           FINANCIAL        MIDCITY
                            COMMON         FINANCIAL
                            STOCK            SHARE
                           ---------       ----------
                                     
April 19, 2001                $16.50       $3,800.44
October 3, 2001               $25.49       $5,871.10




         Of course, the market price of MB Financial common stock may fluctuate
prior to the merger, while the MidCity Financial exchange ratio is fixed. You
should obtain a current price quotation for MB Financial common stock. For more
information about stock prices, see "Stock Price and Dividend Information"
beginning on page 11.



OUR RESPECTIVE FINANCIAL ADVISORS HAVE SAID THAT THE EXCHANGE RATIOS ARE FAIR
TO OUR STOCKHOLDERS.  (SEE PAGES 42 AND 51 .)


     OPINION OF MB FINANCIAL'S FINANCIAL ADVISOR. In deciding to approve the
merger agreement, the MB Financial board of directors considered the opinion it
received from Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. that as of April 19, 2001, and
after taking into account the MidCity Financial exchange ratio, the MB Financial
exchange ratio was fair to the stockholders of MB Financial from a financial
point of view. The merger agreement does not require, and Sandler O'Neill
accordingly has not delivered, and will not be delivering, an opinion updating
its opinion dated April 19, 2001. For its services in connection with the
merger, Sandler O'Neill has been paid $381,250 to date and will be paid an
additional $543,750 upon completion of the merger.


     A copy of the opinion of Sandler O'Neill is attached to this joint proxy
statement-prospectus as Appendix B. You should read this opinion in its entirety
to understand the assumptions made, matters considered and limitations of the
review undertaken by Sandler O'Neill in providing its opinion.


     OPINIONS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL FINANCIAL ADVISORS. In deciding to approve
the merger agreement, the MidCity Financial board of directors considered the
opinions it received from Hovde Financial LLC and Alex Sheshunoff & Co., LLP
that as of April 19, 2001, and after taking into account the MB Financial
exchange ratio, the MidCity Financial exchange ratio was fair to the
stockholders of MidCity Financial from a financial point of view. The merger
agreement does not require, and, accordingly, neither Hovde nor Sheshunoff has
delivered, or will be delivering, an opinion updating its opinion dated April
19, 2001. For its services in connection with the merger, Hovde has been paid
$300,000 to date and will be paid an additional amount equal to approximately
$1,800,000 upon completion of the merger. For its services in connection with
the merger, Sheshunoff has been paid $487,437 and will not be paid any
additional fees for its services in connection with the merger.


     Copies of the opinions of Hovde and Sheshunoff are attached to this joint
proxy statement-prospectus as Appendices C and D, respectively. You should read
these opinions in their entirety to understand the assumptions made, matters
considered and limitations of the review undertaken by Hovde and Sheshunoff in
providing their opinions. In evaluating the opinion of Hovde, you should take
into account the fact that Hovde-affiliated entities beneficially own
approximately 5.7% of the outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock. See
"Risk Factors."


THE RIGHTS OF MB FINANCIAL AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS WILL BE DIFFERENT
AS STOCKHOLDERS OF THE NEW COMPANY.  (SEE PAGES 131 AND 132.)


     MB Financial and MidCity Financial are incorporated under the laws of the
State of Delaware. The rights of holders of MB Financial common stock and
MidCity Financial common stock are governed by Delaware law and their respective
certificates of incorporation and bylaws. In the merger, MB Financial and
MidCity Financial stockholders will, in exchange for their MB Financial and
MidCity Financial shares, receive shares of the common stock of the new company,
which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland. The
rights of holders of new company common stock after the merger will be
governed by Maryland law and the charter and bylaws of the new company.


                                       6


The charter and bylaws of the new company will be similar to MB Financial's
certificate of incorporation and bylaws, except that:



o        the total number of shares of authorized capital stock of the new
         company will be 41,000,000 shares, compared to 21,000,000 shares for MB
         Financial;



o        the new company's board of directors will have the power to amend the
         new company's charter to change the number of authorized shares of
         capital stock without stockholder approval;



o        the new company's charter will provide that no stockholder beneficially
         owning more than 14.9% of the outstanding shares of new company common
         stock may vote his or her shares in excess of that amount; this
         limitation is 10% under MB Financial's certificate of incorporation;



o        the new company's charter will provide that certain business
         combinations with greater than 14.9% stockholders require approval of
         the holders of at least 80% of the outstanding shares of common stock
         unless either a majority of the disinterested directors have approved
         the transaction or certain fair price and procedure requirements are
         satisfied; a similar provision applies to greater than 10% stockholders
         under MB Financial's certificate of incorporation;



o        the new company's bylaws will contain special corporate governance
         provisions that apply for a limited period of time after the merger;
         and



o        under the new company's bylaws, special meetings of stockholders may be
         called by stockholders owning at least a majority of all votes entitled
         to be cast at the meeting; MB Financial's certificate of incorporation
         does not permit stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders.



         The rights of stockholders of MB Financial, MidCity Financial and the
new company are described in detail under "Comparison of Stockholder Rights"
beginning on page 132.


                                       7


MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS WILL OWN ABOUT 40%, AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL
STOCKHOLDERS WILL OWN ABOUT 60%, OF THE SHARES OF THE NEW COMPANY.

     Based on the number of shares of MB Financial common stock and MidCity
Financial common stock outstanding as of October 3, 2001, the new company will
issue approximately 17.44 million shares of common stock in the merger.
Approximately 60% of these shares will be issued to MidCity Financial
stockholders, with the remaining 40% issued to MB Financial stockholders.


     This information does not take into account currently outstanding MB
Financial stock options. As of October 3, 2001, there were outstanding
options to purchase 988,443 shares of MB Financial common stock.

MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE PAID THE FAIR VALUE OF
THEIR SHARES IN CASH INSTEAD OF RECEIVING NEW COMPANY STOCK. (SEE PAGE 71.)

     Under Delaware law, any MidCity Financial stockholder may dissent from
the merger and elect to have the fair value of his or her shares appraised by
the Delaware Chancery Court and paid in cash instead of receiving the merger
consideration issuable to him or her pursuant to the merger agreement.

     To dissent from the merger and demand appraisal, a MidCity Financial
stockholder must satisfy the following conditions:

     o    deliver a written demand for appraisal to MidCity Financial before the
          vote on the adoption of the merger agreement;



     o    not vote in favor of the merger agreement (the return of a signed
          proxy which does not specify a vote against the merger agreement or a
          direction to abstain, will constitute a waiver of the stockholder's
          right of appraisal); and



     o    continuously hold the MidCity Financial shares from the date of the
          making of the demand through the time the merger is completed.



     A copy of the relevant sections of Delaware law governing this process is
attached to this joint proxy statement-prospectus as Appendix E. For more
information, see " The Merger--Appraisal Rights."



     MB Financial stockholders are not entitled to appraisal rights in
connection with the merger.



WE HAVE AGREED ON A MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE FOR THE NEW COMPANY.  (SEE PAGE 86.)



     The board of directors of the new company will consist of 17 members, with
eight directors designated by MB Financial and nine directors designated by
MidCity Financial. E.M. Bakwin, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer of MidCity Financial, will serve as Chairman of the Board of the new
company. Mitchell Feiger, the President and Chief Executive Officer of MB
Financial, will continue in the same positions for the new company. The other
senior management positions will be filled by a combination of MB Financial and
MidCity Financial executives. See "Management After the Merger."


INFORMATION ABOUT MB FINANCIAL AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL (SEE PAGES 101 AND 102.)



MB FINANCIAL, INC.
1200 North Ashland Avenue
Chicago, Illinois  60622
Telephone: (773) 278-4040



     MB Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a bank holding company, is
the parent company of Manufacturers Bank. Manufacturers Bank, an Illinois-
chartered commercial bank, concentrates its business efforts on serving
privately owned small and middle market businesses, such as manufacturers,
wholesalers, distributors, long-term health care operators and investors, and
real estate developers located throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Manufacturers Bank's business is focused on four areas: Commercial Banking;
Lease Banking; Korean Banking; and Retail Banking.




     As of June 30, 2001, MB Financial had consolidated assets of $1.7 billion,
consolidated liabilities of $1.6 billion (including consolidated deposits of
$1.3 billion) and stockholders' equity of $100.4 million.



MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION
801 West Madison Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607
Telephone: (312) 421-7600



     MidCity Financial Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a bank holding
company, is the parent company of five subsidiary banks: The Mid-City National
Bank of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois); First National Bank of Morton Grove (Morton
Grove, Illinois); First National Bank of Elmhurst (Elmhurst, Illinois); Union
Bank and Trust Company (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma); and Abrams Centre National
Bank (Dallas, Texas).



     MidCity Financial's banks have 25 branch office locations, including 19 in
the Chicago metropolitan area, five in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma metropolitan
area and two in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area. The banks provide a full
range of banking services to individual and corporate customers, with a focus on
commercial and industrial lending and wealth management services.





     As of June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial had consolidated assets of $1.8
billion, consolidated liabilities of $1.6 billion (including consolidated
deposits of $1.55 billion) and stockholders' equity of $198.1 million.



OUR DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS MAY HAVE INTERESTS IN THE MERGER THAT ARE
DIFFERENT FROM YOURS.  (SEE PAGE 79.)



     You should be aware that some of the MB Financial and MidCity Financial
directors and executive officers may have interests in the merger that are
different from, or in addition to, their interests as stockholders in our
companies. These interests exist because of the rights that these directors and
executive officers have under the terms of their benefit and compensation plans
and also, in the case of the executive officers, under the terms of various
agreements with MB Financial and MidCity Financial. These agreements provide
some executive officers with severance benefits if their employment is
terminated under specified circumstances in connection with or following the
merger. These interests also arise from provisions of the merger agreement
relating to director and officer indemnification and insurance, retention
bonuses and other employee benefits after the merger and appointments to the
board of directors of and other management positions with the new company. In
addition, stock options held by certain directors and executive officers of MB
Financial will vest early as a result of the merger.



     Two executive officers of MB Financial, Mr. Feiger and Burton J. Field,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Manufacturers Bank, have employment
agreements pursuant to which they will receive (based on current compensation
levels) payments aggregating approximately $84,115 per month for the next three
years, if their employment with the new company is involuntarily terminated
other than for cause within 18 months after the merger. These payments are
subject to reduction for any income earned from another employer. Mr. Feiger's
employment agreement also provides that if he voluntarily terminates his
employment within 18 months after the merger, he will be entitled (based on his
current compensation level) to a lump sum payment of approximately $990,572.
This lump sum payment is subject to cutback to avoid the payment of a "parachute
payment" under Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code if any other payments
or benefits are received by Mr. Feiger which must be taken into account in the
parachute payment calculation.



     Two other executive officers of MB Financial, Jill E. York, Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer,


                                     8


and Thomas Panos, Executive Vice President and Senior Lending Officer of
Manufacturers Bank, have change in control severance agreements pursuant
to which they will receive, if their employment with the new company is
involuntarily terminated within one year after the merger, payments
(based on current compensation levels) aggregating $337,811. As with the
agreements with Messrs. Feiger and Field, these payments are subject to
cutback if any other payments or benefits are received by the officer
which must be taken into account in the parachute payment calculation.



     Two executive officers of MidCity Financial, Mr. Bakwin and Kenneth A.
Skopec, President, will not be continuing as employees of the new company. They
will receive an aggregate of $2.97 million pursuant to change in control
severance agreements with MidCity Financial, subject to cutback if any other
payments or benefits are received by them which must be taken into account in
the parachute payment calculation. It is expected that each of Messrs. Bakwin
and Skopec also will receive $50,000 per year for five years after the merger
pursuant to five-year covenants not to compete to be entered into with the new
company as of the effective time of the merger.



     Two other officers of MidCity Financial, Ronald D. Santo, Executive Vice
President and Secretary, and William F. McCarty, III, Senior Vice President,
will receive an aggregate of $1.3 million, based on current compensation levels,
pursuant to change in control severance agreements with MidCity Financial if
they are involuntarily terminated by the new company within two years after the
merger. These amounts are subject to cutback if any other payments or benefits
are received by Messrs. Santo and McCarty which must be taken into account in
the parachute payment calculation. Messrs. Santo and McCarty will also be
entitled to receive an aggregate of $192,500 in retention bonuses, if they
remain employed by the new company for 60 days following the merger. See "The
Merger- Interests of Insiders in the Merger."



     The members of the boards of directors of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial knew about and considered these additional interests when they
approved the merger agreement.



WE EXPECT TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MERGER AS A POOLING OF INTERESTS. (SEE PAGE 68.)



     It is intended that the merger will be accounted for as a pooling of
interests in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America.



WE PLAN TO MERGE OUR ILLINOIS-BASED SUBSIDIARY BANKS. (SEE PAGE 68.)



     Soon after the merger of our companies, Manufacturers Bank, The Mid-City
National Bank of Chicago, First National Bank of Elmhurst and First National
Bank of Morton Grove will be merged together. The Mid-City National Bank of
Chicago will be the surviving institution, which will operate under the name
MB Financial Bank, N.A. after the bank merger. It is expected that MidCity
Financial's other subsidiary banks, Abrams Centre National Bank and Union
Bank and Trust Company, will be held as separate subsidiaries of the new
company.

BANK REGULATORS MUST APPROVE THE MERGER OF OUR COMPANIES AND THE MERGER OF OUR
BANKS.



     Under federal law, the merger of our companies must be approved by
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the merger of our
Illinois-based subsidiary banks must be approved by the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency. In addition, prior notice of the merger of our
companies must be filed with the Texas Department of Banking and the Oklahoma
State Banking Department and prior notice of the bank merger must be filed
with the Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate. All of the required
applications or notices have been filed, and we received the Federal Reserve
Board's approval of the merger of our companies on August 16, 2001 and the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's approval of the bank merger on
August 31, 2001.


                                       9


IN ADDITION TO REGULATORY APPROVALS, A NUMBER OF OTHER CONDITIONS MUST BE
SATISFIED OR WAIVED BEFORE WE CAN COMPLETE THE MERGER. (SEE PAGE 76.)



     The completion of the merger depends on a number of conditions being
satisfied or, where permitted, waived, in addition to the required regulatory
approvals. These conditions include:



     o    adoption of the merger agreement by MB Financial and MidCity Financial
          stockholders;



     o    approval for listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market of the shares of new
          company common stock to be issued in the merger;



     o    the absence of any injunction or other legal restraint blocking the
          merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by the merger
          agreement;



     o    receipt by each of us of an opinion of our tax counsel regarding the
          federal income tax consequences of the merger;



     o    the receipt by each of us of a letter from our independent accountants
          indicating that the merger will qualify for pooling of interests
          accounting treatment;



     o    exercise of appraisal rights by the holders of not more than 5% of the
          outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock;



     o    the accuracy of our respective representations and warranties in the
          merger agreement;



     o    the performance by each of us in all material respects with our
          respective obligations under the merger agreement; and



     o    the absence of any event or circumstance that has resulted in or is
          reasonably likely to result in a material adverse effect on either of
          us.



     We cannot be certain when, or if, the conditions to the merger will be
satisfied or waived, or that the merger will be completed.



WE HAVE AGREED TO RESTRICTIONS ON OUR BUSINESS ACTIVITIES PENDING THE CLOSING OF
THE MERGER. (SEE PAGE 73.)



     Each of us has agreed generally not to undertake any activities outside of
the ordinary course of business prior to the closing of the merger without first
obtaining the consent of the other party. See "The Merger--Conduct of Business
Pending the Merger."



WE CAN AMEND THE MERGER AGREEMENT AND WAIVE OUR RIGHTS UNDER THE MERGER
AGREEMENT. (SEE PAGE 77.)



     We can agree to amend the merger agreement and each of us can waive our
right to require the other party to adhere to the terms and conditions of the
merger agreement, where law allows. After MB Financial's or MidCity Financial's
stockholders have adopted the merger agreement, however, we may not change the
amount or form of consideration to be received by the MB Financial or MidCity
Financial stockholders in the merger without their consent to such a change.



THE MERGER AGREEMENT CAN BE TERMINATED UNDER SPECIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES. (SEE
PAGE 77.)



     MB Financial and MidCity Financial can jointly agree to terminate the
merger agreement at any time. Either company may also terminate the merger
agreement:



     o    if a regulatory or other governmental authority does not permit
          completion of the merger;



    o    if the merger has not been completed by April 19, 2002, unless the
         failure to complete the merger is due to the failure of the company
         seeking termination to fulfill its obligations under the merger
         agreement;



     o    if either company's stockholders vote not to adopt the merger
          agreement;



     o    if the other company materially breaches its representations and
          warranties or obligations under the merger agreement and does not
          timely cure the violation;



     o    prior to the adoption of the merger agreement by the other company's
          stockholders, if the other company's board of directors fails to
          recommend adoption of the merger agreement to the other company's
          stockholders, or withdraws or modifies that recommendation in a manner
          adverse to the company seeking termination;


                                      10


     o    prior to adoption of the merger agreement by the terminating company's
          stockholders, to allow the terminating company to enter into an
          agreement with a third party for a merger or similar transaction, if
          the board of directors of the terminating company has complied with
          its obligations under the merger agreement with respect to these
          types of transactions; or



     o    if (1) the average closing price per share of MB Financial common
          stock over the 20 consecutive trading day period ending on the date on
          which the last required regulatory approval for the merger has been
          received (referred to as the "determination date") is less than
          $13.29, AND (2) the percentage decline in value of MB Financial common
          stock determined by dividing that average price by $16.50, which was
          the closing price of MB Financial common stock on the day prior to
          announcement of the merger (referred to as the "start date"), is
          greater than the percentage decline in value from the start date to
          the determination date of an index based on the stock prices of a
          select group of financial institution holding companies, after
          subtracting 15% from the percentage decline in value of the index.



THERE ARE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH TERMINATION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT (SEE PAGE
78.)



     The merger agreement provides that in several circumstances, MB Financial
or MidCity Financial may be required to pay liquidated damages to the other of
$5.0 million. See "The Merger--Fees Associated with Termination of the Merger
Agreement."



MB FINANCIAL STOCK OPTIONS WILL CONVERT INTO NEW COMPANY OPTIONS.
(SEE PAGE 68.)



     Upon completion of the merger, each outstanding option to purchase MB
Financial common stock will be converted into an option to purchase common stock
of the new company, on the same terms and conditions in effect prior to the
merger. Under the terms of MB Financial's 1997 Omnibus Incentive Plan, upon
completion of the merger, 330,959 outstanding stock options granted under that
plan which have not yet vested will vest and become exercisable in full.


                              THE SPECIAL MEETINGS
                                (PAGES 24 AND 28)

MB FINANCIAL SPECIAL MEETING

     The special meeting of MB Financial stockholders will be held on
November 6, 2001, at 10:30 a.m., Chicago time, at the branch office of
Manufacturers Bank located at 7557 West Oakton Street, Niles, Illinois,
unless adjourned or postponed. At this meeting, MB Financial stockholders will
be asked to:

     1.  adopt the merger agreement; and

     2.  act on any other business that may be
         properly submitted to a vote at the meeting or
         any adjournments or postponements of the
         meeting.

     You may vote at the MB Financial meeting if you owned MB Financial
common stock as of the close of business on September 27, 2001. You may cast
one vote for each share of MB Financial common stock you owned at that time.

     Adoption of the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the
holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock.

     The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of MB Financial common stock present in person or by proxy and voting
on the matter may authorize the adjournment or postponement of the MB
Financial special meeting. No proxy that is voted against the proposal to
adopt the merger agreement will be voted in favor of adjournment or
postponement to solicit further proxies for the proposal.

MIDCITY FINANCIAL SPECIAL MEETING

    The special meeting of MidCity Financial stockholders will be held on
November 6, 2001, at 8:30 a.m., Chicago time, at the branch office of The
Mid-City National Bank of Chicago located at 7222 W. Cermak Road, North
Riverside, Illinois, unless adjourned or postponed. At this meeting, MidCity
Financial stockholders will be asked to:

     1.   adopt the merger agreement; and

     2.   act on any other business that may be properly submitted to a vote at
          the meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the meeting.

     You may vote at the MidCity Financial meeting if you owned MidCity
Financial common stock as of the close of business on September 12, 2001. You
may cast one vote for each share of MidCity Financial common stock you owned
at that time.

                                      11


     Adoption of the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the
holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common
stock.

     The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
of MidCity Financial common stock present in person or by proxy and voting on
the matter may authorize the adjournment or postponement of the MidCity
Financial special meeting. No proxy that is voted against the proposal
to adopt the merger agreement will be voted in favor of adjournment or
postponement to solicit further proxies for the proposal.


RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR BOARDS OF DIRECTORS



     TO MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS: The MB Financial board of directors believes
that the merger is fair to you and in your best interest. The board unanimously
voted to approve the merger agreement and unanimously recommends that you vote
FOR adoption of the merger agreement.



     TO MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS: The MidCity Financial board of directors
believes that the merger is fair to you and in your best interest. The board
unanimously voted to approve the merger agreement and unanimously recommends
that you vote FOR adoption of the merger agreement.


                          SHARE OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT
                                  AND DIRECTORS


     On September 27, 2001, the record date for the MB Financial special
meeting, the directors and executive officers of MB Financial and their
affiliates beneficially owned and were entitled to vote 1,090,775 shares of
MB Financial common stock, or 15.6% of the MB Financial shares outstanding on
that date. Based on the closing price per share of MB Financial common stock
on October 3, 2001, these shares had an aggregate value of $27,803,855 as of
that date. On September 27, 2001, the directors and executive officers of
MidCity Financial and their affiliates beneficially owned and were entitled
to vote 5,000 shares of MB Financial common stock, or .07% of the MB
Financial shares outstanding. Based on the closing price per share of MB
Financial common stock on October 3, 2001, these shares had an aggregate
value of $127,450 as of that date.

     The MB Financial directors have entered into a voting agreement with
MidCity Financial under which each director has agreed to vote all of the shares
of MB Financial Common Stock he owns of record or beneficially and is entitled
to vote as of the record date for the MB Financial special meeting in favor of
adoption of the merger agreement. See "The Merger-- Voting Agreements."


     On September 12, 2001, the record date for the MidCity Financial special
meeting, the directors and executive officers of MidCity Financial and their
affiliates beneficially owned and were entitled to vote 22,579 shares of
MidCity Financial common stock, or 49.7% of the MidCity Financial shares
outstanding on that date. These shares will be converted into 5,200,610
shares of new company common stock, which, based on the closing price of MB
Financial common stock on October 3, 2001, had an aggregate value of
$132,563,549 as of that date. The directors and executive officers of MB
Financial and their affiliates did not beneficially own any shares of MidCity
Financial common stock on September 12, 2001.

     The MidCity Financial directors have entered into a voting agreement with
MB Financial under which each director has agreed to vote all of the shares of
MidCity Financial Common Stock he or she owns of record and is entitled to vote
as of the record date for the MidCity Financial special meeting in favor of
adoption of the merger agreement. See "The Merger--Voting Agreements."

                                       12


                        STOCK PRICE AND DIVIDEND INFORMATION

MB FINANCIAL


         MB Financial common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market
National Market system under the symbol MBFI, and the common stock of the new
company will be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system
under that symbol. The following table sets forth the reported high and low
sales prices per share of MB Financial common stock for the periods
indicated. These prices do not include retail mark- ups, mark-downs or
commissions.




                                             PRICE OF MB FINANCIAL
                                                COMMON STOCK
                                              -------------------
                                               HIGH          LOW
                                              ------       ------
                                                     
1999 FISCAL YEAR
  First Quarter.........................       $16.00       $13.38
  Second Quarter........................        14.63        12.38
  Third Quarter.........................        14.50        12.38
  Fourth Quarter........................        13.50        12.50

2000 FISCAL YEAR
  First Quarter.........................       $12.75       $ 9.50
  Second Quarter........................        12.63         8.97
  Third Quarter.........................        14.13        11.75
  Fourth Quarter........................        13.75        10.50

2001 FISCAL YEAR
  First Quarter ........................       $17.25       $13.00
  Second Quarter........................        26.70        15.85
  Third Quarter ........................        28.66        21.20
  Fourth Quarter
    (through October 3, 2001)..............     25.74        25.03


         MB Financial has not paid cash dividends in the past, and does not
intend to pay any cash dividends prior to the merger.

                                       13


MIDCITY FINANCIAL


         MidCity Financial common stock is traded in the pink sheets under
the symbol MCYF. However, it has historically traded on a limited basis and
generally in privately negotiated transactions. Except for those trades
reported by certain internet-based bulletin board services purporting to
monitor trading activities on the pink sheets, MidCity Financial does not
have the ability to monitor the sales price of its common stock in
transactions to which it is not a party. Furthermore, MidCity Financial is
not able to verify the accuracy or completeness of the internet-based
bulletin board information. The following table sets forth for the periods
indicated the high and low sales prices per share based on data provided by
the internet-based bulletin board services and actual private transactions
between third party buyers and sellers known to management, as well as the
quarterly cash dividends per share.




                                              HIGH              LOW           DIVIDENDS
                                            ---------        ---------        ---------
                                                                    
1999
  First Quarter...................          $6,000.00        $5,100.00          $15.00
  Second Quarter..................           6,000.00         5,100.00           15.00
  Third Quarter...................           5,200.00         5,200.00           20.00
  Fourth Quarter..................           6,100.00         5,800.00           20.00

2000
  First Quarter...................          $6,300.00        $6,300.00          $20.00
  Second Quarter..................           6,300.00         5,500.00           20.00
  Third Quarter...................           5,525.00         5,000.00           35.00
  Fourth Quarter..................           4,775.00         4,400.00           35.00

2001
  First Quarter ..................          $     ---(1)     $    ---(1)        $35.00
  Second Quarter..................           4,400.00         4,400.00          $ ---
  Third Quarter...................           4,800.00         4,800.00          $70.00(2)
  Fourth Quarter
    (through October 3, 2001).....                ---(1)          ---(1)           ---


----------------
(1)  No known transactions.

(2)  Represents a dividend of $35.00 per share for second quarter of 2001
     declared and paid to MidCity Financial stockholders in July 2001 and a
     dividend of $35.00 per share for third quarter of 2001 declared in
     September 2001 and paid to MidCity Financial stockholders in October
     2001.

         MidCity has historically paid a quarterly cash dividend in the month
following the end of each calendar quarter. Prior to the merger, MidCity
Financial is permitted under the merger agreement to continue to pay regular
quarterly cash dividends of $35.00 per share, consistent with past practices.
Following the merger, the new company is expected to maintain an annual
dividend payout ratio, meaning the percentage of net income paid out as cash
dividends, of at least 25%. In calculating this ratio, extraordinary or
non-recurring gains will be excluded from net income. As described in
"Management After the Merger," the bylaws of the new company will provide
that a decision to maintain a dividend payout ratio of less than 25% must be
approved by two-thirds of the entire board of directors of the new company.
It is expected that the new company will initially pay a quarterly cash
dividend of $0.15 per share.


                                       14


         In addition to the dividend payout provision of the new company's
bylaws, the timing and amount of dividends paid on new company common stock
will depend upon the earnings, cash requirements and financial condition of
the new company, as well as other factors deemed relevant by the new
company's board of directors. Also, the primary source for dividends paid to
new company stockholders is expected to be dividends paid to the new company
from its subsidiary banks. There are various regulatory restrictions on the
payment of dividends by the banks. See "Supervision and
Regulation--Dividends."


         As of October 3, 2001, the 6,976,750 outstanding shares of MB
Financial common stock were held by approximately 650 record owners and the
45,425 outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock by approximately
143 record owners.

                                       15


                                  RISK FACTORS

         IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IN OR INCORPORATED BY
REFERENCE INTO THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS, INCLUDING THE MATTERS
ADDRESSED UNDER THE CAPTION "DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS," YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING RISK FACTORS IN
DECIDING WHETHER TO VOTE FOR ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.

DUE TO MARKET PRICE FLUCTUATIONS, YOU CANNOT BE SURE OF THE VALUE OF THE
STOCK THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE IN THE MERGER.


         Upon completion of the merger, all shares of MB Financial and
MidCity Financial common stock will be converted into shares of new company
common stock. The exchange ratios at which the shares will be converted are
fixed and there will be no adjustments to the exchange ratios for changes in
the market price of MB Financial common stock. Any change in the price of MB
Financial common stock prior to the completion of the merger will affect the
value of the new company stock that you will receive on the date of the
merger. The closing prices of MB Financial common stock on April 19, 2001
(the date prior to the date on which the merger was announced) and October 3,
2001 (the latest practicable date prior to the printing of this joint proxy
statement-prospectus) were $16.50 and $25.49. As of these dates, and based on
these prices and the MB Financial and MidCity Financial exchange ratios, the
value of the new company stock to be received for each MB Financial share was
$16.50 and $25.49, and the value of the new company stock to be received for
each MidCity Financial share was $3,800.44 and $5,871,10.

         Changes in MB Financial's stock price may result from a variety of
factors, including general market and economic conditions, the future
financial condition and operating results of MB Financial, changes in the
business, operations and prospects of MB Financial, as well as regulatory
considerations. Many of these factors are beyond the control of MB Financial.




THE ANTICIPATED BENEFITS OF THE MERGER MAY NEVER BE REALIZED.


     The success of the merger will depend, in part, on the new company's
ability to realize the anticipated cost savings, revenue enhancements, growth
opportunities and synergies of combining MB Financial and MidCity Financial.
Cost savings expected to be realized during the first year of combined
operations are estimated to be approximately $8.2 million. These cost savings
are expected to come from a number of areas, including: two executive
officers of MidCity Financial retiring upon completion of the merger; reduced
need for outsourcing services and temporary help; cost efficiencies in
marketing and other areas; and reduced director fees and professional and
legal fees. Revenue enhancements of approximately $2.5 million are expected
as a result of the maturity of approximately $250 million in investment
securities, with the proceeds being invested in higher-yielding loans
collateralized by the assignment of leases. Growth opportunities are believed
to be presented in wealth management, where MidCity Financial is strong and
the new company should be even stronger by benefitting from combining the two
companies' customer bases. Another growth opportunity area is lending, where
MB Financial's growth-oriented focus should serve the new company well.
Synergies are expected to come from combining back office and other areas of
operations, and should be aided by the fact that the two companies' focus on
the same type of lending and have complimentary management styles.
Notwithstanding these anticipated benefits of the merger, inherent
uncertainties exist in integrating the operations of two companies. In
addition, the markets in which the new company will operate are highly
competitive. The new company also could lose key personnel. These factors
could


                                       16


contribute to the new company not achieving the expected benefits from
the merger within the desired time frames, if at all.


MIDCITY FINANCIAL'S STOCKHOLDERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTROL APPROXIMATELY 60% OF
THE OUTSTANDING SHARES OF THE NEW COMPANY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MERGER.

         For MB Financial stockholders, one important factor to consider is
that immediately after the merger, MidCity Financial's stockholders will
control more than a majority of the new company's outstanding shares. Thus,
if all or nearly all of the former MidCity stockholders voted their new
company shares in concert on a particular matter submitted to a vote of the
new company stockholders, the former MidCity stockholders likely would
determine the outcome of the vote, regardless of how the former MB Financial
stockholders voted.

CHANGES IN INTEREST RATES COULD REDUCE THE NEW COMPANY'S INCOME AND CASH FLOWS.

         After the merger, the new company's net income and cash flows will,
like the net income and cash flows of MB Financial and MidCity Financial,
depend to a great extent on the difference between the interest earned on
interest-earning assets such as loans and investment securities, and the
interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities such as deposits and
borrowings. The interest earned and paid on assets and liabilities will be
highly sensitive to many factors which are beyond the new company's control,
including general economic conditions and the policies of various
governmental and regulatory agencies, in particular, the Federal Reserve
Board. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, will
influence the origination of loans, the purchase of investments, the
generation of deposits and the rates received on loans and investment
securities and paid on deposits. Fluctuations in these areas could adversely
affect the new company.

CHANGES IN LOCAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE NEW COMPANY'S
LOAN PORTFOLIO.

         Approximately 80% of the loans in the new company's loan portfolio
after the merger will be to businesses and individuals in the Chicago
metropolitan area. Unfavorable or worsening economic conditions in this area
could impact the new company adversely, as the ability of borrowers to pay
their loans according to the terms of the loans and the value of collateral
securing these loans may be adversely affected.

GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION AND LEGISLATION COULD LIMIT THE NEW COMPANY'S FUTURE
GROWTH.

         Like MB Financial and MidCity Financial and their subsidiary banks,
the new company and its subsidiaries will be subject to extensive state and
federal regulation, supervision and legislation that govern almost all
aspects of the operations of the new company and its subsidiaries. See
"Supervision and Regulation." These laws and regulations may change from time
to time and are primarily intended for the protection of consumers,
depositors and the deposit insurance funds. The impact of any changes to
these laws and regulations may negatively impact the new company's ability to
expand its services and to increase the value of its business. While we
cannot predict what effect any presently contemplated or future changes in
the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on the new
company, these changes or interpretations could be materially adverse to
stockholders of the new company.

IF THE NEW COMPANY DOES NOT ADJUST TO RAPID CHANGES IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
INDUSTRY, ITS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MAY SUFFER.

         The new company's ability to continue our history of strong
financial performance and return on investment to stockholders will depend in
part on its ability to expand its scope of available financial services as
needed to meet the needs and demands of its customers. In addition to the
challenge of attracting and retaining customers for traditional banking
services, competitors include securities dealers, brokers, mortgage bankers,
investment advisors and finance and insurance companies who seek to offer
one-stop financial services to their customers that may include services that
banks have not been able or allowed to offer to their customers in the past.
The increasingly competitive environment is a result primarily of changes in
regulation, technology and product delivery systems, and the accelerating
pace of consolidation among financial service providers.


HOVDE FINANCIAL LLC AND ITS AFFILIATED ENTITIES OWN MORE THAN 5% OF THE
OUTSTANDING SHARES OF MB FINANCIAL COMMON STOCK.


                                       17


         In evaluating the fairness opinion delivered by Hovde Financial LLC,
you should take into account the fact that Hovde and its affiliated entities own
more than 5% of outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock. This investment
interest in MB Financial may affect Hovde Financial LLC's ability to deliver an
unbiased opinion regarding the fairness of the MidCity Financial exchange ratio,
from a financial point of view, to the stockholders of MidCity Financial.
Because of Hovde Financial LLC's investment interest in MB Financial, the
MidCity Financial board of directors sought and obtained the opinion of Alex
Sheshunoff & Company LLP with respect to the fairness of the MidCity Financial
exchange ratio, from a financial point of view, to the stockholders of MidCity
Financial.

                 DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

         This document, including information incorporated into this document by
reference, contains statements about MB Financial, MidCity Financial and the new
company which we believe are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements include information regarding the financial condition, results of
operations and businesses of MB Financial and MidCity Financial before the
merger and the new company after the merger. They also include information
relating to the synergies, efficiencies, cost savings and revenue enhancements
that are expected to be realized from the merger.

         The sections of this document which contain forward-looking
statements include "Questions and Answers About the Merger and the Special
Meetings," "Summary," "The Merger--Background of the Merger," "--Reasons
for the Merger and Recommendations of the Boards of Directors," "--Opinion of
MB Financial's Financial Advisor" and "--Opinions of MidCity Financial's
Financial Advisors," and "Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial
Information." Forward-looking statements are also identified by words such as
"believes," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "expects," "intends,"
"plans," "should," "potential," or similar expressions.

         Forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. You
should understand that the following important factors, in addition to those
discussed elsewhere in this document and in the documents which are incorporated
into this joint proxy statement-prospectus by reference, could affect the future
results of the new company after the merger, and could cause those results to
differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements:

          o    expected cost savings and synergies from the merger might not be
               realized within the expected time frame;

          o    revenues following the merger could be lower than expected;

          o    costs or difficulties related to the integration of the
               businesses of MB Financial and MidCity might be greater than
               expected;

          o    deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business
               disruption before and after the merger might be greater than
               expected;

          o    competitive pressures among depository institutions, particularly
               in the Chicago banking market;

          o    the credit risks of lending activities;

          o    changes in the interest rate environment and in the demand for
               loans;

          o    real estate values;

          o    general economic conditions, either nationally or in the states
               in which the new company will be doing business, might be less
               favorable than expected;

          o    new legislation or regulatory changes;


                                       18


          o    changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; and

          o    other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and
               technological factors affecting the operations, pricing, products
               and services of MB Financial and MidCity Financial before the
               merger and of the new company after the merger.

         Further information on other factors which could affect the results or
outcomes projected in forward- looking statements is included in MB Financial's
SEC filings incorporated by reference into this joint proxy
statement-prospectus. See "Where You Can Find More Information."

                SELECTED HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL DATA

HOW WE PREPARED THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

         We are providing the following information to aid you in your analysis
of the financial aspects of the merger. This information is derived from (1) MB
Financial's audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2000,
1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996 and unaudited financial statements for the six months
ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 and (2) MidCity Financial's audited financial
statements for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996 and
unaudited financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000.
Data at and for the six months ended June 30, 2001 may not be indicative of
results for any future period or periods.


         The following information is only a summary. You should read it
together with MB Financial's historical financial statements and related notes
contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000
and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2001
filed with the SEC and MidCity Financial's historical financial statements and
related notes contained in this joint proxy statement-prospectus. See "Where You
Can Find More Information" and "Index to Financial Statements of MidCity
Financial Corporation."

POOLING OF INTERESTS ACCOUNTING TREATMENT

         We expect that the merger will be accounted for as a
pooling-of-interests. This means that, for accounting and financial reporting
purposes, we will treat our companies as if they had always been combined. For a
more detailed description of pooling of interests accounting, see "The
Merger--Accounting Treatment."

         We have presented unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial
information that reflects the pooling-of-interests method of accounting to give
you a better picture of the types of changes to our financial statement that
will be made to reflect the merger. We prepared the pro forma condensed combined
statements of income and pro forma combined balance sheet by adding or combining
the historical amounts of each company. The accounting policies of MB Financial
and MidCity Financial are substantially similar. Consequently, we did not make
adjustments to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements
to conform the accounting policies of the combining companies. The pro forma
information, while helpful in illustrating the financial characteristics of the
combined company under one set of assumptions, is not necessarily indicative of
the results of operations which would have occurred had MB Financial and MidCity
Financial constituted a single entity since January 1, 1998, and does not
attempt to predict or suggest future results.


                                       19


MERGER-RELATED AND INTEGRATION-RELATED EXPENSES

          We expect that we will incur restructuring and merger-related expenses
as a result of combining our companies. We estimate that merger-related fees and
expenses, consisting primarily of SEC filing fees, fees and expenses of
investment bankers, attorneys and accountants, and financial printing and other
related charges, will be approximately $4.1 million. We estimate that pre-tax
costs of approximately $15.5 million will be incurred for severance and other
integration-related expenses, including the elimination of duplicate facilities
and excess capacity, operational realignment and related workforce reductions.
These expenditures are necessary to reduce costs and operate efficiently. These
costs will be charged to operations in the relevant period and therefore are not
reflected in the unaudited pro forma combined statements of income. These
charges are reflected in the unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet as of
June 30, 2001.

PERIODS COVERED

         The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of income combine
MB Financial's historical results for the six month periods ended June 30, 2001
and 2000, and the years ended 2000, 1999 and 1998 with MidCity Financial's
results for the same periods, giving effect to the merger as if it had occurred
as of the first day of each period presented. The unaudited pro forma combined
balance sheet combines the historical consolidated statements of financial
condition of MB Financial and MidCity Financial as of June 30, 2001, giving
effect to the merger as if it had occurred on June 30, 2001. The selected
unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial data have been derived from and
should be read in conjunction with the unaudited pro forma combined financial
statements and related notes contained elsewhere in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus. See "Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Statements."


                                       20


SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA OF MB FINANCIAL, INC.




                                        AT OR FOR THE SIX MONTHS
                                                  ENDED                           AT OR FOR THE
                                                 JUNE 30,                     YEAR-ENDED-DECEMBER-31,
                                      ----------------------------  -------------------------------------------
                                           2001           2000           2000           1999           1998
                                      -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------
                                                      (In thousands, except common share data)
                                                                                   
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Interest income.....................     $55,483         $48,789       $104,090        $82,291        $57,632
  Interest expense....................      32,712          26,860         59,441         41,767         29,826
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Net interest income.................      22,771          21,929         44,649         40,524         27,806
  Provision for loan losses...........       1,400           1,590          3,090          1,260            750
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Net interest income after
    provision for loan losses.........      21,371          20,339         41,559         39,264         27,056
  Other income(1).....................       6,582           5,512         10,722          9,062          9,940
  Other expense.......................      18,493          17,919         35,745         33,560         27,136
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Income before income taxes
     and minority interest............       9,460           7,932         16,536         14,766          9,860
  Applicable income taxes.............       3,222           2,411          4,931          4,812          3,605
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Income before minority
    interest..........................       6,238           5,521         11,605          9,954          6,255
  Minority interest...................         ---             ---            ---            ---            ---
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Net income..........................       6,238           5,521         11,605          9,954          6,255
  Preferred stock dividend............         ---             ---            ---            ---          1,085
                                         ---------       ---------     ----------      ---------      ---------
  Net income available to
    common stockholders...............    $  6,238        $  5,521      $  11,605       $  9,954       $  5,170
                                          ========        ========      =========       ========       ========
 COMMON SHARE DATA:(2)
  Basic earnings per common
    share.............................   $    0.88       $    0.78    $      1.64      $    1.51      $    1.26
  Diluted earnings per common
    share.............................        0.86            0.78           1.64           1.51           1.25
  Book value per common share.........       14.22           11.80          12.99          11.24          11.46
  Weighted average common
   shares outstanding.................   7,064,236       7,064,515      7,064,515      6,586,596      4,093,254
  Dividend payout ratio...............       0.00%           0.00%          0.00%          0.00%          0.00%
  Cash dividends per common                    ---             ---            ---            ---            ---
    share.............................


                                      ----------------------------
                                           1997           1996
                                      -------------  -------------
                                               
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Interest income.....................      $51,686        $39,530
  Interest expense....................       25,172         18,180
                                           --------      ---------
  Net interest income.................       26,514         21,350
  Provision for loan losses...........          971            572
                                           --------      ---------
  Net interest income after
    provision for loan losses.........       25,543         20,778
  Other income(1).....................        4,935          2,939
  Other expense.......................       24,195         16,868
                                           --------      ---------
  Income before income taxes
     and minority interest............        6,283          6,849
  Applicable income taxes.............        2,402          2,576
                                           --------      ---------
  Income before minority
    interest..........................        3,881          4,273
  Minority interest...................         (432)          (636)
                                           --------      ---------
  Net income..........................        3,449          3,637
  Preferred stock dividend............          276            ---
                                           --------      ---------
  Net income available to
    common stockholders...............     $  3,173       $  3,637
                                           ========       ========
 COMMON SHARE DATA(2):
  Basic earnings per common
    share.............................    $    0.76      $    0.88
  Diluted earnings per common
    share.............................         0.76           0.88
  Book value per common share.........        10.20           9.41
  Weighted average common
   shares outstanding.................    4,151,036      4,143,938
  Dividend payout ratio...............        0.00%          0.00%
  Cash dividends per common
    share.............................          ---            ---


---------------------------
(1) For the year ended December 31, 1998, other income included a $4.1 million
    gain on the sale of Coal City National Bank.
(2) The information subsequent to December 31, 1998 reflects the merger of
    Avondale Financial Corporation and MB Financial.


                                       21





                                        AT OR FOR THE SIX MONTHS
                                                  ENDED                           AT OR FOR THE
                                                 JUNE 30,                    YEAR-ENDED-DECEMBER-31,
                                      ----------------------------  -------------------------------------------
                                           2001           2000           2000           1999           1998
                                      -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------
                                                               (Dollars in thousands)
                                                                                   
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and due from banks.............   $   29,010     $   25,537     $   31,989     $   29,420     $   23,669
  Investment securities...............      210,329        259,740        233,063        271,313        223,162
  Federal funds sold..................       30,750            ---            ---            ---         20,350
  Loans, gross........................    1,264,260        977,445      1,057,163        903,126        548,353
  Allowance for loan losses...........       17,190         12,638         13,837         12,197          6,344
  Total assets........................    1,679,704      1,405,585      1,458,248      1,309,426        871,891
  Deposits............................    1,297,401        978,911      1,069,264        936,075        645,661
  Short-term and long-term
    borrowings........................      263,265        323,376        281,210        277,267        167,555
  Stockholders' equity................      100,444         83,384         91,741         79,378         46,860

PERFORMANCE RATIOS:
  Return on average assets (1) .......        0.81%          0.83%          0.84%          0.84%          0.76%
  Return on average equity  (1) ......       13.07%         13.35%         13.86%         13.79%         11.16%
  Net interest margin on a
    fully tax equivalent basis (1) ...        3.30%          3.71%          3.62%          3.75%          3.68%
  Loans to deposits...................       97.45%         99.85%         98.87%         96.48%         84.92%

ASSET QUALITY RATIOS:
  Non-performing loans to
    total loans.......................        0.51%          1.09%          0.53%          1.18%          0.89%
  Non-performing assets to
    total assets......................        0.43%          0.80%          0.39%          0.84%          0.61%
  Allowance for loan losses
    to total loans....................        1.36%          1.29%          1.31%          1.35%          1.16%
  Non-performing loans to
     allowance for loan losses........       37.72%         84.19%         40.62%         87.73%         76.83%
  Net loan charge-offs to
    average loans.....................         0.18          0.25%          0.15%          0.63%          0.36%

CAPITAL RATIOS:(2)
  Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted
    assets)...........................        7.58%          8.50%          8.49%          8.85%          7.38%
  Total capital (to risk-weighted
    assets)...........................        9.96%          9.59%          9.60%         10.01%         10.00%
  Tier 1 capital (to  average
    assets) ..........................        6.59%          7.32%          7.38%          7.47%          5.25%
  Average equity to average
    assets...........................         6.18%          6.08%          6.03%          6.06%          6.67%

OTHER:
  Banking facilities..................           12             13             13             12              8
  Full-time equivalent employees......          335            336            306            312            243


                                      ----------------------------
                                           1997           1996
                                      -------------  -------------
                                               
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and due from banks.............  $   36,302       $ 31,465
  Investment securities...............     141,927        109,981
  Federal funds sold..................      37,400         20,800
  Loans, gross........................     527,321        388,302
  Allowance for loan losses...........       7,922          4,692
  Total assets........................     802,696        587,798
  Deposits............................     684,060        509,717
  Short-term and long-term
    borrowings........................      50,428         25,399
  Stockholders' equity................      52,526         39,126

PERFORMANCE RATIOS:
  Return on average assets (1) .......       0.54%          0.75%
  Return on average equity  (1) ......       7.08%          9.74%
  Net interest margin on a
    fully tax equivalent basis (1) ...       4.12%          4.23%
  Loans to deposits...................      77.09%         76.18%

ASSET QUALITY RATIOS:
  Non-performing loans to
    total loans.......................       1.87%          0.35%
  Non-performing assets to
    total assets......................       1.70%          0.23%
  Allowance for loan losses
    to total loans....................       1.50%          1.21%
  Non-performing loans to
     allowance for loan losses........     124.73%         28.92%
  Net loan charge-offs to
    average loans.....................       0.07%           ---%

CAPITAL RATIOS:(2)
  Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted
    assets)...........................       7.09%          8.00%
  Total capital (to risk-weighted
    assets)...........................      10.00%         10.14%
  Tier 1 capital (to  average
    assets) ..........................       5.15%          6.16%
  Average equity to average
    assets...........................        6.72%          6.57%

OTHER:
  Banking facilities..................          11              6
  Full-time equivalent employees......         287            199


--------------------------

(1)  Ratios for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 are annualized.



(2)  Ratios presented are for MB Financial on a consolidated basis.


                                      22


SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION




                                        AT OR FOR THE SIX MONTHS
                                                  ENDED                           AT OR FOR THE
                                                 JUNE 30,                     YEAR-ENDED-DECEMBER-31,
                                      ----------------------------  -------------------------------------------
                                           2001           2000           2000           1999           1998
                                      -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------
                                                      (In thousands, except common share data)
                                                                                   
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Interest income.....................   $   60,832     $   60,602   $    123,898   $    114,660   $    107,152
  Interest expense....................       30,002         29,124         61,786         52,363         49,488
                                         ----------     ----------   ------------   ------------   ------------
  Net interest income.................       30,830         31,478         62,112         62,297         57,664
  Provision for loan losses...........          620          2,537          5,073          1,405            770
                                         ----------     ----------   ------------   ------------   ------------
  Net interest income after
     provision for loan losses........       30,210         28,941         57,039         60,892         56,894
  Noninterest income..................        6,872          4,890          9,726         10,587          9,953
  Noninterest expense.................       23,996         24,300         48,154         44,596         43,139
                                         ----------     ----------   ------------   ------------   ------------
  Income before income taxes..........       13,086          9,531         18,611         26,883         23,708
  Applicable income taxes.............        4,462          1,719          3,255          8,463          7,237
                                         ----------     ----------   ------------   ------------   ------------
  Net income..........................   $    8,624     $    7,812    $    15,356    $    18,420    $    16,471
                                         ==========     ==========    ===========    ===========    ===========
SHARE DATA:
  Basic and diluted earnings
    per share.........................   $   187.45     $   169.80   $     333.78   $     398.24   $     347.83
  Book value per share................   $    4,306     $    3,914   $      4,033   $      3,809   $      3,529
  Weighted average shares
     outstanding......................       46,007         46,007         46,007         46,254         47,354
  Cash dividends declared per
    share.............................   $    35.00     $    55.00    $    125.00   $      75.00   $      60.00
  Dividend payout ratio...............       18.67%         32.39%         37.45%         18.83%         17.25%
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and due from banks.............   $   54,397     $   59,156    $    67,535   $     56,813   $     52,836
  Investment securities...............      719,636        701,389        710,093        711,657        747,699
  Federal funds sold..................       10,750         11,975         29,775          7,700         20,275
  Loans, gross........................      983,511        951,393        960,187        959,879        780,154
  Allowance for loan loss.............       12,362         12,308         12,999          9,410          9,564
  Total assets........................    1,824,530      1,786,303      1,829,103      1,797,881      1,643,378
  Deposits............................    1,555,748      1,533,093      1,570,131      1,544,916      1,447,396
  Short-term borrowings and
   Federal Home Loan Bank
    advances..........................       59,192         58,238         57,187         62,154         15,858
  Stockholders' equity................      198,096        180,084        185,565        175,261        165,241


                                      ----------------------------
                                           1997           1996
                                      -------------    -----------
                                                 
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Interest income.....................    $   101,903  $    96,241
  Interest expense....................         48,583       45,802
                                          -----------  -----------
  Net interest income.................         53,320       50,439
  Provision for loan losses...........            645          918
                                          -----------  -----------
  Net interest income after
     provision for loan losses........         52,675       49,521
  Noninterest income..................          7,874        7,378
  Noninterest expense.................         37,373       37,524
                                          -----------  -----------
  Income before income taxes..........         23,176       19,375
  Applicable income taxes.............          6,922        5,339
                                          -----------  -----------
  Net income..........................    $    16,254  $    14,036
                                          ===========  ===========
SHARE DATA:
  Basic and diluted earnings
    per share.........................    $    342.91  $    295.69
  Book value per share................    $     3,256  $     2,963
  Weighted average shares
     outstanding......................         47,400       47,469
  Cash dividends declared per
    share.............................    $     56.00  $     44.00
  Dividend payout ratio...............         16.33%       14.88%
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Cash and due from banks.............    $    52,121  $    57,297
  Investment securities...............        758,529      724,376
  Federal funds sold..................         16,450        1,900
  Loans, gross........................        687,185      640,339
  Allowance for loan loss.............          9,341        8,548
  Total assets........................      1,560,377    1,461,904
  Deposits............................      1,380,091    1,304,125
  Short-term borrowings and
   Federal Home Loan Bank
    advances..........................         11,578        4,109
  Stockholders' equity................        154,329      140,485


                                       23





                                      AT OR FOR THE SIX MONTHS
                                              ENDED                                         AT OR FOR THE
                                             JUNE 30,                                  YEAR-ENDED-DECEMBER-31,
                                    --------------------------  -------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        2001          2000          2000          1999          1998          1997          1996
                                    ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  -----------
                                                                                                   
PERFORMANCE RATIOS:
  Return on average assets (1)  ....    0.96%         0.85%         0.85%         1.06%         1.04%         1.09%         0.98%
  Return on average equity (1)......    8.96          8.50          8.55         10.90         10.18         10.96         10.73
  Net interest margin (1)...........    3.74          3.92          3.82          3.95          4.00          3.95          3.95
  Loans to deposits.................   63.22         62.06         61.15         62.13         53.95         49.79         49.10
ASSET QUALITY RATIOS:
  Non-performing loans to
    total loans.....................    0.89          0.75          1.12          0.66          0.26          0.16          0.49
  Non-performing assets to
    total assets....................    0.49          0.44          0.62          0.39          0.15          0.10          0.25
  Allowance for loan loss
    to total loans..................    1.26          1.29          1.35          0.98          1.22          1.36          1.33
  Non-performing loans to
    allowance for loan loss.........   72.54         64.30         82.74         66.95         25.90         13.07         36.61
  Net loan charge-offs to average
     loans..........................    0.13          0.07          0.16          0.23          0.08          0.04          0.22
CAPITAL RATIOS:(2)
  Tier I capital (to risk-
    weighted assets)................   15.46         15.21         15.65         14.94         16.77         17.24         18.09
  Total capital (to risk-weighted
     assets)........................   16.55         16.37         16.86         15.83         17.79         18.34         19.20
  Tier I capital (to average assets)    9.68          9.20          9.28          8.68          9.91          9.45          9.56
OTHER:
  Banking facilities                      25            26            26            26            22            19            19
  Full-time equivalent employees....     479           465           479           480           457           531           508


-----------------------

(1)  Ratios for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 are annualized.
(2)  Ratios presented are for MidCity Financial on a consolidated basis.


                                      24



SELECTED UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL DATA




                                            AT OR FOR THE SIX
                                               MONTHS ENDED                AT OR FOR THE YEAR ENDED
                                                 JUNE 30,                         DECEMBER 31,
                                       --------------------------  ------------------------------------------
                                            2001          2000         2000           1999           1998
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
                                                        (In thousands, except common share data)
                                                                                 
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Interest income....................  $    116,315  $    109,391  $     227,988  $    196,951  $     164,784
  Interest expense...................        62,714        55,984        121,227        94,130         79,314
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
  Net interest income................        53,601        53,407        106,761       102,821         85,470
  Provision for loan losses..........         2,020         4,127          8,163         2,665          1,520
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
  Net interest income after
    provision for loan losses........        51,581        49,280         98,598       100,156         83,950
  Other income.......................        13,454        10,402         20,448        19,649         19,893
  Other expenses.....................        42,489        42,219         83,899        78,156         70,275
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
  Income taxes before income
    taxes............................        22,546        17,463         35,147        41,649         33,568
 Applicable income taxes.............         7,684         4,130          8,186        13,275         10,842
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
 Net income..........................        14,862        13,333         26,961        28,374         22,726
 Preferred stock dividend............           ---           ---            ---           ---          1,085
                                       ------------  ------------  -------------  ------------  -------------
  Net income available to common
    stockholders.....................  $     14,862  $     13,333  $      26,961  $     28,374  $      21,641
                                       ============  ============  =============  ============  =============
COMMON SHARE DATA:
  Basic earnings per common
    share............................  $       0.84  $       0.75  $        1.53  $       1.65  $        1.44
  Diluted earnings per common
   share.............................  $       0.83  $       0.75  $        1.53  $       1.64  $        1.44
  Basic weighted average shares
    outstanding......................    17,661,008    17,661,287     17,661,287    17,240,259     15,000,280
  Diluted weighted average shares
    outstanding......................    17,850,171    17,671,084     17,668,906    17,251,721     15,038,022
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
  Total assets.......................  $  3,509,434  $  3,191,888  $   3,287,351  $  3,107,307  $   2,515,269
  Investment securities..............       924,968       961,129        943,156       982,970        970,861
  Loans, net.........................     2,218,219     1,903,892      1,990,514     1,841,398      1,312,599
  Total deposits.....................     2,853,149     2,512,004      2,639,395     2,480,991      2,093,057
  Total borrowings...................       322,457       381,614        338,397       339,421        183,413
  Total stockholders' equity.........       284,140       263,468        277,306       254,639        212,101



                                      25



COMPARATIVE UNAUDITED PER SHARE DATA

         The following summary presents selected comparative unaudited per share
data for MB Financial and MidCity Financial on a historical basis, and on a pro
forma combined basis and pro forma combined basis per MidCity Financial
equivalent share assuming the merger had been effective during the periods
presented and accounted for under the pooling of interests accounting method.
The pro forma MidCity Financial equivalent information shows the effect of the
merger from the perspective of a MidCity Financial stockholder; this information
was computed by multiplying the combined pro forma amounts for the merger by
230.32955, the number of new company shares to be issued for each MidCity
Financial share.




                                                                                 COMBINED      MIDCITY
                                                                 MIDCITY         PRO FORMA     FINANCIAL
                                                MB FINANCIAL    FINANCIAL       AMOUNTS FOR    EQUIVALENT
                                                 AS REPORTED   AS REPORTED      THE MERGER     PER-SHARE
                                                ------------   -----------      -----------    ----------
                                                                                   
BOOK VALUE PER SHARE AT:
     June 30, 2001..............................   $ 14.22      $4,306.00         $ 16.09      $3,706.00
     December 31, 2000..........................     12.99       4,033.00           15.70       3,616.17

CASH DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE FOR
THE:
     Six months ended June 30, 2001.............   $   ---      $   35.00(1)      $   ---      $     ---
     Six months ended June 30, 2000.............       ---          55.00             ---            ---
     Year ended December 31, 2000...............       ---         125.00             ---            ---
     Year ended December 31, 1999...............       ---          75.00             ---            ---
     Year ended December 31, 1998...............       ---          60.00             ---            ---

BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE FOR THE:
     Six months ended June 30, 2001.............   $  0.88      $  187.45         $  0.84      $  193.48
     Six months ended June 30, 2000.............      0.78         169.80            0.75         172.75
     Year ended December 31, 2000...............      1.64         333.78            1.53         352.40
     Year ended December 31, 1999...............      1.51         398.24            1.65         380.04
     Year ended December 31, 1998...............      1.26         347.83            1.44         331.67

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE FOR THE:
     Six months ended June 30, 2001.............   $  0.86      $  187.45         $  0.83      $  191.17
     Six months ended June 30, 2000.............      0.78         169.80            0.75         172.75
     Year ended December 31, 2000...............      1.64         333.78            1.53         352.40
     Year ended December 31, 1999...............      1.51         398.24            1.64         377.74
     Year ended December 31, 1998...............      1.25         347.83            1.44         331.67




(1)  Represents dividend for first quarter of 2001.  The dividend for the second
     quarter of 2001, also $35.00 per share, was declared and paid in July 2001.


                                      26


                              THE SPECIAL MEETINGS


         MB Financial's board of directors is using this document to solicit
proxies from the holders of MB Financial common stock for use at MB Financial's
special meeting of stockholders. MidCity Financial's board of directors is using
this document to solicit proxies from the holders of MidCity Financial common
stock for use at MidCity Financial's special meeting of stockholders. Set forth
below is information about the special meetings.


MB FINANCIAL SPECIAL MEETING

         TIME AND PLACE OF THE SPECIAL MEETING:

                  Tuesday, November 6, 2001
                  10:30 a.m., Chicago time

                  Manufacturers Bank, Niles Branch
                  7557 West Oakton Street
                  Niles, Illinois 60714

         MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE SPECIAL MEETING. At the MB Financial
special meeting of stockholders, MB Financial stockholders will be asked to
consider and vote upon: (i) the adoption of the merger agreement; and (ii) any
other matters that may properly come before the MB Financial meeting, including
approval of any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. As of the date of
this document, the MB Financial board of directors is not aware of any other
business to be presented for consideration at the MB Financial special meeting
other than the matters described in this document.

         RECORD DATE; VOTING RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERS. The MB Financial board
of directors has fixed the close of business on September 27, 2001 as the
record date for stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the MB
Financial special meeting. Only holders of record of MB Financial common
stock on the record date are entitled to notice of and to vote at the MB
Financial special meeting. Each share of MB Financial common stock that you
own as of the close of business on the record date entitles you to one vote.
On the MB Financial record date, there were 7,003,650 shares of MB Financial
common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the MB Financial special
meeting, held by approximately 650 stockholders of record.

         VOTE REQUIRED. The affirmative vote of the holders of at least a
majority of the outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock is required to
adopt the merger agreement. YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT
YOU VOTE "FOR" ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.


         Because approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement requires
the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of
MB Financial common stock, abstentions and failures to vote on this proposal
will have the same effect as votes against the proposal. If your shares are held
in street name with a broker, your broker will likely not be able to vote your
shares on the merger agreement without instructions from you. Such shares are
referred to as "broker non-votes," which will have the same effect as votes
against adoption of the merger agreement.


         The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of MB
Financial common stock present and voting on the matter may authorize the
adjournment or postponement of the MB Financial special meeting. No proxy that
is voted against adoption of the merger agreement will be voted in favor of
adjournment or postponement to solicit further proxies for that proposal.

         VOTING OF PROXIES. You may vote in person at the MB Financial special
meeting or by proxy. To ensure your representation at the MB Financial special
meeting, we recommend you vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the MB
Financial special meeting. You can always change your vote at the meeting. If
your shares are held in street name with a bank or broker and you wish to vote
at the MB Financial special meeting, you will need to contact your bank or
broker to obtain authorization to do so.


                                      27


         Voting instructions are included on your proxy card. If you properly
give your proxy and submit it in time to vote, your shares will be voted as you
have directed. You may vote for, against or abstain with respect to the
adoption of the merger agreement. If you are the record holder of your shares
and submit your proxy without specifying a voting instruction, your shares
will be voted "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement. If your shares are
held in street name with a broker and you fail to provide voting
instructions, then as described above under "-- Vote Required," your broker
will likely not be permitted to vote your shares on the merger agreement.

         If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the MB
Financial special meeting, the persons named in the form of proxy sent to record
holders will have the discretion to vote on those matters in accordance with
their best judgment. If a proposal to adjourn the MB Financial special meeting
is properly presented, the persons named in the form of proxy sent to record
holders will not have discretion to vote shares voted against the proposal to
adopt the merger agreement in favor of adjournment to solicit further proxies
for that proposal. The MB Financial board is not aware of any other matters to
be presented at the MB Financial special meeting other than those described in
the notice of the MB Financial special meeting.

         You might receive more than one proxy card depending on how your shares
are held. For example, you may hold some of your shares individually, some
jointly with your spouse and some in trust for your children -- in which case
you will receive three separate proxy cards to vote. Please complete and return
all cards.

         REVOCABILITY OF PROXIES. If you are the record holder of your shares,
you may revoke your proxy before it is voted by:

        o         submitting a new proxy with a later date;

        o         notifying the secretary of MB Financial in writing before the
                  MB Financial special meeting that you have revoked your proxy;
                  or

        o         voting in person at the MB Financial special meeting.

If your shares are held in street name, contact your bank or broker if you wish
to revoke your proxy.

         PROXY SOLICITATION COSTS. MB Financial will pay its own costs of
soliciting proxies. In addition to this mailing, MB Financial directors,
officers and employees may also solicit proxies personally, electronically or by
telephone. MB Financial also will reimburse brokers, banks and other nominees
for their expenses in sending these materials to their customers and obtaining
their voting instructions.

DO NOT SEND IN ANY STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH YOUR PROXY CARDS. AFTER COMPLETION OF
THE MERGER, YOU WILL RECEIVE A TRANSMITTAL FORM WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE
SURRENDER OF YOUR MB FINANCIAL STOCK CERTIFICATES.


                                      28


         SECURITY OWNERSHIP. The following table sets forth, as of September
27, 2001, certain information as to the beneficial ownership of MB Financial
common stock by:

         (1)      those persons or entities known by MB Financial to
                  beneficially own more than 5% of the outstanding shares of MB
                  Financial common stock;

         (2)      MB Financial's directors and executive officers, individually;
                  and

         (3)      MB Financial's directors and executive officers as a group.

An asterisk denotes beneficial ownership of less than one percent.




                                                                                              Percent of
                                                                               Amount and     Outstanding
                                                                               Nature of      Shares of
                                                                               Beneficial       Common
               Name and Address of Beneficial Owner                            Ownership        Stock
---------------------------------------------------------                   -------------   --------------
                                                                                      
Greater than 5% owners:
    Financial Institution Partners, LP                                         402,838(1)          5.75%
    Financial Institution Partners II, LP
    Financial Institution Partners III, LP
    Hovde Capital, Inc.
    Hovde Capital, LLC
    Hovde Capital, Ltd.
        1824 Jefferson Place, N.W.
        Washington, D.C. 20036
    Eric D. Hovde
        1826 Jefferson Place, N.W.
        Washington, D.C. 20036
    Steven D. Hovde
        1629 Colonial Parkway
        Inverness, Illinois  60067

Directors and Executive Officers, Individually(2)(3)
    Robert S. Engelman, Jr.                                                      324,994           4.49
    Chairman of the Board

    R. Thomas Eiff                                                                33,021           *
    Director

    Alfred Feiger                                                                 74,085           1.06
    Director

    Mitchell Feiger                                                              292,512           4.12
    President, Chief Executive Officer and
     Director of MB Financial; Chairman of the
     Board of Manufacturers Bank

    Burton J. Field                                                               88,831           1.27
    Director of MB Financial; President and Chief
     Executive Officer of Manufacturers Bank

    Lawrence E. Gilford                                                          103,051           1.47
    Director


                                       29






                                                                                              Percent of
                                                                               Amount and     Outstanding
                                                                               Nature of      Shares of
                                                                               Beneficial       Common
               Name and Address of Beneficial Owner                            Ownership        Stock
---------------------------------------------------------                   -------------   --------------
                                                                                      
    Richard I. Gilford                                                           150,764           2.15
    Director

    David L. Husman                                                              118,726           1.69
    Director

    Arthur L. Knight, Jr.                                                         25,797           *
    Director

    Peter G. Krivkovich                                                           21,507           *
    Director

    Clarence Mann                                                                220,260           3.14
    Director

    Hipolito Roldan                                                               11,820           *
    Director

    Jill E. York                                                                  19,147           *
    Vice President and Chief Financial
     Officer of MB Financial; Senior Vice
     President, Chief Financial Officer and
     Director of Manufacturers Bank

    Thomas D. Panos                                                               91,904           1.30
    Executive Vice President, Senior Lending
     Officer and Director of Manufacturers Bank

Directors and executive officers as a group (14 persons)                       1,576,419          21.05


----------------

(1)  As disclosed to MB Financial by the group.
(2)  The address for each director and executive officer is: c/o MB Financial
     Inc., 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622.
(3)  Includes shares held directly, in retirement accounts, in a fiduciary
     capacity or by certain affiliated entities or members of the named
     individuals' families, with respect to which shares the named individuals
     and group may be deemed to have sole or shared voting and/or dispositive
     powers. Also includes shares subject to options which are currently
     exercisable or which will become exercisable within 60 days of September
     27, 2001, as follows: Mr. Engelman - 220,385 shares; Mr. Eiff - 27,160
     shares; Mr. Alfred Feiger - 6,291shares; Mr. Mitchell Feiger - 94,418
     shares; Mr. Field - 14,409 shares; Mr. Lawrence Gilford - 6,501 shares;
     Mr. Richard Gilford - 7,164 shares; Mr. Husman - 5,029 shares; Mr.
     Knight - 9,464 shares; Mr. Krivkovich - 13,466 shares; Mr. Mann - 6,810
     shares; Mr. Roldan - 8,194 shares; Ms. York - 15,000 shares; Mr. Panos -
     51,222 shares; and all directors and executive officers as a group 485,513
     shares.

         VOTING AGREEMENT. The MB Financial directors have entered into a voting
agreement with MidCity Financial under which each director has agreed to vote
all of the shares of MB Financial Common Stock he owns of record or beneficially
and is entitled to vote as of the record date for the MB Financial special
meeting in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. See "The Merger--Voting
Agreements."


                                       30


MIDCITY FINANCIAL SPECIAL MEETING

         TIME AND PLACE OF THE SPECIAL MEETING:

                  Tuesday, November 6, 2001
                  8:30 a.m., Chicago time

                  The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago
                  North Riverside Branch
                  7222 W. Cermak Road
                  North Riverside, Illinois 60546

         MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE SPECIAL MEETING. At the MidCity
Financial special meeting of stockholders, MidCity Financial stockholders will
be asked to consider and vote upon: (i) the adoption of the merger agreement;
and (ii) any other matters that may properly come before the MidCity Financial
special meeting, including approval of any adjournment or postponement of the
meeting. As of the date of this document, the MidCity Financial board of
directors is not aware of any other business to be presented for consideration
at the MidCity Financial special meeting other than the matters described in
this document.

         RECORD DATE; VOTING RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERS. The MidCity Financial
board of directors has fixed the close of business on September 12, 2001 as
the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the
MidCity Financial special meeting. Only holders of record of MidCity
Financial common stock on the record date are entitled to notice of and to
vote at the MidCity Financial special meeting. Each share of MidCity
Financial common stock that you own as of the close of business on the record
date entitles you to one vote. On the MidCity Financial record date, there
were 45,425 shares of MidCity Financial common stock outstanding and entitled
to vote at the MidCity Financial special meeting, held by approximately 143
stockholders of record.

         VOTE REQUIRED. The affirmative vote of the holders of at least
two-thirds of the outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock is
required to adopt the merger agreement. YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY
RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.



         Because approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement
requires the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding
shares of MidCity Financial common stock, abstentions and failures to vote on
this proposal will have the same effect as votes against the proposal. If
your shares are held in street name with a broker, your broker will likely
not be able to vote your shares on the merger agreement without instructions
from you. Such shares are referred to as "broker non-votes," which will have
the same effect as votes against adoption of the merger agreement.



         The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of
MidCity Financial common stock present and voting on the matter may authorize
the adjournment or postponement of the MidCity Financial special meeting. No
proxy that is voted against adoption of the merger agreement will be voted in
favor of adjournment or postponement to solicit further proxies for that
proposal.

         VOTING OF PROXIES. You may vote in person at the MidCity Financial
special meeting or by proxy. To ensure your representation at the MidCity
Financial special meeting, we recommend you vote by proxy even if you plan to
attend the MidCity Financial special meeting. You can always change your vote at
the meeting. If your shares are held in street name with a bank or broker and
you wish to vote at the MidCity Financial special meeting, you will need to
contact your bank or broker to obtain authorization to do so.

         Voting instructions are included on your proxy card. If you properly
give your proxy and submit it in time to vote, your shares will be voted as you
have directed. You may vote for, against or abstain with respect to the adoption
of the merger agreement. If you are the record holder of your shares and submit
your proxy without specifying a voting instruction, your shares will be voted
"FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement. If your shares are held in street
name with a broker and you fail to provide voting instructions, then as
described above under "-- Vote Required," your broker will likely not be
permitted to vote your shares on the merger agreement.


                                       31


         If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the
MidCity Financial special meeting, the persons named in the form of proxy sent
to record holders will have the discretion to vote on those matters in
accordance with their best judgment. If a proposal to adjourn the MidCity
Financial special meeting is properly presented, the persons named in the form
of proxy sent to record holders will not have discretion to vote shares voted
against the proposal to adopt the merger agreement in favor of adjournment to
solicit further proxies for that proposal. The MidCity Financial board is not
aware of any other matters to be presented at the MidCity Financial special
meeting other than those described in the notice of the MidCity Financial
special meeting.

         You might receive more than one proxy card depending on how your shares
are held. For example, you may hold some of your shares individually, some
jointly with your spouse and some in trust for your children -- in which case
you will receive three separate proxy cards to vote. Please complete and return
all cards.

         REVOCABILITY OF PROXIES.  You may revoke your proxy before it is
voted by:

        -         submitting a new proxy with a later date;

        -         notifying the secretary of MidCity Financial in writing before
                  the MidCity Financial special meeting that you have revoked
                  your proxy; or

        -         voting in person at the MidCity Financial special meeting.

If your shares are held in street name, contact your bank or broker if you wish
to revoke your proxy.

         PROXY SOLICITATION COSTS. MidCity Financial will pay its own costs of
soliciting proxies. In addition to this mailing, MidCity Financial directors,
officers and employees may also solicit proxies personally, electronically or by
telephone. MidCity Financial will reimburse brokers, banks and other nominees
for their expenses in sending these materials to their customers and obtaining
their voting instructions.

DO NOT SEND IN ANY STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH YOUR PROXY CARDS. AFTER COMPLETION OF
THE MERGER, YOU WILL RECEIVE A TRANSMITTAL FORM WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE
SURRENDER OF YOUR MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCK CERTIFICATES.

         SECURITY OWNERSHIP. The following table sets forth, as of
September 12, 2001, certain information as to the beneficial ownership of
MidCity Financial common stock by:

         (1)      those persons or entities known by MidCity Financial to
                  beneficially own more than 5% of the outstanding shares of
                  MidCity Financial common stock;

         (2)      MidCity Financial's directors and executive officers,
                  individually; and

         (3)      MidCity Financial's directors and executive officers as a
                  group.

An asterisk denotes beneficial ownership of less than one percent.

                                       32





                                                                                              Percent of
                                                                              Amount and     Outstanding
                                                                              Nature of       Shares of
                                                                              Beneficial       Common
         Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)                              Ownership         Stock
---------------------------------------------------------                   -------------   --------------
                                                                                      
E.M. Bakwin                                                                  8,441(2)          18.58%
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MidCity Financial

Patrick Henry                                                                8,152(3)          17.95
Director

Thomas H. Harvey                                                             7,063(4)          15.55
Director

Robert N. Bloch                                                              2,475(5)           5.45

Kenneth A. Skopec                                                            1,885(6)           4.15
Director and President of
  MidCity Financial;
  Chief Executive Officer of The
  Mid-City National Bank of Chicago

Ronald D. Santo                                                                   348           *
Director, Executive Vice President and
  Secretary of MidCity Financial;
  President of The Mid-City National
  Bank of Chicago; Chief Executive Officer
  of First National Bank of Elmhurst

William F. McCarty, III                                                           187(7)        *
Senior Vice President of MidCity Financial; President and
  Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank of Morton
  Grove

Richard S. Holmstrom                                                               87           *
Director

Eugene Sawyer                                                                       2           *
Director

Jack C. Chen                                                                        1           *
Director

James N. Hallene                                                                    1           *
Director

Leslie S. Hindman                                                                   1           *
Director

Directors and executive officers as a group (11 persons)                       22,579           49.71




                                       33


------------
(1)  The address for each person listed except Mr. Bloch is c/o MidCity
     Financial Corporation, 801 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607.
     The  address for Mr. Bloch is 2714 Divisadero Street, San Francisco,
     California 94123.

(2)  Includes 1,866 shares of MidCity Financial common stock owned by third
     parties, some of whom are relatives of Mr. Bakwin, over which he exercises
     sole voting control; 88 shares held in trust for Mr. Harvey for which Mr.
     Bakwin is sole trustee; 52 shares held in trust for an unrelated third
     party over which he, as co-trustee with Mr. Marshall S. Leaf and Mr.
     Skopec, exercises voting control; 1,645 shares held in the Blanche Morris
     1966 Trust over which he, as co-trustee with Mr. Henry and Mr. Skopec,
     exercises voting control; 96 shares held in trust for Mr. Harvey's family
     members, over which he, as co-trustee with Mr. Harvey, can exercise voting
     control; and 63 shares held in trust for Mr. Skopec's family members, over
     which he, as co-trustee with Mr. Skopec, can exercise voting control.
(3)  Includes 1,645 shares referred to in footnote (2) and 6,381 shares held in
     trust for Mr. Henry's children over which he, as co-trustee with Mrs. Karen
     C. Reid and Mr. William J. Campbell, Jr., exercises voting control.
(4)  Includes 88 shares, and 96 shares referred to in footnote (2); also
     includes 5,660 shares held by family members over which he can exercise
     voting control and 120 shares held in trust for relatives of Mr. Harvey
     for which he is sole trustee.
(5)  Includes 240 shares held by family members over which he can exercise
     voting control.
(6)  Includes 52 shares, 1,645 shares and 63 shares referred to in footnote
     (2); also includes 40 shares held in joint tenancy with Mr. Skopec's wife.
(7)  Includes 135 shares held by family members over which Mr. McCarty exercises
     voting control.


         VOTING AGREEMENT. The MidCity Financial directors have entered into a
voting agreement with MB Financial under which each director has agreed to vote
all of the shares of MidCity Financial Common Stock he or she owns of record and
is entitled to vote as of the record date for the MidCity Financial special
meeting in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. See "The Merger--Voting
Agreements."


                                       34



                                   THE MERGER

         THE INFORMATION IN THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS CONCERNING THE
TERMS OF THE MERGER IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO THE FULL TEXT
OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT, WHICH IS ATTACHED AS APPENDIX A AND INCORPORATED INTO
THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS BY REFERENCE. YOU ARE URGED TO READ THE
MERGER AGREEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY.

GENERAL



         MB Financial and MidCity Financial have agreed to combine in a
"merger of equals." Pursuant to the merger agreement, MB Financial and
MidCity Financial each will separately and simultaneously merge into a newly
formed company, with the new company as the surviving entity. Unless both MB
Financial and MidCity Financial agree to a later date, on or before the fifth
business day after all of the conditions to completion of the transaction
have been satisfied or waived, a certificate of merger for each of the two
mergers will be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State and articles of
merger for each of the two mergers will be filed with the Maryland State
Department of Assessments and Taxation, and the mergers will
contemporaneously become effective. For simplicity, we have in most places in
this joint proxy statement-prospectus referred to the mergers of our
companies into the new company as the merger. We sometimes refer to the time
at which the merger becomes effective as the effective time.





         Upon completion of the merger, the new company, currently named
MB-MidCity, Inc., will be renamed MB Financial, Inc. Each share of MB
Financial common stock prior to the merger will be exchanged for one share of
the common stock of the new company. Each share of MidCity Financial common
stock will be exchanged for 230.32955 shares of new company common stock,
with cash paid in lieu of fractional share interests. See "-- Consideration
to be Received in the Merger."



         Based on the number of shares of MB Financial and MidCity Financial
common stock outstanding as of October 3, 2001, the stockholders of MB
Financial will own approximately 40% and the stockholders of MidCity Financial
will own approximately 60% of the outstanding shares of the new company after
the merger. The corporate headquarters of the new company will be located at the
current headquarters of MidCity Financial.

BACKGROUND OF THE MERGER

         In January 2000, the MidCity Financial board of directors met to
discuss MidCity Financial's strategic alternatives as a community bank with
approximately $1.8 billion in assets headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The
board believed a review of strategic alternatives was appropriate in light of
its desire to provide liquidity to MidCity Financial stockholders and to develop
a succession plan for current management. A nationally recognized investment
banking firm (which is not acting as a financial advisor to MidCity Financial in
connection with the merger with MB Financial) was engaged by MidCity Financial
to assist the board in its review.

         Following its engagement, the investment banking firm met with the
Strategic Planning Committee of the MidCity Financial board of directors.
Several possible strategic alternatives were discussed, including an executive
search for additional senior management, a special dividend, a stock split and
initial public offering, a sale of MidCity Financial in whole or in part, and a
spin-off of MidCity's Abrams Centre National Bank and Union Bank and Trust
Company subsidiaries. The investment banking firm reviewed with the committee
the potential valuation ranges of MidCity Financial under each of the potential
strategies. Following its review and consideration of the alternatives
presented, the committee determined to investigate further the possibility of
the sale of MidCity Financial.

         After meeting with the Strategic Planning Committee, the investment
banking firm attended a meeting of the MidCity Financial board of directors
at which the firm presented a list of banking companies which it believed
might have an interest in merging with or acquiring MidCity Financial. After
reviewing the list, the board authorized the investment banking firm to make
confidential inquiries to 17 of the companies listed. Of the companies
contacted by the investment banking firm, eleven expressed interest in either
an acquisition of or merger with MidCity Financial, or the purchase of one or
more, but not all, of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks. None


                                     35


of the six other companies contacted expressed an interest in a transaction
with MidCity Financial or any of its subsidiary banks.


         On March 6, 2000, the investment banking firm met with MidCity
Financial's board of directors to discuss the expressions of interest received.
The board determined that six of these expressions of interest were worthy of
its consideration; each was a proposal for the purchase of one or more, but not
all, of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks. On March 21, 2000, the investment
banking firm and MidCity Financial's legal counsel, Winston & Strawn, met with
MidCity Financial's board of directors to further discuss the six expressions of
interest. After considering the prices proposed and the tax effects of a sale of
one or more subsidiary banks, the MidCity Financial board of directors decided
not to further pursue these expressions of interest and determined that the best
course was for MidCity Financial to remain independent.


         Following this decision to remain independent, the MidCity Financial
board of directors continued its ongoing evaluation of other strategic
opportunities. At a meeting held on April 12, 2000, the board decided to
increase the annual dividend to up to 40% of the prior years' net earnings, and
to seek tax and regulatory approval to spin-off MidCity Financial's Abrams
Centre National Bank and Union Bank and Trust Company subsidiaries. The board
also discussed the possibility of splitting the MidCity Financial common stock
following the spin-off and becoming a reporting company with the SEC.

         In September 2000, MidCity Financial was approached by a
community-based bank holding company headquartered in a Chicago suburb about the
possibility of a merger of equals transaction. In connection with this potential
transaction, the MidCity Financial Strategic Planning Committee engaged Hovde
Financial LLC as MidCity Financial's financial advisor. After Hovde's
engagement, representatives of Hovde held ongoing discussions with the Strategic
Planning Committee and the MidCity Financial board of directors on the universe
of strategic options available to MidCity Financial; these discussions included,
among other things, the proposed merger of equals transaction with the
community-based bank holding company, as well as the possibility of MidCity
Financial pursuing certain acquisitions. On December 14, 2000, at a regular
meeting of the MidCity Financial board of directors, the board discussed the
potential merger of equals transaction with the community- based bank holding
company. Following this discussion, the board authorized management to begin
negotiations with the company for the terms of a definitive agreement.


         After the December 14 board meeting, MidCity Financial and the other
company entered into a confidentiality agreement and commenced negotiations. The
parties were unable to agree on the terms of a transaction, however, and after
approximately one month the negotiations were terminated. After these
negotiations ended, a representative of Hovde suggested to members of the
MidCity Financial Strategic Planning Committee that they consider the
possibility of a merger of equals transaction with MB Financial. Hovde noted
that MidCity Financial and MB Financial could make complementary and ideal
merger partners in view of the following factors: (i) similarities of operating
philosophies and lending focus of the two companies in attempting to become
leading middle market commercial banks in the Chicago metropolitan area; (ii) MB
Financial's strong management team; (iii) MB Financial's low capital level
complimenting MidCity Financial's higher capital level; (iv) MB Financial's
publicly traded and liquid stock; and (v) MB Financial's track record and desire
to grow via mergers and acquisitions. After discussing the possibility of a
merger with MB Financial, the Strategic Planning Committee members told the
Hovde representative that they would be interested in further exploring such a
transaction.


         The Hovde representative then contacted Mitchell Feiger, President
and Chief Executive Officer of MB Financial, and asked Mr. Feiger whether he
would be willing to meet with members of MidCity Financial's Strategic
Planning Committee to discuss a possible merger of equals transaction. Mr.
Feiger told the Hovde representative that he would be interested in attending
such a meeting. On January 17, 2001, Mr. Feiger met with E.M. Bakwin,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MidCity Financial and a member of the
Strategic Planning Committee, as well as three other members of the Strategic
Planning Committee and the Hovde representative. Shortly after this meeting,
Mr. Feiger spoke with several MB Financial directors by telephone and
informed them of his discussions regarding MidCity Financial. The consensus
after talking with the directors was for Mr. Feiger to continue these
discussions. The MidCity Financial Strategic Planning Committee members who
attended the meeting with Mr. Feiger likewise agreed that they should
continue to explore the possibility of a merger with MB


                                     36


Financial. At their suggestion, Mr. Feiger met with Kenneth A. Skopec,
President and a director of MidCity Financial, on January 22, 2001 to discuss
various logistical issues, including how to proceed with negotiations and due
diligence investigations.

         On January 29, 2001, MB Financial and MidCity Financial began the due
diligence process by exchanging documents containing information about each
company. On January 30, 2001, at a regular meeting of the MB Financial board of
directors, the board discussed the possible transaction with MidCity Financial,
and was informed of the steps Mr. Feiger had taken up to that point. The board
also discussed MB Financial's overall strategy of being a business bank focused
on serving small and middle market businesses in the Chicago metropolitan area,
and continuing to grow in asset size through transactions that would create
operational efficiencies and enhance stockholder value. Believing a merger with
MidCity Financial would fit well within this strategy, the board agreed to
continue discussions with MidCity Financial and the due diligence review.

         On February 6, 2001, MB Financial engaged Sandler O'Neill & Partners,
L.P. to act as its financial advisor in connection with the transaction.
Throughout February 2001, meetings were held at which the parties and their
financial advisors discussed the operating philosophies and strategies of the
two companies and the merits of combining the two organizations, including the
potential impact of the merger on earnings per share and the anticipated
cost-savings and revenue enhancements. On February 21, 2001, several members of
the boards of directors of both companies met to introduce themselves and to
discuss the strategic merits of the transaction in general terms. At a regular
meeting of the MB Financial board of directors held on February 27, 2001, the
board again discussed the proposed merger and the benefits of the transaction,
and agreed to a continuation of negotiations with MidCity Financial.

         On March 16, 2001, the Executive Committee of the MB Financial board of
directors met to review the progress of negotiations, and to discuss the
strategic and financial benefits to MB Financial stockholders and the risks of
the proposed transaction. On March 21, 2001, MB Financial was presented with a
draft merger agreement prepared by Winston & Strawn. On March 27, 2001, the
MidCity Financial Strategic Planning Committee met with representatives of Hovde
and Winston & Strawn to review the proposed transaction with MB Financial, as
well as two other indications of interest which MidCity Financial had recently
received from a community banking institution (for a merger) and a savings and
loan association (for an acquisition of MidCity Financial), both serving the
Chicago metropolitan area. Representatives of Winston & Strawn made a detailed
presentation to the members of the committee regarding the fiduciary obligations
of the MidCity Financial directors to MidCity Financial and its stockholders.
After reviewing the three possible transactions, the members of the Strategic
Planning Committee unanimously agreed to continue negotiations with MB
Financial.

         By the beginning of April 2001, many of the operational, corporate
governance, regulatory, accounting and legal issues concerning the transaction
had been resolved. The percentages of ownership of the combined company by the
MB Financial and MidCity Financial stockholders continued to be discussed, along
with several other open issues.

         On April 3, 2001, the MidCity Financial Strategic Planning Committee
met again with Winston & Strawn, as well as representatives of Alex Sheshunoff &
Co. LLP, which had been retained as an additional financial advisor to MidCity
Financial because of the level of beneficial ownership by Hovde and its
affiliated entities of MB Financial common stock. Representatives of Sheshunoff
presented a preliminary report containing an analysis of the proposed merger, a
comparison of the financial performance of MB Financial to that of a peer group,
and other relevant financial analyses, including an analysis of earnings per
share accretion and book value dilution to MidCity Financial as a result of the
proposed MidCity Financial exchange ratio. Based on this preliminary report, the
members of the Strategic Planning Committee agreed to continue negotiations with
MB Financial.

         The MB Financial board of directors met on April 9, 2001 to again
review the transaction, and to discuss the terms of the merger agreement. The
results of MB Financial's due diligence investigation of MidCity Financial
were discussed. MB Financial's special counsel, Silver, Freedman & Taff,
L.L.P., reviewed the terms of the merger agreement with the board, and
discussed the directors' fiduciary duties to MB Financial and its
stockholders in considering the transaction. Representatives of Sandler
O'Neill and members of MB Financial's senior management made presentations to
the MB Financial board on the proposed transaction, including historical


                                     37


and pro forma financial analyses, an evaluation of the performance of MidCity
Financial relative to its peers and a comparison of the proposed merger with
MidCity Financial to other merger of equals transactions in the banking
industry. After thorough discussion, the MB Financial board of directors
determined that it would approve the merger agreement, subject to
satisfactory resolution of certain open issues and the receipt of the
fairness opinion from Sandler O'Neill.


         At a regular meeting of the MidCity Financial board of directors held
on April 11, 2001, representatives of Winston & Strawn again discussed with the
directors their fiduciary obligations to MidCity Financial and its stockholders.
The directors discussed the results of MidCity Financial's due diligence
investigation of MB Financial, the goals in seeking strategic alternatives and
the details of the proposed transaction with MB Financial, as well as the two
other expressions of interest reviewed by the Strategic Planning Committee on
March 27, 2001. The MidCity Financial board of directors met again on April 12,
2001, with representatives of Hovde, Sheshunoff and Winston & Strawn in
attendance. Hovde and Sheshunoff presented separate reports, each containing
detailed analyses of the proposed merger with MB Financial, a comparison of the
financial performance of MB Financial with a peer group and other relevant
financial analyses, including an analysis of earnings per share accretion and
book value dilution to MidCity Financial as a result of the proposed MidCity
Financial exchange ratio.


         In deciding which of the indications of interest should be pursued, the
Strategic Planning Committee and the MidCity Financial board of directors
considered whether they desired to put MidCity Financial up for sale, reflecting
on the consequences to the business of the auction process described above,
which had been completed in March, 2000. They concluded that the company should
not be put up for sale, but that the company should consider proposals that were
consistent with enhancing stockholder value while continuing the company's basic
strategy of employing its capital base to serve the commercial banking middle
market in the Chicago metropolitan area. At the same time, they believed that
they should consider acquisition proposals that came to them to determine
whether the proposals were sufficiently advantageous to MidCity Financial's
stockholders such that they should be pursued.



         In choosing to pursue the merger-of-equals transaction with MB
Financial, as opposed to the other transactions for which MidCity Financial had
received indications of interest, the Strategic Planning Committee and the
MidCity Financial board of directors considered the following:



         -        The MB Financial transaction constituted an opportunity to
                  continue the business strategy and policy of MidCity Financial
                  through a merger-of-equals that would provide MidCity
                  Financial stockholders with 60% of the common stock and a
                  majority of the board seats of the combined entity for a
                  significant period of time following the merger. In addition,
                  corporate governance provisions were agreed to by the parties.
                  See "Management After the Merger." The other opportunities
                  offered a combination of cash and securities as consideration,
                  no majority position on the board of directors, and no
                  corporate governance provisions. Although it was unable to
                  assign a monetary or per share value to the corporate
                  governance provisions, the Board believed that these
                  provisions would help assure the continuation of the business
                  strategy and policy of MidCity Financial in the new company.




         -        Although the MB Financial transaction did not represent the
                  highest immediate price among the indications of interest, the
                  board of directors of MidCity Financial believed that the
                  combined MidCity Financial-MB Financial entity would trade at
                  or above peer group norms, resulting in a value that would
                  equal or exceed the indicated prices of the other
                  transactions. One of the indications of interest had an
                  indicated, pre-tax value per share of MidCity Financial common
                  stock of approximately $4,887 at the time the indication of
                  interest was made. Hovde noted that if MidCity Financial
                  pursued this indication of interest and the stock of the
                  resulting combined company increased to peer group levels,
                  the indicated, pre-tax value per share of MidCity Financial
                  common stock of this indication of interest would increase
                  to approximately $5,600 to $5,800. The other indication of
                  interest had an indicated, pre-tax value per share of MidCity
                  Financial common stock ranging from approximately $5,651 to
                  $5,977 at the time the indication of interest was made. The
                  MB Financial transaction had an indicated, after tax-value of
                  approximately $3,800 per share based on the $16.50 closing
                  price of MB Financial common stock on the date prior to the
                  announcement of the MB Financial transaction. If the price
                  of MB Financial common stock increased from $16.50 per
                  share to $24.00 per share (believed by Hovde to be the peer
                  group level), the after-tax value per share of the MB
                  Financial transaction would increase to approximately
                  $5,528. Immediately after the announcement of the MB
                  Financial transaction, the price of MB Financial common stock
                  began to rise, and as of the date of this joint proxy
                  statement-prospectus, the indicated per share value to
                  MidCity Financial stockholders of the MB Financial transaction
                  equals approximately $5,871 (based on the closing price of MB
                  Financial common stock on October 3, 2001, the latest
                  practicable date prior to the printing of this joint proxy
                  statement-prospectus).


                                     38


         -        The MB Financial transaction offered a tax-free reorganization
                  to MidCity Financial stockholders. The other transactions
                  would provide 40 to 50% in cash and the balance in
                  securities.  The other transactions would have been taxable
                  to the extent of the cash received in the transactions.



         o        The MB Financial transaction would result in a bank holding
                  company that was focused on middle market commercial banking
                  in the Chicago metropolitan area. The other transactions
                  involved a savings and loan institution and a banking
                  institution focused primarily on community banking. The
                  MidCity Financial board believed that the opportunities for
                  growth in the Chicago middle-market commercial banking were
                  superior to the other proposals and consistent with MidCity
                  Financial's history and business strategy.



         Although they noted that the per share indicated value of the
transaction with MB Financial would be lower than the trading price of
MidCity Financial's common stock in the last 12 months, in light of the
considerations above, the Strategic Planning Committee and the MidCity
Financial board of directors concluded that the merger of equals transaction
with MB Financial provided the best opportunity to the stockholders of
MidCity Financial to realize the value of their holdings in MidCity Financial
through a continuation of the business strategy that MidCity Financial has
consistently pursued.



         Over the next several days, the parties continued to negotiate the
resolution of the open issues. On April 17, 2001, MidCity Financial's board of
directors and senior management met again with representatives of Winston &
Strawn, Hovde and Sheshunoff to discuss the proposed merger with MB Financial
and the status of the merger negotiations. Representatives of Winston & Strawn
reviewed with the board the terms of the proposed definitive merger agreement.
Sheshunoff confirmed its analysis of the transaction and provided to the MidCity
Financial board of directors its oral opinion, confirmed in writing as of the
date of the merger agreement, that the proposed MidCity Financial exchange
ratio, after taking into account the proposed MB Financial exchange ratio, was
fair from a financial point of view to the stockholders of MidCity Financial.
Hovde also confirmed its analysis of the transaction and provided to the board
of directors its oral opinion, confirmed in writing, that the proposed MidCity
Financial exchange ratio, after taking into account the proposed MB Financial
exchange ratio, was fair from a financial point of view to the stockholders of
MidCity Financial. A detailed discussion among the MidCity Financial board of
directors, senior management and the financial and legal advisors followed.
Following these deliberations, the MidCity Financial board of directors
unanimously voted to approve the merger agreement subject to the satisfactory
resolution of the few remaining open issues, instructed MidCity Financial's
Strategic Planning Committee to negotiate the resolution of these issues and
instructed MidCity Financial's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to execute
the merger agreement and related documents on MidCity Financial's behalf upon
satisfactory resolution of the issues.

         On April 18, 2001, the Strategic Planning Committee of the MidCity
Financial board of directors met to consider proposed resolutions of the
remaining open issues. Following a detailed discussion, the members of the
Strategic Planning Committee decided unanimously to approve the proposed
resolutions. On April 19, 2001, the members of the MB Financial board of
directors also agreed to these proposed resolutions, Sandler O'Neill issued its
opinion that the proposed MB Financial exchange ratio, after taking into account
the proposed MidCity Financial exchange ratio, was fair from a financial point
of view to the stockholders of MB Financial, and the MB Financial board of
directors unanimously approved the merger agreement. The merger agreement was
executed by the parties on the evening of April 19, 2001, and all of the
directors of MidCity Financial and MB Financial executed the voting agreements
under which they agreed to vote all of their shares of MidCity Financial and MB
Financial common stock in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. On April
20, 2001, MB Financial and MidCity Financial issued a joint press release
announcing the execution of the merger agreement.


         The MB Financial and MidCity Financial exchange ratios were not
determined or recommended by Sandler O'Neill, Hovde or Sheshunoff, and resulted
from arms' length negotiations between MB Financial and MidCity Financial.


                                       39


REASONS FOR THE MERGER AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS


         MB FINANCIAL'S REASONS FOR THE MERGER. MB Financial's board of
directors believes that the merger fits well within MB Financial's strategy of
continued growth and that in MidCity Financial it has found a partner with
similar operating and management philosophies. On a pro forma basis as of June
30, 2001, the merger will create a combined entity with deposits of $2.9 billion
and assets of $3.5 billion. Thus, MB Financial's board believes that the merger
will solidify MB Financial's position as a major provider of banking services
for small and mid-size businesses, and provide a unique opportunity for
enhanced financial performance and stockholder value. The board has
determined that the merger is in the best interests of MB Financial
stockholders and unanimously approved the merger agreement. In concluding
that the merger is in the best interest of MB Financial and fair to MB
Financial and its stockholders, the board considered a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, the following:



         o        The business, earnings, operations, financial condition,
                  prospects, capital levels and asset quality of MB Financial
                  and MidCity Financial, both individually and as a combined
                  entity. The MB Financial board of directors felt that the
                  merger would benefit MB Financial in each of these areas.



         o        The terms of the merger agreement and the other documents
                  executed in connection with the merger. In particular, the MB
                  Financial board felt that the exchange ratios were fair in
                  view of the relative contributions to be made by each of the
                  parties to the combined entity's assets, income and
                  stockholders' equity. The MB Financial board also believed
                  that the corporate governance provisions created an optimal
                  management structure for the new company. The board made these
                  assessments after considering how the terms of the merger
                  agreement and the planned management structure after the
                  merger compare with other recent merger of equals transactions
                  in the banking industry.



         o        The fact that both the MB Financial exchange ratio and MidCity
                  Financial exchange ratio are fixed and contain no adjustment
                  mechanism for stock price changes. In selecting MidCity
                  Financial as a merger partner, the MB Financial board of
                  directors desired to fix the percentage ownership of the
                  parties in the new company at the time the merger agreement
                  was executed and equally share the risks and rewards
                  associated with movements in the price of MB Financial common
                  stock. The MB Financial board of directors believed that using
                  fixed exchange ratios would be the best means of capturing the
                  relative contribution of each company based on fundamental
                  financial factors. The MB Financial board of directors also
                  recognized that the fixed exchange ratios would create
                  relative certainty as to the number of shares that would be
                  issued in the merger. In addition, the MB Financial board of
                  directors observed that fixed exchange ratios have become
                  common in the financial services industry and are typically
                  used in merger of equals transactions.



         o        The estimation by MB Financial's management that the merger
                  will result in pre-tax cost savings for the new company of
                  approximately $8.2 million for the year ended December 31,
                  2002, with approximately $4.8 million of the cost savings
                  resulting from reduced salaries and other employee benefit
                  expenses. Management estimates that the reduction in salaries
                  and employee benefits will be obtained through the expected
                  retirement of two senior officers of MidCity Financial,
                  through the reduced need for outsourcing services and
                  temporary help and the elimination of 40- 50 positions through
                  job cuts and attrition.



         o        Anticipated revenue enhancements for the year ended December
                  31, 2002 of approximately $2.5 million, which MB Financial's
                  management believes are expected as a result of the maturity
                  of approximately $250 million in investment securities, and
                  the investment of the proceeds in higher yielding loans
                  collateralized by the assignment of leases.



         o        The estimation by MB Financial's management that for 2002, the
                  merger will be 6% accretive to MB Financial's earnings per
                  share not including immediate revenue enhancements and 10%


                                       40


                  accretive to MB Financial's earnings per share including
                  immediate revenue enhancements, in each case under generally
                  accepted accounting principles.



         o        The complimentary nature of the markets served and products
                  offered by MB Financial and MidCity Financial, and the
                  expectation that the merger would allow MB Financial to take
                  advantage of MidCity Financial's strengths in commercial and
                  industrial lending and wealth management services.



         o        The integration capabilities of MB Financial and MidCity
                  Financial. In considering this factor, the MB Financial board
                  of directors discussed several additional factors, including:



                  o        the board's belief that customer disruption in the
                           transition phase would not be significant due to the
                           complementary nature of the markets served by MB
                           Financial and MidCity Financial, and the fact that no
                           branches would be closed;



                  o        the strength of the management teams of both MB
                           Financial and MidCity Financial and the board's
                           belief that because most of the key senior management
                           positions had already been decided, management would
                           be better able to focus on integration early in the
                           process; and



                  o        the record of each of MB Financial and MidCity
                           Financial in integrating past acquisitions smoothly.



         o        The historical stock prices of MB Financial and MidCity
                  Financial. In this regard, the MB Financial board of directors
                  believed that the market would place a greater value on the
                  new company than MB Financial as a stand-alone entity.



         o        The current and prospective economic, competitive and
                  regulatory environment facing financial institutions in
                  general, and MB Financial in particular. The MB Financial
                  board of directors felt that by combining with an institution
                  similar in size and business focus and with strengths
                  complimentary to its own, MB Financial would perform better in
                  each of these environments.



         o        The results of the due diligence investigations of MidCity
                  Financial. This included assessments of credit policies, asset
                  quality, interest rate risk, litigation and adequacy of loan
                  loss reserves.



         o        The prospects for growth and expanded products and services,
                  and other anticipated impacts of the merger on depositors,
                  employees, customers and communities served by MB Financial
                  and MidCity Financial. In particular, the MB Financial board
                  considered the benefits of combining the customer bases of the
                  two banks and the level of job reductions necessary to realize
                  the anticipated cost savings of the merger.

         o        The interests of MB Financial's directors and executive
                  officers in the merger, in addition to their interests as
                  stockholders, as described under "--Interests of Insiders in
                  the Merger."

         o        The likelihood that the requisite regulatory approvals of the
                  merger will be obtained.

         o        The nature and compatibility of the respective management and
                  business philosophies of MB Financial and MidCity Financial.


         o        The expectation that the merger would be tax-free to MB
                  Financial and its stockholders for federal income tax purposes
                  and would be accounted for under the pooling of interests
                  method of accounting.



         o        The financial analyses of and presentation by Sandler O'Neill
                  & Partners, L.P., as well as its opinion that the MB Financial
                  exchange ratio, after taking into account the MidCity
                  Financial


                                       41


                  exchange ratio, is fair to the stockholders of MB
                  Financial from a financial point of view. See "The
                  Merger-Opinion of MB Financial's Financial Advisor."



         MB Financial's board also considered the following factors that
potentially created risks if the board decided to approve the merger:



         o        The possibility that integrating the operations of MB
                  Financial and MidCity Financial may be more difficult than
                  expected, resulting in the disruption of MB Financial's
                  on-going business and be unfavorable to the market's
                  perception of the value of the new company.




         o        The possibility that the expected benefits of the merger,
                  including the expected synergies, revenue enhancements and
                  cost savings, may not be realized within the expected time
                  frames or ever.



         o        The possibility that deposit attrition, customer loss and
                  operating costs following the merger may be greater than
                  expected.



         o        The possibility that MB Financial would have to pay liquidated
                  damages of $5.0 million if it wished to accept an acquisition
                  proposal from a third party and terminate the merger agreement
                  with MidCity Financial. See "--Fees Associated with
                  Termination of the Merger Agreement."



         o        The other risks described in this joint proxy
                  statement-prospectus under "Risk Factors."



         MB Financial's board concluded that the anticipated benefits of
combining with MidCity Financial were likely to substantially outweigh the risks
discussed above.



         The MB Financial board of directors recognized that there could be no
assurance about future results, including results expected or considered in the
factors listed above, such as estimated revenue enhancements, cost savings and
earnings accretion. The above discussion of the information and factors
considered by the MB Financial board of directors is not exhaustive, but
includes all material factors considered by the MB Financial board of directors.
In view of the wide variety of factors considered by the MB Financial board of
directors in connection with its evaluation of the merger and the complexity of
these matters, the MB Financial board of directors did not consider it practical
to, nor did it attempt to, quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weights
to the specific factors that it considered in reaching its decision. Individual
directors may, however, have given differing weights to different factors. The
MB Financial board of directors conducted a discussion of the factors described
above, including asking questions of MB Financial's management and legal and
financial advisors, and reached a consensus that the merger was in the best
interests of MB Financial and its stockholders. The MB Financial board of
directors relied on the experience and expertise of Sandler O'Neill for
quantitative analysis of the financial terms of the merger. See "The
Merger-Opinion of MB Financial's Financial Advisor."


         RECOMMENDATION OF THE MB FINANCIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. MB Financial's
board of directors believes that the terms of the merger are fair to, and in the
best interests of, MB Financial and its stockholders and unanimously recommends
that MB Financial stockholders vote "FOR" adoption of the merger agreement.


         MIDCITY FINANCIAL'S REASONS FOR THE MERGER. MidCity Financial's board
of directors believes that the merger presents an excellent opportunity to
combine and expand two complementary banking operations. The board of directors
of MidCity Financial consulted with financial and other advisors and determined
that the merger is consistent with the strategic plans of MidCity Financial and
is in the best interests of MidCity Financial and its stockholders. In reaching
its decision to approve the merger agreement, MidCity Financial's board of
directors considered a number of factors, including but not limited to the
following:



         o        Information concerning the business, earnings, operations,
                  financial condition, prospects, capital levels and asset
                  quality of MidCity Financial and MB Financial, both
                  individually and as combined. In making its determination, the
                  MidCity Financial board of directors took into account the
                  results of MidCity Financial's due diligence review of MB
                  Financial's business.


                                       42


         o        The structure of the merger and the terms of the merger
                  agreement and the other documents executed in connection with
                  the merger, which were reciprocal in nature, including the
                  fact that the fixed exchange ratios provides certainty as to
                  the number of shares of new company common stock to be issued
                  in the merger and that the merger is intended to qualify as a
                  reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue
                  Code and for "pooling of interests" accounting treatment.



         o        MidCity Financial's board of directors' belief that the
                  MidCity Financial exchange ratio, which will result in the
                  stockholders of MidCity Financial owning approximately 60%
                  of the outstanding shares of the new company, was fair given
                  the relative contributions of each of the parties to the new
                  company with respect to market capitalization, financial
                  condition and results of operations, including the
                  contribution by MidCity Financial of approximately 68% of the
                  tangible equity of the new company and the accretion to
                  MidCity Financial's earnings per share discussed below.



         o        The fact that both the MB Financial exchange ratio and MidCity
                  Financial exchange ratio are fixed and contain no adjustment
                  mechanism for stock price changes. The MidCity Financial board
                  determined that fixed exchange ratios were appropriate in view
                  of the long-term strategic purposes of the merger, including
                  the goal to combine the two companies into a platform that
                  creates an opportunity for continued strong earnings growth.
                  While the fixed MidCity Financial exchange ratio exposes
                  MidCity Financial stockholders to a decline in value of the
                  consideration they will receive in the merger to the extent
                  the market price of MB Financial common stock falls, it also
                  presents the opportunity for an increase in value to the
                  extent the price of MB Financial common stock rises. The
                  MidCity Financial board of directors believed that the
                  ultimate value of the new company will not be determined by
                  movements in stock prices between the time of announcement of
                  the merger and closing, but by the performance of the new
                  company over the long-term. The MidCity Financial board of
                  directors also considered the fact that it, like the MB
                  Financial board of directors, would have the right to
                  terminate the merger agreement if (1) the average closing
                  price per share of MB Financial common stock over the 20
                  consecutive trading day period ending on the date on which the
                  last required regulatory approval for the merger has been
                  received (referred to as the "determination date") is less
                  than $13.29, and (2) the percentage decline in value of MB
                  Financial common stock determined by dividing that average
                  price by $16.50, which was the closing price of MB Financial
                  common stock on the day prior to announcement of the merger
                  (referred to as the "start date"), is greater than the
                  percentage decline in value from the start date to the
                  determination date of an index based on the stock prices of a
                  select group of financial institution holding companies, after
                  subtracting 15% from the percentage decline in value of the
                  index.



                  The MidCity Financial board of directors believed that using
                  fixed exchange ratios would be the best means of capturing the
                  relative contribution of each company based on fundamental
                  financial factors. In addition, the MidCity Financial board of
                  directors recognized that the fixed exchange ratios would
                  create relative certainty as to the number of shares that
                  would be issued in the merger. The MidCity Financial board of
                  directors also noted the prevalence of fixed exchange ratios
                  within the financial services industry and the fact that fixed
                  exchange ratios are typically used in merger of equals
                  transactions.






         o        The estimation by MidCity Financial's management that for
                  2002, the merger will be 23% accretive to MidCity Financial's
                  earnings per share not including immediate revenue
                  enhancements and 28% accretive to MidCity Financial's earnings
                  per share including immediate revenue enhancements and 10%
                  dilutive to MidCity Financial's tangible book value as of
                  March 31, 2001, in each case under generally accepted
                  accounting principles.



         o        The estimation by MidCity Financial's management that the
                  merger will result in pre-tax cost savings for the new company
                  of approximately $8.2 million for the year ended December 31,
                  2002, as well as revenue enhancements. Projections foresee at
                  least 60% of cost savings opportunities arising from personnel
                  cuts, and the remainder coming from professional services,


                                       43


                  marketing and other expenses. Revenue enhancements will likely
                  be seen in areas of bank-owned life insurance, trust and
                  investment management, and increased interest income through
                  repositioning of MidCity Financial's securities portfolio into
                  higher yielding loans and leases.



         o        The planned management structure of the new company after the
                  merger, as described under "Management After the Merger,"
                  compares favorably with other recent merger of equals
                  transactions in the banking industry.



         o        The belief of MidCity Financial's management and MidCity
                  Financial's board of directors that MidCity Financial and MB
                  Financial share a common vision with respect to delivering
                  financial performance and stockholder value and that their
                  managements and employees possess complementary skills and
                  expertise. MidCity Financial's board of directors also
                  believed that, given the integration capabilities of MidCity
                  Financial and MB Financial, the level of execution
                  risk in connection with the merger was moderate and the
                  business and financial advantages contemplated in connection
                  with the merger were likely to be achieved within a reasonable
                  timeframe.



         o        The historical stock prices of MB Financial and MidCity
                  Financial.



         o        The current and prospective economic, competitive and
                  regulatory environment facing financial institutions in
                  general and MidCity Financial in particular.



         o        The scale, scope, strength and diversity of operations,
                  product lines and delivery systems that could be achieved by
                  combining MidCity Financial and MB Financial and the prospects
                  for growth and expanded products and services, and other
                  anticipated impacts of the merger on depositors, employees,
                  customers and communities served by MidCity Financial.



         o        The interests of MidCity Financial's directors and executive
                  officers in the merger, in addition to their interests as
                  stockholders, as described under "--Interests of Insiders in
                  the Merger."



         o        The likelihood that the requisite regulatory approvals of the
                  merger will be obtained.



         o        The consistency of the merger with MidCity Financial's
                  long-term business strategy.



         o        MidCity Financial's alternatives to the merger, including the
                  range of possible values of those alternatives and the timing
                  and likelihood of actually receiving those values. The MidCity
                  Financial board of directors believed that, based on the
                  MidCity Financial exchange ratio, the merger would be of
                  greater value to MidCity Financial stockholders than any of
                  the alternatives.



         o        The financial analyses of and presentations by Hovde Financial
                  LLC and Alex Sheshunoff & Co. LLP, as well as the respective
                  opinions of these firms rendered to the MidCity Financial's
                  board of directors that the MidCity Financial exchange ratio,
                  after taking into account the MB Financial exchange ratio, is
                  fair to the stockholders of MidCity Financial from a financial
                  point of view. The MidCity Financial board of directors noted
                  that based on the closing price of MB Financial common stock
                  on April 19, 2001 (the day prior to the announcement of the
                  merger) and the proposed MidCity Financial exchange ratio of
                  230.32955, the per share value of the consideration to be
                  received in the merger by MidCity Financial stockholders was
                  $3,800.



         o        The possibility that the merger might not be consummated and
                  the potential adverse effects of the failure to consummate the
                  merger on:



                  o        MidCity Financial's operating results;


                  o        the ability of MidCity Financial to implement its
                           business plan; and


                  o        the overall competitive position and prospects of
                           MidCity Financial.


                                      44


         o        The risk that the potential benefits of the merger, including
                  results expected or considered in the factors listed above,
                  such as estimated revenue enhancements, cost savings and
                  earnings accretion, may not be realized.



         o        Other applicable risks described in this joint proxy
                  statement-prospectus under "Risk Factors."



         The above discussion of the information and factors considered by
MidCity Financial's board of directors is not exhaustive, but includes all
material factors considered by MidCity Financial's board of directors. In
view of the wide variety of factors considered by MidCity Financial's board
of directors in connection with its evaluation of the merger and the
complexity of such matters, MidCity Financial's board of directors did not
consider it practical to, nor did it attempt to, quantify, rank or otherwise
assign relative weights to the specific factors that it considered in
reaching its decision, though individual directors may have given differing
weights to different factors. MidCity Financial's board of directors
conducted a discussion of the factors described above, including asking
questions of MidCity Financial's management and legal and financial advisors,
and reached a consensus that the potential benefits of the merger to MidCity
Financial and its stockholders outweighed the risks associated with
the merger and that the merger was in the best interests of MidCity Financial
and its stockholders. MidCity Financial's board of directors relied on the
experience and expertise of Hovde Financial LLC and Alex Sheshunoff & Co. LLP
for quantitative analysis of the financial terms of the merger. See "The
Merger-Opinions of MidCity Financial's Financial Advisors."


         RECOMMENDATION OF THE MIDCITY FINANCIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. MidCity
Financial's board of directors believes that the terms of the merger are fair
to, and in the best interests of, MidCity Financial and its stockholders and
unanimously recommends that MidCity Financial stockholders vote "FOR"
adoption of the merger agreement.

OPINION OF MB FINANCIAL'S FINANCIAL ADVISOR

         By letter agreement dated as of February 6, 2001, MB Financial
retained Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P. as an independent financial advisor
in connection with MB Financial's consideration of a possible merger with
MidCity Financial. At the request of MB Financial's board of directors,
representatives of Sandler O'Neill attended the April 9, 2001 meeting at
which the board determined to approve the merger agreement, subject to
satisfactory resolution of certain open issues. At that meeting, Sandler
O'Neill made a presentation to the MB Financial board of directors on the
financial terms of the proposed transaction. On April 19, 2001, the date of
the merger agreement, Sandler O'Neill issued its opinion that, as of that
date, the MB Financial exchange ratio, after taking into account the MidCity
Financial exchange ratio, was fair to MB Financial stockholders from a
financial point of view. The full text of Sandler O'Neill's opinion is
attached as Appendix B to this joint proxy statement-prospectus. The opinion
outlines the procedures followed, assumptions made, matters considered and
qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken by Sandler O'Neill in
rendering the opinion. The description of the opinion set forth below is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the opinion. MB Financial
stockholders are urged to read the opinion carefully and in its entirety in
connection with their consideration of the proposed merger.

         SANDLER O'NEILL'S OPINION WAS DIRECTED TO THE MB FINANCIAL BOARD OF
DIRECTORS AND WAS PROVIDED TO THE BOARD FOR ITS INFORMATION IN CONNECTION
WITH ITS CONSIDERATION OF THE MERGER. THE OPINION IS DIRECTED ONLY TO THE
FAIRNESS OF THE MB FINANCIAL EXCHANGE RATIO TO MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS FROM
A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW. IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING BUSINESS
DECISION OF MB FINANCIAL TO ENGAGE IN THE MERGER OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF THE
MERGER AND IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO ANY MB FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDER AS TO HOW
SUCH STOCKHOLDER SHOULD VOTE AT THE MB FINANCIAL SPECIAL MEETING WITH RESPECT
TO THE MERGER OR ANY OTHER MATTER.

         In arriving at its opinion, Sandler O'Neill reviewed and considered,
among other things:

         o        the merger agreement and certain of the exhibits and schedules
                  thereto;


         o        publicly available financial statements and other historical
                  financial information of MB Financial that they deemed
                  relevant;


                                      45



         o        publicly available financial statements and other historical
                  financial information of MidCity Financial that they deemed
                  relevant;


         o        projected earnings per share estimates for MB Financial for
                  the years ending December 31, 2001 and 2002 provided by MB
                  Financial, consensus earnings per share estimates for MB
                  Financial for the years ending December 31, 2001 and 2002
                  published by IBES and the views of senior management of MB
                  Financial, based on limited discussions with members of senior
                  management, regarding MB Financial's past and present
                  business, financial condition, results of operations and
                  future prospects;

         o        projected earnings per share estimates for MidCity Financial
                  for the years ending December 31, 2001 and 2002 provided by
                  MidCity Financial, and the views of senior management of
                  MidCity Financial, based on limited discussions with members
                  of senior management, regarding MidCity Financial's past and
                  present business, financial condition, results of operations
                  and future prospects;

         o        the pro forma financial impact of the merger, taking into
                  consideration the amounts and timing of the transaction costs
                  and cost savings, which the managements of MB Financial and
                  MidCity Financial estimate will result from the merger;

         o        the relative contributions of MB Financial and MidCity
                  Financial to the combined company;

         o        the publicly reported historical price and trading activity
                  for MB Financial's common stock;


         o        a comparison of selected financial and stock market
                  information for MB Financial and financial information for
                  MidCity Financial with similar publicly available information
                  for other companies the securities of which are publicly
                  traded;



         o        the financial terms of business combinations in the financial
                  institutions industry structured as mergers of equals, to the
                  extent publicly available;


         o        the current market environment generally and the banking
                  environment in particular; and

         o        such other information, financial studies, analyses and
                  investigations and financial, economic and market criteria as
                  they considered relevant.

         In performing its reviews and analyses and in rendering its opinion,
Sandler O'Neill assumed and relied upon the accuracy and completeness of all
the financial information, analyses and other information that was publicly
available or otherwise furnished to, reviewed by or discussed with it and
further relied on the assurances of management of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial that they were not aware of any facts or circumstances that would
make such information inaccurate or misleading. Sandler O'Neill was not asked
to and did not undertake an independent verification of the accuracy or
completeness of any of such information and they do not assume any
responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of any of such
information. Sandler O'Neill did not make an independent evaluation or
appraisal of the assets, the collateral securing assets or the liabilities,
contingent or otherwise, of MB Financial or MidCity Financial or any of their
respective subsidiaries, or the collectibility of any such assets, nor was it
furnished with any such evaluations or appraisals. Sandler O'Neill is not an
expert in the evaluation of allowances for loan losses and it has not made an
independent evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses of MB
Financial or MidCity Financial, nor has it reviewed any individual credit
files relating to MB Financial or MidCity Financial. With MB Financial's
consent, Sandler O'Neill has assumed that the respective allowances for loan
losses for both MB Financial and MidCity Financial are adequate to cover such
losses and will be adequate on a pro forma basis for the new company. In
addition, Sandler O'Neill has not conducted any physical inspection of the
properties or facilities of MB Financial or MidCity Financial. Sandler
O'Neill is not an accounting firm and they have relied, with MB Financial's
consent, on the reports of the independent accountants of MB Financial and
MidCity Financial for the accuracy and completeness of the audited financial
statements furnished to them.


                                      46


         With the consent of MB Financial, the earnings projections for MB
Financial and MidCity Financial on a stand-alone basis used and relied upon by
Sandler O'Neill in its analyses were reviewed with management and were based on
internal projections of MB Financial and MidCity Financial. For the year ending
December 31, 2002, Sandler O'Neill's analyses assumed a projected earnings per
share of $2.16 for MB Financial and $421.67 for MidCity Financial. For periods
after 2002, Sandler O'Neill used earnings per share estimates provided by
management for MB Financial and assumed an annual growth rate on MidCity
Financial's earning assets of approximately 5%. With respect to such estimates
and with respect to all projections of transaction costs and expected cost
savings prepared by and reviewed with the managements of MB Financial and
MidCity Financial and used by Sandler O'Neill in its analyses, Sandler O'Neill
assumed, with MB Financial's consent, that they reflected the best currently
available estimates and judgments of the respective managements of the
respective future financial performances of MB Financial and MidCity Financial
and that such performances will be achieved. Sandler O'Neill expressed no
opinion as to such financial projections or estimates or the assumptions on
which they were based. The earnings projections furnished to Sandler O'Neill
were prepared by the senior managements of MB Financial and MidCity Financial
for internal purposes only and not with a view toward public disclosure. Those
projections, as well as the other earnings estimates used and relied upon by
Sandler O'Neill in its analyses, were based on numerous variables and
assumptions that are inherently uncertain; accordingly, actual results could
vary materially from those set forth in such projections and estimates.

         Sandler O'Neill's opinion was necessarily based upon market,
economic and other conditions as they existed on, and could be evaluated as
of, the date of its opinion. Sandler O'Neill assumed, in all respects
material to its analysis, that all of the representations and warranties
contained in the merger agreement and all related agreements are true and
correct, that each party to such agreements will perform all of the covenants
required to be performed by such party under such agreements and that the
conditions precedent in the Agreement are not waived. Sandler O'Neill also
assumed, with MB Financial's consent, that there has been no material change
in MB Financial's or MidCity Financial's assets, financial condition, results
of operations, business or prospects since the date of the last publicly
filed financial statements available to them, that MB Financial and MidCity
Financial will remain as going concerns for all periods relevant to its
analyses, and that the merger of MB Financial into the new company and the
merger of MidCity Financial into the new company each will be accounted for
as a pooling of interests and will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for
federal income tax purposes.

         In rendering its opinion, Sandler O'Neill performed a variety of
financial analyses. The following is a summary of the material analyses
performed by Sandler O'Neill, but is not a complete description of all the
analyses underlying Sandler O'Neill's opinion. The summary includes
information presented in tabular format. IN ORDER TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE
FINANCIAL ANALYSES, THESE TABLES MUST BE READ TOGETHER WITH THE ACCOMPANYING
TEXT. THE TABLES ALONE DO NOT CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE
FINANCIAL ANALYSES. The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex
process involving subjective judgments as to the most appropriate and
relevant methods of financial analysis and the application of those methods
to the particular circumstances. The process, therefore, is not necessarily
susceptible to a partial analysis or summary description. Sandler O'Neill
believes that its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting
only portions of the factors and analyses, or attempting to ascribe relative
weights to such factors and analyses, could create an incomplete view of the
evaluation process underlying its opinion. Also, no company included in
Sandler O'Neill's comparative analyses described below is identical to MB
Financial or MidCity Financial and no transaction is identical to the merger.
Accordingly, an analysis of comparable companies or transactions is not
merely mathematical; rather it involves complex considerations and judgments
concerning differences in financial and operating characteristics of the
companies and other factors that could affect the trading values or merger
transaction values, as the case may be, of MB Financial or MidCity Financial
and the companies to which they are being compared.

         In performing its analyses, Sandler O'Neill also made numerous
assumptions with respect to industry performance, business and economic
conditions and various other matters, many of which cannot be predicted and
are beyond the control of MB Financial, MidCity Financial and Sandler
O'Neill. The analyses performed by Sandler O'Neill are not necessarily
indicative of actual values or future results, which may be significantly
more or less favorable than suggested by such analyses. Sandler O'Neill
prepared its analyses solely for purposes of rendering its opinion and
provided such analyses to the MB Financial board at the April 19, 2001
meeting. Estimates on the values of companies do not purport to be appraisals
or necessarily reflect the prices at which


                                      47


companies or their securities may actually be sold. Such estimates are
inherently subject to uncertainty and actual values may be materially
different. Accordingly, Sandler O'Neill's analyses do not necessarily reflect
the value of MB Financial common stock or MidCity Financial common stock or
the prices at which MB Financial common stock or MidCity Financial common
stock may be sold at any time.


     The following table summarizes the implied per share equity value for MB
Financial and MidCity Financial derived from the analyses indicated, each of
which is described in greater detail below.




                                                    Implied Value per         Implied Value per
Valuation Methodology                               MB Financial Share        MidCity Financial Share
---------------------                               ------------------        -----------------------
                                                                        
Implied transaction value based on:(1)
         MB Financial Exchange Ratio                $16.50                    N/A
         MidCity Financial Exchange Ratio           N/A                       $3,800.44

Discounted Dividend Stream and
Terminal Value Analysis based on:
         Price/Earnings Multiples                   $13.77 - $42.67           $2,549 - $7,178
         Price/Tangible Book Value Multiples        $10.96 - $33.93           $3,203 - $9,201

---------------------------
(1) Calculated using closing price of MB Financial common stock on April 19,
    2001 of $16.50.

Additional analyses performed by Sandler O'Neill that were not intended to
arrive at an implied equity value range are also described below but are not
included in the above table. Such analyses are particularly relevant in the
context of a merger-of-equals transaction, and shareholders are urged to read
and consider each of the analyses summarized below.


         STOCK TRADING HISTORY. Sandler O'Neill reviewed the history of the
reported trading prices and volume of MB Financial common stock and the
relationship between the movements in the prices of MB Financial common stock
to movements in certain stock indices, including the Standard & Poor's 500
Index, the Nasdaq Bank Index and the median performance of a composite peer
group selected by Sandler O'Neill. During the one year period ended April 19,
2001, MB Financial's common stock outperformed each of the indices to which
it was compared. MidCity Financial is a private company and there were
minimal shares traded during the review period.




                                       BEGINNING INDEX VALUE           ENDING INDEX VALUE
                                          APRIL 19, 2000                APRIL 19, 2001
                                  -------------------------------   ---------------------------
                                                              
MB Financial                                 100.00%                           178.38%
Peer Group                                   100.00                            106.16
Nasdaq Bank Index                            100.00                            125.65
S&P 500 Index                                100.00                             86.16


         COMPARABLE COMPANY ANALYSIS. Sandler O'Neill used publicly available
information to compare selected financial information for MB Financial and
MidCity Financial with two groups of commercial banks selected by Sandler
O'Neill. The regional group consisted of MB Financial, MidCity Financial and
the following 15 publicly traded regional commercial banks:

   Capitol Bancorp Ltd.                         Chemical Financial Corp.
   Community Trust Bancorp                      First Busey Corp.
   First Financial Corp.                        First Merchants Corp.
   Heartland Financial USA Inc.                 Independent Bank Corp.
   Irwin Financial Corp.                        MBT Financial Corp.
   Mid-America Bancorp                          Midwest Banc Holdings Inc.
   Mississippi Valley Bancshares                Republic Bancorp Inc.
   Wintrust Financial Corp.

         The highly valued group consisted of the following 14 publicly
traded commercial banks which had a return on average equity greater than 16%
(based on last twelve months' earnings) and a price-to-tangible book value
greater than 200%:

   Cathay Bancorp Inc.                          CCBT Financial Cos.
   Community Bank System Inc.                   CVB Financial Corp.
   East West Bancorp Inc.                       Frontier Financial Corp.
   Irwin Financial Corp.                        Midwest Banc Holdings Inc.
   Mississippi Valley Bancshares                S&T Bancorp Inc.
   Sterling Bancshares Inc.                     Texas Regional Bancshares Inc.
   TrustCo Bank Corp of NY                      United National Bancorp

         The analysis compared publicly available financial information for
MB Financial, MidCity Financial and the median data for the regional group
and highly valued group as of and for each of the years ended December 31,
1995 through 2000. The table below sets forth the comparative data as of and
for the twelve months ended December 31, 2000 with pricing data as of April
19, 2001 (Source: SNL DATA SOURCE).




                                                                                                            Highly
                                                     MB               MidCity            Regional           Valued
                                                  Financial          Financial            Group              Group
                                               ---------------    ---------------     --------------     -------------
                                                                                             
Total assets                                   $1,458,248         $1,831,953          $1,783,791         $2,187,090
Tangible equity / total assets                 5.30%              9.03%               7.48%              7.77%
Intangible assets / total equity               15.77%             9.34%               9.34%              4.15%
Net loans / total assets                       74.66%             51.42%              71.75%             64.42%
Gross loans / total deposits                   103.11%            61.39%              91.25%             84.11%


                                      48




                                                                                             
Total borrowings / total assets                17.57%             4.27%               12.53%             18.22%
Non-performing assets / total assets           0.38%              0.56%               0.43%              0.28%
Loan loss reserves / gross loans               1.26%              1.29%               1.29%              1.39%
Net interest margin                            3.62%              3.76%               3.82%              4.41%
Non-interest income / average assets           0.75%              0.56%               0.89%              0.92%
Fees/revenues                                  18.96%             13.81%              18.96%             17.97%
Non-interest expense / average assets          2.57%              2.71%               2.78%              2.37%
Efficiency ratio                               61.14%             64.30%              56.30%             46.49%
Return on average assets                       0.84%              0.88%               1.06%              1.55%
Return on average equity                       13.86%             8.89%               13.78%             19.53%
EPS growth rate                                8.61%              (14.08)%(1)         11.96%             13.78%
Price / tangible book value per share          150.82%            NA                  166.73%            226.04%
Price / earnings per share                     10.06x             NA                  11.65x             12.68x
Dividend yield                                 0.0%               NA                  2.81%              2.43%
Dividend payout ratio                          0.0%               31.97%              34.24%             30.49%


----------------------------------

(1) Represents negative growth.


         ANALYSIS OF SELECTED MERGER TRANSACTIONS. Sandler O'Neill reviewed
14 transactions structured as mergers of equals announced since January 1,
1995 involving publicly traded commercial banks and savings institutions with
transaction values greater than $100 million. For each transaction, Sandler
O'Neill reviewed the ownership split, board split and the percentage
contribution each company made to the combined company's market
capitalization, total assets, common stockholders' equity and projected
income. The results of this analysis are set forth in the table below.


                                       49






                                                                                                   Contribution (%)
                                                           Owner-                     -------------------------------------------
                                                           ship          Board        Market      Total      Common     Projected
          Transaction                       Date           Split         Split         Cap        Assets     Equity      Income
-----------------------------------        -------        -------        -------      ------      ------     ------     ---------
                                                                                                   
First Union Corp./Wachovia Corp.           04/15/01       70%/30%        50%/50%       72%        77%         71%         70%
                                                                                       28         23          29          30
New York Community Bancorp/                03/17/01        62/38          55/45        63%        57%         49%         62%
  Richmond County Financial Corp.                                                      37         43          51          38
Firstar Corp./U.S. Bancorp                 10/04/00        50/50          56/44        56%        46%         43%         48%
                                                                                       44         54          57          52
National Commerce/CCB Financial            03/20/00        53/47          50/50        59%        46%         44%         49%
                                                                                       41         54          56          51
Fleet Financial Group/BankBoston           03/14/99        62/38          55/45        65%        59%         60%         64%
                                                                                       35         41          40          36
UNUM Corp./Provident                       11/23/98        58/42          53/47        58%        39%         48%         43%
                                                                                       42         61          52          57
Star Banc/Firstar                          11/22/98        46/51          56/44        59%        46%         47%         53%
                                                                                       41         55          53          48
Norwest/Wells Fargo                        07/01/98        47/53          50/50        49%        50%         36%         46%
                                                                                       51         50          64          54
Citizens Bancshares/Mid Am                 05/25/98        49/51          50/50        51%        44%         49%         48%
                                                                                       49         56          51          52
Bank One/First Chicago/NBD                 04/13/98        60/40          50/50        62%        52%         59%         64%
                                                                                       38         48          41          36
NationsBank/Bank America                   04/13/98        55/45          55/45        55%        54%         56%         58%
                                                                                       45         46          44          42
Travelers/Citicorp                         04/06/98        50/50          50/50        52%        55%         50%         47%
                                                                                       48         45          50          33
Chemical Banking Corp./Chase               08/28/95        57/43          57/43        59%        59%         57%         59%
  Manhattan                                                                            41         41          43          41
NBD Corp./First Chicago                    07/12/95        49/51          50/50        49%        40%         46%         50%
                                                                                       51         60          54          50
MB FINANCIAL/MIDCITY FINANCIAL             04/19/01        40/60          47/53       N/A         46%         32%         45%
                                                                                      N/A         54          68          55



         DISCOUNTED DIVIDEND STREAM AND TERMINAL VALUE ANALYSIS. Sandler O'Neill
performed an analysis which estimated the future stream of dividend flows of MB
Financial through December 31, 2004 under various circumstances, assuming MB
Financial's current dividend payout ratio and that MB Financial performed in
accordance with the earnings estimates prepared by management. To approximate
the terminal value of MB Financial common stock at December 31, 2004, Sandler
O'Neill applied price/earnings multiples ranging from 8x to 20x and applied
multiples of tangible book value ranging from 100% to 250%. The dividend income
streams and terminal values were then discounted to present values using
different discount rates ranging from 9% to 15% chosen to reflect different
assumptions regarding required rates of return of holders or prospective buyers
of MB Financial common stock. As illustrated in the following table, this
analysis indicated an imputed range of values per share of MB Financial common
stock of $13.77 to $42.67 when applying the price/earnings multiples and $10.96
to $33.93 when applying multiples of tangible book value. Based on the closing
price of MB Financial common stock on April 19, 2001 of $16.50 and the MB
Financial exchange ratio of one share of new company common stock for each share
of MB Financial common stock, the implied transaction value per share of MB
Financial common stock was $16.50.




                                 Price/Earnings Multiples                              Tangible Book Value Multiples
                  ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
    Discount
      Rate             8x           12x            16x           20x          1.0x          1.5x          2.0x         2.50x
----------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
                                                                                            
        9%              $17.07        $25.60        $34.13        $42.67        $13.57        $20.36        $27.15         $33.93
       11                15.87         23.80         31.74         39.67         12.62         18.93         25.24          31.55
       13                14.78         22.16         29.55         36.94         11.75         17.63         23.50          29.38
       15                13.77         20.66         27.55         34.44         10.96         16.43         21.91          27.39



                                         50



         Sandler O'Neill also performed an analysis which estimated the future
stream of dividend flows of MidCity Financial through December 31, 2004 under
various circumstances, assuming MidCity Financial's current dividend payout
ratio and that MidCity Financial performed in accordance with the earnings
estimates reviewed with management. For periods after 2002, Sandler O'Neill
assumed an annual growth rate of earning assets of approximately 5.0%. To
approximate the terminal value of MidCity Financial common stock at December 31,
2004, Sandler O'Neill applied price/earnings multiples ranging from 8x to 20x
and applied multiples of tangible book value ranging from 100% to 250%. The
dividend income streams and terminal values were then discounted to present
values using different discount rates ranging from 9% to 15% chosen to reflect
different assumptions regarding required rates of return of holders or
prospective buyers of MidCity Financial common stock. As illustrated in the
following table, this analysis indicated an imputed range of values per share of
MidCity Financial common stock of $2,549 to $7,178 when applying the
price/earnings multiples and $3,203 to $9,201 when applying multiples of
tangible book value. Based on the closing price of MB Financial common stock on
April 19, 2001 of $16.50 and the MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955
shares of new company common stock for each share of MidCity Financial common
stock, Sandler O'Neill calculated an implied transaction value per share of
MidCity Financial common stock of $3,800.44.




                                 Price/Earnings Multiples                              Tangible Book Value Multiples
                  ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
    Discount
      Rate             8x           12x            16x           20x          1.0x          1.5x          2.0x         2.50x
----------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
                                                                                            
       9%          $3,122         $4,474        $5,826        $7,178        $3,932         $5,688        $7,445        $9,201
      11            2,914          4,171         5,428         6,685         3,667          5,300         6,933         8,567
      13            2,724          3,894         5,065         6,235         3,425          4,945         6,466         7,987
      15            2,549          3,640         4,731         5,822         3,203          4,620         6,038         7,455


         Sandler O'Neill discussed the above ranges of values with the MB
Financial board of directors, with particular focus on the range of values
indicated by applying price/earnings multiples of 10x to 14x and price/tangible
book values of 150% to 225%. In connection with its analyses, Sandler O'Neill
considered and discussed with the MB Financial board of directors how the
present value analysis would be affected by changes in the underlying
assumptions, including variations with respect to the growth rate of assets, net
income and dividend payout ratio. Sandler O'Neill noted that the discounted
dividend stream and terminal value analysis is a widely used valuation
methodology, but the results of such methodology are highly dependent upon the
numerous assumptions that must be made, and the results thereof are not
necessarily indicative of actual values or future results.

         PRO FORMA MERGER ANALYSIS. Sandler O'Neill analyzed certain potential
pro forma effects of the merger, based upon (1) the MB Financial exchange ratio
of 1.0 and an implied transaction value of $16.50 per share of MB Financial
common stock, (2) the MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955 and an
implied transaction value of $3,800.44 per share of MidCity Financial common
stock, (3) the earnings per share estimates and projections of MB Financial and
MidCity Financial referred to above, and (4) assumptions regarding the economic
environment, accounting and tax treatment of the merger, charges and transaction
costs associated with the merger and operating efficiencies determined by the
senior managements of MB Financial and MidCity Financial. The analysis indicated
that for the year ending December 31, 2002, the first full year following the
merger, the merger would be accretive to MB Financial's projected earnings per
share. Also, the analysis indicated that the merger would be accretive to
MidCity Financial's earnings per share for the same period. The actual results
achieved by MB Financial, MidCity Financial or the new company may vary from
projected results and the variations may be material.




                                                 MB Financial                        MidCity Financial
                                     -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Stand-alone         Pro Forma         Stand-alone       Pro Forma (1)
                                     -----------------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------
                                                                                  
Projected 2002 EPS                         $2.16              $2.24            $421.67            $515.93

--------------------

(1) Determined by multiplying the MB Financial value by the MidCity Financial
exchange ratio.


                                        51



         CONTRIBUTION ANALYSIS. Sandler O'Neill reviewed the relative
contributions to be made by MB Financial and MidCity Financial to the new
company based on financial information of MB Financial and MidCity Financial for
the period ended March 31, 2001, adjusted in the case of MB Financial for its
then-pending acquisition of FSL Holdings, Inc. (completed in May 2001). The
percentage of pro forma shares owned was determined using the MB Financial
exchange ratio of 1.0 and the MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955.
This analysis indicated that the implied contributions to the new company were
as follows:




                                                          MB Financial               MidCity Financial
                                                   --------------------------    -----------------------
                                                                           
Total assets                                                   46.05%                       53.95%
Total cash and securities                                      26.70                        73.30
Total net loans                                                54.44                        45.56
Total goodwill                                                 54.74                        45.26
Total deposits                                                 43.60                        56.40
Total borrowings                                               81.52                        18.48
Tangible equity                                                29.18                        70.82
Total equity                                                   32.38                        67.62
2001 estimated net income                                      45.48                        54.52
Percentage of pro forma shares owned(1)                        40.00                        60.00


-----------------------
(1)      Based on total number of shares of new company common stock projected
         to be outstanding upon completion of the merger without giving effect
         to the outstanding options to acquire shares of MB Financial. Assuming
         full exercise of all outstanding options, the percentage ownership
         would be 42.7% for MB Financial and 57.3% for MidCity Financial.

         Sandler O'Neill is a nationally recognized investment banking firm
whose principal business specialty is financial institutions. In the ordinary
course of its investment banking business, Sandler O'Neill is regularly engaged
in the valuation of financial institutions and their securities in connection
with mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Sandler O'Neill
has previously rendered investment banking services to MB Financial unrelated to
the merger, for which Sandler O'Neill received customary compensation. MB
Financial selected Sandler O'Neill to act as its financial advisor on the basis
of Sandler O'Neill's reputation and its prior experience and familiarity with MB
Financial.

         MB Financial has agreed to pay Sandler O'Neill a transaction fee of
$925,000 in connection with the merger, of which $231,250 has been paid and the
balance of which is contingent, and payable, upon closing of the merger. MB
Financial has also paid Sandler O'Neill a fee of $150,000 for rendering its
fairness opinion, which will be credited against that portion of the transaction
fee due upon closing of the merger. MB Financial has also agreed to reimburse
Sandler O'Neill for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection
with its engagement up to a maximum of $15,000 and to indemnify Sandler O'Neill
and its affiliates and their respective partners, directors, officers,
employees, agents, and controlling persons against certain expenses and
liabilities, including liabilities under securities laws. In the ordinary course
of its business as a broker-dealer, Sandler O'Neill may purchase securities from
and sell securities to MB Financial and MidCity Financial and may actively trade
the equity or debt securities of MB Financial and MidCity Financial and their
respective affiliates for its own account and for the accounts of customers and,
accordingly, may at any time hold a long or short position in such securities.

OPINIONS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL'S FINANCIAL ADVISORS

         MidCity Financial engaged Hovde Financial LLC and Alex Sheshunoff &
Company LLP as its financial advisors in connection with the merger based on
their experience and expertise. Hovde and Alex Sheshunoff are nationally
recognized investment banking firms that have substantial experience in
transactions similar to the merger.

         OPINION OF HOVDE FINANCIAL LLC. The board of directors of MidCity
Financial has requested that Hovde render its opinion with respect to the
fairness, from a financial point of view, of the MidCity Financial exchange
ratio from the standpoint of the MidCity Financial stockholders. IN EVALUATING
THE HOVDE OPINION, STOCKHOLDERS


                                      52


SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT THAT HOVDE-AFFILIATED ENTITIES OWN MORE
THAN 5% OF OUTSTANDING SHARES OF MB FINANCIAL COMMON STOCK. BECAUSE OF THE
HOVDE-AFFILIATED ENTITIES' INVESTMENT INTEREST IN MB FINANCIAL, THE MIDCITY
FINANCIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS SOUGHT AND OBTAINED THE OPINION OF SHESHUNOFF
WITH RESPECT TO THE FAIRNESS OF THE MIDCITY FINANCIAL EXCHANGE RATIO, FROM A
FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW, TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL.

         On April 18, 2001, Hovde rendered its oral opinion that, as of such
date, the MidCity Financial exchange ratio was fair, from a financial point
of view, to the holders of MidCity Financial's common stock. This opinion was
confirmed in writing as of April 19, 2001, the date on which the merger
agreement was executed. In requesting Hovde's advice and opinion, no
limitations were imposed by MidCity Financial upon Hovde with respect to the
investigations made or procedures followed by it in rendering its opinion.

         THE FULL TEXT OF THE OPINION OF HOVDE, DATED APRIL 19, 2001, WHICH
DESCRIBES THE PROCEDURES FOLLOWED, ASSUMPTIONS MADE, MATTERS CONSIDERED AND
LIMITATIONS ON THE REVIEW UNDERTAKEN, IS ATTACHED TO THIS JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS AS APPENDIX C. MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD
READ THIS OPINION IN ITS ENTIRETY. HOVDE'S OPINION IS DIRECTED ONLY TO THE
FAIRNESS, FROM A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW, OF THE MIDCITY FINANCIAL EXCHANGE
RATIO, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A RECOMMENDATION TO ANY MIDCITY FINANCIAL
STOCKHOLDER AS TO HOW THE STOCKHOLDER SHOULD VOTE AT THE MIDCITY FINANCIAL
SPECIAL MEETING. THE SUMMARY OF THE OPINION OF HOVDE SET FORTH IN THIS JOINT
PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO THE
FULL TEXT OF THE OPINION.

         Hovde, as part of its investment banking business, is continually
engaged in the valuation of businesses and their securities in connection with
mergers and acquisitions, negotiated underwritings, competitive bidding,
secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private placements
and valuations for estate, corporate and other purposes. Hovde is familiar with
MidCity Financial, having acted as its financial advisor in connection with, and
having participated in the negotiations leading to, the merger agreement. Hovde
is also familiar with MB Financial, as from time to time it has provided
investment banking and financial advisory services to MB Financial for which it
previously has received fees. In the course of its daily trading activities,
investment funds controlled by an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule
12g-2 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of
Hovde and its affiliates may from time to time effect transactions and hold
securities of MidCity Financial and MB Financial. As of the date of its opinion,
Hovde-affiliated entities held no shares of MidCity Financial common stock and
402,838 shares of MB Financial common stock.


         Hovde will receive a fee contingent upon the completion of the merger
for services rendered in connection with advising MidCity Financial regarding
the merger, including the fairness opinion and financial advisory services
provided to MidCity Financial. As of the date of this joint proxy
statement-prospectus, this fee would have been approximately $2.1 million. Hovde
has received $300,000 of this fee to date. Other than the services and fees
identified above, Hovde has not provided any other services to MidCity Financial
and has not received any other compensation from MidCity Financial in the past.
In the past two years, Hovde provided financial advisory services to MB
Financial in conjunction with its acquisition of FSL Holdings, Inc. and received
compensation from MB Financial for such services in the amount of $450,000.
Hovde may provide these types of services to the new company after the merger
and receive fees for those services.


         The following is a summary of the analyses performed by Hovde in
connection with its fairness opinion. Certain of these analyses were presented
to the MidCity Financial board of directors. The summary set forth below does
not purport to be a complete description of either the analyses performed by
Hovde in rendering its opinion or the presentation made by Hovde to the MidCity
Financial board of directors, but it does summarize all of the material analyses
performed and presented by Hovde.

         The preparation of a fairness opinion involves various determinations
as to the most appropriate and relevant methods of financial analyses and the
application of those methods to the particular circumstances. In arriving at its
opinion, Hovde did not attribute any particular weight to any analysis and
factor considered by it, but rather made qualitative judgments as to the
significance and relevance of each analysis and factor. Hovde may have given
various analyses more or less weight than other analyses. Accordingly, Hovde
believes that its analyses and the following summary must be considered as a
whole and that selecting portions of its analyses, without


                                       53



considering all factors and analyses, could create an incomplete view of the
process underlying the analyses set forth in its report to the MidCity
Financial board of directors and its fairness opinion.

         In performing its analyses, Hovde made numerous assumptions with
respect to industry performance, general business and economic conditions and
other matters, many of which are beyond the control of MidCity Financial and MB
Financial. The analyses performed by Hovde are not necessarily indicative of
actual value or actual future results, which may be significantly more or less
favorable than suggested by these analyses. These analyses were prepared solely
as part of Hovde's analysis of the fairness of the MidCity Financial exchange
ratio, from a financial point of view, to the MidCity Financial stockholders.
The analyses do not purport to be an appraisal or to reflect the prices at which
a company might actually be sold or the prices at which any securities may trade
at the present time or at any time in the future. Hovde's opinion does not
address the relative merits of the merger as compared to any other business
combination in which MidCity Financial might engage. In addition, as described
above, Hovde's opinion to the MidCity Financial board of directors was one of
many factors taken into consideration by the MidCity Financial board of
directors in making its determination to approve the merger agreement.

         During the course of Hovde's engagement and for the purposes of the
opinion discussed herein, Hovde has:

         -        reviewed the merger agreement;

         -        reviewed certain historical publicly available business and
                  financial information concerning MidCity Financial and MB
                  Financial;

         -        reviewed certain internal financial statements and other
                  financial and operating data concerning MidCity Financial and
                  MB Financial;

         -        analyzed certain financial projections prepared by the
                  managements of MidCity Financial and MB Financial;

         -        conducted meetings with members of the senior management of
                  MidCity Financial and MB Financial for the purpose of
                  reviewing the future prospects of MidCity Financial and MB
                  Financial, including financial forecasts related to the
                  respective businesses, earnings, assets, liabilities and the
                  amount and timing of cost savings and revenue enhancements
                  (referred to below as the "synergies") expected to be achieved
                  as a result of the merger;

         -        reviewed historical market prices and trading volumes for
                  MidCity Financial common stock and MB Financial common stock;

         -        evaluated the pro forma ownership of new company common stock
                  by MidCity Financial's stockholders relative to the pro forma
                  contribution of MidCity Financial's assets, liabilities,
                  equity and earnings to the new company;

         -        reviewed the terms of recent merger and acquisition
                  transactions, to the extent publicly available, involving
                  banks and bank holding companies that Hovde considered
                  relevant;

         -        analyzed the pro forma impact of the merger on the new
                  company's post-merger earnings per share, consolidated
                  capitalization and financial ratios; and

         -        performed such other analyses and considered such other
                  factors as Hovde has deemed appropriate.

         In rendering this opinion, Hovde has assumed, without independent
verification, the accuracy and completeness of the financial and other
information and representations contained in the materials provided to Hovde by
MidCity Financial and MB Financial and in the discussions with MidCity Financial
and MB Financial managements. In that regard, Hovde has assumed that the
financial forecasts, including, without limitation, the


                                      54


synergies and projections regarding under-performing and non-performing
assets and net charge-offs have been reasonably prepared on a basis
reflecting the best currently available information and judgments and
estimates of MidCity Financial and MB Financial and that these forecasts will
be realized in the amounts and at the times contemplated thereby. Hovde is
not an expert in the evaluation of loan and lease portfolios for purposes of
assessing the adequacy of the allowances for losses with respect thereto and
have assumed that such allowances for MidCity Financial and MB Financial are
in the aggregate adequate to cover such losses. Hovde was not retained to and
did not conduct a physical inspection of any of the properties or facilities
of MidCity Financial or MB Financial. In addition, Hovde has not reviewed
individual credit files nor has it made an independent evaluation or
appraisal of the assets and liabilities of MidCity Financial and MB Financial
and Hovde was not furnished with any such evaluations or appraisals.



         The implied value of a merger-of-equals transaction cannot be
directly compared to the value that could be received in a sale of either of
the constituent companies because a merger-of-equals transaction is not
equivalent to an outright sale. Accordingly, Hovde did not create an implied
value for MidCity Financial by analyzing sales of other companies similar in
size to MidCity Financial. In merger-of-equals transactions, investment
advisors typically focus on discounted cash flow analysis, contribution
analysis and financial implications analysis in determining the fairness of
the transaction. While Hovde did perform an implied offer value analysis,
based on the average closing price of MB Financial common stock for the 10
trading days ended April 6, 2001, that indicated a value per MidCity
Financial share of $3,741.42, the other analyses performed by Hovde suggest
that the value of the merger to MidCity Financial stockholders is
significantly more than this amount. The table below summarizes the
discounted cash flow, contribution, financial implications, comparable
company and implied offer value analyses performed by Hovde, all of which are
described in greater detail below. Additional analyses performed by Hovde
that are less significant in determining the fairness of a merger-of-equals
transaction are also described below but are not included in the table.




         METHOD OF ANALYSIS                        DETERMINATION
-------------------------------------  -----------------------------------------
                                    
Discounted Cash Flow                   The Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
                                       detailed below implied (i) a
                                       value per MidCity Financial Share on a
                                       standalone basis of approximately
                                       $4,563.28 to $6,232.90 and (ii) a value
                                       per MidCity Financial Share following the
                                       merger including synergies of
                                       approximately $5,843.46 to $7,509.64.

Contribution                           The Contribution Analysis detailed below
                                       compared the 60% share ownership of the
                                       new company that the holders of MidCity
                                       Financial common stock would have after
                                       the merger relative to the percentage of
                                       the balance sheet and income statement
                                       items identified which were contributed
                                       by each of MidCity Financial and MB
                                       Financial to the new company on a
                                       pro-forma basis. Among other things,
                                       this analysis showed a contribution by
                                       MidCity Financial of 69.6% of the new
                                       company's estimated tangible equity at
                                       December 31, 2001, 57.6% of the new
                                       company's estimated 2001 GAAP net income
                                       and 55.9% of the new company's estimated
                                       2001 cash net income.

Financial Implications                 The Financial Implications Analysis detailed
                                       below indicated that in 2001 the merger would
                                       be 17.6% accretive to MidCity Financial's GAAP
                                       earnings, 19.8% accretive to MidCity Financial's
                                       cash earnings and 17.4% dilutive to
                                       MidCity Financial's tangible book value.

Comparable Company                     The Comparable Company analysis
                                       detailed below indicate a value per
                                       MidCity Financial Share of $5,804.31.

Implied Offer Value                    The Implied Offer Value Analysis detailed
                                       below indicated (i) a value per MidCity
                                       Financial Share of $5,871.10 based upon
                                       the most recent closing price for MB
                                       Financial common stock as of
                                       October 3, 2001 and (ii) a value per
                                       MidCity Financial Share of approximately
                                       $3,741.42 based upon the average closing
                                       price for MB Financial common stock
                                       during the 10 trading days prior to
                                       April 6, 2001. The MidCity Financial
                                       board of directors did not consider
                                       this analysis material in its evaluation
                                       of the merger.



                                      55


         DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW ANALYSIS. Hovde estimated the present value of the
MidCity Financial common stock by using 2001-2003 cash earnings of $20.9
million, $23.0 million and $26.1 million, respectively, and 2001-2003 aggregate
dividends of $6.4 million per annum. In arriving at the terminal value of
MidCity Financial's earnings stream at the end of 2003, Hovde assumed a terminal
value multiple at a range of 12.0, 13.5 and 15.0. The terminal value was then
discounted, along with yearly cash flows for 2001 through 2003, at range of
discount rates of 13.0%, 15.0% and 17.0% to arrive at the present value for
MidCity Financial's common stock. These rates and values were chosen to reflect
different assumptions regarding the required rates of return of holders or
prospective buyers of MidCity Financial common stock. This analysis and its
underlying assumptions yielded a range of value for MidCity Financial of
approximately $4,563.28 per share, or an aggregate value of $209.9 million, to
$6,232.90 per share, or an aggregate value of $286.8 million.





         Hovde also estimated the present value of the MB Financial common stock
by using 2001-2003 cash earnings of $16.5 million, $18.9 million and $21.8
million, respectively, and no dividends during 2001-2003. In arriving at the
terminal value of MB Financial's earnings stream at the end of 2003, Hovde
assumed a terminal value multiple at a range of 12.0, 13.5 and 15.0. The
terminal value was then discounted, along with yearly cash flows for 2001
through 2003, at range of discount rates of 13.0%, 15.0% and 17.0% to arrive at
the present value for MB Financial's common stock. These rates and values were
chosen to reflect different assumptions regarding the required rates of return
of holders or prospective buyers of MB Financial common stock. This analysis and
its underlying assumptions yielded a range of value for MB Financial of
approximately $163.6 million to $227.0 million.





         Hovde also estimated the present value of the new company common stock
after the merger by using 2001-2003 cash earnings of $41.8 million, $49.7
million and $53.0 million, respectively, and 2001-2003 aggregate dividends of
$10.7 million per annum. In arriving at the terminal value of the new company's
earnings stream at the end of 2003, Hovde assumed a terminal value multiple at a
range of 12.0, 13.5 and 15.0. The terminal value was then discounted, along with
yearly cash flows for 2001 through 2003, at range of discount rates of 13.0%,
15.0% and 17.0% to arrive at the present value for the new company's common
stock. These rates and values were chosen to reflect different assumptions
regarding the required rates of return of holders or prospective buyers of new
company common stock. This analysis and its underlying assumptions yielded a
range of value for the new company of approximately $420.6 million to $576.1
million and an implied range of value for MidCity Financial of approximately
$5,843.46 per share, or an aggregate value of $268.8 million, to $7,509.64 per
share, or an aggregate value of $345.5 million.





         Hovde then highlighted the impact in net present value to the
stockholders of MidCity Financial on a standalone basis in comparison to the new
company. As such, Hovde noted that stockholders of MidCity Financial would
experience appreciation of net present value in the range of 20.2% to 20.5%
following the merger.


                                      56


         CONTRIBUTION ANALYSIS. Hovde prepared a contribution analysis showing
percentages of assets, loans, deposits, equity and tangible equity at December
31, 2000 on actual basis and at December 31, 2001 on estimated basis for MidCity
Financial and for MB Financial, and actual fiscal year 2000 net income on GAAP
basis and cash basis, and estimated fiscal years 2001-2003 net income on GAAP
basis and cash basis that would be contributed to the new company on a pro-forma
basis by MidCity Financial and MB Financial. These contribution percentages were
compared to the 60.00% of the new company common shares outstanding that holders
of MidCity Financial common stock would own.




                                                     MidCity Financial             MB Financial
                                                       Contribution                Contribution
                                                  -----------------------     ----------------------
                                                                        
         BALANCE SHEET
         -------------

         Total Assets - 12/31/00                           55.64%                     44.36%
         Loans & Leases - 12/31/00                         46.53                      53.47
         Deposits - 12/31/00                               59.49                      40.51
         Equity - 12/31/00                                 66.92                      33.08
         Tangible Equity - 12/31/00                        68.61                      31.39
         Total Assets - Estim. 12/31/01                    52.18                      47.82
         Loans - Estim. 12/31/01                           44.28                      55.72
         Deposits - Estim. 12/31/01                        55.86                      44.14
         Equity - Estim. 12/31/01                          66.36                      33.64
         Tangible Equity - Estim. 12/31/01                 69.64                      30.36

         INCOME STATEMENT
         ----------------

         GAAP Net Income - 2000                            56.96                      43.04
         Cash Net Income - 2000                            55.41                      44.59
         GAAP Net Income - Estim. 2001                     57.58                      42.42
         Cash Net Income - Estim. 2001                     55.90                      44.10
         GAAP Net Income - Estim. 2002                     55.91                      44.09
         Cash Net Income - Estim. 2002                     54.95                      45.05
         GAAP Net Income - Estim. 2003                     55.04                      44.96
         Cash Net Income - Estim. 2003                     54.47                      45.53



                                      57


         FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS TO MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDERS. Hovde
prepared an analysis of the financial implications to the holders of MidCity
Financial common stock. This analysis indicated the level of accretion to GAAP
earnings per share, cash earnings per share, dividends per share and tangible
book value per share that a stockholder of MidCity Financial would achieve on a
pro forma equivalent basis, assuming the MidCity Financial exchange ratio of
230.32955 and including projected cost savings and revenue enhancement
opportunities. The table below summarizes these results:




                                                               Per Share
                                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         GAAP Earnings                               Cash Earnings
                                 ------------------------------           ------------------------------------
                                    2001       2002       2003                2001       2002        2003
                                    ----       ----       ----                ----       ----        ----
                                                                                 
MidCity Financial standalone       $422.52    $467.61    $535.16            $455.13     $500.22    $567.76
Pro Forma                          $497.01    $603.20    $648.59            $545.23     $647.49    $690.58
% Accretion/Dilution                17.6%      29.0%      21.2%              19.8%       29.4%      21.6%





                                                                Per Share
                                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Dividends                              Tangible Book Value
                                 ------------------------------           ------------------------------------
                                    2001       2002       2003              2001         2002         2003
                                    ----       ----       ----              ----         ----         ----
                                                                                  
MidCity Financial standalone       $140.00    $140.00    $140.00          $3,941.60    $4,301.81    $4,729.58
Pro Forma                          $140.00    $140.00    $140.00          $3,256.26    $3,531.90    $3,909.50
% Accretion/Dilution                0.0%       0.0%       0.0%             -17.4%       -17.9%       -17.3%




         COMPARABLE COMPANY ANALYSIS. Using publicly available information,
Hovde compared the stock market valuation of MidCity Financial on standalone
basis, MB Financial on standalone basis and the new company with the following
comparable Midwestern publicly traded banking institutions:




COMPANY NAME                          HEADQUARTERS               MARKET CAP ($M)
------------                          ------------               ---------------
                                                           
AMCORE Financial, Inc.                Rockford, IL                         516.8
Associated Banc-Corp                  Green Bay, WI                      2,146.5
Citizens Banking Corp                 Flint, MI                          1,148.4
Corus Bankshares Inc.                 Chicago, IL                          735.4
First Midwest Bancorp, Inc.           Itasca, IL                         1,172.9
First Oak Brook Bancshares            Oak Brook, IL                        123.0
1st Source Corp.                      South Bend, IN                       390.8
Midwest Banc Holdings Inc.            Melrose Park, IL                     171.8
Mississippi Valley Bancshares         St. Louis, MO                        326.5
Old Second Bancorp, Inc.              Aurora, IL                           145.8
Wintrust Financial Corp.              Lake Forest, IL                      156.1



                                      58


         Indications of such financial performance and stock market valuation
included the calculation of price-to-book value, price-to-tangible book value,
price-to-2001 estimated GAAP earnings and price-to-2001 estimated cash earnings,
utilizing the most recent price of MidCity Financial common stock of $4,400
(last traded in November 2000) and the price of MB Financial common stock on
April 6, 2001 of $16.38 for both MB Financial and the new company.




                                       Price to Book    Price to Tang.   Price to 2001 Est.    Price to 2001
                                         Value (x)      Book Value (x)      GAAP EPS (x)      Est. Cash EPS(x)
                                       -------------    --------------   ------------------   ----------------
                                                                                  
MidCity Financial                          1.09              1.20               10.4                9.7
MB Financial                               1.26              1.50                8.1                7.0
New Company                                1.01              1.16                7.6                6.9
Comparable Company Median                  1.69              1.85               10.7               10.6





         Hovde also noted that if the new company were to trade at the
comparable company median price-to-2001 estimated cash earnings of 10.6x, the
price per share for the new company common stock would increase to $25.20 and
would yield an implied value for MidCity Financial of approximately $5,804.31
per share, or an aggregate value of $267.0 million.





         IMPLIED OFFER VALUE ANALYSIS BASED ON MB FINANCIAL HISTORICAL TRADING
VALUATION. Hovde reviewed the implied offer value per share for MidCity
Financial common stock based on the price of MB Financial common stock at
different intervals during the period commencing April 6, 2001, using the 5-day,
10-day, 20-day and 30-day closing average closing price of MB Financial common
stock during such period. Using such average closing prices, Hovde observed that
the implied offer value per share to MidCity Financial stockholders was as
follows:




                                                         Implied value per        Implied aggregate
                                   MB Financial           share to MidCity        value to MidCity
                                  average closing            Financial                Financial
                                       price                stockholders            stockholders
                                  ---------------        -----------------        -----------------
                                                                          
Last trading day                      $16.375                $3,771.65              $173,522,135
Last 5 Trading Days                   $16.238                $3,739.98              $172,065,079
Last 10 Trading Days                  $16.244                $3,741.42              $172,131,309
Last 20 Trading Days                  $15.906                $3,663.68              $168,554,898
Last 30 Trading Days                  $15.888                $3,659.36              $168,356,209




         As of October 3, 2001, based upon the most recent closing price for
MB Financial common stock of $25.49 and the 45,425 shares of MidCity
Financial common stock outstanding, the implied offer value for MidCity
Financial common stock was $5,871.10, or an aggregate value of $266,694,718.

         COMPARATIVE SHAREHOLDER RATES OF RETURN. Hovde presented an analysis
of comparative theoretical shareholder returns in several scenarios, including
(i) MidCity Financial remaining independent; (ii) MidCity Financial being
acquired in 2003; (iii) MidCity Financial merging with MB Financial under
the terms of the merger agreement and (iv) MidCity Financial merging with MB
Financial under the terms of the merger agreement and the new company in turn
being acquired in 2003. This analysis, which was based on the net
present value of projected dividend streams and projected common stock
valuations, using historical operating and acquisition price-to-earnings
multiples, indicated total shareholder returns of 14.25% if MidCity Financial
remained independent, 28.17% if MidCity Financial were acquired in 2003,
25.61% if MidCity Financial merged with MB Financial and 48.42% if MidCity
Financial merged with MB Financial and the new company in turn were acquired
in 2003. With respect to the scenario of the new company being acquired in
2003, however, Hovde did not rely on this portion of the analysis in forming
its opinion regarding the fairness of the MidCity Financial exchange ratio
and the MidCity Financial board of directors did not consider this portion of
the analysis relevant to its decision to approve the merger agreement and to
recommend that the MidCity Financial stockholders vote "FOR" adoption of
the merger agreement.


                                      59


         ANALYSIS OF SELECTED MERGERS. As part of its analysis, Hovde reviewed
comparable size merger of equals transactions involving banks nationwide
announced since January 1, 1995, in which the pro forma assets were between $2
billion and $10 billion (referred to as the "Merger of Equals Group"). This
Merger of Equals Group consisted of the following 4 transactions:




         Resulting                                       Pro Forma        Announced
         Company's Name                              Assets ($000)          Date
         --------------                              -------------        ---------
                                                                    
         New York Community Bancorp                      7,928,201         03/27/01
         Chemical Financial Corp.                        2,985,654         08/22/00
         Pacific Capital Bancorp                         2,423,447         07/20/98
         Sky Financial Group, Inc.                       3,570,226         05/21/98




         Hovde also highlighted the difference in the stock performance of
the Merger of Equals Group from the day of the announcement of the applicable
transaction to April 6, 2001, in comparison to the performance of the Nasdaq
Bank Index during the same period of time. This analysis indicated that (i)
New York Community Bancorp had a return of 8.31% versus Nasdaq Bank Index
return of -1.96%, for a net difference of +10.27%; (ii) Chemical Financial
Corp. had a return of 21.35% versus Nasdaq Bank Index return of 10.95%, for a
net difference of +10.40%; (iii) Pacific Capital Bancorp had a return of
-18.22% versus Nasdaq Bank Index return of -15.56%, for a net difference of
-2.66%; and (iv) Sky Financial Group, Inc. had a return of 18.55% versus
Nasdaq Bank Index return of -19.29%, for a net difference of +37.84%.





         TRANSACTION MULTIPLE ANALYSIS. Based on the MidCity Financial exchange
ratio of 230.32955 and MB Financial common stock closing price as of April 6,
2001 of $16.38, Hovde calculated the implied price-to-2000 actual GAAP earnings,
price-to-2000 actual cash earnings, price-to-2001 estimated GAAP earnings,
price-to-2001 estimated cash earnings, price-to-book value and price-to-tangible
book value. The following is a summary of Hovde's findings:




                                              Implied Multiples Based on MB Financial
                                                             Price of:
                                              -----------------------------------------
                                               $16.38 at 04/06/01    $25.49 at 10/03/01
                                                               
Price-to-2000 actual GAAP earnings                    11.30                 17.59
Price-to-2000 actual cash earnings                    10.30                 16.03
Price-to-2001 estimated GAAP earnings                  8.90                 13.90
Price-to-2001 estimated cash earnings                  8.30                 12.90
Price-to-book value                                    0.94                  1.46
Price-to-tangible book value                           1.03                  1.60



                                      60


         Hovde also compared the implied multiples of price to MidCity
Financial's book value, tangible book value, last twelve months earnings and the
tangible book value to core deposit premium to the multiples generated in the
comparable transactions.




                                               Multiple of Price to
                                 -------------------------------------------------      Tangible Book
                                                     Tangible                           Value to Core
         Resulting Company        Book Value (x)   Book Value (x)  LTM EPS (x)        Deposit Premium (%)
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          
      New York Community Bancorp        2.47             3.18           21.0                31.64
      Chemical Financial Corp.          2.13             2.56           13.8                14.49
      Pacific Capital Bancorp           4.07             4.20           28.3                41.53
      Sky Financial Group, Inc.         3.98             4.20           22.6                31.85

      MidCity                           0.94             1.03           11.3                 0.29




         LIQUIDITY ANALYSIS. Hovde noted that one of the goals of MidCity
Financial management was to increase the liquidity of the MidCity Financial
common stock. In its review of stock trading history since January 1, 2000
through April 6, 2001, for both MidCity Financial common stock and MB Financial
common stock, Hovde discovered that MidCity Financial common stock traded only
during 13 out of 66 calendar weeks, while MB Financial common stock traded
during all 66 out of 66 calendar weeks. Excluding two weeks of abnormally high
trading volume for MidCity Financial common stock within this time period, MB
Financial's common stock traded approximately 700% more in average weekly dollar
volume than MidCity Financial common stock. Moreover, MB Financial had seven
market makers and a typical bid-ask spread of approximately 1.53% of the bid. In
contrast, MidCity Financial had no market makers and a typical bid-ask spread of
approximately 6.38%.





         Based upon the foregoing analyses and other investigations and
assumptions set forth in its opinion, without giving specific weightings to any
one factor or comparison, Hovde determined that the MidCity Financial exchange
ratio, after taking into account the MB Financial exchange ratio, was fair from
a financial point of view to the MidCity Financial stockholders.





         OTHER ANALYSES. In addition to the analyses above, Hovde also
prepared a reverse acquisition analysis showing the multiples of MB Financial
in a hypothetical acquisition of MB Financial by MidCity Financial. However,
Hovde did not rely on this analysis in forming its opinion regarding the
fairness of the MidCity Financial exchange ratio and the MidCity Financial
board of directors did not consider this analysis relevant to its decision to
approve the merger agreement and to recommend that the MidCity Financial
stockholders vote "FOR" adoption of the merger agreement.




         OPINION OF ALEX SHESHUNOFF & COMPANY LLP. MidCity Financial retained
Alex Sheshunoff & Co. LLP to provide its opinion of the fairness of the MidCity
Financial exchange ratio, after taking into account the MB Financial exchange
ratio, to MidCity's Financial stockholders from a financial point of view. As
part of its investment banking business, Sheshunoff is regularly engaged in the
valuation of securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions and
valuations for estate, corporate and other purposes. MidCity Financial's board
of directors decided to retain Sheshunoff based on its experience as a financial
advisor in mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions, and its knowledge
of financial institutions. On April 18, 2001, Sheshunoff rendered its oral
opinion that, as of such date, the MidCity Financial exchange ratio was fair,
from a financial point of view, to the holders of MidCity Financial's common
stock. This opinion was confirmed in writing as of April 19, 2001, the date on
which the merger agreement was executed.


         The full text of Sheshunoff's written opinion, which sets forth, among
other things, the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered, and
limitations on the review undertaken, is attached as Appendix D to this joint
proxy statement-prospectus. MidCity Financial's stockholders are urged to read
the Sheshunoff opinion carefully and in its entirety. Sheshunoff's opinion is
addressed to MidCity Financial's board of directors and does not constitute a
recommendation to any stockholder of MidCity Financial as to how such
stockholder should vote at the MidCity Financial special meeting. Sheshunoff's
opinion does not address the relative merits of the merger as compared to any
alternative business transaction that might be available to MidCity Financial.


                                       61


         In connection with its opinion, Sheshunoff, among other things:

         o        Evaluated MidCity Financial's consolidated results based upon
                  a review of its annual financial statements for the three-year
                  period ended December 31, 2000;

         o        Reviewed Call Report information as of December 31, 2000 for
                  MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks;

         o        Conducted conversations with executive management regarding
                  recent and projected financial performance of MidCity
                  Financial;

         o        Compared MidCity Financial's recent operating results with
                  those of certain other banks in the U.S. which have recently
                  been acquired for cash, stock, or other forms of
                  consideration;

         o        Compared MidCity Financial's recent operating results with
                  those of certain other banks in the U.S. which have recently
                  been involved in a merger-of equals;

         o        Compared the pricing multiples for MidCity Financial in the
                  merger to those of certain other banks in the U.S. which have
                  recently been acquired for cash, stock, or other forms of
                  consideration;

         o        Analyzed the net present value of the after-tax cash flows
                  MidCity Financial could produce as an independent company
                  under its current business strategy through the year 2005,
                  based on assumptions provided by management;

         o        Held discussions with MidCity Financial's and MB Financial's
                  management concerning each company's recent financial
                  performance and future prospects as an independent and
                  combined company;

         o        Reviewed the due diligence report on MB Financial's loan
                  portfolio and loan loss reserves prepared by MidCity
                  Financial. Sheshunoff relied upon this review in forming its
                  opinion and did not independently review or evaluate MB
                  Financial's or MidCity Financial's asset quality or loss
                  reserve adequacy;

         o        Reviewed projections of MidCity Financial and MB Financial as
                  a combined company as prepared for the management of MidCity
                  Financial and MB Financial by their respective advisors.
                  Sheshunoff did not independently evaluate the accuracy or
                  reasonableness of the projections or the asset growth rates,
                  cost savings and revenue enhancements assumed in the pro-forma
                  projections for the combined companies following the merger;

         o        Reviewed a copy of the merger agreement;

         o        Reviewed recent trading prices and volume for MB Financial and
                  the lack of any trading market for MidCity Financial;

         o        Reviewed MB Financial's financial performance for the past
                  three years ended December 31, 2000 as reported in its annual
                  reports to stockholders and Annual Reports on Form 10-K;


         o        Reviewed the pro-forma impact on MB Financial of the
                  then-pending cash acquisition of FSL Holdings, Inc. (completed
                  in May 2001); and

         o        Performed such other analyses as it deemed appropriate.

         In connection with its review, Sheshunoff relied upon and assumed the
accuracy and completeness of all of the foregoing information provided to it or
made publicly available, and Sheshunoff did not assume any responsibility for
independent verification of such information. With respect to the internal
confidential financial


                                       62


projections, Sheshunoff assumed that such projections were reasonably
prepared on the basis reflecting the best currently available estimates and
judgments of the future financial performance of MidCity Financial and did
not independently verify the validity of such assumptions. Sheshunoff did not
make any independent evaluation or appraisal of the assets or liabilities of
MidCity Financial, nor was Sheshunoff furnished with any such appraisals.
Sheshunoff did not examine any individual loan files of MidCity Financial.
Sheshunoff is not an expert in the evaluation of loan portfolios for the
purposes of assessing the adequacy of the allowance for losses with respect
thereto and has assumed that such allowances for each of the companies are in
the aggregate, adequate to cover such losses.

         With respect to MB Financial, Sheshunoff relied solely upon publicly
available data regarding MB Financial's financial condition and performance.
Sheshunoff met with and discussed this publicly available information with the
management of MB Financial. Sheshunoff did not conduct any independent
evaluation or appraisal of the assets, liabilities or business prospects of MB
Financial, was not furnished with any evaluations or appraisals, and did not
review any individual credit files of MB Financial.

         The operating results for the new company following the merger and for
MidCity Financial as an independent company that Sheshunoff relied upon were
prepared by the combined companies' management for the new company and by
MidCity Financial's management for MidCity Financial as an independent company.
Sheshunoff assumed based on management representations that these projections
and assumptions reflect the best current estimates of the new company's and
MidCity Financial's independent performance. Actual results may vary from the
projected performance and such variances, positive or negative, could be
material. No assurance can be given that the new company or MidCity Financial as
an independent company will achieve the results Sheshunoff used in preparing its
opinion. Sheshunoff's opinion is necessarily based on economic, market and other
conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to Sheshunoff as
of, April 18, 2001. Market, economic and other events occurring after that date
could materially affect the projections and assumptions used in preparing
Sheshunoff's opinion.

         In connection with rendering its opinion, Sheshunoff performed a
variety of financial analyses. The preparation of a fairness opinion involves
various determinations as to the most appropriate and relevant methods of
financial analysis and the application of those methods to the particular
circumstances and, therefore, such an opinion is not readily susceptible to
partial analysis or summary description. Moreover, the evaluation of the
fairness, from a financial point of view, of the MidCity Financial exchange
ratio is to some extent a subjective one based on the experience and judgment of
Sheshunoff and not merely the result of mathematical analysis of financial data.
Accordingly, notwithstanding the separate factors summarized below, Sheshunoff
believes that its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting
portions of its analyses and of the factors considered by it, without
considering all analyses and factors, could create an incomplete view of the
evaluation process underlying its opinion. The ranges of valuations resulting
from any particular analysis described below should not be taken to be
Sheshunoff's view of the actual value of MidCity Financial.

         In performing its analyses, Sheshunoff made numerous assumptions
with respect to industry performance, business and economic conditions and
other matters, many of which are beyond the control of MidCity Financial. The
analyses performed by Sheshunoff are not necessarily indicative of actual
values or future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable
than suggested by such analyses. The analyses do not purport to be appraisals
or to reflect the prices at which a company might actually be sold. In
addition, Sheshunoff's analyses should not be viewed as determinative of
MidCity Financial's Board's or MidCity Financial's management's opinion with
respect to the value of MidCity Financial.


     The following table summarizes the implied per share equity value for
MidCity Financial derived from the analyses indicated, all of which are
described in greater detail below. Additional analyses performed by Sheshunoff
that were not intended to arrive at an implied equity value range are also
described below but are not included in the table.




                                                                        IMPLIED VALUE PER
     VALUATION METHODOLOGY                                        MIDCITY FINANCIAL SHARE
     ---------------------                                        -----------------------
                                                               
     Comparable Transaction Analysis*                                    $3,583 - $16,193
     Discounted Cash Flow Analysis:
       MidCity Financial standalone                                      $2,583 -  $4,945
       MidCity Financial pro forma combined with MB Financial             $3,161 - $6,590
     Value of Consideration as of April 17, 2001                                   $3,766

--------------
*Includes transactions, unlike the merger of MB Financial and MidiCty Financial,
in which control premiums were paid.

         The following is a summary of the analyses performed by Sheshunoff in
connection with its opinion:

         ANALYSIS OF SELECTED TRANSACTIONS. Sheshunoff performed an analysis of
premiums paid in selected pending or recently completed acquisitions of banking
organizations. Three sets of comparable transactions were analyzed to ensure a
thorough comparison.


                                       63


         The first set of comparable transactions were comprised of select
merger-of-equal transactions announced since January 1, 1999. The selected
transactions reviewed included the following:

         First Union Corp./ Wachovia Corp.
         South Alabama Bancorp./ Peoples BancTrust Co.
         Southern Community Bancorp/ Peninsula Bancorp Inc.
         Chemical Financial Corp./ Shoreline Financial Corp.
         Umpqua Holdings Corp./ VRB Bancorp
         Shore Bancshares Inc./ Talbot Bancshares Inc.
         Cooper Lake Financial Corp./ Delta Bank
         Marathon Financial Corp./ Rockingham Heritage Bank
         Valley Capital Corp./ State Capital Corp.
         National Commerce Bancorp./ CCB Financial Corp.
         Commonwealth Bancshares Inc./ Commonwealth Financial Corp.
         First Sterling Banks Inc./ Main Street Banks Inc.
         Walden Holding Company/ Rainbow Investment Company
         BankIllinois Financial Corp./ First Decatur Bancshares
         First Capital Inc./ HCB Bancorp
         Harbor Bancorp Inc./ Bank of the Pacific
         Sharon Bancshares Inc./ First Northwest Bankshares, Inc.
         South Branch Valley/ Potomac Valley Bank
         Fleet Financial Group/ BankBoston Corp.

         The following table compares information with respect to the merger and
the medians, means, highs and lows for the selected transactions. The analysis
assumes normalized last twelve months earnings for MidCity Financial of $18.9
million.




                                                                                              Selected Transactions
                                                                              ----------------------------------------------------

                                                              The Merger(1)        Mean         Median          High         Low
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                             
Multiple of Price to Tangible Book Value                              1.03x       1.85x          1.35x         4.04x        0.98x
Multiple of Price to Last Twelve Months Earning                       9.13       13.22x         12.82x        20.53x        9.13x

Multiple of Price to Assets                                           9.5%       16.8%          16.0%         29.7%         9.8%
Multiple of Price to Deposits                                        11.0%       32.0%          20.4%        184.0%        12.9%

-------------
(1) Based on MB Financial's trading price of $16.35 per share on close on
business dated April 17, 2001.

         The second set of comparable transactions were comprised of select
merger-of-equal transactions announced since January 1, 1999 with deal values
over $100 million. The selected transactions reviewed included the following:


         First Union Corp./ Wachovia Corp.
         Chemical Financial Corp./ Shoreline Financial Corp.
         National Commerce Bancorp./ CCB Financial Corp.
         BankIllinois Financial Corp./ First Decatur Bancshares
         Fleet Financial Group/ BankBoston Corp.


                                       64


         The following table compares information with respect to the merger and
the medians, means, highs and lows for the selected transactions. The analysis
assumes normalized last twelve months earnings for MidCity Financial of $18.9
million.




                                                                                                Selected Transactions
                                                                                  -------------------------------------------------

                                                                    The Merger(1)      Mean       Median        High         Low
                                                                 ------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                         
Multiple of Price to Tangible Book Value                                   1.03x       2.97x       2.65x       4.04x        2.56x
Multiple of Price to Last Twelve Months Earning                            9.13x      17.33x      17.47x      20.53x       13.84x
Multiple of Price to Assets                                                9.5%       20.9%       22.1%       24.1%        16.5%
Multiple of Price to Deposits                                             11.0%       31.9%       33.0%       38.0%        21.8%

-------------
(1) Based on MB Financial's trading price of $16.35 per share on close on
business dated April 17, 2001.

         The third set of comparable transactions were comprised of select bank
acquisition transactions announced since January 1, 1999 in which the seller was
located in the Midwest and reported total assets between $1 billion and $10
billion. The selected transactions reviewed included the following:


         Harris Bankcorp Inc./ First National Bancorp Inc.
         Fifth Third Bancorp/ Capital Holdings Inc.
         Wells Fargo & Co./ Brenton Banks Inc.
         Wells Fargo & Co./ First Commerce Bancshares Inc.
         Old Kent Financial Corp./ Grand Premier Financial
         Fifth Third Bancorp/ CNB Bancshares Inc.
         Citizens Banking Corp./ F&M Bancorp.
         Old Kent Financial Corp./ Pinnacle Banc Group Inc.

         The following table compares information with respect to the merger and
the medians, means, highs and lows for the selected transactions. The analysis
assumes normalized last twelve months earnings for MidCity Financial of $18.9
million.



                                                                                             Selected Transactions
                                                                            -------------------------------------------------------

                                                              The Merger(1)        Mean         Median          High         Low
                                                           ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            
Multiple of Price to Tangible Book Value                              1.03x       2.59x          2.46x         3.59x        1.97x
Multiple of Price to Last Twelve Months Earning                       9.13x      19.65x         17.84x        32.97x       12.34x
Multiple of Price to Assets                                           9.5%       23.3%          21.8%         32.4%        13.6%
Multiple of Price to Deposits                                        11.0%       30.3%          27.7%         47.3%        17.0%

-------------
(1) Based on MB Financial's trading price of $16.35 per share on close on
business dated April 17, 2001.

         DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW ANALYSIS. Sheshunoff estimated the present
value of future cash flows that would accrue to a holder of a share of
MidCity Financial common stock assuming that MidCity Financial were to remain
independent and the stockholder held the stock for five years and then sold
it at the end of that period. The analysis was based on earnings forecast
prepared by MidCity Financial management on a stand-alone, independent basis
for 2001 to 2005. MidCity Financial's terminal value was determined by using
price/earnings multiples ranging between 8x and 15x. The terminal value and
dividends received were discounted at rates ranging between 12% and 15%.
These rates were selected because, in Sheshunoff's experience, they represent
risk-adjusted rates of return that investors in securities such as MidCity
Financial's common stock would require. On the basis of these assumptions,
Sheshunoff calculated present values per share ranging between $2,583 and
$4,945 versus the value of the consideration payable to MidCity Financial
stockholders in the merger, as of April 17, 2000, of $3,766.

         Sheshunoff also estimated the present value of future cash flows that
would accrue to a holder of 230.32955 shares of new company common stock
assuming that the merger were to occur and assuming the stockholder held the
stock through 2005 and sold it at the end of 2005. This analysis was based on
several assumptions including the new company's estimated pro forma earnings per
share. Terminal value was determined by using price/earnings multiples ranging
between 8x and 15x. The terminal value and dividends received were discounted at
rates ranging


                                       65


between 13% and 17%. On the basis of these assumptions, Sheshunoff calculated
present values of 230.32955 shares ranging between $3,161 and $6,590.

         Sheshunoff stated that the discounted cash flow analysis is a
widely-used valuation methodology but noted that it relies on numerous
assumptions, including asset and earnings growth rates, terminal values and
discount rates. The analysis did not purport to be indicative of the actual
values or expected values of MidCity Financial common stock.

         PRO FORMA ANALYSES. Sheshunoff analyzed the pro forma impact of the
merger on earnings per share from the point of view of the holders of both
MidCity Financial and MB Financial common stock. Based upon the earnings and
synergies estimates from the managements of each of MidCity Financial and MB
Financial, this analysis indicated that the merger would be earnings accretive
to the holders of MidCity Financial common stock by 29% in 2002, 34% in 2003 and
39% in 2004. This analysis indicated that the merger would be earnings accretive
to the holders of MB Financial common stock by 11% in 2002, 7% in 2003 and 7% in
2004.

         These analyses were based on managements' estimates of earnings and
synergies. For all of the above analyses, the actual results achieved by the new
company following the merger will vary from the projected results, and the
variations may be material.

         CONTRIBUTION ANALYSIS. Sheshunoff analyzed the relative contribution of
MidCity Financial and MB Financial to certain pro forma balance sheet and income
statement items of the new company. The contribution analysis showed that
MidCity Financial would contribute approximately 71.1% of the combined total
tangible equity and 57.3% of the combined net income, 52.6% of the combined
total assets and 59.5% of the combined total core deposits. Sheshunoff compared
the relative contribution of such balance sheet and income statement items with
the estimated pro forma ownership of 59.8% for MidCity Financial stockholders
based on the MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955.


         COMPARABLE COMPANY ANALYSIS. Sheshunoff compared selected balance sheet
data, asset quality, capitalization and profitability measures and market
statistics using financial data at or for the twelve months ended December 31,
2000 and market data as of April 17, 2001 for MB Financial to a group of
selected Midwestern bank holding companies which Sheshunoff deemed to be
relevant. Additionally, estimated earnings per share data were derived from
Institutional Broker's Estimate System (IBES) unless otherwise noted.


         The group consisted of 28 Midwestern bank holding companies with assets
between $1 billion and $2 billion and included the following:




                                                                       
Allegiant Bancorp, Inc.                  German American Bancorp             Mississippi Valley Bancshares, Inc.
BancFirst Ohio Corp.                     Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.        National City Bancorporation
Capitol Bancorp Ltd.                     Heartland Financial USA, Inc.       Old Second Bancorp, Inc.
Chemical Financial Corporation           Independent Bank Corporation        Peoples Bancorp Inc.
Farmers Capital Bank Corporation         Indiana United Bancorp              Republic Bancorp, Inc.
First Busey Corporation                  Lakeland Financial Corporation      Second Bancorp, Incorporated
First Financial Corporation              Main Street Trust, Inc.             State Financial Services Corporation
First Merchants Corporation              MBT Financial Corporation           UNB Corporation
First National Bancorp, Incorporated     Mid-America Bancorp
First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc.         Midwest Banc Holdings, Inc.



                                     66


         The following table is a review of the financial performance ratios of
MB Financial compared to its peers:





FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RATIOS                                      MB FINANCIAL               PEER AVERAGE
---------------------------------------------------------    -----------------------    -----------------------
                                                                                  
Return on Average Assets                                               0.84%                      1.01%
Return on Average Equity                                              13.86%                     12.99%
Net Interest Margin                                                    3.61%                      3.94%
Efficiency Ratio                                                      61.14%                     57.89%
Non Interest Income/Average Assets                                     0.75%                      0.95%
Tangible Equity to Tangible Assets                                     5.35%                      7.58%
Non-performing assets /Total Loans                                     0.55%                      0.69%
 + Other Real Estate Owned


MARKET PERFORMANCE RATIOS                                         MB FINANCIAL               PEER AVERAGE
---------------------------------------------------------    -----------------------    -----------------------

Price/Tangible Book                                                    1.49x                      1.74x
Price/LTM Earnings                                                     9.97x                     11.36x
Price/Estimated 2001 Estimated EPS                                     9.03x                     10.62x


         Sheshunoff also compared selected stock market results of MB Financial
to the publicly available corresponding data of other composites which
Sheshunoff deemed to be relevant, including SNL Securities, L.P.'s (SNL) index
of all publicly traded banks, the aforementioned Comparable and the S&P 500.

         No company or transaction used in the comparable company and comparable
transaction analyses is identical to MidCity Financial or the merger.
Accordingly, an analysis of the results of the foregoing necessarily involves
complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and
operating characteristics of MidCity Financial and other factors that could
affect the public trading value of the companies to which they are being
compared. Mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is
not in itself a meaningful method of using comparable transaction data or
comparable company data.


         Pursuant to an engagement letter dated April 2, 2001, between MidCity
Financial and Sheshunoff, MidCity Financial agreed to pay Sheshunoff a fee of
$450,000. MidCity Financial also agreed to indemnify and hold harmless
Sheshunoff and its officers and employees against certain liabilities in
connection with its services under the engagement letter, except for liabilities
resulting from the negligence of Sheshunoff. In the past two years, Sheshunoff
has provided to MidCity Financial financial advisory, investment banking and
other services unrelated to the proposed merger, for which services Sheshunoff
has received fees. Sheshunoff may provide these types of services to the
combined company in the future and receive fees for those services.


         The Sheshunoff fairness opinion is directed only to the question of
whether the MidCity Financial exchange ratio is fair from a financial
perspective and does not constitute a recommendation to any MidCity Financial
stockholder to vote in favor of adopting the merger agreement or to the
relative merits of the merger compared to any alternative transaction that
might be available to MidCity Financial.

         Based on the results of the various analyses described above,
Sheshunoff concluded that the MidCity Financial exchange ratio, after taking
into account the MB Financial exchange ratio, is fair to the stockholders of
MidCity Financial from a financial point of view.

CONSIDERATION TO BE RECEIVED IN THE MERGER

         Each share of MB Financial common stock outstanding immediately prior
to the effective time will, at the effective time, be converted into the right
to receive one share of common stock of the new company (sometimes referred to
in this document as the "MB Financial exchange ratio"). Each share of MidCity
Financial common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time will,
at the effective time, be converted into the right to receive 230.32955 shares
of common stock of the new company (sometimes referred to in this document as
the "MidCity


                                     67


Financial exchange ratio"). The MB Financial and MidCity Financial exchange
ratios will be proportionately adjusted if, prior to the effective time,
either MB Financial or MidCity Financial changes the number of shares of its
common stock issued and outstanding through a stock split, stock dividend,
recapitalization or similar transaction.

         If the trading price of new company common stock were $25.49 per
share (the closing price of MB Financial common stock on October 3, 2001),
the value of 230.32955 shares of new company common stock would be $5,871.10.
The value of the consideration that you will receive in the merger will
fluctuate as the market price of MB Financial common stock (before the
merger) and the new company common stock (after the merger) changes. An
increase in the market price of the stock will increase the value of the
consideration you will receive in the merger. A decrease will have the
opposite effect. Neither the MB Financial exchange ratio nor the MidCity
Financial exchange ratio will be adjusted for any change in the market prices
of MB Financial common stock or MidCity Financial common stock.

         Cash will be paid in lieu of any fractional share of new company common
stock that would otherwise be issuable to a MidCity stockholder in connection
with the merger in an amount determined by multiplying the stockholder's
fractional share interest by the average closing sale price of MB Financial
common stock for the five trading days immediately preceding the effective time.
No interest will be paid on the cash payable in lieu of fractional share
interests.

EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES

         Within 15 business days after the effective time, LaSalle Bank, N.A. or
another bank or trust company selected by MB Financial or MidCity Financial
(referred to below as the "exchange agent") will send to each holder of record
of MB Financial common stock and MidCity Financial common stock a letter of
transmittal for use in the exchange and instructions explaining how to surrender
MB Financial and MidCity Financial common stock certificates to the exchange
agent. Holders of MB Financial common stock and MidCity Financial common stock
who surrender their certificates to the exchange agent, together with a properly
completed letter of transmittal, will receive the certificates representing the
shares of new company common stock issuable to them and, in the case of holders
of MidCity Financial common stock, checks for the cash in lieu of their
fractional share interests in new company common stock. Holders of unexchanged
shares of MB Financial common stock and MidCity Financial common stock will not
be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions payable by the new
company after the effective time until their certificates are surrendered. When
those certificates are surrendered, any unpaid dividends or distributions with
respect to the shares of new company common stock will be paid, without
interest. MB FINANCIAL COMMON STOCK CERTIFICATES AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL COMMON
STOCK CERTIFICATES SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED WITH THE ENCLOSED PROXY AND SHOULD NOT
BE FORWARDED TO THE EXCHANGE AGENT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

TREATMENT OF MB FINANCIAL STOCK OPTIONS

         At the effective time of the merger, each option granted by MB
Financial to purchase shares of MB Financial common stock which is outstanding
and unexercised immediately prior to the effective time will be assumed by the
new company and represent an option to purchase new company common stock. The
option will be subject to the same terms and conditions after the merger as it
is immediately prior to the merger. No adjustment will be made to the exercise
price or number of shares purchasable under the option unless the MB Financial
exchange ratio is adjusted, in which case an appropriate and corresponding
adjustment will be made to the exercise price and number of shares. Under the
terms of MB Financial's 1997 Omnibus Incentive Plan, upon completion of the
merger, all outstanding stock options granted under that plan which have not
yet vested will vest and become exercisable in full. See "-- Interests of
Insiders in the Merger-Accelerated Vesting of MB Financial Stock Options."


                                     68


THE BANK MERGER

         Soon after the effective time of the merger of our companies, MB
Financial's subsidiary bank, Manufacturers Bank, and MidCity Financial's
subsidiary banks based in Illinois, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago, First
National Bank of Elmhurst and First National Bank of Morton Grove, will be
merged together. The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago will be the surviving
institution, which will operate under the name MB Financial Bank, N.A. after
the bank merger. MidCity Financial's other subsidiary banks, Abrams Centre
National Bank and Union Bank and Trust Company, are expected to be held as
separate subsidiaries of the new company after the merger.

ACCOUNTING TREATMENT

         It is intended that the merger will be accounted for under the
pooling-of-interests method of accounting in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Under the
pooling-of-interests method of accounting, the assets and liabilities of MB
Financial and MidCity Financial will be carried forward at their historical
recorded bases to the consolidated balance sheet of the new company. The new
company's results of operations will include the results of both MB Financial
and MidCity Financial for the entire fiscal year in which the merger occurs and
all future periods.

         As of the date of this joint proxy statement-prospectus, neither MB
Financial nor MidCity Financial is aware of any reason why the merger will not
qualify for pooling-of-interests accounting treatment. It is a condition to the
completion of the merger that MB Financial receive a letter from its independent
auditors, McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, and MidCity Financial receive a letter from
its independent auditors, KPMG LLP, to the effect that the merger will qualify
for pooling-of-interests accounting treatment. See "--Conditions to Completion
of the Merger."

MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

         The following summary discusses the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences of the merger to U.S. persons who hold shares of MB Financial
common stock and MidCity Financial common stock and exchange their shares for
shares of new company common stock, and as applicable, cash in lieu of
fractional shares of new company common stock in the merger. This discussion is
based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, Treasury regulations,
administrative rulings and judicial decisions currently in effect, all of which
are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. The discussion assumes
that MB Financial stockholders hold their MB Financial common stock and will
hold their new company common stock, and that MidCity Financial stockholders
hold their MidCity Financial common stock and will hold their new company common
stock, as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal
Revenue Code. Further, the discussion does not address all aspects of U.S.
federal income taxation that may be relevant to a particular stockholder in
light of his, her or its personal investment circumstances or to stockholders
subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, including,
without limitation:

        -         insurance companies;

        -         tax-exempt organizations;

        -         dealers or brokers in securities or foreign currency;

        -         banks or trusts;

        -         persons that hold their MB Financial common stock or MidCity
                  Financial common stock as part of a straddle, a hedge against
                  currency risk or a constructive sale or conversion
                  transaction;

        -         foreign holders;

        -         persons that have a functional currency other than the U.S.
                  dollar;


                                     69


        -         investors in pass-through entities;

        -         stockholders who acquired their MB Financial common stock or
                  MidCity Financial common stock through the exercise of options
                  or otherwise as compensation or through a tax-qualified
                  retirement plan; or

        -         holders of options granted under any MB Financial benefit
                  plan.

         Furthermore, this discussion does not consider the potential effects of
any state, local or foreign tax laws.

         None of MB Financial, MidCity Financial or the new company has
requested a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service with respect to any
of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger and, as a result,
there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not disagree
with or challenge any of the conclusions described below.



         Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P, counsel to MB Financial, has delivered
its opinion to MB Financial and Winston & Strawn, counsel to MidCity Financial,
has delivered its opinion to MidCity Financial to the effect that, on the basis
of the facts, representations and assumptions set forth in such opinion:





         o        the merger of MB Financial into the new company and the merger
                  of MidCity Financial into new company will each constitute a
                  reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
                  Internal Revenue Code;

         o        no gain or loss will be recognized by the new company, MB
                  Financial, or MidCity Financial as a result of the merger;

         o        no gain or loss will be recognized by:

                  o        holders of MB Financial common stock on the exchange
                           of their MB Financial common stock for new company
                           common stock; or

                  o        holders of MidCity Financial common stock on the
                           exchange of their MidCity Financial common stock for
                           new company common stock, except with respect to cash
                           received by holders of MidCity Financial common stock
                           in lieu of fractional shares of new company common
                           stock;

         o        the aggregate adjusted basis of the new company common stock
                  received in the merger by:


                                     70


                  o        a holder of MB Financial common stock will be equal
                           to the aggregate adjusted basis of the holder's MB
                           Financial common stock exchanged for that new company
                           common stock; and

                  o        a holder of MidCity Financial common stock will be
                           equal to the aggregate adjusted basis of the holder's
                           MidCity Financial common stock exchanged for that new
                           company common stock reduced by the amount allocable
                           to the fractional share interest in new company
                           common stock for which cash is received;

         o        the holding period of the new company common stock
                  received in the merger by:

                  o        a holder of MB Financial common stock will include
                           the holding period of the holder's MB Financial
                           common stock exchanged for that new company common
                           stock; and

                  o        a holder of MidCity Financial common stock will
                           include the holding period of the holder's MidCity
                           Financial common stock exchanged for that new company
                           common stock.


         Copies of these opinions are attached as exhibits 8.1 and 8.2 to the
registration statement of which this joint proxy statement-prospectus forms a
part. Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P. and Winston & Strawn have rendered
their opinions on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions set
forth or referred to in their opinions that are consistent with the state of
facts expected to exist at the effective time of the merger. Silver, Freedman
& Taff, L.L.P. and Winston & Strawn required and relied upon factual
representations contained in certificates of officers of MB Financial,
MidCity Financial and the new company. An opinion of counsel is not binding
on the Internal Revenue Service or a court. As a result, none of MB
Financial, MidCity Financial and the new company can assure you that the
opinions will not be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service or sustained
by a court if challenged by the Internal Revenue Service. Any change in
currently applicable law, which may or may not be retroactive, or a failure
of any factual representation or assumption to be correct and complete in all
material respects, could affect the continuing validity of the opinion of
Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P. and/or the opinion of Winston & Strawn.


         It is a condition to completion of the merger that the opinions of
Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P. and Winston & Strawn not be withdrawn prior to
the effective time of the merger. If either the opinion to MB Financial or the
opinion to MidCity Financial is withdrawn prior to the effective time, MB
Financial or MidCity Financial will circulate additional materials to their
stockholders and re-solicit approval of the merger if they decide to waive the
condition to completion of the merger that the opinion not be withdrawn and they
determine that the federal income tax consequences of the merger to their
stockholders are materially different from those described above.


                                     71


         MUTIPLE BLOCKS OF SHARES. If you own both MB Financial shares and
MidCity Financial shares or own blocks of MB Financial shares or MidCity
Financial shares with different tax bases or holding periods, you are urged
to consult your own tax advisor with respect to the application of the
foregoing rules to your particular situation.



         CASH IN LIEU OF FRACTIONAL SHARE INTERESTS. The receipt of cash in lieu
of a fractional share of new company common stock by a holder of MidCity
Financial common stock will result in taxable gain or loss to such holder for
U.S. federal income tax purposes based upon the difference between the amount of
cash received by such holder and the holder's adjusted tax basis in the
fractional share as set forth above. The gain or loss generally will constitute
capital gain or loss and will constitute long-term capital gain or loss if the
holder's holding period is greater than 12 months as of the date of the merger.
The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations for both
individuals and corporations.



         APPRAISAL RIGHTS. A holder of MidCity Financial common stock who
exercises appraisal rights generally will recognize taxable capital gain or
loss based upon the difference between the amount of cash received by such
holder and the holder's tax basis in the shares of MidCity Financial common
stock exchanged, provided that the payment is not treated as a dividend. A
sale of shares based on the exercise of appraisal rights will not be treated
as a dividend if the stockholder exercising the rights owns no shares in the
new company immediately after the merger, after giving effect to constructive
ownership rules under the Internal Revenue Code. If the stockholder owns
shares in the new company (either actually or constructively) after the
merger, the determination of whether the sale of shares based on the exercise
of appraisal rights will be treated as a dividend requires a more complicated
analysis. Stockholders should consult their own tax advisors as to the proper
tax treatment in this case.





         BACKUP WITHHOLDING. Certain non-corporate MidCity Financial
stockholders may be subject to backup withholding at a 30.5% rate on cash
payments received instead of fractional shares of new company common stock.
Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a MidCity Financial
stockholder who:



         o        furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and
                  certifies that he, she or it is not subject to backup
                  withholding on the substitute Form W-9 or successor form
                  included in the letter of transmittal to be delivered to
                  MidCity Financial stockholders following the completion of the
                  merger;

         o        provides a certification of foreign status on Form W-8 or
                  successor form; or

         o        is otherwise exempt from backup withholding.

         REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. A holder of MB Financial common stock or
MidCity Financial common stock receiving new company common stock as a result of
the merger may be required to retain records related to such holder's MB
Financial common stock and MidCity Financial common stock, as the case may be,
and file with its federal income tax return, a statement setting forth facts
relating to the merger. Holders of MB Financial common stock and MidCity
Financial common stock are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect
to this statement and any other tax reporting requirements.

         THIS SUMMARY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A COMPLETE ANALYSIS OR DESCRIPTION
OF ALL POTENTIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER.
THIS SUMMARY DOES NOT ADDRESS TAX CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY


                                       72


VARY WITH, OR ARE CONTINGENT ON, INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. MOREOVER, THE
SUMMARY DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY NON-INCOME TAX OR ANY FOREIGN, STATE OR LOCAL
TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER. THE SUMMARY DOES NOT ADDRESS THE TAX
CONSEQUENCES OF ANY TRANSACTION OTHER THAN THE MERGER. ACCORDINGLY, EACH MB
FINANCIAL AND MIDCITY FINANCIAL STOCKHOLDER IS STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT WITH
A TAX ADVISOR TO DETERMINE THE PARTICULAR FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN
INCOME OR OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER TO THE HOLDER.

APPRAISAL RIGHTS

         Pursuant to Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, any
MidCity Financial stockholder may dissent from the merger and elect to have the
fair value of his or her shares judicially determined and paid in cash, but only
if the stockholder complies with the provisions of Section 262. MB Financial
stockholders do not have this right to dissent from the merger.

         The following is a brief summary of the statutory procedures to be
followed by MidCity Financial stockholders in order to perfect appraisal rights
under Delaware law. THIS SUMMARY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE COMPLETE AND IS QUALIFIED
IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO SECTION 262 OF THE DELAWARE GENERAL CORPORATION
LAW, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED AS APPENDIX E TO THIS JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS.

         To dissent from the merger and demand appraisal, a MidCity Financial
stockholder must satisfy the following conditions:

         o        deliver a written demand for appraisal to MidCity Financial
                  before the vote on the adoption of the merger agreement;

         o        not vote in favor of the merger agreement (the return of a
                  signed proxy which does not specify a vote against the merger
                  agreement or a direction to abstain, will constitute a waiver
                  of the stockholder's right of appraisal); and

         o        continuously hold the MidCity Financial shares from the date
                  of the making of the demand through the time the merger is
                  completed.

         If a MidCity Financial stockholder fails to comply with any of these
conditions and the merger becomes effective, he or she will only be entitled to
receive the consideration provided in the merger agreement. Failure by a MidCity
Financial stockholder to vote on the merger agreement will not constitute a
waiver of appraisal rights. Voting against the merger agreement will not satisfy
the requirement of a written demand for appraisal.

         All written demands for appraisal should be addressed to: MidCity
Financial Corporation, 801 West Madison, Chicago, Illinois 60607, Attention:
Ronald D. Santo, Secretary, before the vote concerning the merger agreement
at the MidCity Financial special meeting, and should be executed by, or on
behalf of, the holder of record. If MidCity Financial shares are owned of
record in a fiduciary capacity, as by a trustee, guardian or custodian,
execution of a demand for appraisal should be made in such capacity. If
MidCity Financial shares are owned of record by more than one person, as in a
joint tenancy or tenancy in common, such demand must be executed by or for
all joint owners. An authorized agent, including one for two or more joint
owners, may execute the demand for appraisal for a stockholder of record;
however, the agent must identify the record owner or owners and expressly
disclose the fact that, in executing the demand, he or she is acting as agent
for the record owner. A record owner, such as a broker, who holds MidCity
Financial shares as a nominee for others may exercise his or her rights of
appraisal with respect to the shares held for one or more beneficial owners,
while not exercising such right for other beneficial owners. In such case,
the written demand should set forth the number of shares as to which the
record owner dissents. Where no number of shares is expressly mentioned, the
demand will be presumed to cover all shares of MidCity Financial common stock
in the name of such record owner.

         Within 10 days after the merger, the new company must give written
notice that the merger has become effective to each holder of MidCity Financial
shares who filed a written demand for appraisal and who did not vote in favor of
the merger agreement. Any stockholder entitled to appraisal rights may, within
20 days after the date of mailing of the notice, demand in writing from the new
company the appraisal of his or her MidCity Financial shares. Within 120 days
after the completion of the merger, either the new company, or any MidCity
Financial stockholder


                                       73


who has complied with Section 262, may file a petition in the Delaware
Court of Chancery demanding a determination of the value of the MidCity
Financial shares held by all stockholders entitled to appraisal of their
shares. It is currently expected that the new company will not file such
a petition. Because the new company has no obligation to file such a
petition, the failure of a stockholder to do so within the period
specified could nullify the stockholder's previous written demand for
appraisal.

         If a petition for appraisal is duly filed by a MidCity Financial
stockholder and a copy is delivered to the new company, the new company will
then be obligated within 20 days of receipt of such copy to provide the Court of
Chancery with a duly verified list containing the names and addresses of all
stockholders who have demanded an appraisal of their shares and with whom
agreement as to the value of such shares has not been reached. After notice to
such stockholders, the Court of Chancery is empowered to conduct a hearing to
determine those stockholders who have complied with Section 262 and who have
become entitled to appraisal rights.

         The Court of Chancery will then appraise the MidCity Financial shares,
determining their fair value exclusive of any element of value arising from the
accomplishment or expectation of the merger. When the value is determined, the
Court will direct the payment by the new company of such value, with interest
thereon, simple or compound, if the Court so determines, to the stockholders
entitled to receive the amount.

         Stockholders of MidCity Financial who are considering seeking an
appraisal should bear in mind that the fair value of their MidCity Financial
shares determined under Section 262 could be more than, the same as or less than
the consideration they are to receive pursuant to the merger agreement if they
do not seek appraisal of their shares.

         Costs of the appraisal proceeding may be assessed against the
stockholder by the court as the court deems equitable in the circumstances.

FAILURE TO COMPLY STRICTLY WITH THESE PROCEDURES WILL CAUSE THE STOCKHOLDER TO
LOSE HIS OR HER APPRAISAL RIGHTS. CONSEQUENTLY, ANY MIDCITY FINANCIAL
STOCKHOLDER WHO DESIRES TO EXERCISE HIS OR HER APPRAISAL RIGHTS IS URGED TO
CONSULT A LEGAL ADVISOR BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO EXERCISE THESE RIGHTS.

RESTRICTIONS ON RESALES BY AFFILIATES

         This joint proxy statement-prospectus does not cover any resales of the
new company common stock to be issued in the merger, and no person is authorized
to make any use of this joint proxy statement-prospectus in connection with any
such resale.

         All shares of new company common stock issued to the stockholders of MB
Financial and MidCity Financial in connection with the merger will be freely
transferable, except for shares issued to any person who is deemed to be an
"affiliate" of MB Financial or MidCity Financial under the Securities Act of
1933 at the time of the special meetings. Persons who may be deemed affiliates
for this purpose generally include directors, executive officers and the holders
of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock of MB Financial or
MidCity Financial. Affiliates may not sell their shares of new company common
stock received by them in the merger except pursuant to:

         o        Rule 145 under the Securities Act of 1933;

         o        an effective registration statement under the Securities Act
                  of 1933 covering the resale of those shares; or

         o        any available exemption from the registration requirements of
                  the Securities Act of 1933 other than Rule 145.

         Generally, pursuant to Rule 145, during the one-year period following
completion of the merger, affiliates of MB Financial and MidCity Financial may
resell publicly the new company common stock received by them in connection with
the merger if they comply with certain limitations as to the amount of new
company common stock


                                       74


sold in any three-month period and as to the manner of sale. After the
initial one-year period, affiliates of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial who are not affiliates of the new company may resell their
shares without restriction.

         SEC guidelines for use of the pooling-of-interests method of accounting
also limit sales by affiliates of MB Financial and MidCity Financial. The
guidelines provide that the pooling-of-interests method of accounting generally
will not be challenged on the basis of sales by affiliates if they do not
dispose of any of the shares of either combining company they owned prior to
the completion of a merger, or shares of the surviving company received in
connection with a merger during the period beginning 30 days before the
completion of the merger and ending when financial results covering at least
30 days of post-merger operations of the surviving company have been
published.

         The merger agreement requires MB Financial and MidCity Financial to use
commercially reasonable efforts to cause each of their respective affiliates to
execute an agreement which is intended to ensure the affiliate's compliance with
the Securities Act of 1933 and that the person will not take any steps that
would cause the merger not to qualify for pooling-of-interests accounting
treatment.

CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER

         In general, MB Financial and MidCity Financial are required to conduct
their business in the ordinary course, use commercially reasonable efforts to
preserve intact their business organizations, employees and advantageous
business relationships, and not take any action that would adversely affect or
delay the obtainment of the required regulatory approvals or the consummation of
the merger. In addition, MB Financial and MidCity Financial have agreed that, in
addition to the other restrictions set forth in the merger agreement, neither
will undertake any of the following activities without the prior written consent
of the other, subject to the exceptions noted below and the exceptions set forth
in the merger agreement:

         o        the incurrence of additional indebtedness, other than in the
                  ordinary course of business or, in the case of MB Financial,
                  in connection with funding the acquisition of FSL Holdings;

         o        the split or reclassification of any capital stock;

         o        paying any dividends or other distributions on its capital
                  stock, other than the payment by MidCity Financial of regular
                  quarterly cash dividends of not more than $35.00 per share;

         o        purchasing or otherwise acquiring its securities;

         o        granting any stock appreciation rights or rights to acquire
                  any shares of its capital stock, other than, in the case of MB
                  Financial, grants of stock options in the ordinary course of
                  business in July 2001consistent with past practice and stock
                  options to directors of MB Financial pursuant to their
                  election to receive options in lieu of directors' fees;

         o        issuing any additional shares of capital stock, other than, in
                  the case of MB Financial, pursuant to outstanding stock
                  options and to directors of MB Financial pursuant to their
                  election to receive shares of MB Financial common stock in
                  lieu of directors' fees;

         o        selling, encumbering or otherwise disposing of any of its
                  material properties or assets or canceling, releasing or
                  assigning any indebtedness owed to it, other than in the
                  ordinary course of business or, in the case of MB Financial,
                  the encumbrance of assets in connection with funding the
                  acquisition of FSL Holdings or the sale of assets acquired
                  from FSL Holdings;

         o        make any material new investments;

         o        entering into, modifying or terminating material contracts;


                                       75


         o        increasing employee compensation or benefits or entering into
                  any employment or similar agreement;

         o        settling any material lawsuit except in the ordinary course of
                  business;

         o        knowingly taking any action which would prevent or impede the
                  merger from qualifying for pooling of interests accounting
                  treatment or as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning
                  of Section 368 of the Internal Revenue Code;

         o        amending its certificate of incorporation and bylaws;

         o        restructuring or materially changing its investment securities
                  portfolio or gap position, or the manner in which the
                  portfolio is classified or reported, other than in connection
                  with MB Financial's acquisition of FSL Holdings;

         o        voluntarily changing its deposit mix or increasing or
                  decreasing the interest rate paid on its deposits except in a
                  manner consistent with past practice;

         o        opening or closing any branch office, other than, in the case
                  of MB Financial, in connection with the acquisition of FSL
                  Holdings;

         o        materially changing its loan underwriting or approval
                  policies;

         o        investing in new subsidiaries;

         o        materially changing its interest rate and other risk
                  management policies and practices; or

         o        changing its accounting principles, practices or methods,
                  other than as required by accounting principles generally
                  accepted in the United States of America or regulatory
                  guidelines.

         In addition to the restrictions listed above, MB Financial and
MidCity Financial have agreed that neither company will encourage or enter
into negotiations for any third party proposal for the sale of all or
substantially all of its business or assets, or the acquisition of its voting
securities or the merger of it or any of its subsidiaries with another
company (referred to as an "acquisition proposal"). Notwithstanding this
agreement, if it receives an acquisition proposal and its stockholders have
not yet voted on the merger agreement, MB Financial or MidCity Financial may
provide information to and negotiate with the third party which submitted the
proposal if MB Financial's or MidCity Financial's board of directors
determines in good faith that to do so would be consistent with its fiduciary
duties to stockholders. Either company must keep the other informed if it
receives an acquisition proposal.

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

         In the merger agreement, MB Financial and MidCity Financial have made
certain representations and warranties to each other. The more significant of
these relate to:

         o        corporate organization and existence;

         o        capitalization;

         o        ownership of subsidiaries;

         o        corporate authorization to enter into the merger agreement and
                  to consummate the merger;

         o        absence of any breach of organizational documents, law or
                  certain material agreements as a result of the merger;


                                       76


         o        regulatory approvals required in connection with the merger;

         o        timely filing of reports with regulatory agencies;

         o        financial statements;

         o        fees paid to financial advisors;

         o        absence of certain changes in each party's business from
                  December 31, 2000 through the date of the merger agreement;

         o        litigation;

         o        tax matters;

         o        employee benefits and labor matters;

         o        in the case of MB Financial, filings with the SEC;

         o        compliance with laws;

         o        certain contracts;

         o        Community Reinvestment Act rating;

         o        absence of agreements between either party and regulatory
                  agencies and other bank regulatory matters;

         o        risk management instruments, such as interest rate swaps and
                  caps;

         o        undisclosed liabilities;

         o        insurance policies;

         o        environmental matters;

         o        inapplicability to the merger of the Delaware takeover laws;

         o        absence of material interests of certain persons;

         o        the delivery of fairness opinions by the financial advisors;

         o        real estate loans and investments;

         o        in the case of MidCity Financial, the classification of its
                  investment portfolio as available for sale;

         o        the tax consequences and accounting treatment of the merger;
                  and

         o        the ability to qualify as a financial holding company.

         For a complete description of these representations and warranties, see
Articles III and IV of the merger agreement, a copy of which is attached as
Appendix A to this joint proxy statement-prospectus.


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CONDITIONS TO COMPLETION OF THE MERGER

         MUTUAL CLOSING CONDITIONS. The obligations of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial to complete the merger are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of
the following conditions:

         -        adoption of the merger agreement by the stockholders of MB
                  Financial and MidCity Financial;

         -        qualification for listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market of the
                  shares of the new company common stock to be issued in the
                  merger;

         -        receipt of all regulatory approvals required to complete the
                  merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger
                  agreement and the expiration of all statutory waiting periods;

         -        the Registration Statement on Form S-4, which includes this
                  joint proxy statement-prospectus, being effective and not
                  subject to any stop order by the SEC;

         -        absence of any legal prohibition on completing the merger;

         -        receipt by MB Financial of an opinion of its tax counsel and
                  receipt by MidCity Financial of an opinion of its tax counsel
                  concluding that:

                  (1)      the merger of MB Financial into the new company and
                           the merger of MidCity Financial into the new company
                           each will qualify as a tax-free reorganization;

                  (2)      none of MB Financial, MidCity Financial or the new
                           company will recognize any gain or loss as a result
                           of the merger; and

                  (3)      the merger will be tax-free to the stockholders of MB
                           Financial and MidCity Financial, except to the extent
                           MidCity Financial stockholders receive cash in lieu
                           of fractional share interests in new company common
                           stock;

         -        receipt by MB Financial of a letter from its independent
                  accountants and receipt by MidCity Financial of a letter from
                  its independent accountants to the effect that the merger will
                  qualify for pooling of interests accounting treatment; and

         -        the holders of no more than 5% of the outstanding shares of
                  MidCity Financial common stock assert appraisal rights under
                  Delaware law as dissenting stockholders.

         ADDITIONAL CLOSING CONDITIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF MB FINANCIAL. In
addition to the mutual closing conditions, MB Financial's obligation to complete
the merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions:

         -        accuracy, as of the date of the merger agreement and as of the
                  closing, of the representations and warranties made by MidCity
                  Financial to the extent specified in the merger agreement;

         -        performance in all material respects by MidCity Financial of
                  the obligations required to be performed by it at or prior to
                  closing;

         -        nothing has occurred that is reasonably likely to have a
                  material adverse affect on MidCity Financial; and

         -        MB Financial receives a certificate signed by the Chief
                  Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of MidCity
                  Financial certifying that the three preceding conditions have
                  been met.


                                        78


         ADDITIONAL CLOSING CONDITIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL. In
addition to the mutual closing conditions, MidCity Financial's obligation to
complete the merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the following
conditions:

         -        accuracy, as of the date of the merger agreement and as of the
                  closing, of the representations and warranties made by MB
                  Financial to the extent specified in the merger agreement;

         -        performance in all material respects by MB Financial of the
                  obligations required to be performed by it at or prior to
                  closing;

         -        nothing has occurred that is reasonably likely to have a
                  material adverse affect on MB Financial; and

         -        MidCity Financial receives a certificate signed by the Chief
                  Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of MB Financial
                  certifying that the three preceding conditions have been met.

WAIVER; AMENDMENT

         MB Financial and MidCity Financial can agree to amend the merger
agreement and each of them can waive their right to require the other party to
adhere to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement, where law allows.
After MB Financial's or MidCity Financial's stockholders have adopted the merger
agreement, however, the amount or form of consideration to be received by the MB
Financial or MidCity Financial stockholders in the merger may not be changed
without their consent.

TERMINATION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT

         MB Financial and MidCity Financial can mutually agree at any time to
terminate the merger agreement prior the effective time of the merger. In
addition, either the board of directors of MB Financial or the board of
directors of MidCity Financial may terminate the merger agreement:

         -        if a regulatory authority does not grant an approval needed to
                  complete the merger or a court or other governmental body
                  issues a final, non-appealable order prohibiting the merger;

         -        if the merger has not been completed by April 19, 2002, unless
                  the failure to complete the merger by that date is due to the
                  failure of the party seeking termination to fulfill its
                  obligations under the merger agreement;

         -        if the other party materially breaches its representations and
                  warranties or obligations under the merger agreement and does
                  not cure the violation within 45 days after being notified of
                  the breach, or the breach by its nature or timing cannot be
                  cured prior to the closing date of the merger;

         -        at any time following either party's special meeting of
                  stockholders to vote on the merger agreement if, at that
                  meeting, the stockholders voted not to adopt the merger
                  agreement;

         -        at any time prior to the adoption of the merger agreement by
                  the other party's stockholders, if the other party's board of
                  directors failed to recommend adoption of the merger agreement
                  to the other party's stockholders, or withdrew or modified
                  that recommendation in a manner adverse to the party seeking
                  termination;

         -        prior to adoption of the merger agreement by the terminating
                  party's stockholders, to allow the terminating party to enter
                  into an agreement with a third party with respect to an
                  acquisition proposal if the board of directors of the
                  terminating party has complied with its obligations with
                  respect to acquisition proposals (see "--Conduct of Business
                  Pending the Merger," above); or


                                        79


         -        if, during the ten-day period beginning on the date on which
                  the last required regulatory approval for the merger has been
                  received (referred to as the "determination date") the
                  terminating party's board of directors, by vote of a majority
                  of the entire board, determines to terminate the merger
                  agreement, and both of the following two conditions are met:

                  (1)      the average closing price per share of MB Financial
                           common stock for the 20 consecutive trading day
                           period ending on the determination date is less than
                           $13.29; and


                  (2)      the ratio obtained by dividing the average closing
                           price of MB Financial common stock determined under
                           item 1 above by $16.50 is less than the ratio
                           computed by (a) dividing the weighted average closing
                           price of an index of 18 other financial institution
                           holding companies on the determination date by
                           $27.3188, and (b) subtracting .15 from that quotient.


         The financial institution holding companies which comprise the index
are identified in Section 8.1(j) of the merger agreement.

FEES ASSOCIATED WITH TERMINATION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT

         MidCity Financial must pay liquidated damages of $5.0 million in cash
         to MB Financial if:

         (1)      the MB Financial board of directors, prior to adoption of the
                  merger agreement by the MidCity Financial stockholders, elects
                  to terminate the merger agreement under its right to do so
                  because the MidCity Financial board of directors has failed to
                  recommend adoption of the merger agreement to the stockholders
                  of MidCity Financial or withdrawn or modified its
                  recommendation in a manner adverse to MB Financial;

         (2)      the MidCity Financial board of directors, prior to adoption of
                  the merger agreement by the MidCity Financial stockholders,
                  elects to terminate the merger agreement under its right to do
                  so for the sole purpose of allowing MidCity Financial to enter
                  into an agreement with a third party for an acquisition
                  proposal; or

         (3)      MidCity Financial receives an acquisition proposal from a
                  third party prior to the time the MidCity Financial
                  stockholders vote on the merger agreement, and then (a) the
                  MidCity Financial stockholders fail to adopt the merger
                  agreement and (b) within one year after the termination of the
                  merger agreement MidCity Financial enters into an agreement to
                  engage in, or consummates, an acquisition proposal, other than
                  an acquisition by MidCity Financial of another entity for cash
                  or MidCity common stock representing less than 20% of the
                  outstanding MidCity Financial shares after giving effect to
                  the acquisition.

         MB Financial must pay liquidated damages of $5.0 million in cash to
         MidCity Financial if:

         (1)      the MidCity Financial board of directors, prior to adoption of
                  the merger agreement by the MB Financial stockholders, elects
                  to terminate the merger agreement under its right to do so
                  because the MB Financial board of directors has failed to
                  recommend adoption of the merger agreement to the stockholders
                  of MB Financial or withdrawn or modified its recommendation in
                  a manner adverse to MidCity Financial;

         (2)      the MB Financial board of directors, prior to adoption of the
                  merger agreement by the MB Financial stockholders, elects to
                  terminate the merger agreement under its right to do so for
                  the sole purpose of allowing MB Financial to enter into an
                  agreement with a third party for an acquisition proposal; or

         (3)      MB Financial receives an acquisition proposal from a third
                  party prior to the time the MB Financial stockholders vote on
                  the merger agreement, and then (a) the MB Financial
                  stockholders


                                        80


                  fail to adopt the merger agreement and (b) within
                  one year after the termination of the merger agreement MB
                  Financial enters into an agreement to engage in, or
                  consummates, an acquisition proposal, other than an
                  acquisition by MB Financial of another entity for cash or MB
                  common stock representing less than 20% of the outstanding MB
                  Financial shares after giving effect to the acquisition.

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT MATTERS

         After the effective time, the benefit plans of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial will remain in effect until the new company adopts new benefit plans
or merges or combines the MB Financial and MidCity Financial benefit plans. The
new company will honor in accordance with their terms all benefits vested as of
the effective time under the MB Financial and MidCity Financial benefit plans.
Pursuant to the merger agreement, MB Financial and MidCity Financial are
coordinating their efforts toward establishing a retention and severance program
in an effort to provide for equitable treatment of similarly situated employees
of MB Financial and MidCity Financial and their subsidiaries.

         Additional information regarding employee benefits and related matters,
particularly concerning directors and executive officers, is contained under
"--Interests of Insiders in the Merger."

INTERESTS OF INSIDERS IN THE MERGER

         MB FINANCIAL'S EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT WITH MITCHELL FEIGER. MB Financial
has an employment agreement with Mitchell Feiger, its President and Chief
Executive Officer and a director of MB Financial, for a three-year term which
is extended by one day on a daily basis (so that the term of the agreement is
always three years) unless MB Financial gives notice that the extensions will
cease. The agreement provides for an annual base salary of not less than
$325,000, discretionary bonuses and participation in benefit plans and the
receipt of fringe benefits to the same extent as the other executive officers of
MB Financial and Manufacturers Bank. The agreement will be assumed by the new
company after the merger and, as discussed under "Management After the Merger,"
Mr. Feiger will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the new
company after the merger.

         If within 18 months after a change in control of MB Financial or
Manufacturers Bank (which will occur upon completion of the merger), Mr. Feiger
voluntarily terminates his employment, he will be entitled to receive a lump sum
severance amount equal to 299% of his "base amount" (as defined in Section 280G
of the Internal Revenue Code) of compensation. He also will be entitled to
receive, at his cost, the health and other benefits described in item (2) below.
If Mr. Feiger's employment is involuntarily terminated by MB Financial or
Manufacturers Bank during the term of his agreement, then:

         (1)      he will receive monthly until the end of the agreement's term
                  1/12th of his annual salary and 1/12th of the average annual
                  amount of cash bonus and cash incentive compensation for the
                  two full fiscal years preceding the date of termination,
                  subject to reduction by the amount of any cash income earned
                  from providing services to another company prior to the end of
                  the agreement's term;

         (2)      he will for the remainder of his life be entitled to the same
                  health and dental benefits and long-term disability insurance
                  coverage as he would have received if still employed, subject
                  to reduction to the extent he receives equivalent or better
                  benefits from another employer; the cost of these benefits
                  will be borne by MB Financial prior to the end of the
                  agreement's term and by Mr. Feiger after the end of the
                  agreement's term;

         (3)      there will be full vesting of any unvested stock options that
                  he holds, which will be exercisable for at least 90 days after
                  the termination;

         (4)      there will be full vesting of any unvested amounts under any
                  other benefit plan in which he is a participant; and


                                       81


         (5)      if the involuntary termination occurs within 18 months after a
                  change in control of MB Financial or Manufacturers Bank (which
                  will occur upon completion of the merger), he also will
                  receive a lump sum severance amount of 299% of his base
                  amount, reduced by the present value of the monthly payments
                  to be made pursuant to the provision described in item (1)
                  above.

         MB Financial's board of directors has approved an amendment to Mr.
Feiger's employment agreement, subject to the concurrence of the MidCity
Financial board of directors, which would provide that, among other things, in
the event of an involuntary termination of Mr. Feiger's employment within two
years (as opposed to 18 months) after a change in control (other than the one
arising as a result of the merger), he would be entitled to receive the lump sum
change in control severance amount described in item (5) above without any
reduction for the value of the monthly payments to be made pursuant to item (1)
above.

         To the extent payment to Mr. Feiger of the lump sum severance amount of
299% of his base amount, whether following a voluntary or an involuntary
termination of employment, together with any other payments to Mr. Feiger in
connection with the change in control, would result in the payment of a
"parachute payment" (as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code),
then the severance amount will be reduced to avoid the payment of a parachute
payment.

         The term "involuntary termination" is defined to include termination
of employment by MB Financial or Manufacturers Bank (other than for cause or
due to death, disability, retirement or specified violations of law) without
Mr. Feiger's consent or by Mr. Feiger following a material reduction of or
interference with his duties, responsibilities or benefits without his
consent. The term "voluntary termination" is defined as termination of
employment by Mr. Feiger other than for a reason constituting involuntary
termination.

         Based on current compensation levels and assuming the remaining term
of his agreement is three years, if Mr. Feiger's employment were
involuntarily terminated within 18 months after a change in control, he would
be entitled to a monthly payment of approximately $41,016 for the next three
years (assuming no reduction for cash income earned from another employer).
Because the present value of these monthly payments exceeds 299% of Mr.
Feiger's base amount, he would not, under these circumstances, be entitled to
any lump sum severance amount in addition to the monthly payments. Assuming
current compensation levels, if Mr. Feiger's employment were voluntarily
terminated within 18 months after a change in control, he would be entitled
to a lump sum severance amount of approximately $990,572, subject to cutback
if any other payments or benefits are received by him which must be taken
into account in the parachute payment calculation.

         MANUFACTURERS BANK'S EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT WITH BURTON J. FIELD.
Manufacturers Bank has an employment agreement with Burton J. Field, its
President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of MB Financial, for a
three-year term which is extended by one year on an annual basis, unless
Manufacturers Bank gives notice that the term will not be extended. The
agreement provides for an annual base salary of not less than $400,000,
discretionary bonuses and participation in benefit plans and the receipt of
fringe benefits to the same extent as the other executive officers of MB
Financial and Manufacturers Bank.


         If Mr. Field's employment is involuntarily terminated by MB
Financial or Manufacturers Bank during the term of his agreement, then:


         (1)      he will receive monthly until the end of the agreement's term
                  1/12th of his annual salary and 1/12th of the average annual
                  amount of cash bonuses for the two full fiscal years preceding
                  the date of termination, subject to reduction by the amount of
                  any cash income earned from providing services to another
                  company prior to the end of the agreement's term;

         (2)      he will for the remainder of his life be entitled to the same
                  health and dental benefits and long-term disability insurance
                  coverage as he would have received if still employed, subject
                  to reduction to the extent he receives equivalent or better
                  benefits from another employer and provided that Mr. Field
                  will bear the entire cost of these benefits after the end of
                  the agreement's term;


                                      82


         (3)      Manufacturers Bank will continue to pay the premiums on
                  specified life and disability insurance policies for specified
                  time periods;

         (4)      there will be full vesting of any unvested stock options that
                  he holds, which will be exercisable for at least one year
                  after the termination;

         (5)      there will be full vesting of any unvested amounts under any
                  other benefit plan in which he is a participant; and


         (6)      if the involuntary termination occurs within 18 months after a
                  change in control of MB Financial or Manufacturers Bank (which
                  will occur upon completion of the merger), he also will
                  receive a lump sum severance amount of 299% of his "base
                  amount" (as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue
                  Code), reduced by the present value of the monthly payments to
                  be made pursuant to the provision described in item (1) above.



         To the extent payment to Mr. Field of the lump sum severance amount
of 299% of his base amount, together with any other payments to Mr. Field in
connection with the change in control, would result in the payment of a
"parachute payment" (as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue
Code), then the severance amount will be reduced to avoid the payment of a
parachute payment.



         The term "involuntary termination" has the same meaning as under Mr.
Feiger's employment agreement.



         Based on current compensation levels and assuming the remaining term
of his agreement is three years, if Mr. Field's employment were involuntarily
terminated within 18 months after a change in control, he would be entitled
to a monthly payment of approximately $43,099 for the next three years
(assuming no reduction for cash income earned from another employer). Because
the present value of these monthly payments exceeds 299% of Mr. Field's base
amount, he would not, under these circumstances, be entitled to any lump sum
severance amount in addition to the monthly payments.


         CHANGE IN CONTROL SEVERANCE AGREEMENTS WITH OFFICERS OF MB FINANCIAL
AND MANUFACTURERS BANK. Manufacturers Bank is a party to change in control
severance agreements with seven officers, including Jill E. York, Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of MB Financial and Senior Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of Manufacturers Bank, Thomas D. Panos,
Executive Vice President and Senior Lending Officer of Manufacturers Bank,
and five other persons with the title of Senior Vice President or above. Each
agreement provides that if the officer's employment is involuntarily
terminated in connection with or within one year after a change in control of
MB Financial or Manufacturers Bank (which will occur upon consummation of the
merger), the officer will receive a lump sum severance amount equal to 100%
of the officer's "base amount" (as defined in Section 280G of the Internal
Revenue Code) of compensation and continuation of group life insurance,
health and disability insurance benefits for one year after termination. To
the extent the payments to and the value of benefits provided to the officer
under his or her agreement, together with any other payments to and the value
of any other benefits to be provided to the officer in connection with the
change in control, would result in the payment of a "parachute payment" (as
defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code), then the payments and
benefits under the agreement will be reduced to avoid the payment of an
excess parachute payment.

         The term "involuntary termination" is defined in the change in
control severance agreements to mean termination of employment by
Manufacturers Bank (other than for cause or due to death, disability,
retirement or specified violations of law) without the officer's consent or
by the officer following a material reduction of or interference with his or
her duties, responsibilities or benefits without his or her consent.

         The merger agreement permits the amendment prior to the merger of
the change in control severance agreements with senior vice presidents or
persons with equivalent responsibilities to provide for the severance amount
and continuation of benefits if termination of employment occurs within two
years after a change in control, including a change in control occurring as a
result of the merger. The merger agreement also permits MB Financial and/or
Manufacturers Bank, prior to the merger, to enter into change in control
severance agreements with senior vice presidents (or persons with equivalent
responsibilities) or adopt a change in control severance plan for their


                                       83


benefit providing up to one year's salary for each covered employee if he or
she is involuntarily terminated without cause in connection with or within 24
months after a change in control, including a change in control arising from
the merger.

         Based on current compensation levels, if their employment were
terminated in connection with or within the requisite period after a change
in control, Ms. York and Mr. Panos would be entitled to lump sum severance
payments equal to approximately $150,000 and $187,811, respectively.

         ACCELERATED VESTING OF MB FINANCIAL STOCK OPTIONS. Options granted
under MB Financial's 1997 Omnibus Incentive Plan to purchase an aggregate of
104,909 shares of MB Financial common stock held by directors and executive
officers of MB Financial will, under the terms of that plan, become
exercisable prior to their scheduled vesting dates upon completion of the
merger.

         CHANGE IN CONTROL SEVERANCE AGREEMENTS WITH OFFICERS OF MIDCITY
FINANCIAL. MidCity Financial has entered into change in control severance
agreements with 15 officers, including E.M. Bakwin, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of MidCity Financial, Kenneth A. Skopec, President and a
director of MidCity Financial, Ronald D. Santo, Executive Vice President and
a director of MidCity Financial, and William F. McCarty III, Senior Vice
President of MidCity Financial. The agreements pay benefits if:

         (1)      the executive is involuntarily terminated without just cause
                  within two years after a change in control;

         (2)      the executive voluntarily terminates his employment for good
                  reason within two years after a change in control;

         (3)      a successor to MidCity Financial, such as one resulting from a
                  merger, fails to assume the agreement;

         (4)      MidCity Financial or its successor breaches the agreement; or

         (5)      the executive is involuntarily terminated without just cause
                  within six months before a change in control and the
                  termination was made in connection with the change in control.

         The benefits payable under the agreements are:

         (1)      the executive's annual base salary times a multiplier (three,
                  in the case of Messrs. Bakwin, Skopec, Santo and McCarty, two
                  in the case of ten other officers and 1.5 in the case of the
                  one remaining officer);

         (2)      an amount equal to the executive's average annual bonus over
                  the last three years (or, if the executive has been employed
                  for less than three years, over the executive's entire period
                  of employment) times a multiplier (three, in the case of
                  Messrs. Bakwin, Skopec, Santo and McCarty, two in the case of
                  ten other officers and 1.5 in the case of the one remaining
                  officer);

         (3)      the right to immediate payment of the then-current value of
                  his or her vested benefits, if any, under the MidCity
                  Financial Corporation Supplemental Profit Sharing Plan;

         (4)      continued medical, disability and other welfare plan benefits
                  for a specified period of time (three years in the case of
                  Messrs. Bakwin, Skopec, Santo and McCarty and one year in the
                  case of all other officers); and

         (5)      the right to purchase the whole life insurance policy MidCity
                  Financial holds on the executive for its cash surrender value.

         In addition, under the agreements with Messrs. Bakwin, Skopec, Santo
and McCarty, if the executive's employment is involuntarily terminated
without just cause, or if the executive voluntarily terminates his or her


                                      84


employment for good reason, in the third year after a change in control, the
executive will be entitled to a lump sum payment of one times the executive's
base salary.

         To the extent the amount of severance benefits payable to an
executive under his or her change in control severance agreement would result
in the payment of a "parachute payment" (as defined in Section 280G of the
Internal Revenue Code), then the amount will be reduced to avoid the payment
of a parachute payment.

         A "change in control" for purposes of the agreements occurs if any
one or more of the following events occur:

         o        a person or group of persons (including individuals and
                  companies) who are not descendants of Edward Morris and Helen
                  Swift acquire at least 35% of the voting power of MidCity
                  Financial's stock;

         o        during a 24-month period, a majority of the board of directors
                  of MidCity Financial changes, provided that individuals
                  approved by at least a two-thirds vote of the individuals who
                  were members of the board at the beginning of the 24-month
                  period are not considered new directors;

         o        at least 75% of the assets of MidCity Financial are sold, or
                  MidCity Financial is dissolved or liquidated, or dissolves or
                  liquidates at least 75% of its assets; or

         o        the board of directors of MidCity Financial agrees by a
                  two-thirds vote that a change in control of MidCity Financial
                  is about to occur.

         It is not expected that the board of directors of MidCity Financial
will determine that the merger with MB Financial will constitute a change in
control for purposes of the change in control severance agreements. The
merger agreement provides, however, that if any MidCity Financial employee
who is covered by a change in control severance agreement is involuntarily
terminated by the employer without cause at the effective time of the merger
or within twenty-four months after the effective time, the employee will
nevertheless be entitled to the benefits payable under his or her change in
control severance agreement.

         Because they will not continue as employees with the new company or
any of its subsidiaries after the merger, the employment of each of Messrs.
Bakwin and Skopec will be involuntarily terminated by the employer at the
effective time of the merger, entitling them to maximum cash payments under
their change in control severance agreements of $1.40 million and $1.57
million, respectively, based upon their respective parachute payment
limitations, subject to cutback if any other payments or benefits are
received by them which must be taken into account in the parachute payment
calculation. Assuming current compensation levels, if the employment of
Messrs. Santo and McCarty is terminated within the time period and under the
circumstances entitling them to full severance benefits under their change in
control severance agreements, they will be entitled to receive maximum cash
payments under their agreements of $830,071 and $467,808, respectively, based
upon their respective parachute payment limitations, subject to cutback if
any other payments or benefits are received by them which must be taken into
account in the parachute payment calculation.


         COVENANTS NOT TO COMPETE. It is expected that as of the effective
time of the merger, each of Messrs. Bakwin and Skopec will enter into an
agreement not to compete with the new company for five years after the
merger. In consideration for these covenants not to compete, each of Messrs.
Bakwin and Skopec will be paid $50,000 per year for five years.


         MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION SEVERANCE PLAN. MidCity Financial
maintains a severance plan that applies to all of the employees of MidCity
Financial and its subsidiary banks. The severance plan pays benefits to any
such employee who is terminated for any reason other than voluntary
resignation by the employee or termination by the employer for cause, so long
as the employee signs a release of claims and any other documents MidCity
Financial may require him or her to sign. The benefits payable under the plan
are as follows:

         o        for employees with one to five years of service, one week's
                  pay per year of service;


                                      85


         o        for employees with six to fifteen years of service, five
                  weeks' salary, plus one and one-half weeks' salary for each
                  year of service beyond five years; and

         o        for employees with more than fifteen years of service, twenty
                  weeks' salary, plus two weeks' salary for each year of service
                  above fifteen.

In addition, the plan provides that a Senior Vice President will, regardless
of years of service, receive a severance benefit of no less than fifty-two
weeks' salary, plus an amount equal to his or her average annual bonus over
the last three years prior to his or her termination of employment (or, if
the employee has been employed for less than three years, over the employee's
entire period of employment). Although they are covered by the severance
plan, executives who are parties to change in control severance agreements
are not entitled to receive severance pay under the severance plan if they
are receiving benefits under their change in control severance agreements.
So, for example, an executive with a change in control severance agreement
who is involuntarily terminated, but not for cause, will receive benefits
under the severance plan if he or she is terminated under circumstances that
do not meet the criteria for payment under the change in control severance
agreement.

         MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION RETENTION BONUS PLAN. The MidCity
Financial Corporation Retention Bonus Plan covers approximately fifty-five
employees of MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries, including Messrs.
McCarty and Santo, who have been chosen for participation by the board of
directors of MidCity Financial. Under the retention bonus plan, a
participant's retention bonus will be determined by the plan committee in an
amount not to exceed 50% of the participant's annual base salary. By the
terms of the plan, the aggregate amount of retention bonuses paid to all
participants may not exceed $2,250,000.

         The retention bonus plan provides for the payment of a retention
bonus to a participant who, 60 days after a change in control of MidCity
Financial or a subsidiary of MidCity Financial has occurred, remains employed
by MidCity Financial or a subsidiary of MidCity Financial (or a successor of
either following a merger constituting a change in control). If the
participant's employment terminates before the end of the 60-day period due
to death, disability, transfer to employment with an affiliate of the entity
that acquired MidCity Financial, termination without cause, or voluntary
termination for good reason, he or she is also entitled to the retention
bonus.

         For purposes of the retention bonus plan, a "change in control" of
MidCity Financial is deemed to occur under the same circumstances as under
the change in control severance agreements. As with the change in control
severance agreements, it is not expected that the board of directors of
MidCity Financial will determine that the merger with MB Financial will
constitute a change in control for purposes of the retention bonus plan.
Under the merger agreement, MidCity Financial and MB Financial have agreed to
coordinate in establishing a retention and severance program in an effort to
retain and provide incentives to key personnel for the benefit of the new
company and its subsidiaries. It is expected that MB Financial and MidCity
Financial will agree on a program that will provide to MidCity Financial
employees retention benefits substantially similar to those set forth in
MidCity Financial's existing retention bonus plan, in which case it is not
expected that the MidCity Financial board of directors will declare that the
merger constitutes a change in control of MidCity Financial. Based on the
foregoing, it is expected that Messrs. McCarty and Santo will be entitled to
retention bonuses of 50% of their annual base salaries, or $87,500 and
$105,000, respectively.

         DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS AFTER THE MERGER. Certain directors and
executive officers of MB Financial and MidCity Financial will serve as
directors and executive officers of the new company after the merger. See
"Management After the Merger."

         INDEMNIFICATION AND DIRECTOR AND OFFICER LIABILITY INSURANCE
COVERAGE. The merger agreement provides that upon completion of the merger,
the new company will indemnify and hold harmless to the fullest extent
permitted by law any person who, prior to completion of the merger, was a
director, an officer or an employee of MB Financial, MidCity Financial or the
new company or any of their subsidiaries, against losses, expenses and other
liabilities with respect to claims based on or relating to the fact that the
person was a director, an officer or an employee before completion of the
merger or based on or relating to the merger agreement and the transactions
contemplated by the merger agreement. The merger agreement also provides that
for six years after the merger, the new company will continue to maintain the
officers and directors liability insurance policy of MB Financial with
coverage for the past acts and omissions of individuals serving as directors
and officers of MB Financial, MidCity


                                      86


Financial and their subsidiaries immediately prior to the merger. In lieu of
this obligation of the new company, MidCity Financial and/or MB Financial, at
the election of MB Financial, may elect to obtain, prior to the merger, six-
year tail coverage under its existing officers and directors liability
insurance policies for the past acts and omissions of the individuals serving
as its directors and officers (and the directors and officers of its
subsidiaries) prior to the merger.

VOTING AGREEMENTS

         The MB Financial directors have entered into a voting agreement with
MidCity Financial under which each director has agreed to vote all of the
shares of MB Financial common stock that he owns of record or beneficially
and is entitled to vote as of the record date for the MB Financial special
meeting in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. Similarly, the MidCity
Financial directors have entered into a voting agreement with MB Financial
under which each director has agreed to vote all of the shares of MidCity
Financial common stock that he or she owns of record and is entitled to vote
as of the record date of the MidCity Financial special meeting in favor of
adoption of the merger agreement. Both voting agreements prohibit the
directors from transferring any voting interest in their shares except to a
person who agrees to be bound by the voting agreement.

          Pursuant to their voting agreement with MidCity Financial, the MB
Financial directors have agreed to vote an aggregate of 1,046,077 shares of
MB Financial common stock in favor of adoption of the merger agreement,
representing 14.9% of the outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock as
of the record date for the MB Financial special meeting. Pursuant to their
voting agreement with MB Financial, the MidCity Financial directors have
agreed to vote an aggregate of 6,347 shares of MidCity Financial common stock
in favor of adoption of the merger agreement, representing 13.97% of the
outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock as of the record date
for the MidCity Financial special meeting.

EXPENSES

        All expenses incurred in connection with the merger agreement and the
merger will be paid by the party incurring the expenses, except that the
printing and mailing expenses of this joint proxy statement-prospectus, all fees
to be paid to regulatory agencies in connection with the merger and the bank
merger and all expenses associated with forming the new company will be borne
equally by MB Financial and MidCity Financial. In addition, the fees payable to
The Nasdaq Stock Market in excess of $17,500 to list the shares of new company
common stock to be issued in the merger will be borne entirely by MidCity
Financial.

STOCK LISTING



        MB Financial common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market
National Market system under the symbol MBFI. The new company common stock to
be issued in the merger has been approved for listing on The Nasdaq Stock
Market. The new company, the name of which will change to MB Financial, Inc.
upon the effective time of the merger, will assume the MBFI symbol for its
common stock.



                           MANAGEMENT AFTER THE MERGER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PROVISIONS

        Pursuant to the merger agreement and as will be provided in the bylaws
of the new company, until either the third annual meeting of stockholders of the
new company held after the merger or the consummation of a business combination
approved by two-thirds of the entire board of directors of the new company
resulting in the stockholders of the new company owning less than 51% of the
resulting entity (whichever occurs first), the following will apply:

1.      E.M. Bakwin, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MidCity
        Financial, will be Chairman of the Board of Directors of the new
        company. Mitchell Feiger, the President and Chief Executive Officer of
        MB Financial, will be the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
        new company. If Mr. Bakwin is unable or unwilling to serve or continue
        to serve, his replacement will be selected by a majority of the MidCity


                                       87



        Financial-designated directors (defined in item 2 below). If Mr. Feiger
        is unable or unwilling to serve or continue to serve, his replacement
        will be selected by a majority of the MB Financial-designated directors
        (defined in item 2 below).

2.      The board of directors of the new company will consist of 17 members,
        eight of whom are designated by the board of directors of MB Financial
        (referred to as the "MB Financial-designated directors") and nine of
        whom are designated by the board of directors of MidCity Financial
        (referred to as the "MidCity Financial- designated directors"). The
        classes of directors with terms expiring at the first and second annual
        meetings of stockholders of the new company will each be comprised of
        three MB Financial-designated directors and three MidCity
        Financial-designated directors. The class expiring at the third annual
        meeting of stockholders will be comprised of two MB Financial-designated
        directors and three MidCity Financial- designated directors.

3.      Any vacancy on the board of directors of the new company created by the
        departure of a MB Financial- designated director will be filled by an
        individual nominated by a majority vote of the continuing MB
        Financial-designated directors and appointed by a majority of the
        remaining members of the board, subject to their fiduciary duties, and
        all vacancies created by the departure of a MidCity Financial-designated
        director will be filled by an individual nominated by a majority vote of
        the continuing MidCity Financial- designated directors and appointed by
        a majority of the remaining members of the board, subject to their
        fiduciary duties.

4.      The number of directors of the new company may be changed upon the vote
        of a majority of the MB Financial-designated directors and a majority of
        the MidCity Financial-designated directors and two-thirds of the entire
        board of directors. Any vacancy created by an increase in the size of
        the board of directors will be filled by a nominee chosen by a vote of
        two-thirds of the entire board of directors.

5.      The new company board of directors will, subject to the fiduciary duties
        of its members, nominate and recommend all incumbents for re-election as
        directors; this provision does not apply to persons who became directors
        pursuant to the provision described in item 4 above.

6.      The new company board of directors will have an Executive/Strategic
        Planning Committee, to be comprised of eight members. The Chairman of
        this committee will be an individual nominated by a majority vote of the
        MidCity Financial-designated directors. The Chairman of each other
        committee will be an individual nominated by a majority vote of the
        members of the committee. All committees will be comprised of an equal
        number of MB Financial and MidCity Financial-designated directors, to be
        selected by the MB Financial and MidCity Financial-designated directors,
        respectively, unless waived by a majority of the MB Financial or MidCity
        Financial-designated directors.

7.      A vote of two-thirds of the entire board of directors of the new company
        will be required to approve any of the following:

        o       a sale of the new company or any of its subsidiaries or a sale
                or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets
                of the new company or any of its subsidiaries;

        o       the acquisition of another company or the merger or
                consolidation of the new company with another company;

        o       the removal of the Chief Executive Officer of the new company
                for any reason other than for cause;

        o       allowing the new company, on a consolidated basis, to exceed an
                80% loan to deposit ratio (excluding lease loans where the
                related lessee has outstanding securities rated investment grade
                or where the related lessee would be viewed under the
                underwriting policies of the new company and its subsidiaries as
                an investment grade company);


                                       88


        o       allowing the new company, on a consolidated basis, to exceed a
                90% loan to deposit ratio (including all lease loans);

        o       maintaining an annual dividend payout ratio of less than 25% of
                net income (not including extraordinary or non-recurring gains);
                or

        o       allowing the new company or any of its depository institution
                subsidiaries to maintain a Leverage Ratio of less than 7.0%,
                Tier 1 Capital Ratio of less than 8.0% or Total Capital Ratio of
                less than 11.0%.

8.      By a majority vote, the MB Financial-designated directors will be
        entitled to nominate one MB Financial- designated director and the
        MidCity Financial-designated directors will be entitled to nominate one
        MidCity Financial-designated director each to serve as a Vice Chairman
        of the board of directors of the new company; these nominees must be
        appointed by the board subject to the fiduciary duties of its members.

9.      The provisions of the new company bylaws described in items 1-8 above
        may not be amended without the vote of a majority of the MB
        Financial-designated directors and a majority of the MidCity Financial-
        designated directors and two-thirds of the entire board of directors of
        the new company.

        The boards of directors of MB Financial and MidCity Financial have
designated the individuals named below to serve as directors of the new company.
These designations may be changed at any time prior to the merger.




                                                           Director
        Name                  Age       Designee of        Since(1)     Term Expiring
---------------------------  -----  -------------------  ------------  ---------------
                                                                 
E.M. Bakwin, Chairman         73    MidCity Financial         1981           2004
Mitchell Feiger               43    MB Financial              1992           2004
James N. Hallene              40    MidCity Financial         2000           2004
Leslie S. Hindman             46    MidCity Financial         1998           2004
David Husman                  66    MB Financial              1992           2004
Robert S. Engelman, Jr.       59    MB Financial              1993           2003
Alfred Feiger                 76    MB Financial              1992           2003
Richard I. Gilford            76    MB Financial              1992           2003
Thomas H. Harvey              40    MidCity Financial         1995           2003
Ronald D. Santo               58    MidCity Financial         1990           2003
Eugene Sawyer                 67    MidCity Financial         1991           2003
Burton J. Field               65    MB Financial              1992           2002
Lawrence E. Gilford           77    MB Financial              1992           2002
Patrick Henry                 61    MidCity Financial         1981           2002
Richard J. Holmstrom          43    MidCity Financial         1998           2002
Clarence Mann                 76    MB Financial              1992           2002
Kenneth A. Skopec             67    MidCity Financial         1981           2002



-------------------
(1) Denotes year in which the individual first became a director of MB Financial
    or MidCity Financial. For MB Financial designees, includes service on the
    board of directors of Coal City Corporation which was merged into MB
    Financial (known prior to that merger as Avondale Financial Corp.) in
    February 1999.


        Set forth below is a description of the business experience for at least
the past five years of each of the individuals listed above.

        E.M. BAKWIN. Mr. Bakwin has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of MidCity Financial since 1981. Mr. Bakwin also has served as
a director of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago since 1961, First National
Bank of Morton Grove since 1982, Union Bank and Trust Company since 1988, Abrams
Centre


                                       89


National Bank since 1997 and Chairman of the Board of The Mid-City National
Bank of Chicago since 1967. Mr. Bakwin is Mr. Harvey's first cousin once
removed and Mr. Henry's first cousin by marriage.

        MITCHELL FEIGER. Mr. Feiger is President and Chief Executive Officer of
MB Financial, as well as Chairman of the Board of Manufacturers Bank. Mr. Feiger
began his career with Touche Ross & Company in 1982, and then in 1984 joined
Affiliated Banc Group, Inc., a bank holding company, where he worked in various
capacities until eventually becoming Executive Vice President of Affiliated Banc
Group. Mr. Feiger became President and a director of Coal City Corporation in
1992, and became President and Chief Executive Officer of MB Financial in
February 1999 upon the merger of Coal City with MB Financial. Mitchell Feiger is
Alfred Feiger's son.


        JAMES N. HALLENE. Mr. Hallene founded Capital Concepts, LLC, a private
equity investment firm, in 1999 and currently serves as its managing principal.
He has also served as a director of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago since
2000. From 1983 to 1999, Mr. Hallene worked in various capacities for First
Chicago Corporation, eventually becoming Group Head of Private Banking at
American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago. He currently serves as a
director of Olsen Engineering, L.P., DNJ Capital Partners, LLC and
AthletesMedia.


        LESLIE S. HINDMAN. Ms. Hindman served as Chairman of Eppraisals.com from
1999 to June, 2001 and was the President of Sotheby's Midwest auction facility
from 1997 to 1999. Ms. Hindman also has served as a director of The Mid-City
National Bank of Chicago since 1998. In addition, she is the host of the
television shows "At the Auction with Leslie Hindman" and "The Appraisal Fair."
Ms. Hindman also is a syndicated columnist with the Chicago Tribune.

        DAVID L. HUSMAN. Mr. Husman served as a director of the seven banks that
were owned by Affiliated Banc Group. Mr. Husman is an attorney and is in the
real estate and investment business.

        ROBERT S. ENGELMAN, JR. Mr. Engelman, Chairman of the Board of MB
Financial, joined MB Financial in 1993 as President and Chief Executive Officer
and a director and served as President and Chief Executive Officer until the
merger of MB Financial with Coal City Corporation in February 1999. Prior to
joining MB Financial, Mr. Engelman was the Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of University Financial Corporation and its wholly-owned
subsidiary, First Federal of Elgin, FSA, Elgin, Illinois.

        ALFRED FEIGER. Mr. Feiger served as Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of Coal City Corporation until the merger of Coal City with MB
Financial in February 1999. Mr. Feiger has over 50 years of banking and finance
company experience, having served in various executive capacities during such
period. Mr. Feiger also served as a director of the seven banks that were owned
by Affiliated Banc Group and was President of Affiliated Banc Group's Western
National Bank of Cicero. Alfred Feiger is Mitchell Feiger's father.

        RICHARD I. GILFORD. Mr. Gilford has over 50 years of banking experience,
having served in various executive capacities during such period. Mr. Gilford
also served as a director of the seven banks that were owned by Affiliated Banc
Group and was Chairman of the Board of Affiliated Asset-Based Lending Services,
a subsidiary of Affiliated Banc Group. Mr. Gilford is a trustee of Mt. Sinai
Hospital in Chicago. Richard Gilford is the cousin of Lawrence Gilford.

        THOMAS H. HARVEY. Mr. Harvey has served as President of the Energy
Foundation since 1990. He also has served as a director of The Mid-City National
Bank of Chicago and First National Bank of Morton Grove since 1995. Mr. Harvey
is Mr. Bakwin's first cousin once removed.

        RONALD D. SANTO. Mr. Santo has served as Executive Vice President of
MidCity Financial since 1998 and Secretary of MidCity Financial since 1981,
President of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago since 1998 and a director of
The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago since 1988, and Chief Executive Officer
and a director of First National Bank of Elmhurst since 1986 and Vice Chairman
of the Board of First National Bank of Elmhurst since 1993.


                                       90



        EUGENE SAWYER. Mr. Sawyer has served as Vice President of Crown Energy,
Inc. since 1994. He also has served as a director of The Mid-City National Bank
of Chicago since 1989 and First National Bank of Morton Grove since 1991. Mr.
Sawyer is a former Mayor of the City of Chicago.

        BURTON J. FIELD. Mr. Field has served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of Manufacturers Bank since 1983 and as a director of Manufacturers Bank
since 1977. Mr. Field has over 40 years of banking and finance experience,
mainly in the areas of commercial lending and leasing. Mr. Field joined
Manufacturers Bank in 1970.

        LAWRENCE E. GILFORD. Mr. Gilford has over 50 years of banking
experience, having served in various executive capacities during such period. He
also served as a director of the seven banks that were owned by Affiliated Banc
Group and was President of Affiliated Banc Group's North Shore National Bank.
Mr. Gilford served as President of the Chicago Chapter of the Illinois Bankers
Association, is a trustee of the Rush North Shore Medical Center, and is a Board
Member of the Chicago Chapter of the Jewish Community Center and the Jewish
Federation of Palm Springs, California. Lawrence Gilford is the cousin of
Richard Gilford.

        PATRICK HENRY. Mr. Henry has served as Chairman of the Board of Verado
Energy, Inc., an independent oil and gas company, since 1987. He has served as a
director of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago since 1976. Mr. Henry is Mr.
Bakwin's first cousin by marriage.

        RICHARD J. HOLMSTROM. Mr. Holmstrom has since 1995 been a partner in and
is a co-founder of Menlo Equities, LLC. He also has served as a director of The
Mid-City National Bank of Chicago and First National Bank of Morton Grove since
1998.

        CLARENCE MANN. Mr. Mann has over 45 years of banking experience, having
served in various executive capacities during such period. Mr. Mann also served
as a director of the seven banks that were owned by Affiliated Banc Group and
was President of both Franklin Park Bank and First State Bank of Franklin
Park, both of which were owned by Affiliated Banc Group.

        KENNETH A. SKOPEC. Mr. Skopec has served as President of MidCity
Financial since 1981, Chief Executive Officer and a director of The Mid-City
National Bank of Chicago since 1965 and Vice Chairman of The Mid-City National
Bank of Chicago since 1988, Chairman of the Board of First National Bank of
Elmhurst since 1986, Vice Chairman of the Board of Union Bank and Trust Company
since 1988 and Chairman of the Board of Abrams Centre National Bank since 1997.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE NEW COMPANY

        The principal executive officers of the new company upon completion of
the merger will be as follows:




Name                       Age    Title
----                       ---    -----
                            
Mitchell Feiger             43    President and Chief Executive Officer

Jill E. York                38    Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Ronald D. Santo             58    Chairman of Illinois-based Bank, Group President

Thomas D. Panos             45    Executive Vice President-Commercial Banking

Burton J. Field             65    President and Chief Executive Officer of Illinois-based Bank

William F. McCarty III      44    Executive Vice President-Wealth Management, Operations

Thomas P. FitzGibbon, Jr.   57    Senior Vice President-Retail Banking

Jeffrey L. Husserl          41    Senior Vice President-Human Resources




                                       91



        Set forth below is a description of the business experience for at least
the past five years of each of the individuals listed above who will not also
serve as a director of the new company.

        JILL E. YORK. Ms. York has served as Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of MB Financial since joining MB Financial in August 2000, and also
serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and a director of
Manufacturers Bank. Ms. York previously served as a partner with the public
accounting firm of McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. She was employed in the public
accounting sector for 15 years and is a member of the Illinois CPA Society, the
American Institute of Certified Accountants and the Community Bankers
Association of Illinois.

        THOMAS D. PANOS. Mr. Panos has served as Executive Vice President and
Senior Lending Officer and a director of Manufacturers Bank since March 1996.
Mr. Panos was Senior Vice President and Manager of Corporate Banking (in
Illinois) for First Bank System from 1994 to 1996, and he served Boulevard Bank
in various lending and management capacities since 1982. Mr. Panos has over 24
years of banking experience.

        WILLIAM F. MCCARTY III. Mr. McCarty has served as Senior Vice President
of MidCity Financial since 1998, President and a director of First National Bank
of Morton Grove since 1992, and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Pro Tem of
the Board of First National Bank of Morton Grove since 1997. He also serves as a
director of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago. Mr. McCarty joined The
MidCity National Bank of Chicago in 1982 and has over 22 years of experience in
the banking industry.

        THOMAS P. FITZGIBBON, JR. Mr. FitzGibbon serves as Senior Vice President
and Chief Retail Banking Officer of Manufacturers Bank. He has held the position
of Chief Retail Banking Officer since May 2000 and the title of Senior Vice
President since the merger of Manufacturers Bank with Avondale Federal Savings
Bank in February 1999. He also serves as President of Manufacturers Community
Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Manufacturers Bank. Prior to the
merger with Avondale, Mr. FitzGibbon served as Vice President of Avondale
Federal Savings Bank from the time of joining Avondale in 1995. Mr.
FitzGibbon served as Vice President of Comerica Bank-Illinois from 1990-1995
and Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of Columbia First
Bank, FSB, Arlington, Virginia, from 1985 to 1990. Mr. FitzGibbon has been a
principal officer in the banking industry since 1970.

        JEFFREY L. HUSSERL. Mr. Husserl has served as Senior Vice
President-Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer of Manufacturers Bank
since joining Manufacturers Bank in 1999. From 1994 until joining Manufacturers
Bank in 1999, Mr. Husserl served as Director of Human Resources for Allied Van
Lines. Mr. Husserl came to Manufacturers Bank with 17 years of experience in
various industries, including manufacturing, transportation and financial
services.

COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

        COMPENSATION PAID BY THE NEW COMPANY. Each director of the new company
will receive compensation for his service as a director as determined by the
board of directors of the new company. The new company has not yet paid any
compensation to its current executive officers or any person who is expected to
become an executive officer. The form and amount of compensation to be paid to
each of the new company's executive officers in any future period will be
determined by the compensation committee of the new company's board of
directors.


                                       92



        COMPENSATION PAID BY MB FINANCIAL. For information regarding
compensation paid for the year ended December 31, 2000 to the directors and
executive officers of MB Financial who will become directors and executive
officers of the new company after the merger, as well the employment and
change-in-control severance agreements with these executive officers and certain
transactions involving these directors and executive officers, see MB
Financial's proxy statement for its 2001 annual meeting of stockholders, the
relevant portions of which are incorporated by reference into MB Financial's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000.
See "Where You Can Find More Information."

        COMPENSATION PAID BY MIDCITY FINANCIAL. Set forth below is information
concerning the compensation paid by MidCity Financial to its directors and
executive officers and certain transactions with directors and executive
officers.

        DIRECTOR COMPENSATION. Each director of MidCity Financial currently
receives $2,400 per board meeting attended, and each outside director also
receives $700 per board committee meeting attended.


        EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION. The following table sets forth certain
information with respect to annual and other compensation paid to MidCity
Financial's Chief Executive Officer and its three most highly compensated
executive officers other than the chief executive officer, for the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998.




                                      FISCAL      ANNUAL        ANNUAL          ALL OTHER
NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION            YEAR       SALARY         BONUS        COMPENSATION(1)
-----------------------------------   ------    ----------    -----------     ---------------
                                                                  
E. M. Bakwin, Chairman of the Board    2000      $328,000      $240,000          $57,470
and Chief Executive Officer            1999       314,000       220,000           56,670
                                       1998       300,000       200,000           53,100

Kenneth A. Skopec, President           2000       380,000       240,000           74,000
                                       1999       366,000       220,000           72,730
                                       1998       352,000       200,000           67,560

Ronald D. Santo, Executive Vice-       2000       200,000       135,000           45,500
President and Secretary                1999       192,500       125,000           44,700
                                       1998       185,000       115,000           41,100

William F. McCarty III, Senior Vice    2000       153,750        60,000           33,375
President                              1999       135,000        50,000           30,625
                                       1998       119,500        46,000           26,978


---------------
(1)   Consists of contributions by MidCity Financial to its profit sharing plan
      and supplemental profit sharing plan on the executives' behalf,
      aggregating 10% of salary and bonus for 2000, and 10.5% for 1999 and 1998.
      MidCity Financial has a profit sharing plan for all salaried employees.
      Plan participants are entitled to withdraw their vested amounts from the
      plan upon cessation of their employment from MidCity Financial for any
      reason. In 1989, MidCity Financial adopted a supplemental profit sharing
      plan for a select group of management employees; the supplemental profit
      sharing plan provides benefits that would have been provided under the
      profit sharing plan except that they exceed the maximum amounts payable
      through the profit sharing plan under certain limits imposed by ERISA and
      the Internal Revenue Code. Amounts are provided on an unfunded basis based
      on compensation paid on or after January 1, 1989.

        Each of Messrs. Bakwin, Skopec, Santo and McCarty is a party to a change
in control severance agreement with MidCity Financial. These agreements are
described under "The Merger--Interests of Insiders in the Merger- Change in
Control Severance Agreements with Officers of MidCity Financial."

        CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. Certain directors and executive officers of
MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries, as well as the associates of these
persons, are customers of and engage in banking transactions with the bank
subsidiaries of MidCity Financial in the ordinary course of business. All loans
and commitments to make loans included in these transactions are made on
substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those
prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with other persons not
employed by or affiliated with MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries, and do
not involve more than the normal risk of collectibility or present other
unfavorable features.


                                       93



                UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


        The following unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet as of June 30,
2001 of MB-MidCity, Inc. (sometimes referred to in this document as the new
company) combines the historical consolidated balance sheets of MB Financial
and its subsidiaries and MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries as if the
merger had occurred on June 30, 2001, after giving effect to certain pro
forma adjustments described in the accompanying notes. The following
unaudited pro forma combined condensed statements of income for the six-month
periods ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 and for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 2000 of MB-MidCity, Inc. present the
combined historical results of operations of MB Financial and its
subsidiaries and MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries as if the merger had
occurred on the first day of each period presented. The fiscal year end of
each of MB Financial and MidCity Financial is December 31. Pro forma per
share amounts are based on the MB Financial exchange ratio of one share of
new company common stock for each share of MB Financial common stock and the
MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955 shares of new company common
stock for each share of MidCity Financial common stock. The merger is
expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2001. Aside from $1,000 in cash
received from MB Financial and MidCity Financial for the nominal subscription
of stock, MB-MidCity, Inc. has no assets. It also has no liabilities and has
not, to date, conducted any business activities other than those incident to
its formation, the matters contemplated by the merger agreement and the
filing with the SEC of the registration statement of which this joint proxy
statement-prospectus is a part. Accordingly, the pro forma combined financial
statements of MB Financial and MidCity Financial represent MB-MidCity, Inc.'s
financial condition and results of operations for the periods presented.


        The unaudited pro forma combined financial statements and related
footnotes account for the merger using the pooling-of-interests method of
accounting. Under the pooling-of-interests method of accounting, the recorded
assets, liabilities, stockholders' equity, income and expenses of MB Financial
and MidCity Financial are combined and recorded at their historical cost-based
amounts, except as described below and in the footnotes. The accounting policies
of MB Financial and MidCity Financial are substantially similar.

        The unaudited pro forma combined financial statements are for
illustrative purposes only. The companies may have performed differently had
they been combined during the periods presented. You should not rely on the
unaudited pro forma combined financial information as being indicative of the
historical results that we would have had or the future results that the new
company will experience after the merger. These unaudited pro forma combined
financial statements should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in
their entirety by, the separate historical consolidated financial statements and
related notes of MB Financial and MidCity Financial. See "Where You Can Find
More Information" and "Index to Financial Statements of MidCity Financial
Corporation."


                                      94


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED BALANCE SHEET AS OF JUNE 30, 2001





                                                                MidCity
                                              MB Financial,   Financial,     Pro Forma     Pro Forma
                                                  Inc.           Corp.      Adjustments     Combined
                                              -------------  ------------  -------------  -------------
                                                                 (In thousands)
                                                                              
ASSETS:
Cash and due from banks..................      $     29,010  $     54,397  $        ---  $     83,407
Other interest bearing deposits..........             4,273           ---           ---         4,273
Federal funds sold.......................            30,750        10,750           ---        41,500
Investment securities available for sale.           210,329       714,639           ---       924,968
Stock in Federal Home Loan Bank..........             6,396         4,997           ---        11,393
Loans, net...............................         1,247,070       971,149           ---     2,218,219
Lease investments, net...................            49,868           ---           ---        49,868
Premises and equipment, net..............            19,170        33,921           ---        53,091
Cash surrender value of life insurance...            32,767           ---           ---        32,767
Interest only receivables................             8,663           ---           ---         8,663
Intangibles, net.........................            20,778        15,909           ---        36,687
Accrued interest receivable..............            10,304        14,152           ---        24,456
Other assets.............................            10,326         4,616         5,200 (2)    20,142
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------
      Total assets.......................        $1,679,704    $1,824,530     $   5,200    $3,509,434
                                                 ==========    ==========     =========    ==========

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
 EQUITY
LIABILITIES:
  Deposits:
    Noninterest bearing..................       $   161,278   $   274,782  $        ---   $   436,060
    Interest bearing.....................         1,136,123     1,280,966           ---     2,417,089
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------
      Total deposits.....................         1,297,401     1,555,748           ---     2,853,149

  Short-term borrowings..................           211,582        42,192           ---       253,774
  Long-term borrowings...................            51,683        17,000           ---        68,683
  Other liabilities......................            18,594        11,494        19,600 (2)    49,688
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------
      Total liabilities..................         1,579,260     1,626,434        19,600     3,225,294
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------

  Common stock...........................                71         1,000          (894)(1)       177
  Additional paid-in capital.............            50,650        24,052           894 (1)    75,596
  Retained earnings......................            50,029       175,094       (14,400)(2)   202,043
                                                                                 (8,680)(1)
  Accumulated other comprehensive
     income (loss).......................              (220)        6,544           ---         6,324
  Less treasury stock at cost............               (86)       (8,594)        8,680 (1)       ---
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------
      Total stockholders' equity.........           100,444       198,096       (14,400)      284,140
                                                 ----------    ----------     ---------    ----------

      Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $1,679,704    $1,824,530     $   5,200    $3,509,434
                                                 ==========    ==========     =========    ==========




                                       95



NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED BALANCE SHEET

1.      STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - In connection with the merger, a new holding
        company, MB-MidCity, Inc., has been established. Each outstanding share
        of MidCity Financial common stock will be converted into 230.32955
        shares of new company common stock and each share of MB Financial common
        stock will be converted into one share of new company common stock. Each
        share of new company common stock has a par value of $.01 per share.
        MidCity Financial and MB Financial had 46,007 and 7,061,150 shares of
        common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2001, respectively. The pro
        forma average share amounts for MidCity Financial were adjusted for the
        MidCity Financial exchange ratio of 230.32955. The common stock in the
        unaudited pro forma balance sheet has been adjusted to reflect the
        reclassification of MB Financial additional paid in capital and the
        elimination of treasury stock.


2.      MERGER - RELATED COSTS - Transaction costs of the merger (primarily
        investment banking and other professional fees) and costs to combine
        operations are expected to be approximately $19.6 million on a pre-tax
        basis, or approximately $14.4 million on an after-tax basis. The
        Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Income on the pages
        that follow do not reflect these charges. The Unaudited Pro Forma
        Combined Balance Sheet on the prior page reflects these expected merger
        charges. It is anticipated that most of the cash charges will be
        incurred and recognized during the fourth quarter of 2001. The following
        table provides details of the estimated charges by type of cost:



                       Type of Cost                               Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              (In Thousands)
                                                                 
Transaction Costs                                                   $   4,100
Costs to combine operations:
  Severance and other employee termination costs                        7,000
  Duplicative systems and facilities costs                              4,000
  Change in valuation reserve related to deferred state income taxes    3,000
  Other costs incidental to the merger                                  1,500
                                                                    ---------
                                                                       19,600
   Income tax benefit of expected merger adjustment                    (5,200)
                                                                    ---------
        Net merger charges                                          $  14,400
                                                                    =========



                                       96



UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME FOR THE SIX MONTHS
ENDED JUNE 30, 2001





                                                                                        Combined
                                                                       MidCity          Pro Forma
                                                   MB Financial       Financial          Amounts
                                                 ---------------    ------------      ------------
                                                 (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                              
Interest income..............................      $      55,483    $     60,832       $   116,315
Interest expense.............................             32,712          30,002            62,714
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income......................             22,771          30,830            53,601
Provision for loan losses....................              1,400             620             2,020
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income after provision for
      loan losses............................             21,371          30,210            51,581
Other income.................................              6,582           6,872            13,454
Other expenses...............................             18,493          23,996            42,489
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
Income before income taxes...................              9,460          13,086            22,546
Applicable income taxes......................              3,222           4,462             7,684
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net income...............................      $       6,238    $      8,624       $    14,862
                                                   =============    ============       ===========
Preferred stock dividend.....................                ---             ---               ---
     Net income available to common
       stockholders..........................      $       6,238    $      8,624       $    14,862
                                                   =============    ============       ===========

Earnings per share:
  Basic......................................              $0.88         $187.45             $0.84
                                                           =====         =======             =====
  Diluted....................................              $0.86         $187.45             $0.83
                                                           =====         =======             =====

Weighted average shares:
  Basic......................................          7,064,236          46,007        17,661,008
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========
  Diluted....................................          7,253,399          46,007        17,850,171
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========



                                       97



UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME FOR THE SIX MONTHS
ENDED JUNE 30, 2000





                                                                                        Combined
                                                                       MidCity          Pro Forma
                                                   MB Financial       Financial          Amounts
                                                 ---------------    ------------      ------------
                                                 (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                              
Interest income..............................      $      48,789    $     60,602       $   109,391
Interest expense.............................             26,860          29,124            55,984
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income......................             21,929          31,478            53,407
Provision for loan losses....................              1,590           2,537             4,127
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income after provision for
      loan losses............................             20,339          28,941            49,280
Other income.................................              5,512           4,890            10,402
Other expenses...............................             17,919          24,300            42,219
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
Income before income taxes...................              7,932           9,531            17,463
Applicable income taxes......................              2,411           1,719             4,130
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net income...............................      $       5,521    $      7,812       $    13,333
                                                   =============    ============       ===========
Preferred stock dividend.....................                ---             ---               ---
     Net income available to common
       stockholders..........................      $       5,521    $      7,812       $    13,333
                                                   =============    ============       ===========

Earnings per share:
  Basic......................................              $0.78         $169.80             $0.75
                                                           =====         =======             =====
  Diluted....................................              $0.78         $169.80             $0.75
                                                           =====         =======             =====

Weighted average shares:
  Basic......................................          7,064,515          46,007        17,661,287
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========
  Diluted....................................          7,074,312          46,007        17,671,084
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========



                                       98


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 2000




                                                                                        Combined
                                                                       MidCity          Pro Forma
                                                   MB Financial       Financial          Amounts
                                                 ---------------    ------------      ------------
                                                 (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                             

Interest income..............................      $     104,090    $    123,898       $   227,988
Interest expense.............................             59,441          61,786           121,227
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income......................             44,649          62,112           106,761
Provision for loan losses....................              3,090           5,073             8,163
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income after provision for
      loan losses............................             41,559          57,039            98,598
Other income.................................             10,722           9,726            20,448
Other expenses...............................             35,745          48,154            83,899
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
Income before income taxes...................             16,536          18,611            35,147
Applicable income taxes......................              4,931           3,255             8,186
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net income...............................      $      11,605    $     15,356       $    26,961
                                                   =============    ============       ===========
Preferred stock dividend.....................                ---             ---               ---
     Net income available to common
       stockholders..........................      $      11,605    $     15,356       $    26,961
                                                   =============    ============       ===========

Earnings per share:
  Basic......................................              $1.64         $333.78             $1.53
                                                           =====         =======             =====
  Diluted....................................              $1.64         $333.78             $1.53
                                                           =====         =======             =====

Weighted average shares:
  Basic......................................          7,064,515          46,007        17,661,287
                                                      ==========         =======        ==========
  Diluted....................................          7,072,134          46,007        17,668,906
                                                      ==========         =======        ==========


                                       99


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 1999




                                                                                        Combined
                                                                       MidCity          Pro Forma
                                                   MB Financial       Financial          Amounts
                                                 ---------------    ------------      ------------
                                                 (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                              
Interest income..............................      $      82,291    $    114,660       $   196,951
Interest expense.............................             41,767          52,363            94,130
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income......................             40,524          62,297           102,821
Provision for loan losses....................              1,260           1,405             2,665
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income after provision for
      loan losses............................             39,264          60,892           100,156
Other income.................................              9,062          10,587            19,649
Other expenses...............................             33,560          44,596            78,156
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
Income before income taxes...................             14,766          26,883            41,649
Applicable income taxes......................              4,812           8,463            13,275
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net income...............................      $       9,954    $     18,420       $    28,374
                                                   =============    ============       ===========
Preferred stock dividend.....................                ---             ---               ---
     Net income available to common
       stockholders..........................      $       9,954      $   18,420       $    28,374
                                                   =============    ============       ===========

Earnings per share:
  Basic......................................              $1.51         $398.24             $1.65
                                                           =====         =======             =====
  Diluted....................................              $1.51         $398.24             $1.64
                                                           =====         =======             =====

Weighted average shares:
  Basic......................................          6,586,596          46,254        17,240,259
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========
  Diluted....................................          6,598,058          46,254        17,251,721
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========


                                       100


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 1998




                                                                                        Combined
                                                                       MidCity          Pro Forma
                                                   MB Financial       Financial          Amounts
                                                 ---------------    ------------      ------------
                                                 (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                              
Interest income..............................      $      57,632    $    107,152       $   164,784
Interest expense.............................             29,826          49,488            79,314
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income......................             27,806          57,664            85,470
Provision for loan losses....................                750             770             1,520
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net interest income after provision for
      loan losses............................             27,056          56,894            83,950
Other income.................................              9,940           9,953            19,893
Other expenses...............................             27,136          43,139            70,275
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
Income before income taxes...................              9,860          23,708            33,568
Applicable income taxes......................              3,605           7,237            10,842
                                                   -------------    ------------       -----------
    Net income...............................      $       6,255    $     16,471       $    22,726
                                                   =============    ============       ===========
Preferred stock dividend.....................              1,085             ---             1,085
     Net income available to common
       stockholders..........................      $       5,170    $     16,471       $    21,641
                                                   =============    ============       ===========

Earnings per share:
  Basic......................................              $1.26         $347.83             $1.44
                                                           =====         =======             =====
  Diluted....................................              $1.25         $347.83             $1.44
                                                           =====         =======             =====

Weighted average shares:
  Basic......................................          4,093,254          47,354        15,000,280
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========
  Diluted....................................          4,130,996          47,354        15,038,022
                                                      ==========         =======       ===========



                                BUSINESS OF MB FINANCIAL, INC.

GENERAL


        MB Financial was incorporated in Delaware in 1995 and is a bank
holding company under the federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the
Illinois Bank Holding Company Act of 1957. MB Financial conducts a commercial
banking business through Manufacturers Bank, an Illinois banking corporation.
As of June 30, 2001, MB Financial had consolidated assets of $1.7 billion,
consolidated liabilities of $1.6 billion (including consolidated deposits of
$1.3 billion) and stockholders' equity of $100.4 million.



        Manufacturers Bank has grown substantially in the last four years. It
acquired Peterson Bank in 1995 and U.S. Bank in 1997. In February 1999,
Manufacturers Bank merged with Avondale Federal Savings Bank. In May 2001, MB
Financial completed its acquisition of FSL Holdings, Inc. and FSL's
subsidiary, First Savings & Loan Association of South Holland, for aggregate
cash consideration of approximately $41.3 million. First Savings & Loan was
merged into Manufacturers Bank. Manufacturers Bank currently has 12 branch
offices, located throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.



                                       101


        Manufacturers Bank concentrates its business efforts on serving
privately owned small and middle market businesses, such as manufacturers,
wholesalers, distributors, long-term health care operators and investors, and
real estate developers located throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Manufacturers Bank's business is focused on four areas: Commercial Banking;
Lease Banking; Korean Banking; and Retail Banking.

        COMMERCIAL BANKING. The Commercial Banking group focuses on serving
privately-owned companies run by entrepreneurs, including manufacturers,
wholesalers, distributors, home developers, long-term health care operators,
real estate operators and investors, and selected types of service companies.
Manufacturers Bank provides a full set of credit, deposit, cash management and
investment products to these companies. These products are specifically designed
for companies with sales between $5 million and $50 million. Credit products
include: working capital loans and lines of credit, including accounts
receivable and inventory financing; equipment loans and leasing; business
acquisition loans; owner-occupied real estate loans; and financial, performance
and commercial letters of credit. Deposit and cash management products include:
Corporate InterConnect - an internet cash management product for businesses;
zero balance accounts; automated tax payments; ATM access; merchant credit card
program; telephone banking; lockbox; direct deposit; account reconciliation;
checking accounts and investment services. For real estate operators and
investors, Manufacturers Bank also offers the following products: commercial
mortgages; residential, commercial, retail and industrial construction loans;
land acquisition and development loans; and industrial revenue bond financing.

        LEASE BANKING. The target market for the Lease Banking group consists of
small and medium size equipment leasing companies located throughout the United
States. Manufacturers Bank has provided Lease Banking services to these
companies for more than 25 years. Competition in servicing this equipment
leasing market generally comes from large banks, financing companies, large
industrial companies and some community banks in certain segments of the
business. Manufacturers Bank provides rapid service and decision making and
flexible financial solutions to meet its customers' needs in this market.
Manufacturers Bank provides full banking services for these leasing companies by
financing the debt portion of leveraged leases (referred to as "lease loans"),
providing short-term and long-term equity financing, making working capital and
bridge loans, and investing directly in leased equipment. The volume of lease
loans is closely managed in order to control Manufacturers Bank's liquidity and
the level of total risk adjusted assets.

        KOREAN BANKING. The Korean Banking group focuses on the expanding Korean
community located principally on the north side of Chicago and in Chicago's
northwestern suburbs. Manufacturers Bank serves ethnic Korean consumers and
Korean-owned businesses by providing complete banking services using the Korean
language. Korean commercial customers tend to be small owner-operated, cash
businesses, such as dry cleaners, gift shops and restaurants. While continuing
to serve these customers, Manufacturers Bank is also targeting those
Korean-owned businesses with annual sales between $2 million and $20 million.
Personnel in the Korean Banking group, as well as a number of other individuals
in key service positions at Manufacturers Bank, speak and conduct business in
Korean. Manufacturers Bank's automated telephone account access services are
provided in the Korean language as well. Competition in this growing market
segment is quite limited because of the need to provide all banking services in
Korean.

        RETAIL BANKING. The target market for the Retail Banking group consists
of consumers who live or work near Manufacturers Bank offices. Manufacturers
Bank offers a full set of consumer products to these individuals, including
checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time deposit
accounts, secured and unsecured consumer loans, residential mortgage loans, and
a variety of fee for service products, such as money orders and travelers
checks. Manufacturers Bank also offers brokerage services which include sales of
non-FDIC insured investment products to its client base.

RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS


        On June 30, 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board finalized
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141, BUSINESS COMBINATIONS. SFAS
141 requires all business combinations initiated after June 30, 2001 to be
accounted for using the purchase method. SFAS 141 will not impact the merger as
the transaction was initiated prior to June 30, 2001.



                                       102



        On June 30, 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board finalized
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, GOODWILL AND OTHER
TANGIBLE ASSETS. Under the provisions of SFAS 142, goodwill is no longer
subject to amortization over its estimated useful life, but instead will be
subject to at least annual assessments for impairment by applying a
fair-value based test. SFAS 142 also requires that an acquired intangible
asset should be separately recognized if the benefit of the intangible asset
is obtained through contractual or other legal rights, or if the asset can be
sold, transferred, licensed, rented or exchanged, regardless of the
acquirer's intent to do so. The provisions of SFAS 142 are effective for
fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2001. MB Financial is in the
process of evaluating its goodwill and intangible assets for impairment under
the provisions of SFAS 142.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        For additional information about MB Financial, see "Selected
Consolidated Financial and Other Data of MB Financial, Inc." and "Unaudited Pro
Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information" in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus. You should also see the documents filed by MB Financial
with the SEC which are incorporated by reference into this joint proxy
statement-prospectus, as described under "Where You Can Find More Information."

                    BUSINESS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION

GENERAL


        MidCity Financial was incorporated in Delaware in 1981 under the name
Mid-Citco Incorporated and changed its name to MidCity Financial Corporation in
1995. MidCity Financial is a bank holding company under the Federal Bank Holding
Company Act of 1956 and the Illinois Bank Holding Company Act of 1957. As of
June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial had consolidated assets of $1.8 billion,
consolidated liabilities of $1.6 billion (including consolidated deposits of
$1.5 billion) and consolidated stockholders' equity of $198 million. MidCity
Financial's principal business offices are located at 801 West Madison Street,
Chicago, Illinois.


        MidCity Financial owns all of the issued and outstanding shares of
common stock of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago, First National Bank of
Morton Grove, First National Bank of Elmhurst (known as "Bank of Elmhurst" until
its conversion from a state-chartered institution to a national bank in 1997),
Union Bank and Trust Company, Mid-City Information Services, Inc. and Abrams
Centre Bancshares Incorporated, which in turn owns all of the issued and
outstanding shares of common stock of Abrams Centre National Bank.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

        MidCity Financial was originally established as a one-bank holding
company for The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago after the board of directors
of The MidCity National Bank of Chicago concluded in 1981 that it would be
desirable to reorganize the bank into a one-bank holding company. This decision
was motivated primarily by an amendment to the Illinois Bank Holding Company
Act, which, subject to certain geographic limitations, permitted Illinois bank
holding companies to own more than one bank. The board of directors believed
that under the new law, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago's strong capital
base could be utilized to increase the return on equity to the bank's
shareholders through the acquisition of one or more additional banks.

        The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago's shareholders approved the
reorganization in January 1982, and the transaction was completed in February
1982. Later that same year, MidCity Financial acquired First National Bank of
Morton Grove for $6.23 million in cash. At the time of the acquisition, First
National Bank of Morton Grove had total assets of $121 million.

        In 1984, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago assumed from the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation, in its capacity as receiver, approximately $29.3
million of deposit liabilities of the failed United of America Bank, Chicago,
Illinois, in exchange for cash and certain other assets. The Mid-City National
Bank of Chicago paid $1.65 million to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
for the right to assume these deposit liabilities, which were used in connection
with the establishment of an additional branch location.


                                      103


        In 1986, MidCity Financial acquired First National Bank of Elmhurst for
$11.4 million in cash. At the time of the acquisition, First National Bank of
Elmhurst had total assets of approximately $80 million.

        In 1988, E. M. Bakwin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MidCity
Financial, assumed from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, in its
capacity as receiver, approximately $180 million of deposit liabilities of the
failed Union Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City in exchange for $10 million
in capital and certain other assets. MidCity Financial provided the necessary
capital in the form of non-voting stock. In September 1988, MidCity Financial
purchased 100% of the voting stock of Union Bank and Trust Company from Mr.
Bakwin and became the sole stockholder of Union Bank and Trust Company.

        In 1991, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago assumed from the
Resolution Trust Corporation, in its capacity as receiver, approximately $165
million of deposit liabilities of the failed Clyde Federal Savings Association
in exchange for cash and certain other assets. The Mid-City National Bank of
Chicago paid $11 million to the Resolution Trust Corporation for the right to
assume these deposit liabilities. Six of the seven branch offices of Clyde
Federal became branch offices of The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago.

        In 1992, Union Bank and Trust Company acquired First Western Savings and
Loan Association for $5.89 million in cash. First Western's four offices became
branch offices of Union Bank and Trust Company. At the time of the acquisition,
First Western had deposits of approximately $130 million.

        In 1995, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago acquired Peoples Federal
Savings and Loan Association of Chicago for $6 million in cash. At the time of
the acquisition, Peoples had total assets of approximately $30 million.

        In 1997, MidCity Financial expanded its presence in the southwest by
acquiring Abrams Centre Bancshares, Inc., in Dallas, Texas, the parent company
of Abrams Centre National Bank, for $12.5 million in cash. At the time of the
acquisition, Abrams Centre National Bank had approximately $72 million in
assets.

        In 1998, First National Bank of Morton Grove assumed the deposits and
acquired certain assets of the Waukegan Road Branch of Republic Bank. For a
premium for $1.5 million, First National Bank of Morton Grove assumed $18
million in deposit liabilities.

        In 1999, MidCity Financial acquired Damen Financial Corporation,
Schaumburg, Illinois, the parent company of Damen National Bank, for $50 million
in cash. Damen National Bank's three branch offices became branch offices of The
Mid-City National Bank of Chicago. At the time of the acquisition, Damen
Financial had approximately $220 million in assets.

        MidCity Financial currently owns five banks, located in Northern
Illinois, Oklahoma City and Dallas, which have a combined 25 branch offices.

BUSINESS AREAS

        MidCity Financial concentrates its efforts on serving small and middle
market business, such as manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors in the
Chicago, Oklahoma City and Dallas metropolitan areas. Through its acquisition
program and careful selection of officers and employees, MidCity Financial
attempts to position itself to take a leading role in filling this niche in the
market. MidCity Financial offers traditional community bank services and
products.

        COMMERCIAL BANKING. The commercial banking area focuses on serving
privately owned companies, including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors,
home developers, real estate operators and investors as well as selected types
of service companies. MidCity Financial provides a full set of credit, deposit,
cash management and investment products to these companies. These products are
specifically designed for small to medium sized businesses.


                                      104


        MidCity Financial's strategy is to provide rapid service, customer
access to decision-makers, flexible loan underwriting, modern, technologically
advanced banking products and talented, experienced lending officers. The goal
of MidCity Financial in the commercial banking area is to build a high quality,
controlled risk loan portfolio that consistently grows in excess of average
market growth.

        RETAIL BANKING. The target market for retail banking consists of
consumers who live or work near MidCity Financial's offices. MidCity Financial
offers a full set of consumer products to these individuals, including checking
accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time deposits, secured and
unsecured consumer loans, residential mortgage loans, home equity loans and a
variety of fee for service products such as money orders and travelers checks.
Internet banking launched in January 2001 on a newly redesigned website blending
the MidCity Financial tradition of service with customer demand for convenience.

        WEALTH MANAGEMENT. Recognizing customer demand for one-stop financial
management, MidCity Financial focused on its insurance services efforts in the
third quarter of 2000. The first product, Payment Protection, a form of credit
life and disability insurance, was introduced in MidCity Financial's
Illinois-based banks during the fourth quarter of 2000. In order to expand
market share, a product and service timeline has been implemented for 2001.
MidCity Financial also stepped up its focus on Investment Centers during the
second half of 2000 by placing licensed financial advisors at each bank and
instituting employee referral training sessions and introduced comprehensive
business and marketing plans for 2001. In addition, MidCity Financial continues
to provide traditional trust services such as personal service agencies,
personal investment advisories, employee benefit agencies and employee benefit
investment advisories as well as corporate services and land trust services.

LENDING ACTIVITIES


        As of June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial's outstanding loans, net of
allowance for loan losses, totaled $971.1 million, representing 53.23% of its
total consolidated assets. MidCity Financial is primarily a business lender and
a substantial portion of its loan portfolio consists of loans to businesses or
for business purposes. Of the total loans outstanding as of June 30, 2001,
commercial real estate and commercial loans represented 39.60% and 31.51% of the
portfolio, while residential real estate comprised 26.46% and consumer and all
other loans represented 2.43%. Virtually all of MidCity Financial's loans are
made to businesses or individuals in the markets they serve in the Chicago,
Oklahoma City and Dallas metropolitan areas.


        MidCity Financial's underwriting philosophy is to lend money to
companies or individuals who have a record of success in their business or job,
as demonstrated by sufficient cash flow on a historical basis to fully service
their loans. Additionally, borrowers generally have a second source of repayment
without having to liquidate loan collateral. The owners of business borrowers
are normally required to personally guarantee commercial loans.

        The primary source of income for MidCity Financial is interest on loans.
Net loans as a percentage of total assets increased to 51.8% as of December 31,
2000 from 43.2% at December 31, 1996. Total loans increased by $315.4 million
during this period. The majority of the increase from 1996 to 1997 was due to
the acquisition of Abrams Centre Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiary, Abrams
Centre National Bank, which had total loans of $32.3 million at the acquisition
date. The majority of the increase from 1998 to 1999 resulted from the
acquisition of Damen Financial Corporation, which had total loans of $117.0
million at the acquisition date.


                                      105


        The following table sets forth MidCity Financial's loan portfolio in
dollars and as a percentage of the portfolio at the dates indicated




                                                                             AT DECEMBER 31,
                                        --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    AT JUNE 30, 2001         2000               1999               1998               1997               1996
                  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT
                                                                (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                          
 Commercial and
  industrial
  loans........... $310,161    31.51% $286,489    29.80% $270,233     28.12% $257,271    32.91% $217,597    31.62% $202,975   31.62%
 Real estate
  loans...........  650,255    66.06   644,943    67.10   653,163     67.97   474,393    60.68   413,351    60.07   376,934   58.72
 Consumer loans...   23,250     2.36    27,835     2.90    35,573      3.70    48,044     6.15    54,699     7.95    59,669    9.29
 Other loans......      654     0.07     1,962     0.20     2,056      0.21     2,048     0.26     2,475     0.36     2,388    0.37
                   --------  -------  --------  -------  --------   -------  --------  -------  --------  -------  --------  -------
 Gross loans......  984,320   100.00%  961,229   100.00%  961,025    100.00%  781,756   100.00%  688,122   100.00%  641,966  100.00%
                             =======            =======             =======            =======            =======            =======
 Less: unearned
  income, unamor-
  tized loan fees
  and costs.......     (809)            (1,042)            (1,146)             (1,602)              (937)            (1,627)
 Allowance for
  loan losses.....  (12,362)           (12,999)            (9,410)             (9,564)            (9,341)            (8,548)
                   --------           --------           --------            --------           --------           --------
 Net loans........ $971,149           $947,188           $950,469            $770,590           $677,844           $631,791
                   ========           ========           ========            ========           ========           ========



        COMMERCIAL LENDING. MidCity Financial makes commercial loans to small
and middle market businesses. The borrowers tend to be privately owned and are
generally manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and selected types of service
providers. The loan products offered are primarily working capital loans and
lines of credit. These general product classifications include accounts
receivable and inventory financing, equipment loans and business acquisition
loans. MidCity Financial also offers financial, performance and commercial
letters of credit. Most commercial loans are short term in nature, being one
year or less, with a maximum term of five years.

        MidCity Financial's lines of credit are typically secured, established
for one year and are subject to renewal upon satisfactory review of the
borrower's financial statements and credit history. Secured short-term
commercial business loans are usually collateralized by accounts receivable,
equipment or real estate. The owners of the business typically personally
guarantee such loans. Interest rates tend to be at or above the prime rate,
although there has been considerable recent pressure to make loans at a spread
above the London Interbank Offered Rate, commonly referred to as "LIBOR."

        REAL ESTATE LENDING. MidCity Financial originates commercial real estate
mortgage loans that are generally secured by one or more of the following kinds
of properties: multi-unit real estate; owner and non-owner occupied commercial
and industrial property, as well as residential property for development.
MidCity Financial's commercial mortgage loans are generally made at fixed rates,
although some float with the prime rate. Terms of up to fifteen years are
offered on fully amortizing loans, but most loans are structured with a balloon
payment at maturity of ten years or less. In making the decision as to whether
to make a commercial real estate loan, MidCity Financial considers the
qualifications of the borrower as well as the value of the underlying property.
Some factors considered are the net operating income of the mortgaged property
before debt service and depreciation, the debt service ratio (the net ratio of
the property's net cash flow to debt service requirements), the ratio of the
loan amount to the appraised value and the creditworthiness of the prospective
borrower.

        MidCity Financial also originates residential real estate loans secured
by first and second mortgages on single family real estate. Terms for first
mortgages range from fifteen years to thirty years. Terms for second mortgages
range from thirty-six months to fifteen years. In making the decision as to
whether to make a residential real estate loan, MidCity Financial considers the
qualifications of the borrower as well as the value of the underlying property.

        Real estate loans increased by $178.8 million from December 31,1998 to
December 31,1999. This increase was primarily attributable to the acquisition of
Damen Financial Corporation, which had a $110.0 million portfolio of residential
mortgages.


                                      106


        CONSUMER LENDING. MidCity Financial originates consumer loans secured
by new and used automobiles as well as various other types of collateral.
Terms on automobile loans range from 36 to 60 months. Check credit is also
offered as well as Visa cards issued through Elan Financial Services. Elan is
not affiliated with MidCity Financial.

        LOAN APPROVAL POLICY. Generally, each lending officer may approve a loan
within a specified limit, the maximum of which is $1.0 million. Loans in excess
of $1.0 million but less than $6.0 million must be approved by the Executive
Loan Committee, and loans in excess of $6.0 million must be approved by the
lending bank's board of directors.


        LOAN MATURITIES. The following table sets forth the maturities of
MidCity Financial's loan portfolio at June 30, 2001. Loans are classified
according to sensitivity to changes in interest rates.





                             DUE IN ONE YEAR OR       DUE AFTER ONE YEAR
                                    LESS              THROUGH FIVE YEARS       DUE AFTER FIVE YEARS
                            -----------------------  -----------------------  -----------------------
                                          FLOATING                 FLOATING                 FLOATING
                                FIXED       RATE        FIXED        RATE        FIXED        RATE        TOTAL
                            -----------  ----------  ----------  -----------  ----------  -----------  -----------
                                                                (IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                    
Commercial and industrial
 loans.....................     $116,194    $127,358     $ 52,799    $ 10,105      $ 3,705      $  ---    $310,161
Real estate loans..........      118,353     194,277      238,787      29,042       65,540       4,256     650,255
Consumer loans.............       14,281          53        8,907         ---            9         ---      23,250
Other loans................          654         ---          ---         ---          ---         ---         654
                                --------    --------     --------     -------      -------      ------    --------
Total......................     $249,482    $321,688     $300,493     $39,147      $69,254      $4,256    $984,320
                                ========    ========     ========     =======      =======      ======    ========



INVESTMENT SECURITIES

        MidCity Financial maintains an investment portfolio consisting primarily
of securities of the U.S. Treasury and agencies of, and corporations sponsored
by, the U.S. Government, as well as obligations of state and political
subdivisions, mortgage backed securities, corporate and equity securities. The
investment portfolio is managed to maximize yield over the long term in a manner
that is consistent with liquidity needs, pledging requirements, asset/liability
strategies and safety/soundness concerns. See "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of MidCity Financial
Corporation--Asset and Liability Management" and "-- Liquidity."

        The following table sets forth as of the dates indicated the amortized
cost and fair value of MidCity Financial's investment portfolio by accounting
classification category and type of security.




                                                                                   AT DECEMBER 31,
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------------------
                                      AT JUNE 30, 2001             2000                  1999                  1998
                                    ---------------------  ---------------------  --------------------  --------------------
                                    AMORTIZED     FAIR     AMORTIZED     FAIR     AMORTIZED     FAIR    AMORTIZED     FAIR
                                       COST       VALUE      COST        VALUE      COST       VALUE      COST       VALUE
                                    ----------  ---------  ----------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                         (IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                            
AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE:
U.S. Treasury securities...........   $ 26,583   $ 26,772     $10,039   $ 10,063   $  8,859    $ 8,762   $ 17,930   $ 18,027
U.S. Government agency securities..    340,357    344,827      19,667     19,855      7,197      6,974      2,215      2,225
Obligations of states and political     88,274     89,738         ---        ---        ---        ---        ---        ---
 subdivisions......................
Mortgage-backed securities.........    216,299    218,244       7,398      7,295     11,251     10,886     13,279     13,258
Corporate securities...............     27,071     27,785       1,028      1,028        ---        ---        ---        ---
Equity securities..................     10,249     12,270      10,071     11,541      9,151     10,340      4,017      5,363
                                      --------   --------     -------   --------   --------    -------   --------   --------
Total available-for-sale...........   $708,833   $719,636     $48,203   $ 49,782   $ 36,458   $ 36,962   $ 37,441   $ 38,873
                                      ========   ========     =======   ========   ========   ========   ========   ========


                                      107



                                                                                            
HELD-TO-MATURITY:
U.S. Treasury securities...........   $    ---   $    ---     $13,993   $ 14,023   $ 67,085   $ 67,036   $128,571   $130,222
U.S. Government agency securities..        ---        ---     269,091    271,306    157,624    153,916    159,436    160,334
Obligations of states and political        ---        ---      91,626     91,980     95,647     94,560
 subdivisions......................                                                                        83,650     85,059
Mortgage-backed securities.........        ---        ---     254,848    253,832    317,988    309,294    292,264    291,828
Corporate securities...............        ---        ---      30,753     30,838     36,351     36,249     44,905     45,945
                                      --------   --------     -------   --------   --------   --------   --------   --------
Total held-to-maturity.............   $    ---   $    ---    $660,311   $661,979   $674,695   $661,055   $708,826   $713,388
                                      ========   ========    ========   ========   ========   ========   ========   ========




        U.S. Treasury securities consist of fixed rate securities with
maturities of less than two years. U.S. Government agency securities generally
consist of fixed rate securities with maturities of less than five years.
Obligations of states and political subdivisions consist of investment grade and
local non-rated issues with maturities of less than five years. The average life
of the mortgage-backed portfolio was 3.4 years at June 30, 2001. Corporate
securities consist of investment grade bonds with maturities of less than three
years.



        Equity securities consist of Federal Reserve Bank stock, Federal Home
Loan Bank stock and other securities. At June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial held
$1.8 million in Federal Reserve Bank stock and $5.0 million in Federal Home Loan
Bank stock, as required by law.



        There are no securities of any single issuer, other than the U.S.
Treasury or U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored corporations,
which had a book value in excess of 10% of MidCity Financial's stockholders'
equity at June 30, 2001.

                                      108



        The following table sets forth certain information regarding contractual
maturities and the weighted average yields of MidCity Financial's securities
portfolio at June 30, 2001.





                       DUE IN ONE YEAR OR    DUE AFTER ONE YEAR   DUE AFTER FIVE YEARS
                              LESS           THROUGH FIVE YEARS     THROUGH TEN YEARS    DUE AFTER TEN YEARS           TOTAL
                   ----------------------- -------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
                                 WEIGHTED              WEIGHTED               WEIGHTED             WEIGHTED                WEIGHTED
                     AMORTIZED    AVERAGE  AMORTIZED   AVERAGE   AMORTIZED    AVERAGE   AMORTIZED  AVERAGE    AMORTIZED    AVERAGE
                        COST       RATE       COST      RATE       COST       RATE       COST       RATE        COST       RATE
                   ------------ ---------- ---------- --------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ---------
                                                      (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                               
U.S. Treasury
 securities........     $22,017       5.75%    $ 4,566      4.84%     $  ---        --%     $  ---         --%   $ 26,583     5.68%
U.S. Government
 agency securities.      63,108       6.53     277,249      5.94         ---        ---        ---         ---    340,357     6.05
Obligations of
 states and
 political
 subdivisions......      20,564        6.49     67,710       6.42        ---        ---        ---         ---     88,274     6.43
Mortgage-backed
 securities........      81,426        6.51    114,662       6.45     14,401       6.92      5,810        7.13    216,299     6.52
Corporate
 securities........      11,226        6.46     15,845       6.45        ---        ---        ---         ---     27,071     6.45
                       --------               --------               -------                ------               --------
                       $198,341               $480,032               $14,401                $5,810               $698,584
                                              ========               =======                ======
Equity securities..      10,249                                                                                    10,249
                       --------                                                                                  --------
                       $208,590                                                                                  $708,833
                       ========                                                                                  ========



SOURCES OF FUNDS

        GENERAL. Deposits, long-term and short-term borrowings, loan and
investment security repayments and prepayments, proceeds from the sale of
securities and cash flows generated from operations are the primary sources of
MidCity Financial's funding for lending, investing, and other general purposes.

        Loan repayments are a relatively predictable source of funds except
during periods of significant interest rate declines, while deposit flows tend
to fluctuate with prevailing interest rates, money market conditions, general
economic conditions and competition.

        DEPOSITS. MidCity Financial offers a variety of deposit accounts with a
range of interest rates and terms. MidCity Financial's core deposits consist of
savings accounts, demand deposits, NOW accounts, money market accounts and
non-public certificates of deposit. These deposits, along with public fund
deposits and long-term and short-term borrowings, are used to support MidCity
Financial's asset base. Most of MidCity Financial's deposits are obtained from
the geographic areas which surround each of its banking offices. MidCity
Financial relies primarily on customer service and long standing relationships
with customers to attract and retain deposits; however, market interest rates
and rates that are offered by competing financial institutions significantly
affect MidCity Financial's ability to attract and retain deposits.


        BORROWINGS. MidCity Financial has access to a variety of borrowing
sources to support its asset base. These sources include federal funds purchased
and Federal Home Loan Bank advances. The Federal Home Loan Bank advances were
acquired in the July 1, 1999 Damen Financial Corporation acquisition. While
MidCity Financial has the liquidity to pay off these instruments, it has not
done so due to the substantial prepayment penalties that would be incurred.
MidCity Financial also offers a deposit account that sweeps balances in excess
of an agreed upon target amount into overnight repurchase agreements. As
business customers have become more sophisticated in managing their daily cash
position, demand for the sweep product has increased and balances have grown
from $23.5 million at December 31, 1999 to $30.1 million at December 31, 2000 to
$38.7 million at June 30, 2001.


                                      109


        The following table sets forth certain information regarding the MidCity
Financial's borrowings for the periods indicated.




                                                        FOR THE SIX
                                                           MONTHS
                                                            ENDED    FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                          JUNE 30,  ---------------------------------
                                                             2001        2000       1999       1998
                                                         ----------     ------     ------     ------
                                                                    (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                  
FEDERAL FUNDS PURCHASED:
Average balance outstanding                                  $   514    $ 5,550    $10,583    $ 2,745
Maximum outstanding at any month-end  during the period        3,500     31,500     25,225     29,500
Balance outstanding at the end of period                       3,500      5,100      3,700        ---
Weighted average interest rate during the period                4.56%      6.57%      5.34%      5.20%
Weighted average interest rate at end of period                 4.14       6.25       5.25        ---
SECURITIES SOLD UNDER AGREEMENTS TO REPURCHASE:
Average balance outstanding                                  $34,340    $27,697    $17,053    $ 9,376
Maximum outstanding at any month-end  during the period       38,766     30,087     23,454     15,915
Balance outstanding at the end of period                      38,692     30,087     23,454     15,858
Weighted average interest rate during the period                5.01%      5.15%      4.61%      5.10%
Weighted average interest rate at end of period                 4.40       5.47       4.71       4.79
FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK ADVANCES:
Average balance outstanding                                  $19,691    $27,697    $24,168 $      ---
Maximum outstanding at any month-end  during the period       21,000     34,000     54,500        ---
Balance outstanding at the end of period                      17,000     22,000     35,000        ---
Weighted average interest rate during the period                6.11%      6.29%      6.00%       ---
Weighted average interest rate at end of period                 5.95       6.21       6.14        ---



        The following table sets forth the distribution of MidCity Financial's
average deposit accounts for the periods indicated.




                                                                          YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                 SIX MONTHS ENDED       --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   JUNE 30, 2001             2000                    1999                    1998
                                --------------------    --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
                                 AMOUNT      PERCENT      AMOUNT     PERCENT      AMOUNT     PERCENT      AMOUNT     PERCENT
                                ----------   -------    ----------   -------    ----------   -------    ----------   -------
                                                                   (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                             
Demand deposit - non-interest
 bearing                         $ 257,575     16.50%    $ 273,715     17.72%    $ 274,702     18.27%    $ 261,222     18.66%
NOW accounts                        99,710      6.39        99,625      6.45       102,316      6.80        98,200      7.02
Money market deposit accounts      270,422     17.31       270,278     17.50       265,665     17.67       224,341     16.03
Savings deposits                   193,583     12.40       213,917     13.85       239,155     15.91       196,748     14.06
Time deposits                      740,105     47.40       686,788     44.48       621,789     41.35       619,151     44.23
                                ----------    ------    ----------    ------    ----------    ------    ----------    ------
Total deposits                  $1,561,395    100.00%   $1,544,323    100.00%   $1,503,627    100.00%   $1,399,662    100.00%
                                ==========    ======    ==========    ======    ==========    ======    ==========    ======



                                      110



        The following table sets for the maturities of certificates of deposits
and other time deposits $100,000 and over at June 30, 2001.





                                                           AT JUNE 30, 2001
                                                           ----------------
                                                             (IN THOUSANDS)
                                                        
  Certificates of deposit $100,000 and over:

    Maturing within three months........................           $130,716

    After three but within six months...................             38,922

    After six but within twelve months..................             49,278

    After twelve months.................................              8,017
                                                                  ---------

Total certificates of deposit $100,000 and over.........          $ 226,933
                                                                  =========
Other time deposits $100,000 and over:

     Maturing within three months.......................          $   4,650

     After three but within six months..................              3,655

     After six but within twelve months.................              6,040

     After twelve months................................              4,907
                                                                 ----------

Total other time deposits $100,000 and over.............          $  19,252
                                                                 ==========



COMPETITION

        Vigorous competition exists in the major markets areas in which MidCity
Financial and its subsidiary banks operate. Competition includes not only
commercial banks but also other financial institutions, including savings and
loan associations and credit unions, money market and other mutual funds,
mortgage companies, leasing and finance companies and a variety of financial
services and advisory companies.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries are involved from time to time as
plaintiff or defendant in various legal actions arising in the normal course of
business. While the ultimate outcome of pending proceedings cannot be predicted
with certainty, it is the opinion of MidCity Financial's management, after
consultation with counsel representing MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries in
these proceedings, that the resolution of these proceedings should not have a
material adverse effect on MidCity Financial's consolidated financial condition
or results of operations.

PERSONNEL


        As of June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial had 356 full-time employees and
142 part-time employees. The employees are not represented by a collective
bargaining unit, and MidCity Financial considers its relationship with its
employees to be good.


                                      111


           MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION


         THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS IS INTENDED TO REVIEW THE
SIGNIFICANT FACTORS AFFECTING THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL AS OF
JUNE 30, 2001 AND DECEMBER 31, 2000 AND 1999 AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE
THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2001 AND 2000 AND EACH OF THE YEARS IN THE
THREE-YEAR PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2000. ON JULY 1, 1999, MIDCITY FINANCIAL
ACQUIRED DAMEN FINANCIAL CORPORATION FOR $50.5 MILLION IN CASH. THIS TRANSACTION
IMPACTS THE COMPARATIVE INFORMATION PRESENTED BELOW. THIS DISCUSSION SHOULD BE
READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE "SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA OF
MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION," "BUSINESS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION" AND
THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND
RELATED NOTES INCLUDED IN THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS.

GENERAL

         The profitability of MidCity Financial's operations depends primarily
on its net interest income, which is the difference between total interest
earned on interest earning assets and total interest paid on interest bearing
liabilities. MidCity Financial's net income is affected by its provision for
loan losses as well as non-interest income and other non-interest expenses.
Non-interest income consists of service fees, net gains (losses) on the sale of
securities available for sale and other operating income. Other non-interest
expenses include salaries and employee benefits along with occupancy and
equipment expenses, amortization expense and other operating expenses.

         The amount of net interest income is affected by changes in the volume
and mix of earning assets, the level of interest rates earned, the volume and
mix of interest bearing liabilities and the level of interest rates paid. The
provision for loan losses is dependent on changes in the loan portfolio and
management's assessment of the portfolio's collectibility as well as economic
and market conditions. Other non-interest income and other non- interest
expenses are impacted by growth of operations and growth in the number of
accounts through both acquisitions and core banking business growth. Growth in
operations affects other expenses as a result of additional employees, branch
facilities and promotional marketing expenses. Growth in the number of accounts
affects other income including service fees as well as other expenses such as
computer services, supplies, postage, telephone and other miscellaneous
expenses.


                                      112


ANALYSIS OF NET INTEREST INCOME

         INTEREST EARNING ASSETS AND INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES. The following
tables set forth the average daily balances, income from interest earning
assets, expenses of interest bearing liabilities, their associated annualized
yields or interest rates and net interest income, as well as interest rate
spread and net annualized yield on interest earning assets for the periods
presented.




                                                                 SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30,
                                             ---------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          2001                                  2000
                                             --------------------------------    ---------------------------------
                                              AVERAGE                  YIELD/     AVERAGE                   YIELD/
                                              BALANCE      INTEREST     RATE      BALANCE     INTEREST       RATE
                                             ----------   ----------   ------    ----------   ---------    -------
                                                                  (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                         
INTEREST EARNING ASSETS
Loans (1)(2)(3)..........................    $  952,213   $   38,514     8.16%   $  951,615     $39,219      8.29%
Investment Securities:
  Taxable................................       620,765       19,144     6.22       604,618      18,918      6.29
  Exempt from federal income taxes(3)....        89,443        2,788     6.29        93,008       2,915      6.30
Due from banks...........................         8,325          220     5.34         1,904          69      7.31
Federal funds sold.......................        45,969        1,143     5.01        16,855         500      5.97
                                             ----------   ----------   ------    ----------   ---------    ------
      Total interest earning assets......     1,716,715       61,809     7.26%    1,668,000      61,621      7.43%
Non interest earning assets..............       107,560   ----------   ------       115,828   ---------    ------
                                             ----------                          ----------

      Total assets.......................    $1,824,275                          $1,783,828
                                             ==========                          ==========

INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES
Deposits:
    NOW and money market.................    $  370,132   $    5,462     2.98%   $  372,237   $   6,855      3.70%
    Savings..............................       193,583        1,727     1.80       231,185       2,963      2.58
    Time.................................       740,105       21,353     5.82       656,205      17,618      5.40
Short-term borrowed funds................        34,854          864     5.00        28,543         739      5.21
Federal Home Loan Bank advances..........        19,691          596     6.11        30,484         949      6.26
                                             ----------   ----------   ------    ----------   ---------    ------
      Total interest bearing liabilities.     1,358,365       30,002     4.45%    1,318,654      29,124      4.44%
                                                          ----------   ------                 ---------    ------
Noninterest bearing deposits.............       257,575                             273,202
Other non interest bearing liabilities...        13,715                              13,512
Stockholders' equity.....................       194,620                             178,460
                                             ----------                          ----------

    Total liabilities and Stockholders'
     equity .............................    $1,824,275                          $1,783,828
                                             ==========                          ==========

    Net interest income/interest
     rate spread(4)......................                 $   31,807     2.81%                $  32,497      2.99%
    Net interest margin(5)...............                                3.74%                               3.92%



-------------

(1)     Nonaccrual loans are included in average loans.
(2)     Interest income includes loan origination fees of $624,000 and $424,000
        for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000, respectively.
(3)     Non-taxable interest income is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis
        assuming a 35% tax rate.
(4)     Interest rate spread represents the difference between the average yield
        on interest earning assets and the average cost of interest bearing
        liabilities.
(5)     Net interest margin represents net interest income as a percentage of
        average interest earning assets.



                                      113




                                                                     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                               ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             2000                             1999                              1998
                               -------------------------------- ---------------------------------  --------------------------------
                                 AVERAGE                 YIELD/    AVERAGE                YIELD/     AVERAGE                YIELD/
                                 BALANCE     INTEREST     RATE     BALANCE    INTEREST     RATE      BALANCE    INTEREST     RATE
                               ------------  ---------  -------   ----------  ---------  --------  ----------  ----------  --------
                                                                     (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                                
INTEREST EARNING ASSETS
Loans (1)(2)(3)............... $    949,636  $  79,665     8.39%  $  872,995  $  70,454      8.07% $  716,903  $   60,621     8.46%
Investment Securities:
  Taxable.....................      614,382     38,826     6.32      658,606     39,880      6.06     662,757      41,600     6.28
  Exempt from federal income
   taxes(3)...................       92,380      5,867     6.35       90,871      5,813      6.40      90,335       5,756     6.37
Due from banks................        2,202        150     6.81        1,744         64      3.66         395          21     5.23
Federal funds sold............                   1,588     6.32                              5.09                   1,310     5.43
                                     25,116                           13,630        694                24,130
                               ------------  ---------  -------   ----------  ---------  --------  ----------  ----------  --------
      Total interest earning
       assets.................    1,683,716    126,096     7.49%   1,637,846    116,905      7.14%  1,494,520     109,308     7.31%
                                             ---------  -------               ---------  --------              ----------  --------
 Non interest earning assets..      113,800                          100,824                           92,708
                               ------------                       ----------                       ----------
      Total assets............ $  1,797,516                       $1,738,670                       $1,587,228
                               ============                       ==========                       ==========
INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES
Deposits:
    NOW and money market......    $ 369,902  $  14,155     3.83%  $  367,993   $ 11,841      3.22%  $ 322,541     $10,260     3.18%
    Savings...................      213,917      5,185     2.42      239,155      6,509      2.72     196,748       5,279     2.68
    Time......................      686,788     39,033     5.68      621,791     31,214      5.02     619,151      33,327     5.38
Short-term borrowed funds.....       30,908      1,670     5.40       27,635      1,350      4.89      12,121         622     5.13
Federal Home Loan Bank
 advances.....................       27,697      1,743     6.29       24,168      1,449      6.00         ---         ---      ---
                               ------------  ---------  -------   ----------  ---------  --------  ----------  ----------  --------
      Total interest bearing
       liabilities............    1,329,212     61,786     4.65%   1,280,742     52,363      4.09%  1,150,561      49,488     4.30%
                                             ---------  -------               ---------  --------              ----------  --------
Noninterest bearing deposits..      273,715                          274,690                          261,222
Other non interest bearing
 liabilities..................       15,029                           14,238                           15,151
Stockholders' equity..........      179,560                          169,000                          160,294
                                -----------                       ----------                       ----------
    Total liabilities and
     Stockholders' equity.....  $ 1,797,516                       $1,738,670                       $1,587,228
                                ===========                       ==========                       ==========
    Net interest income/interest
     rate spread(4)...........               $  64,310     2.84%              $  64,542      3.05%             $   59,820     3.01%
    Net interest margin(5)....                             3.82%                             3.94%                            4.00%


--------------
(1)     Nonaccrual loans are included in average loans.
(2)     Interest income includes loan origination fees of $905,000, $1,111,000
        and $1,121,000 for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998,
        respectively.
(3)     Non-taxable interest income is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis
        assuming a 35% tax rate.
(4)     Interest rate spread represents the difference between the average yield
        on interest earning assets and the average cost of interest bearing
        liabilities.
(5)     Net interest margin represents net interest income as a percentage of
        average interest earning assets.


                                      114


         RATE - VOLUME ANALYSIS. The following tables set forth the extent to
which changes in interest rates and changes in volumes of interest earning
assets and interest bearing liabilities have historically affected MidCity
Financial's interest income and interest expense for the periods presented.
Information is provided on changes in each category attributable to (i) changes
due to volume (changes in volume multiplied by prior period rate); (ii) changes
due to rate (changes in rate multiplied by current period volume); and (iii)
total changes. The combined rate and volume variances have been allocated to
each category based upon the ratio of absolute changes in each.




                                                               SIX MONTHS ENDED
                                                                JUNE 30, 2001
                                                                 COMPARED TO
                                                               SIX MONTHS ENDED
                                                                JUNE 30, 2000
                                                       ----------------------------------
                                                         CHANGE      CHANGE
                                                         DUE TO      DUE TO      TOTAL
                                                         VOLUME       RATE       CHANGE
                                                       ----------  ----------  ---------
                                                                 (IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                      
INTEREST EARNING ASSETS
Loans(1) ............................................. $      20   $    (725)  $   (705)
Investment securities:
  Taxable ............................................       462        (236)       226
  Exempt from federal income taxes(1) ................      (119)         (8)      (127)
Due from banks .......................................       170         (19)       151

Federal funds sold ...................................       723         (80)       643
                                                       ----------  ----------  ---------
      Total (decrease) increase in interest income ...     1,256      (1,068)       188
                                                       ----------  ----------  ---------
INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES
Deposits:
    NOW and money market .............................        23       1,370      1,393
    Savings deposits .................................       338         898      1,236
    Time deposits ....................................    (2,391)     (1,345)    (3,736)
Short-term borrowed funds ............................      (154)         30       (124)
Federal Home Loan Bank advances ......................       330          23        353
                                                       ----------  ----------  ---------
      Total decrease (increase) in interest expense       (1,854)        976       (878)
                                                       ----------  ----------  ---------
      (Decrease) in net interest income .............. $    (598)  $     (92)  $   (690)
                                                       ==========  ==========  =========



-------------
(1)     Non-taxable investment income is presented on a fully tax equivalent
        basis assuming a 35% tax rate.


                                      115





                                                         YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                       ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                            2000 COMPARED TO 1999            1999 COMPARED TO 1998
                                       -------------------------------   ------------------------------
                                        CHANGE     CHANGE                 CHANGE     CHANGE
                                        DUE TO     DUE TO     TOTAL       DUE TO     DUE TO     TOTAL
                                        VOLUME      RATE      CHANGE      VOLUME      RATE      CHANGE
                                       --------   --------   ---------   --------   --------   --------
                                                             (In thousands)
                                                                             
INTEREST EARNING ASSETS
Loans(1)..........................      $ 6,429    $ 2,782   $   9,211   $ 12,597    $(2,764)  $  9,833
Investment securities:
  Taxable.........................       (2,795)     1,741      (1,054)      (251)    (1,469)    (1,720)
  Exempt from federal income taxes(1)        96        (42)         54         34         23         57
Deposits in banks................            31         55          86         49         (6)        43
Federal funds sold................          726        168         894       (534)       (82)      (616)
                                       --------   --------   ---------   --------   --------   --------
  Total increase (decrease) in
    interest income                       4,487      4,704       9,191     11,895     (4,298)     7,597
                                       --------   --------   ---------   --------   --------   --------



                                      116


INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES
Deposits:
  NOW and money market............          (73)    (2,241)     (2,314)    (1,463)      (118)    (1,581)
  Savings.........................          612        712       1,324     (1,154)       (76)    (1,230)
  Time............................       (3,694)    (4,125)     (7,819)      (133)     2,246      2,113
Short-term borrowed funds.........         (177)      (143)       (320)      (758)        30       (728)
Federal Home Loan Bank advances...         (222)       (72)       (294)    (1,449)       ---     (1,449)
                                       --------   --------   ---------   --------   --------   --------
  Total (increase) decrease in
    interest income                      (3,554)    (5,869)     (9,423)    (4,957)     2,082     (2,875)
                                       --------   --------   ---------   --------   --------   --------
   Decrease in net interest income     $    933   $ (1,165)  $    (232)  $  6,938   $ (2,216)  $  4,722
                                       ========   ========   =========   ========   ========   ========



-----------------
(1)     Non-taxable investment income is presented on a fully tax equivalent
        basis assuming a 35% tax rate.


COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2001 AND
2000



         GENERAL. Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2001 was $4.3
million, a $367,000, or 9.39%, increase from net income of $3.9 million for the
same period in 2000. Key ratios also improved, with return on average assets
increasing six basis points from 0.88% for the three months ended June 30, 2000
to 0.94% for the three months ended June 30, 2001, and return on average equity
growing by four basis points from 8.68% for the three months ended June 30, 2000
to 8.72% for the three months ended June 30, 2001.



         NET INTEREST INCOME. Net interest income was $15.7 million for the
three months ended June 30, 2001 which equaled net interest income for the three
months ended June 30, 2000. Offsetting declines in both interest income and
interest expense resulted from a lower rate environment in the second quarter of
2001 compared to the same period in 2000.



         PROVISION FOR LOAN LOSSES. The provision for loan losses was $610,000
for the three months ended June 30, 2001, a decline of $659,000 from the same
period in 2000 due to the expectation in 2000 of an increase in charge- offs as
a result of deterioration in a number of large commercial real estate loans.



         NON-INTEREST INCOME. Non-interest income increased by $1.1 million, or
45.66%, to $3.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2001, compared to
$2.4 million for the same period in 2000. The increase is primarily attributable
to $633,000 in gains realized on the sale of available for sale securities
during the second quarter of 2001. Other operating income increased by $444,000
due to higher commissions on investment securities sold to customers, during the
2001 period.



         NON-INTEREST EXPENSE. Non-interest expense increased $90,000, or
0.75%, to $12.1 million in the three-month period ended June 30, 2001 from $12.0
million for the comparable 2000 period. The increase was primarily attributable
to higher salary and employee benefit expenses within MidCity Financial's
growing Trust and Wealth Management Division. The increase in salary and
employee benefit expenses was offset by a decline in other operating expenses
due to expenses incurred during the second quarter of 2000 related to strategic
initiatives MidCity Financial was exploring.




          INCOME TAXES. MidCity Financial recorded income tax expense of $2.2
million for the three months ended June 30, 2001, compared to $861,000 for the
comparable 2000 period. The increase reflects a $1.7 million increase in income
before taxes in 2001. The effective tax rate increased to 33.6% for the three
months ended June 30, 2001 from 18.1% for the three-month period ended June 30,
2000. The increase in the effective rate in 2001 was due to the reversal of a
portion of valuation reserves on state tax net operating loss carryforwards
during 2000.



COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2001 AND
2000



           GENERAL. Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2001 was
$8.6 million, a $812,000, or 10.39%, increase from net income of $7.8 million
for the same period in 2000. Key ratios also improved, with return on average
assets increasing 11 basis points from 0.85% for the six


                                      117




months ended June 30, 2000 to 0.96% for the six months ended June 30, 2001,
and return on average equity growing by 46 basis points from 8.50% for the
six months ended June 30, 2000 to 8.96% for the six months ended June 30,
2001.



          NET INTEREST INCOME. Net interest income decreased $648,000, or
2.06%, to $30.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2001, from
$31.5 million in the comparable 2000 period. The decline in net interest
income resulted from a $878,000, or 3.01%, increase in interest expense which
was partially offset by a $230,000, or 0.04%, increase in interest income.
Interest income rose primarily due to a $48.7 million, or 2.92%, increase in
average earning assets, while interest expense grew as average total interest
bearing liabilities increased by $39.7 million, or 3.01%, and their cost
increased by one basis point to 4.45%. The growth in average earning assets
occurred primarily in average federal funds sold, which increased by $29.1
million, or 173.73%, to $46.0 million. The increase in average interest
bearing liabilities resulted from a $83.9 million, or 12.79%, increase in
average time deposits, which was partially offset by a $37.6 million, or
16.26%, decline in average savings deposits as depositors repositioned their
funds into higher yielding time deposit products. MidCity Financial's net
interest margin expressed on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the six month
period ended June 30, 2001 of 3.74% represents an 18 basis point decline from
3.92% in the comparable period in 2000.



          PROVISION FOR LOAN LOSSES. The provision for loan losses was
$620,000 for the first six months of 2001, a decline of $1.9 million from the
same period in 2000 due to the expectation in 2000 of an increase in
charge-offs as a result of deterioration in a number of large commercial real
estate loans. The allowance for loan losses represented 1.26% of total loans
at June 30, 2001 compared to 1.29% of total loans at June 30, 2000.
Management believes the allowance for loan losses is adequate to cover
probable loan losses within the loan portfolio during the six months ended
June 30, 2001 and 2000.



          NON-INTEREST INCOME. Non-interest income increased by $2.0 million,
or 40.53%, to $6.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2001, compared
to $4.9 million for the same period in 2000. The increase is primarily
attributable to $1.5 million in gains realized on the sale of available for
sale securities during the 2001 period. Other operating income increased by
$459,000 due to higher commissions on investment securities sold to customers
during the 2001 period.



          NON-INTEREST EXPENSE. Non-interest expense declined $304,000, or
1.25%, to $24.0 million in the six month period ended June 30, 2001 from
$24.3 million for the comparable period in 2000. The decrease is primarily
due to expenses incurred during the first six months of 2000 related to
strategic initiatives MidCity Financial was exploring.



          INCOME TAXES. MidCity Financial's recorded income tax expense of
$4.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2001, compared to $1.7 million
for the comparable 2000 period. The increase reflects a $3.6 million increase
in income before taxes in 2001. The effective tax rate increased to 34.1% for
the six-months ended June 30, 2001 from 18.0% for the six-month period ended
June 30, 2000. The increase in the effective rate in 2001 was due to the
reversal of a portion of valuation reserves on state tax net operating loss
carryforwards in 2000.


COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2000 AND
1999

        GENERAL. MidCity Financial's net income was $15.3 million for the
year ended December 31, 2000, a decrease of $3.1 million, or 16.63%, compared
to net income of $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 1999. Key
ratios also declined, with return on average assets decreasing from 1.06% for
1999 to .85% for 2000 and return on average equity declining from 10.90% for
1999 to 8.55% for 2000.

        NET INTEREST INCOME. Net interest income decreased $185,000, or .30%,
to $62.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2000, from $62.3 million for
1999. The slight decline in net interest income resulted from a $9.2 million,
or 8.06%, increase in interest income that was offset by a $9.4 million, or
18.00%, increase in interest expense. Interest income rose as average earning
assets increased by $45.9 million, or 2.80%, and their fully taxable
equivalent yield increased by thirty-five basis points to 7.49%. Interest
expense grew as average total interest bearing liabilities increased by $48.5
million, or 3.78%, and their cost increased by fifty-seven basis points to
4.65%. The growth in average earning assets occurred primarily in average
loans, which increased by $76.6 million, or 8.78% to $949.6 million,
reflecting the July 1, 1999 acquisition of Damen Financial Corporation. The
increase in average interest bearing liabilities resulted from a $65.0
million, or 10.45%, increase in average time deposits,

                                       118


reflecting the Damen acquisition and depositors' repositioning of their funds
into higher yielding time deposit products. MidCity Financial's net interest
margin expressed on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the year ended December
31, 2000 of 3.82% represents thirteen basis point decline from 3.95% for 1999.

        PROVISION FOR LOAN LOSSES. The provision for loan losses increased
$3.7 million to $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2000 from $1.4
million for the year ended December 31, 1999 due to an increase in non-
performing loans and charge-offs on a number of large commercial real estate
loans. The allowance for loan losses represented 1.35% of total loans at
December 31, 2000 compared to .98% of total loans at December 31, 1999.
Management believes the allowance for loan losses is adequate to absorb
probable loan losses within the loan portfolio.

        NON-INTEREST INCOME. Non-interest income decreased $861,000, or
8.13%, to $9.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2000, from $10.6 for
1999. The decline is attributable to a $834,000 decrease in service charges
on deposit accounts related to lower volumes of non-sufficient fund fees and
analysis fees.

        NON-INTEREST EXPENSE. Non-interest expense increased $3.6 million, or
7.98%, to $48.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2000 from $44.6
million for 1999. The increase is attributable to expenses accrued during
2000 for costs related to strategic initiatives the company was exploring and
salary, premises and related expenses resulting from the Damen Financial
Corporation acquisition.

        INCOME TAXES. MidCity Financial recorded income tax expense of $3.3
million for the year ended December 31, 2000, a decrease of $5.2 million from
the expense for 1999. The decrease reflects a $8.3 million decline in income
before taxes to $18.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2000 from $26.9
million for 1999 and a state income tax net operating loss valuation
allowance reversal recorded during 2000.

COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1999 AND
1998

        GENERAL. MidCity Financial's net income was $18.4 million for the
year ended December 31, 1999, an increase of $1.9 million, or 11.83%, from
net income of $16.5 million for the year ended December 31, 1998. Key ratios
improved, with return on average assets increasing to 1.06% for 1999 from
1.04% for 1998 and return on average equity increasing to 10.90% for 1999
from 10.28% for 1998.

        NET INTEREST INCOME. Net interest income increased $4.6 million, or
8.03%, to $62.3 million for the year ended December 31, 1999, from $57.7
million for the year ended December 31, 1998. The growth in net interest
income resulted from a $7.5 million, or 7.01%, increase in interest income
that was partially offset by a $2.9 million, or 5.81%, increase in interest
expense. Interest income rose as average earning assets increased by $143.3
million, or 9.59%, offsetting a decline in their fully taxable equivalent
yield of 17 basis points to 7.14%. Interest expense grew as average total
interest bearing liabilities increased by $130.2 million, or 11.31%, while
their cost decreased by thirty-two basis points to 4.08%. The growth in
average earning assets occurred primarily in average loans, which increased
by $156.9 million, or 21.77%, to $873.0 million. The increase in average
interest bearing liabilities resulted from a $90.5 million, or 7.95%,
increase in average interest bearing deposits and a $24.2 million increase in
average Federal Home Loan Bank advances. The growth of both interest earning
assets and interest bearing liabilities is attributable to MidCity
Financial's acquisition of Damen Financial Corporation on July 1, 1999.
MidCity Financial's net interest margin expressed on a fully tax-equivalent
basis for the year ended December 31, 1999 of 3.95% represents five basis
point decline from 4.00% for 1998.

        PROVISION FOR LOAN LOSSES. The provision for loan losses increased
$635,000 to $1.41 million for the year ended December 31, 1999 from $770,000 for
the year ended December 31, 1998. The increase was due primarily to an increase
in non-performing loans. The allowance for loan losses represented .98% of total
loans at December 31, 1999 compared to 1.23% of total loans at December 31,
1998. Management believes the allowance for loan losses was adequate to cover
probable losses within the loan portfolio at December 31, 1999 and 1998.

        NON-INTEREST INCOME. Non-interest income grew $634,000, or 6.37%, to
$10.6 million for the year ended December 31, 1999, from $10.0 million for 1998.
The increase is primarily attributable to increases in ATM

                                      119


network revenues, due to implementation of new non-customer ATM fees, and
income from fiduciary activities of $481,000 and $193,000, respectively.

        NON-INTEREST EXPENSE. Non-interest expense increased $1.5 million, or
3.38%, to $44.6 million for the year ended December 31, 1999 from $43.1 million
for 1998. The increase is attributable to increased fixed asset depreciation in
1999 related to buildings and equipment acquired from Damen Financial
Corporation and additional depreciation related to upgrades to MidCity
Financial's computer network. In 1998, professional fees included consulting
fees paid for a revenue enhancement and cost reduction engagement.

        INCOME TAXES. MidCity Financial recorded income tax expense of $8.5
million for the year ended December 31, 1999, up $1.2 million from 1998. The
increase reflects a $3.2 million increase in income before taxes to $26.9
million for the year ended December 31, 1999 from $23.7 million for 1998. The
effective tax rate in 1999 was 31.5% compared to 30.5% in 1998.


COMPARISON OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AT JUNE 30, 2001 TO DECEMBER 31, 2000



        Total assets decreased by $4.6 million, or 0.25%, from $1.829 billion at
December 31, 2000 to $1.825 billion at June 30, 2001. The decrease in total
assets at June 30, 2001 was comprised of a $19.0 million, $13.1 million, and
$6.1 million decrease in federal funds sold, cash and due from banks and other
assets, respectively, which was offset by a $23.3 million and $9.5 million
increase in total loans and total investment securities, respectively. Within
the investment securities category, available for sale securities increased by
$669.9 million and held to maturity securities declined by $660.3 million as the
held to maturity portfolio was reclassified as available for sale during the
first quarter of 2001 in conjunction with the adoption of Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 133. Total liabilities decreased by $17.1 million, or
1.04%, from $1.643 billion at December 31, 2000 to $1.626 billion at June 30,
2001. Total deposits decreased $14.4 million, or 0.92%, from $1.570 billion at
December 31, 2000 to $1.556 billion at June 30, 2001. The decrease in total
deposits is primarily attributable to a $16.2 million decrease in NOW and money
market balances at June 30, 2001. Federal Home Loan Bank advances declined by
$5.0 million as these were acquired in MidCity Financial's acquisition of Damen
Financial Corporation and are not being renewed upon maturity. Stockholders'
equity increased by $12.5 million, or 6.75%, reflecting an increase of $5.5
million in unrealized holding gains on securities primarily due to the
reclassification of the investment portfolio.


COMPARISON OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AT DECEMBER 31, 2000 TO DECEMBER 31, 1999

        Total assets increased by $31.2 million, or 1.74%, from $1.797 billion
at December 31, 1999 to $1.829 billion at December 31, 2000 as cash and due from
banks and Federal funds sold increased by $10.7 million and $22.1 million,
respectively. Total liabilities increased $20.9 million, or 1.29%, from $1.622
billion at December 31, 1999 to $1.643 billion at December 31, 2000. Deposits
increased by $25.2 million, or 1.63%, and short term borrowed funds increased by
$8.0 million, while Federal Home Loan Bank advances declined by $13.0 million,
or 37.14% as maturing advances were not renewed. Stockholders' equity increased
by $10.3 million, or 5.88%, from $175.3 million at December 31, 1999 to $185.6
million at December 31, 2000.

ASSET QUALITY

        GENERAL. MidCity Financial manages asset quality through various
control, monitoring and review procedures. Asset quality is important in two
areas: the credit quality of securities in MidCity Financial's investment
portfolio and the credit quality of loans in MidCity Financial's loan
portfolio. With regard to the investment portfolio, it is MidCity Financial's
policy to only invest in securities of the U.S. Treasury and agencies of, and
corporations sponsored by, the U.S. Government, corporate and municipal
securities rated in one of the top three grading categories by Standard &
Poor's or Moody's, local municipal non-rated securities for which MidCity
Financial and its subsidiary banks have sufficient credit information to
render an informed credit decision, or certificates of deposit, if federally
insured. Consequently, MidCity Financial maintains a high quality investment
portfolio that has no nonaccruing or past due securities. The quality of
loans in the loan portfolio is evidenced by the level of non-performing loans
and assets as well as potential problem loans, which are discussed below.

                                      120



        NON-PERFORMING LOANS AND NON-PERFORMING ASSETS. Non-performing loans
include (i) loans accounted for on a non-accrual basis, (ii) accruing loans
contractually past due 90 days or more as to interest and principal; and (iii)
loans the terms of which have been renegotiated to provide reduction or deferral
of interest or principal because of a deterioration in the financial position of
the borrower. Management reviews the loan portfolio for problem loans on an
ongoing basis. During the ordinary course of business, management becomes aware
of borrowers that may not be able to meet the contractual requirements of loan
agreements. Such loans are placed under close supervision with consideration
given to placing the loan on a non-accrual status, increasing the allowance for
loan losses, and, if appropriate, partial or full charge-off. Those loans with
respect to which management does not expect to collect interest in the normal
course of business are placed on a non-accrual status. After a loan is placed on
non- accrual status, any current year interest previously accrued by not yet
collected is reversed against current income. If interest payments are received
on non-accrual loans, these payments will be applied to principal and not taken
into income. Loans will not be placed back on accrual status unless all back
interest and principal payments are made. If interest on non-accrual loans had
been accrued, such income would have amounted to $664,000, $667,000 and $412,000
for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and the years ended December 31, 2000 and
1999, respectively.


        Non-performing assets consist of other real estate owned (referred to
below as "OREO"), which represents properties acquired through foreclosure or
other proceedings and is recorded at the lower of cost or fair value less the
estimated cost of disposal. OREO is evaluated regularly to ensure that the
recorded amount is supported by its current fair value. Valuation allowances to
reduce the carrying amount to fair value less estimated costs of disposal are
recorded as necessary. Revenues and expenses from the operations of OREO and
changes in the valuation are included in other income and other expenses on the
statements of income.

        The following table sets forth the amounts of non-performing loans and
non-performing assets at the dates indicated.




                                       At                          At December 31,
                                    June 30,    ------------------------------------------------------
                                      2001         2000       1999      1998       1997       1996
                                  ------------- ---------- ---------- --------- ---------- -----------
                                                        (Dollars in thousands)
                                                                            
NON-PERFORMING LOANS:
Non-accrual loans................         7,534      6,513      5,842     1,506      1,094      2,272
Loans 90 days or more past due,
 still accruing interest.........         1,257      4,242        458       971         39        858
Restructured loans...............           ---        ---        ---       ---        ---        ---
                                      ---------  ---------  ---------  --------  ---------  ---------
Total............................         8,791     10,755      6,300     2,477      1,133      3,130
Other real estate owned..........           176        505        756       372        416        486
                                      ---------  ---------  ---------  --------  ---------  ---------
Total non-performing assets......         8,967     11,260      7,056     2,429      1,549      3,616
                                      =========  =========  =========  ========  =========  =========

Non-performing loans to total
 loans...........................          0.89%      1.12%      0.66%     0.26%      0.16%      0.49%
Allowance for loan losses to
 non-performing loans............        140.62%    120.86%    149.37%   465.18%    824.45%    273.10%
Non-performing assets to total
 assets..........................          0.49%      0.62%      0.39%     0.15%      0.10%      0.25%




        The increase in non-accrual loans of $4.3 million from December 31, 1998
to December 31, 1999 is directly attributable to two loans totaling $3.8
million. Of this $3.8 million amount, $2.0 million represented a loan secured by
a first lien on real estate and $1.8 million represented a loan secured by a mix
of collateral. As of June 30, 2001, non-accrual loans consisted of 40 loans
totaling $7.5 million. Of these loans, $5.7 million are secured by a first lien
on real estate and $1.8 million is secured by a mix of collateral. Management is
aggressively pursuing collection efforts with respect to these non-performing
loans.



        The increase in loans 90 days or more past due, still accruing interest,
of $3.8 million from December 31, 1999 to December 31, 2000 is due to one $3.5
million commercial real estate loan. The loan is secured by a first lien on real
estate with an estimated fair market value of $3.4 million, and cash collateral
of $1.6 million. As of June 30, 2001, the loan was on non-accrual.


                                      121



        As of June 30, 2001, three real estate properties remain in OREO
totaling $176,000. All three properties are held by Mid-City National Bank of
Chicago and are recorded at the lower of cost or their estimated fair market
value less estimated selling costs. The properties are listed with real estate
agents and are being marketed to the public.


        POTENTIAL PROBLEM LOANS. MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks utilize an
internal asset classification system as a means of reporting problem and
potential problem assets. At each scheduled bank board of directors meeting, an
analysis of allowance for loan losses is presented, showing all loans listed as
"special mention," "substandard," and "doubtful." An asset is classified
substandard if it is inadequately protected by the current net worth and paying
capacity of the obligor or of the collateral pledged, if any. Substandard assets
include those characterized by the distinct possibility that the bank will
sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected. Assets classified as
doubtful have all the weaknesses inherent in those classified substandard with
the added characteristic that the weaknesses present make collection or
liquidation in full, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions and
values, highly questionable and improbable. Assets considered uncollectible and
viewed as non-bankable assets are immediately charged-off to the allowance for
loan losses. Assets which do not currently expose the bank to sufficient risk to
warrant classification in one of the aforementioned categories, but possess
weaknesses which may or may not be out of the control of the customer, are
deemed to be special mention.

        When a subsidiary bank classifies one or more assets, or portions
thereof, as substandard or doubtful, the bank may establish a specific valuation
allowance for loan losses in an amount deemed prudent by management. In
contrast, general valuation allowances for loan losses are established for each
loan category using the bank's five year historical charge-off history, net of
recoveries.

        The determination by each subsidiary bank as to the classification of
its assets and the amount of its valuation allowances is subject to review by
the bank's primary regulators, which can order the establishment of additional
general or specific loss allowances. The Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, in conjunction with the
other federal banking agencies, have adopted an interagency policy statement on
the allowance for loans and lease losses. The policy statement provides guidance
for financial institutions on both the responsibilities of management for the
assessment and establishment of adequate allowances and guidance for banking
agency examiners to use in determining the adequacy of general valuation
guidelines. Generally, the policy statement recommends that (i) institutions
have effective systems and controls to identify, monitor and address asset
quality problems; (ii) management analyze all significant factors that affect
the collectibility of the portfolio in a reasonable manner; and (iii) management
establish acceptable allowance evaluation processes that meet the objectives set
forth in the policy statement. Management believes it has established an
adequate allowance for possible loan losses. There can be no assurance, however,
that the regulators, in reviewing MidCity Financial's loan portfolio, will not
request its subsidiary banks to materially increase their allowance for loan
losses at the time. Although MidCity Financial's management believes that
adequate specific and general loan loss allowances have been established, actual
losses are dependent upon future events and, as such, further additions to the
level of specific and general loan loss allowances may become necessary.


        The aggregate principal amounts of potential problem loans rated
substandard or doubtful, excluding non- performing loans, as of June 30, 2001
and December 31, 2000, were approximately $7.6 million and $8.5 million,
respectively. All loans deemed uncollectible have been charged-off. These loans
generally include loans that were classified for regulatory purposes.


        ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES. The allowance for loan losses is an amount
that MidCity Financial's management believes will be adequate to absorb
probable losses on existing loans, based on an evaluation of the
collectibility of loans and prior loss experience. This evaluation also takes
into consideration such factors as changes in the nature and volume of the
loan portfolio, overall portfolio quality, review of specific problem loans,
and current economic conditions that may affect the borrower's ability to
pay. While management uses the best information available to make its
evaluation, future adjustments to the allowance may be necessary if there are
significant changes in economic conditions. In addition, regulatory agencies,
as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the
allowance for loan losses of each of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks,
and may require the banks to make additions to their allowance, based on the
regulators judgment about information available to them at the time of their
examinations.

                                      122


        The following table presents an analysis of the allowance for loan
losses for the periods presented.




                                      SIX
                                    MONTHS
                                     ENDED                 YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                   JUNE 30,   ---------------------------------------------------
                                     2001       2000      1999      1998       1997      1996
                                   --------- ---------- --------- --------- ---------- ----------
                                                      (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                         
Allowance at beginning of period..    12,999      9,410     9,564     9,341      8,548     8,973
Additions resulting from
   acquisitions...................       ---        ---       465       ---        395       ---
Charge-offs:
        Commercial and industrial
         loans....................     1,444        704       944       132         75     1,099
        Real estate loans.........         5        610     1,095        32         27        89
        Consumer loans............       110        387       234       573        450       413
        Other loans...............        ---        20       115       ---        ---       ---
                                   ----------   -------    ------ ---------  ---------  --------
Total charge-offs.................     1,559      1,721     2,388       737        552     1,601
                                   ----------   -------    ------ ---------  ---------  --------
Recoveries:
        Commercial and industrial
         loans....................       249         98       184        53        100       140
        Real estate loans.........         8         16        18        15        107        12
        Consumer loans............        45        114       162       122         98       106
        Other loans...............        ---          9        -       ---        ---       ---
                                   ----------   -------    ------ ---------  ---------  --------
        Total recoveries..........       302        237       364       190        305       258
                                   ----------   -------    ------ ---------  ---------  --------
Net charge-offs...................     1,257      1,484     2,024       547        247     1,343
Provision for loan losses.........       620      5,073     1,405       770        645       918
                                   ----------   -------    ------ ---------  ---------  --------
Allowance at end of period........    12,362     12,999     9,410     9,564      9,341     8,548
                                   ==========   =======    ====== =========  =========  ========

Allowance to total loans..........     1.26%      1.35%     0.98%     1.23%      1.36%     1.33%
Net charge-offs to average loans..     0.13%      0.16%     0.23%     0.08%      0.04%     0.22%



        The following table sets forth the allocation of the allowance for loan
losses for the periods presented and the percentage of loans in each category to
total loans. An allocation for a loan classification is only for internal
analysis of the adequacy of the allowance and is not an indication of expected
or anticipated losses. The allowance is available for all loan losses.




                                                                        YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                    AT JUNE 30,    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       2001               2000                1999                1998               1997                1996
                ------------------ ------------------- ------------------- ------------------ ------------------- ------------------
                 AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT    PERCENT   AMOUNT    PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT   AMOUNT    PERCENT   AMOUNT   PERCENT
                -------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- --------- -------- ---------
                                                               (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                         
Commercial
 and industrial    $3,242   31.51%    $4,170    29.80%    $4,416    28.12%   $2,837    32.91%    $1,687    31.62%   $1,504    31.62%
 loans.........
Real estate         5,961    66.06     6,262     67.10     4,557     67.97    5,910     60.68     5,533     60.07    5,134     58.72
 loans.........
Consumer loans        306     2.36       353      2.90       436      3.70      525      6.15       499      7.95      674      9.29
Other..........         1     0.07         2      0.20         1      0.21        1      0.26         1      0.36      ---      0.37
Unallocated....     2,852      ---     2,212       ---       ---       ---      291       ---     1,621       ---    1,236       ---
                  -------  -------   -------   -------    ------   -------   ------   -------    ------   -------   ------   -------
    Total......   $12,362  100.00%   $12,999   100.00%    $9,410   100.00%   $9,564   100.00%    $9,341   100.00%   $8,548   100.00%
                  =======  =======   =======   =======    ======   =======   ======   =======    ======   =======   ======   =======




        MidCity Financial's loan quality is continually monitored by management
and is reviewed by the boards of directors and the loan discount committees of
the subsidiary banks on a monthly basis. In addition, independent external
review of the loan portfolio is conducted by regulatory authorities. The amount
of additions to the allowance for loan losses which are charged to earnings
through the provision for loan loans is determined based on


                                      123


a variety of factors, including actual charge-offs and anticipated charge-offs,
delinquent loans, historical loss experience and economic conditions in the
subsidiary banks' market areas. Although management believes the allowance for
loan losses is sufficient to cover probable losses, there can be no assurance
that the allowance will prove sufficient to cover actual loan losses in the
future.


ASSET AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT


        MidCity Financial's net interest income is subject to interest rate risk
to the extent that it can vary based on changes in the general level of interest
rates. It is MidCity Financial's policy to maintain an acceptable level of
interest rate risk over a range of possible changes in interest rates while
remaining responsive to market demand for loan and deposit products. The
strategy employed by MidCity Financial to manage its interest rate risk is to
measure its risk using an asset/liability simulation model and adjust the
maturity of securities in its investment portfolio to manage that risk. Also, to
limit risk, MidCity Financial generally does not make fixed rate loans or accept
fixed rate deposits with terms in excess of five years.


        Based upon simulation modeling, as of December 31, 2000 and June 30,
2001, respectively, MidCity Financial's net interest income would be expected to
change over a one year time period due to changes in interest rates as follows:





                               CHANGE IN                             CHANGE IN
                          NET INTEREST INCOME                   NET INTEREST INCOME
                         OVER ONE-YEAR HORIZON                 OVER ONE-YEAR HORIZON
                        AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2000                 AS OF JUNE 30, 2001
 CHANGES IN         ---------------------------------     ---------------------------------
  LEVEL OF               DOLLAR         PERCENTAGE             DOLLAR         PERCENTAGE
INTEREST RATES           CHANGE           CHANGE               CHANGE           CHANGE
--------------      ---------------   ---------------     ---------------   ---------------
                                  (Dollars in Thousands)
                                                                       
       +2.00%           $(3,564)               (5.75)%       $ (3,892)               (5.77)%
       +1.00             (1,716)               (2.77)          (1,799)               (2.67)
       (1.00)               838                 1.35            1,812                 2.69
       (2.00)%              955                 1.54            3,064                 4.54



        Simulations used by MidCity Financial assume the following:

        1.      Changes in interest rates are immediate.

        2.      With the exception of NOW, money market and savings accounts,
                all interest rates change by same amount at the same time.

        3.      NOW, money market and savings accounts rates change by 0.20%,
                0.50% and 0.33%, respectively, for every 1.00% change in
                interest rates and by 0.40%, 1.00% and 0.67% for every 2.00%
                change in interest rates. MidCity Financial's management
                believes, and experience has shown, that these deposit accounts
                take longer to change rates when economic conditions change and
                do not change as much as general interest rates, such as federal
                funds. It is MidCity Financial's policy that interest rate
                exposure due to a 2.00% interest rate rise or fall be limited to
                10.00% of MidCity Financial's net interest income as forecasted
                by the simulation model. As demonstrated above, MidCity
                Financial's interest rate risk exposure was within this policy
                at December 31, 2000 and June 30, 2001.


        Interest rate risk can also be measured by analyzing the extent to which
the repricing of assets and liabilities are mismatched to create interest
sensitivity "gap." An asset or liability is said to be interest rate sensitive
within a specific time period if it will mature or reprice within that time
period. The interest rate sensitivity gap is defined as the difference between
the amount of interest earning assets maturing or repricing within a specific
time period and

                                     124



the amount of interest bearing liabilities maturing or repricing within the
same time period. A gap is considered positive when the amount of interest
rate sensitive assets exceeds the amount of interest rate sensitive
liabilities. A gap is considered negative when the amount of interest rate
sensitive liabilities exceeds the amount of interest rate sensitive assets.
During a period of rising interest rates, a negative gap would tend to
adversely affect net interest income. Conversely, during a period of falling
interest rates, a negative gap position would tend to result in an increase
in net interest income.


        The following table sets forth the amounts of interest earning assets
and interest bearing liabilities outstanding as of June 30, 2001 which are
anticipated by MidCity Financial, based upon certain assumptions, to reprice or
mature in the future time periods shown. Except as stated below, the amount of
assets and liabilities shown to reprice or mature within a particular time
period were determined based on the earlier of the term to repricing or the term
to repayment of the asset or liability. The table is intended to provide an
approximation of the repricing of assets and liabilities at June 30, 2001 on the
basis of contractual maturities and scheduled rate adjustments within a
three-month period and subsequent selected time intervals. The loan amounts in
the table reflect principal balances expected to be reinvested and/or repriced
as a result of contractual amortization and rate adjustment on adjustable rate
loans. Except for instruments which prepayments can be reasonably estimated, no
prepayments are assumed. While NOW, money market and savings deposit accounts
have adjustable rates, it is assumed that the rates on these accounts will not
adjust immediately to changes in other interest rates. Therefore, the table is
calculated assuming that the percentage of accounts that will reprice in the
first three months, the next nine months, one to five years and over five years
are approximately 14%, 41%, 34% and 11% respectively, for NOW and money market
accounts and approximately 17%, 50%, 16% and 17% respectively, for savings
deposits.





                                                                   TIME TO MATURITY OR REPRICING
                                            ----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                0-90          91-365          1-5          OVER 5
AS OF JUNE 30, 2001                             DAYS           DAYS          Years         YEARS          TOTAL
                                            ------------    -----------   -----------   ------------   -----------
                                                                      (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                                        
INTEREST EARNING ASSETS:
Net Loans...............................        $344,032     $  226,326   $   339,641   $     73,512   $   983,511
Investment securities...................          65,515        153,880       480,031         20,210       719,636
Federal funds sold......................          10,750            ---           ---            ---        10,750
Cash and due from banks.................           1,087            290           ---            ---         1,377
                                                --------     ----------   -----------   ------------    ----------
    Total interest earnings assets......        $421,384     $  380,496   $   819,672   $     93,722    $1,715,274
                                                ========     ==========   ===========   ============    ==========

INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES:
NOW and money market deposit
  accounts..............................        $ 47,814     $  143,441   $   120,459   $     37,542   $   349,256
Savings deposits........................          32,584         97,753        30,794         33,281       194,412
Time deposits...........................         316,158        329,026        92,114            ---       737,298
Federal funds purchased and repos.......          42,192            ---           ---            ---        42,192
Federal Home Loan Bank advances.........           6,000          5,000         6,000            ---        17,000
                                                --------     ----------   -----------   ------------    ----------
    Total interest bearing liabilities..        $444,748     $  575,220   $   249,367   $     70,823    $1,340,158
                                                ========     ==========   ===========   ============    ==========

Rate sensitive assets (RSA).............        $421,384     $  801,880   $ 1,621,552   $  1,715,274    $1,715,274
Rate sensitive liabilities (RSL)........         444,749      1,019,970     1,269,337      1,340,160     1,340,160
Cumulative GAP..........................         (23,365)      (218,090)      352,215        375,114       375,114
(GAP = RSA-RSL)

RSA/Total assets........................           23.10          43.95         88.88          94.01         94.01
RSL/Total assets........................           24.38          55.90         69.57          73.45         73.45
GAP/Total assets........................           (1.28)        (11.95)        19.30          20.56         20.56
GAP/RSA.................................           (5.54)        (27.20)        21.72          21.87         21.87



        Certain shortcomings are inherent in the method of analysis presented
in the foregoing table. For example, although certain assets and liabilities
may have similar maturities or periods to repricing, they may react in
different degrees to changes in market interest rates. Also, the interest
rates on certain types of assets and liabilities may

                                     125


fluctuate in advance of changes in market interest rates, while rates on
other types of assets may lag behind changes in market rates. Additionally,
in the event of a change in interest rates, prepayment and early withdrawal
levels would likely deviate significantly from those assumed in calculating
the table. Therefore, MidCity Financial does not rely solely on a gap
analysis to manage its interest rate risk, and also uses what it believes to
be the more reliable simulation model relating to changes in net interest
income presented earlier.

LIQUIDITY


        LIQUIDITY OF THE SUBSIDIARY BANKS. The primary sources of funds for
MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks are retail and commercial deposits, federal
funds purchases, term and overnight repurchase agreements, Federal Home Loan
Bank advances, and funds generated from operations. Funds from operations
include principal and interest payments received on loans and securities and
proceeds from the sale of securities and loans. While maturities and scheduled
amortization of loans and securities provide an indication of the timing of the
receipt of funds, changes in interest rates, economic conditions and competition
strongly influence mortgage prepayment rates and deposit flows, reducing the
predictability of the timing of sources of funds.


        MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks have no required regulatory
liquidity ratios to maintain; however, the banks adhere to MidCity Financial
Asset/Liability Management and Loan policies, approved by MidCity Financial's
board of directors, which set certain guidelines for liquidity purposes. These
policies require MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks to maintain the following
ratios:

        1.     Liquidity ratio (defined as cash, short-term investments, and
               marketable securities due in one year or less divided by deposits
               plus short-term liabilities) greater than 30%.

        2.     Loans to total assets less than 80%.

        3.     Loans to deposits and repurchase agreements less than 75%.



        At June 30, 2001, each of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks
maintained the liquidity ratios required by the policies. If a bank's loan to
deposit ratio were to become higher than policy guidelines, the bank might
attempt to comply with the guidelines by selling loans or investment securities.


        In the event that additional short-term liquidity is needed, MidCity
Financial's subsidiary banks have established agreements with several large
regional banks to provide short-term borrowings in the form of federal funds
purchases. These agreements allow MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks to borrow
more than $98 million from these regional banks on a collective basis.
Additionally, several of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks are members of the
Federal Home Loan Banks and have the ability to borrow funds in the form of
Federal Home Loan Bank advances. As of June 30, 2001, federal funds purchased
and Federal Home Loan Bank advances totaled $3.5 million and $17 million,
respectively.


        HOLDING COMPANY LIQUIDITY. MidCity Financial's main sources of liquidity
at the holding company level are dividends from its subsidiary banks and a line
of credit maintained with a large regional correspondent bank in the amount of
$10 million.


        MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks are subject to various regulatory
capital requirements administered by federal and state banking agencies, which
affect their ability to pay dividends to MidCity Financial. Failure to meet
minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and discretionary
actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect
on MidCity Financial's financial statements. Additionally, the policy of each of
MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks requires that dividends cannot be declared
in an amount that would cause the bank's capital to fall below the minimum
amount required for the bank to be considered "well capitalized" for regulatory
purposes. At June 30, 2001, MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks could pay an
aggregate of $42 million in dividends and continue to be "well capitalized."


                                     126


CAPITAL RESOURCES


        MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks are subject to the risk based
capital guidelines administered by the federal banking agencies. The risk
based capital guidelines are designed to make regulatory capital requirements
more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks to account for
off-balance sheet exposure and to minimize disincentives for holding liquid
assets. Under the guidelines, assets and off-balance sheet items are assigned
to broad risk categories, each with appropriate weights. The resulting
capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of total risk-weighted
assets and off-balance sheet items. Under the prompt corrective action
regulations, to be adequately capitalized, a bank must maintain minimum
ratios of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 8%, Tier 1 capital to
risk-weighted assets of 4%, and Tier 1 capital to total assets of 3%. Failure
to meet these capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory, and
possibly additional discretionary, actions by regulators, that, if
undertaken, could have a material adverse effect on MidCity Financial. As of
June 30, 2001, the most recent notification from the federal banking
regulators categorized each of MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks as well
capitalized. A well capitalized institution must maintain a minimum ratio of
total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 10%, a minimum ratio of
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6%, a minimum ratio of
Tier 1 capital to total assets of at least 5% and must not be subject to any
written order, agreement or directive requiring it to meet or maintain a
specific capital level. There are no conditions or events since that
notification which MidCity Financial's management believes have changed
MidCity Financial's subsidiary banks' capital classification. MidCity
Financial, on a consolidated basis, must maintain a minimum ratio of Tier 1
capital to total assets of 4%, and a minimum ratio of total capital to
risk-weighted assets of 8%.


        MidCity Financial and its subsidiary banks were in full compliance with
all capital adequacy requirements to which they are subject as of December 31,
2000 and June 30, 2001, respectively. The required and actual amounts and ratios
for MidCity Financial and its subsidiary banks as of June 30, 2001 (unaudited)
are presented below. For additional information regarding regulatory capital
requirements, see "Supervision and Regulation--Capital Adequacy" and "--Prompt
Corrective Action."


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                                                                                      TO BE WELL
                                                                                   CAPITALIZED UNDER
                                                                  FOR CAPITAL      PROMPT-CORRECTIVE
                                                 ACTUAL        ADEQUACY PURPOSES  ACTION REGULATIONS
                                           ------------------  -----------------  -------------------
                                             AMOUNT    RATIO    AMOUNT    RATIO    AMOUNT      RATIO
                                           ---------  -------  --------  -------  -------    --------
                                                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
                                                                            
Total capital ( to risk-weighted assets):
  MidCity Financial Consolidated          $ 188,005    16.55   $90,865    8.00    $113,581    10.00
    Mid-City National Bank of Chicago        79,363    13.24    47,962    8.00      59,953    10.00
    First National Bank of Morton Grove      25,145    12.54    16,039    8.00      20,049    10.00
    First National Bank of Elmhurst          14,670    13.11     8,950    8.00      11,188    10.00
    Union Bank &  Trust                      24,810    16.12    12,312    8.00      15,390    10.00
    Abrams Centre National Bank               9,832    19.31     4,074    8.00       5,093    10.00

Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets):
  MidCity Financial Consolidated            175,643    15.46    45,432    4.00      68,149     6.00
    Mid-City National Bank of Chicago        74,060    12.35    23,981    4.00      35,972     6.00
    First National Bank of Morton Grove      23,002    11.47     8,020    4.00      12,030     6.00
    First National Bank of Elmhurst          13,469    12.04     4,475    4.00       6,713     6.00
    Union Bank & Trust                       22,875    14.86     6,156    4.00       9,234     6.00
    Abrams Centre National Bank               8,949    17.57     2,037    4.00       3,056     6.00

Tier 1 capital (to total average assets):
    MidCity Financial Consolidated          175,643     9.68    54,411    3.00      90,685     5.00
    Mid-City National Bank of Chicago        74,060     7.88    28,193    3.00      46,988     5.00
    First National Bank of Morton Grove      23,002     7.52     9,174    3.00      15,289     5.00
    First National Bank of Elmhurst          13,469     8.09     4,996    3.00       8,327     5.00
    Union Bank & Trust                       22,875     7.79     8,814    3.00      14,689     5.00
    Abrams Centre National Bank               8,949     9.08     2,955    3.00       4,925     5.00




CASH FLOWS


        MidCity Financial's cash flows are comprised of the following
categories: cash flows from operating activities, cash flows from investing
activities and cash flows from financing activities. Net cash provided by
operating activities, consisting primarily of earnings, was $21.5 million for
the year ended December 31, 2000, $19.2 million for the year ended December 31,
1999 and $23.9 for the year ended December 31, 1998 and $8.3 million for the six
months ended June 30, 2001 and $9.1 million for the six months ended June 30,
2000. Net cash used in investing activities, consisting primarily of loan and
investment funding, was $3.2 million, $2.0 million and $85.1 million for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively, and net cash
provided by (used in) investment activities was $(26.5) million and $15.8
million for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and June 30, 2000, respectively.
The 1998 figure includes a higher level of investment and loan funding, while
1999 includes amounts related to the Damen acquisition. Net cash provided by
(used in) financing activities, consisting principally of deposit growth and
other borrowings, was $14.5 million, $(25.9) million and $65.8 million for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively, and $(14.0) million
and $(18.3) million for the six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000,
respectively. The 1998 figure includes a $67 million increase in deposits,
primarily related to the Damen acquisition, while 1999 reflects a $10.1 million
decline in deposits and repayment of $19.5 million of Federal Home Loan Bank
advances.


RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS


        On June 30, 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board finalized
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141, BUSINESS COMBINATIONS. SFAS
141 requires all business combinations initiated after June 30, 2001 to be
accounted for using the purchase method. SFAS 141 will not impact the merger as
the transaction was initiated prior to June 30, 2001.



        On June 30, 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board finalized
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, GOODWILL AND OTHER
TANGIBLE ASSETS. Under the provisions of SFAS 142, goodwill is no longer
subject to amortization over its estimated useful life, but instead will be
subject to at least annual assessments for

                                      128


impairment by applying a fair-value based test. SFAS 142 also requires that
an acquired intangible asset should be separately recognized if the benefit
of the intangible asset is obtained through contractual or other legal
rights, or if the asset can be sold, transferred, licensed, rented or
exchanged, regardless of the acquirer's intent to do so. The provisions of
SFAS 142 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2001.
MidCity Financial is in the process of evaluating its goodwill and intangible
assets for impairment under the provisions of SFAS 142.


                       SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

GENERAL

        MB Financial and MidCity Financial and their bank subsidiaries are, and
the new company and its bank subsidiaries after the merger will be, subject to
an extensive system of banking laws and regulations that are intended primarily
for the protection of customers and depositors and not for the protection of
security holders. These laws and regulations govern such areas as permissible
activities, reserves, loans and investments, and rates of interest that can be
charged on loans. Described below are the material elements of selected laws and
regulations. The descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified
in their entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes and regulations
described.

        BANK HOLDING COMPANY REGULATION. Each of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial is, and the new company after the merger will be, a bank holding
company registered with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Bank holding companies are subject to comprehensive regulation by the Federal
Reserve Board under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. Bank holding companies
are required to file reports and other information with the Federal Reserve
Board and are, along with their non-banking affiliates, subject to examination
by the Federal Reserve Board.

        Under Federal Reserve Board policy, a bank holding company must serve
as a source of strength for its subsidiary banks. Under this policy the
Federal Reserve Board may require, and has required in the past, a bank
holding company to contribute additional capital to an undercapitalized
subsidiary bank. Under the Bank Holding Company Act, a bank holding company
must obtain Federal Reserve Board approval before:

        o       acquiring ownership or control of any voting shares of another
                bank or bank holding company if, after the acquisition, it would
                own or control more than 5% of the shares (unless it already
                owns or controls a majority of the shares);

        o       acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of another bank
                or bank holding company; or

        o       merging or consolidating with another bank holding company.

        The Bank Holding Company Act prohibits a bank holding company, with
certain exceptions, from acquiring ownership or control of more than 5% of the
voting shares of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company, or
from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking,
managing or controlling banks, or providing services for its subsidiaries. The
principal exceptions are certain non-bank activities which, by statute or by
Federal Reserve Board regulation or order, have been identified as activities
closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks.


        DEPOSITORY INSTITUTION REGULATION. MB Financial's bank subsidiary,
Manufacturers Bank, is an Illinois- chartered commercial bank subject to
regulation by the Illinois Commissioner and the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation. Four of MidCity Financial's five subsidiary banks, The Mid-City
National Bank of Chicago, First National Bank of Elmhurst, First National
Bank of Morton Grove and Abrams Centre National Bank, are national banks,
subject to regulation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. MidCity Financial's other
subsidiary bank, Union Bank and Trust Company, is currently an Oklahoma-
chartered bank subject to regulation by the Oklahoma State Banking Department
and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. On August 29, 2001, Union Bank
and Trust Company applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to
convert to a national bank under the name Union Bank, N.A. If the Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency approves Union Bank and Trust Company's
application to convert, following the conversion the bank will be subject to
regulation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation. As discussed under "The Merger--The Bank
Merger," Manufacturers Bank, The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago, First
National Bank of Elmhurst and First National Bank of Morton Grove will be
merged together, with The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago as the surviving
institution, which will operate under the name MB Financial Bank, N.A. Thus,
after the bank merger and the conversion of Union Bank and Trust Company, the

                                      129



new company's bank subsidiaries will be comprised of three national banks, MB
Financial Bank, N.A., Abrams Centre National Bank and Union Bank, N.A.

CAPITAL ADEQUACY

        The Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have issued substantially similar
risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to bank holding companies
and banks. In addition, these regulatory agencies may from time to time require
that a bank holding company or bank maintain capital above the minimum levels,
whether because of its financial condition or actual or anticipated growth.

        The Federal Reserve Board's risk-based guidelines establish a two-tier
capital framework. Tier 1 capital consists of common stockholders' equity,
retained earnings, a limited amount of qualifying perpetual preferred stock and
minority interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less
goodwill and certain intangibles. Tier 2 capital consists of certain hybrid
capital instruments and perpetual debt, mandatory convertible debt securities
and a limited amount of subordinated debt, qualifying preferred stock and loan
loss allowance. The sum of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital represents qualifying total
capital, at least 50% of which must consist of Tier 1 capital.


        Risk-based capital ratios are calculated by dividing Tier 1 and total
capital by risk-weighted assets. Assets and off-balance sheet exposures are
assigned to one of four categories of risk-weights, based primarily on relative
credit risk. The minimum Tier 1 capital ratio is 4% and the minimum total
capital ratio is 8%. MB Financial's Tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios
under these guidelines at June 30, 2001 were 7.58% and 9.96%, respectively.
MidCity Financial's Tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios under these
guidelines at June 30, 2001 were 15.46% and 16.55%, respectively.



        The Federal Reserve Board's leverage capital guidelines establish a
minimum leverage ratio determined by dividing Tier 1 capital by adjusted
average total assets. The minimum leverage ratio is 3% for bank holding
companies that meet certain specified criteria, including having the highest
regulatory rating. All other bank holding companies generally are required to
maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4%. At June 30, 2001, MB Financial and
MidCity Financial had leverage ratios of 6.59% and 9.68%, respectively.



        Each of the subsidiary banks of MB Financial and MidCity Financial is
subject to similar capital requirements adopted by the Office of the Comptroller
of the Currency (applicable to MidCity Financial's national bank subsidiaries),
and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (applicable to Manufacturers Bank
and Union Bank and Trust Company). Each of these banks was in compliance with
its minimum capital requirements as of June 30, 2001.


PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION

        The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991
(referred to below as "FDICIA"), among other things, identifies five capital
categories for insured depository institutions (well capitalized, adequately
capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically
undercapitalized) and requires the respective federal regulatory agencies to
implement systems for "prompt corrective action" for insured depository
institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements within these
categories. FDICIA imposes progressively more restrictive constraints on
operations, management and capital distributions, depending on the category in
which an institution is classified. Failure to meet the capital guidelines could
also subject a banking institution to capital raising requirements. An
"undercapitalized" bank must develop a capital restoration plan and its parent
holding company must guarantee that bank's compliance with the plan. The
liability of the parent holding company under any such guarantee is limited to
the lesser of five percent of the bank's assets at the time it became
"undercapitalized" or the amount needed to comply with the plan. Furthermore, in
the event of the bankruptcy of the parent holding company, such guarantee would
take priority over the parent's general unsecured creditors. In addition, FDICIA
requires the various regulatory agencies to prescribe certain non-capital
standards for safety and soundness relating generally to operations and
management, asset quality and executive compensation and permits regulatory
action against a financial institution that does not meet these standards.

                                      130


        The various federal regulatory agencies have adopted substantially
similar regulations that define the five capital categories identified by
FDICIA, using the total risk-based capital, Tier 1 risk-based capital and
leverage capital ratios as the relevant capital measures. These regulations
establish various degrees of corrective action to be taken when an institution
is considered undercapitalized. Under the regulations, a "well capitalized"
institution must have a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6%, a total
risk-based capital ratio of at least 10% and a leverage ratio of at least 5% and
not be subject to a capital directive order. An institution is "adequately
capitalized" if it has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 4%, a total
risk-based capital ratio of at least 8% and a leverage ratio of at least 4% (3%
in certain circumstances). An institution is "undercapitalized" if it has a Tier
1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4%, a total risk-based capital ratio of
less than 8% or a leverage ratio of less than 4%. An institution is
"significantly undercapitalized" if it has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of
less than 3%, a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6% or a leverage
ratio of less than 3%. An institution is "critically undercapitalized" if its
tangible equity is equal to or less than 2% of average quarterly tangible
assets. An institution may be reclassified in a lower capitalization category if
it receives a less than satisfactory examination rating by its examiners with
respect to its assets, management, earnings or liquidity that has not been
corrected, or it is determined that the institution is in an unsafe or unsound
condition or engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice.


        As of June 30, 2001, Manufacturers Bank and each of the subsidiary banks
of MidCity Financial met the requirements to be classified as
"well-capitalized."


DIVIDENDS

        The Federal Reserve Board's policy is that a bank holding company should
pay cash dividends only to the extent that its net income for the past year is
sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention
that is consistent with the holding company's capital needs, asset quality and
overall financial condition, and that it is inappropriate for a bank holding
company experiencing serious financial problems to borrow funds to pay
dividends. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve Board may prohibit a bank holding
company from paying any dividends if a bank subsidiary of the holding company is
classified under the prompt corrective action regulations as "undercapitalized."

        The new company's primary source for cash dividends after the merger
will be the dividends it receives from its subsidiary banks. Each of the banks
is subject to various regulatory policies and requirements relating to the
payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital above
regulatory minimums. Most of the dividends the new company receives from its
subsidiary banks will be paid by its national bank subsidiaries. A national bank
must obtain the approval of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency prior
to paying a dividend if the total of all dividends declared by the national bank
in any calendar year will exceed the sum of the bank's net profits for that year
and its retained net profits for the preceding two calendar years, less any
required transfers to surplus. In addition, the appropriate federal regulatory
authority is authorized to determine under certain circumstances relating to the
financial condition of a bank or bank holding company that the payment of
dividends would be an unsafe or unsound practice and to prohibit the payment of
dividends by that bank or bank holding company.

FDIC INSURANCE ASSESSMENTS

        Each of the subsidiary banks of MB Financial and MidCity Financial is
insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; accordingly all of the
deposits of these banks are subject to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
deposit insurance assessments. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has
authority to raise or lower assessment rates on insured deposits in order to
achieve certain designated reserve ratios in the Bank Insurance Fund and the
Savings Association Insurance Fund and to impose special additional assessments.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation applies a risk-based assessment system
that places each financial institution into one of nine risk categories, based
on capital levels and supervisory criteria and an evaluation of the bank's risk
to the Bank Insurance Fund or Savings Association Insurance Fund, as applicable.
The current Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation premium schedule for the
Savings Association Insurance Fund and the Bank Insurance Fund ranges from 0% to
0.27%.

                                      131


LIABILITY OF COMMONLY CONTROLLED INSTITUTIONS

        FDIC-insured depository institutions can be held liable for any loss
incurred, or reasonably expected to be incurred, by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation due to the default of an FDIC-insured depository
institution controlled by the same bank holding company, and for any assistance
provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to an FDIC-insured
depository institution that is in danger of default and that is controlled by
the same bank holding company. "Default" means generally the appointment of a
conservator or receiver. "In danger of default" means generally the existence of
certain conditions indicating that a default is likely to occur in the absence
of regulatory assistance. Thus, after the merger, any of the new company's
subsidiary banks could incur liability to the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation for any loss incurred or reasonably expected to be incurred by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for any other bank subsidiary which is in
default or in danger of default.

TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

        After the merger, the new company and its bank subsidiaries will be, as
MB Financial and MidCity Financial and their respective bank subsidiaries are
now, affiliates within the meaning of the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal
Reserve Act imposes limitations on a bank with respect to extensions of credit
to, investments in, and certain other transactions with, its parent bank holding
company and the holding company's other subsidiaries. Furthermore, loans and
extensions of credit to affiliates also are subject to various collateral
requirements.

COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT

        Under the Community Reinvestment Act, every FDIC- insured institution is
obligated, consistent with safe and sound banking practices, to help meet the
credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income
neighborhoods. The CRA requires the appropriate federal regulator, in connection
with the examination of an insured institution, to assess the institution's
record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to consider this record
in its evaluation of certain applications, such as a merger or the establishment
of a branch. An unsatisfactory rating may be used as the basis for the denial of
an application and will prevent a bank holding company of the institution from
making an election to become a financial holding company (see "--Recent
Legislation").

        As of its last examination, each of the subsidiary banks of MB Financial
and MidCity Financial received a Community Reinvestment Act rating of
"satisfactory" or better.

INTERSTATE BANKING AND BRANCHING

        The Federal Reserve Board may approve an application of an adequately
capitalized and adequately managed bank holding company to acquire control of,
or acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, a bank located in a state
other than the bank holding company's home state, without regard to whether the
transaction is prohibited by the laws of any state. The Federal Reserve Board
may not approve the acquisition of a bank that has not been in existence for the
minimum time period (not exceeding five years) specified by the law of the
target bank's home state. The Federal Reserve Board also may not approve an
application if the bank holding company (and its bank affiliates) controls or
would control more than ten percent of the insured deposits in the United States
or 30% or more of the deposits in the target bank's home state or in any state
in which the target bank maintains a branch. Individual states may waive the 30%
statewide concentration limit. Each state may limit the percentage of total
insured deposits in the state which may be held or controlled by a bank or bank
holding company to the extent the limitation does not discriminate against
out-of-state banks or bank holding companies.

        The federal banking agencies are authorized to approve interstate merger
transactions without regard to whether these transactions are prohibited by the
law of any state, unless the home state of one of the banks opted out of
interstate mergers prior to June 1, 1997. Interstate acquisitions of branches
are permitted only if the law of the state in which the branch is located
permits these acquisitions. Interstate mergers and branch acquisitions are
subject to the nationwide and statewide insured deposit concentration limits
described above.

RECENT LEGISLATION

                                      132


        Effective November 12, 1999, the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ("GLB
Act") became law. The GLB Act is intended to, among other things, facilitate
affiliations among banks, securities firms, insurance firms and other financial
companies. To further this goal, the GLB Act amended portions of the Bank
Holding Company Act to authorize bank holding companies, such as MB Financial,
MidCity Financial or the new company (after the merger), through non-bank
subsidiaries to engage in securities, insurance and other activities that are
financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity. In order to undertake
these activities, a bank holding company must become a "financial holding
company" by submitting to the Federal Reserve Board a declaration that the
company elects to be a financial holding company and a certification that all of
the depository institutions controlled by the company are well capitalized and
well managed. The GLB Act also provides that a bank holding company's election
to become a financial holding company will not be effective if the Federal
Reserve Board finds that, as of the date the company submits its election to the
Federal Reserve Board, not all of the insured depository institutions controlled
by the company have achieved at least a "satisfactory" rating at the date of
their most recent Community Reinvestment Act examination. The activities of bank
holding companies that are not financial holding companies continue to be
limited to activities currently authorized under the Bank Holding Company Act,
such as activities that the Federal Reserve Board has previously determined to
be closely related to banking and permissible for bank holding companies.

        While aware of the flexibility offered by financial holding company
status, each of MB Financial and MidCity Financial has, for the time being,
decided not to make an election to convert to a financial holding company and
does not anticipate doing so prior to the merger. There are no current plans for
the new company to elect financial holding company status; however, MB Financial
and MidCity Financial will before the merger, and the new company will after the
merger, continue to follow the reception given to financial holding companies in
the marketplace.


        PRIVACY PROVISIONS OF THE GLB ACT. Federal banking regulators, as
required under the GLB Act, have adopted rules limiting the ability of banks
and other financial institutions to disclose nonpublic information about
consumers to non-affiliated third parties. The rules became effective
November 13, 2000, but compliance before July 1, 2001 was optional. The rules
require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some
circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal
information to non-affiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of the
GLB Act will affect how consumer information is transmitted through
diversified financial services companies and conveyed to outside vendors.
While no assurance can be given, it is not expected that the privacy
provisions will have a material adverse effect on the business, financial
condition or results of operations of either MB Financial or MidCity
Financial before the merger, or the new company after the merger.


FUTURE LEGISLATION AND CHANGES IN REGULATIONS

        Proposals to change the laws and regulations governing the banking
industry are frequently introduced in Congress, in the state legislatures and
before the various bank regulatory agencies. New legislation and/or changes in
regulations could affect MB Financial, MidCity Financial and the new company in
substantial and unpredictable ways, and increase or decrease the cost of doing
business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive
balance among banks and other financial institutions. The likelihood and timing
of any proposed legislation or changes in regulations and the impact they might
have on MB Financial, MidCity Financial and the new company cannot be determined
at this time.

                 DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK OF THE NEW COMPANY

        This section of the joint proxy statement-prospectus describes the
material terms of the capital stock of the new company under the charter and
bylaws of the new company that will be in effect immediately after the merger is
completed. The terms of the new company's charter and bylaws are more detailed
than the information provided below. A copy of the form of the new company's
charter, which will be represented by the articles of amendment and restatement
of the new company's articles of incorporation, is attached as Appendix F to
this joint proxy statement-prospectus. A copy of the form of the new company's
amended and restated bylaws is attached as Appendix G to this joint proxy
statement-prospectus.

                                      133


GENERAL

        The authorized capital stock of the new company consists of:

        -       40,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share; and

        -       1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.01 per share.


        The new company's charter will authorize the new company's board of
directors to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of capital stock from
time to time into one or more classes or series of stock by setting or changing
in one or more respects the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting
powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications or terms and
conditions of redemption of such shares. The new company's charter will provide
by its terms that it may be amended by action of the new company's board of
directors without a stockholder vote to change the number of shares of
authorized capital stock. See "Comparison of Stockholder Rights--Amendment of
Corporate Governance Documents." Based on the number of shares of MB Financial
and MidCity Financial common stock outstanding as of October 3, 2001, it is
expected that approximately 17.44 million shares of new company common stock
will be issued and outstanding immediately after the merger is completed. No
shares of new company preferred stock or other stock will be outstanding
immediately after the merger. The common stock of the new company will be traded
on The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system under the symbol "MBFI," which
is currently the symbol for MB Financial common stock. See "Summary--Stock Price
and Dividend Information."


COMMON STOCK

        Each share of new company common stock will have the same relative
rights and be identical in all respects with each other share of new company
common stock. New company common stock will represent non- withdrawable capital,
will not be of an insurable type and will not be insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.


        Subject to any prior rights of the holders of any preferred or other
stock of the new company then outstanding, holders of new company common
stock will be entitled to receive such dividends as are declared by the board
of directors of the new company out of funds legally available for dividends.
As described under "Management After the Merger," the bylaws of the new
company will provide that until the third annual meeting of stockholders of
the new company, or possibly sooner under certain circumstances, a decision
to maintain an annual dividend payout ratio of less than 25% must be approved
by two-thirds of the entire board of directors of the new company.



        Except with respect to greater than 14.9% stockholders, full voting
rights will be vested in the holders of new company common stock and each
share will be entitled to one vote. See "Comparison of Stockholders
Rights--Restrictions on Voting Rights." Subject to any prior rights of the
holders of any new company preferred or other stock then outstanding, in the
event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the new company, holders
of shares of new company common stock will be entitled to receive, pro rata,
any assets distributable to stockholders in respect of shares held by them.
Holders of shares of new company common stock will not have any preemptive
rights to subscribe for any additional securities which may be issued by the
new company, nor will they have cumulative voting rights.


PREFERRED AND OTHER STOCK



        The new company may issue preferred stock, preference stock, special
stock or other stock, in one or more series at such time or times and for
such consideration as the board of directors of the new company may
determine, generally without stockholder approval. The board of directors of
the new company is expressly authorized at any time, and from time to time,
to issue new company preferred or other stock, with such voting and other
powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special
rights, and qualifications, limitations or restrictions, as are stated and
expressed in the board resolution providing for the issuance. The board of
directors of the new company is authorized to designate the series and the
number of shares comprising such series, the dividend rate on the shares of
such series, the redemption rights, if any, any purchase, retirement or
sinking fund provisions, any conversion rights and any special voting rights.
The ability of the board of directors of the new company to approve

                                      134


the issuance of preferred or other stock without stockholder approval could
make an acquisition by an unwanted suitor of a controlling interest in the
new company more difficult, time-consuming or costly, or otherwise discourage
an attempt to acquire control of the new company.



        Shares of preferred or other stock redeemed or acquired by the new
company may return to the status of authorized but unissued shares, without
designation as to series, and may be reissued by the new company upon approval
of its board of directors.


OTHER ANTI-TAKEOVER PROVISIONS


        In addition to the ability to issue preferred and other stock without
stockholder approval, the charter and bylaws of the new company will contain a
number of other provisions which may have the effect of delaying, deferring or
preventing a change in control of the new company. See "Comparison of
Stockholder Rights."


                                        135


                        COMPARISON OF STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS


        Each of MB Financial and MidCity Financial is incorporated under the
laws of the State of Delaware. The new company is incorporated under the laws of
the State of Maryland. The primary reason for incorporating the new company in
Maryland, rather than Delaware, is that Maryland does not impose an annual
franchise tax. By incorporating in Maryland instead of Delaware, it is expected
that the new company will save approximately $150,000 per year, which is the
amount in franchise taxes the new company would have to pay each year if it were
incorporated in Delaware. The rights of holders of MB Financial common stock and
MidCity Financial common stock are governed by Delaware law and the respective
certificates of incorporation and bylaws of MB Financial and MidCity Financial.
The rights of holders of new company common stock after the merger will be
governed by Maryland law and the charter and bylaws of the new company. A copy
of the form of the new company's charter, which will be represented by the
articles of amendment and restatement of its articles of incorporation, is
attached to this joint proxy statement-prospectus as Appendix F. A copy of the
form of the new company's amended and restated bylaws is attached to this joint
proxy statement-prospectus as Appendix G.


        This section of the joint proxy statement-prospectus describes the
material differences between the rights of MB Financial stockholders and MidCity
Financial stockholders. This section also includes a brief description of the
material rights that new company stockholders are expected to have following
completion of the merger, although in some cases the board of directors of the
new company retains the discretion to alter those rights without stockholder
consent. This section does not include a complete description of all differences
among the rights of these stockholders, nor does it include a complete
description of the specific rights of these stockholders. In addition, the
identification of some of the differences in the rights of these stockholders as
material is not intended to indicate that other differences that are equally
important do not exist. The discussion in this section is qualified in its
entirety by reference to Delaware and Maryland law, and to the respective
certificates of incorporation and bylaws of MB Financial and MidCity Financial
and the charter and bylaws of the new company.

AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK

        MB FINANCIAL. The authorized capital stock of MB Financial consists of:

        -       20,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share; and

        -       1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.01 per share.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The authorized capital stock of MidCity Financial
consists of:

        -       100,000 shares of common stock, par value $20.00 per share; and

        -       no shares of preferred stock.


        NEW COMPANY.  The authorized capital stock of the new company consists
of 41,000,000 shares of capital stock, initially classified as follows:


        -       40,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share; and

        -       1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.01 per share.


        The new company's charter will authorize the new company's board of
directors to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of capital stock from
time to time into one or more classes or series of stock by setting or changing
in one or more respects the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting
powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications or terms and
conditions of redemption of such shares. Each of MB Financial and MidCity
Financial is authorized under its certificate of incorporation, and the new
company will be authorized under its charter, to issue additional shares of
capital stock, up to the amount authorized, generally without stockholder
approval. In addition, the new company's charter will provide by its terms that
it may be amended by the new company's board of directors, without a stockholder
vote, to change the number of shares of capital stock authorized.

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Such an amendment to the certificate of incorporation of either MB Financial
or MidCity Financial requires stockholder approval in addition to action by
the board of directors. See "--Amendment of Corporate Governance Documents."


DIVIDENDS

        MB FINANCIAL. Pursuant to Delaware law, MB Financial may pay dividends
on its common stock out of its surplus or, if there is no surplus, out of its
net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or for the
preceding fiscal year. Delaware law also provides that dividends may not be paid
out of net profits if, after the payment of the dividends, the capital of MB
Financial would be less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of
all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. MidCity Financial is subject to the same limitations
of Delaware law on its ability to pay dividends as MB Financial.

        NEW COMPANY. Under Maryland law, the new company is permitted to make
dividends or other distributions unless after the distribution: (1) the new
company would not be able to pay its debts as they become due in the usual
course of business; or (2) the new company's total assets would be less than the
sum of its total liabilities, plus, unless the new company's charter permits
otherwise, the amount that would be needed, if the new company were dissolved at
the time of the distribution, to satisfy preferential rights of stockholders
whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution. In
addition, the bylaws of the new company will provide that from the time of
completion of the merger through the third annual meeting of stockholders of the
new company (or possibly a shorter period after the merger, under certain
circumstances), a decision to maintain an annual dividend payout ratio of less
than 25% must be approved by two-thirds of the entire board of directors of the
new company. See "Management After the Merger."

ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESENTATION OF BUSINESS AND NOMINATIONS OF
DIRECTORS AT ANNUAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

        MB FINANCIAL. The bylaws of MB Financial provide that MB Financial must
receive written notice of any stockholder director nomination or proposal for
business at an annual meeting of stockholders no later than 30 days before the
date of the meeting. If, however, less than 40 days' notice or prior public
disclosure of the date of the meeting is given or made to stockholders, notice
of the nomination or proposal must be received by MB Financial no later than the
10th day following the earlier of the date the notice of the annual meeting date
is mailed or public disclosure of the meeting date is made.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. There are no advance notice requirements for
stockholder director nominations or proposals for new business under either the
certificate of incorporation or the bylaws of MidCity Financial.

        NEW COMPANY. The bylaws of the new company will provide that the new
company must receive written notice of any stockholder proposal for business at
an annual meeting of stockholders not less than 90 days or more than 120 days
before the anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting. With respect to
proposals for the first annual meeting of stockholders, or if the date of the
current year annual meeting is advanced by more than 20 days or delayed by more
than 60 days from the anniversary date of the preceding year's annual meeting,
notice of the proposal must be received by the new company no earlier than the
close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of the annual meeting and
no later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the
annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which notice of the meeting
is mailed or public disclosure of the meeting date is first made, whichever
occurs first.

        The bylaws of the new company also will provide that the new company
must receive written notice of any stockholder director nomination for a meeting
of stockholders not less than 90 days or more than 120 days before the date of
the meeting. If, however, less than 100 days' notice or prior public disclosure
of the date of the meeting is given or made to stockholders, notice of the
nomination must be received by the secretary no later than the tenth day
following the day on which notice of the meeting is mailed or public disclosure
of the meeting date is first made, whichever occurs first.

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CUMULATIVE VOTING FOR ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

        Under Delaware law and Maryland law, a corporation may provide for
cumulative voting in the election of directors in its certificate of
incorporation (in the case of a Delaware corporation) or charter (in the case of
a Maryland corporation). Pursuant to their respective certificates of
incorporation, neither MB Financial nor MidCity Financial permits cumulative
voting in the election of directors. Pursuant to its charter, the new company
likewise will not permit cumulative voting in the election of directors. The
absence of cumulative voting rights means that the holders of a majority of the
shares voted at a meeting of stockholders may, if they so choose, elect all the
directors to be elected at that meeting, and thus preclude minority stockholder
representation on the board of directors.

RESTRICTIONS ON VOTING RIGHTS

        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation generally
prohibits any stockholder that beneficially owns more than 10% of the
outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock from voting shares in excess of
this limit.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. MidCity Financial's certificate of incorporation does
not contain a voting limitation.

        NEW COMPANY. The charter of the new company will contain a voting
limitation identical to the one in the MB Financial certificate of
incorporation, except that the new company percentage limitation is 14.9%.

        MARYLAND CONTROL SHARE ACQUISITION STATUTE. The Maryland General
Corporation Law contains a control share acquisition statute which, in general
terms, provides that where a stockholder acquires issued and outstanding shares
of a corporation's voting stock (referred to as control shares) within one of
several specified ranges (one- tenth or more but less than one-third, one-third
or more but less than a majority, or a majority or more), approval by
stockholders of the control share acquisition must be obtained before the
acquiring stockholder may vote the control shares. The required stockholder vote
is two-thirds of all votes entitled to be cast, excluding "interested shares,"
defined as shares held by the acquiring person, officers of the corporation and
employees who are also directors of the corporation. A corporation may, however,
opt-out of the control share statute through a charter or bylaw provision, which
the new company will do pursuant to its bylaws. Accordingly, the Maryland
control share acquisition statute will not apply to acquisitions of shares of
new company common stock. Though not expected, the new company could decide to
become subject to the Maryland control share acquisition statute by amending its
bylaws to eliminate the opt-out provision. See "--Amendment of Corporate
Governance Documents."

NUMBER AND CLASSIFICATION OF DIRECTORS

        MB FINANCIAL. MB Financial's certificate of incorporation provides that
the number of directors is set from time to time by vote of a majority of all
members of the board of directors. The MB Financial board of directors is
currently comprised of 12 members. The board is divided into three classes, with
each class serving a staggered three-year term.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. MidCity Financial's bylaws provide that the number of
directors is determined by the board of directors. The MidCity Financial board
of directors is currently comprised of ten members. The board is not classified;
accordingly, each director is elected annually.

        NEW COMPANY. Like the board of directors of MB Financial, the new
company's board of directors will be divided into three classes, with the
members of each class of directors serving staggered three-year terms. The
new company's bylaws will provide that, after the merger and until the first
to occur of (1) the third annual meeting of stockholders of the new company
or (2) the consummation of a business combination approved by two-thirds of
the entire board of directors resulting in the stockholders of the new
company owing less than 51% of the resulting entity in the business
combination, the new company will have 17 directors, with eight directors
selected by MB Financial and nine directors chosen by MidCity Financial.
Pursuant to the merger agreement and the new company bylaws, the classes of
directors with terms expiring at the first and second annual meetings of
stockholders of the new

                                   138


company will each be comprised of three persons designated by the MB
Financial board of directors and three persons designated by the MidCity
Financial board of directors. The board class expiring at the third annual
meeting of stockholders will be comprised of three MidCity
Financial-designated directors and two MB Financial- designated directors.

REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS

        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that, subject to the rights of the holders of any class of preferred stock
outstanding, directors may be removed from office only for cause and only by the
vote of the holders of at least 80% of the voting power of the outstanding
shares of capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The bylaws of MidCity Financial provide that
directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of
the shares entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.


        NEW COMPANY. The director removal provision of the new company's charter
will be substantially the same as the one contained in the MB Financial
certificate of incorporation.


FILLING VACANCIES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that, subject to the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock
outstanding, vacancies in the board of directors may be filled only by a
majority vote of the directors then in office.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. Similar to the MB Financial certificate of
incorporation, the MidCity Financial bylaws provide that director vacancies may
be filled by a majority of the directors then in office.

        NEW COMPANY. Under the bylaws of the new company, after the merger and
until the first to occur of (1) the third annual meeting of stockholders of the
new company or (2) the consummation of a business combination approved by
two-thirds of the entire board of directors resulting in the stockholders of the
new company owing less than 51% of the resulting entity in the business
combination, the following will apply with respect to board vacancies:

        o       any vacancy created by the departure of a MB
                Financial-designated director will be filled by an individual
                nominated by a majority vote of the remaining MB
                Financial-designated directors and appointed by a majority of
                the remaining members of the board, subject to their fiduciary
                duties, and any vacancy created by the departure of a MidCity
                Financial-designated director will be filled by an individual
                nominated by a majority vote of the remaining MidCity
                Financial-designated directors and appointed by a majority of
                the remaining members of the board, subject to their fiduciary
                duties; and

        o       any vacancy created by an increase in the number of directors
                will be filled by a vote of two-thirds of the entire board of
                directors.


        After the expiration of these provisions, vacancies will be filled,
pursuant to the new company's charter, in substantially the same manner provided
in the MB Financial certificate of incorporation, except that stockholders of
the new company, in addition to the board of directors, may fill any vacancy
created by the removal of a director.


                                             139


AMENDMENT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

        MB FINANCIAL. Generally, the MB Financial certificate of incorporation
may be amended in the manner prescribed by Delaware law, which requires the
approval of the board of directors of MB Financial and at least a majority of
the outstanding shares of MB Financial common stock. The amendment of certain
other provisions of the MB Financial certificate of incorporation, however,
requires the vote of at least 80% of the outstanding shares of capital stock
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. These include
provisions relating to: voting limitations on 10% or greater stockholders; the
prohibition on stockholder action by written consent; the call of special
stockholders' meetings; the number, classification, election and removal of
directors; certain business combinations with greater than 10% stockholders; the
prevention of greenmail; indemnification of directors and officers; and
amendments to the certificate of incorporation and bylaws.

        MB Financial's bylaws may be amended either by its board of directors,
by the vote of a majority of the entire board of directors, or by its
stockholders, by the vote of the holders of 80% of the voting power of the
capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. Like the MB Financial certificate of incorporation,
the MidCity Financial certificate of incorporation generally may be amended in
the manner prescribed by Delaware law, which requires the approval of the board
of directors of MidCity Financial and at least a majority of the outstanding
shares of MidCity Financial common stock. Amendment of the provision requiring a
super-majority vote for mergers or similar transactions, however, requires
approval of 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock.
See "-- Super-Majority Stockholder Vote for Mergers, Acquisitions and Certain
Other Transactions."

        MidCity Financial's bylaws may be amended by the board of directors, by
a majority vote of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is
present, or by the stockholders, by the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of capital stock entitled to vote, present in person or by proxy.

        NEW COMPANY. The new company's charter will contain a provision
regarding amendments of the charter that will be similar to the one contained in
the MB Financial certificate of incorporation. That is, generally the charter
may be amended upon approval by the board of directors and the holders of a
majority of the outstanding shares of new company common stock, with a
super-majority stockholder vote required for amending specified provisions.
These provisions are essentially the same as those specified in the MB Financial
certificate of incorporation, except that amendment of the new company charter
provision limiting the liability of directors and officers will require a
super-majority stockholder vote; the comparable provision of the MB Financial
certificate of incorporation, which limits the liability of directors (but not
officers), requires only a majority vote for an amendment. The new company's
charter will provide by its terms that it may be amended by the new company's
board of directors, without a stockholder vote, to change the number of shares
of capital stock authorized for issuance. Such an amendment to the certificate
of incorporation of either MB Financial or MidCity Financial requires
stockholder approval in addition to action by the board of directors.

        The new company's bylaws will provide that after the merger and until
the first to occur of (1) the third annual meeting of stockholders of the new
company or (2) the consummation of a business combination approved by two-thirds
of the entire board of directors resulting in the stockholders of the new
company owing less than 51% of the resulting entity in the business combination,
the section of the new company bylaws regarding management after the merger may
only be amended by (a) the vote of a majority of the MB Financial-designated
directors and a majority of the MidCity Financial-designated directors and (b)
the vote of two-thirds of the entire board of directors. For a description of
this section of the new company bylaws, see "Management After the Merger."

        The new company's bylaws will provide that all other sections of the new
company's bylaws, as well as the section on management after the merger (once
that section is no longer in effect), may by amended by the board of directors,
by a vote of a majority of the entire board of directors. The new company's
bylaws (including the section on management after the merger while it is in
effect) also will provide that the bylaws may be amended by the stockholders, by
the vote of the holders of 80% of the outstanding shares of capital stock
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS WITH CERTAIN PERSONS


                                             140


        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that certain business combinations (e.g., mergers, share exchanges, significant
asset sales and significant stock issuances) involving "interested stockholders"
of MB Financial require, in addition to any vote required by law, the approval
of at least 80% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of stock entitled
to vote generally in the election of directors, unless either (i) a majority of
the disinterested directors have approved the business combination or (ii)
certain fair price and procedure requirements are satisfied. An "interested
stockholder" generally means a person who is a 10% or greater stockholder of MB
Financial or who is an affiliate of MB Financial and at any time within the past
two years was a 10% stockholder of MB Financial.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. Neither the MidCity Financial certificate of
incorporation nor the MidCity Financial bylaws contains a super-majority
stockholder vote requirement for business combinations with stockholders owning
more than a specified percentage of MidCity Financial common stock; however, as
described under "-- Super- Majority Stockholder Vote for Mergers, Acquisitions
and Certain Other Transactions," the MidCity Financial certificate of
incorporation does contain a super-majority vote requirement for mergers and
similar transactions.


        NEW COMPANY. The charter of the new company will contain a provision on
business combinations with interested stockholders that is substantially the
same as the one contained in the MB Financial certificate of incorporation,
except that the percentage for a person to be an "interested stockholder" will
be 14.9% under the new company's charter.


        DELAWARE STATUTORY PROVISION. Section 203 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law provides that if a person acquires 15% or more of the stock of a
Delaware corporation, thereby becoming an "interested stockholder," (for
purposes of Section 203) that person may not engage in certain business
combinations with the corporation for a period of three years unless one of the
following three exceptions applies:

        o       the board of directors approved the acquisition of stock or the
                business combination transaction prior to the time that the
                person became an interested stockholder;

        o       the person became an interested stockholder and 85% owner of the
                voting stock of the corporation in the transaction in which it
                became an interested stockholder, excluding voting stock owned
                by directors who are also officers and certain employee stock
                plans; or

        o       the business combination transaction is approved by the board of
                directors and by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the
                outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested
                stockholder at an annual or special meeting.


        A Delaware corporation may elect not to be governed by Section 203.
Neither MB Financial nor MidCity Financial has made such an election. Section
203 does not apply to the merger of MB Financial and MidCity Financial.


        MARYLAND STATUTORY PROVISION. Like the Delaware General Corporation Law,
the Maryland General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute.
The Maryland business combination statute prohibits a business combination
between a corporation and an interested stockholder (one who beneficially owns
10% or more of the voting power) for a period of five years after the interested
stockholder first becomes an interested stockholder, unless the transaction has
been approved by the board of directors before the interested stockholder became
an interested stockholder or the corporation has exempted itself from the
statute pursuant to a charter provision. After the five-year period has elapsed,
a corporation subject to the statute may not consummate a business combination
with an interested stockholder unless (1) the transaction has been recommended
by the board of directors and (2) the transaction has been approved by (a) 80%
of the outstanding shares entitled to be cast and (b) two-thirds of the votes
entitled to be cast other than shares owned by the interested stockholder. This
approval requirement need not be met if certain fair price and terms criteria
have been satisfied.

        The new company has opted-out of the Maryland business combination
statute through a provision in its charter.

                                       141



PREVENTION OF GREENMAIL


        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation generally
prohibits MB Financial from acquiring any of its own equity securities from a
beneficial owner of 5% or more of MB Financial's voting stock unless: (i) the
acquisition is approved by the holders of at least 80% of MB Financial's voting
stock not owned by the seller; (ii) the acquisition is made as part of a tender
or exchange offer by MB Financial or a subsidiary of MB Financial to purchase
securities of the same class on the same terms to all holders of such
securities; (iii) the acquisition is pursuant to an open market purchase program
approved by a majority of the board of directors, including a majority of the
disinterested directors; or (iv) the acquisition is at or below the market price
of the MB Financial common stock and is approved by a majority of the board of
directors, including a majority of the disinterested directors.


        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The MidCity Financial certificate of incorporation
does not contain a similar provision.

        NEW COMPANY. The new company's charter will contain a provision
identical to the one contained in the MB Financial certificate of incorporation.

SUPER-MAJORITY STOCKHOLDER VOTE FOR MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS AND CERTAIN OTHER
TRANSACTIONS

        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation and bylaws
do not contain any provision requiring a super-majority vote for mergers and
similar transactions, except with respect to business combinations with 10% or
greater stockholders under certain circumstances. See "--Business Combinations
with Certain Persons."

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The MidCity Financial certificate of incorporation
requires the vote of the holders of 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of MidCity
Financial common stock to approve any merger of consolidation of MidCity
Financial or the sale, assignment or transfer of all or substantially all of its
assets or capital stock.

        NEW COMPANY. Like the MB Financial certificate of incorporation and
bylaws, the charter and bylaws of the new company will not contain any provision
requiring a super-majority vote for mergers and similar transactions, except
with respect to business combinations with 14.9% or greater stockholders under
certain circumstances. See "--Business Combinations with Certain Persons." In
addition, except for matters which under the new company's charter will require
a super-majority stockholder vote, the new company's charter will specifically
provide that notwithstanding any provision of law requiring action by
stockholders by a vote of greater than a majority of the outstanding shares to
vote, the action will be valid if approved by the holders of at least a majority
of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.

NON-SHAREHOLDER CONSTITUENCY PROVISION

        MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that when evaluating any offer of another person to (1) make a tender or
exchange offer for any equity security of MB Financial, (2) merge or consolidate
MB Financial with another corporation or entity or (3) acquire all or
substantially all of the properties and assets of MB Financial, the MB Financial
board of directors may in exercising its judgment as to what is in the best
interest of MB Financial and its stockholders give due consideration to all
relevant factors, including, among other things:

        o       the social and economic effects of acceptance of the offer on
                the present and future customers and employees of MB Financial
                and its subsidiaries and on the communities in which MB
                Financial and its subsidiaries operate or are located; and

        o       the ability of MB Financial to fulfill its corporate objectives
                as a financial institution holding company and on the ability of
                its subsidiary financial institution to fulfill the objectives
                of a federally insured financial institution.

        MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The MidCity Financial certificate of incorporation
does not contain a similar provision.

                                             142



        NEW COMPANY. The charter of the new company will provide that when
evaluating any offer of another person to (1) make a tender or exchange offer
for any equity security of the new company, (2) merge or consolidate the new
company with another corporation or entity or (3) acquire all or
substantially all of the properties and assets of the new company, or when
evaluating any other transaction which would or may involve a change in
control of the new company, the new company's board of directors may, in
exercising its business judgment as to what is in the best interests of the
new company and its stockholders and in making any recommendation to the new
company's stockholders, give due consideration to all relevant factors,
including, but not limited to:

        o       the immediate and long-term economic effect upon the new
                company's stockholders, including stockholders, if any, who do
                not participate in the transaction;



        o       the social and economic effect on the employees, creditors and
                customers of, and others dealing with, the new company and its
                subsidiaries and on the communities in which the new company and
                its subsidiaries operate or are located;



        o       whether the proposal is acceptable based on the historical,
                current or projected future operating results or financial
                condition of the new company;



        o       whether a more favorable price could be obtained for the new
                company's stock or other securities in the future;



        o       the reputation and business practices of the other entity to be
                involved in the transaction and its management and affiliates as
                they would affect the employees of the new company and its
                subsidiaries;



        o       the future value of the stock or any other securities of the new
                company or the other entity to be involved in the proposed
                transaction;



        o       any antitrust or other legal and regulatory issues that are
                raised by the proposal;



        o       the business and historical, current or projected future
                financial condition or operating results of the other entity to
                be involved in the proposed transaction, including, but not
                limited to, debt service and other existing financial
                obligations, financial obligations to be incurred in connection
                with the proposed transaction, and other likely financial
                obligations of the other entity to be involved in the proposed
                transaction; and



        o       the ability of the new company to fulfill its objectives as a
                financial institution holding company and on the ability of its
                subsidiary financial institution(s) to fulfill the objectives of
                a federally insured financial institution.



        If the new company's board of directors determines that any proposed
transaction of the type described above should be rejected, it may take any
lawful action to defeat the transaction, including, but not limited to, any
or all of the following:



        o       advising stockholders not to accept the proposal;



        o       instituting litigation against the party making the proposal;



        o       filing complaints with governmental and regulatory authorities;



        o       acquiring the stock or any other securities of the new company;


                                             143




        o       increasing the authorized capital stock of the new company;
                selling or otherwise issuing authorized but unissued stock,
                other securities or granting options or rights with respect to
                authorized but unissued stock;



        o       acquiring a company to create an antitrust or other regulatory
                problem for the party making the proposal; and




         o        obtaining a more favorable offer from another individual or
                  entity.


ACTION BY STOCKHOLDERS WITHOUT A MEETING

         MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders must be
effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and not
by written consent.

         MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The MidCity Financial bylaws provide that MidCity
Financial's stockholders may act by written consent without a meeting if the
consent is signed by the holders of the number of shares that would have been
required to effect the action at an actual meeting of the stockholders.


         NEW COMPANY. The new company's bylaws will provide that, except as
described in the following sentence, any action required or permitted to be
taken at a meeting of stockholders may instead be taken without a meeting if
a unanimous written consent which sets forth the action is signed by each
stockholder entitled to vote on the matter. The bylaws also will provide
that, unless the new company's charter provides otherwise, the holders of any
class of new company stock, other than common stock, that is entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors may act by written consent without a
meeting if the consent is signed by the holders entitled to cast the minimum
number of votes that would be necessary to approve the action at a meeting of
stockholders.


SPECIAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

         MB FINANCIAL. The MB Financial certificate of incorporation provides
that special meetings of stockholders may be called only by the board of
directors by vote of a majority of the entire board.

         MIDCITY FINANCIAL. The MidCity Financial bylaws provide that special
meetings of stockholders may be called by: (1) the Chairman of the Board; (2)
the Vice Chairman; (3) the President; (4) a simple majority of the board of
directors; or (5) by the record holders of at least a majority of the
outstanding shares of MidCity Financial common stock entitled to vote at the
meeting.

         NEW COMPANY. The new company bylaws will provide that special
meetings of stockholders may be called by the President of the new company or
by the new company's board of directors by vote of a majority of the entire
board. In addition, the new company bylaws will provide that a special
meeting of stockholders shall be called by the Secretary of the new company
on the written request of stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority
of all votes entitled to be cast at the meeting.

LIMITATIONS ON DIRECTORS' AND OFFICERS' LIABILITY

         Each of the MB Financial and Mid-City Financial certificates of
incorporation contain a provision limiting the personal liability of
directors to the extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law,
which provides that no director will be personally liable to the company or
its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty except
as follows:

         (1)      A director may be liable under Section 174 of the Delaware
                  General Corporation Law, which creates liability for unlawful
                  payment of dividends and unlawful stock purchases or
                  redemptions; and

         (2)      A director also may be liable for:

                  o       breaching his or her duty of loyalty to the company or
                          its stockholders;


                                      144



                  o       for acts and omissions not in good faith or which
                          involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation
                          of law; or

                  o       deriving an improper personal benefit from a
                          transaction with the company.

         Consistent with Maryland law, the new company's charter will provide
that an officer or director of the new company may not be liable to the new
company or its stockholders for money damages, except to the extent:

         o        it is proved that the person actually received an improper
                  benefit, for the amount of the benefit; or

         o        a final judgment or adjudication against the person is based
                  on a finding that the person's action, or failure to act, was
                  the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was
                  material to the cause of action against the person; or

         o        otherwise provided by the Maryland General Corporation Law.

INDEMNIFICATION

         Under Delaware law, a corporation may indemnify its directors,
officers, employees and certain other individuals against expenses, including
attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement in
connection with specified actions, suits or proceedings arising because of
the person's relationship to the corporation. Generally, the indemnification
will cover expenses regardless of whether the action stems from a civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative proceeding if the individual acted
in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not
opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, in the case of a
criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct
was unlawful. A similar standard applies in an action or suit by or in the
right of the corporation (i.e., a stockholder derivative claim) except that
indemnification only extends to expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred
in the defense or settlement of such a proceeding. In cases involving the
right of the corporation, Delaware law requires court approval before there
can be any indemnification when the person seeking the indemnification has
been found liable to the corporation. To the extent that a person otherwise
eligible to be indemnified is successful on the merits or otherwise in
defense in any action, suit or proceeding described above, indemnification
for expenses, including attorneys' fees, actually and reasonably incurred is
mandatory under Delaware law.

         Each of the MB Financial and Mid-City Financial certificates of
incorporation generally provide for the indemnification of directors and
officers to the extent permitted by Delaware law.

         The Maryland General Corporation Law permits a corporation to
indemnify its directors, officers, employees and agents against judgments,
penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred
unless it is proven that (1) the conduct of the person was material to the
matter giving rise to the proceeding and the person acted in bad faith or
with active and deliberate dishonesty, (2) the person actually received an
improper personal benefit or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, the
person had reason to believe that his conduct was unlawful. Maryland law
provides that where a person is a defendant in a derivative proceeding, the
person may not be indemnified if the person is found liable to the
corporation. Maryland law also provides that a person may not be indemnified
in respect of any proceeding alleging improper personal benefit in which the
person was found liable on the grounds that personal benefit was improperly
received. The person found liable in the derivative proceeding or in the
proceeding alleging improper personal benefit may petition a court to
nevertheless order indemnification if the court determines that the person is
fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all the relevant
circumstances. Similar to Delaware law, Maryland law provides that unless
otherwise provided in the corporation's charter, a director or officer (but
not an employee or agent) who is successful on the merits or otherwise in
defense of any proceeding must be indemnified against reasonable expenses.

         The charter of the new company will provide that the new company will
indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent required or
permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law.

                                     145



APPRAISAL RIGHTS

         DELAWARE LAW. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law,
stockholders of a corporation who are voting on a merger or consolidation
generally are entitled to dissent from the transaction and obtain payment of
the fair value of their shares (so-called "appraisal rights"). Appraisal
rights do not apply if, however, (1) the shares are listed on a national
securities exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system or are
held by 2,000 or more holders of record and (2) except for cash in lieu of
fractional share interests, the shares are being exchanged for the shares of
the surviving corporation of the merger or the shares of any other
corporation, which shares of such other corporation will, as of the effective
date of the merger or consolidation, be listed on a national securities
exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system or held of record
by more than 2,000 holders.

         Because MB Financial common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock
Market National Market system, and since the common stock of the new company
will be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system upon
completion of the merger, MB Financial stockholders are not entitled to
appraisal rights in connection with the merger. Stockholders of MB Financial
would, however, be entitled to appraisal rights in a transaction calling for
them to exchange their MB Financial shares for consideration of a type other
than that described in item (2) above, such as a merger where the
consideration for MB Financial stockholders is to be paid all or partly in
cash (in additional to cash in lieu of fractional share interests). Since
MidCity Financial common stock is not listed on a national securities
exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market system or held by 2,000
or more holders of record, MidCity Financial stockholders are entitled to
appraisal rights in connection with the merger. See "The Merger--Appraisal
Rights." MidCity Financial stockholders would generally be entitled to
appraisal rights in any other merger or consolidation transaction except a
merger where MidCity Financial is the surviving entity and MidCity Financial
stockholders are not required to vote on the transaction.

         MARYLAND LAW. The Maryland General Corporation Law provides that,
except in connection with a transaction governed by the Maryland business
combination statute or exempted from that statute pursuant to the statute's
fair price provisions, a stockholder is not entitled to demand the fair value
of his or her shares of stock in any transaction if the stock is listed on a
national securities exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market National Market
system or SmallCap system. Because, as described under "--Business
Combinations with Certain Persons," the new company will opt-out of the
Maryland business combination statute through a charter provision, and since
the common stock of the new company will be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market
upon completion of the merger, the holders of new company common stock after
the merger will not be entitled to appraisal rights under any circumstances,
regardless of the form of consideration to be paid for their shares.

STOCKHOLDER INSPECTION RIGHTS

         DELAWARE LAW. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that any
stockholder of record, regardless of the number of shares held and how long
he has held his shares, generally has the right to inspect the corporation's
stock ledger, list of stockholders and other books and records, provided he
has a proper purpose for doing so and satisfies certain procedural
requirements.

         MARYLAND LAW. Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, only a
holder or group of holders of 5% or more of the corporation's stock for at
least six months has the right to inspect the corporation's stock ledger,
list of stockholders and books of account. Stockholders who have held their
shares for less than six months and holders of fewer than 5% of the shares
are entitled to inspect the corporation's bylaws, stockholder minutes, annual
statement of affairs and any voting trust agreements.

                                     146



                            LEGAL AND TAX MATTERS

         The validity of the new company common stock to be issued in
connection with the merger will be passed upon by Silver, Freedman & Taff,
L.L.P., Washington, D.C. It is a condition to the completion of the merger
that MB Financial receive an opinion from Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P. and
that MidCity Financial receive an opinion from Winston & Strawn, Chicago,
Illinois, with respect to the federal income tax consequences of the merger.

                                   EXPERTS


         The consolidated financial statements of MB Financial as of
December 31, 2000 and 1999 and for each of the years in the three-year period
ended December 31, 2000, included in MB Financial's Annual Report on Form
10-K, as amended on Form 10-K/A, for the year ended December 31, 2000 and
incorporated into this joint proxy statement-prospectus by reference, have
been audited by McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, independent certified public
accountants, as stated in their report incorporated by reference in this
joint proxy statement-prospectus, and upon the authority of the firm as
experts in accounting and auditing.


         The consolidated financial statements of MidCity Financial as of
December 31, 2000 and 1999, and for each of the years in the three year
period ended December 31, 2000, included in this joint proxy statement-
prospectus, have been so included in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP,
independent certified public accountants, included in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.

                            STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

NEW COMPANY

         It is expected that the first annual meeting of stockholders of the
new company will be held in April 2002. In order to be eligible for inclusion
in the new company's proxy materials for that annual meeting, any stockholder
proposal must be received at the new company's executive office at 801 West
Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607 by November 20, 2001. To be
considered for presentation at that annual meeting, although not included in
the new company's proxy materials for that meeting, a stockholder proposal
must be received at the new company's executive office not earlier than the
close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of the meeting and not
later than the later of the 90th day prior to the meeting or the tenth day
after the day on which notice of the date of the meeting is mailed or public
disclosure of the date of the meeting is first made, whichever occurs first.

MB FINANCIAL

         MB Financial will hold an annual meeting of stockholders in 2002 only
if the merger has not already been completed. If the 2002 annual meeting is
held, then in order to be eligible for inclusion in MB Financial's proxy
materials for that annual meeting, any stockholder proposal must be received
at MB Financial's executive office at 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois 60622 by November 20, 2001. To be considered for presentation at
that annual meeting, although not included in the new company's proxy
statement for that meeting, a stockholder proposal must be received at MB
Financial's executive office by no later than 30 days before the meeting. If,
however, less than 40 days' notice or prior public disclosure of the date of
the annual meeting is given or made to stockholders, the stockholder proposal
must be received at MB Financial's executive office no later than the close
of business on the tenth day following the day on which notice of the date of
the meeting is mailed or public disclosure of the date of the meeting is
made, whichever occurs first.

MIDCITY FINANCIAL

         MidCity Financial will hold an annual meeting of stockholders in
2002 only if the merger has not already been completed.

                                     147



                     WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

         MB Financial files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy
statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy these
filings at the public reference room of the SEC located at 450 Fifth Street,
N.W., Room 1024, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. MB
Financial's SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial
document retrieval services and at the web site maintained by the SEC at
"www.sec.gov." You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from
the Public Reference Section of the SEC, at 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates.

         The new company filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form
S-4 under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to the shares of new
company common stock to be issued in the merger. This joint proxy
statement-prospectus is a part of that registration statement and constitutes
a prospectus of the new company in addition to being a proxy statement of MB
Financial and MidCity Financial for their special meetings. As permitted by
SEC rules, this joint proxy statement-prospectus does not contain all the
information contained in the registration statement or the exhibits to the
registration statement. The additional information may be inspected and
copied as set forth above.


         The SEC permits the incorporation by reference of information
regarding MB Financial into this joint proxy statement-prospectus, which
means that important business and financial information about MB Financial
can be disclosed to you by referring you to another document filed separately
by MB Financial with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be part of this joint proxy statement-prospectus, and later
information that MB Financial files with the SEC will update and supersede
that information. This joint proxy statement-prospectus incorporates by
reference the documents set forth below that MB Financial has previously
filed with the SEC and all documents filed by MB Financial with the SEC
pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 after the date of this joint proxy statement-prospectus and before
the date of the special meetings.


         MB FINANCIAL FILINGS (SEC FILE NUMBER 0-24566)


         o  Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, as
            amended on Form 10-K/A filed on August 31, 2001.



         o  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March
            31, 2001, as amended on Form 10-Q/A filed on August 31, 2001.



         o  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June
            30, 2001.


         o  Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2001, April 20,
            2001, April 27, 2001 and May 15, 2001.

         o  MB Financial's proxy statement for its annual meeting of
            stockholders held on April 24, 2001.

         This incorporation by reference will not be deemed to specifically
incorporate by reference the information relating to the audit committee
report (as permitted under Item 306 of Regulation S-K) or the board
compensation committee report on executive compensation and performance graph
(as permitted under Item 402(a)(8) of Regulation S-K) contained in MB
Financial's 2001 annual meeting proxy statement. Nor will this incorporation
by reference be deemed to specifically incorporate by reference the
information provided under Item 9 of the Current Reports on Form 8-K of MB
Financial filed on April 20, 2001 and May 15, 2001.

         MB Financial supplied all information contained or incorporated by
reference in this joint proxy statement- prospectus relating to MB Financial
and MidCity Financial supplied all information contained in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus relating to MidCity Financial.

                                     148




         You can obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference from
the SEC. The documents incorporated by reference also are available from MB
Financial without charge by contacting: Doria Koros, Secretary, MB Financial,
Inc., 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622; telephone (773)
645-7868. Exhibits will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have
specifically been incorporated by reference in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus.

        IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST DOCUMENTS FROM MB FINANCIAL, PLEASE DO
SO BY OCTOBER 30, 2001 TO RECEIVE THEM BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETINGS.

        YOU SHOULD RELY ONLY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY
REFERENCE IN THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS. NO ONE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED
TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS CONTAINED IN THIS
JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS. YOU SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS IS ACCURATE AS OF ANY DATE
OTHER THAN THE DATE OF THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS, AND NEITHER THE
MAILING OF THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT-PROSPECTUS TO STOCKHOLDERS NOR THE
ISSUANCE OF NEW COMPANY COMMON STOCK IN THE MERGER SHALL CREATE ANY IMPLICATION
TO THE CONTRARY.


                                             149


                INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION




                                                                                          Page
                                                                       
Independent Auditors' Report.............................................................F - 2

Consolidated Balance Sheets at June 30, 2001 (unaudited) and
December 31, 2000 and 1999...............................................................F - 3

Consolidated Statements of Income for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2000 and for the three and six months ended
June 30, 2001 and 2000 (unaudited)...............................................F - 4 and F-5

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for each of the
years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2000 and for the six
months ended June 30, 2001 (unaudited)...................................................F - 6

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the years in
the three-year period ended December 31, 2000 and for the six months
ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 (unaudited).......................................F - 7 and F - 8

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements................................F - 9 through F - 27




        The audited consolidated financial statements of MB Financial, Inc.
as of December 31, 2000 and 1999 and for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2000 are contained in MB Financial Inc.'s Annual
Report on Form 10-K, as amended on Form 10-K/A, for the year ended December
31, 2000 and incorporated by reference in this joint proxy
statement-prospectus. The unaudited consolidated financial statements of MB
Financial as of June 30, 2001 and for the three and six-month periods ended
June 30, 2001 and 2000 are contained in MB Financial, Inc.'s Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2001 and incorporated by
reference in this joint proxy statement-prospectus. See "Where You Can Find
More Information."



        The financial statements of MB-MidCity, Inc. have been omitted because,
aside from $1,000 in cash received from MB Financial, Inc. and MidCity Financial
Corporation for the nominal subscription of stock, MB-MidCity, Inc. has no
assets. It also has no liabilities and has not, to date, conducted any business
activities other than those incident to its formation, the matters contemplated
by the merger agreement and the filing with the SEC of the registration
statement of which this joint proxy statement-prospectus is a part.



                                             F-1



                                 Independent Auditors' Report


The Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corporation:


We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MidCity
Financial Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000 and 1999, and the
related consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders' equity and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31,
2000. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of MidCity
Financial Corporation's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion
on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted
in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of MidCity Financial
Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000 and 1999, and the results
of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2000, in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.


/s/ KPMG LLP

Chicago, Illinois
January 26, 2001, except for
 note 21, which is as of
April 20, 2001


                                             F-2



MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT SHARE DATA)




                                                                June 30,
                                                                  2001           December 31,
                                                              ------------ ------------------------
                                                              (Unaudited)     2000         1999
------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ ----------- ------------
                                                                              
ASSETS
    Cash and due from banks                                    $    54,397  $   67,535  $    56,813
    Federal funds sold                                              10,750      29,775        7,700
    Investment securities:
        Available-for-sale, at fair value                          719,636      49,782       36,962
        Held-to-maturity, at amortized cost, fair value of
            $661,979 and $661,055  at December 31, 2000
            and 1999, respectively                                       -     660,311      674,695

    Loans                                                          983,511     960,187      959,879
    Allowance for loan losses                                      (12,362)    (12,999)      (9,410)
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
        Loans, Net                                                 971,149     947,188      950,469
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
    Premises, equipment and leasehold improvements, net             33,921      34,027       34,842
    Intangible assets, net                                          15,909      16,659       18,153
    Accrued interest receivable                                     14,152      14,225       12,081
    Other assets                                                     4,616       9,601        6,166
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
        TOTAL ASSETS                                           $ 1,824,530  $1,829,103  $ 1,797,881
                                                              ============ =========== ============

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Liabilities
    Deposits:
        Noninterest-bearing                                    $   274,782  $  277,339  $   275,640
        Interest-bearing                                         1,280,966   1,292,792    1,269,276
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
            Total Deposits                                       1,555,748   1,570,131    1,544,916
    Short-term borrowed funds                                       42,192      35,187       27,154
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances                                 17,000      22,000       35,000
    Other liabilities                                               11,494      16,220       15,550
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
        Total Liabilities                                        1,626,434   1,643,538    1,622,620
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------

Stockholders' Equity
    Capital stock, par value $20 per share; 100,000
        shares authorized; 50,000 shares issued                      1,000       1,000        1,000
    Paid-in capital                                                 24,052      24,052       24,052
    Retained earnings                                              175,094     168,080      158,475
    Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax               6,544       1,027          328
    Less 3,993 shares of treasury stock at cost                     (8,594)     (8,594)      (8,594)
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
        Total Stockholders' Equity                                 198,096     185,565      175,261
                                                              ------------ ----------- ------------
        TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY             $ 1,824,530  $1,829,103  $ 1,797,881
                                                              ============ =========== ============




See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


                                      F-3


MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)



                                                 THREE MONTHS ENDED     SIX MONTHS ENDED
                                                      JUNE 30,              JUNE 30,
                                               -----------------------------------------------
                                                  2001       2000       2001       2000
                                               -----------------------------------------------

                                               (UNAUDITED)(UNAUDITED)(UNAUDITED)(UNAUDITED)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         
Interest Income:
    Interest and Fees on Loans                        $ 18,811   $ 19,642    $ 38,368  $ 39,071
    Interest on Federal Funds Sold                         443        331       1,143       500
    Interest on Deposits with Financial
     Institutions                                           73         25         220        69
    Interest and Dividends on Investment
     Securities:
        United States Treasury Securities                  358        711         704     1,734
        United States Government Agency
         and Corporate Securities                        4,981      3,109       9,540     5,809
        Obligations of States and
         Political Subdivisions                            978      1,019       1,957     2,044
        Mortgage Backed Securities                       3,621      4,876       7,653     9,994
        Other Securities                                   605        665       1,247     1,381
                                               ------------------------------------------------
    Total Interest and Dividends on
     Investment
      Securities                                        10,543     10,380      21,101    20,962
                                               ------------------------------------------------
            Total Interest Income                       29,870     30,378     60,832     60,602
Interest Expense:
    Interest on Savings and Time Deposits               13,487     13,946     28,542     27,436
    Interest on Short-term Borrowed Funds                  453        325        864        739
    Interest on Federal Home Loan Bank
     Advances                                              276        450        596        949
                                               ------------------------------------------------
            Total Interest Expense                      14,216     14,721     30,002     29,124
                                               ------------------------------------------------
    Net Interest Income                                  15,654     15,657     30,830    31,478
    Provision for Loan Losses                               610      1,269        620     2,537
                                               ------------------------------------------------
         Net Interest Income After
          Provision
           for Loan Losses                               15,044     14,388     30,210    28,941
                                               ------------------------------------------------

Noninterest Income:
    Income from Fiduciary Activities                        400        415        816       919
    Service Charges on Deposit Accounts                   1,214      1,175      2,477     2,371
    Gain on Sale of Investment Securities                   633          1      1,521         1
    Other Operating Income                                1,262        818      2,058     1,599
                                               ------------------------------------------------
        Total Noninterest Income                          3,509      2,409      6,872     4,890
                                               ------------------------------------------------
Noninterest Expense:
    Salaries and Employee Benefits                        6,245      5,582     12,139    11,381
    Occupancy Expense, Net                                1,569      1,449      3,129     2,916
    Equipment Expense                                     1,141      1,277      2,291     2,550
    Amortization of Intangible Assets                       375        375        750       745
    Professional and Consulting Fees                        250        549        527       882
    Other Operating Expense                               2,538      2,796      5,160     5,826
                                               ------------------------------------------------
        Total Noninterest Expense                        12,118     12,028     23,996    24,300
                                               ------------------------------------------------
    Income Before Income Taxes                            6,435      4,769     13,086     9,531
    Income Taxes                                          2,160        861      4,462     1,719
                                               ------------------------------------------------
        Net Income                                     $  4,275   $  3,908    $ 8,624   $ 7,812
                                               ================================================

Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share                   $  92.92   $  84.94    $187.45   $169.80
                                               ================================================

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding                      46,007     46,007     46,007    46,007
                                               ================================================


See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


                                                 F-4


MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)




                                                               YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                        ----------------------------------
                                                              2000       1999       1998
                                                        ----------------------------------
                                                                         
Interest Income:
    Interest and Fees on Loans                            $   79,213   $ 69,971   $ 60,245
    Interest on Federal Funds Sold                             1,588        694      1,310
    Interest on Deposits with Financial Institutions             151         64         21
    Interest and Dividends on Investment Securities:
        United States Treasury Securities                      2,642      6,835     10,886
        United States Government Agency and Corporate SEC    14,615S    10,153      12,401
        Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions       4,119      4,051      3,975
        Mortgage Backed Securities                            18,946     19,744     15,042
        Other Securities                                       2,624      3,148      3,272
                                                          --------------------------------
    Total Interest and Dividends on Investment Securities     42,946     43,931     45,576
                                                          --------------------------------
            Total Interest Income                            123,898    114,660    107,152
Interest Expense:
    Interest on Savings and Time Deposits                     58,373     49,564     48,866
    Interest on Short-term Borrowed Funds                      1,670      1,350        622
    Interest on Federal Home Loan Bank Advances                1,743      1,449          -
                                                          --------------------------------
            Total Interest Expense                            61,786     52,363     49,488
                                                          --------------------------------
    Net Interest Income                                       62,112     62,297     57,664
    Provision for Loan Losses                                  5,073      1,405        770
                                                          --------------------------------
         Net Interest Income After Provision for Loan Loss    57,039     60,892     56,894
                                                          --------------------------------

Noninterest Income:
    Income From Fiduciary Activities                           1,779      1,830      1,637
    Service Charges on Deposit Accounts                        4,685      5,519      5,158
    Gain (Loss) on Sale of Investment Securities                   -         (4)       147
    Other Operating Income                                     3,262      3,242      3,011
                                                          --------------------------------
        Total Noninterest Income                               9,726     10,587      9,953
                                                          --------------------------------
Noninterest Expense:
    Salaries and Employee Benefits                            22,675     21,752     21,463
    Occupancy Expense, Net                                     5,689      5,294      4,859
    Equipment Expense                                          4,862      4,620      3,563
    Amortization of Intangible Assets                          1,494      1,208      1,063
    Professional and Consulting Fees                             839      1,082      1,659
    Other Operating Expense                                   12,595     10,640     10,532
                                                          --------------------------------
        Total Noninterest Expense                             48,154     44,596     43,139
                                                          --------------------------------
    Income Before Income Taxes                                18,611     26,883     23,708
    Income Taxes                                               3,255      8,463      7,237
                                                          --------------------------------
        NET INCOME                                        $   15,356     18,420     16,471
                                                          ================================
Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share                      $   333.78     398.24     347.83
                                                          ================================

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding                           46,007     46,254     47,354
                                                          ================================


See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


                                       F-5


MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
(Amounts in thousands except share and per share data)




                                                                                     Accumulated
                                                                                        Other
                                                                                    Comprehensive
                           Comprehensive                                  Retained  Income, Net of                   Total Stock-
                              Income      Capital Stock  Paid-in Capital  Earnings       Tax        Treasury Stock  holders' Equity
                           --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                 
Balance at January 1, 1998                     $1,000        $24,025      $129,877      $  726          $(1,299)       $154,329
Net income                     $16,471                                      16,471                                       16,471
Unrealized holding gains
 on investment securities,
 net of tax                       297
Reclassification
 adjustments for gains
 included in net income,
 net of tax                       (96)
                             -----------
Other comprehensive income,
 net of tax                       201                                                      201                              201

Comprehensive income          $16,672
                             ===========
Sale of 4 shares of
 treasury stock                                                   16                                                         16
Purchase of 578 shares of
 treasury stock                                                                                          (2,940)         (2,940)
Cash dividends declared
 ($60.00 per share)                                                         (2,836)                                      (2,836)
                                              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance at December 31,
 1998                                           1,000         24,041       143,512         927           (4,239)        165,241
Net income                    $18,420                                       18,420                                       18,420
Unrealized holding losses
 on investment securities,
 net of tax                      (602)
Reclassification
 adjustments for losses
 included in net income,
  net of tax                        3
                             -----------
Other comprehensive loss,
 net of tax                      (599)                                                    (599)                            (599)

Comprehensive income          $17,821
                             ===========
Sale of 2 shares of
 treasury stock                                                   11                                          1              12
Purchase of 817 shares of
 treasury stock                                                                                          (4,356)         (4,356)
Cash dividends declared
 ($75.00 per share)                                                         (3,457)                                      (3,457)
                                              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance at December 31,
 1999                                           1,000         24,052       158,475         328           (8,594)        175,261
Net income                    $15,356                                       15,356                                       15,356
Unrealized holding gains on
 investment securities, net
 of tax                           699

Other comprehensive income,
 net of tax                       699                                                      699                              699
                             -----------
Comprehensive income          $16,055
                             ===========
Cash dividends declared
 ($125.00 per share)                                                        (5,751)                                      (5,751)
                                              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance at December 31,
 2000                                           1,000         24,052       168,080       1,027           (8,594)        185,565
Net income (unaudited)        $ 8,624                                        8,624                                        8,624
Unrealized holding gains
 on investment securities,
 net of tax (unaudited)         6,506
Reclassification
 adjustments for gains
 included in net income,
 net of tax(udited)              (989)
                             -----------
Other comprehensive income,
 net of tax (unaudited)         5,517                                                    5,517                            5,517

Comprehensive income
 (unaudited)                  $14,141
                             ===========
Cash dividends declared
 ($35.00 per share)
 (unaudited)                                                                (1,610)                                      (1,610)
                                              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance at June 30, 2001
 (unaudited)                                   $1,000        $24,052      $175,094      $6,544          $(8,594)       $198,096
                                              ===================================================================================


See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


                                       F-6



MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS




(Amounts in thousands)                               Six Months Ended
                                                         June 30,
                                                  ----------------------
                                                     2001         2000        Years Ended December 31,
                                                                          --------------------------------
                                                  (Unaudited) (Unaudited)    2000       1999       1998
                                                  ----------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ----------
                                                                                 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
    Net income                                      $  8,624    $  7,812  $   15,356 $  18,420  $ 16,471
Adjustments to reconcile net income
 to net cash provided by operating
 Activities:
    Depreciation and amortization                      2,108       2,170       4,054     3,863     3,104
    Amortization of intangible assets                    750         745       1,494     1,208     1,063
    Provision for loan losses                            620       2,537       5,073     1,405       770
    Net loss (gain) on disposal of premises and
     equipment                                             -           -         (14)        4       (68)
    Amortization of premiums and discounts on
     investments, net                                    353         636         852     2,461     2,091
    (Gain) loss on the sale of investment s
     ecurities available-for-sale                      (1,521)        (1)         -          4       (147)
    Deferred tax expense (benefit)                        162     (1,019)    (4,189)      (990)    (2,557)
    Decrease (increase) in other assets                 1,924     (2,674)    (2,212)      (972)     1,025
    (Decrease) increase in other liabilities           (3,116)    (1,109)     1,117     (6,181)     2,126
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
        Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities       9,904      9,097     21,531     19,222     23,878
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
    Proceeds from maturities and principal
     repayments of investment securities
     held-to-maturity                                       -     75,926    161,811    328,612    320,192
    Proceeds from maturities of investment
     securities available-for-sale                    160,973      3,172      7,182      4,997      8,744
    Proceeds from sale of investment
     securities available-for-sale                     27,877        580          -     26,528      4,212
    Purchase of investment securities
     held-to-maturity                                       -    (65,030)  (148,280)  (238,019)  (309,420)
    Purchase of investment securities
     available-for-sale                              (188,736)    (5,337)   (18,927)    (5,980)   (14,527)
    Net (increase) decrease in loans                  (24,581)     7,784     (1,792)   (63,514)   (93,516)
    Capital expenditures on premises and equipment     (2,023)    (1,305)    (3,284)    (4,673)    (8,221)
    Proceeds from sales of premises and equipment          21          -         59         53      7,381
    Cash paid, net of cash and cash equivalents
     acquired in acquisition                                -          -          -    (49,959)         -
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
        Net Cash (Used in) Provided
         by Investing Activities                      (26,469)    15,790     (3,231)    (1,955)   (85,155)
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
    Net  (decrease) increase in deposits              (14,383)   (11,823)    25,215    (10,078)    67,305
    Net increase in short-term borrowed funds           7,005      3,084      8,033     11,296      4,280
    Repayments of Federal Home Loan Bank Advances      (5,000)    (7,000)   (13,000)   (19,500)         -
    Sale of Treasury stock                                  -          -          -         12         16
    Purchase of treasury stock                              -          -          -     (4,356)    (2,940)
    Dividends paid                                     (3,220)    (2,530)    (5,751)    (3,239)    (2,844)
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
        Net Cash (Used in) Provided by
         Financing Activities                         (15,598)   (18,269)    14,497    (25,865)    65,817
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
    Net (Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash
     Equivalent                                       (32,163)     6,618     32,797     (8,598)     4,540
    Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of
     Period                                            97,310     64,513     64,513     73,111     68,571
                                                   ------------------------------------------------------
    Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period      $  65,147   $ 71,131  $  97,310  $  64,513  $  73,111
                                                   =======================================================


See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


                                       F-7






(Amounts in thousands)                               Six Months Ended
                                                         June 30,
                                                  ----------------------
                                                     2001         2000        Years Ended December 31,
                                                                          ------------------------------
                                                  (Unaudited) (Unaudited)   2000      1999       1998
                                                  ----------- ----------- -------- ---------- ----------
                                                                               
Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow
 Information
    Cash paid during the period for:
        Interest on deposits and other
         borrowed funds                            $ 31,542    $29,051    $61,637   $ 52,076    $49,546
        Income taxes                                  3,500      3,580      7,150     10,670      9,403

Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Investing
 Activities
    Transfer of investment securities from
     held-to-maturity to available-for-sale        $660,311          -          -          -          -
    Acquisition of Damen Financial Corporation:
        Assets acquired:
            Investment securities                                                   $ 83,386
            Loans, net                                                               117,770
            Premises and equipment                                                     4,859
            Other assets                                                               2,298
            Excess of cost over fair value of
             net assets acquired                                                      10,592
                                                                                    ----------
                                                                                     218,905
                                                                                    ----------
        Liabilities assumed
            Deposits                                                                 106,895
            FHLB advances                                                             54,500
            Other liabilities                                                          7,551
                                                                                    ----------
                                                                                     168,946
                                                                                    ----------
            Net assets acquired                                                     $ 49,959



See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

                                       F-8



MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The accounting and reporting policies of MidCity Financial Corporation and its
subsidiaries (MidCity Financial) conform to accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. Generally accepted accounting
principles require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets
and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following
is a description of the most significant accounting policies:

BUSINESS: MidCity Financial provides a full range of banking services to
individual and corporate customers through its banking subsidiaries principally
in metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Dallas, Texas. It
is subject to the regulations of certain federal and state agencies and
undergoes periodic examinations by those regulatory authorities.

CONSOLIDATION: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
MidCity Financial Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries: The Mid-City
National Bank of Chicago, First National Bank of Morton Grove, First National
Bank of Elmhurst, Union Bank and Trust Company, Abrams Centre National Bank and
MidCity Information Services, Inc. Significant intercompany accounts and
transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS: For purposes of reporting cash flows, cash and cash
equivalents include cash, amounts due from banks, and federal funds sold.

INVESTMENT SECURITIES: MidCity Financial has classified its investment
securities as either available-for-sale or held-to-maturity. Held-to-maturity
securities are those securities, which MidCity Financial has the ability and
positive intent to hold until maturity. All other securities not included in
held-to-maturity are classified as available-for-sale. Sales of investment
securities held-to-maturity within three months of maturity are treated as
maturities.

Available-for-sale securities are recorded at fair value. Unrealized holding
gains and losses, net of the related tax effect, on available-for-sale
securities are reported as a separate component of stockholders' equity until
realized. Held-to-maturity securities are recorded at amortized cost, adjusted
for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts. Premiums and
discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the security as an
adjustment of yield using the interest method. Realized gains and losses are
included in earnings and are derived using the specific identification method. A
decline in the market value of any security below cost that is deemed other than
temporary results in a charge to earnings thereby establishing a new cost basis
for the security.

LOANS: Unearned income on discounted loans is recognized as income using the
sum-of-the-months' digits method. On nondiscounted loans, interest is accrued as
earned. Loans are placed on a nonaccrual status when, in the opinion of
management, uncertainty exists as to the ultimate collection of such interest.
MidCity Financial defers loan origination fees and certain direct costs and
amortizes the net amount over the life of the loan or lease as an adjustment of
yield using the interest method.

MidCity Financial's nonperforming loan policies, which address nonaccrual loans
and any other loans where it is probable that MidCity Financial will be unable
to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan, meet
the definition set forth for impaired loans in Financial Accounting Standard's
Board Statement No. 114 (SFAS No. 114). Commercial and commercial real estate
loans meeting the above criteria are reported as impaired loans for disclosure
purposes. Small, homogeneous loans are excluded from the provisions of SFAS No.
114.

ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES: The allowance for loan losses is maintained through a
provision for loan losses charged to expense. The allowance represents an amount
that, in management's judgment, is adequate to absorb probable loan losses. The
allowance for loan losses is based on management's evaluation of the loan
portfolio giving consideration to general economic conditions, the nature and
volume of the loan portfolio, the value of underlying collateral, and MidCity
Financial's historical loan loss experience. Loans are charged off to the
allowance for loan losses when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries on loans
previously charged off are credited to the allowance for loan losses.

                                       F-9


In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their
examination process, periodically review the subsidiary banks' allowances for
loan losses. Such agencies may require the subsidiary banks to recognize
additions to the allowances based on their judgments of information available to
them at the time of their examination.

PREMISES, EQUIPMENT AND LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS: Premises, equipment, and
leasehold improvements are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and
amortization. Depreciation is provided on the straight-line and
declining-balance methods based on the estimated useful lives of the depreciable
assets which for buildings is forty years, and for furniture and fixtures, five
to seven years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the term of the
related lease or the estimated useful lives of the improvements, whichever is
shorter.

INCOME TAXES: MidCity Financial's Federal income tax returns are prepared on a
consolidated basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the
future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their
respective tax bases (temporary differences). Deferred tax assets and
liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable
income in the years in which temporary differences are expected to be recovered
or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax
rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A
valuation allowance on deferred tax assets exists when, in management's opinion,
the realization of the assets does not meet the "more likely than not"
criterion.

INTANGIBLE ASSETS: Intangible assets consist of core deposit premiums and
goodwill arising from business combinations. Core deposit premiums represent the
value assigned to the core deposit base acquired and is amortized over eight
years. Goodwill is amortized over fifteen years.

MidCity Financial reviews long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible
assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that
the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The impairment is measured based on
the undiscounted future cash flows from the use of the asset and its eventual
disposition. If expected future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of
the asset, an impairment loss is recognized based on current fair values.

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME: Comprehensive income consists of net income and net
unrealized gains (losses) on securities available-for-sale and is presented in
the statements of income.

SEGMENT REPORTING: MidCity Financial uses a regional approach for determining
segment reporting. Based on the regional approach, MidCity Financial operates in
two major metropolitan areas, Chicago, Illinois and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

EARNINGS PER SHARE: Earnings per share is determined by dividing net income for
the period by the weighted average number of shares outstanding. MidCity
Financial only has one class of common stock issued and outstanding. No stock
options have been issued or are outstanding nor does it have any other forms of
dilutive equity shares.

Earning per common share have been computed for the years ended December 31,
2000, 1999 and 1998 based on the following (in thousands except share data):



                                                        2000            1999            1998
                                                   -------------- ---------------- --------------
                                                                          
Net income                                                $15,356          $18,420        $16,471
Weighted average shares outstanding                        46,007           46,254         47,354
Basic and diluted earnings per share                      $333.78          $398.24        $347.83


RECLASSIFICATION: Certain amounts in the consolidated financial statements have
been reclassified to conform to the 2000 presentation.


                                       F-10


NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS: MidCity Financial adopted SFAS No. 133 "Accounting for
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" on January 1, 2001. The adoption
had an immaterial impact on the financial condition or results from operations
of MidCity Financial. The statement requires that changes in the derivative's
fair value be recognized currently in earnings unless specific accounting
criteria are met and the hedge is considered to be highly effective. Special
accounting for qualifying hedges allows a derivative's gains and losses to
offset related results on the hedged item in the income statement, and requires
that a company must formally document, designate, and assess the effectiveness
of transactions that receive hedge accounting. In conjunction with the adoption
of SFAS No. 133, MidCity Financial transferred securities previously designated
as held-to-maturity with an amortized cost of $660,311,000 and a fair value of
$661,979,000 to available-for-sale.


INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: The consolidated financial statements as of June
30, 2001 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2001 and 2000 are
unaudited, but in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting
only of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation. These
interim financial statements are condensed, and do not include all disclosures
required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.

NOTE 2 - RESTRICTIONS ON CASH AND DUE FROM BANKS
Aggregate reserves (in the form of vault cash and deposits with Federal Reserve
banks) of $4,112,000 and $3,862,000 were maintained to satisfy federal
regulatory requirements at December 31, 2000 and 1999, respectively.


                                       F-11



NOTE 3 - INVESTMENT SECURITIES
The amortized cost, gross unrealized holding gains, gross unrealized holding
losses, and fair value for investment securities by major security type at
December 31, 2000 and 1999 were as follows:



                                                                    Gross       Gross
                                                               Unrealized  Unrealized
                                                    Amortized     Holding     Holding        Fair
December 31, 2000 (in thousands)                         Cost       Gains      Losses       Value
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
                                                                             
Available-for-sale:
    U.S. Treasury securities                     $     10,039     $    38   $    (14)   $  10,063
    U.S. Government agency securities                  19,667         228        (40)      19,855
    Mortgage-backed securities                          7,398           1       (104)       7,295
    Corporate securities                                1,028           1         (1)       1,028
    Equity securities                                  10,071       1,561        (91)      11,541
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
        Total                                    $     48,203     $ 1,829   $   (250)   $  49,782
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
Held-to-maturity:
    U.S. Treasury securities                     $     13,993     $    30   $      -    $  14,023
    U.S. Government agency securities                 269,091       2,848       (633)     271,306
    Obligations of states and political
      subdivisions                                     91,626         507       (153)      91,980
    Mortgage-backed securities                        254,848         636     (1,652)     253,832
    Corporate securities                               30,743          90         (5)      30,828
    Debt securities issued by foreign
      governments                                          10           -           -          10
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
        Total                                    $    660,311     $ 4,111  $ (2,443)   $ 661,979
                                                 ------------------------------------------------

                                                                    Gross       Gross
                                                               Unrealized  Unrealized
                                                    Amortized     Holding     Holding        Fair
December 31, 1999 (in thousands)                         Cost       Gains      Losses       Value
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
                                                                             
Available-for-sale:
    U.S. Treasury securities                     $      8,859     $     2   $    (99)   $   8,762
    U.S. Government agency securities                   7,197           -       (223)       6,974
    Mortgage-backed securities                         11,251           1       (366)      10,886
    Equity securities                                   9,151       1,340       (151)      10,340
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
        Total                                    $     36,458     $ 1,343   $   (839)   $  36,962
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
Held-to-maturity:
    U.S. Treasury securities                     $     67,085     $    99   $   (148)   $  67,036
    U.S. Government agency securities                 157,624          42     (3,750)     153,916
    Obligations of states and political
      subdivisions                                     95,647         108     (1,195)      94,560
    Mortgage-backed securities                        317,988          83     (8,777)     309,294
    Corporate securities                               36,331          16       (118)      36,229
    Debt securities issued by foreign
      governments                                          20           -           -          20
                                                 ------------------------------------------------
        Total                                    $    674,695     $   348   $(13,988)   $ 661,055
                                                 ------------------------------------------------


                                       F-12


Maturities of investment securities were as follows at December 31, 2000
(maturities of mortgage-backed securities have been presented based upon
estimated cash flows, assuming no change in the current interest rate
environment):



                                                         Amortized          Fair
(in thousands)                                              Cost           Value
                                                   ---------------------------------
                                                                   
Available-for-sale:
    Due in one year or less                         $       17,919       $  17,867
    Due after one year through five years                   18,839          19,034
    Due after five years through ten years                   1,141           1,114
    Due after ten years                                        233             226
    Equity securities                                       10,071          11,541
                                                   ---------------------------------
        Total                                       $       48,203       $  49,782
                                                   ---------------------------------
Held-to-maturity:
    Due in one year or less                         $      246,533       $ 245,996
    Due after one year through five years                  385,174         387,317
    Due after five years through ten years                  22,376          22,415
    Due after ten years                                      6,228           6,251
                                                   ---------------------------------
        Total                                       $      660,311       $ 661,979
                                                   ---------------------------------


Gross gains of $35,000 in 1999 and $147,000 in 1998 and gross losses of $39,000
in 1999 were realized on sale proceeds of $26,528,000 in 1999 and $4,212,000 in
1998. No securities were sold in 2000.

Investment securities carried at $165,071,000 and $133,862,000 at December 31,
2000 and 1999, respectively, were pledged to secure public deposits, securities
sold under agreements to repurchase, and for other purposes required by law.

NOTE 4 - LOANS
The major categories within the loan portfolio were as follows:



December 31 (in thousands)                                 2000            1999
                                                   ---------------------------------
                                                                 
Commercial and industrial loans                     $      286,489     $ 270,233
Real estate loans                                          644,943       653,163
Consumer loans                                              27,835        35,573
Other loans                                                  1,962         2,056
                                                   ---------------------------------
                                                           961,229       961,025
Less: unearned income, unamortized loan
  fees and costs                                            (1,042)       (1,146)
                                                   ---------------------------------
    Total                                           $      960,187     $ 959,879
                                                   ---------------------------------


Activity in the allowance for loan losses during 2000, 1999 and 1998 were as
follows:




(in thousands)                                          2000          1999         1998
                                                 -------------------------------------------
                                                                       
Balance,  beginning of year                       $      9,410        9,564        9,341
Allowance on acquired loans                                  -          465            -
Provision for loan losses                                5,073        1,405          770
Loans charged off                                       (1,721)      (2,388)        (737)
Recoveries                                                 237          364          190
                                                 -------------------------------------------
    Balance,  end of year                         $     12,999        9,410        9,564
                                                 -------------------------------------------


                                       F-13



Nonaccrual loans and loans past due ninety days or more were $10,755,000,
$6,300,000 and $2,477,000 as of December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.
Of the loans past due ninety days or more, $4,242,000 and $458,000 were still
accruing interest as of December 31, 2000 and 1999, respectively. The reduction
in interest income associated with nonaccrual loans, based on their original
contractual terms, was approximately $667,000, $412,000 and $185,000 for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.





(in thousands)                                                   2000          1999       1998
                                                              ----------     -------    -------
                                                                               
Total impaired loans (at December 31)                         $   14,882       8,818      5,853
Impaired loans for which there is related allowance (at
    December 31)                                              $   11,806       8,369      3,573
Related allowance                                                 (2,684)     (1,835)    (1,173)
                                                              ----------     -------    -------
    Balance, net of allowance                                 $    9,122       6,534      2,400
                                                              ==========     =======    =======
Impaired loans for which there is no related allowance (at
    December 31)                                              $    3,076         449      2,280
                                                              ----------     -------    -------
Average amount of impaired loans outstanding during year      $   12,738       6,301      4,507
Interest income on impaired loans recorded on a cash basis    $       72          71         22



NOTE 5 - PREMISES, EQUIPMENT, AND LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS
The following is a summary of premises, equipment, and leasehold improvements at
December 31, 2000 and 1999:




(in thousands)                                                               2000            1999
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
                                                                            
Land and land improvements                                         $        6,696           6,696
Buildings                                                                  20,023          19,989
Furniture and fixtures                                                     28,689          26,276
Building and leasehold improvements                                        12,640          11,848
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
    Total cost                                                             68,048          64,809
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization                            34,021          29,967
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
    Total                                                          $       34,027          34,842
                                                                   -------------- ---------------


Depreciation expense totaled $4,054,000, $3,863,000 and $3,104,000 for the years
ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.

NOTE 6 - INTEREST-BEARING DEPOSITS
Interest-bearing deposits consisted of:




December 31 (in thousands)                                                   2000            1999
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
                                                                            
NOW                                                                $      103,573 $       105,113
Money market                                                              261,865         271,157
Savings                                                                   191,522         247,847
Time $100,000 and over                                                    240,865         198,397
Time under $100,000                                                       494,967         446,762
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
    Total                                                          $    1,292,792   $   1,269,276
                                                                   -------------- ---------------


Interest expense on interest-bearing deposits consisted of:




(in thousands)                                                       2000       1999       1998
                                                              -----------  ---------  ---------
                                                                             
NOW                                                              $  1,913   $  1,970   $  2,034
Money market                                                       12,242      9,871      8,226
Savings                                                             5,185      6,509      5,279
Time $100,000 and over                                             12,690      9,334      8,528
Time under $100,000                                                26,343     21,880     24,799
                                                              -----------  ---------  ---------
        Total                                                     $58,373    $49,564    $48,866
                                                              ===========  =========  =========



                                             F-14


NOTE 7 - FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK ADVANCES
Federal Home Loan Bank Advances are summarized as follows as of December 31,
2000 and 1999:




December 31 (in thousands)                       2000                         1999
                                     ----------------------------------------------------------
                                        Weighted                     Weighted
                                        Average                      Average
                                        Interest                     Interest
Due in:                                   Rate         Amount          Rate          Amount
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      
2000                                       -               $     -    6.16%       $      12,000
2001                                     6.56%              10,000    6.56%              10,000
2002                                     6.30%               6,000    6.17%               7,000
2003                                     5.85%               2,000    5.85%               2,000
2008 (callable on a quarterly basis)     5.11%               3,000    5.11%               3,000
Variable rate, due in 2008               6.27%               1,000    5.13%               1,000
                                     ----------------------------------------------------------
     Total                               6.29%             $22,000    6.00%       $      35,000
                                     ==========================================================


Advances in the amount of $3,000,000 are callable on a quarterly basis and are
due in 2008.

A collateral pledge agreement exists whereby at all times, MidCity Financial
must keep on hand, free of all other pledges, liens, and encumbrances, first
mortgages with unpaid principal balances aggregating no less than 167% of the
outstanding secured advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank. All stock in the
Federal Home Loan Bank is pledged as additional collateral for these advances.

NOTE 8 - INCOME TAXES
The components of Federal income tax expense (benefit) are shown in the
following summary:




Years ended December 31 (in thousands)                         2000            1999            1998
                                                     --------------  -------------- ---------------
                                                                           
Current                                              $       7,444   $        9,453 $         9,794
Deferred                                                    (4,189)            (990)         (2,557)
                                                     --------------  -------------- ---------------
    Total                                            $       3,255   $        8,463 $         7,237
                                                     --------------  -------------- ---------------



                                             F-15


The tax effects of temporary differences that gave rise to significant portions
of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities were as follows:




December 31 (in thousands)                                                   2000            1999
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
                                                                            
Assets:
    Provision for loan losses                                         $     4,056     $     2,290
    Depreciation                                                               71              49
    Deferred compensation                                                   1,234           1,230
    Deferred gain on sale of building                                         188             214
    Federal net operating loss carryforward                                 1,061           1,210
    State net operating loss carryforwards, net                             2,503           3,700
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
        Total deferred tax assets                                           9,113           8,693
    Valuation allowance on state net operating loss carryforwards               -          (3,628)
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
        Total deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance               9,113           5,065
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
Liabilities:
    Purchase accounting adjustments                                        (1,572)         (1,566)
    Accretion on investments                                                 (415)           (321)
    Other, net                                                                (13)           (254)
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
        Total deferred tax liabilities                                     (2,000)         (2,141)
                                                                   -------------- ---------------
Net deferred tax asset                                                      7,113           2,924
                                                                   ============== ===============
    Net unrealized holding gains on securities available-for-sale            (553)           (176)
                                                                   ============== ===============
Net deferred tax asset                                                 $    6,560     $     2,748
                                                                   -------------- ---------------


MidCity Financial's state net operating loss carryforwards totaling
approximately $53,597,000 at December 31, 2000 expire beginning in 2002 through
2012. MidCity Financial's Federal net operating loss carryforwards totaling
approximately $3,031,000 at December 31, 2000 expire in 2014. MidCity Financial
has recognized in 2000 that it is more likely that not that the future tax
benefits related to state net operating loss carryforwards will be realized.
Accordingly, the valuation allowance on these deferred tax assets previously
established has been eliminated.

The effective income tax rate was 17.5% in 2000, 31.5% in 1999 and 30.5% in 1998
as compared to the expected Federal income tax rate of 35%. The reasons for
these differences were as follows:




Years ended December 31 (in thousands)                         2000         1999          1998
                                                      ------------- ------------ -------------
                                                                        
Federal income tax at expected statutory rate          $      6,514 $      9,409  $      8,298
Increase (decrease) in taxes resulting from:
    Tax-exempt income, net                                   (1,307)      (1,379)       (1,255)
    Reversal of valuation allowance on state net
        operating loss carryforwards, net of state
        tax expense                                          (2,477)           -             -
    Other, net                                                  525          433           194
                                                      ------------- ------------ -------------
        Total                                          $      3,255 $      8,463   $     7,237
                                                      ------------- ------------ -------------


NOTE 9 - LEASE COMMITMENTS
Rental expense for all operating leases amounted to approximately $2,232,000,
$2,215,000 and $1,927,000 in 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively. In 1998,
Mid-City National Bank sold its North Riverside building for $7,350,000 and
leased back a portion of the building under an operating lease. The gain of
$1,423,000 realized on that transaction was deferred and is amortized over the
remaining term of the lease of ten years.


                                             F-16


Future minimum rental commitments as of December 31, 2000, for all
noncancellable leases were as follows:



                                                                                 (In thousands)
                                                                              -----------------
                                                                           
2001                                                                                   $  1,872
2002                                                                                      1,897
2003                                                                                      1,920
2004                                                                                      1,603
2005                                                                                      1,453
Thereafter                                                                                5,594
                                                                              -----------------
    Total                                                                               $14,339
                                                                              -----------------


NOTE 10 - BENEFIT PLANS
Substantially all employees of MidCity Financial meeting certain service
requirements are eligible to participate in a contributory profit sharing plan
administered by MidCity Financial. Voluntary contributions by employees are
permitted, subject to certain limitations. Company contributions were based
solely on the performance of MidCity Financial. Contributions were $1,236,000
for 2000, $1,270,000 for 1999 and $1,125,000 for 1998.

Several key MidCity Financial employees are eligible for contributions under a
deferred compensation plan. Company contributions were $106,000, $109,000 and
$97,000 in 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively. Total liabilities outstanding
under this plan were $3,163,000 and $2,898,000 as of December 31, 2000 and 1999,
respectively.

NOTE 11 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK
MidCity Financial is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet
risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its
customers. Those financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and
standby letters of credit. Those instruments involve, to varying degrees,
elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated
statements of condition. The contract amounts of those instruments reflect the
extent of involvement MidCity Financial has in particular classes of financial
instruments.

MidCity Financial's exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by
one of the other parties to the financial instruments, for commitments to extend
credit and standby letters of credit, is represented by the contractual amount
of those instruments. MidCity Financial uses the same credit policies in making
commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance-sheet
instruments. Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk
at December 31, 2000, were as follows:



                                                                                    
(in thousands)
Commitments to extend credit                                                           $194,785
Standby letters of credit                                                                 7,537


Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as
there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments
generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may
require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire
without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily
represent future cash requirements. MidCity Financial evaluates each customer's
creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if
deemed necessary by MidCity Financial, upon extension of credit is based on
management's credit evaluation of the counterparty. Certain commitments are
unsecured. Collateral held for the secured commitments varies but may include
real estate, inventory, automobiles, equipment, securities, and certificates of
deposit.


                                             F-17


Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by MidCity
Financial to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those
guarantees are primarily used to support private borrowing arrangements. All of
the standby letters of credit at December 31, 2000 are short-term guarantees;
they expire on or before December 31, 2001. The credit risk involved in issuing
letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan
facilities to customers. When deemed necessary, MidCity Financial may hold a
variety of collateral to support these commitments, including real estate,
accounts receivable, inventory, and certificates of deposit.

NOTE 12 - RELATED PARTY LOANS AND COMMITMENTS
Aggregate loans outstanding to MidCity Financial and bank subsidiary executive
officers, directors, principal stockholders, and other related parties were
approximately $19,001,000 and $8,221,000 at December 31, 2000 and 1999,
respectively. These loans and commitments were made in the ordinary course of
business on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and
collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with
other customers of the subsidiary banks, and did not involve more than the
normal risk of collectibility or present other unfavorable features. An analysis
of the activity related to these loans for the year ended December 31, 2000 is
as follows:


                                                                            
Balance, beginning of year (in thousands)                                      $          8,221
Additions                                                                                15,583
Principal payments and other reductions                                                  (4,803)
                                                                               ----------------
Balance, end of year                                                           $         19,001
                                                                               ================


NOTE 13 - CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK
MidCity Financial grants commercial, real estate, and consumer loans to
customers principally located in the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Illinois,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Dallas, Texas. Although MidCity Financial has a
diversified loan portfolio, a substantial portion of the debtors' ability to
honor their loan contracts is dependent upon the overall economy of these
metropolitan areas.

NOTE 14 - CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
In the ordinary course of business, MidCity Financial and its subsidiaries
became involved in various matters of litigation. In the opinion of management,
after considering the advice of counsel, the ultimate resolution of these
proceedings will not have a material effect on the consolidated financial
condition, or operating results of MidCity Financial.


                                             F-18




NOTE 15 - FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Fair value estimates, methods, and assumptions are set forth below for MidCity
Financial's financial instruments.



                                                         2000                       1999
                                              -----------------------------------------------------
                                                  Carrying          Fair      Carrying         Fair
December 31 (in thousands)                           Value         Value         Value        Value
                                              -----------------------------------------------------
                                                                              
Financial Assets:
    Cash and due from banks                   $     67,535        67,535   $    56,813       56,813
    Federal funds sold                              29,775        29,775         7,700        7,700
    Investment securities available-for-sale        49,782        49,782        36,962       36,962
    Investment securities held-to-maturity         660,311       661,979       674,695      661,055
    Loans, net                                     947,188       967,383       950,469      954,375
    Accrued interest receivable                     14,225        14,225        12,081       12,081
Financial Liabilities:
    Noninterest-bearing deposits              $    277,339       277,339   $   275,640      275,640
    Interest-bearing deposits                    1,292,792     1,294,847     1,269,276    1,269,276
    Short-term borrowed funds                       35,187        35,162        27,154       27,154
    Federal Home Loan Bank Advances                 22,000        21,990        35,000       34,884
    Accrued interest payable                         5,430         5,430         4,434        4,434
Off-balance Sheet Financial Instruments:
    Commitments to extend credit                         -           640             -          650
    Standby letters of credit                            -           151             -          174


CASH AND DUE FROM BANKS: The carrying amount of cash and due from banks
approximates its fair value.

INVESTMENT SECURITIES: The carrying amounts for short term investments, which
include federal funds sold and interest-bearing deposits with financial
institutions, approximate fair value because they mature in one year or less and
do not present unanticipated credit concerns. The fair value of longer-term U.S.
Treasury and U.S. Government agency securities, equity securities, and
mortgage-backed securities, except certain obligations of states and political
subdivisions, is estimated based on bid prices published in financial newspapers
or bid quotations received from securities dealers. The fair value of certain
obligations of states and political subdivisions is not readily available
through market sources other than dealer quotations, so fair value estimates are
based on quoted market prices of similar instruments, adjusted for differences
between the quoted instruments and the instruments being valued.

LOANS: Fair values are estimated for portfolios of loans with similar financial
characteristics. Loans are segregated by type such as commercial and industrial,
real estate, and consumer loans. Each loan category is further segmented into
fixed and adjustable rate interest terms.

The fair value of performing loans is calculated by discounting scheduled cash
flows through the estimated maturity, using rates of notes of similar terms and
type. The estimate of the maturity is based on industry forecast experience with
repayments for each loan classification, modified by an estimate of the effect
of current economic and lending conditions. The fair value of variable rate
loans repricing within three months was assumed to be at carrying value.

Fair value for nonperforming loans is based on recent external appraisals of the
related collateral. If appraisals are not available, estimated cash flows are
discounted using a rate commensurate with the risk associated with the estimated
cash flows. Assumptions regarding credit risk, cash flows, and discount rates
are determined using available market information and specific borrower
information.



                                             F-19



LIABILITIES: The fair value of deposits with no stated maturity, such as demand
deposits, NOW, money market, savings, and money market accounts, is equal to the
amount payable on demand as of December 31, 2000 and 1999. The fair value of
time deposits is based on the discounted value of contractual cash flows. The
discount rate is estimated using the rates currently offered on similar
remaining maturities. If the fair value is less than the amount payable on
demand, the fair value disclosure is the amount payable on demand.

The carrying amounts for short-term borrowings, which include federal funds
purchased and securities sold under agreement to repurchase, approximate fair
value for instruments with maturities of 90 days or less. The fair value of
short-term borrowings with maturities of greater than 90 days is based on the
discounted value of contractual cash flows.

The fair value of Federal Home Loan Bank Advances is based on the discounted
value of contractual cash flows. The discount rate is estimated using the
published rates currently offered on similar remaining maturities.

The fair value estimates above do not include the benefit that results from the
low-cost funding provided by the deposit liabilities compared to the cost of
borrowing funds in the market.

COMMITMENTS TO EXTEND CREDIT AND STANDBY LETTERS OF CREDIT: The value of
commitments to extend credit is estimated using the fees currently charged to
enter into similar agreements, taking into account the remaining terms of the
agreements and the present creditworthiness of the counterparties. For fixed
rate loan commitments, fair value also considers the difference between current
levels of interest rates and the committed rates.

The fair value of letters of credit is based on fees currently charged for
similar agreements or on the estimated cost to terminate them or otherwise
settle the obligations with the counterparties.

LIMITATIONS: Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on
relevant market information and information about the financial instrument.
These estimates do not reflect any premium or discount that could result from
offering for sale, at one time, MidCity Financial's entire holdings of
particular financial instruments. Because no market exists for a significant
portion of MidCity Financial's financial instruments, fair value estimates are
based on judgments regarding future expected loss experience, current economic
conditions, risk characteristics of various financial instruments, and other
factors. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and
matters of significant judgment and therefore cannot be determined with
precision. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

Fair value estimates are based on existing on- and off-balance sheet financial
instruments without attempting to estimate the value of anticipated future
business and the value of assets and liabilities that are not considered
financial instruments. For example, MidCity Financial has a trust department
that contributes net fee income annually. The trust department is not considered
a financial instrument, and its value has not been incorporated into the fair
value estimates. Other significant assets and liabilities that are not
considered financial assets or liabilities for disclosure purposes include the
deferred tax assets, premises and equipment and intangible assets. In addition,
the tax ramifications related to the realization of the unrealized gains and
losses can have a significant effect on fair value estimates and have not been
considered in the estimates.

NOTE 16 - ACQUISITION
On July 1, 1999, MidCity Financial assumed the liabilities and purchased the
assets of Damen Financial Corporation (Damen). A purchase price of $50,454,000
was paid for 100% of Damen's outstanding common stock. The acquisition was
accounted for as a purchase, and assets and liabilities were recorded at fair
value. The excess cost over fair value of the net assets acquired of $10,592,000
was recorded as goodwill and is being amortized over fifteen years on a
straight-line basis. The results of Damen's operations for the period July 1,
1999 through December 31, 1999 are included in the 1999 consolidated statement
of income.


                                             F-20



The unaudited pro forma results of operations, which follow, assume that the
Damen acquisition had occurred on January 1, 1998. In addition to combining the
historical results of operations of the companies, the pro forma calculations
include purchase accounting adjustments related to the acquisition. The pro
forma calculations do not include any anticipated cost savings as a result of
the merger.

Unaudited pro forma consolidated results of operations for the years ended
December 31, 1999 and 1998 are as follows (in thousands except per share data):



                                                                             1999            1998
                                                                     ------------------------------
                                                                                    
Net interest income                                                       $66,815         $64,234
Net income                                                                 19,624          18,399

Basic and diluted earnings per share                                      $424.27         $388.54


The pro forma results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the actual
results of operations that would have occurred had the Damen acquisition
actually taken place at the beginning of the respective periods, or of results
which may occur in the future.

NOTE 17 - REGULATORY MATTERS
Federal and state banking regulations and capital guidelines limit the amount of
dividends that may be paid by banks. These regulations will permit the banking
subsidiaries of MidCity Financial to distribute dividends during 2001
approximately $12,599,000 plus income generated in 2001, without prior approval,
subject to capital guidelines.

MidCity Financial and its subsidiary banks are subject to various regulatory
capital requirements administered by Federal regulatory agencies. Failure to
meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possibly
additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a
direct material effect on MidCity Financial's financial statements. Under
capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective
action, MidCity Financial must meet specific capital guidelines that involve
quantitative measures of MidCity Financial's assets, liabilities and certain
off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices.
MidCity Financial's capital amounts and classification are also subject to
qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weighting, and
other factors.

Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure adequacy require
MidCity Financial to maintain minimum amounts and ratios as set forth below.
Management believes, as of December 31, 2000, that MidCity Financial meets all
capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.



                                             F-21



As of December 31, 2000, and 1999 the most recent notifications from the
subsidiary banks' regulatory agencies categorized the banks as well capitalized
under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. There are no
conditions or events that have occurred since the most recent notifications that
management believes have changed the institutions' categories.



                                                                                         To Be Well
                                                                                      Capitalized Under
                                                                     For Capital      Prompt Corrective
                                                    Actual        Adequacy Purposes   Action Provisions
                                            -----------------------------------------------------------
As of December 31, 2000 (in thousands)        Amount    Ratio     Amount    Ratio     Amount    Ratio
                                            -----------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                
 Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets
    Consolidated                             $180,878     16.9%   $85,804      8.0%  $107,255     10.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      76,778     12.9%    47,504      8.0%    59,381     10.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        23,866     13.1%    14,634      8.0%    18,293     10.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            14,162     12.8%     8,884      8.0%    11,105     10.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       27,526     17.9%    12,311      8.0%    15,389     10.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 9,111     18.1%     4,028      8.0%     5,036     10.0%
 Tier I Capital to Risk Weighted Assets
    Consolidated                             $167,879     15.7%   $42,902      4.0%    64,353      6.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      70,664     11.9%    23,752      4.0%    35,628      6.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        21,948     12.0%     7,317      4.0%    10,976      6.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            12,951     11.7%     4,442      4.0%     6,663      6.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       25,951     16.7%     6,156      4.0%     9,233      6.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 8,478     16.8%     2,014      4.0%     3,021      6.0%
 Tier I Capital to Average Assets
    Consolidated                             $167,879      9.3%   $54,244      3.0%    90,406      5.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      70,664      7.4%    28,496      3.0%    47,493      5.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        21,948      7.2%     9,111      3.0%    15,185      5.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            12,951      7.6%     5,115      3.0%     8,525      5.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       25,591      8.9%     8,679      3.0%    14,466      5.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 8,478      9.2%     2,777      3.0%     4,628      5.0%



                                             F-22






                                                                                         To Be Well
                                                                                      Capitalized Under
                                                                     For Capital      Prompt Corrective
                                                    Actual        Adequacy Purposes   Action Provisions
                                            -----------------------------------------------------------
As of December 31, 1999 (in thousands)        Amount    Ratio     Amount    Ratio     Amount    Ratio
                                            -----------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                
 Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets
    Consolidated                             $166,269     15.9%   $83,817      8.0%  $104,771     10.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      72,583     12.7%    45,593      8.0%    56,991     10.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        22,418     13.5%    13,290      8.0%    16,613     10.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            13,682     12.5%     8,756      8.0%    10,945     10.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       28,599     17.3%    13,260      8.0%    16,575     10.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 7,996     15.0%     4,276      8.0%     5,345     10.0%
 Tier I Capital to Risk Weighted Assets
    Consolidated                             $156,859     15.0%   $41,908      4.0%    62,863      6.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      68,755     12.1%    22,796      4.0%    34,195      6.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        21,272     12.8%     6,645      4.0%     9,968      6.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            12,767     11.7%     4,378      4.0%     6,567      6.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       26,517     16.0%     6,630      4.0%     9,945      6.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 7,346     13.7%     2,138      4.0%     3,207      6.0%
 Tier I Capital to Average Assets
    Consolidated                             $156,859      8.7%   $54,339      3.0%    90,564      5.0%
    The Mid-City National Bank of Chicago      68,755      7.2%    28,809      3.0%    48,015      5.0%
    First National Bank of Morton Grove        21,272      7.5%     8,568      3.0%    14,280      5.0%
    First National Bank of Elmhurst            12,767      7.7%     4,978      3.0%     8,297      5.0%
    Union Bank and Trust                       26,517      8.5%     9,351      3.0%    15,586      5.0%
    Abrams Centre National Bank                 7,346      8.8%     2,515      3.0%     4,191      5.0%


                                             F-23




NOTE 18 - CONDENSED PARENT COMPANY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The condensed financial statements of MidCity Financial Corporation (parent
company only) are presented below:




Balance Sheets

December 31,  (Amounts in thousands)                                            2000       1999
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                
Assets
     Cash                                                                $    28,710  $  19,435
     Investment securities                                                     1,985      1,897
     Investments in subsidiaries                                             160,105    157,890
     Other assets                                                              1,454      1,757
                                                                         ----------------------
          Total Assets                                                   $   192,254  $ 180,979
                                                                         ======================

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
     Other liabilities                                                   $     6,689  $  95,718
     Stockholders' equity                                                    185,565    175,261
                                                                         ----------------------
          Total Liabilities and stockholders' Equity                     $   192,254  $ 180,979
                                                                         ======================


Statements of Income

Years ended December 31, (amounts in thousands)                      2000       1999       1998
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                             
     Dividends from subsidiaries                              $    17,300 $   11,150  $  14,050
     Service fees from subsidiaries                                 4,692      3,813        927
     Interest and other noninterest income                            875        831      1,031
                                                              ---------------------------------
          Total income                                             22,867     15,794     16,008
                                                              ---------------------------------

     Salaries and employee benefits                                 7,804      7,029      5,263
     Other noninterest expense                                      3,393      2,614      3,001
                                                              =================================
          Total expense                                            11,197      9,643      8,264
                                                              ---------------------------------
               Income before income tax benefits and equity in
               undistributed net income of subsidiaries            11,670      6,151      7,744
     Income tax benefits                                            1,906      1,689      2,135
     Equity in undistributed net income of subsidiaries             1,780     10,580      6,592
                                                              ---------------------------------
          Net income                                          $    15,356 $   18,420  $  16,471
                                                              =================================





Statements of Cash Flows

Years ended December 31, (Amounts in thousands)                      2000       1999       1998
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                             
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
    Net income                                                $    15,356  $  18,420  $  16,471
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided
  by operating Activities:


                                             F-24



    Depreciation and amortization                                     222        180        354
Equity in undistributed net income of subsidiaries                 (1,780)   (10,580)    (6,592)
    (Increase) decrease in other assets                               568       (676)        38
    Increase (decrease) in other liabilities                          249       (828)     1,661
                                                              ---------------------------------
        Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities                  14,615      6,516     11,932
                                                              ---------------------------------

Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Proceeds from the maturity of investments securities                    -          -      5,000
    Proceeds from repayment of advances to subsidiaries               350          -        170
Advances to subsidiaries                                             (350)   (10,200)         -
    Capital expenditures on premises and equipment                   (279)      (459)       (42)
                                                              ---------------------------------
        Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities          (279)   (10,659)     5,128
                                                              ---------------------------------

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
    Sale of Treasury stock                                              -          6         16
    Purchase of treasury stock                                          -     (4,350)    (2,940)
    Dividends paid                                                 (5,061)    (2,537)    (2,844)
                                                              ---------------------------------
        Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities        (5,061)    (6,881)    (5,768)
                                                              ---------------------------------
    Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents            9,275    (11,024)    11,292
    Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year                 19,435     30,459     19,167
                                                              ---------------------------------
    Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Year                  $    28,710  $  19,435  $  30,459
                                                              =================================



                                             F-25




    NOTE 19 - SEGMENT INFORMATION
    MidCity and its subsidiaries operate primarily in the commercial banking
    industry, however, management manages these operations geographically.
    MidCity Financial's primary markets are Chicago, Illinois and Oklahoma
    City, Oklahoma and their surrounding metropolitan areas.



                                                                              Adjustments
                                              Illinois   Oklahoma                     and
Amounts in thousands                             Banks       Bank      Other Eliminations Consolidated
------------------------------------------------------ ---------- ---------- ------------ ------------
                                                                             
2000
     Net interest income                   $    45,809  $  10,681  $  22,905  $  (17,283)   $   62,112
     Provision for loan losses                   4,606          -        467           -         5,073
     Noninterest income                          7,287      1,860     10,798     (10,219)        9,726
     Noninterest expense                        31,034      7,213     18,328      (8,421)       48,154
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Income before income taxes            17,456      5,328     14,908     (19,081)       18,611
     Income taxes                                2,667      1,854     (1,266)          -         3,255
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Net income                       $    14,789  $   3,474  $  16,174  $  (19,081)   $   15,356
                                           =========== ========== ========== ============= ===========

1999
     Net interest income                   $    45,422  $  11,361  $  16,635  $  (11,121)   $   62,297
     Provision for loan losses                     887          -        518           -         1,405
     Noninterest income                          7,810      2,122     18,260     (17,605)       10,587
     Noninterest expense                        27,840      6,967     16,785      (6,996)       44,596
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Income before income taxes            24,505      6,516     17,592     (21,730)       26,883
     Income taxes                                7,433      2,282     (1,252)          -         8,463
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Net income                       $    17,072  $   4,234  $  18,844  $  (21,730)   $   18,420
                                           =========== ========== ========== ============= ===========

1998
     Net interest income                   $    41,380  $  11,248  $  19,065  $  (14,029)   $   57,664
     Provision for loan losses                     650          -        120           -           770
     Noninterest income                          6,920      2,255     11,179     (10,401)        9,953
     Noninterest expense                        25,624      7,070     14,233      (3,788)       43,139
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Income before income taxes            22,026      6,433     15,891     (20,642)       23,708
      Income taxes                               6,560      2,218     (1,541)          -         7,237
                                           ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
          Net income                       $    15,466  $   4,215  $  17,432  $  (20,642)   $   16,471
                                           =========== ========== ========== ============= ===========

2000 (Average balance outstanding,
      amounts in thousands)
     Loans, net                            $   757,254  $ 127,519  $  53,356  $      (17)   $  938,112
     Assets                                  1,404,872    294,808    274,426    (176,590)    1,797,516
     Deposits                                1,228,004    265,240     73,338     (22,259)    1,544,323

1999
     Loans, net                            $   677,696  $ 132,501  $  52,780  $      (49)   $  862,928
     Assets                                  1,327,328    318,366    264,372    (171,312)    1,738,754
     Deposits                                1,166,105    286,964     74,432     (23,872)    1,503,629

1998
     Loans, net                            $   536,405  $ 131,017  $  40,100  $      (65)   $  707,457
     Assets                                  1,184,504    318,710    242,789    (158,775)    1,587,228
     Deposits                                1,072,025    288,344     63,312     (24,019)    1,399,662



                                             F-26





NOTE 20 - COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
The following table presents the components of other comprehensive income and
the related tax effect allocated to each component:



                                                         Before tax
For the year ended December 31, (in thousands)               amount    Tax effect    Net of tax
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                 
 1998
     Unrealized holding gains on investment securities       $  458        $  161         $ 297
     Reclassification adjustments for gains included
     in net income                                             (147)          (51)          (96)
                                                     ------------------------------------------
     Other comprehensive income                              $  311        $  110         $ 201
                                                     ==========================================

1999
     Unrealized holding losses on investment securities      $ (926)       $ (324)        $(602)
     Reclassification adjustments for gains included
     in net income                                                4             1             3
                                                     ------------------------------------------
     Other comprehensive income                              $ (922)         (323)        $(599)
                                                     ==========================================

2000
     Unrealized holding gains on investment securities,
       net of tax                                            $1,075        $  376         $ 699
                                                     ------------------------------------------
     Other comprehensive income                              $1,075        $  376         $ 699
                                                     ==========================================


NOTE 21 - SUBSEQUENT EVENT
On April 20, 2001, MidCity Financial and MB Financial, Inc. ("MB Financial")
announced that they had agreed to combine in a merger, pursuant to an Agreement
and Plan of Merger dated as of April 19, 2001 (the "Merger Agreement"). Pursuant
to the Merger Agreement, MidCity Financial and MB Financial will be merged into
the newly formed company, which will assume the name "MB Financial, Inc."
Holders of MB Financial common stock before the transaction will receive one
share of common stock of the new company for each share held prior to the
transaction. Each share of MidCity Financial common stock will be exchanged for
230.32955 shares of common stock of the new company. The transaction is expected
to be accounted for as a pooling-of-interests. Consummation of the transaction
is subject to a number of conditions, including adoption of the Merger Agreement
by the stockholders of MidCity Financial and MB Financial, receipt of the
requisite approvals from bank regulatory authorities, receipt of opinions as to
the tax treatment of the transaction and certain other conditions.










                                             F-27



                                                                      APPENDIX A

================================================================================

                              AMENDED AND RESTATED
                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

                           Dated as of April 19, 2001

                                 by and between

                         MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION,

                                       and

                               MB FINANCIAL, INC.
================================================================================


                                TABLE OF CONTENTS



                                                                                               Page
                                                                                               ----
                                                                                            
ARTICLE I      THE MERGERS AND SUBSIDIARY MERGERS ...........................................   2

     SECTION 1.1  ORGANIZATION OF NEWCO .....................................................   2
     SECTION 1.2  THE MERGERS ...............................................................   2
     SECTION 1.3  EFFECTIVE TIME ............................................................   2
     SECTION 1.4  EFFECTS OF THE MERGERS ....................................................   3
     SECTION 1.5  CONVERSION OF MB COMMON STOCK .............................................   3
     SECTION 1.6  CONVERSION OF MIDCITY COMMON STOCK ........................................   4
     SECTION 1.7  NEWCO CAPITAL STOCK .......................................................   5
     SECTION 1.8  CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION ..............................................   5
     SECTION 1.9  BY-LAWS ...................................................................   5
     SECTION 1.10 TAX AND ACCOUNTING CONSEQUENCES ...........................................   5
     SECTION 1.11 MANAGEMENT ................................................................   5
     SECTION 1.12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ........................................................   6
     SECTION 1.13 HEADQUARTERS OF SURVIVING CORPORATION .....................................   7
     SECTION 1.14 SUBSIDIARY MERGERS ........................................................   7

ARTICLE II     EXCHANGE OF SHARES ...........................................................   7

     SECTION 2.1  SURVIVING CORPORATION TO MAKE SHARES AVAILABLE ............................   7
     SECTION 2.2  EXCHANGE OF SHARES ........................................................   7
     SECTION 2.3  MB STOCK OPTIONS; RESERVATION OF NEWCO COMMON STOCK AND SECURITIES
                  FILINGS ...................................................................   9

ARTICLE III    REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF MIDCITY ....................................  10

     SECTION 3.1  CORPORATE ORGANIZATION ....................................................  10
     SECTION 3.2  CAPITALIZATION ............................................................  11
     SECTION 3.3  AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION ...................................................  11
     SECTION 3.4  CONSENTS AND APPROVALS ....................................................  12
     SECTION 3.5  REPORTS ...................................................................  13
     SECTION 3.6  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ......................................................  13
     SECTION 3.7  BROKER'S FEES .............................................................  13
     SECTION 3.8  ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS ......................................  14
     SECTION 3.9  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS .........................................................  14
     SECTION 3.10 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS .........................................................  14
     SECTION 3.11 EMPLOYEES .................................................................  16
     SECTION 3.12 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW ............................................  17
     SECTION 3.13 CERTAIN CONTRACTS .........................................................  17
     SECTION 3.14 REGULATORY MATTERS ........................................................  18
     SECTION 3.15 INTEREST RATE RISK MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS .................................  19
     SECTION 3.16 UNDISCLOSED LIABILITIES ...................................................  19
     SECTION 3.17 INSURANCE .................................................................  19


                                       i


     SECTION 3.18 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS .....................................................  19
     SECTION 3.19 STATE TAKEOVER LAWS .......................................................  21
     SECTION 3.20 MATERIAL INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS .....................................  21
     SECTION 3.21 INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO ......................................................  21
     SECTION 3.22 REAL ESTATE LOANS AND INVESTMENTS .........................................  21
     SECTION 3.23 FAIRNESS OPINION ..........................................................  21
     SECTION 3.24 REORGANIZATION; POOLING OF INTERESTS ......................................  21
     SECTION 3.25 FINANCIAL HOLDING COMPANY STATUS ..........................................  21

ARTICLE IV     REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF MB .........................................  21

     SECTION 4.1  CORPORATE ORGANIZATION ....................................................  21
     SECTION 4.2  CAPITALIZATION ............................................................  22
     SECTION 4.3  AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION ...................................................  23
     SECTION 4.4  CONSENTS AND APPROVALS ....................................................  24
     SECTION 4.5  REPORTS ...................................................................  24
     SECTION 4.6  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ......................................................  24
     SECTION 4.7  BROKER'S FEES .............................................................  24
     SECTION 4.8  ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS ......................................  24
     SECTION 4.9  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS .........................................................  25
     SECTION 4.10 TAXES AND TAX RETURNS .....................................................  25
     SECTION 4.11 EMPLOYEES .................................................................  26
     SECTION 4.12 SEC REPORTS ...............................................................  27
     SECTION 4.13 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW ............................................  28
     SECTION 4.14 CERTAIN CONTRACTS .........................................................  28
     SECTION 4.15 REGULATORY MATTERS ........................................................  29
     SECTION 4.16 INTEREST RATE RISK MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS .................................  30
     SECTION 4.17 UNDISCLOSED LIABILITIES ...................................................  30
     SECTION 4.18 INSURANCE .................................................................  30
     SECTION 4.19 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS .....................................................  30
     SECTION 4.20 STATE TAKEOVER LAWS .......................................................  31
     SECTION 4.21 MATERIAL INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS .....................................  31
     SECTION 4.22 REAL ESTATE LOANS AND INVESTMENTS .........................................  31
     SECTION 4.23 FAIRNESS OPINION ..........................................................  31
     SECTION 4.24 REORGANIZATION; POOLING OF INTERESTS ......................................  31
     SECTION 4.25 FINANCIAL HOLDING COMPANY STATUS ..........................................  31
     SECTION 4.26 MB CONTROL PERSON .........................................................  31

ARTICLE V COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS .........................................  32

     SECTION 5.1  CONDUCT OF BUSINESSES PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE TIME .........................  32
     SECTION 5.2  FORBEARANCES ..............................................................  32

ARTICLE VI     ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS ........................................................  35

     SECTION 6.1  REGULATORY MATTERS ........................................................  35
     SECTION 6.2  ACCESS TO INFORMATION .....................................................  37
     SECTION 6.3  STOCKHOLDERS' APPROVALS ...................................................  38


                                       ii


     SECTION 6.4  LEGAL CONDITIONS TO MERGERS ...............................................  38
     SECTION 6.5  AFFILIATES; PUBLICATION OF COMBINED FINANCIAL RESULTS .....................  38
     SECTION 6.6  STOCK QUOTATION ...........................................................  39
     SECTION 6.7  EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS ....................................................  39
     SECTION 6.8  INDEMNIFICATION; DIRECTORS' AND OFFICERS' INSURANCE .......................  40
     SECTION 6.9  ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS .....................................................  41
     SECTION 6.10 ADVICE OF CHANGES .........................................................  41
     SECTION 6.11 REDEMPTION OF COMMON STOCK BY MB ..........................................  41
     SECTION 6.12 NEWCO AS AN ADDITIONAL PARTY ..............................................  41

ARTICLE VII    CONDITIONS PRECEDENT .........................................................  41

     SECTION 7.1  CONDITIONS TO EACH PARTY'S OBLIGATION TO EFFECT THE MERGERS ...............  41
     SECTION 7.2  CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF MIDCITY ......................................  43
     SECTION 7.3  CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF MB ...........................................  43

ARTICLE VIII   TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT ....................................................  44

     SECTION 8.1  TERMINATION ...............................................................  44
     SECTION 8.2  EFFECT OF TERMINATION .....................................................  47
     SECTION 8.3  LIQUIDATED DAMAGES ........................................................  47
     SECTION 8.4  AMENDMENT .................................................................  48
     SECTION 8.5  EXTENSION; WAIVER .........................................................  48

ARTICLE IX     GENERAL PROVISIONS ...........................................................  49

     SECTION 9.1  CLOSING ...................................................................  49
     SECTION 9.2  NONSURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS .................  49
     SECTION 9.3  EXPENSES ..................................................................  49
     SECTION 9.4  NOTICES ...................................................................  49
     SECTION 9.5  INTERPRETATION ............................................................  50
     SECTION 9.6  COUNTERPARTS ..............................................................  50
     SECTION 9.7  ENTIRE AGREEMENT ..........................................................  50
     SECTION 9.8  GOVERNING LAW .............................................................  50
     SECTION 9.9  PUBLICITY .................................................................  51
     SECTION 9.10 ASSIGNMENT; THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES .....................................  51



                                       iii


                              AMENDED AND RESTATED
                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

     AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of April 19,
2001 (this "Agreement"), by and between MidCity Financial Corporation, a
Delaware corporation ("MidCity"), and MB Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation
("MB").

                              W I T N E S S E T H :

     WHEREAS, MidCity and MB desire to combine their respective holding
companies through a tax-free, stock-for-stock merger transaction so that the
respective stockholders of MidCity and MB will have continued equity ownership
of the combined holding company;

     WHEREAS, neither the Board of Directors of MidCity nor the Board of
Directors of MB seeks to sell its respective holding company at this time but
both Boards desire to merge their respective holding companies in a transaction
structured as a merger of equals;

     WHEREAS, to accomplish this result, (i) MB and MidCity will form a new
Maryland corporation named MB-MidCity Inc. ("NewCo"), (ii) MB will, subject to
the terms and conditions set forth herein, merge with and into NewCo (the "MB
Merger") and (iii) MidCity will, subject to the terms and conditions set forth
herein, merge with and into NewCo (the "MidCity Merger" and together with the MB
Merger, the "Mergers"), in each case so that NewCo is the surviving corporation
(hereinafter sometimes referred to in such capacity as the "Surviving
Corporation") in the Mergers;

     WHEREAS, at the time of, or as soon as reasonably practicable following,
consummation of the Mergers, it is intended that the financial institution
subsidiaries of the parties that are domiciled in Illinois shall be merged into
one entity;

     WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of that certain
Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of April 19, 2001 (the "Original Merger
Agreement"), between MidCity and MB, and as a condition and inducement to the
willingness of the parties to enter into the Original Merger Agreement, MidCity
and each of the directors of MB identified on EXHIBIT A-1, and MB and each of
the directors of MidCity identified on EXHIBIT B-1, entered into voting
agreements in the forms attached hereto as EXHIBITS A-2 and B-2, respectively,
with respect to the shares set forth opposite such director's name on EXHIBIT
A-1 or EXHIBIT B-1, as the case may be;

     WHEREAS, it is the intention of the parties that the Mergers be accounted
for as a "pooling of interests" under generally accepted accounting principles
and constitute reorganizations under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

     WHEREAS, MidCity and MB wish to modify certain terms of the Original Merger
Agreement relating to the formation of NewCo and to make certain other
clarifying changes;

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants, representations,
warranties and agreements contained herein, and intending to be legally bound
hereby, the



parties hereby amend and restate the Original Merger Agreement in its entirety
as of the date hereof as follows:

                                    ARTICLE I
                       THE MERGERS AND SUBSIDIARY MERGERS

     Section 1.1 ORGANIZATION OF NEWCO. MB and MidCity shall form NewCo under
the laws of the State of Maryland. MB and MidCity shall each own one-half of the
outstanding shares of the capital stock of NewCo. As of the Effective Time (as
hereinafter defined), the Charter and the By-laws of NewCo shall be
substantially in the forms of EXHIBITS C and D, respectively.

     Section 1.2 THE MERGERS. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware (the "DGCL") and the General Corporation Law of the State of Maryland
(the "MGCL"), at the MB Effective Time (as hereinafter defined), MB shall merge
with and into NewCo. NewCo shall be the Surviving Corporation in the MB Merger,
and shall continue its corporate existence under the laws of the State of
Maryland. Upon consummation of the MB Merger, the separate corporate existence
of MB shall terminate.

          (b)  Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, in
     accordance with the DGCL and the MGCL, at the MidCity Effective Time (as
     hereinafter defined), MidCity shall merge with and into NewCo. NewCo shall
     be the Surviving Corporation in the MidCity Merger, and shall continue its
     corporate existence under the laws of the State of Maryland. Upon
     consummation of the MidCity Merger, the separate corporate existence of
     MidCity shall terminate.

          (c)  MB and MidCity may at any time change the method of effecting the
     combination of MidCity and MB with NewCo or with each other including
     without limitation the provisions of this ARTICLE I, if and to the extent
     they deem such change to be desirable, including, without limitation, to
     provide for a merger of either party with and into a wholly-owned
     subsidiary of the other; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no such change shall (i)
     alter or change the form or the amount of consideration to be provided to
     holders of MB Common Stock (as defined below) as provided for in this
     Agreement (the "MB Merger Consideration"), (ii) adversely affect the tax
     treatment to MB stockholders as a result of receiving the MB Merger
     Consideration, (iii) alter or change the form or the amount of
     consideration to be provided to holders of MidCity Common Stock (as defined
     below) as provided for in this Agreement (the "MidCity Merger
     Consideration"), (iv) adversely affect the tax treatment to MidCity
     stockholders as a result of receiving the MidCity Merger Consideration or
     (v) materially impede or delay consummation of the Mergers and the other
     transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

     Section 1.3 EFFECTIVE TIME. The MB Merger shall become effective (the "MB
Effective Time") at the time the articles of merger with respect to the MB
Merger (the "MB Articles of Merger") are filed with (or in the case of a
pre-filing, are accepted for filing by) the Department of Assessments and
Taxation of the State of Maryland (the "Maryland Department") and the
certificate of merger with respect to the MB Merger (the "MB Certificate of
Merger") is filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the
"Delaware Secretary"). The MB


                                      -2-


Articles of Merger shall amend the Articles of Incorporation of NewCo to change
its name to "MB Financial, Inc." The MidCity Merger shall become effective (the
"MidCity Effective Time" and together with the MB Effective Time, the "Effective
Time") at the time the articles of merger with respect to the MidCity Merger
(the "MidCity Articles of Merger") are filed with (or in the case of a
pre-filing, are accepted for filing by) the Maryland Department and the
certificate of merger with respect to the MidCity Merger (the "MidCity
Certificate of Merger") is filed with the Delaware Secretary, which time shall
be contemporaneous with the MB Effective Time. The parties shall cause (i) the
MB Articles of Merger and the MidCity Articles of Merger to be filed on the
Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) with the Maryland Department or pre-filed
prior thereto for acceptance for filing by the Maryland Department on the
Closing Date and (ii) the MB Certificate of Merger and the MidCity Certificate
of Merger to be filed on the Closing Date with the Delaware Secretary or
pre-filed prior thereto for acceptance for filing by the Delaware Secretary on
the Closing Date.

     Section 1.4 EFFECTS OF THE MERGERS. At and after the Effective Time, the
Mergers shall have the effects set forth in Sections 3-114 of the MGCL and
Sections 250 and 261 of the DGCL.

     Section 1.5 CONVERSION OF MB COMMON STOCK. By virtue of the MB Merger and
without any action on the part of NewCo, MB, MidCity or any holder of MB Common
Stock:



          (a)  Subject to SECTIONS 1.5(d), at the MB Effective Time, each share
     of the common stock, par value $.01 per share, of MB (the "MB Common
     Stock") issued and outstanding immediately prior to the MB Effective Time
     except for shares of MB Common Stock owned, directly or indirectly, by
     MB or MidCity or any of their respective wholly-owned Subsidiaries (other
     than (i) shares of MB Common Stock held, directly or indirectly, in trust
     accounts, managed accounts and the like, or otherwise held in a fiduciary
     capacity, that are beneficially owned by third parties (any such shares,
     whether held directly or indirectly by MB or MidCity, as the case may be,
     being referred to herein as "Trust Account MB Shares") and (ii) shares of
     MB Common Stock held on account of a debt previously contracted ("DPC MB
     Shares")) shall be converted into the right to receive one (1) share (the
     "MB Exchange Ratio") of the common stock, par value $.01 per share, of
     NewCo ("NewCo Common Stock").



          (b)  At the MB Effective Time, all of the shares of MB Common Stock
     shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and
     shall cease to exist as of the MB Effective Time, and each certificate
     (each an "MB Certificate") previously representing any such shares of MB
     Common Stock (other than shares cancelled pursuant to SECTION 1.5(c)) shall
     thereafter represent only the right to receive a certificate representing
     the number of shares of NewCo Common Stock which the shares of MB Common
     Stock represented by such MB Certificate have been converted based upon the
     MB Exchange Ratio pursuant to this SECTION 1.5.

          (c)  At the MB Effective Time, all shares of MB Common Stock that are
     owned, directly or indirectly, by MB or MidCity or any of their respective
     wholly-owned Subsidiaries (other than Trust Account MB Shares and DPC MB
     Shares) shall be cancelled and shall cease to exist and no stock of NewCo
     or other consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.


                                      -3-


          (d)  In the event MB or MidCity changes (or establishes a record date
     for changing) the number of shares of MB Common Stock or MidCity Common
     Stock, whichever is applicable, issued and outstanding prior to the MB
     Effective Time as a result of a stock split, stock dividend,
     recapitalization or similar transaction with respect to the outstanding MB
     Common Stock or MidCity Common Stock and the record date therefor shall be
     after the date hereof and prior to the MB Effective Time, the MB Exchange
     Ratio shall be proportionately adjusted.

     Section 1.6 CONVERSION OF MIDCITY COMMON STOCK. By virtue of the MidCity
Merger and without any action on the part of NewCo, MidCity, MB or any holder of
MidCity Common Stock:



          (a)  Subject to SECTIONS 1.6(d) and (e), at the MidCity Effective
     Time, each share of the common stock, par value $20.00 per share, of
     MidCity (the "MidCity Common Stock") issued and outstanding immediately
     prior to the MidCity Effective Time except for (i) MidCity Dissenting
     Shares and (ii) shares of MidCity Common Stock owned, directly or
     indirectly, by MidCity or MB or any of their respective wholly-owned
     Subsidiaries (other than shares of MidCity Common Stock held, directly or
     indirectly, in trust accounts, managed accounts and the like, or otherwise
     held in a fiduciary capacity, that are beneficially owned by third parties
     (any such shares, whether held directly or indirectly by MidCity or MB, as
     the case may be, being referred to herein as "Trust Account MidCity
     Shares") and shares of MidCity Common Stock held on account of a debt
     previously contracted ("DPC MidCity Shares")) shall be converted into the
     right to receive 230.32955 shares (the "MidCity Exchange Ratio") of NewCo
     Common Stock.



          (b)  At the MidCity Effective Time, all of the shares of MidCity
     Common Stock shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be
     canceled and shall cease to exist as of the MidCity Effective Time, and
     each certificate (each a "MidCity Certificate") previously representing any
     such shares of MidCity Common Stock (other than MidCity Dissenting Shares
     and shares cancelled pursuant to SECTION 1.6(c)) shall thereafter represent
     only the right to receive (i) a certificate representing the number of
     whole shares of NewCo Common Stock and (ii) cash in lieu of any fractional
     share interest which the shares of MidCity Common Stock represented by such
     MidCity Certificate have been converted based upon the MidCity Exchange
     Ratio pursuant to this SECTION 1.6. The MB Certificates and the MidCity
     Certificate are collectively referred to herein as the "Certificates."

          (c)  At the MidCity Effective Time, all shares of MidCity Common Stock
     that are owned, directly or indirectly, by MidCity or MB or any of their
     respective wholly-owned Subsidiaries (other than Trust Account MidCity
     Shares and DPC MidCity Shares) shall be cancelled and shall cease to exist
     and no stock of NewCo or other consideration shall be delivered in exchange
     therefor.

          (d)  In the event MidCity or MB changes (or establishes a record date
     for changing) the number of shares of MidCity Common Stock or MB Common
     Stock, whichever is applicable, issued and outstanding prior to the MidCity
     Effective Time as a result of a stock split, stock dividend,
     recapitalization or similar transaction with respect to the outstanding
     MidCity Common Stock or MB Common Stock and the record date


                                      -4-


     therefor shall be after the date hereof and prior to the MidCity Effective
     Time, the MidCity Exchange Ratio shall be proportionately adjusted.

          (e)  No fractional shares of NewCo Common Stock and no certificates or
     scrip therefor, or other evidence of ownership thereof, will be issued in
     the MidCity Merger; instead, NewCo shall pay to each holder of MidCity
     Common Stock who would otherwise be entitled to a fractional share of NewCo
     Common Stock (after taking into account all MidCity Certificates delivered
     by such holder) an amount in cash (without interest) determined by
     multiplying such fraction by the average closing sale price of MB Common
     Stock on the National Market System of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (the
     "Nasdaq") (as reported in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL or, if not reported
     therein, in another authoritative source), for the five trading days
     immediately preceding the MidCity Effective Time.

          (f)  Any shares of MidCity Common Stock ("MidCity Dissenting Shares")
     whose holder becomes entitled to the fair value of such shares under the
     DGCL shall not be entitled to receive the MidCity Merger Consideration and
     shall be entitled to payment for such shares only to the extent permitted
     by and in accordance with the DGCL; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if any holder
     of MidCity Dissenting Shares shall forfeit such right to payment, such
     shares shall thereupon be deemed to have been converted into and to have
     become exchangeable for, as of the MidCity Effective Time, the right to
     receive the MidCity Merger Consideration from the Surviving Corporation
     without interest. MidCity Dissenting Shares shall not, after the MidCity
     Effective Time, be entitled to vote for any purpose or receive any
     dividends or other distributions and shall be entitled only to such rights
     as are afforded in respect of MidCity Dissenting Shares pursuant to the
     DGCL.

     Section 1.7 NEWCO CAPITAL STOCK. The shares of capital stock of NewCo owned
by MB and MidCity immediately prior to the Effective Time will be automatically
canceled at the Effective Time.

     Section 1.8 ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION. At the Effective Time, the Charter
of NewCo, as amended by the MB Articles of Merger, shall be the Charter of the
Surviving Corporation until thereafter amended in accordance with the terms
thereof and applicable law.

     Section 1.9 BY-LAWS. At the Effective Time, the By-laws of NewCo shall be
the By-laws of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter further amended in
accordance with the terms thereof and applicable law.

     Section 1.10 TAX AND ACCOUNTING CONSEQUENCES. It is intended that each of
the Mergers shall constitute a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section
368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), that this
Agreement shall constitute a "plan of reorganization" as to each of the Mergers
for the purposes of Sections 354 and 361 of the Code and that the Mergers shall
be accounted for as a "pooling of interests" under generally accepted accounting
principles ("GAAP").

     Section 1.11 MANAGEMENT. At the Effective Time, E. M. Bakwin shall be
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation and Mitchell
Feiger shall be President and Chief Executive Officer of the Surviving
Corporation.


                                      -5-



     Section 1.12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS. (a) As provided in the By-laws of NewCo,
until the earliest of (x) the third annual meeting of stockholders of the
Surviving Corporation, (y) a business combination approved by two-thirds of the
members of the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation results in the
stockholders of the Surviving Corporation owning less than 51% of the resulting
entity in such business combination, or (z) action is taken by each of (1) a
majority of the MidCity Directors (as hereinafter defined), (2) a majority of
the MB Directors (as hereinafter defined) and (3) two-thirds of the members of
the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation, the following shall apply:

               (i)  the initial Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation
          shall be made up of eight directors named by a pre-MB Merger
          resolution of the MB Board and nine directors named by a pre-MidCity
          Merger resolution of the MidCity Board;

               (ii) the classes to which the directors of the Surviving
          Corporation shall be assigned shall be designated in the respective
          resolutions of the parties' Boards according to the following table:



               --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             DIRECTORS DESIGNATED BY
                                                        ASHLAND                   MADISON
               --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              
               Class expiring in 2002                      3                         3
               --------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Class expiring in 2003                      3                         3
               --------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Class expiring in 2004                      2                         3
               --------------------------------------------------------------------------


               (iii) all vacancies on the Board of Directors of the Surviving
          Corporation created by (x) the cessation of service of a MidCity
          Director shall be filled by a nominee selected by the continuing
          MidCity Directors, which nominee shall be appointed as a director by
          the remaining members of the Board of Directors, subject to their
          fiduciary duties, and (y) the cessation of service of a MB Director
          shall be filled by a nominee selected by the continuing MB Directors,
          which nominee shall be appointed as a director by the remaining
          members of the Board of Directors, subject to their fiduciary duties;

               (iv) the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation shall,
          subject to their fiduciary duties, nominate and recommend all
          incumbents for reelection as directors. If an incumbent declines to
          stand for reelection, a candidate will be chosen according to the
          procedures of subparagraph (iii) above as if such position was a
          vacancy and, to the extent permitted by their fiduciary duties, all
          directors will vote to nominate and recommend such candidate to the
          stockholders. If the directors do not nominate and recommend such
          candidate, then the remaining directors of the Surviving Corporation
          designated by that party (including any of their successors in office)
          shall choose another candidate according to the procedures of
          subparagraph (iii) above until the directors nominate and recommend
          such candidate to the stockholders; and


                                      -6-


               (v)  each of the committees of the Board of Directors of the
          Surviving Corporation shall be comprised of an equal number of MidCity
          Directors and MB Directors (the initial committees of the Board of
          Directors of the Surviving Corporation are set forth on SCHEDULE
          1.12(a)), unless waived in writing by a majority of a party's
          directors (i.e., MidCity Directors or MB Directors, whichever is
          applicable) who would have reduced representation on such committee.

          (b)  The term "MidCity Director" means (i) any person serving as a
     Director of MidCity on the date of this Agreement who becomes a Director of
     the Surviving Corporation at the Effective Time and (ii) any person who
     becomes a Director of the Surviving Corporation after the Effective Time
     and who is designated as such by the continuing MidCity Directors prior to
     his or her election; and the term "MB Director" means (x) any person
     serving as a Director of MB on the date of this Agreement who continues as
     a Director of the Surviving Corporation at the Effective Time and (y) any
     person who becomes a Director of the Surviving Corporation after the
     Effective Time and who is designated as such by the continuing MB Directors
     prior to his or her election.

     Section 1.13 HEADQUARTERS OF SURVIVING CORPORATION. From and after the
Effective Time, the location of the headquarters and principal executive offices
of the Surviving Corporation shall be that of the headquarters and principal
executive offices of MidCity as of the date of this Agreement.

     Section 1.14 SUBSIDIARY MERGERS. MB and MidCity shall take all necessary
action to cause their financial institution Subsidiaries domiciled in Illinois
to be merged together (the "Subsidiary Mergers") at, or as soon as practicable
after, the Effective Time. The surviving or resulting institution of the
Subsidiary Mergers shall be The MidCity National Bank, a national banking
association, which may adopt a new name as determined by MB and MidCity prior to
the Effective Time or by the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation
after the Effective Time.

                                   ARTICLE II
                               EXCHANGE OF SHARES

     Section 2.1 SURVIVING CORPORATION TO MAKE SHARES AVAILABLE. At or within
five days after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall deposit, or
shall cause to be deposited, with The MidCity National Bank or another bank or
trust company reasonably acceptable to each of MidCity and MB (the "Exchange
Agent"), for the benefit of the holders of Certificates, for exchange in
accordance with this ARTICLE II, certificates representing the shares of NewCo
Common Stock, and cash in lieu of any fractional shares (such cash and
certificates for shares of NewCo Common Stock, together with any dividends or
distributions with respect thereto, being hereinafter referred to as the
"Exchange Fund"), to be issued pursuant to SECTIONS 1.5 and 1.6 and paid
pursuant to SECTIONS 2.2(a) in exchange for outstanding shares of MB Common
Stock and MidCity Common Stock, as the case may be.

     Section 2.2 EXCHANGE OF SHARES. (a) As soon as practicable after the
Effective Time, and in no event later than fifteen business days thereafter, the
Exchange Agent shall mail to each


                                      -7-


holder of record of one or more Certificates a letter of transmittal (which
shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to the
Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Certificates to the Exchange
Agent) and instructions for use in effecting the surrender of Certificates in
exchange for certificates representing the shares of NewCo Common Stock into
which the shares of MB Common Stock or MidCity Common Stock, as the case may be,
represented by such Certificates, shall have been converted pursuant to this
Agreement, and in the case of a holder of MidCity Certificate(s), a check
representing the amount of any cash in lieu of a fractional share interest to
which such holder may be entitled to receive. Upon proper surrender of a
Certificate or Certificates for exchange and cancellation to the Exchange Agent,
together with such properly completed letter of transmittal, duly executed, the
holder of such Certificate or Certificates shall be entitled to receive in
exchange therefor a certificate representing that number of shares of NewCo
Common Stock to which such holder of MB Common Stock or MidCity Common Stock,
whichever the case may be, shall have become entitled pursuant to the provisions
of ARTICLE I and the Certificate or Certificates so surrendered shall forthwith
be canceled.

          (b)  No dividends or other distributions declared with respect to
     NewCo Common Stock shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered
     Certificate until the holder thereof shall surrender such Certificate in
     accordance with this ARTICLE II. After the surrender of a Certificate in
     accordance with this ARTICLE II, the record holder thereof shall be
     entitled to receive any such dividends or other distributions, without any
     interest thereon, which theretofore had become payable with respect to
     shares of NewCo Common Stock represented by such Certificate.

          (c)  If any certificate representing shares of NewCo Common Stock is
     to be issued in a name other than that in which the Certificate or
     Certificates surrendered in exchange therefor are registered, it shall be a
     condition of the issuance thereof that the Certificate or Certificates so
     surrendered shall be properly endorsed (or accompanied by an appropriate
     instrument of transfer) and otherwise in proper form for transfer, and that
     the person requesting such exchange shall pay to the Exchange Agent or the
     Surviving Corporation in advance any transfer or other taxes required by
     reason of the issuance of a certificate representing shares of NewCo Common
     Stock in any name other than that of the registered holder of the
     Certificate or Certificates surrendered, or required for any other reason,
     or shall establish to the satisfaction of the Exchange Agent or the
     Surviving Corporation that such tax has been paid or is not payable.

          (d)  After the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on the
     stock transfer books of MB or MidCity of shares of MB Common Stock or
     MidCity Common Stock, respectively, that were issued and outstanding
     immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after the Effective Time,
     Certificates representing such shares are presented for transfer to the
     Surviving Corporation, they shall be canceled and exchanged for
     certificates representing shares of NewCo Common Stock (and in the case of
     a holder of MidCity Certificate(s), for cash in lieu of any fractional
     share interest, if applicable) as provided in ARTICLE I.

          (e)  Any portion of the Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by the
     stockholders of MB and MidCity for 12 months after the Effective Time shall
     be paid to


                                      -8-


     the Surviving Corporation. Any former stockholders of MB or MidCity who
     have not theretofore complied with this ARTICLE II shall thereafter look
     only to the Surviving Corporation for payment of the MB Merger
     Consideration or MidCity Merger Consideration, whichever is applicable, in
     each case, without any interest thereon. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
     none of the Exchange Agent, the Surviving Corporation or any other person
     shall be liable to any former holder of shares of MB Common Stock or
     MidCity Common Stock for any amount delivered in good faith to a public
     official pursuant to applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar
     laws.

          (f)  In the event any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or
     destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person
     claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and the posting
     by such person of a bond in such amount as the Surviving Corporation or the
     Exchange Agent may determine is reasonably necessary as indemnity against
     any claim that may be made against the Surviving Corporation or the
     Exchange Agent with respect to such Certificate, the Exchange Agent or the
     Surviving Corporation will issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or
     destroyed Certificate the shares of NewCo Common Stock and any cash in lieu
     of a fractional share interest deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to
     this Agreement.

     Section 2.3 MB STOCK OPTIONS; RESERVATION OF NEWCO COMMON STOCK AND
SECURITIES FILINGS. (a) At the Effective Time, each option outstanding on the
date of this Agreement and each option awarded after the date hereof in
accordance with Section 5.2(b)(iii) of this Agreement to purchase shares of MB
Common Stock (each, an "MB Stock Option") under the Coal City Corporation 1995
Stock Option Plan, MB (Avondale Financial Corporation) 1995 Stock Option and
Incentive Plan and MB 1997 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "MB Stock Plans") and
remaining outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, at the
Effective Time, be assumed by the Surviving Corporation and each such MB Stock
Option shall continue to be outstanding, but shall represent an option to
purchase shares of NewCo Common Stock in an amount and at an exercise price
determined as provided below (and otherwise subject to the terms of the
applicable MB Stock Plan and MB Stock Option):

               (i)  the number of shares of NewCo Common Stock to be subject to
          the continuing MB Stock Option shall be equal to the product of the
          number of shares of MB Common Stock subject to the MB Stock Option
          immediately prior to the Effective Time and the MB Exchange Ratio,
          provided that any fractional share of NewCo Common Stock resulting
          from such multiplication shall be rounded down to the nearest whole
          share; and

               (ii) the exercise price per share of NewCo Common Stock under the
          continuing MB Stock Option shall be equal to the exercise price per
          share of MB Common Stock under the MB Stock Option immediately prior
          to the Effective Time divided by the MB Exchange Ratio, provided that
          such exercise price shall be rounded down to the nearest cent.

          It is intended that the foregoing assumption shall be undertaken
     consistent with and in a manner that will not constitute a "modification"
     under Section 424 of the Code as to any MB Stock Option which is an
     "incentive stock option".


                                      -9-


          (b)  At all times after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation
     shall reserve for issuance such number of shares of NewCo Common Stock as
     is necessary to permit the exercise of continuing MB Stock Options in the
     manner contemplated by this Agreement and the instruments pursuant to which
     such options were granted. The Surviving Corporation shall make all filings
     required under federal and state securities laws promptly after the
     Effective Time so as to permit the exercise of such continuing MB Stock
     Options and the sale of the shares received by optionees upon such exercise
     at and after the Effective Time and the Surviving Corporation shall
     continue to make such filings thereafter as may be necessary to permit the
     continued exercise of continuing MB Stock Options and sale of such shares.

                                   ARTICLE III
                    REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF MIDCITY

     Except as disclosed in the MidCity disclosure schedule delivered to MB
concurrently herewith (the "MidCity Disclosure Schedule"), MidCity hereby
represents and warrants to MB as follows:

     Section 3.1 CORPORATE ORGANIZATION. (a) MidCity is a corporation duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of
Delaware. MidCity has the corporate power and authority to own and lease all of
its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being
conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business in each jurisdiction
in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location
of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or
qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so licensed or qualified
would not, either individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect on MidCity. As used in this Agreement, the term "Material Adverse Effect"
means, with respect to MB, MidCity or the Surviving Corporation, as the case may
be, a material adverse effect on (i) the business, operations, results of
operations or financial condition of such party and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole or (ii) the ability of such party to timely consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that Material Adverse Effect shall not
be deemed to include the impact of (x) to the extent that they do not, in any
case, disproportionately affect MB, MidCity or the Surviving Corporation, as the
case may be, changes in thrift, banking and similar laws of general
applicability or interpretations thereof by courts or Governmental Entities or
other changes affecting depository institutions generally, including changes in
general economic conditions and changes in prevailing interest and deposit rates
or (y) actions or omissions of MidCity or MB taken with the prior written
consent of the other party in connection with the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the word "Subsidiary" when used with
respect to any party means any bank, savings bank, corporation, partnership,
limited liability company, or other organization, whether incorporated or
unincorporated, which is consolidated with such party for financial reporting
purposes. MidCity is duly registered as a bank holding company under the Bank
Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHC Act"). Copies of the
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, (the "MidCity Charter") and By-laws of
MidCity, as in effect as of the date of this Agreement, have previously been
made available by MidCity to MB.

          (b)  Each of MidCity's Subsidiaries (i) is duly organized and validly
     existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, (ii) is duly
     licensed or qualified to do


                                      -10-



     business and in good standing in all jurisdictions (whether federal, state,
     local or foreign) where its ownership or leasing of property or the conduct
     of its business requires it to be so qualified except where the failure to
     be so licensed or qualified would not either individually or in the
     aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect on MidCity and (iii) has all
     requisite corporate power and authority to own and lease its properties and
     assets and to carry on its business as now conducted. Copies of the
     charters and by-laws of MidCity's financial institution Subsidiaries, as in
     effect on the date of this Agreement, have previously been made available
     by MidCity to MB.

     Section 3.2 CAPITALIZATION. (a) The authorized capital stock of MidCity
consists of 100,000 shares of MidCity Common Stock, of which, as of the date
hereof, 46,007 shares were issued and outstanding. All of the issued and
outstanding shares of MidCity Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly
issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no
personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof. MidCity does not have and
is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls,
commitments or agreements of any character calling for the purchase or issuance
of any shares of MidCity Common Stock or any other equity securities of MidCity
or any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive any
shares of MidCity Common Stock. As of the date hereof, no shares of MidCity
Common Stock were reserved for issuance. Since December 31, 2000, MidCity has
not issued any shares of MidCity Common Stock or any securities convertible into
or exercisable for any shares of MidCity Common Stock. In no event will the
aggregate number of shares of MidCity Common Stock outstanding at the MidCity
Effective Time exceed 46,007.

          (b)  MidCity owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and
     outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity ownership interests of
     each of its Subsidiaries, free and clear of any liens, pledges, charges,
     encumbrances and security interests whatsoever ("Liens"), and all of such
     shares or equity ownership interests are duly authorized and validly issued
     and are fully paid, nonassessable (subject to 12 U.S.C. Section 55) and
     free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability attaching to the
     ownership thereof. None of MidCity's Subsidiaries has or is bound by any
     outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, commitments or
     agreements of any character calling for the purchase or issuance of any
     shares of capital stock or any other equity security of such Subsidiary or
     any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive any
     shares of capital stock or any other equity security of such Subsidiary.
     Section 3.2(b) of the MidCity Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of the
     material investments of MidCity in Non-Subsidiary Affiliates. As used in
     this Agreement, the term "Non-Subsidiary Affiliate" when used with respect
     to any party means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company,
     joint venture or other entity other than such party's Subsidiaries.

     Section 3.3 AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION. (a) MidCity has full corporate power
and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and
validly approved by the Board of Directors of MidCity and no other corporate
action on the part of MidCity is necessary with respect thereto, other than the
adoption of this Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds
of the outstanding shares of MidCity Common Stock with respect to the


                                      -11-


consummation of the MidCity Merger only. The Board of Directors of MidCity has
directed that this Agreement be submitted to MidCity's stockholders for adoption
at a meeting of such stockholders. This Agreement has been duly and validly
executed and delivered by MidCity and (assuming due authorization, execution and
delivery by MB) constitutes a valid and binding obligation of MidCity,
enforceable against MidCity in accordance with its terms (except as may be
limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization or similar laws
affecting the rights of creditors generally and the availability of equitable
remedies).

          (b)  Neither the execution and delivery by MidCity of this Agreement
     nor the consummation by MidCity or any of its financial institution
     Subsidiaries of the transactions contemplated hereby, nor compliance by
     MidCity with any of the terms or provisions hereof, will (i) violate any
     provision of the MidCity Charter or By-laws or the governing documents of
     any of its financial institution Subsidiaries; (ii) assuming that the
     consents and approvals referred to in SECTION 3.4 are duly obtained,
     violate any statute, code, ordinance, rule, regulation, judgment, order,
     writ, decree or injunction applicable to MidCity, any of its Subsidiaries
     or any MidCity Control Person (as hereinafter defined) or any of their
     respective properties or assets; or (iii) violate, conflict with, result in
     a breach of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a
     default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
     constitute a default) under, result in the termination of or a right of
     termination or cancellation under, accelerate the performance required by,
     or result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the respective properties
     or assets of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries under, any of the terms,
     conditions or provisions of any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed of
     trust, license, lease, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which
     MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or by which they or any of
     their respective properties or assets may be bound or affected except for
     such violations, conflicts, breaches or defaults which, either individually
     or in the aggregate, will not have a Material Adverse Effect on MidCity.

     Section 3.4 CONSENTS AND APPROVALS. Except for (i) the filing of
applications and notices, as applicable, with the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve Board") under the BHC Act and the
Federal Reserve Act, as amended, and approval of such applications and notices,
(ii) the filing of any required applications or notices with any state or
foreign agencies and approval of such applications and notices, (iii) the filing
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") of a joint proxy
statement in definitive form relating to the meetings of MB's and MidCity's
stockholders to be held in connection with this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby (the "Joint Proxy Statement"), and of the registration
statement of NewCo on Form S-4 (the "S-4") in which the Joint Proxy Statement
will be included as a prospectus, (iv) the filing of the MB Articles of Merger
and the MidCity Articles of Merger with the Maryland Department pursuant to the
MGCL and the MB Certificate of Merger and the MidCity Certificate of Merger with
the Delaware Secretary pursuant to the DGCL, (v) the filing of articles of
merger or combination with respect to the Subsidiary Mergers, (vi) any consents,
authorizations, approvals, filings or exemptions in connection with compliance
with the applicable provisions of federal and state securities laws relating to
the regulation of broker-dealers, investment advisers or transfer agents, and
federal commodities laws relating to the regulation of futures commission
merchants and the rules and regulations thereunder and of any applicable
industry self-regulatory organization ("SRO"), and the rules of the Nasdaq, or


                                      -12-


which are required under consumer finance, mortgage banking and other similar
laws and (vii) such filings and approvals as are required to be made or obtained
under the securities or "Blue Sky" laws of various states in connection with the
issuance of the shares of MB Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement, no
consents or approvals of or filings or registrations with any court,
administrative agency or commission or other governmental authority or
instrumentality (each a "Governmental Entity") are necessary in connection with
the consummation by MidCity of the MidCity Merger or the consummation of any of
the other transactions contemplated hereby by MidCity, any of its Subsidiaries
or any stockholder of MidCity who owns, controls or possesses voting power over
ten percent or more of the outstanding MidCity Common Stock (a "MidCity Control
Person").

     Section 3.5 REPORTS. MidCity, each of its Subsidiaries and each MidCity
Control Person have timely filed all reports, registrations and statements,
together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that they
were required to file since January 1, 1998 with (i) the Federal Reserve Board,
(ii) the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, (iii) any state regulatory
authority, (iv) the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, (v) the SEC, (vi)
any SRO, (vii) the Office of Thrift Supervision (collectively "Regulatory
Agencies") and (viii) any other Governmental Entity and have paid all fees and
assessments due and payable in connection therewith, except where the failure to
file such report, registration or statement or to pay such fees and assessments,
either individually or in the aggregate, will not have a Material Adverse Effect
on MidCity.

     Section 3.6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. MidCity has previously made available to
MB true and correct copies of the consolidated balance sheets of MidCity and its
Subsidiaries as of December 31, for the fiscal years 1998, 1999 and 2000 and the
related consolidated statements of income and changes in stockholders' equity
and cash flows for the fiscal years 1998 through 2000, inclusive (the "MidCity
Financial Statements"), in each case accompanied by the audit report of KPMG,
LLP, independent public accountants with respect to MidCity. The December 31,
2000 consolidated balance sheet of MidCity (including the related notes, where
applicable) fairly presents in all material respects the consolidated financial
position of MidCity and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, and the other
financial statements referred to in this SECTION 3.6 (including the related
notes, where applicable) fairly present in all material respects the results of
the consolidated operations, changes in stockholders' equity, cash flows and
consolidated financial position of MidCity and its Subsidiaries for the
respective fiscal periods or as of the respective dates therein set forth; each
of such statements (including the related notes, where applicable) complies with
applicable accounting requirements; and each of such statements (including the
related notes, where applicable) has been prepared in accordance with GAAP
consistently applied during the periods involved, except, in each case, as
indicated in such statements or in the notes thereto. The financial books and
records of MidCity and its Subsidiaries have been, and are being, maintained in
all material respects in accordance with GAAP and any other applicable legal and
accounting requirements and reflect only actual transactions.

     Section 3.7 BROKER'S FEES. Except for Hovde Financial, Inc. and Alex
Sheshunoff & Co. (whose fees and expenses are set forth in the engagement
letters included in Section 3.7 of the MidCity Disclosure Schedule), neither
MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of their respective officers or
directors has employed any broker or finder or incurred any liability for


                                      -13-


any broker's or financial advisory fees, commissions or finder's fees or
fairness opinion fees in connection with the MidCity Merger or related
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

     Section 3.8 ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS. (a) From December 31,
2000 to the date hereof, no event or events have occurred that have had or are
reasonably likely to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material
Adverse Effect on MidCity.

          (b)  Except for this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
     herein, since December 31, 2000, MidCity and its Subsidiaries have carried
     on their respective businesses in all material respects in the ordinary
     course.

          (c)  Since December 31, 2000, neither MidCity nor any of its
     Subsidiaries has (i) except for such actions as are in the ordinary course
     of business or except as required by applicable law, (A) increased the
     wages, salaries, compensation, pension, or other fringe benefits or
     perquisites payable to any executive officer, employee, or director from
     the amount thereof in effect as of December 31, 2000, or (B) granted any
     severance or termination pay, entered into any contract to make or grant
     any severance or termination pay, or paid any bonuses, which in the
     aggregate exceed 5% of MidCity's consolidated 2000 salary and employee
     benefit expenses (other than customary year-end bonuses for fiscal 2000) or
     (ii) suffered any strike, work stoppage, slowdown, or other labor
     disturbance which has had, or could reasonably be expected to have, either
     individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on MidCity.

     Section 3.9 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. (a) Neither MidCity nor any of its
Subsidiaries is a party to any, and there are no pending or, to the best of
MidCity's knowledge, threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral or other
proceedings, claims, actions or investigations of any nature against MidCity or
any of its Subsidiaries as to which, in any such case, there is (i) a request
for monetary relief in excess of $25,000, (ii) an assertion or allegation of
employment discrimination or sexual harassment, (iii) a request for specific
performance or other equitable relief, or (iv) a challenge to the validity or
propriety of the MidCity Merger or any of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.

          (b)  There is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory
     restriction (other than those that apply to similarly situated bank holding
     companies or banks) imposed upon MidCity, any of its Subsidiaries or the
     assets of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries that could either materially
     adversely affect the ability of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries to
     operate its business in the regular and ordinary course consistent with
     past practices or materially adversely affect the consolidated operating
     results or financial condition of MidCity.

     Section 3.10 Taxes and Tax Returns. (a) Each of MidCity and its
Subsidiaries has duly filed all federal, state, foreign and local information
returns and tax returns required to be filed by it on or prior to the date
hereof (all such returns being accurate and complete in all material respects)
and has duly paid or made adequate provisions for the payment of all Taxes and
other governmental charges which have been incurred or are due or claimed to be
due from it by federal, state, foreign or local taxing authorities (including,
without limitation, if and to the extent applicable, those due in respect of its
properties, income, business, capital stock, deposits, franchises, licenses,
sales and payrolls) other than (i) Taxes or other charges which are not yet


                                      -14-


delinquent or are being contested in good faith and have not been finally
determined, or (ii) information returns, tax returns, Taxes or other
governmental charges as to which the failure to file, pay or make provision are,
in the aggregate, not material to MidCity on a consolidated basis. The federal
income tax returns of MidCity and its Subsidiaries have either been examined by
the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") or the statute of limitation for
examination by the IRS has expired for all years to and including the taxable
year ended December 31, 1996 and any liability with respect thereto has been
satisfied or any liability with respect to deficiencies asserted as a result of
such examination is covered by adequate reserves. To the best of MidCity's
knowledge, there are no material disputes pending, or claims asserted for, Taxes
or assessments upon MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries for which MidCity does
not have adequate reserves. Each of MidCity and its Subsidiaries has (A)
withheld proper and accurate amounts from payments to employees, creditors,
independent contractors, foreign persons and other third parties for all prior
periods in compliance in all material respects with the tax withholding
provisions of applicable federal, state and local laws, (B) filed all federal,
state, and local returns (which are accurate and complete in all material
respects) for all periods for which returns were due with respect to income tax
withholding, Social Security and unemployment taxes and (C) paid or made
adequate provision for all Taxes shown on such federal, state or local returns
to be due and payable. There are no Tax liens upon any property or assets of
MidCity or its Subsidiaries except liens for current taxes not yet due. Neither
MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries has been required to include in income any
adjustment pursuant to Section 481 of the Code by reason of a voluntary change
in accounting method initiated by MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries, and the
IRS has not initiated or proposed any such adjustment or change in accounting
method.

          (b)  As used in this Agreement, the term "Tax" or "Taxes" means all
     federal, state, local, and foreign income, excise, gross receipts, gross
     income, ad valorem, profits, gains, property, capital, sales, transfer,
     use, payroll, employment, severance, withholding, duties, intangibles,
     franchise, backup withholding, and other taxes, charges, levies or like
     assessments together with all penalties and additions to tax and interest
     thereon.

          (c)  Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any
     agreement or maintains any compensation plan, program or arrangement under
     which any payment is reasonably likely to become non-deductible, in whole
     or in part, for tax reporting purposes as a result of the limitations under
     Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder.

          (d)  Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or is
     bound by any Tax sharing, allocation or indemnification agreement or
     arrangement (other than such an agreement or arrangement solely among
     MidCity and its Subsidiaries). Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries
     has any liability for the Taxes of any person (other than MidCity and its
     Subsidiaries) under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar
     provision of state, local or foreign law). Within the past five years,
     neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries has been a party to a
     reorganization within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code or been a
     "distributing corporation" or a "controlled corporation" in a distribution
     intended to qualify under Section 355(a) of the Code.


                                      -15-



     Section 3.11 EMPLOYEES. (a) Section 3.11(a) of the MidCity Disclosure
Schedule sets forth a list of each employee or director benefit plan,
arrangement or agreement (a "MidCity Benefit Plan") that, as of the date of this
Agreement, is maintained or contributed to by MidCity or any MidCity ERISA
Affiliate, or under which MidCity or any MidCity ERISA Affiliate could
reasonably be expected to have any liability as of the date of this Agreement.
For purposes of this Agreement a "MidCity ERISA Affiliate" is any corporation,
partnership or other trade or business that, together with MidCity, would be
deemed to be a "single employer" within the meaning of Section 4001 of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA").

          (b)  MidCity has heretofore made available to MB copies of each
     MidCity Benefit Plan and certain related documents, including (i) the
     actuarial report for the MidCity Benefit Plan (if applicable) for each of
     the last two years and (ii) the most recent determination letter from the
     IRS (if applicable) for the MidCity Benefit Plan.

          (c)(i) Each of the MidCity Benefit Plans has been operated and
     administered in all material respects in compliance with applicable laws,
     including, but not limited to, ERISA and the Code, (ii) each of the MidCity
     Benefit Plans intended to be "qualified" within the meaning of Section
     401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and there are no existing circumstances
     or any events that have occurred that will adversely affect the qualified
     status of that MidCity Benefit Plan, (iii) the present value of accrued
     benefits under each MidCity Benefit Plan that is subject to Title IV of
     ERISA did not, as of the plan's most recent valuation date and based upon
     the actuarial assumptions used for funding purposes in the most recent
     actuarial report prepared by the plan's actuary, exceed the then current
     value of the assets of the plan allocable to accrued benefits, (iv) no
     MidCity Benefit Plan provides benefits, including, without limitation,
     death or medical benefits (whether or not insured), with respect to current
     or former employees or directors of MidCity or its Subsidiaries beyond
     their retirement or other termination of service, other than (A) coverage
     mandated by applicable law, (B) death benefits or retirement benefits under
     an "employee pension plan" (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), (C)
     deferred compensation benefits accrued as liabilities on the books of
     MidCity or its Subsidiaries or (D) benefits the full cost of which is borne
     by the current or former employee or director (or his beneficiary), (v) no
     material liability under Title IV of ERISA has been incurred by MidCity,
     its Subsidiaries or any MidCity ERISA Affiliate that has not been satisfied
     in full, and no condition exists that presents a material risk to MidCity,
     its Subsidiaries or any MidCity ERISA Affiliate of incurring a material
     liability thereunder, (vi) no MidCity Benefit Plan is a "multiemployer
     pension plan" (as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA), (vii) all
     contributions or other amounts payable by MidCity or its Subsidiaries as of
     the Effective Time with respect to each MidCity Benefit Plan in respect of
     current or prior plan years have been paid or accrued in accordance with
     GAAP and Section 412 of the Code, (viii) none of MidCity, its Subsidiaries,
     the MidCity ERISA Affiliates or any other person, including any fiduciary,
     has engaged in a transaction in connection with which MidCity, its
     Subsidiaries, any MidCity ERISA Affiliate or any MidCity Benefit Plan will
     be subject to either a material civil penalty assessed pursuant to Section
     409 or 502(i) of ERISA or a material tax imposed pursuant to Section 4975
     or 4976 of the Code, and (ix) to the best knowledge of MidCity there are no
     pending, threatened or anticipated material claims (other than routine
     claims for


                                      -16-


     benefits) by, on behalf of or against, any of the MidCity Benefit Plans or
     any trusts related thereto.

          (d)  Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the
     consummation of the MidCity Merger or any other transaction contemplated by
     this Agreement will (i) directly or indirectly (including without
     limitation, as a result of any termination of employment or service at any
     time prior to or following the Effective Time), entitle any current or
     former employee, director or independent contractor of MidCity or any of
     its Subsidiaries to any actual or deemed payment (or benefit) which would
     constitute a "parachute payment" (as such term is defined in Section 280G
     of the Code), without regard to whether such payment is reasonable
     compensation for personal services performed or to be performed in the
     future, (ii) increase any benefits otherwise payable under any MidCity
     Benefit Plan or (iii) result in any acceleration of the time of payment or
     vesting of any benefits under any MidCity Benefit Plan.

     Section 3.12 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW. (a) MidCity and each of its
Subsidiaries hold all material licenses, franchises, permits and authorizations
necessary for the lawful conduct of their respective businesses under and
pursuant to each, and have complied in all material respects with and are not in
default in any material respect under, any applicable law, statute, order, rule,
regulation, policy and/or guideline of any Governmental Entity relating to
MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries, except where the failure to hold such
license, franchise, permit or authorization or such noncompliance or default
will not, either individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect
the ability of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries to operate its business in the
regular and ordinary course consistent with past practices or materially
adversely affect the consolidated operating results or financial condition of
MidCity.

          (b)  MidCity and each of its Subsidiaries have in all material
     respects properly administered all accounts for which it acts as a
     fiduciary, including accounts for which it serves as a trustee, agent,
     custodian, personal representative, guardian, conservator or investment
     advisor, in accordance with the terms of the governing documents,
     applicable state and federal law and regulation and common law. None of
     MidCity, any of its Subsidiaries, or any director, officer or employee of
     MidCity or of any of its Subsidiaries, has committed any breach of trust
     with respect to any such fiduciary account that will or is likely to result
     in a material liability to MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries, and the
     accountings for each such fiduciary account are true and correct in all
     material respects and accurately reflect the assets of such fiduciary
     account.

     Section 3.13 CERTAIN CONTRACTS. (a) Neither MidCity nor any of its
Subsidiaries is a party to or bound by any contract, arrangement, commitment or
understanding (whether written or oral) (i) with respect to the employment of
any directors, officers or employees, (ii) which, upon the consummation or
stockholder approval of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will
(either alone or upon the occurrence of any additional acts or events) result in
any payment (whether of severance pay or otherwise) becoming due from MB,
MidCity, the Surviving Corporation, or any of their respective Subsidiaries to
any current or former director, officer, employee or independent contractor of
MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries, (iii) which is a "material contract" (as
such term is defined in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the SEC) to be
performed after the date of this Agreement, (iv) which restricts the conduct of
business by


                                      -17-


MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries or upon consummation of the MidCity Merger
will restrict the ability of the Surviving Corporation or any of its
Subsidiaries to engage in any business, (v) with or to a labor union or guild
(including any collective bargaining agreement), (vi) with respect to which
(including any stock option plan, stock appreciation rights plan, restricted
stock plan or stock purchase plan) any of the benefits will be increased, or the
vesting of the benefits will be accelerated, by the occurrence of any
stockholder approval or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement, or the value of any of the benefits will be calculated on the
basis of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (vii) which
cannot be terminated upon 30 days notice without penalty or premium and which
involves either an annual payment obligation in excess of $25,000 or aggregate
payments in excess of $100,000 by MidCity or one of its Subsidiaries (but
specifically excluding deposit liabilities). Section 3.13(a) of the MidCity
Disclosure Schedule lists each contract, arrangement, commitment or
understanding of the type described in this SECTION 3.13(a), and each of them is
referred to herein as a "MidCity Contract."

          (b)(i) Each MidCity Contract is valid and binding on MidCity or one of
     its Subsidiaries, as applicable, and in full force and effect, (ii) MidCity
     or its applicable Subsidiary has performed all material obligations
     required to be performed by it under each MidCity Contract, and (iii) no
     event or condition exists which constitutes or, after notice or lapse of
     time or both, will constitute, a material default on the part of MidCity or
     any of its Subsidiaries under any MidCity Contract.

          (c)  Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries knows of, or has
     received notice of, any material violation of or default under any MidCity
     Contract by any of the other parties thereto.

     Section 3.14 REGULATORY MATTERS. (a) Neither MidCity nor any of its
Subsidiaries or any MidCity Control Person is subject to any cease-and-desist or
other order issued by, or is a party to any written agreement, consent agreement
or memorandum of understanding with, or is a party to any commitment letter or
similar undertaking to, or is subject to any order or directive by, or has been
since January 1, 1998, a recipient of any supervisory letter from, or since
January 1, 1998, has adopted any board resolutions at the request of any
Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity that currently restricts in any
material respect the conduct of its business or that in any material manner
relates to its capital adequacy, its credit policies, its management or its
business (each, whether or not set forth in the MidCity Disclosure Schedule, a
"MidCity Regulatory Agreement"), nor has MidCity, any of its Subsidiaries or any
MidCity Control Person been advised since January 1, 1998, by any Regulatory
Agency or other Governmental Entity that it is considering issuing or requesting
any such MidCity Regulatory Agreement.

          (b)  Except for normal examinations conducted by a Regulatory Agency
     in the ordinary course of the business of MidCity and its Subsidiaries, no
     Regulatory Agency has initiated any proceeding or, to the knowledge of
     MidCity, investigation into the business or operations of MidCity, any of
     its Subsidiaries, or any MidCity Control Person since January 1, 1998. All
     material violations, criticisms, and exceptions by any Regulatory Agency
     with respect to any report or statement relating to any examinations of
     MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries have been resolved to the reasonable
     satisfaction of such Regulatory Agency.


                                      -18-


          (c)  Each MidCity financial institution Subsidiary has a Community
     Reinvestment Act rating of "satisfactory" or better.

     Section 3.15 INTEREST RATE RISK MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS. All interest rate
swaps, caps, floors and option agreements and other interest rate risk
management arrangements, whether entered into for the account of MidCity or for
the account of a customer of MidCity or one of its Subsidiaries, were entered
into in the ordinary course of business and, to MidCity's knowledge, in
accordance with prudent banking practice and applicable rules, regulations and
policies of any applicable Regulatory Agency and with counterparties believed to
be financially responsible at the time and are legal, valid and binding
obligations of MidCity or one of its Subsidiaries enforceable in accordance with
their terms (except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium,
reorganization or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and
the availability of equitable remedies), and are in full force and effect.
MidCity and each of its Subsidiaries have duly performed in all material
respects all of their material obligations thereunder to the extent that such
obligations to perform have accrued; and, to MidCity's knowledge, there are no
material breaches, violations or defaults or allegations or assertions of such
by any party thereunder.

     Section 3.16 UNDISCLOSED LIABILITIES. Except for (i) liabilities that are
fully reflected or reserved against on the consolidated balance sheet of MidCity
as at December 31, 2000 or the notes thereto included in the MidCity Financial
Statements, (ii) liabilities incurred since December 31, 2000 in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice and (iii) costs and expenses
relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, neither
MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries has any liabilities of any nature whatsoever
(whether absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise and whether due or to become
due) that are required under GAAP or generally accepted auditing practices to be
reflected in an audited financial statement or the notes thereto.

     Section 3.17 INSURANCE. MidCity and its Subsidiaries are insured for
reasonable amounts with financially sound and reputable insurance companies
against such risks as companies or institutions engaged in similar businesses
would, in accordance with good business practice, customarily be insured and
have maintained all insurance required by their agreements and applicable laws
and regulations. Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries has, during the
past five years, had an insurance policy canceled or not renewed or been denied
any insurance coverage for which it has applied. Section 3.17 of the MidCity
Disclosure Schedule lists all self-insurance plans or programs maintained by
MidCity and its Subsidiaries. Copies of such plans and programs have been
provided to MB.

     Section 3.18 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS. (a) Neither the conduct nor operation
of business by MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries nor any condition of any
property currently or previously owned, operated or controlled by any of them
(including, without limitation, in a fiduciary or agency capacity), or to the
knowledge of MidCity, on which any of them holds a Lien, has or is reasonably
likely to result in any material liability to MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries
under or by reason of any Environmental Laws (as hereinafter defined) or by the
presence of any Materials of Environmental Concern (as hereinafter defined). To
the knowledge of MidCity, no condition has existed or event has occurred with
respect to any of them or any such property that, with notice or the passage of
time, or both, has or is reasonably likely to result in any material


                                      -19-


liability to MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries under or by reason of any
Environmental Laws or by the presence of Materials of Environmental Concern.
Except for notices for which there is no reasonable basis for the imposition of
a material liability or remediation obligation on the part of MidCity or any of
its Subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws or relating to Materials of
Environmental Concern, neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries has received
any notice from any person that MidCity or its Subsidiaries or the operation or
condition of any property ever owned, operated, controlled, or held as
collateral or in a fiduciary capacity by any of them are or were in violation of
or otherwise are alleged to have liability under any Environmental Laws or
relating to Materials of Environmental Concern, including, but not limited to,
responsibility (or potential responsibility) for the cleanup or other
remediation of Materials of Environmental Concern at, on, beneath, or
originating from any such property.

          (b)  There are no underground storage tanks located on, in or under
     any real property currently owned, operated or controlled by MidCity or any
     of its Subsidiaries. Neither MidCity nor any of its Subsidiaries owns or
     operates any underground storage tank at any real property leased by it.

          (c)  "Environmental Laws" means any federal, state or local law,
     statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, code, license, permit, authorization,
     approval, consent, order, judgment, decree, injunction or agreement with
     any Governmental Entity relating to (i) the protection, preservation or
     restoration of human health and the environment (including air, water
     vapor, surface water, groundwater, drinking water supply, surface soil,
     subsurface soil, plant and animal life or any other natural resource),
     and/or (ii) the use, storage, recycling, treatment, generation,
     transportation, processing, handling, labeling, production, release or
     disposal of Materials of Environmental Concern. The term Environmental Law
     includes (x) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
     Liability Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 9601, et seq ("CERCLA"); the
     Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 6901,
     et seq; the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 7401, et seq; the
     Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. Section 1251, et
     seq; the Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. Section 9601,
     et seq; the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, 42 U.S.C.
     Section 1101, et seq; the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 300f,
     et seq; and all comparable state and local laws, and (y) any common law
     (including common law that may impose strict liability) that may impose
     liability or obligations for injuries or damages due to, or threatened as a
     result of, the presence of or exposure to any Materials of Environmental
     Concern.

          (d)  "Materials of Environmental Concern" means (i) pollutants,
     contaminants and materials regulated or defined or designated as hazardous,
     extremely hazardous, dangerous or toxic under the following federal
     statutes and their state counterparts as well as these statutes'
     implementing regulations: CERCLA, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide &
     Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. Section 136 et seq; the Atomic Energy Act, 42
     U.S.C. Section 2011 et seq; the Hazardous Material Transportation Act, 42
     U.S.C. Section 1801 et seq; (ii) petroleum and petroleum products including
     crude oil and any fractions thereof; (iii) asbestos and natural gas,
     synthetic gas and any mixtures thereof; or (iv) a substance with respect to
     which a Governmental Entity otherwise requires environmental
     investigations, monitoring, reporting or remediation.


                                      -20-



     Section 3.19 STATE TAKEOVER LAWS. The Board of Directors of MidCity has
approved the transactions contemplated by this Agreement for purposes of Section
203(a)(1) of the DGCL such that the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL will
not apply to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby.

     Section 3.20 MATERIAL INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS. No officer, director or
employee of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries or any "associate" (as such term
is defined in Rule 14a-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
(the "Exchange Act")) of any officer, director or employee of MidCity or any of
its Subsidiaries has any material interest in any material agreement or property
(real or personal, tangible or intangible) used in, or pertaining to, the
business of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries.

     Section 3.21 INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO. As of the date hereof, and at all times
hereafter pending the Effective Time, the entire investment portfolio of MidCity
and its Subsidiaries will be classified as available for sale.

     Section 3.22 REAL ESTATE LOANS AND INVESTMENTS. Except for properties
acquired in settlement of loans, there are no facts, circumstances or
contingencies known to MidCity which exist and would require a material
reduction under GAAP in the present carrying value of any of the real estate
investments, joint ventures, construction loans, other investments or other
loans of MidCity or any of its Subsidiaries (either individually or in the
aggregate with other loans and investments).

     Section 3.23 FAIRNESS OPINION. On the date of this Agreement, Hovde
Financial, Inc. and Alex Sheshunoff & Co. have each provided to the Board of
Directors of MidCity a separate oral fairness opinion (which shall be confirmed
in writing) to the effect that the MidCity Exchange Ratio, after taking into
account the MB Exchange Ratio, is fair to the stockholders of MidCity from a
financial point of view.

     Section 3.24 REORGANIZATION; POOLING OF INTERESTS. As of the date of this
Agreement, MidCity has no reason to believe that the Mergers will not qualify as
reorganizations within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code and as a
"pooling of interests" for accounting purposes.

     Section 3.25 FINANCIAL HOLDING COMPANY STATUS. As of the date of this
Agreement, MidCity meets all applicable criteria to become and remain a
"financial holding company", as such term is defined in Section 2(p) of the BHC
Act, set forth in such act as well as in any regulations, rules or
interpretations issued by the Federal Reserve Board.

                                   ARTICLE IV
                      REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF MB

     Except as disclosed in the MB disclosure schedule delivered to MidCity
concurrently herewith (the "MB Disclosure Schedule"), MB hereby represents and
warrants to MidCity as follows:

     Section 4.1 CORPORATE ORGANIZATION. (a) MB is a corporation duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
MB has the corporate power and authority to own and lease all of its properties
and assets and to carry on its business


                                      -21-


as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business
in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it or the
character or location of the properties and assets owned or leased by it makes
such licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
licensed or qualified would not, either individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect on MB. MB is duly registered as a bank holding company
under the BHC Act. Copies of the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, (the
"MB Charter") and By-laws of MB, as in effect as of the date of this Agreement,
have previously been made available by MB to MidCity.

          (b)  Each of MB's Subsidiaries (i) is duly organized and validly
     existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, (ii) is duly
     licensed or qualified to do business and in good standing in all
     jurisdictions (whether federal, state, local or foreign) where its
     ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of its business requires it
     to be so qualified except where the failure to be so licensed or qualified
     would not either individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse
     Effect on MB and (iii) has all requisite corporate power and authority to
     own and lease its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now
     conducted. Copies of the charters and by-laws of MB's financial institution
     Subsidiaries, as in effect on the date of this Agreement, have previously
     been made available by MB to MidCity.

     Section 4.2 CAPITALIZATION. (a) The authorized capital stock of MB consists
of 20,000,000 shares of MB Common Stock and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock,
par value $.01 per share (the "MB Preferred Stock", together with the MB Common
Stock being the "MB Capital Stock"). As of the date hereof, 7,064,515 shares of
MB Common Stock were issued and outstanding, and no shares of MB Preferred Stock
were issued and outstanding. As of the date hereof, no shares of MB Common Stock
were reserved for issuance, except for the shares reserved for issuance as
identified on Section 4.2(a) of the MB Disclosure Schedule. All of the issued
and outstanding shares of MB Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly
issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no
personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof. As of the date of this
Agreement, except for shares of MB Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the MB
Stock Plans, MB does not have and is not bound by any outstanding subscriptions,
options, warrants, calls, commitments or agreements of any character calling for
the purchase or issuance of any shares of MB Capital Stock or any other equity
securities of MB or any securities representing the right to purchase or
otherwise receive any shares of MB Capital Stock (collectively, "MB Rights").
Since December 31, 2000, MB has not issued any shares of MB Capital Stock or any
securities convertible into or exercisable for any shares of MB Capital Stock,
other than as permitted by SECTION 5.2(b) and pursuant to the exercise of MB
Stock Options granted prior to such date. Section 4.2(a) of the MB Disclosure
Schedule contains a list as of the date hereof of the option holders, the date
each MB Stock Option was granted, the number of shares subject to each such
option, the expiration date of each such option and the price at which each such
option may be exercised. In no event will the aggregate number of shares of MB
Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (including all
shares of MB Common Stock subject to then-outstanding MB Rights) exceed
7,064,515 plus, subject to SECTION 6.11, (x) the aggregate of the number of
shares issued to directors pursuant to SECTION 5.2(b)(iv) and (y) the aggregate
number of shares issued pursuant to the exercise of MB Stock Options granted
prior to the date hereof and MB Stock Options granted after the date hereof as
permitted by SECTION 5.2(b)(iii).


                                      -22-


          (b)  MB owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and
     outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity ownership interests of
     each of its Subsidiaries, free and clear of any Liens, and all of such
     shares or equity ownership interests are duly authorized and validly issued
     and are fully paid, nonassessable (subject to 12 U.S.C. Section 55) and
     free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability attaching to the
     ownership thereof. None of MB's Subsidiaries has or is bound by any
     outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, commitments or
     agreements of any character calling for the purchase or issuance of any
     shares of capital stock or any other equity security of such Subsidiary or
     any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive any
     shares of capital stock or any other equity security of such Subsidiary.
     Section 4.2(b) of the MB Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of the
     material investments of MB in Non-Subsidiary Affiliates.

     Section 4.3 AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION. (a) MB has full corporate power and
authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and
validly approved by the Board of Directors of MB and no other corporate action
on the part of MB is necessary with respect thereto, other than the adoption of
this Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding shares of MB Common Stock with respect to the consummation of the MB
Merger only. The Board of Directors of MB has directed that this Agreement be
submitted to MB's stockholders for adoption at a meeting of such stockholders.
This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by MB and
(assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by MidCity) constitutes a
valid and binding obligation of MB, enforceable against MB in accordance with
its terms (except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium,
reorganization or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and
the availability of equitable remedies).

          (b)  Neither the execution and delivery by MB of this Agreement nor
     the consummation by MB or any of its financial institution Subsidiaries of
     the transactions contemplated hereby, nor compliance by MB with any of the
     terms or provisions hereof, will (i) violate any provision of the MB
     Charter or By-laws or the governing documents of any of its financial
     institution Subsidiaries; (ii) assuming that the consents and approvals
     referred to in SECTION 4.4 are duly obtained, violate any statute, code,
     ordinance, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ, decree or injunction
     applicable to MB or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective
     properties or assets; or (iii) violate, conflict with, result in a breach
     of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a default
     (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute
     a default) under, result in the termination of or a right of termination or
     cancellation under, accelerate the performance required by, or result in
     the creation of any Lien upon any of the respective properties or assets of
     MB or any of its Subsidiaries under, any of the terms, conditions or
     provisions of any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, deed of trust, license,
     lease, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which MB or any of
     its Subsidiaries is a party, or by which they or any of their respective
     properties or assets may be bound or affected except for such violations,
     conflicts, breaches or defaults which, either individually or in the
     aggregate, will not have a Material Adverse Effect on MB.


                                      -23-


     Section 4.4 CONSENTS AND APPROVALS. Except for filings and registrations,
and obtaining the consents, authorizations, approvals and exemptions,
contemplated by SECTION 3.4, no consents or approvals of or filings or
registrations with any Governmental Entity are necessary in connection with the
consummation by MB of the MB Merger or the consummation of any of the other
transactions contemplated hereby by MB or any of its Subsidiaries.

     Section 4.5 REPORTS. MB and each of its Subsidiaries have timely filed all
reports, registrations and statements, together with any amendments required to
be made with respect thereto, that they were required to file since January 1,
1998 with the Regulatory Agencies and any other Governmental Entities, and have
paid all fees and assessments due and payable in connection therewith, except
where the failure to file such report, registration or statement or to pay such
fees and assessments, either individually or in the aggregate, will not have a
Material Adverse Effect on MB.

     Section 4.6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. MB has previously made available to
MidCity true and correct copies of the consolidated balance sheets of MB and its
Subsidiaries as of December 31, for the fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000 and
the related consolidated statements of income and changes in stockholders'
equity and cash flows for the fiscal years 1998 through 2000, inclusive, as
reported in MB's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2000 (the "MB 10-K"), filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act in each case
accompanied by the audit report of McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, independent public
accountants with respect to MB. The December 31, 2000 consolidated balance sheet
of MB (including the related notes, where applicable) fairly presents in all
material respects the consolidated financial position of MB and its Subsidiaries
as of the date thereof, and the other financial statements referred to in this
SECTION 4.6 (including the related notes, where applicable) fairly present in
all material respects the results of the consolidated operations, changes in
stockholders' equity, cash flows and consolidated financial position of MB and
its Subsidiaries for the respective fiscal periods or as of the respective dates
therein set forth; each of such statements (including the related notes, where
applicable) complies with applicable accounting requirements and with the
published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto; and each of
such statements (including the related notes, where applicable) has been
prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied during the periods
involved, except in each case as indicated in such statements or in the notes
thereto. The financial books and records of MB and its Subsidiaries have been,
and are being, maintained in all material respects in accordance with GAAP and
any other applicable legal and accounting requirements and reflect only actual
transactions.

     Section 4.7 BROKER'S FEES. Except for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.
(whose fees and expenses are set forth in the engagement letter included in
SECTION 4.7 of the MB Disclosure Schedule), neither MB nor any of its
Subsidiaries nor any of their respective officers or directors has employed any
broker or finder or incurred any liability for any broker's or financial
advisory fees, commissions or finder's fees or fairness opinion fees in
connection with the MB Merger or related transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.

     Section 4.8 ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS. (a) EXCEPT AS PUBLICLY
DISCLOSED IN MB REPORTS FILED PRIOR TO THE DATE HEREOF, FROM December 31, 2000
to the date hereof, no event or events have occurred that have had or are
reasonably likely to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material
Adverse Effect on MB.


                                      -24-


          (b)  Except AS PUBLICLY DISCLOSED IN MB REPORTS FILED PRIOR TO THE
     DATE HEREOF AND for this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
     herein, since December 31, 2000, MB and its Subsidiaries have carried on
     their respective businesses in all material respects in the ordinary
     course.

          (c)  Since December 31, 2000, neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries
     has (i) except for such actions as are in the ordinary course of business
     or except as required by applicable law, (A) increased the wages, salaries,
     compensation, pension, or other fringe benefits or perquisites payable to
     any executive officer, employee, or director from the amount thereof in
     effect as of December 31, 2000, or (B) granted any severance or termination
     pay, entered into any contract to make or grant any severance or
     termination pay, or paid any bonuses, which in the aggregate exceed 5% of
     MB's consolidated 2000 salary and employee benefit expenses (other than
     customary year-end bonuses for fiscal 2000) or (ii) suffered any strike,
     work stoppage, slowdown, or other labor disturbance which has had, or could
     reasonably be expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a
     Material Adverse Effect on MB.

     Section 4.9 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. (a) Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries
is a party to any, and there are no pending or, to the best of MB's knowledge,
threatened, legal, administrative, arbitral or other proceedings, claims,
actions or investigations of any nature against MB or any of its Subsidiaries as
to which, in any such case, there is (i) a request for monetary relief in excess
of $25,000, (ii) an assertion or allegation of employment discrimination or
sexual harassment, (iii) a request for specific performance or other equitable
relief, or (iv) a challenge to the validity or propriety of the MB Merger or any
of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

          (b)  There is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory
     restriction (other than those that apply to similarly situated bank holding
     companies or banks) imposed upon MB, any of its Subsidiaries or the assets
     of MB or any of its Subsidiaries that could either materially adversely
     affect the ability of MB or any of its Subsidiaries to operate its business
     in the regular and ordinary course consistent with past practices or
     adversely affect the consolidated operating results or financial condition
     of MB.

     Section 4.10 TAXES AND TAX RETURNS. (a) Each of MB and its Subsidiaries has
duly filed all federal, state, foreign and local information returns and tax
returns required to be filed by it on or prior to the date hereof (all such
returns being accurate and complete in all material respects) and has duly paid
or made adequate provisions for the payment of all Taxes and other governmental
charges which have been incurred or are due or claimed to be due from it by
federal, state, foreign or local taxing authorities (including, without
limitation, if and to the extent applicable, those due in respect of its
properties, income, business, capital stock, deposits, franchises, licenses,
sales and payrolls) other than (i) Taxes or other charges which are not yet
delinquent or are being contested in good faith and have not been finally
determined, or (ii) information returns, tax returns, Taxes or other
governmental charges as to which the failure to file, pay or make provision are,
in the aggregate, not material to MB on a consolidated basis. The federal income
tax returns of MidCity and its Subsidiaries have either been examined by the IRS
or the statute of limitation for examination by the IRS has expired for all
years to and including the taxable year ended December 31, 1996 and any
liability with respect thereto has


                                      -25-


been satisfied or any liability with respect to deficiencies asserted as a
result of such examination is covered by adequate reserves. To the best of MB's
knowledge, there are no material disputes pending, or claims asserted for, Taxes
or assessments upon MB or any of its Subsidiaries for which MB does not have
adequate reserves. Each of MB and its Subsidiaries has (A) withheld proper and
accurate amounts from payments to employees, creditors, independent contractors,
foreign persons and other third parties for all prior periods in compliance in
all material respects with the tax withholding provisions of applicable federal,
state and local laws, (B) filed all federal, state, and local returns (which are
accurate and complete in all material respects) for all periods for which
returns were due with respect to income tax withholding, Social Security and
unemployment taxes and (C) paid or made adequate provision for all Taxes shown
on such federal, state or local returns to be due and payable. There are no Tax
liens upon any property or assets of MB or its Subsidiaries except liens for
current taxes not yet due. Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries has been
required to include in income any adjustment pursuant to Section 481 of the Code
by reason of a voluntary change in accounting method initiated by MB or any of
its Subsidiaries, and the IRS has not initiated or proposed any such adjustment
or change in accounting method.

          (b)  Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any
     agreement or maintains any compensation plan, program or arrangement under
     which any payment is reasonably likely to become non-deductible, in whole
     or in part, for tax reporting purposes as a result of the limitations under
     Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder.

          (c)  Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or is bound
     by any Tax sharing, allocation or indemnification agreement or arrangement
     (other than such an agreement or arrangement solely among MB and its
     Subsidiaries). Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries has any liability for
     the Taxes of any person (other than MB and its Subsidiaries) under Treasury
     Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar provision of state, local or
     foreign law). Within the past five years, neither MB nor any of its
     Subsidiaries has been a party to a reorganization within the meaning of
     Section 368 of the Code or been a "distributing corporation" or a
     "controlled corporation" in a distribution intended to qualify under
     Section 355(a) of the Code.

     Section 4.11 EMPLOYEES. (a) Section 4.11(a) of the MB Disclosure Schedule
sets forth a list of each employee or director benefit plan, arrangement or
agreement (an "MB Benefit Plan") that, as of the date of this Agreement, is
maintained or contributed to by MB or any MB ERISA Affiliate, or under which MB
or any MB ERISA Affiliate could reasonably be expected to have any liability as
of the date of this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement an "MB ERISA
Affiliate" is any corporation, partnership or other trade or business that,
together with MB, would be deemed to be a "single employer" within the meaning
of Section 4001 of ERISA.

          (b)  MB has heretofore made available to MidCity copies of each MB
     Benefit Plan and certain related documents, including (i) the actuarial
     report for the MB Benefit Plan (if applicable) for each of the last two
     years and (ii) the most recent determination letter from the IRS (if
     applicable) for the MB Benefit Plan.


                                      -26-



          (c)(i) Each of the MB Benefit Plans has been operated and administered
     in all material respects in compliance with applicable laws, including, but
     not limited to, ERISA and the Code, (ii) each of the MB Benefit Plans
     intended to be "qualified" within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code
     is so qualified, and there are no existing circumstances or any events that
     have occurred that will adversely affect the qualified status of that MB
     Benefit Plan, (iii) the present value of accrued benefits under each MB
     Benefit Plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA did not, as of the plan's
     most recent valuation date and based upon the actuarial assumptions used
     for funding purposes in the most recent actuarial report prepared by the
     plan's actuary, exceed the then current value of the assets of the plan
     allocable to accrued benefits, (iv) no MB Benefit Plan provides benefits,
     including, without limitation, death or medical benefits (whether or not
     insured), with respect to current or former employees or directors of MB or
     its Subsidiaries beyond their retirement or other termination of service,
     other than (A) coverage mandated by applicable law, (B) death benefits or
     retirement benefits under an "employee pension plan" (as defined in Section
     3(2) of ERISA), (C) deferred compensation benefits accrued as liabilities
     on the books of MB or its Subsidiaries or (D) benefits the full cost of
     which is borne by the current or former employee or director (or his
     beneficiary), (v) no material liability under Title IV of ERISA has been
     incurred by MB, its Subsidiaries or any MB ERISA Affiliate that has not
     been satisfied in full, and no condition exists that presents a material
     risk to MB, its Subsidiaries or any MB ERISA Affiliate of incurring a
     material liability thereunder, (vi) no MB Benefit Plan is a "multiemployer
     pension plan" (as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA), (vii) all
     contributions or other amounts payable by MB or its Subsidiaries as of the
     Effective Time with respect to each MB Benefit Plan in respect of current
     or prior plan years have been paid or accrued in accordance with GAAP and
     Section 412 of the Code, (viii) none of MB, its Subsidiaries, the MB ERISA
     Affiliates or any other person, including any fiduciary, has engaged in a
     transaction in connection with which MB, its Subsidiaries, any MB ERISA
     Affiliate or any MB Benefit Plan will be subject to either a material civil
     penalty assessed pursuant to Section 409 or 502(i) of ERISA or a material
     tax imposed pursuant to Section 4975 or 4976 of the Code, and (ix) to the
     best knowledge of MB there are no pending, threatened or anticipated
     material claims (other than routine claims for benefits) by, on behalf of
     or against, any of the MB Benefit Plans or any trusts related thereto.

          (d)  Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the
     consummation of the MB Merger or any other transaction contemplated by this
     Agreement will (i) directly or indirectly (including without limitation, as
     a result of any termination of employment or service at any time prior to
     or following the Effective Time), entitle any current or former employee,
     director or independent contractor of MB or any of its Subsidiaries to any
     actual or deemed payment (or benefit) which would constitute a "parachute
     payment" (as such term is defined in Section 280G of the Code), without
     regard to whether such payment is reasonable compensation for personal
     services performed or to be performed in the future, (ii) increase any
     benefits otherwise payable under any MB Benefit Plan or (iii) result in any
     acceleration of the time of payment or vesting of any benefits under any MB
     Benefit Plan.

     Section 4.12 SEC REPORTS. MB has previously made available to MidCity an
accurate and complete copy of each (a) final registration statement, prospectus,
report, schedule and


                                      -27-


definitive proxy statement filed since January 1, 1998 by MB (the "MB Reports")
with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act"), or the Exchange Act and prior to the date hereof and (b) communication
mailed by MB to its stockholders since January 1, 1998 and prior to the date
hereof, and no such MB Report or communication, as of the date thereof,
contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not
misleading, except that information as of a later date (but before the date
hereof) shall be deemed to modify information as of an earlier date. Since
January 1, 1998, as of their respective dates, all MB Reports filed under the
Securities Act and the Exchange Act complied in all material respects with the
published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto.

     Section 4.13 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW. (a) MB and each of its
Subsidiaries hold all material licenses, franchises, permits and authorizations
necessary for the lawful conduct of their respective businesses under and
pursuant to each, and have complied in all material respects with and are not in
default in any material respect under, any applicable law, statute, order, rule,
regulation, policy and/or guideline of any Governmental Entity relating to MB or
any of its Subsidiaries, except where the failure to hold such license,
franchise, permit or authorization or such noncompliance or default will not,
either individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect the ability
of MB or any of its Subsidiaries to operate its business in the regular and
ordinary course consistent with past practices or materially adversely affect
the consolidated operating results or financial condition of MB.

          (b)  MB and each of its Subsidiaries have in all material respects
     properly administered all accounts for which it acts as a fiduciary,
     including accounts for which it serves as a trustee, agent, custodian,
     personal representative, guardian, conservator or investment advisor, in
     accordance with the terms of the governing documents, applicable state and
     federal law and regulation and common law. None of MB, any of its
     Subsidiaries, or any director, officer or employee of MB or of any of its
     Subsidiaries, has committed any breach of trust with respect to any such
     fiduciary account that will or is likely to result in a material liability
     to MB or any of its Subsidiaries, and the accountings for each such
     fiduciary account are true and correct in all material respects and
     accurately reflect the assets of such fiduciary account.

     Section 4.14 CERTAIN CONTRACTS. (a) Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries
is a party to or bound by any contract, arrangement, commitment or understanding
(whether written or oral) (i) with respect to the employment of any directors,
officers or employees, (ii) which, upon the consummation or stockholder approval
of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will (either alone or upon
the occurrence of any additional acts or events) result in any payment (whether
of severance pay or otherwise) becoming due from MidCity, MB, the Surviving
Corporation, or any of their respective Subsidiaries to any current or former
director, officer, employee or independent contractor of MB or any of its
Subsidiaries, (iii) which is a "material contract" (as such term is defined in
Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the SEC) to be performed after the date of
this Agreement, (iv) which restricts the conduct of business by MB or any of its
Subsidiaries or upon consummation of the MB Merger will restrict the ability of
the Surviving Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries to engage in any business,
(v) with or to a labor union or guild (including any collective bargaining
agreement), (vi) with respect to which


                                      -28-


(including any stock option plan, stock appreciation rights plan, restricted
stock plan or stock purchase plan) any of the benefits will be increased, or the
vesting of the benefits will be accelerated, by the occurrence of any
stockholder approval or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement, or the value of any of the benefits will be calculated on the
basis of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (vii) which
cannot be terminated upon 30 days notice without penalty or premium and which
involves either an annual payment obligation in excess of $25,000 or aggregate
payments in excess of $100,000 by MB or one of its Subsidiaries (but
specifically excluding deposit liabilities). Section 4.14(a) of the MB
Disclosure Schedule lists each contract, arrangement, commitment or
understanding of the type described in this SECTION 4.14(a), and each of them is
referred to herein as an "MB Contract."

          (b)(i) Each MB Contract is valid and binding on MB or one of its
     Subsidiaries, as applicable, and in full force and effect, (ii) MB or its
     applicable Subsidiary has performed all material obligations required to be
     performed by it under each MB Contract, and (iii) no event or condition
     exists which constitutes or, after notice or lapse of time or both, will
     constitute, a material default on the part of MB or any of its Subsidiaries
     under any MB Contract.

          (c)  Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries knows of, or has received
     notice of, any material violation of or default under any MB Contract by
     any of the other parties thereto.

     Section 4.15 REGULATORY MATTERS. (a) Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries
is subject to any cease-and-desist or other order issued by, or is a party to
any written agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or
is a party to any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, or is subject to
any order or directive by, or has been since January 1, 1998, a recipient of any
supervisory letter from, or since January 1, 1998, has adopted any board
resolutions at the request of any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity
that currently restricts in any material respect the conduct of its business or
that in any material manner relates to its capital adequacy, its credit
policies, its management or its business (each, whether or not set forth in the
MB Disclosure Schedule, a "MB Regulatory Agreement"), nor has MB or any of its
Subsidiaries been advised since January 1, 1998, by any Regulatory Agency or
other Governmental Entity that it is considering issuing or requesting any such
MB Regulatory Agreement.

          (b)  Except for normal examinations conducted by a Regulatory Agency
     in the ordinary course of the business of MB and its Subsidiaries, no
     Regulatory Agency has initiated any proceeding or, to the knowledge of MB,
     investigation into the business or operations of MB or any of its
     Subsidiaries since January 1, 1998. All material violations, criticisms,
     and exceptions by any Regulatory Agency with respect to any report or
     statement relating to any examinations of MB or any of its Subsidiaries
     have been resolved to the reasonable satisfaction of such Regulatory
     Agency.

          (c)  Each MB financial institution Subsidiary has a Community
     Reinvestment Act rating of "satisfactory" or better.


                                      -29-


     Section 4.16 INTEREST RATE RISK MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS. All interest rate
swaps, caps, floors and option agreements and other interest rate risk
management arrangements, whether entered into for the account of MB or for the
account of a customer of MB or one of its Subsidiaries, were entered into in the
ordinary course of business and, to MB's knowledge, in accordance with prudent
banking practice and applicable rules, regulations and policies of any
applicable Regulatory Agency and with counterparties believed to be financially
responsible at the time and are legal, valid and binding obligations of MB or
one of its Subsidiaries enforceable in accordance with their terms (except as
may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, reorganization or similar
laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and the availability of
equitable remedies), and are in full force and effect. MB and each of its
Subsidiaries have duly performed in all material respects all of their material
obligations thereunder to the extent that such obligations to perform have
accrued; and, to MB's knowledge, there are no material breaches, violations or
defaults or allegations or assertions of such by any party thereunder.

     Section 4.17 UNDISCLOSED LIABILITIES. Except for (i) liabilities that are
fully reflected or reserved against on the consolidated balance sheet of MB as
at December 31, 2000 or the notes thereto included in the MB 10-K, (ii)
liabilities incurred since December 31, 2000 in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice, (iii) liabilities and obligations incurred and to
be incurred under or by reason of the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated
February 8, 2001, by and among MB Financial, Inc., Manufacturers National
Corporation, Manufacturers Bank, FSL Holdings, Inc. and First Savings and Loan
Association of South Holland and the transactions contemplated therein (the "MB
Acquisition") and (iv) costs and expenses relating to this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby, neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries has any
liabilities of any nature whatsoever (whether absolute, accrued, contingent or
otherwise and whether due or to become due) that are required under GAAP or
generally accepted auditing practices to be reflected in an audited financial
statement or the notes thereto.

     Section 4.18 INSURANCE. MB and its Subsidiaries are insured for reasonable
amounts with financially sound and reputable insurance companies against such
risks as companies or institutions engaged in similar businesses would, in
accordance with good business practice, customarily be insured and have
maintained all insurance required by their agreements and applicable laws and
regulations. Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries has, during the past five
years, had an insurance policy canceled or not renewed or been denied any
insurance coverage for which it has applied. Section 4.18 of the MB Disclosure
Schedule lists all self-insurance plans or programs maintained by MB and its
Subsidiaries. Copies of such plans and programs have been provided to MidCity.

     Section 4.19 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS. (a) Neither the conduct nor operation
of business by MB or any of its Subsidiaries nor any condition of any property
currently or previously owned, operated or controlled by any of them (including,
without limitation, in a fiduciary or agency capacity), or to the knowledge of
MB, on which any of them holds a Lien, has or is reasonably likely to result in
any material liability to MB or any of its Subsidiaries under or by reason of
any Environmental Law or by the presence of any Materials of Environmental
Concern. To the knowledge of MB, no condition has existed or event has occurred
with respect to any of them or any such property that, with notice or the
passage of time, or both, has or is reasonably likely to result in any material
liability to MB or any of its Subsidiaries under or by reason of any
Environmental Laws or the presence of Materials of Environmental Concern.


                                      -30-


Except for notices for which there is no reasonable basis for the imposition of
a material liability or remediation obligation on the part of MB or any of its
Subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws or relating to Materials of
Environmental Concern, neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any
notice from any person that MB or its Subsidiaries or the operation or condition
of any property ever owned, operated, controlled, or held as collateral or in a
fiduciary capacity by any of them are or were in violation of or otherwise are
alleged to have liability under any Environmental Laws or relating to Materials
of Environmental Concern, including, but not limited to, responsibility (or
potential responsibility) for the cleanup or other remediation of Materials of
Environmental Concern at, on, beneath, or originating from any such property.

          (b)  There are no underground storage tanks located on, in or under
     any real property currently owned, operated or controlled by MB or any of
     its Subsidiaries. Neither MB nor any of its Subsidiaries owns or operates
     any underground storage tank at any real property leased by it.

     Section 4.20 STATE TAKEOVER LAWS. The Board of Directors of MB has approved
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement for purposes of Section
203(a)(1) of the DGCL such that the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL will
not apply to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby.

     Section 4.21 MATERIAL INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS. No officer, director or
employee of MB or any of its Subsidiaries or any "associate" (as such term is
defined in Rule 14a-1 under the Exchange Act) of any officer, director or
employee of MB or any of its Subsidiaries has any material interest in any
material agreement or property (real or personal, tangible or intangible) used
in, or pertaining to, the business of MB or any of its Subsidiaries.

     Section 4.22 REAL ESTATE LOANS AND INVESTMENTS. Except for properties
acquired in settlement of loans, there are no facts, circumstances or
contingencies known to MB which exist and would require a material reduction
under GAAP in the present carrying value of any of the real estate investments,
joint ventures, construction loans, other investments or other loans of MB or
any of its Subsidiaries (either individually or in the aggregate with other
loans and investments).

     Section 4.23 FAIRNESS OPINION. On the date of this Agreement, Sandler
O'Neill & Partners, L.P. has provided to the Board of Directors of MB an oral
fairness opinion (which shall be confirmed in writing) to the effect that the MB
Exchange Ratio, after taking into account the MidCity Exchange Ratio, is fair to
the stockholders of MB from a financial point of view.

     Section 4.24 REORGANIZATION; POOLING OF INTERESTS. As of the date of this
Agreement, MB has no reason to believe that the Mergers will not qualify as
reorganizations within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code and as a
"pooling of interests" for accounting purposes.

     Section 4.25 FINANCIAL HOLDING COMPANY STATUS. As of the date of this
Agreement, MB meets all applicable criteria to become and remain a "financial
holding company", as such term is defined in Section 2(p) of the BHC Act, set
forth in such act as well as in any regulations, rules or interpretations issued
by the Federal Reserve Board.

     Section 4.26 MB CONTROL PERSON. No stockholder of MB owns, controls or
possesses voting power over ten percent or more of the outstanding MB Capital
Stock.


                                      -31-



                                    ARTICLE V
                    COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

     Section 5.1 CONDUCT OF BUSINESSES PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE TIME. During the
period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time, except as
expressly contemplated or permitted by this Agreement (including the funding,
implementation and integration of the MB Acquisition), each of MidCity and MB
shall, and shall cause each of their respective Subsidiaries to, (a) conduct its
business only in the ordinary course, (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to
maintain and preserve intact its business organization, employees and
advantageous business relationships and retain the services of its key officers
and key employees and (c) take no action which would adversely affect or delay
the ability of either MidCity or MB (or any of their respective financial
institution Subsidiaries) to obtain any necessary approvals of any Regulatory
Agency or other Governmental Entity required for the transactions contemplated
hereby or to perform its covenants and agreements under this Agreement or to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

     Section 5.2 FORBEARANCES. During the period from the date of this Agreement
to the Effective Time, except as expressly contemplated or permitted by this
Agreement, neither MidCity nor MB shall, and neither MidCity nor MB shall permit
any of their respective Subsidiaries to, without the prior written consent of
the other party to this Agreement (which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld with respect to subsections (e), (f)(v), (k) and (l)):

          (a)  other than in the ordinary course of business or in connection
     with the funding of the MB Acquisition, incur any indebtedness for borrowed
     money (other than short-term indebtedness incurred to refinance short-term
     indebtedness and indebtedness of MB or any of its Subsidiaries to MB or any
     of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, on the one hand, or of MidCity or any of
     its Subsidiaries to MidCity or any of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, on the
     other hand), assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise as an accommodation
     become responsible for the obligations of any other individual, corporation
     or other entity, or make any loan or advance (it being understood and
     agreed that incurrence of indebtedness in the ordinary course of business
     shall include, without limitation, creating deposit liabilities (including
     certificates of deposit), purchasing Federal funds, receiving advances from
     the Federal Home Loan Bank and entering into repurchase agreements);

          (b)(i) adjust, split, combine or reclassify any capital stock;

               (ii) make, declare or pay any dividend, or make any other
          distribution on, or directly or indirectly redeem, purchase or
          otherwise acquire (except as provided in SECTION 6.11), any shares of
          its capital stock or any securities or obligations convertible
          (whether currently convertible or convertible only after the passage
          of time or the occurrence of certain events) into or exchangeable for
          any shares of its capital stock (except (A) in the case of MidCity,
          for regular quarterly cash dividends on MidCity Common Stock at a rate
          not in excess of $35.00 per share of MidCity Common Stock with record
          and payment dates consistent with past practices, and (B) dividends
          paid by any of the wholly-owned Subsidiaries of each of MidCity and MB
          to MidCity or MB or any of their other


                                      -32-


          wholly-owned Subsidiaries, respectively, and dividends paid in the
          ordinary course of business consistent with past practice by any
          non-wholly owned Subsidiary of MB or MidCity);

               (iii) grant any stock appreciation rights or grant any
          individual, corporation or other entity any right to acquire any
          shares of its capital stock, other than grants of (x) options pursuant
          to the MB Stock Plans in the ordinary course of business in July, 2001
          consistent with past practice (which options may be fully vested on
          the date of grant) and (y) fully vested options to directors pursuant
          to their election to receive options in lieu of directors' fees as
          described in Section 4.2(a) of the MB Disclosure Schedule; or

               (iv) issue any additional shares of capital stock except (x)
          pursuant to the exercise of MB Stock Options outstanding as of the
          date hereof or issued in compliance with SECTION 5.2(b)(iii) and (y)
          grants of MB Common Stock to directors pursuant to their election to
          receive MB Common Stock in lieu of directors' fees as described in
          Section 4.2(a) of the MB Disclosure Schedule;

          (c)  sell, transfer, mortgage, encumber or otherwise dispose of any of
     its material properties or assets to any individual, corporation or other
     entity other than a wholly-owned Subsidiary, or cancel, release or assign
     any indebtedness owed to it by any person or any claims held by it against
     any person, except (i) in the ordinary course of business, (ii) the
     encumbrance of assets in connection with the funding of the MB Acquisition
     or (iii) the sale of assets acquired in the MB Acquisition;

          (d)  except for transactions in the ordinary course of business, the
     MB Acquisition or pursuant to contracts or agreements in force on the date
     hereof that are listed on SCHEDULE 5.2 of the MidCity Disclosure Schedule
     or the MB Disclosure Schedule, as the case may be, make any material
     investment either by purchase of stock or securities, contributions to
     capital, property transfers, or purchase of any property or assets of any
     other individual, corporation or other entity other than a Subsidiary
     thereof;

          (e)  enter into, modify or amend any material agreement (excluding
     lending and deposit taking activities) or terminate, or waive any material
     provision of, any MB Contract or MidCity Contract, as the case may be, or
     make any change in any instrument, plan or agreement governing the terms of
     any of its securities (including any options under any MB Stock Plan), or
     material lease or contract, other than normal renewals of contracts and
     leases without material adverse changes of terms;

          (f)  (i) increase in any manner the compensation or fringe benefits of
     any of its employees, except in the ordinary course of business consistent
     with past practices, (ii) pay any pension or retirement allowance not
     required by any existing plan or agreement to any such employees, (iii)
     except as set forth in Section 4.17 of the MB Disclosure Schedule, become a
     party to, amend or commit itself to any MidCity Benefit Plan or MB Benefit
     Plan, as the case may be, or employment, severance or change in control
     agreement with or for the benefit of any former or current employee or
     director, other than the extension of MidCity's Retention Plan, (iv) take
     any action to accelerate the vesting of, or the lapsing of restrictions
     with respect to, any stock options or other stock-


                                      -33-


     based compensation or (v) in the case of MidCity, take any action to
     declare the MidCity Merger or the Mergers a change in control under any
     change in control severance agreement, any severance plan or any other
     MidCity Benefit Plan other than in connection with the extension of
     MidCity's Retention Plan;

          (g)  other than in connection with or relating to this Agreement,
     solicit or enter into any negotiations, discussions or agreement in respect
     of, or authorize any individual, corporation or other entity to solicit or
     encourage from any third party or enter into any negotiations, discussions
     or agreement in respect of, or provide or cause to be provided any
     confidential information in connection with any inquiries or proposals
     relating to, the disposition of all or substantially all of its business or
     assets, or the acquisition of its voting securities or the merger of it or
     any of its Subsidiaries with any corporation or other entity (any of the
     foregoing, an "Acquisition Proposal") ; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, either MB or
     MidCity may after its receipt of an Acquisition Proposal and during the
     period prior to such party's stockholders meeting to vote on this
     Agreement, provide information at the request of, participate in
     discussions with or enter into negotiations with a third party with respect
     to such Acquisition Proposal if the Board of Directors of such party
     determines in good faith that such action would be consistent with its
     fiduciary duties to the stockholders of such party under applicable law, in
     which case such party shall keep the other party hereto fully informed
     relating to all aspects of such Acquisition Proposal;

          (h)  settle any material claim, action or proceeding involving money
     damages, except in the ordinary course of business;

          (i)  knowingly take any action that would prevent or impede the
     Mergers from qualifying for "pooling of interests" accounting treatment or
     as reorganizations within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code;

          (j)  amend its certificate of incorporation or its by-laws;

          (k)  except in connection with the MB Acquisition as set forth in
     SECTION 4.17 of the MB Disclosure Schedule, restructure or materially
     change its investment securities portfolio or its gap position, through
     purchases, sales or otherwise, or the manner in which the portfolio is
     classified or reported;

          (l)  (i) voluntarily make any material changes in or to its deposit
     mix; increase or decrease the rate of interest paid on its deposit
     liabilities (including certificates of deposit), except in a manner
     pursuant to policies consistent with past practice, (ii) incur any
     liability or obligation relating to retail banking and branch
     merchandising, marketing and advertising activities and initiatives in
     excess of amounts contained in its 2001 budget previously provided to the
     other party, (iii) open any new branch or deposit taking facility except in
     connection with the MB Acquisition as set forth in SECTION 4.17 of the MB
     Disclosure Schedule or (iv) other than the closing and consolidation of
     branches in connection with the MB Acquisition as set forth in SECTION 4.17
     of the MB Disclosure Schedule, close or relocate any existing branch or
     other facility;

          (m)  make any material changes in its policy concerning loan
     underwriting or which persons may approve loans;


                                      -34-


          (n)  except for the purchase of readily marketable securities in the
     ordinary course of business and, upon prior consultation with the other
     party hereto, the establishment of or investment in one or more new
     Subsidiaries for tax planning purposes, create or invest in any new
     Subsidiary or Non-Subsidiary Affiliate;

          (o)  except as required by applicable law or regulation, (i) implement
     or adopt any material change in its interest rate and other risk management
     policies, procedures or practices, (ii) fail to follow its existing
     policies or practices with respect to managing its exposure to interest
     rate and other risk or (iii) fail to use commercially reasonable means to
     avoid any material increase in its aggregate exposure to interest rate
     risk;

          (p)  foreclose upon or otherwise take title to or possession or
     control of any real property without first obtaining a Phase I
     environmental report thereon and, if recommended in the Phase I, a Phase II
     environmental report; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that neither party nor any of its
     Subsidiaries shall be required to obtain such a report with respect to
     one-to-four-family, non-agricultural residential property of five acres or
     less to be foreclosed upon unless it has reason to believe that such
     property might be in material violation of or require remediation under
     Environmental Laws;

          (q)  take any action that is intended or expected to result in any of
     its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements set forth in this
     Agreement being or becoming untrue in any material respect at any time
     prior to the Effective Time, or in any of the conditions to the Mergers set
     forth in ARTICLE VII not being satisfied or in a violation of any provision
     of this Agreement, except, in every case, as may be required by applicable
     law;

          (r)  implement or adopt any change in its accounting principles,
     practices or methods, other than as may be required by GAAP or regulatory
     guidelines; or

          (s)  agree to take, make any commitment to take, or adopt any
     resolutions of its board of directors in support of, any of the actions
     prohibited by this SECTION 5.2.

                                   ARTICLE VI
                             ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

     Section 6.1 REGULATORY MATTERS. (a) MidCity and MB shall promptly prepare
and file with the SEC the Joint Proxy Statement and MB shall on behalf of NewCo
promptly prepare and file with the SEC the S-4, in which the Joint Proxy
Statement will be included as a prospectus. Each of MidCity and MB shall use
their commercially reasonable efforts to have the S-4 declared effective under
the Securities Act as promptly as practicable after such filing, and MidCity and
MB shall thereafter mail or deliver the Joint Proxy Statement to their
respective stockholders. MB and MidCity shall use commercially reasonable
efforts to obtain all necessary state securities law or "Blue Sky" permits and
approvals required to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
and each of them shall furnish all information concerning itself and its
stockholders as may be reasonably requested in connection with any such action.

          (b)  The parties hereto shall cooperate with each other and use their
     commercially reasonable efforts to promptly prepare and file all necessary
     documentation


                                      -35-


     to effect all applications, notices, petitions and filings, to obtain as
     promptly as practicable all permits, consents, approvals and authorizations
     of all third parties and Governmental Entities which are necessary or
     advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
     (including, without limitation, the Mergers), and to comply with the terms
     and conditions of all such permits, consents, approvals and authorizations
     of all such Governmental Entities. MidCity and MB shall have the right to
     review in advance, and, to the extent practicable, each will consult the
     other on, in each case subject to applicable laws relating to the exchange
     of information, all the information relating to MB or MidCity, as the case
     may be, and any of their respective Subsidiaries, which appear in any
     filing made with, or written materials submitted to, any third party or any
     Governmental Entity in connection with the transactions contemplated by
     this Agreement. In exercising the foregoing right, each of the parties
     hereto shall act reasonably and as promptly as practicable. The parties
     hereto agree that they will consult with each other with respect to the
     obtaining of all permits, consents, approvals and authorizations of all
     third parties and Governmental Entities necessary or advisable to
     consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each party
     will keep the other apprised of the status of matters relating to
     completion of the transactions contemplated herein.

          (c)  MidCity and MB shall, upon request, furnish each other with all
     information concerning themselves, their Subsidiaries, directors, officers
     and stockholders and such other matters as may be reasonably necessary or
     advisable in connection with the Joint Proxy Statement, the S-4 or any
     other statement, filing, notice or application made by or on behalf of
     NewCo, MidCity, MB or any of their respective Subsidiaries to any
     Governmental Entity in connection with the Mergers and the other
     transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Each of MidCity and MB agrees,
     as to itself and its Subsidiaries, that none of the information supplied or
     to be supplied by it for inclusion or incorporation by reference in (i) the
     S-4 will, at the time the S-4 and each amendment or supplement thereto, if
     any, becomes effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to
     be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
     misleading and (ii) the Joint Proxy Statement and any amendment or
     supplement thereto will, at the date of mailing to the stockholders of the
     parties and at the time of each stockholders' meeting, contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to
     be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
     misleading or any statement which, in the light of the circumstances under
     which such statement is made, will be false or misleading with respect to
     any material fact, or which will omit to state any material fact necessary
     in order to make the statements therein not false or misleading or
     necessary to correct any statement in any earlier statement in the Joint
     Proxy Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto. Each of MidCity and
     MB further agrees, if it shall become aware prior to the Effective Time of
     any information furnished by it that would cause any of the statements in
     the Joint Proxy Statement to be false or misleading with respect to any
     material fact or the omission of any material fact necessary to make the
     statements therein not false or misleading, to promptly inform the other
     party thereof and to take the necessary steps to correct the Joint Proxy
     Statement.


                                      -36-



          (d)  MB agrees to cause NewCo to advise MidCity, promptly after NewCo
     receives notice thereof, of the time when the S-4 has become effective or
     any supplement or amendment has been filed, of the issuance of any stop
     order or the suspension of the qualification of NewCo Common Stock for
     offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threat of any
     proceeding for any such purpose or of any request by the SEC for the
     amendment or supplement of the S-4 or for additional information.

          (e)  MidCity and MB shall promptly advise each other upon receiving
     any communication from any Governmental Entity whose consent or approval is
     required for consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
     Agreement that causes such party to believe that there is a reasonable
     likelihood that any Requisite Regulatory Approval (as defined below) will
     not be obtained or that the receipt of any such approval will be materially
     delayed.

     Section 6.2 ACCESS TO INFORMATION. (a) Upon reasonable notice and subject
to applicable laws relating to the exchange of information, each of MidCity and
MB, for the purposes of verifying the representations and warranties of the
other and preparing for the Mergers and the other matters contemplated by this
Agreement, shall, and shall cause each of their respective Subsidiaries to,
afford to the officers, employees, accountants, counsel and other
representatives of the other party, access, during normal business hours during
the period prior to the Effective Time, to all its properties, books, contracts,
commitments and records and, during such period, each of MidCity and MB shall,
and shall cause their respective Subsidiaries to, make available to the other
party (i) a copy of each report, schedule, registration statement and other
document filed or received by it during such period pursuant to the requirements
of federal securities laws or federal or state banking laws (other than reports
or documents which MidCity or MB, as the case may be, is not permitted to
disclose under applicable law) and (ii) all other information concerning its
business, properties and personnel as such party may reasonably request. Neither
MidCity nor MB nor any of their respective Subsidiaries shall be required to
provide access to or to disclose information where such access or disclosure
would violate or prejudice the rights of MidCity's or MB's, as the case may be,
customers, jeopardize the attorney-client privilege of the institution in
possession or control of such information or contravene any law, rule,
regulation, order, judgment, decree, fiduciary duty or binding agreement entered
into prior to the date of this Agreement. The parties hereto will make
appropriate substitute disclosure arrangements under circumstances in which the
restrictions of the preceding sentence apply.

          (b)  Each of MB and MidCity agrees that it will not, and will cause
     its representatives not to, use any information obtained pursuant to this
     SECTION 6.2 (as well as any other information obtained prior to the date
     hereof in connection with entering into this Agreement) for any purpose
     unrelated to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
     Agreement. Subject to the requirements of law, each party will keep
     confidential, and will cause its representatives to keep confidential, all
     information and documents obtained pursuant to this SECTION 6.2 (as well as
     any other information obtained prior to the date hereof in connection with
     the entering into of this Agreement) unless such information (i) was
     already known to such party, (ii) becomes available to such party from
     other sources not known by such party to be bound by a confidentiality
     obligation, (iii) is disclosed with the prior written approval of the
     providing party or (iv)


                                      -37-


     is or becomes readily ascertainable from publicly available sources. If
     this Agreement is terminated or the transactions contemplated by this
     Agreement shall otherwise fail to be consummated, each party shall promptly
     cause all copies of documents or extracts thereof containing information
     and data as to the other party to be returned to the other party.

          (c)  No investigation by either of the parties or their respective
     representatives shall affect the representations and warranties of the
     other set forth herein.

     Section 6.3 STOCKHOLDERS' APPROVALS. Each of MidCity and MB shall call a
meeting of its stockholders to be held as soon as reasonably practicable for the
purpose of voting upon the adoption of this Agreement. The Board of Directors of
MidCity shall favorably recommend adoption of this Agreement by the MidCity
stockholders and the Board of Directors of MB shall favorably recommend adoption
of this Agreement by the MB stockholders, and each such Board shall take all
other reasonable and lawful action to obtain the requisite stockholder
approvals; PROVIDED HOWEVER, if the Board of Directors of MB or MidCity
concludes that the making of (or continuing to make) a favorable recommendation
would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties to the stockholders of such
party under Delaware law (as determined in good faith), then the Board of
Directors of such party may withdraw, modify or change such recommendation.

     Section 6.4 LEGAL CONDITIONS TO MERGERS. Subject to the fiduciary duty
provisions contained in SECTIONS 5.2(g) and 6.3, each of MidCity and MB shall,
and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use their commercially reasonable efforts
(a) to take, or cause to be taken, all actions necessary, proper or advisable to
comply promptly with all legal requirements that may be imposed on such party or
its Subsidiaries with respect to the Mergers and, subject to the conditions set
forth in ARTICLE VII hereof, to consummate the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, and (b) to obtain (and to cooperate with the other party to obtain)
any material consent, authorization, order or approval of, or any exemption by,
any Governmental Entity and any other third party that is required to be
obtained by MB or MidCity or any of their respective Subsidiaries in connection
with the Mergers and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

     Section 6.5 AFFILIATES; PUBLICATION OF COMBINED FINANCIAL RESULTS. (a) Each
of MidCity and MB shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause each
director, executive officer and other person who is an "affiliate" (for purposes
of Rule 145 under the Securities Act and for purposes of qualifying the Mergers
for "pooling of interests" accounting treatment) of such party to deliver to the
other party hereto, as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and
prior to the date of the stockholders' meetings called by MidCity and MB to
approve this Agreement, a written agreement, in the form of EXHIBIT E or F, as
applicable, hereto, providing that such person will not sell, pledge, transfer
or otherwise dispose of any shares of MidCity Common Stock, or MB Capital Stock
held by such "affiliate" and any shares of NewCo Common Stock to be received by
such "affiliate" in the Mergers.

          (b)  The Surviving Corporation shall use its commercially reasonable
     efforts to publish as promptly as reasonably practical, but in no event
     later than 90 days after the end of the first month after the MB Effective
     Time in which there are at least 30 days of post-Mergers combined
     operations (which month may be the month in which the


                                      -38-


     Effective Time occurs), combined sales and net income data as contemplated
     by and in accordance with the terms of SEC Accounting Series Release No.
     135.

     Section 6.6 STOCK QUOTATION. NewCo shall use its commercially reasonable
efforts to cause the shares of NewCo Common Stock to be issued in the Mergers to
be qualified for quotation on the Nasdaq, subject to official notice of
issuance, prior to the Effective Time.

     Section 6.7 EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS. (a) From and after the Effective Time,
unless otherwise mutually determined, the MB Benefit Plans and MidCity Benefit
Plans in effect as of the date of this Agreement shall remain in effect with
respect to employees of MB or MidCity (or their Subsidiaries), respectively,
covered by such plans at the Effective Time until such time as the Surviving
Corporation shall, subject to applicable law, the terms of this Agreement and
the terms of such plans, adopt new benefit plans with respect to employees of
the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries (the "New Benefit Plans"), or
otherwise merge or combine existing MidCity Benefit Plans into MB Benefit Plans,
or vice versa. Prior to the Closing Date, MB and MidCity shall cooperate in
reviewing, evaluating and analyzing the MidCity Benefit Plans and MB Benefit
Plans with a view towards developing appropriate New Benefit Plans or combining
or merging existing benefit plans for the employees covered thereby.

          (b)  The foregoing notwithstanding, the Surviving Corporation shall
     honor in accordance with their terms all benefits vested as of the
     Effective Time under the MidCity Benefit Plans or the MB Benefit Plans or
     under other contracts, arrangements, commitments, or understandings
     described in the MidCity Disclosure Schedule and the MB Disclosure
     Schedule.

          (c)  Nothing in this SECTION 6.7 shall be interpreted as preventing
     the Surviving Corporation from amending, modifying or terminating any
     MidCity Benefit Plans, MB Benefit Plans, or other contracts, arrangements,
     commitments or understandings, in accordance with their terms and
     applicable law.

          (d)  It is the intention of MB and MidCity, during the period shortly
     following the execution of this Agreement, to coordinate efforts towards
     establishing a retention and severance program, consistent with the
     strategy for the Mergers, in an effort to retain and provide incentives to
     key personnel for the benefit of the Surviving Corporation and its
     wholly-owned Subsidiaries in a manner that provides for equitable treatment
     of similarly situated employees of MB, MidCity and their respective
     wholly-owned Subsidiaries.

          (e)  In the event that any employee of MidCity who is covered by a
     MidCity Change in Control Severance Agreement or the MidCity Severance Plan
     as of the date hereof (as disclosed in SECTION 3.13(a) of the MidCity
     Disclosure Schedule) is involuntarily terminated without cause at the
     Effective Time or within 24 months thereafter, then notwithstanding that
     the Mergers may not constitute a change in control under such employee's
     MidCity Change in Control Severance Agreement or the MidCity Severance
     Plan, the covered MidCity employee shall nevertheless be entitled to the
     applicable benefit under his or her MidCity Change in Control Severance
     Agreement or the MidCity Severance Plan, whichever is applicable. The
     provisions of this SECTION 6.7(e) shall survive the Effective Time and are
     intended to be for the benefit of, and shall


                                      -39-


     be enforceable by, each such employee of MidCity and his or her heirs and
     representatives.

          (f)  Prior to the Closing Date, MB and/or its wholly-owned
     Subsidiaries may enter into Change in Control Severance Agreements with
     senior vice presidents (or persons with equivalent responsibilities) or a
     Change in Control Severance Plan for their benefit providing up to one
     year's salary for each covered employee if he or she is involuntarily
     terminated without cause in connection with or within 24 months after a
     change in control, including the change in control arising from the
     Mergers.

     Section 6.8 INDEMNIFICATION; DIRECTORS' AND OFFICERS' INSURANCE. (a) In the
event of any threatened or actual claim, action, suit, proceeding or
investigation, whether civil, criminal or administrative, including, without
limitation, any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation in which
any individual who is now, or has been at any time prior to the date of this
Agreement, or who becomes prior to the Effective Time, a director or officer or
employee of NewCo, MB, MidCity or any of their respective Subsidiaries (the
"Indemnified Parties"), is, or is threatened to be, made a party based in whole
or in part on, or arising in whole or in part out of, or pertaining to (i) the
fact that he is or was a director, officer or employee of NewCo, MB, MidCity or
any of their respective Subsidiaries or any of their respective predecessors
prior to the Effective Time or (ii) this Agreement or any of the transactions
contemplated hereby, whether in any case asserted or arising before or after the
Effective Time, the parties hereto agree to cooperate and use their commercially
reasonable efforts to defend against and respond thereto. It is understood and
agreed that after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall indemnify
and hold harmless, as and to the fullest extent permitted by law, each such
Indemnified Party against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs,
expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees and expenses in advance of the
final disposition of any claim, suit, proceeding or investigation to each
Indemnified Party to the fullest extent permitted by law upon receipt of any
undertaking required by applicable law), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement in connection with any such threatened or actual claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation.

          (b)  The parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause
     NewCo to continue the existing officers and directors liability insurance
     of MB as of the Effective Time with coverage for the past acts and
     omissions of individuals serving as officers and directors of MB, MidCity
     and their respective Subsidiaries immediately prior to the Effective Time,
     and if such past acts and omissions coverage is available, the Surviving
     Corporation shall continue such coverage for the 6 year period next
     following the Effective Time. Prior to the Effective Time, MidCity and/or
     MB, at the election of MB, shall procure 6 year tail coverage under its
     existing policies of officers' and directors' liability insurance for the
     past acts and omissions of individuals serving as officers and directors of
     such party and its Subsidiaries prior to the Effective Time in lieu of any
     obligation of the Surviving Corporation to provide any officers and
     directors liability insurance coverage for past acts and omissions.

          (c)  In the event the Surviving Corporation or any of its successors
     or assigns (i) consolidates with or merges into any other person and shall
     not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such
     consolidation or merger, or (ii) transfers or


                                      -40-


     conveys all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any
     person, then, and in each such case, to the extent necessary, proper
     provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of the Surviving
     Corporation assume the obligations set forth in this SECTION 6.8.

          (d)  The provisions of this SECTION 6.8 shall survive the Effective
     Time and are intended to be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable
     by, each Indemnified Party and his or her heirs and representatives.

     Section 6.9 ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS. In case at any time after the Effective
Time any further action is necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of
this Agreement (including, without limitation, any merger between a Subsidiary
of MB, on the one hand, and a Subsidiary of MidCity, on the other) or to vest
the Surviving Corporation with full title to all properties, assets, rights,
approvals, immunities and franchises of MB or MidCity, the proper officers and
directors of each party to this Agreement and their respective Subsidiaries
shall take all such necessary action as may be reasonably requested by, and at
the sole expense of, the Surviving Corporation.

     Section 6.10 ADVICE OF CHANGES. MidCity and MB shall each promptly advise
the other party of any change or event (i) having, or reasonably likely to
result in, a Material Adverse Effect on it or (ii) which it believes would or
would be reasonably likely to cause or constitute a material breach of any of
its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained herein.

     Section 6.11 REDEMPTION OF COMMON STOCK BY MB. At any time that MB Rights
are exercised prior to the Effective Time, MB shall redeem or otherwise acquire
a number of shares of outstanding MB Common Stock equal to the number of shares
of MB Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of such MB Rights; provided
no such action shall be taken by MB at any time that such action would adversely
affect the ability of (i) the Mergers to qualify as a "pooling of interests"
under GAAP or (ii) either of the Mergers to qualify as a reorganization under
Section 368 of the Code. MB shall also have the right to accept outstanding
shares of MB Common Stock in payment of the exercise price of MB Rights.

     Section 6.12 NEWCO AS AN ADDITIONAL PARTY. Upon the organization of NewCo,
MB and MidCity shall cause NewCo to take all necessary corporate action to
approve and adopt this Agreement and to become a party to this Agreement. NewCo
shall become a party to this Agreement by executing a counterpart hereof
agreeing to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

                                   ARTICLE VII
                              CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

     Section 7.1 CONDITIONS TO EACH PARTY'S OBLIGATION TO EFFECT THE MERGERS.
The respective obligations of the parties to effect the Mergers shall be subject
to the satisfaction at or prior to the Effective Time of the following
conditions:


                                      -41-



          (a)  STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL. This Agreement shall have been adopted by
     the respective requisite affirmative votes of the holders of MidCity Common
     Stock and the MB Common Stock entitled to vote thereon.

          (b)  NASDAQ LISTING. The shares of NewCo Common Stock which shall be
     issued to the stockholders of MB and MidCity upon consummation of the
     Mergers shall have been qualified for quotation on the Nasdaq, subject to
     official notice of issuance.

          (c)  OTHER APPROVALS. All regulatory approvals required to consummate
     the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained and shall
     remain in full force and effect and all statutory waiting periods in
     respect thereof shall have expired (all such approvals and the expiration
     of all such waiting periods being referred to herein as the "Requisite
     Regulatory Approvals").

          (d)  S-4. The S-4 shall have become effective under the Securities Act
     and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the S-4 shall have been
     issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or
     threatened by the SEC.

          (e)  NO INJUNCTIONS OR RESTRAINTS; ILLEGALITY. No order, injunction or
     decree issued by any court or agency of competent jurisdiction or other
     legal restraint or prohibition (an "Injunction") preventing the
     consummation of either of the Mergers or any of the other transactions
     contemplated by this Agreement shall be in effect. No statute, rule,
     regulation, order, injunction or decree shall have been enacted, entered,
     promulgated or enforced by any Governmental Entity which prohibits,
     materially restricts or makes illegal consummation of either of the
     Mergers.

          (f)  FEDERAL TAX OPINION. MB shall have received on the date the final
     Form S-4 is filed with the SEC and before it becomes effective, a written
     opinion from its tax counsel, Silver, Freedman & Taff L.L.P., and MidCity
     shall have received on the date the final Form S-4 is filed with the SEC
     and before it becomes effective, a written opinion from its tax counsel,
     Winston & Strawn, in form and substance satisfactory to them, and such
     opinions shall not have been withdrawn prior to the MB Effective Time. The
     issuance of such opinions shall be conditioned upon the receipt by tax
     counsel of customary representation letters from MB and MidCity in form and
     substance satisfactory to tax counsel. Each tax opinion shall conclude
     that:

               (i)  each of the Mergers will constitute a reorganization under
          Section 368(a) of the Code;

               (ii) None of MidCity, MB or the Surviving Corporation will
          recognize any gain or loss as a result of the Mergers; and

               (iii) no gain or loss will be recognized by stockholders of
          MidCity or MB who exchange their common stock solely for NewCo Common
          Stock pursuant to the Mergers (except to the extent cash is paid in
          lieu of a fractional share interest in NewCo Common Stock).


                                      -42-


          (g)  POOLING OF INTERESTS. MidCity and MB shall each have received a
     letter from their respective independent accountants addressed to MB or
     MidCity, as the case may be, to the effect that the Mergers will qualify
     for "pooling of interests" accounting treatment.

          (h)  DISSENTERS. Holders of no more than 5% of the outstanding shares
     of MidCity Common Stock shall have asserted the right to seek relief as a
     dissenting stockholders under Section 262 and other applicable provisions
     of the DGCL.

     Section 7.2 CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF MIDCITY. The obligation of MidCity
to effect the MidCity Merger is also subject to the satisfaction, or waiver by
MidCity, at or prior to the MidCity Effective Time, of the following conditions:

          (a)  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The representations and
     warranties of MB set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct in
     all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and (except to the
     extent such representations and warranties speak as of an earlier date) as
     of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date; provided,
     however, that for purposes of this paragraph, such representations and
     warranties (other than the representation set forth in the last sentence of
     SECTION 3.2(a)) shall be deemed to be true and correct as of the Closing
     Date based upon events and circumstances occurring after the date of this
     Agreement and prior to Closing unless the failure or failures of such
     representations and warranties to be so true and correct, either
     individually, collectively or when aggregated with other events and
     circumstances, and without giving effect to any qualification as to
     materiality set forth in such representations or warranties, will have a
     Material Adverse Effect on MB or the Surviving Corporation.

          (b)  PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATIONS OF MB. MB shall have performed in all
     material respects all obligations required to be performed by it under this
     Agreement at or prior to the Closing Date.

          (c)  NO MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT. No fact, event or circumstance
     (inclusive of material litigation which has a reasonable likelihood of
     being adversely determined) has occurred individually, or taken together
     with other facts, events and circumstances, that has resulted in, or is
     reasonably likely to result in, a Material Adverse Effect on MB.

          (d)  OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE. MidCity shall have received a certificate
     dated the Closing Date, signed on behalf of MB by its Chief Executive
     Officer and Chief Financial Officer to the effect that the conditions set
     forth in SECTIONS 7.2(a) - (c) have been satisfied.

     Section 7.3 CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF MB. The obligation of MB to effect
the MB Merger is also subject to the satisfaction or waiver by MB at or prior to
the MB Effective Time of the following conditions:

          (a)  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The representations and
     warranties of MidCity set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct
     in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and (except to
     the extent such representations and warranties


                                      -43-


     speak as of an earlier date) as of the Closing Date as though made on and
     as of the Closing Date, provided, however, that for purposes of this
     paragraph, such representations and warranties (other than the
     representation set forth in the last sentence of SECTION 4.2(a)) shall be
     deemed to be true and correct as of the Closing Date based upon events and
     circumstances occurring after the date of this Agreement and prior to
     Closing unless the failure or failures of such representations and
     warranties to be so true and correct, either individually, collectively or
     when aggregated with other events and circumstances, and without giving
     effect to any qualification as to materiality set forth in such
     representations or warranties, will have a Material Adverse Effect on
     MidCity or the Surviving Corporation.

          (b)  PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATIONS OF MIDCITY. MidCity shall have
     performed in all material respects all obligations required to be performed
     by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing Date.

          (c)  NO MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT. No fact, event or circumstance
     (inclusive of material litigation which has a reasonable likelihood of
     being adversely determined) has occurred individually, or taken together
     with other facts, events and circumstances, that has resulted in, or is
     reasonably likely to result in, a Material Adverse Effect on MidCity.

          (d)  OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE. MB shall have received a certificate dated
     the Closing Date, signed on behalf of MidCity by its Chief Executive
     Officer and Chief Financial Officer to the effect that the conditions set
     forth in SECTIONS 7.3(a) - (c) have been satisfied.

                                  ARTICLE VIII
                            TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT

     Section 8.1 TERMINATION. This Agreement may be terminated at any time prior
to the Effective Time, whether before or after approval of the matters presented
in connection with the Mergers by the stockholders of MidCity or MB:

          (a)  by mutual consent of MidCity and MB in a written instrument, if
     the Board of Directors of each so determines by a vote of a majority of the
     members of its entire Board;

          (b)  by either the Board of Directors of MidCity or the Board of
     Directors of MB if any Governmental Entity that must grant a Requisite
     Regulatory Approval has denied approval of either of the Mergers and such
     denial has become final and nonappealable or any Governmental Entity of
     competent jurisdiction shall have issued a final nonappealable order
     permanently enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of either
     of the Mergers;

          (c)  by either the Board of Directors of MidCity or the Board of
     Directors of MB if the Mergers shall not have been consummated on or before
     the first anniversary of the date of this Agreement, unless the failure of
     the Closing to occur by such date shall be due to the failure of the party
     seeking to terminate this Agreement to perform or observe the covenants and
     agreements of such party set forth herein;


                                      -44-


          (d)  by either the Board of Directors of MidCity or the Board of
     Directors of MB (provided that the terminating party is not then in breach
     of any representation, warranty, covenant or other agreement contained
     herein) if there shall have been a breach of any of the covenants or
     agreements or any of the representations or warranties set forth in this
     Agreement on the part of MB, in the case of a termination by MidCity, or
     MidCity, in the case of a termination by MB, which breach, either
     individually or in the aggregate, would constitute, if occurring or
     continuing on the Closing Date, the failure of a condition set forth in
     SECTIONS 7.2(a) or (b) or SECTIONS 7.3(a) or (b), as the case may be, and
     which is not cured within 45 days following written notice to the party
     committing such breach or by its nature or timing cannot be cured prior to
     the Closing Date;

          (e)  by either the Board of Directors of MidCity or the Board of
     Directors of MB, at any time following the MidCity or MB stockholders
     meeting to vote on this Agreement if said stockholders voted on this
     Agreement but did not adopt this Agreement at said meeting provided
     however, a termination pursuant to Section 8.1(f) or (g) shall be
     controlling over any simultaneous or concurrent termination under this
     Section 8.1(e);

          (f)  by the Board of Directors of MidCity, at any time prior to the
     adoption of this Agreement by the stockholders of MB, if the Board of
     Directors of MB shall have failed to recommend adoption of this Agreement
     to the stockholders of MB, withdrawn such recommendation or modified or
     changed such recommendation in a manner adverse in any respect to the
     interest of MidCity or the stockholders of MidCity;

          (g)  by the Board of Directors of MB, at any time prior to the
     adoption of this Agreement by the stockholders of MidCity, if the Board of
     Directors of MidCity shall have failed to recommend adoption of this
     Agreement to the stockholders of MidCity, withdrawn such recommendation or
     modified or changed such recommendation in a manner adverse in any respect
     to the interest of MB or the stockholders of MB;

          (h)  by the Board of Directors of MidCity prior to the adoption of
     this Agreement by the MidCity stockholders for the sole purpose of
     permitting MidCity to enter into an agreement with a third party in respect
     of an Acquisition Proposal; PROVIDED HOWEVER, the right of termination
     provided herein shall only apply if the Board of Directors of MidCity has
     complied with its obligations under SECTIONS 5.2(g) and 6.3;

          (i)  by the Board of Directors of MB prior to the adoption of this
     Agreement by the MB stockholders for the sole purpose of permitting MB to
     enter into an agreement with a third party in respect of an Acquisition
     Proposal; PROVIDED HOWEVER, the right of termination provided herein shall
     only apply if the Board of Directors of MB has complied with its
     obligations under SECTIONS 5.2(g) and 6.3; or

          (j)  by either the Board of Directors of MidCity or the Board of
     Directors of MB, if (either before or after the adoption of this Agreement
     by such party's stockholders) (i) such party's Board of Directors so
     determines by a vote of at least a majority of the members of its entire
     Board, at any time during the ten-day period commencing with the
     Determination Date (as hereinafter defined), and (ii) both of the following
     conditions are satisfied:


                                      -45-


               A.   The MB Common Stock Average Price (as hereinafter defined)
          on the Determination Date shall be less than $13.29, and

               B.   The MB Ratio (as hereinafter defined) is less than the Index
          Ratio (as hereinafter defined).

               For purposes of this subsection (j), the following terms shall
          have the meanings indicated:

               "MB Common Stock Average Price" means the average of the daily
          closing sales prices of MB Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq (as
          reported in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL or, if not reported therein, in
          another authoritative source chosen by MB) for the 20 consecutive full
          trading days in which such shares are reported on the Nasdaq ending at
          the close of trading on the Determination Date.

               "Determination Date" means the date of the last Requisite
          Regulatory Approval for the Mergers is received.

               "Index Price" on a given date means the weighted average
          (weighted in accordance with the definition of "Index Group" below) of
          the closing prices on such date of the companies composing the Index
          Group ( as defined below). If any company belonging to the Index Group
          or MB declares or effects a stock dividend, reclassification,
          recapitalization, split-up, combination, exchange of share or similar
          transaction between the Starting Date and the Determination Date, the
          prices for the common stock of such company or MB will be
          appropriately adjusted for use in the Index.

               "Starting Date" means the first Nasdaq trading day preceding the
          announcement of this Agreement.

               "MB Ratio" means the number obtained by dividing the MB Common
          Stock Average Price on the Determination Date by the closing sales
          price of MB Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq (as reported in THE
          WALL STREET JOURNAL or, if not reported therein, in another
          authoritative source chosen by MB) on the Starting Date.

               "Index Ratio" means the number obtained by subtracting .15 from
          the quotient of the Index Price at the close of business on the
          Determination Date divided by the Index Price at close of business on
          the Starting Date.

               "Index Group" shall mean the 20 financial institution holding
          companies listed below, the common stocks of all of which shall be
          publicly traded and as to which there shall not have been, since the
          Starting Date and before the Determination Date, any public
          announcement of a proposal for such company to be acquired or for such
          company to acquire another company or companies in transactions with a
          value exceeding 25% of the acquiror's market capitalization. In the
          event that the common stock of any such company ceases to be publicly


                                      -46-



          traded or such an announcement is made, such company will be removed
          from the Index Group and the weights (which were determined based on
          market capitalization) shall be redistributed proportionately for
          determining the Index Price. The 20 financial institution holding
          companies are as follows:



               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               TICKER                FINANCIAL INSTITUTION                     % WEIGHTING
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           
               FMBI            First Midwest Bancorp, Inc.                       16.518
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               AMFI            AMCORE Financial, Inc.                             7.075
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               CORS            Corus Bankshares, Inc.                            10.176
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               WTFC            Wintrust Financial Corporation                     2.263
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               MBHI            Midwest Banc Holdings, Inc.                        2.606
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               BUSE            First Busey Corporation                            3.841
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               FOBB            First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc.                   1.705
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               OSBC            Old Second Bancorp, Inc.                           2.040
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               PVTB            Private Bancorp, Inc.                              0.907
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               IBNK            Integra Bank Corporation                           5.142
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               IRWN            Irwin Financial Corporation                        5.930
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               THFF            First Financial Corporation                        3.370
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               CBCF            Citizens Banking Corporation                      16.847
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               CHFC            Chemical Financial Corporation                     7.443
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               IBCP            Independent Bank Corporation                       3.276
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               MVBI            Mississippi Valley Bancshares, Inc.                4.600
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               ALLE            Allegiant Bancorp, Inc.                            1.283
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               GSBC            Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.                       2.311
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               SBCO            Southside Bancshares Corp.                         1.303
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               SFSW            State Financial Services Corporation               1.364
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   TOTAL                                           100%
               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


     Section 8.2 EFFECT OF TERMINATION. In the event of termination of this
Agreement by either MidCity or MB as provided in SECTION 8.1, this Agreement
shall forthwith become void and have no effect, and none of MidCity, MB, any of
their respective Subsidiaries or any of the officers or directors of any of them
shall have any liability of any nature whatsoever hereunder, or in connection
with the transactions contemplated hereby, except that (i) SECTIONS 6.2(b), 8.2,
8.3, 9.2 and 9.3 shall survive any termination of this Agreement, and (ii)
notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, neither
MidCity nor MB shall be relieved or released from any liabilities or damages
arising out of its willful breach of any provision of this Agreement. As soon as
practicable following any termination of this Agreement, MB and MidCity shall
cause NewCo to be liquidated and dissolved in accordance with Maryland law.

     Section 8.3 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES. (a) If this Agreement is terminated by MB
pursuant to SECTION 8.1(g) or by MidCity pursuant to SECTIONS 8.1(h), then upon
such termination, MidCity


                                      -47-


shall pay MB liquidated damages, in immediately available funds, in the amount
of $5 million (the "MB Liquidated Damages"). In the event that MidCity receives
an Acquisition Proposal from a third party prior to the time that the MidCity
stockholders vote on this Agreement and thereafter the MidCity stockholders fail
to adopt this Agreement, then if MidCity enters into an agreement to engage in,
or consummates, an Acquisition Proposal (other than an acquisition by MidCity of
another entity for cash or MidCity Common Stock representing less than 20% of
the issued and outstanding MidCity Common Stock after giving effect to such
acquisition), in either case within one year after the termination of this
Agreement, then upon the occurrence of either such event (whichever shall first
occur), MidCity shall pay to MB the MB Liquidated Damages.

          (b)  If this Agreement is terminated by MidCity pursuant to SECTION
     8.1(f) or by MB pursuant to SECTIONS 8.1(i), then upon such termination, MB
     shall pay MidCity liquidated damages, in immediately available funds, in
     the amount of $5 million (the "MidCity Liquidated Damages"). In the event
     that MB receives an Acquisition Proposal from a third party prior to the
     time that the MB stockholders vote on this Agreement and thereafter the MB
     stockholders fail to adopt this Agreement, then if MB enters into an
     agreement to engage in, or consummates, an Acquisition Proposal (other than
     an acquisition by MB of another entity for cash or MB Common Stock
     representing less than 20% of the issued and outstanding MB Common Stock
     after giving effect to such acquisition), in either case within one year
     after the termination of this Agreement, then upon the occurrence of either
     such event (whichever shall first occur), MB shall pay to MidCity the
     MidCity Liquidated Damages.

     Section 8.4 AMENDMENT. Subject to compliance with applicable law and
SECTION 1.1(b), this Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto, by action
taken or authorized by their respective Boards of Directors, at any time before
or after approval of the matters presented in connection with the Mergers by the
stockholders of MidCity and MB; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that after any approval of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement by the respective stockholders
of MidCity or MB, there may not be, without further approval of such
stockholders, any amendment of this Agreement that changes the amount or the
form of the consideration to be delivered hereunder to the holders of MB Common
Stock or MidCity Common Stock. This Agreement may not be amended except by an
instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the parties hereto.

     Section 8.5 EXTENSION; WAIVER. At any time prior to the Effective Time, the
parties hereto, by action taken or authorized by their respective Board of
Directors, may, to the extent legally allowed, (a) extend the time for the
performance of any of the obligations or other acts of the other parties hereto,
(b) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties contained
herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto and (c) waive compliance
with any of the agreements or conditions contained herein; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that after any approval of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement by
the respective stockholders of MidCity or MB, there may not be, without further
approval of such stockholders, any extension or waiver of this Agreement or any
portion thereof which reduces the amount or changes the form of the
consideration to be delivered to the holders of MB Common Stock or MidCity
Common Stock hereunder,. Any agreement on the part of a party hereto to any such
extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth in a written instrument
signed on behalf of such party, but such extension or waiver or failure to
insist on strict compliance with an obligation, covenant, agreement or


                                      -48-


condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any
subsequent or other failure.

                                   ARTICLE IX
                               GENERAL PROVISIONS

     Section 9.1 CLOSING. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement,
the closing of the Mergers (the "Closing") will take place at 10:00 a.m. on a
date and at a place to be specified by the parties, which shall be no later than
five business days after the satisfaction or waiver (subject to applicable law)
of the latest to occur of the conditions set forth in ARTICLE VII hereof, unless
extended by mutual agreement of the parties (the "Closing Date").

     Section 9.2 NONSURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS. None
of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement
or in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement (other than the
Confidentiality Agreement, which shall terminate in accordance with terms) shall
survive the MidCity Effective Time, except for SECTION 6.8 and for those other
covenants and agreements contained herein and therein which by their terms apply
in whole or in part after the Effective Time.

     Section 9.3 EXPENSES. All costs and expenses incurred in connection with
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the
party incurring such expense; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the costs and expenses of
printing and mailing the Joint Proxy Statement, all filing and other fees to be
paid to Regulatory Agencies in connection with the Mergers and the Subsidiary
Mergers, if applicable, and all costs and expenses of NewCo shall be borne
equally by MidCity and MB, except the fees payable to Nasdaq in excess of
$17,500 to list the shares of NewCo Common Stock to be issued in the Mergers
shall be the sole obligation of MidCity.

     Section 9.4 NOTICES. All notices and other communications hereunder shall
be in writing and shall be deemed given if delivered personally, telecopied
(with confirmation), mailed by registered or certified mail (return receipt
requested) or delivered by an express courier (with confirmation) to the parties
at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be
specified by like notice):

     (a)  if to MB, to:

               MB Financial, Inc.
               1200 N. Ashland Avenue
               Chicago, Illinois 60622
               Attention: Mitchell Feiger
               Fax: (773) 278-0092


                                      -49-


          with a copy to:

               Silver, Freedman & Taff, L.L.P.
               1100 New York Avenue, N.W.
               Washington, D.C. 20005
               Attention: Barry P. Taff, Esq.
               Fax: (202) 682-0354

     and

     (b)  if to MidCity, to:

               MidCity Financial Corporation
               801 W. Madison Street
               Chicago, IL 60607
               Attention: E. M. Bakwin
               Fax: (312) 421-6016

          with a copy to:

               Winston & Strawn
               35 W. Wacker Drive
               Chicago, IL 60601
               Attention: James M. Neis, Esq.
               Fax: (312) 558-5700

     Section 9.5 INTERPRETATION. When a reference is made in this Agreement to
Sections, Exhibits or Schedules, such reference shall be to a Section of or
Exhibit or Schedule to this Agreement, unless otherwise indicated. The table of
contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes
only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this
Agreement. Whenever the words "include," "includes" or "including" are used in
this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words "without
limitation".

     Section 9.6 COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts,
all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become
effective when counterparts have been signed by each of the parties and
delivered to the other parties, it being understood that all parties need not
sign the same counterpart.

     Section 9.7 ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement (including the documents and
the instruments referred to herein) constitutes the entire agreement and
supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among
the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

     Section 9.8 GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to any
applicable conflicts of law principles, except to the extent mandatory
provisions of federal, Maryland or Delaware law apply.


                                      -50-


     Section 9.9 PUBLICITY. Except as otherwise required by applicable law or
the rules of the Nasdaq, neither MidCity nor MB shall, or shall permit any of
its Subsidiaries to, issue or cause the publication of any press release or
other public announcement with respect to, or otherwise make any public
statement concerning, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement without
the consent of MB, in the case of a proposed announcement or statement by
MidCity, or MidCity, in the case of a proposed announcement or statement by MB,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

     Section 9.10 ASSIGNMENT; THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES. Neither this Agreement
nor any of the rights, interests or obligations shall be assigned by any of the
parties hereto (whether by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior
written consent of the other parties. Subject to the preceding sentence, this
Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by
the parties and their respective successors and assigns. Except as otherwise
specifically provided in SECTIONS 6.7(e) and 6.8, this Agreement (including the
documents and instruments referred to herein) is not intended to confer upon any
person other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies hereunder.

                            [signature page follows]


                                      -51-



     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, MidCity and MB have caused this Amended and Restated
Agreement and Plan of Merger to be executed by their respective officers
thereunto duly authorized on this 29th day of June, 2001.


                                   MIDCITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION

                                   By:  /s/ Kenneth A. Skopec
                                        ----------------------------------
                                        Name:     Kenneth A. Skopec
                                        Title:    President

                                   MB FINANCIAL, INC.

                                   By:  /s/ Mitchell Feiger
                                        ----------------------------------
                                        Name:     Mitchell Feiger
                                        Title:    President and Chief Executive
                                                  Officer



     The undersigned corporation has become a party to the foregoing Amended and
Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger as of this 2nd day of July, 2001 and
agrees to be bound by the terms and provisions thereof.

                                   MB-MIDCITY, INC.

                                   By:  /s/ Mitchell Feiger
                                        ----------------------------------
                                        Name:     Mitchell Feiger
                                        Title:    President and Chief Executive
                                                  Officer






                                                                      APPENDIX B


April 19, 2001


Board of Directors
MB Financial, Inc.
1200 North Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622


Ladies and Gentlemen:

     MB Financial, Inc. ("MB Financial") and MidCity Financial Corporation
("MidCity") have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April
19, 2001 (the "Agreement"), pursuant to which MB Financial and MidCity will each
merge with and into a new corporation ("NewCo") to be organized by MB Financial
and MidCity (the "Mergers"). Upon consummation of the MB Merger, each share of
MB Financial common stock, par value $.01 per share, issued and outstanding
immediately prior to the MB Merger (the "MB Financial Shares"), other than
certain shares specified in the Agreement, will be converted into one share (the
"MB Exchange Ratio") of NewCo common stock, par value $.01 per share. Upon
consummation of the MidCity Merger, each share of MidCity common stock, par
value $20.00 per share, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the MidCity
Merger, other than certain shares specified in the Agreement, will be converted
into 230.32955 shares of NewCo common stock. The terms and conditions of the
Mergers are more fully set forth in the Agreement and capitalized terms used but
not defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement. You have
requested our opinion as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the
MB Exchange Ratio to the holders of MB Financial Shares.

     Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., as part of its investment banking
business, is regularly engaged in the valuation of financial institutions and
their securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions and other corporate
transactions. In connection with this opinion, we have reviewed, among other
things: (1) the Agreement and certain of the exhibits and schedules thereto; (2)
certain publicly available financial statements and other historical financial
information of MB Financial that we deemed relevant; (3) certain publicly
available financial statements and other historical financial information of
MidCity that we deemed relevant; (4) projected earnings per share estimates for
MB Financial for the years ending December 31, 2001 and 2002 provided by MB
Financial, consensus earnings per share estimates for MB Financial for the years
ending December 31, 2001 and 2002 published by IBES and the views of senior
management of MB Financial, based on limited discussions with members of senior
management, regarding MB Financial's past and present business, financial
condition, results of operations and future prospects; (5) projected earnings
per share estimates for MidCity for the years ending December 31, 2001 and 2002
provided by MidCity, and the views of senior management of MidCity, based on
limited discussions with members of senior management, regarding MidCity's past
and present business, financial condition, results of operations and future
prospects; (6) the pro forma financial impact of the Mergers, taking into
consideration the amounts and timing of the transaction costs and cost savings
which the



Board of Directors
MB Financial, Inc.
April 19, 2001
Page 2


managements of MB Financial and MidCity estimate will result from the
Mergers; (7) the relative contributions of MB Financial and MidCity to the
combined company; (8) the publicly reported historical price and trading
activity for MB Financial's common stock; (9) a comparison of certain financial
and stock market information for MB Financial and certain financial information
for MidCity with similar publicly available information for certain other
companies the securities of which are publicly traded; (10) the financial terms
of certain recent business combinations in the financial institutions industry,
including certain business combinations structured as mergers of equals, to the
extent publicly available; (11) the current market environment generally and the
banking environment in particular; and (12) such other information, financial
studies, analyses and investigations and financial, economic and market criteria
as we considered relevant.

     In performing our review, we have relied upon the accuracy and completeness
of all of the financial and other information that was available to us from
public sources, that was provided to us by MB Financial or MidCity or their
respective representatives or that was otherwise reviewed by us and have assumed
such accuracy and completeness for purposes of rendering this opinion. We have
further relied on the assurances of management of MB Financial and MidCity that
they are not aware of any facts or circumstances that would make any of such
information inaccurate or misleading. We have not been asked to and have not
undertaken an independent verification of any of such information and we do not
assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness thereof.
We did not make an independent evaluation or appraisal of the specific assets,
the collateral securing assets or the liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of
MB Financial or MidCity or any of their subsidiaries, or the collectibility of
any such assets, nor have we been furnished with any such evaluations or
appraisals. We did not make an independent evaluation of the adequacy of the
allowance for loan losses of MB Financial or MidCity nor have we reviewed any
individual credit files relating to MB Financial or MidCity. We have assumed,
with your consent, that the respective allowances for loan losses for both MB
Financial and MidCity are adequate to cover such losses and will be adequate on
a pro forma basis for the combined entity. We are not accountants and have
relied upon the reports of the independent accountants for each of MB Financial
and MidCity for the accuracy and completeness of the audited financial
statements made available to us. With your consent, the earnings projections for
MB Financial and MidCity used by Sandler O'Neill in its analyses were based on
earnings estimates provided to us by the respective managements of MB Financial
and MidCity. With respect to such estimates and with respect to all projections
of transaction costs and expected cost savings prepared by and reviewed with the
managements of MB Financial and MidCity and used by Sandler O'Neill in its
analyses, Sandler O'Neill assumed, with your consent, that they reflected the
best currently available estimates and judgments of the respective managements
of the respective future financial performances of MB Financial and MidCity and
that such performances will be achieved. We express no opinion as to such
earnings estimates or financial projections or the assumptions on which they are
based. We have also assumed that there has been no material change in MB
Financial's or MidCity's assets, financial condition, results of operations,
business or prospects since the date of the most recent financial statements
made available to us. We have assumed in all respects material to our analysis
that MB



Board of Directors
MB Financial, Inc.
April 19, 2001
Page 3


Financial and MidCity will remain as going concerns for all periods relevant to
our analyses, that all of the representations and warranties contained in the
Agreement and all related agreements are true and correct, that each party to
such agreements will perform all of the covenants required to be performed by
such party under such agreements, that the conditions precedent in the Agreement
are not waived and that the Mergers will be accounted for as poolings of
interests and will qualify as tax-free reorganizations for federal income tax
purposes.

     Our opinion is necessarily based on financial, economic, market and other
conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to us as of, the
date hereof. Events occurring after the date hereof could materially affect this
opinion. We have not undertaken to update, revise, reaffirm or withdraw this
opinion or otherwise comment upon events occurring after the date hereof. We are
expressing no opinion herein as to what the value of NewCo's common stock will
be when issued to the shareholders of MB Financial and MidCity pursuant to the
Agreement or the prices at which MB Financial's or MidCity's common stock will
trade at any time.

     We have acted as MB Financial's financial advisor in connection with the
Mergers and will receive a fee for our services, a significant portion of which
is contingent upon consummation of the Mergers. We will also receive a fee for
rendering this opinion. In the past, we have also provided certain other
investment banking services for MB Financial and have received compensation for
such services.

     In the ordinary course of our business as a broker-dealer, we may purchase
securities from and sell securities to MB Financial and MidCity. We may also
actively trade the debt and/or equity securities of MB Financial and MidCity for
our own account and for the accounts of our customers and, accordingly, may at
any time hold a long or short position in such securities.

     Our opinion is directed to the Board of Directors of MB Financial in
connection with its consideration of the Mergers and does not constitute a
recommendation to any shareholder of MB Financial as to how such shareholder
should vote at any meeting of shareholders called to consider and vote upon the
Mergers. Our opinion is not to be quoted or referred to, in whole or in part, in
a registration statement, prospectus, proxy statement or in any other document,
nor shall this opinion be used for any other purposes, without Sandler O'Neill's
prior written consent.

     Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion, as of the date
hereof, that the MB Exchange Ratio is fair, from a financial point of view, to
the holders of MB Financial Shares.

                                   Very truly yours,


                                   Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.




                                                                      APPENDIX C


April 19, 2001


Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corporation
801 West Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60607


Dear Members of the Board:

     We understand that MidCity Financial Corporation ("MidCity "), a
Delaware corporation, and MB Financial, Inc. ("MB"), a Delaware corporation,
have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Agreement") dated as
of April 19, 2001, pursuant to which the Board of Directors of both MidCity
and MB have determined that it is in the best interests of their respective
shareholders to merge their respective holding companies in a transaction
structured as a merger-of-equals. To accomplish this result, MidCity and MB
will form a new corporation ("NewCo") into which both MidCity and MB will be
merged (the "Merger"). As set forth in Sections 1.5(a) and 1.6(a) of the
Agreement, at the Effective Time of the Merger (as defined in the Agreement),
each of the outstanding shares of MB common stock ("MB Common Stock"), par
value $.01 per share, will be converted into and have the right to receive
one (1) share of NewCo common stock (the "NewCo Common Stock"), par value
$0.01 per share, and each of the outstanding shares of MidCity common stock
("MidCity Common Stock"), par value $20.00 per share, will be converted into
and have the right to receive 230.32955 shares (the "Exchange Ratio") of
NewCo Common Stock. In connection therewith, you have requested our opinion
as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the Exchange Ratio to
the shareholders of MidCity.

     Hovde Financial LLC ("Hovde"), as part of its investment banking business,
is continually engaged in the valuation of businesses and their securities in
connection with mergers and acquisitions, negotiated underwritings, competitive
bidding, secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private
placements and valuations for estate, corporate and other purposes. We are
familiar with MidCity, having acted as its financial advisor in connection with,
and having participated in the negotiations leading to, the Agreement. We are
also familiar with MB, as from time to time we have provided investment banking
and financial advisory services to MB for which we previously have received
fees. As you are aware, in the course of its daily trading activities,
investment funds controlled by an affiliate (as such term is defined in
Regulation 12G-2 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended) of Hovde and their affiliates may from time to time effect transactions
and hold securities of



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corporation
April 19, 2001
Page 2 of 4


MidCity and MB. As of the date of this opinion, Hovde-affiliated entities held 0
shares of MidCity Common Stock and 402,838 shares of MB Common Stock.

     We were retained by MidCity to act as its financial advisor in connection
with the Merger. We will receive compensation from MidCity in connection with
our services, a significant portion of which is contingent upon the consummation
of the Merger. MidCity has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities
arising out of our engagement.

     During the course of our engagement and for the purposes of the opinion set
forth herein, we have:

     (i)    reviewed the Agreement;

     (ii)   reviewed certain historical publicly available business and
            financial information concerning MidCity and MB;

     (iii)  reviewed certain internal financial statements and other financial
            and operating data concerning MidCity and MB;

     (iv)   analyzed certain financial projections prepared by the managements
            of MidCity and MB;

     (v)    conducted meetings with members of the senior management of MidCity
            and MB for the purpose of reviewing the future prospects of MidCity
            and MB, including financial forecasts related to the respective
            businesses, earnings, assets, liabilities and the amount and timing
            of cost savings and revenue enhancements (the "Synergies") expected
            to be achieved as a result of the Merger;

     (vi)   reviewed historical market prices and trading volumes for MidCity
            Common Stock and MB Common Stock;

     (vii)  evaluated the pro forma ownership of MB Common Stock by MidCity's
            shareholders relative to the pro forma contribution of MidCity's
            assets, liabilities, equity and earnings to the pro forma company;

     (viii) reviewed the terms of recent merger and acquisition transactions, to
            the extent publicly available, involving banks and bank holding
            companies that we considered relevant;



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corporation
April 19, 2001
Page 3 of 4


     (ix) analyzed the pro forma impact of the Merger on the combined company's
          earnings per share, consolidated capitalization and financial ratios;

     (x)  performed such other analyses and considered such other factors as we
          have deemed appropriate.

     We also took into account our assessment of general economic, market and
financial conditions and our experience in other transactions, as well as our
knowledge of the banking industry and our general experience in securities
valuations.

     In rendering this opinion, we have assumed, without independent
verification, the accuracy and completeness of the financial and other
information and representations contained in the materials provided to us by
MidCity and MB and in the discussions with MidCity and MB managements. In that
regard, we have assumed that the financial forecasts, including, without
limitation, the Synergies and projections regarding under-performing and
non-performing assets and net charge-offs have been reasonably prepared on a
basis reflecting the best currently available information and judgments and
estimates of MidCity and MB and that such forecasts will be realized in the
amounts and at the times contemplated thereby. We are not experts in the
evaluation of loan and lease portfolios for purposes of assessing the adequacy
of the allowances for losses with respect thereto and have assumed that such
allowances for MidCity and MB are in the aggregate adequate to cover such
losses. We were not retained to and did not conduct a physical inspection of any
of the properties or facilities of MidCity or MB. In addition, we have not
reviewed individual credit files nor have we made an independent evaluation or
appraisal of the assets and liabilities of MidCity and MB and we were not
furnished with any such evaluations or appraisals.

     We have assumed that the Merger will be consummated substantially in
accordance with the terms set forth in the Agreement. We have further assumed
that the Merger will be accounted for as a pooling-of-interests under generally
accepted accounting principles and that it will qualify as a tax-free
reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes. We have assumed
that the Merger is, and will be, in compliance with all laws and regulations
that are applicable to MidCity and MB. In rendering this opinion, we have been
advised by MidCity and MB and we have assumed that there are no factors that
would impede any necessary regulatory or governmental approval of the Merger and
we have further assumed that, in the course of obtaining the necessary
regulatory and governmental approvals, no restriction will be imposed on MB or
the surviving corporation that would have a material adverse effect on MB or the
contemplated benefits of the Merger. We have also assumed that there would not
occur any



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corporation
April 19, 2001
Page 4 of 4


change in applicable law or regulation that would cause a material adverse
change in the prospects or operations of MB or the surviving corporation after
the Merger.

     Our opinion is based solely upon the information available to us and the
economic, market and other circumstances as they exist as of the date hereof.
Events occurring and information that becomes available after the date hereof
could materially affect the assumptions and analyses used in preparing this
opinion. We have not undertaken to reaffirm or revise this opinion or otherwise
comment upon any events occurring or information that becomes available after
the date hereof.

     We are not expressing any opinion herein as to the prices at which shares
of NewCo Common Stock issued in the Merger may trade if and when they are issued
or at any future time, nor does our opinion constitute a recommendation to any
holder of MidCity Common Stock as to how such holder should vote with respect to
the Agreement at any meeting of holders of MidCity Common Stock.


     This letter is addressed to the Board of Directors of MidCity in
connection with its consideration of the Merger and is not to be used,
circulated, quoted or otherwise referred to for any other purpose, nor is it
to be filed with, included in or referred to in whole or in part in any
registration statement, proxy statement or any other document, except in each
case in accordance with our prior written consent which shall not be
unreasonably withheld; provided, however, that we hereby consent to the
inclusion and reference to this letter in any registration statement, proxy
statement, information statement or tender offer document to be delivered to
the holders of MidCity Common Stock in connection with the Merger if and only
if this letter is quoted in full or attached as an exhibit to such document
and this letter has not been withdrawn prior to the date of such document.


     Subject to the foregoing and based on our experience as investment bankers,
our activities and assumptions as described above, and other factors we have
deemed relevant, we are of the opinion as of the date hereof that the Exchange
Ratio pursuant to the Agreement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the
shareholders of MidCity.

                                   Sincerely,


                                   HOVDE FINANCIAL LLC


                                                                      APPENDIX D


April 19, 2001


Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corp
801 W. Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60607


Members of the Board:

Alex Sheshunoff & Co. Investment Banking, LP, ("Sheshunoff"), at your request,
reviewed the terms and conditions of a merger of MidCity Financial Corp
("MidCity") with MB Financial Corp ("MB") in a merger-of-equals (the "Merger").
The Merger was directly negotiated by MidCity and MB, prior to Sheshunoff's
engagement, without any participation by Sheshunoff in the negotiation of the
Merger terms and conditions or the exchange ratio in the Merger. The Board of
Directors requested Sheshunoff's opinion solely on the exchange ratio in the
Merger. Sheshunoff's opinion solely addresses the fairness of the exchange ratio
in the merger to MidCity's shareholders from a financial point of view.

Alex Sheshunoff & Co. Investment Banking ("Sheshunoff") is regularly engaged in
the valuation of securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions, private
placements, and valuations for estate, corporate, and other purposes. Except for
the fee that Sheshunoff will receive for providing this opinion and the
strategic option review, Sheshunoff believes it is independent of MidCity and
MB. Sheshunoff's fee is not dependent upon the value of the exchange ratio or
the completion of the Merger.

In connection with our opinion, we have, among other things:

     1.   Evaluated MidCity's consolidated results based upon a review of its
          annual financial statements for the three-year period ending December
          31, 2000;

     2.   Reviewed Call Report information as of December 31, 2000 for MidCity;



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corp.
April 19, 2001
Page 2


     3.   Conducted conversations with executive management regarding recent and
          projected financial performance of MidCity;

     4.   Compared MidCity's recent operating results with those of certain
          other banks in the U.S. which have recently been acquired for cash,
          stock, or other forms of consideration or been invloved in
          mergers-of-equals;

     5.   Compared MidCity's recent operating results with those of certain
          other banks in the U.S. which have recently been involved in a
          merger-of equals;

     6.   Compared the pricing multiples for MidCity in the Merger to those of
          certain other banks in the U.S. which have recently been acquired for
          cash, stock, or other forms of consideration;

     7.   Analyzed the net present value of the after-tax cash flows MidCity
          could produce as an independent company under its currents business
          strategy through the year 2005, based on assumptions provided by
          management;

     8.   Held discussions with MidCity's and MB's management concerning each
          company's recent financial performance and future prospects as an
          independent and combined company;

     9.   Reviewed the due diligence report on MB's loan portfolio and loan loss
          reserves prepared by MidCity. Shehsunoff relied upon this review in
          forming its opinion and did not independently review or evaluate MB's
          or MidCity's asset quality or loss reserve adequacy;

     10.  Reviewed projections of MidCity and MB as a pro-forma company as
          prepared for the management of MidCity and MB by their respective
          advisors. Sheshunoff did not independently evaluate the accuracy or
          reasonableness of the projections or the asset growth rates, cost
          savings and revenue enhancements assumed in the pro-form projections
          for the combined companies following the Merger;

     11.  Reviewed a copy of the definitive agreement in the Merger;

     12.  Reviewed recent trading prices and volume for MB and the lack of any
          TRADING market for MidCity;



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corp.
April 19, 2001
Page 3


     13.  Reviewed MB's financial performance for the past three years ended
          December 31, 2000 as reported in its annual reports and form 10K;

     14.  Reviewed the pro-forma impact on MB of the pending cash acquisition of
          FSL Holdings, Inc. which acquisition is expected to close prior to or
          near the expected closing of the Merger.

We assumed and relied upon, without independent verification, the accuracy and
completeness of the information provided to us by MidCity and MB and their
respective advisors for the purposes of this opinion. In addition, where
appropriate, we relied upon publicly available information that we believe to be
reliable, accurate and complete; however, we cannot guarantee the reliability,
accuracy or completeness of any such publicly available information.

We did not make an independent evaluation of the assets or liabilities of
MidCity or MB, nor have we been furnished with any such appraisals. We are not
experts in the evaluation of loan portfolios for the purposes of assessing the
adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses and have assumed that such
allowances for each of the companies are, in the aggregate, adequate to cover
such losses.

The operating results for the combined company following the Merger and for
MidCity as an independent company that we relied upon were prepared by the
combined companies' management for the pro-forma combined company and by
MidCity's management for MidCity as an independent company. We assumed based on
management representations that these projections and assumptions reflect the
best current estimates of the combined companies' and MidCity's independent
performance. Actual results may vary from the projected performance and such
variances, positive or negative, could be material. No assurance can be given
that the combined company or MidCity as an independent company will achieve the
results we used in preparing our opinion. Market, economic and other events
occurring after the date hereof could materially affect such projections and the
assumptions used in preparing this opinion.

Our opinion is limited to the fairness of the exchange ratio, from a financial
point of view, to the MidCity's stockholders and does not address MidCity's
underlying business decision to pursue the Merger. In addition our opinion does
not address the relative merits of the Merger as compared to any alternative
business transaction that might be available to MidCity



Board of Directors
MidCity Financial Corp.
April 19, 2001
Page 4


This letter and the opinion expressed herein do not constitute a
recommendation to any stockholder as to any approval of the Merger or the
Agreement. It is understood that this letter is for the information of the
Board of Directors and may not be used for any other purpose without our
prior written consent. The Company may include this opinion and any related
material in a proxy statement or similar communication to shareholders
provided that this opinion and the related material are included in their
entirety.

Based on the foregoing and such other matters we have deemed relevant, it is our
opinion, as of the date hereof, that the exchange ratio in the Merger is fair,
from a financial point of view, to MidCity's shareholders.

                                   Very truly yours,


                                   ALEX SHESHUNOFF & CO.
                                   INVESTMENT BANKING




                                                                      APPENDIX E

                        DELAWARE GENERAL CORPORATION LAW

SECTION 262. APPRAISAL RIGHTS.

     (a)  Any stockholder of a corporation of this State who holds shares of
stock on the date of the making of a demand pursuant to subsection (d) of this
section with respect to such shares, who continuously holds such shares through
the effective date of the merger or consolidation, who has otherwise complied
with subsection (d) of this section and who has neither voted in favor of the
merger or consolidation nor consented thereto in writing pursuant to Section 228
of this title shall be entitled to an appraisal by the Court of Chancery of the
fair value of the stockholder's shares of stock under the circumstances
described in subsections (b) and (c) of this section. As used in this section,
the word "stockholder" means a holder of record of stock in a stock corporation
and also a member of record of a nonstock corporation; the words "stock" and
"share" mean and include what is ordinarily meant by those words and also
membership or membership interest of a member of a nonstock corporation; and the
words "depository receipt" mean a receipt or other instrument issued by a
depository representing an interest in one (1) or more shares, or fractions
thereof, solely of stock of a corporation, which stock is deposited with the
depository.

     (b)  Appraisal rights shall be available for the shares of any class or
series of stock of a constituent corporation in a merger or consolidation to be
effected pursuant to Section 251 (other than a merger effected pursuant to
Section 251(g) of this title), Section 252, Section 254, Section 257, Section
258, Section 263 or Section 264 of this title:

          (1)  Provided, however, that no appraisal rights under this section
     shall be available for the shares of any class or series of stock, which
     stock, or depository receipts in respect thereof, at the record date fixed
     to determine the stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at
     the meeting of stockholders to act upon the agreement of merger or
     consolidation, were either (i) listed on a national securities exchange or
     designated as a national market system security on an interdealer quotation
     system by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or (ii) held
     of record by more than 2,000 holders; and further provided that no
     appraisal rights shall be available for any shares of stock of the
     constituent corporation surviving a merger if the merger did not require
     for its approval the vote of the stockholders of the surviving corporation
     as provided in subsection (f) of Section 251 of this title.

          (2)  Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, appraisal
     rights under this section shall be available for the shares of any class or
     series of stock of a constituent corporation if the holders thereof are
     required by the terms of an agreement of merger or consolidation pursuant
     to Section Section 251, 252, 254, 257, 258, 263 and 264 of this title to
     accept for such stock anything except:

          a.   Shares of stock of the corporation surviving or resulting from
               such merger or consolidation, or depository receipts in respect
               thereof;

          b.   Shares of stock of any other corporation, or depository receipts
               in respect thereof, which shares of stock (or depository receipts
               in respect thereof) or depository receipts at the effective date
               of the merger or consolidation will be either listed on a
               national securities exchange or designated as a national market
               system security on an interdealer quotation system by the
               National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or held of
               record by more than 2,000 holders;

          c.   cash in lieu of fractional shares or fractional depository
               receipts described in the foregoing subparagraphs a. and b. of
               this paragraph; or

          d.   Any combination of the shares of stock, depository receipts and
               cash in lieu of fractional shares or fractional depository
               receipts described in the foregoing subparagraphs a, b and c of
               this paragraph.

          (3)  In the event all of the stock of a subsidiary Delaware
     corporation party to a merger effected under Section 253 of this title is
     not owned by the parent corporation immediately prior to the merger,
     appraisal rights shall be available for the shares of the subsidiary
     Delaware corporation.



     (c)  Any corporation may provide in its certificate of incorporation that
appraisal rights under this section shall be available for the shares of any
class or series of its stock as a result of an amendment to its certificate of
incorporation, any merger or consolidation in which the corporation is a
constituent corporation or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of
the corporation. If the certificate of incorporation contains such a provision,
the procedures of this section, including those set forth in subsections (d) and
(e) of this section, shall apply as nearly as is practicable.

     (d)  Appraisal rights shall be perfected as follows:

          (1)  If a proposed merger or consolidation for which appraisal rights
     are provided under this section is to be submitted for approval at a
     meeting of stockholders, the corporation, not less than 20 days prior to
     the meeting, shall notify each of its stockholders who was such on the
     record date for such meeting with respect to shares for which appraisal
     rights are available pursuant to subsections (b) or (c) hereof that
     appraisal rights are available for any or all of the shares of the
     constituent corporations, and shall include in such notice a copy of this
     section. Each stockholder electing to demand the appraisal of such
     stockholder's shares shall deliver to the corporation, before the taking of
     the vote on the merger or consolidation, a written demand for appraisal of
     such stockholder's shares. Such demand will be sufficient if it reasonably
     informs the corporation of the identity of the stockholder and that the
     stockholder intends thereby to demand the appraisal of such stockholder's
     shares. A proxy or vote against the merger or consolidation shall not
     constitute such a demand. A stockholder electing to take such action must
     do so by a separate written demand as herein provided. Within 10 days after
     the effective date of such merger or consolidation, the surviving or
     resulting corporation shall notify each stockholder of each constituent
     corporation who has complied with this subsection and has not voted in
     favor of or consented to the merger or consolidation of the date that the
     merger or consolidation has become effective; or

          (2)  If the merger or consolidation was approved pursuant to
     Section 228 or Section 253 of this title, then, either a constituent
     corporation before the effective date of the merger or consolidation, or
     the surviving or resulting corporation within ten days thereafter, shall
     notify each of the holders of any class or series of stock of such
     constituent corporation who are entitled to appraisal rights of the
     approval of the merger or consolidation and that appraisal rights are
     available for any or all shares of such class or series of stock of such
     constituent corporation, and shall include in such notice a copy of this
     section. Such notice may, and, if given on or after the effective
     date of the merger or consolidation, shall, also notify such stockholders
     of the effective date of the merger or consolidation. Any stockholder
     entitled to appraisal rights may, within 20 days after the date of mailing
     of such notice, demand in writing from the surviving or resulting
     corporation the appraisal of such holder's shares. Such demand will be
     sufficient if it reasonably informs the corporation of the identity of the
     stockholder and that the stockholder intends thereby to demand the
     appraisal of such holder's shares. If such notice did not notify
     stockholders of the effective date of the merger or consolidation, either
     (i) each such constituent corporation shall send a second notice before the
     effective date of the merger or consolidation notifying each of the holders
     of any class or series of stock of such constituent corporation that are
     entitled to appraisal rights of the effective date of the merger or
     consolidation or (ii) the surviving or resulting corporation shall send
     such a second notice to all such holders on or within 10 days after such
     effective date; provided, however, that if such second notice is sent more
     than 20 days following the sending of the first notice, such second notice
     need only be sent to each stockholder who is entitled to appraisal rights
     and who has demanded appraisal of such holder's shares in accordance with
     this subsection. An affidavit of the secretary or assistant secretary or of
     the transfer agent of the corporation that is required to give either
     notice that such notice has been given shall, in the absence of fraud, be
     prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein. For purposes of
     determining the stockholders entitled to receive either notice, each
     constituent corporation may fix, in advance, a record date that shall be
     not more than 10 days prior to the date the notice is given, provided, that
     if the notice is given on or after the effective date of the merger or
     consolidation, the record date shall be such effective date. If no record
     date is fixed and the notice is given prior to the effective date, the
     record date shall be the close of business on the day next preceding the
     day on which the notice is given.


                                      E-2



     (e)  Within 120 days after the effective date of the merger or
consolidation, the surviving or resulting corporation or any stockholder who has
complied with subsections (a) and (d) hereof and who is otherwise entitled to
appraisal rights, may file a petition in the Court of Chancery demanding a
determination of the value of the stock of all such stockholders.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time within 60 days after the effective
date of the merger or consolidation, any stockholder shall have the right to
withdraw such stockholder's demand for appraisal and to accept the terms offered
upon the merger or consolidation. Within 120 days after the effective date of
the merger or consolidation, any stockholder who has complied with the
requirements of subsections (a) and (d) hereof, upon written request, shall be
entitled to receive from the corporation surviving the merger or resulting from
the consolidation a statement setting forth the aggregate number of shares not
voted in favor of the merger or consolidation and with respect to which demands
for appraisal have been received and the aggregate number of holders of such
shares. Such written statement shall be mailed to the stockholder within 10 days
after such stockholder's written request for such a statement is received by the
surviving or resulting corporation or within 10 days after expiration of the
period for delivery of demands for appraisal under subsection (d) hereof,
whichever is later.

     (f)  Upon the filing of any such petition by a stockholder, service of a
copy thereof shall be made upon the surviving or resulting corporation, which
shall within 20 days after such service file in the office of the Register in
Chancery in which the petition was filed a duly verified list containing the
names and addresses of all stockholders who have demanded payment for their
shares and with whom agreements as to the value of their shares have not been
reached by the surviving or resulting corporation. If the petition shall be
filed by the surviving or resulting corporation, the petition shall be
accompanied by such a duly verified list. The Register in Chancery, if so
ordered by the Court, shall give notice of the time and place fixed for the
hearing of such petition by registered or certified mail to the surviving or
resulting corporation and to the stockholders shown on the list at the addresses
therein stated. Such notice shall also be given by 1 or more publications at
least 1 week before the day of the hearing, in a newspaper of general
circulation published in the City of Wilmington, Delaware or such publication as
the Court deems advisable. The forms of the notices by mail and by publication
shall be approved by the Court, and the costs thereof shall be borne by the
surviving or resulting corporation.

     (g)  At the hearing on such petition, the Court shall determine the
stockholders who have complied with this section and who have become entitled to
appraisal rights. The Court may require the stockholders who have demanded an
appraisal for their shares and who hold stock represented by certificates to
submit their certificates of stock to the Register in Chancery for notation
thereon of the pendency of the appraisal proceedings; and if any stockholder
fails to comply with such direction, the Court may dismiss the proceedings as to
such stockholder.

     (h)  After determining the stockholders entitled to an appraisal, the Court
shall appraise the shares, determining their fair value exclusive of any element
of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger or
consolidation, together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid upon
the amount determined to be the fair value. In determining such fair value, the
Court shall take into account all relevant factors. In determining the fair rate
of interest, the Court may consider all relevant factors, including the rate of
interest which the surviving or resulting corporation would have had to pay to
borrow money during the pendency of the proceeding. Upon application by the
surviving or resulting corporation or by any stockholder entitled to participate
in the appraisal proceeding, the Court may, in its discretion, permit discovery
or other pretrial proceedings and may proceed to trial upon the appraisal prior
to the final determination of the stockholder entitled to an appraisal. Any
stockholder whose name appears on the list filed by the surviving or resulting
corporation pursuant to subsection (f) of this section and who has submitted
such stockholder's certificates of stock to the Register in Chancery, if such is
required, may participate fully in all proceedings until it is finally
determined that such stockholder is not entitled to appraisal rights under this
section.

     (i)  The Court shall direct the payment of the fair value of the shares,
together with interest, if any, by the surviving or resulting corporation to the
stockholders entitled thereto. Interest may be simple or compound, as the Court
may direct. Payment shall be so made to each such stockholder, in the case of
holders of uncertificated stock forthwith, and the case of holders of shares
represented by certificates upon the surrender to the corporation of the
certificates representing such stock. The Court's decree may be enforced as
other decrees in the Court of


                                      E-3


Chancery may be enforced, whether such surviving or resulting corporation is
a corporation of this State or of any state.

     (j)  The costs of the proceeding may be determined by the Court and taxed
upon the parties as the Court deems equitable in the circumstances. Upon
application of a stockholder, the Court may order all or a portion of the
expenses incurred by any stockholder in connection with the appraisal
proceeding, including, without limitation, reasonable attorney's fees and the
fees and expenses of experts, to be charged pro rata against the value of all
the shares entitled to an appraisal.

     (k)  From and after the effective date of the merger or consolidation, no
stockholder who has demanded appraisal rights as provided in subsection (d) of
this section shall be entitled to vote such stock for any purpose or to receive
payment of dividends or other distributions on the stock (except dividends or
other distributions payable to stockholders of record at a date which is prior
to the effective date of the merger or consolidation); provided, however, that
if no petition for an appraisal shall be filed within the time provided in
subsection (e) of this section, or if such stockholder shall deliver to the
surviving or resulting corporation a written withdrawal of such stockholder's
demand for an appraisal and an acceptance of the merger or consolidation, either
within 60 days after the effective date of the merger or consolidation as
provided in subsection (e) of this section or thereafter with the written
approval of the corporation, then the right of such stockholder to an appraisal
shall cease. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no appraisal proceeding in the Court
of Chancery shall be dismissed as to any stockholder without the approval of the
Court, and such approval may be conditioned upon such terms as the Court deems
just.

     (l)  The shares of the surviving or resulting corporation to which the
shares of such objecting stockholders would have been converted had they
assented to the merger or consolidation shall have the status of authorized and
unissued shares of the surviving or resulting corporation.


                                      E-4



                                                                      APPENDIX F

                       FORM OF CHARTER OF THE NEW COMPANY

                                MB-MIDCITY, INC.

                      ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT

         MB-MidCity, Inc., a Maryland Corporation, having its principal office
in the State of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland (which is hereinafter called the
"Corporation"), hereby certifies to the State Department of Assessments and
Taxation of Maryland that:

FIRST: The Charter of the Corporation is hereby amended and restated in its
entirety to read as follows:

         ARTICLE 1. NAME. The name of the corporation is MB-MidCity, Inc.
(herein the "Corporation").

         ARTICLE 2. PRINCIPAL OFFICE. The address of the principal office of the
Corporation in the State of Maryland is c/o The Corporation Trust Incorporated,
300 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

         ARTICLE 3. PURPOSE. The purpose for which the Corporation is formed is
to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized
under the general laws of the State of Maryland as now or hereafter in force.

         ARTICLE 4. RESIDENT AGENT. The name and address of the registered agent
of the Corporation in the State of Maryland is The Corporation Trust
Incorporated, 300 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Said resident
agent is a Maryland corporation.

         ARTICLE 5.

                  A. CAPITAL STOCK. The total number of shares of capital stock
of all classes which the Corporation has authority to issue is forty-one million
(41,000,000) shares, initially classified as follows:

                  1. One million (1,000,000) shares of preferred stock, par
         value one cent ($.01) per share (the "Preferred Stock"); and

                  2. Forty million (40,000,000) shares of common stock, par
         value one cent ($.01) per share (the "Common Stock").

         The aggregate par value of all the authorized shares of capital
stock is four hundred ten thousand dollars ($410,000). Except to the extent
required by governing law, rule or regulation, the shares of capital stock
may be issued from time to time by the Board of Directors without further


                                        1






approval of the stockholders of the Corporation. The Corporation shall have
the authority to purchase its capital stock out of funds lawfully available
therefor which funds shall include, without limitation, the Corporation's
unreserved and unrestricted capital surplus. If shares of one class of stock
are classified or reclassified into shares of another class of stock by the
Board of Directors pursuant to this Article 5, the number of authorized
shares of the former class shall be automatically decreased and the number of
shares of the latter class shall be automatically increased, in each case by
the number of shares so classified or reclassified, so that the aggregate
number of shares of stock of all classes that the Corporation has authority
to issue shall not be more than the total number of shares of stock set forth
in the first sentence of this paragraph. The Board of Directors, with the
approval of a majority of the entire Board of Directors and without action by
the stockholders, may amend the Charter to increase or decrease the aggregate
number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or
series that the Corporation has authority to issue.

                  B. RECLASSIFICATION OF CAPITAL STOCK. The Board of
Directors may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of capital stock
from time to time into one or more classes or series of stock by setting or
changing in one or more respects the preferences, conversion or other rights,
voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications or
terms and conditions of redemption of such shares.

                  C. COMMON STOCK. Except as provided under the terms of any
stock classified or reclassified by the Board of Directors pursuant to this
Article 5 and as limited by Section F of this Article 5, the exclusive voting
power shall be vested in the Common Stock, the holders thereof being entitled
to one vote for each share of such Common Stock standing in the holder's name
on the books of the Corporation. Subject to any rights and preferences of any
class of stock having preferences over the Common Stock, holders of Common
Stock shall be entitled to such dividends as may be declared by the Board of
Directors out of funds lawfully available therefor. Upon any liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, whether
voluntary or involuntary, holders of Common Stock shall be entitled to
receive pro rata the remaining assets of the Corporation after payment or
provision for payment of all debts and liabilities of the Corporation and
payment or provision for payment of any amounts owed to the holders of any
class of stock having preference over the Common Stock on distributions on
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation.

                  D. PREFERRED STOCK AND OTHER STOCK. Subject to the
foregoing, the power of the Board of Directors to classify and reclassify any
of the shares of capital stock shall include, without limitation, subject to
the provisions of the Charter, authority to classify or reclassify any
unissued shares of such stock into a class or classes of Preferred Stock,
preference stock, special stock or other stock (such preference, special or
other stock being collectively referred to as "Other Stock"), and to divide
and classify shares of any class into one or more series of such class, by
determining, fixing, or altering one or more of the following:

                  1. The distinctive designation of such class or series and the
         number of shares to constitute such class or series; provided that,
         unless otherwise prohibited by the terms of such or any other class or
         series, the number of shares of any class or series may be decreased by
         the Board of Directors in connection with any classification or
         reclassification of unissued shares and the number of shares of such
         class or series may be increased by the Board of

                                        2






         Directors in connection with any such classification or
         reclassification, and any shares of any class or series which have been
         redeemed, purchased, otherwise acquired or converted into shares of
         Common Stock or any other class or series shall become part of the
         authorized capital stock and be subject to classification and
         reclassification as provided in this sub-paragraph.

                  2. Whether or not and, if so, the rates, amounts and times at
         which, and the conditions under which, dividends shall be payable on
         shares of such class or series, whether any such dividends shall rank
         senior or junior to or on a parity with the dividends payable on any
         other class or series of stock, and the status of any such dividends as
         cumulative, cumulative to a limited extent or non-cumulative and as
         participating or non-participating.

                  3. Whether or not shares of such class or series shall have
         voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law and, if
         so, the terms of such voting rights.

                  4. Whether or not shares of such class or series shall have
         conversion or exchange privileges and, if so, the terms and conditions
         thereof, including provision for adjustment of the conversion or
         exchange rate in such events or at such times as the Board of Directors
         shall determine.

                  5. Whether or not shares of such class or series shall be
         subject to redemption and, if so, the terms and conditions of such
         redemption, including the date or dates upon or after which they shall
         be redeemable and the amount per share payable in case of redemption,
         which amount may vary under different conditions and at different
         redemption dates; and whether or not there shall be any sinking fund or
         purchase account in respect thereof, and if so, the terms thereof.

                  6. The rights of the holders of shares of such class or series
         upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of, or
         upon any distribution of the assets of, the Corporation, which rights
         may vary depending upon whether such liquidation, dissolution or
         winding up is voluntary or involuntary and, if voluntary, may vary at
         different dates, and whether such rights shall rank senior or junior to
         or on a parity with such rights of any other class or series of stock.

                  7. Whether or not there shall be any limitations applicable,
         while shares of such class or series are outstanding, upon the payment
         of dividends or making of distributions on, or the acquisition of, or
         the use of moneys for purchase or redemption of, any stock of the
         Corporation, or upon any other action of the Corporation, including
         action under this sub-paragraph, and, if so, the terms and conditions
         thereof.

                  8. Any other preferences, rights, restrictions, including
         restrictions on transferability, and qualifications of shares of such
         class or series, not inconsistent with law and the Charter.

                  E. RANKING OF CAPITAL STOCK. For the purposes hereof and of
any articles supplementary to the Charter providing for the classification or
reclassification of any shares of

                                       3






capital stock or of any other Charter document of the Corporation (unless
otherwise provided in any such articles or document), any class or series of
stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to rank:

                  1. prior to another class or series either as to dividends or
         upon liquidation, if the holders of such class or series shall be
         entitled to the receipt of dividends or of amounts distributable on
         liquidation, dissolution or winding up, as the case may be, in
         preference or priority to holders of such other class or series;

                  2. on a parity with another class or series either as to
         dividends or upon liquidation, whether or not the dividend rates,
         dividend payment dates or redemption or liquidation price per share
         thereof be different from those of such others, if the holders of such
         class or series of stock shall be entitled to receipt of dividends or
         amounts distributable upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, as
         the case may be, in proportion to their respective dividend rates or
         redemption or liquidation prices, without preference or priority over
         the holders of such other class or series; and

                  3. junior to another class or series either as to dividends or
         upon liquidation, if the rights of the holders of such class or series
         shall be subject or subordinate to the rights of the holders of such
         other class or series in respect of the receipt of dividends or the
         amounts distributable upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, as
         the case may be.

                  F. RESTRICTIONS ON VOTING RIGHTS OF THE CORPORATION'S EQUITY
SECURITIES.

                  1. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter, in no
         event shall any record owner of any outstanding Common Stock which is
         beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by a person who, as of any
         record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote on
         any matter, beneficially owns in excess of 14.9% of the
         then-outstanding shares of Common Stock (the "Limit"), be entitled, or
         permitted to any vote in respect of the shares held in excess of the
         Limit. The number of votes which may be cast by any record owner by
         virtue of the provisions hereof in respect of Common Stock beneficially
         owned by such person owning shares in excess of the Limit shall be a
         number equal to the total number of votes which a single record owner
         of all Common Stock owned by such person would be entitled to cast
         after giving effect to the provisions hereof, multiplied by a fraction,
         the numerator of which is the number of shares of such class or series
         beneficially owned by such person and owned of record by such record
         owner and the denominator of which is the total number of shares of
         Common Stock beneficially owned by such person owning shares in excess
         of the Limit.

                  2. The following definitions shall apply to this Section F of
         this Article 5.

                           (a) An "affiliate" of a specified person shall mean a
                  person that directly, or indirectly through one or more
                  intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under
                  common control with, the person specified.

                           (b) "Beneficial ownership" shall be determined
                  pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations
                  under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (or


                                        4




                  any successor rule or statutory provision), or, if said Rule
                  13d-3 shall be rescinded and there shall be no successor rule
                  or statutory provision thereto, pursuant to said Rule 13d-3 as
                  in effect on December 31, 2000; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that a
                  person shall, in any event, also be deemed the "beneficial
                  owner" of any Common Stock:

                                    (1) which such person or any of its
                           affiliates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;
                           or

                                    (2) which such person or any of its
                           affiliates has (i) the right to acquire (whether such
                           right is exercisable immediately or only after the
                           passage of time), pursuant to any agreement,
                           arrangement or understanding (but shall not be deemed
                           to be the beneficial owner of any voting shares
                           solely by reason of an agreement, contract, or other
                           arrangement with the Corporation to effect any
                           transaction which is described in any one or more of
                           the clauses of Section A of Article 9 hereof or upon
                           the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights,
                           warrants, or options or otherwise, or (ii) sole or
                           shared voting or investment power with respect
                           thereto pursuant to any agreement, arrangement,
                           understanding, relationship or otherwise (but shall
                           not be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any
                           voting shares solely by reason of a revocable proxy
                           granted for a particular meeting of stockholders,
                           pursuant to a public solicitation of proxies for such
                           meeting, with respect to shares of which neither such
                           person nor any such affiliate is otherwise deemed the
                           beneficial owner); or

                                    (3) which are beneficially owned, directly
                           or indirectly, by any other person with which such
                           first mentioned person or any of its affiliates acts
                           as a partnership, limited partnership, syndicate or
                           other group pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or
                           understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding,
                           voting or disposing of any shares of capital stock of
                           the Corporation;

                  and provided further, however, that (i) no director or officer
                  of the Corporation (or any affiliate of any such director or
                  officer) shall, solely by reason of any or all of such
                  directors or officers acting in their capacities as such, be
                  deemed, for any purposes hereof, to beneficially own any
                  Common Stock beneficially owned by any other such director or
                  officer (or any affiliate thereof), and (ii) neither any
                  employee stock ownership or similar plan of the Corporation or
                  any subsidiary of the Corporation nor any trustee with respect
                  thereto (or any affiliate of such trustee) shall, solely by
                  reason of such capacity of such trustee, be deemed, for any
                  purposes hereof, to beneficially own any Common Stock held
                  under any such plan. For purposes of computing the percentage
                  beneficial ownership of Common Stock of a person, the
                  outstanding Common Stock shall include shares deemed owned by
                  such person through application of this subsection but shall
                  not include any other Common Stock which may be issuable by
                  the Corporation pursuant to any agreement, or upon exercise of
                  conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise. For all
                  other purposes, the outstanding Common Stock shall include
                  only Common Stock then outstanding and shall not include any
                  Common Stock which may be issuable by the


                                        5




                  Corporation pursuant to any agreement, or upon the exercise of
                  conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.

                           (c) A "person" shall mean any individual, firm,
                  corporation, or other entity.

                           (d) The Board of Directors shall have the power to
                  construe and apply the provisions of this Section F and to
                  make all determinations necessary or desirable to implement
                  such provisions, including but not limited to matters with
                  respect to (i) the number of shares of Common Stock
                  beneficially owned by any person, (ii) whether a person is an
                  affiliate of another, (iii) whether a person has an agreement,
                  arrangement, or understanding with another as to the matters
                  referred to in the definition of beneficial ownership, (iv)
                  the application of any other definition or operative provision
                  of this Section F to the given facts, or (v) any other matter
                  relating to the applicability or effect of this Section.

                  3. The Board of Directors shall have the right to demand that
         any person who is reasonably believed to beneficially own Common Stock
         in excess of the Limit (or holds of record Common Stock beneficially
         owned by any person in excess of the Limit) supply the Corporation with
         complete information as to (i) the record owner(s) of all shares
         beneficially owned by such person who is reasonably believed to own
         shares in excess of the Limit, and (ii) any other factual matter
         relating to the applicability or effect of this section as may
         reasonably be requested of such person.

                  4. Except as otherwise provided by law or expressly provided
         in this Section F, the presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders
         of record of shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitling the
         holders thereof to cast a majority of the votes (after giving effect,
         if required, to the provisions of this Section F) entitled to be cast
         by the holders of shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled
         to vote shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders,
         and every reference in the Charter to a majority or other proportion of
         capital stock (or the holders thereof) for purposes of determining any
         quorum requirement or any requirement for stockholder consent or
         approval shall be deemed to refer to such majority or other proportion
         of the votes (or the holders thereof) then entitled to be cast in
         respect of such capital stock.

                  5. Any constructions, applications, or determinations made by
         the Board of Directors, pursuant to this Section F in good faith and on
         the basis of such information and assistance as was then reasonably
         available for such purpose, shall be conclusive and binding upon the
         Corporation and its stockholders.

                  6. In the event any provision (or portion thereof) of this
         Section F shall be found to be invalid, prohibited or unenforceable for
         any reason, the remaining provisions (or portions thereof) of this
         Section F shall remain in full force and effect, and shall be construed
         as if such invalid, prohibited or unenforceable provision had been
         stricken herefrom or otherwise rendered inapplicable, it being the
         intent of the Corporation and its stockholders that each such remaining
         provision (or portion thereof) of this Section F remain, to the fullest


                                        6


         extent permitted by law, applicable and enforceable as to all
         stockholders, including stockholders owning an amount of stock over the
         Limit, notwithstanding any such finding.

                  G. MAJORITY VOTE. Notwithstanding any provision of law
requiring the authorization of any action by a greater proportion than a
majority of the total number of shares of all classes of capital stock or of the
total number of shares of any class of capital stock, such action shall be valid
and effective if authorized by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority
of the total number of shares of all classes outstanding and entitled to vote
thereon, except as otherwise provided in the Charter.

         ARTICLE 6. PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS. No holder of the capital stock of the
Corporation or series of stock or of options, warrants or other rights to
purchase shares of any class or series of stock or of other securities of the
Corporation shall have any preemptive right to purchase or subscribe for any
unissued capital stock of any class or series, or any unissued bonds,
certificates of indebtedness, debentures or other securities convertible into or
exchangeable for capital stock of any class or series, or carrying any right to
purchase stock of any class or series, except such as may be established by the
Board of Directors.

         ARTICLE 7. DIRECTORS. The following provisions are inserted for the
management of the business and the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation,
and for further definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the
Corporation and of its directors and stockholders:

                  A. MANAGEMENT OF THE CORPORATION. The business and affairs of
the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of the Board of Directors.
All powers of the Corporation may be exercised by or under the authority of the
Board of Directors, except as conferred on or as reserved to the stockholders by
law or by the Charter or the By-laws of the Corporation.

                  B. NUMBER, CLASS AND TERMS OF DIRECTORS; CUMULATIVE VOTING.
The number of directors of the Corporation shall be 17, which number may,
subject to any limitations and/or voting requirements set forth in the By-laws
of the Corporation, be increased or decreased from time to time exclusively by
the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the
total number of authorized directors (whether or not there exist any vacancies
in previously authorized directorships at the time any such resolution is
presented to the Board for adoption) (the "Whole Board"); provided, however,
that such number shall never be less than the minimum number of directors
permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law ("MGCL") now or hereafter in
force. The directors, other than those who may be elected by the holders of any
class or series of Preferred Stock or Other Stock, shall be divided into three
classes, as nearly equal in number as reasonably possible, with the term of
office of the first class ("Class I") to expire at the conclusion of the first
annual meeting of stockholders, the term of office of the second class ("Class
II") to expire at the conclusion of the annual meeting of stockholders one year
thereafter and the term of office of the third class ("Class III") to expire at
the conclusion of the annual meeting of stockholders two years thereafter, with
each director to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly
elected and qualified. At each annual meeting of stockholders, directors elected
to succeed those directors whose terms expire shall be elected for a term of
office to expire at the third succeeding annual meeting of stockholders after
their election, with each director to hold office until his or her successor
shall have been duly elected and qualified.


                                        7




         The names of the individuals who will serve as directors of the
Corporation until their successors are elected and qualify are as follows:

                           (1) Class I directors:

                                    Burton J. Field
                                    Lawrence E. Gilford
                                    Patrick Henry
                                    Richard J. Holmstrom
                                    Clarence Mann
                                    Kenneth A. Skopec

                           (2) Class II directors:

                                    Robert S. Engelman, Jr.
                                    Alfred Feiger
                                    Richard I. Gilford
                                    Thomas H. Harvey
                                    Ronald D. Santo
                                    Eugene Sawyer

                           (3) Class III directors:

                                    E.M. Bakwin
                                    Mitchell Feiger
                                    James N. Hallene
                                    Leslie S. Hindman
                                    David Husman

         Stockholders shall not be permitted to cumulate their votes in the
election of directors.

                  C. VACANCIES. Subject to the rights of the holders of any
class or series of Preferred Stock or Other Stock then outstanding and except as
otherwise provided in the By-laws of the Corporation, newly created
directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors
or any vacancies in the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation,
retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause may be filled
by a majority vote of the directors then in office, though less than a quorum,
and, by virtue of the Corporation's election made hereby to be subject to
Section 3-804(c)(3) of the MCGL, any director so chosen shall hold office for
the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy
occurred and until a successor is elected and qualified. No decrease in the
number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term
of any incumbent director.

                  D. REMOVAL. Subject to the rights of the holders of any class
or series of Preferred Stock or Other Stock then outstanding, any director, or
the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office at any time, but only
for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the
voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the


                                        8




Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (after
giving effect to the provisions of Article 5 hereof) voting together as a single
class.

                  E. STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS OF DIRECTORS. Advance
notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business
to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the
Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the By-laws of the
Corporation.

         ARTICLE 8. BY-LAWS. The Board of Directors is expressly empowered to
adopt, amend or repeal the By-laws of the Corporation. Except as otherwise
provided in the By-laws of the Corporation, any adoption, amendment or repeal of
the By-laws of the Corporation by the Board of Directors shall require the
approval of a majority of the Whole Board. The stockholders shall also have
power to adopt, amend or repeal the By-laws of the Corporation. In addition to
any vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of the Corporation
required by law or by the Charter, the affirmative vote of the holders of at
least 80% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the
capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors (after giving effect to the provisions of Article 5 hereof), voting
together as a single class, shall be required for the adoption, amendment or
repeal of any provisions of the By-laws of the Corporation by the stockholders.

         ARTICLE 9.  APPROVAL OF CERTAIN BUSINESS COMBINATIONS.

                  A. SUPER-MAJORITY VOTING REQUIREMENT; BUSINESS COMBINATION
DEFINED. In addition to any affirmative vote required by law or by the Charter,
and except as otherwise expressly provided in this Section:

                  1. any merger or consolidation of the Corporation or any
         Subsidiary (as hereinafter defined) with (a) any Interested Stockholder
         (as hereinafter defined) or (b) any other corporation (whether or not
         itself an Interested Stockholder) which is, or after such merger or
         consolidation would be, an Affiliate (as hereinafter defined) of an
         Interested Stockholder; or

                  2. any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or
         other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) to
         or with any Interested Stockholder, or any Affiliate of any Interested
         Stockholder, of any assets of the Corporation or any Subsidiary having
         an aggregate Fair Market Value (as hereafter defined) equaling or
         exceeding 25% or more of the combined assets of the Corporation and its
         Subsidiaries; or

                  3. the issuance or transfer by the Corporation or any
         Subsidiary (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of any
         securities of the Corporation or any Subsidiary to any Interested
         Stockholder or any Affiliate of any Interested Stockholder in exchange
         for cash, securities or other property (or a combination thereof)
         having an aggregate Fair Market Value equaling or exceeding 25% of the
         combined assets of the Corporation and its Subsidiaries except pursuant
         to an employee benefit plan of the Corporation or any Subsidiary
         thereof; or


                                        9




                  4. the adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or
         dissolution of the Corporation proposed by or on behalf of any
         Interested Stockholder or any Affiliate of any Interested Stockholder;
         or

                  5. any reclassification of securities (including any reverse
         stock split), or recapitalization of the Corporation, or any merger or
         consolidation of the Corporation with any of its Subsidiaries or any
         other transaction (whether or not with or into or otherwise involving
         an Interested Stockholder) which has the effect, directly or
         indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of the outstanding
         shares of any class of equity or convertible securities of the
         Corporation or any Subsidiary which is directly or indirectly owned by
         any Interested Stockholder or any Affiliate of any Interested
         Stockholder;

shall require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the voting
power of the then- outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to
vote in the election of directors (the "Voting Stock"), voting together as a
single class. Such affirmative vote shall be required notwithstanding the fact
that no vote may be required, or that a lesser percentage may be specified, by
law or by any other provisions of the Charter (including those applicable to any
class or series of capital stock) or in any agreement with any national
securities exchange or quotation system or otherwise.

         The term "Business Combination" as used in this Article 9 shall mean
any transaction which is referred to in any one or more of paragraphs 1 through
5 of Section A of this Article 9.

                  B. EXCEPTION TO SUPER-MAJORITY VOTING REQUIREMENT. The
provisions of Section A of this Article 9 shall not be applicable to any
particular Business Combination, and such Business Combination shall require
only the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares of capital
stock entitled to vote, or such vote as is required by law or by the Charter,
if, in the case of any Business Combination that does not involve any cash or
other consideration being received by the stockholders of the Corporation solely
in their capacity as stockholders of the Corporation, the condition specified in
the following paragraph 1 is met or, in the case of any other Business
Combination, all of the conditions specified in either of the following
paragraphs 1 and 2 are met:

                  1. The Business Combination shall have been approved by a
         majority of the Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined).

                  2. All of the following conditions shall have been met:

                           (a) The aggregate amount of the cash and the Fair
                  Market Value as of the date of the consummation of the
                  Business Combination of consideration other than cash to be
                  received per share by the holders of Common Stock in such
                  Business Combination shall at least be equal to the higher of
                  the following:

                                    (i) (if applicable) the Highest Per Share
                           Price, including any brokerage commissions, transfer
                           taxes and soliciting dealers' fees, paid by the
                           Interested Stockholder or any of its Affiliates for
                           any shares of Common Stock acquired by it (x) within
                           the two-year period immediately prior to the


                                       10




                           first public announcement of the proposal of the
                           Business Combination (the "Announcement Date"), or
                           (y) in the transaction in which it became an
                           Interested Stockholder, whichever is higher.

                                    (ii) the Fair Market Value per share of
                           Common Stock on the Announcement Date or on the date
                           on which the Interested Stockholder became an
                           Interested Stockholder (such latter date is referred
                           to in this Article 9 as the "Determination Date"),
                           whichever is higher.

                           (b) The aggregate amount of the cash and the Fair
                  Market Value as of the date of the consummation of the
                  Business Combination of consideration other than cash to be
                  received per share by holders of shares of any class of
                  outstanding Voting Stock other than Common Stock shall be at
                  least equal to the highest of the following (it being intended
                  that the requirements of this subparagraph (b) shall be
                  required to be met with respect to every such class of
                  outstanding Voting Stock, whether or not the Interested
                  Stockholder has previously acquired any shares of a particular
                  class of Voting Stock):

                                    (i) (if applicable) the Highest Per Share
                           Price (as hereinafter defined), including any
                           brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and soliciting
                           dealers' fees, paid by the Interested Stockholder for
                           any shares of such class of Voting Stock acquired by
                           it (x) within the two-year period immediately prior
                           to the Announcement Date, or (y) in the transaction
                           in which it became an Interested Stockholder,
                           whichever is higher;

                                    (ii) (if applicable) the highest
                           preferential amount per share to which the holders of
                           shares of such class of Voting Stock are entitled in
                           the event of any voluntary or involuntary
                           liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the
                           Corporation; and

                                    (iii) the Fair Market Value per share of
                           such class of Voting Stock on the Announcement Date
                           or on the Determination Date, whichever is higher.

                           (c) The consideration to be received by holders of a
                  particular class of outstanding Voting Stock (including Common
                  Stock) shall be in cash or in the same form as the Interested
                  Stockholder has previously paid for shares of such class of
                  Voting Stock. If the Interested Stockholder has paid for
                  shares of any class of Voting Stock with varying forms of
                  consideration, the form of consideration to be received per
                  share by holders of shares of such class of Voting Stock shall
                  be either cash or the form used to acquire the largest number
                  of shares of such class of Voting Stock previously acquired by
                  the Interested Stockholder. The price determined in accordance
                  with Section B.2. of this Article 9 shall be subject to
                  appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend,
                  stock split, combination of shares or similar event.


                                       11




                           (d) After such Interested Stockholder has become an
                  Interested Stockholder and prior to the consummation of such
                  Business Combination: (i) except as approved by a majority of
                  the Disinterested Directors, there shall have been no failure
                  to declare and pay at the regular date therefor any full
                  quarterly dividends (whether or not cumulative) on any
                  outstanding stock having preference over the Common Stock as
                  to dividends or liquidation; (ii) there shall have been (X) no
                  reduction in the annual rate of dividends paid on the Common
                  Stock (except as necessary to reflect any subdivision of the
                  Common Stock), except as approved by a majority of the
                  Disinterested Directors, and (Y) an increase in such annual
                  rate of dividends as necessary to reflect any reclassification
                  (including any reverse stock split), recapitalization,
                  reorganization or any similar transaction which has the effect
                  of reducing the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock,
                  unless the failure to so increase such annual rate is approved
                  by a majority of the Disinterested Directors; and (iii)
                  neither such Interested Stockholder nor any of its Affiliates
                  shall have become the beneficial owner of any additional
                  shares of Voting Stock except as part of the transaction which
                  results in such Interested Stockholder becoming an Interested
                  Stockholder.

                           (e) After such Interested Stockholder has become an
                  Interested Stockholder, such Interested Stockholder shall not
                  have received the benefit, directly or indirectly (except
                  proportionately as a stockholder), of any loans, advances,
                  guarantees, pledges or other financial assistance or any tax
                  credits or other tax advantages provided by the Corporation,
                  whether in anticipation of or in connection with such Business
                  Combination or otherwise.

                           (f) A proxy or information statement describing the
                  proposed Business Combination and complying with the
                  requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the
                  rules and regulations thereunder (or any subsequent provisions
                  replacing such Act, rules or regulations) shall be mailed to
                  stockholders of the Corporation at least 30 days prior to the
                  consummation of such Business Combination (whether or not such
                  proxy or information statement is required to be mailed
                  pursuant to such Act or subsequent provisions).

                  C. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this Article 9:

                  1. A "Person" shall include an individual, a group acting in
         concert, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint venture,
         a pool, a joint stock company, a trust, an unincorporated organization
         or similar company, a syndicate or any other group or entity formed for
         the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities.

                  2. "Interested Stockholder" shall mean any Person (other than
         the Corporation or any holding company or Subsidiary thereof) who or
         which:

                           (a) is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly,
                  of more than 14.9% of the voting power of the outstanding
                  Voting Stock; or


                                       12




                           (b) is an Affiliate of the Corporation and at any
                  time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date
                  in question was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly,
                  of more than 14.9% of the voting power of the then-outstanding
                  Voting Stock; or

                           (c) is an assignee of or has otherwise succeeded to
                  any shares of Voting Stock which were at any time within the
                  two-year period immediately prior to the date in question
                  beneficially owned by any Interested Stockholder, if such
                  assignment or succession shall have occurred in the course of
                  a transaction or series of transactions not involving a public
                  offering within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933.

                  3. A Person shall be a "beneficial owner" of any Voting Stock:

                           (a) which such Person or any of its Affiliates or
                  Associates (as hereinafter defined) beneficially owns,
                  directly or indirectly within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under
                  the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in effect on December
                  31, 2000; or

                           (b) which such Person or any of its Affiliates or
                  Associates has (i) the right to acquire (whether such right is
                  exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time),
                  pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding or
                  upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights,
                  warrants or options, or otherwise, or (ii) the right to vote
                  pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (but
                  neither such Person nor any such Affiliate or Associate shall
                  be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any shares of Voting
                  Stock solely by reason of a revocable proxy granted for a
                  particular meeting of stockholders, pursuant to a public
                  solicitation of proxies for such meeting, and with respect to
                  which shares neither such Person nor any such Affiliate or
                  Associate is otherwise deemed the beneficial owner); or

                           (c) which are beneficially owned, directly or
                  indirectly within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in effect on December 31,
                  2000, by any other Person with which such Person or any of its
                  Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or
                  understanding for the purposes of acquiring, holding, voting
                  (other than solely by reason of a revocable proxy as described
                  in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph 3) or in disposing of
                  any shares of Voting Stock;

                  provided, however, that, in the case of any employee stock
                  ownership or similar plan of the Corporation or of any
                  Subsidiary in which the beneficiaries thereof possess the
                  right to vote any shares of Voting Stock held by such plan, no
                  such plan nor any trustee with respect thereto (nor any
                  Affiliate of such trustee), solely by reason of such capacity
                  of such trustee, shall be deemed, for any purposes hereof, to
                  beneficially own any shares of Voting Stock held under any
                  such plan.

                  4. For the purpose of determining whether a Person is an
         Interested Stockholder pursuant to Paragraph 2 of this Section C, the
         number of shares of Voting Stock deemed to


                                       13




         be outstanding shall include shares deemed owned through application of
         Paragraph 3 of this Section C but shall not include any other shares of
         Voting Stock which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement,
         arrangement or understanding, or upon exercise of conversion rights,
         warrants or options, or otherwise.

                  5. "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective
         meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and
         Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in effect on
         December 31, 2000.

                  6. "Subsidiary" means any corporation of which a majority of
         any class of equity security is owned, directly or indirectly, by the
         Corporation; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that for the purposes of the definition
         of Interested Stockholder set forth in Paragraph 2 of this Section C,
         the term "Subsidiary" shall mean only a corporation of which a majority
         of each class of equity security is owned, directly or indirectly, by
         the Corporation.

                  7. "Disinterested Director" means any member of the Board of
         Directors who is unaffiliated with the Interested Stockholder and was a
         member of the Board of Directors prior to the time that the Interested
         Stockholder became an Interested Stockholder, and any director who is
         thereafter chosen to fill any vacancy on the Board of Directors or who
         is elected and who, in either event, is unaffiliated with the
         Interested Stockholder, and in connection with his or her initial
         assumption of office is recommended for appointment or election by a
         majority of Disinterested Directors then on the Board of Directors.

                  8. "Fair Market Value" means: (a) in the case of stock, the
         highest closing sale price of the stock during the 30-day period
         immediately preceding the date in question of a share of such stock on
         the Nasdaq System or any system then in use, or, if such stock is
         admitted to trading on a principal United States securities exchange
         registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Fair Market Value
         shall be the highest sale price reported during the 30-day period
         preceding the date in question, or, if no such quotations are
         available, the Fair Market Value on the date in question of a share of
         such stock as determined by the Board of Directors in good faith, in
         each case with respect to any class of stock, appropriately adjusted
         for any dividend or distribution in shares of such stock or in
         combination or reclassification of outstanding shares of such stock
         into a smaller number of shares of such stock, and (b) in the case of
         property other than cash or stock, the Fair Market Value of such
         property on the date in question as determined by the Board of
         Directors in good faith.

                  9. Reference to "Highest Per Share Price" shall in each case
         with respect to any class of stock reflect an appropriate adjustment
         for any dividend or distribution in shares of such stock or any stock
         split or reclassification of outstanding shares of such stock into a
         greater number of shares of such stock or any combination or
         reclassification of outstanding shares of such stock into a smaller
         number of shares of such stock.

                  10. In the event of any Business Combination in which the
         Corporation survives, the phrase "consideration other than cash to be
         received" as used in Sections B.2.(a) and


                                       14




         B.2.(b) of this Article 9 shall include the shares of Common Stock
         and/or the shares of any other class of outstanding Voting Stock
         retained by the holders of such shares.

                  D. CONSTRUCTION AND INTERPRETATION. A majority of the
Disinterested Directors of the Corporation shall have the power and duty to
determine for the purposes of this Article 9, on the basis of information known
to them after reasonable inquiry, (a) whether a person is an Interested
Stockholder; (b) the number of shares of Voting Stock beneficially owned by any
person; (c) whether a person is an Affiliate or Associate of another; and (d)
whether the assets which are the subject of any Business Combination have, or
the consideration to be received for the issuance or transfer of securities by
the Corporation or any Subsidiary in any Business Combination has, an aggregate
Fair Market Value equaling or exceeding 25% of the combined assets of the
Corporation and its Subsidiaries. A majority of the Disinterested Directors
shall have the further power to interpret all of the terms and provisions of
this Article 9.

                  E. FIDUCIARY DUTY. Nothing contained in this Article 9 shall
be construed to relieve any Interested Stockholder from any fiduciary obligation
imposed by law.

                  F. MARYLAND BUSINESS COMBINATION STATUTE. Notwithstanding any
contrary provision of law, the provisions of Sections 3-601 through 3-604 of the
MGCL, as now and hereafter in force, shall not apply to any "business
combination" (as defined in Section 3-601(e) of the MGCL, as now and hereafter
in force), of the Corporation.

         ARTICLE 10. EVALUATION OF CERTAIN OFFERS. The Board of Directors,
when evaluating (i) any offer of another Person (as defined in Article 9
hereof) to (A) make a tender or exchange offer for any equity security of the
Corporation, (B) merge or consolidate the Corporation with another
corporation or entity, or (C) purchase or otherwise acquire all or
substantially all of the properties and assets of the Corporation or (ii) any
other actual or proposed transaction which would or may involve a change in
control of the Corporation (whether by purchases of shares of stock or any
other securities of the Corporation in the open market, or otherwise, tender
offer, merger, consolidation, share exchange, dissolution, liquidation, sale
of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, proxy
solicitation or otherwise), may, in connection with the exercise of its
business judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the
Corporation and its stockholders and in making any recommendation to the
Corporation's stockholders, give due consideration to all relevant factors,
including, but not limited to: (A) the economic effect, both immediate and
long-term, upon the Corporation's stockholders, including stockholders, if
any, who do not participate in the transaction; (B) the social and economic
effect on the present and future employees, creditors and customers of, and
others dealing with, the Corporation and its subsidiaries and on the
communities in which the Corporation and its subsidiaries operate or are
located; (C) whether the proposal is acceptable based on the historical,
current or projected future operating results or financial condition of the
Corporation; (D) whether a more favorable price could be obtained for the
Corporation's stock or other securities in the future; (E) the reputation and
business practices of the other entity to be involved in the transaction and
its management and affiliates as they would affect the employees of the
Corporation and its subsidiaries; (F) the future value of the stock or any
other securities of the Corporation or the other entity to be involved in the
proposed transaction; (G) any antitrust or other legal and regulatory issues
that are raised by the proposal; (H) the business andhistorical, current or
expected future financial condition or operating results of the other entity
to be involved in the


                                       15




transaction, including, but not limited to, debt service and other existing
financial obligations, financial obligations to be incurred in connection
with the proposed transaction, and other likely financial obligations of the
other entity to be involved in the proposed transaction; and (I) the ability
of the Corporation to fulfill its objectives as a financial institution
holding company and on the ability of its subsidiary financial institution(s)
to fulfill the objectives of a federally insured financial institution under
applicable statutes and regulations. If the Board of Directors determines
that any proposed transaction of the type described in clause (i) or (ii) of
the immediately preceding sentence should be rejected, it may take any lawful
action to defeat such transaction, including, but not limited to, any or all
of the following: advising stockholders not to accept the proposal;
instituting litigation against the party making the proposal; filing
complaints with governmental and regulatory authorities; acquiring the stock
or any of the securities of the Corporation; increasing the authorized stock
of the Corporation; selling or otherwise issuing authorized but unissued
stock, other securities or granting options or rights with respect thereto;
acquiring a company to create an antitrust or other regulatory problem for
the party making the proposal; and obtaining a more favorable offer from
another individual or entity. This Article 10 does not create any inference
concerning factors that may be considered by the Board of Directors regarding
any proposed transaction of the type described in clause (i) or (ii) of the
first sentence of this Article 10.

         ARTICLE 11.  ACQUISITIONS OF EQUITY SECURITIES FROM INTERESTED PERSONS.

                  A. SUPER-MAJORITY VOTING REQUIREMENT. Except as set forth in
Section B of this Article 11, in addition to any affirmative vote of
stockholders required by law or the Charter, any direct or indirect purchase or
other acquisition by the Corporation of any Equity Security (as hereinafter
defined) of any class from any Interested Person (as hereinafter defined) shall
require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the Voting Stock
of the Corporation that is not beneficially owned (for purposes of this Article
11 beneficial ownership shall be determined in accordance with Section F.2(b) of
Article 5 hereof) by such Interested Person, voting together as a single class.
Such affirmative vote shall be required notwithstanding the fact that no vote
may be required, or that a lesser percentage may be specified, by law or by any
other provisions of the Charter (including those applicable to any class of
securities or capital stock) or in any agreement with any national securities
exchange or quotation system, or otherwise. Certain defined terms used in this
Article 11 are as set forth in Section C below.

                  B. EXCEPTIONS. The provisions of Section A of this Article 11
shall not be applicable with respect to:

                  1. any purchase or other acquisition of securities made as
         part of a tender or exchange offer by the Corporation or a Subsidiary
         (which term, as used in this Article 11, is as defined in the first
         clause of Section C.6 of Article 9 hereof) of the Corporation to
         purchase securities of the same class made on the same terms to all
         holders of such securities and complying with the applicable
         requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and
         regulations thereunder (or any subsequent provision replacing such Act,
         rules or regulations);

                  2. any purchase or acquisition made pursuant to an open market
         purchase program approved by a majority of the Board of Directors,
         including a majority of the


                                       16



         Disinterested Directors (which term, as used in this Article 11, is
         as defined in Article 9 hereof); or

                  3. any purchase or acquisition which is approved by a majority
         of the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Disinterested
         Directors, and which is made at no more than the Market Price (as
         hereinafter defined), on the date that the understanding between the
         Corporation and the Interested Person is reached with respect to such
         purchase (whether or not such purchase is made or a written agreement
         relating to such purchase is executed on such date), of shares of the
         class of Equity Security to be purchased.

                  C.  CERTAIN DEFINITIONS.  For the purposes of this Article 11:

                  (i) The term Interested Person shall mean any Person (other
         than the Corporation, Subsidiaries of the Corporation, pension, profit
         sharing, employee stock ownership or other employee benefit plans of
         the Corporation and its Subsidiaries, entities organized or established
         by the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of
         such plans and trustees and fiduciaries with respect to any such plan
         acting in such capacity) that is the direct or indirect beneficial
         owner of 5% or more of the Voting Stock of the Corporation, and any
         Affiliate or Associate of any such person. For purposes of this Article
         11, the terms "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the definitions
         given them in Article 9 hereof.

                  (ii) The Market Price of shares of a class of Equity Security
         on any day shall mean the highest sale price of shares of such class of
         Equity Security on such day, or, if that day is not a trading day, on
         the trading day immediately preceding such day, on the national
         securities exchange or the Nasdaq System or any other system then in
         use on which such class of Equity Security is traded.

                  (iii) The term Equity Security shall mean any security
         described in Section 3(a)(11) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
         as in effect on December 31, 2000, which is traded on a national
         securities exchange or the Nasdaq System or any other system then in
         use.

                  (iv) For purposes of this Article 11, all references to the
         term Interested Stockholder in the definition of Disinterested Director
         shall be deemed to refer to the term Interested Person.

         ARTICLE 12.  INDEMNIFICATION, ETC. OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

                  A. INDEMNIFICATION. The Corporation shall indemnify (1) its
current and former directors and officers, whether serving the Corporation or
at its request any other entity, to the fullest extent required or permitted
by the MGCL now or hereafter in force, including the advancement of expenses
under the procedures and to the fullest extent permitted by law, and (2)
other employees and agents to such extent as shall be authorized by the Board
of Directors and permitted by law; provided, however, that, except as
provided in Section B hereof with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to
indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in
connection


                                       17




with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such
proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the
Corporation.

                  B. PROCEDURE. If a claim under Section A of this Article 12 is
not paid in full by the Corporation within 60 days after a written claim has
been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an
advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days,
the indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to
recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any
such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of
expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall also be
entitled to be reimbursed the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. It
shall be a defense to any action for advancement of expenses that the
Corporation has not received both (i) an undertaking as required by law to repay
such advances in the event it shall ultimately be determined that the standard
of conduct has not been met and (ii) a written affirmation by the indemnitee of
his good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification
by the Corporation has been met. In (i) any suit brought by the indemnitee to
enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the
indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a
defense that, and (ii) any suit by the Corporation to recover an advancement of
expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking the Corporation shall be
entitled to recover such expenses upon a final adjudication that, the indemnitee
has not met the applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the MGCL.
Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors,
independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination
prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is
proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable
standard of conduct set forth in the MGCL, nor an actual determination by the
Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its
stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of
conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee has not met the
applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the
indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to
enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder,
or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the
terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not
entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this
Article 12 or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.

                  C. NON-EXCLUSIVITY. The rights to indemnification and to the
advancement of expenses conferred in this Article 12 shall not be exclusive of
any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any
statute, the Charter, the Corporation's By-laws, any agreement, any vote of
stockholders or the Board of Directors, or otherwise.

                  D. INSURANCE. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its
expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the
Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the
Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense,
liability or loss under the MGCL.

                  E. MISCELLANEOUS. The Corporation shall not be liable for any
payment under this Article 12 in connection with a claim made by any indemnitee
to the extent such indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment under any
insurance policy, agreement, or otherwise, of the


                                       18




amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder. The rights to indemnification and
to the advancement of expenses conferred in Sections A and B of this Article
12 shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an
indemnitee who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the
benefit of the indemnitee's heirs, executors and administrators.

         Any repeal or modification of this Article 12 shall not in any way
diminish any rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses of such
director or officer or the obligations of the Corporation arising hereunder
with respect to events occurring, or claims made, while this Article 12 is in
force.

         ARTICLE 13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. An officer or director of the
Corporation, as such, shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders
for money damages, except (i) to the extent that it is proved that the person
actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services
for the amount of the benefit or profit in money, property or services actually
received; (ii) to the extent that a judgment or other final adjudication adverse
to the person is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding
that the person's action, or failure to act, was the result of active and
deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the
proceeding; or (iii) to the extent otherwise provided by the MGCL. If the MGCL
is amended to further eliminate or limit the personal liability of officers and
directors, then the liability of officers and directors of the Corporation shall
be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by MGCL, as so amended.

         Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the
stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or
protection of a director or officer of the Corporation existing at the time of
such repeal or modification.

         ARTICLE 14. AMENDMENT OF THE CHARTER. The Corporation reserves the
right to amend or repeal any provision contained in the Charter in the manner
prescribed by the MGCL, including any amendment altering the terms or contract
rights, as expressly set forth in the Charter, of any of the Corporation's
outstanding stock by classification, reclassification or otherwise, and all
rights conferred upon stockholders are granted subject to this reservation;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter or
any provision of law which might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, but
in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of the stock of
the Corporation required by law or by the Charter, the affirmative vote of the
holders of at least 80% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding
shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the
election of directors (after giving effect to the provisions of Article 5),
voting together as a single class, shall be required to amend or repeal this
Article 14, Section F of Article 5, Article 7, Article 8, Article 9, Article 11,
Article 12 or Article 13; PROVIDED, FURTHER, that as provided in Article 5, the
Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of
Directors and without action by the stockholders, may amend the Charter to
increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of
shares of stock of any class or series that the Corporation has authority to
issue.

SECOND: The foregoing amendment and restatement of the Charter does not increase
the authorized capital stock of the Corporation.


                                       19



THIRD: The foregoing amendment and restatement of the Charter has been duly
advised by the Board of Directors and approved by the stockholders of the
Corporation as required by law.

FOURTH: The current address of the principal office of the Corporation in the
State of Maryland is set forth in Article 2 of the foregoing amendment and
restatement of the Charter.

FIFTH: The name and address of the Corporation's current resident agent is as
set forth in Article 4 of the foregoing amendment and restatement of the
Charter.

SIXTH: The number of directors of the Corporation and the names of those
currently in office are as set forth in Article 6 of the foregoing amendment and
restatement of the Charter.

SEVENTH: The undersigned President and Chief Executive Officer acknowledges
these Articles of Amendment and Restatement to be the corporate act of the
Corporation and as to all matters or facts required to be verified under oath,
the undersigned President and Chief Executive Officer acknowledges that to the
best of his knowledge, information and belief these matters and facts are true
in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties for
perjury.


                                       20



         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused these Articles of
Amendment and Restatement to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its
President and Chief Executive Officer and attested to by its Secretary on this
day _________ of ___________, 2001.


                                 MB-MIDCITY, INC.



                                 By:
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                         Mitchell Feiger
                                         President and Chief Executive Officer


                                 ATTESTED:


                                 By:
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                         Doria Koros
                                         Secretary





                                       21


                                                                      APPENDIX G

                       FORM OF BY-LAWS OF THE NEW COMPANY

                                MB-MIDCITY, INC.

                          AMENDED AND RESTATED BY-LAWS


                                    ARTICLE I

                                  STOCKHOLDERS

Section 1.        ANNUAL MEETING.

         The Corporation shall hold an annual meeting of its stockholders to
elect directors to succeed those whose terms expire and to transact any other
business within its powers, at such place, on such date, and at such time during
the 31-day period beginning on the second Thursday in April of each year as the
Board of Directors shall fix. Except as provided otherwise by the Corporation's
Charter or by law, any business may be considered at an annual meeting without
the purpose of the meeting having been specified in the notice. Failure to hold
an annual meeting does not invalidate the Corporation's existence or affect any
otherwise valid corporate act.

Section 2.        SPECIAL MEETINGS.

         Special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called by
the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the
total number of directors which the Corporation would have if there were no
vacancies on the Board of Directors (hereinafter the "Whole Board"). Special
meetings of the stockholders shall be called by the Secretary at the request of
stockholders only on the written request of stockholders entitled to cast at
least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting. Such
written request shall state the purpose or purposes of the meeting and the
matters proposed to be acted upon at the meeting, and shall be delivered at the
principal office of the Corporation addressed to the President or the Secretary.
The Secretary shall inform the stockholders who make the request of the
reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing a notice of the meeting and,
upon payment of these costs to the Corporation, notify each stockholder entitled
to notice of the meeting. The Board of Directors shall have the sole power to
fix (1) the record date for determining stockholders entitled to request a
special meeting of stockholders and the record date for determining stockholders
entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting and (2) the date, time
and place of the special meeting.

Section 3.        NOTICE OF MEETINGS; ADJOURNMENT.

         Not less than ten nor more than 90 days before each stockholders'
meeting, the Secretary shall give written notice of the meeting to each
stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting and to each other stockholder
entitled to notice of the meeting. The notice shall state the time and place of
the meeting and, if the meeting is a special meeting or notice of the purpose is
required by statute, the purpose of the meeting. Notice is given to a
stockholder when it is personally delivered to the






stockholder, left at the stockholder's usual place of business, mailed to the
stockholder at his or her address as it appears on the records of the
Corporation, transmitted to the stockholder by electronic mail to any
electronic mail address of the stockholder or by any other electronic means.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, each person who is entitled to
notice waives notice if such person, before or after the meeting, signs a
waiver of the notice which is filed with the records of the stockholders'
meetings, or is present at the meeting in person or by proxy.

         A meeting of stockholders convened on the date for which it was called
may be adjourned from time to time without further notice to a date not more
than 120 days after the original record date. At any adjourned meeting, any
business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the original
meeting.

Section 4.        QUORUM.

         At any meeting of the stockholders, the holders of a majority of all of
the shares of the stock entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or by
proxy, shall constitute a quorum for all purposes, unless or except to the
extent that the presence of a larger number may be required by law. Where a
separate vote by a class or classes is required, a majority of the shares of
such class or classes, present in person or represented by proxy, shall
constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to that vote on that
matter.

         If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, the chairman of the
meeting or the holders of a majority of the shares of stock entitled to vote who
are present, in person or by proxy, may, in accordance with Section 3 of this
Article I, adjourn the meeting to another place, date or time.

Section 5.        ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS.

         Such person as the Board of Directors may have designated or, in the
absence of such a person, the President of the Corporation or, in his or her
absence, such person as may be chosen by the holders of a majority of the shares
entitled to vote who are present, in person or by proxy, shall call to order any
meeting of the stockholders and act as chairman of the meeting. In the absence
of the Secretary of the Corporation, the secretary of the meeting shall be such
person as the chairman appoints. The chairman of any meeting of stockholders
shall determine the order of business and the procedure at the meeting,
including such regulation of the manner of voting and the conduct of discussion
as seem to him or her in order.

Section 6.        ADVANCE NOTICE PROVISIONS FOR BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED AT
                  ANNUAL MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS OF DIRECTORS.

         (a) At any annual meeting of the stockholders, only such business
shall be conducted as shall have been brought before the meeting (i) as
specified in the Corporation's notice of the meeting, (ii) by or at the
direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) by any stockholder of the
Corporation who (1) is a stockholder of record on the date of giving the
notice provided for in this Section 6(a) and on the record date for the
determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such annual meeting, and
(2) complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 6(a). For
business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder
pursuant to clause (iii)


                                        2




of the immediately preceding sentence, the stockholder must have given timely
notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation and such
business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by stockholders.

         To be timely, a stockholder's notice must be delivered or mailed to and
received by the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation
by not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first
anniversary of the date of the preceding year's annual meeting or earlier than
the close of business on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the
date of the preceding year's annual meeting; provided, however, that in the
event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 20 days, or
delayed by more than 60 days, from the anniversary date of the preceding year's
annual meeting, or in the event the annual meeting is the first annual meeting
of stockholders of the Corporation, notice by the stockholder to be timely must
be so received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to
the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the
later of (A) the 90th day prior to the date of such annual meeting or (B) the
tenth day following the first to occur of (i) the day on which notice of the
date of the annual meeting was mailed or (ii) the day on which public
announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by the
Corporation. No adjournment or postponement of a meeting of stockholders shall
commence a new period for the giving of notice hereunder.

         A stockholder's notice to the Secretary must set forth as to each
matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting: (i) a brief
description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting and
the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting; (ii) the name
and address of such stockholder as they appear on the Corporation's books and of
the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; (iii) the
class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which
are owned beneficially or of record by such stockholder and such beneficial
owner; (iv) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such
stockholder and any other person or persons (including their names) in
connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder and any
material interest of such stockholder in such business; and (v) a representation
that such stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual
meeting to bring such business before the meeting.

         Notwithstanding anything in these By-laws to the contrary, no business
shall be brought before or conducted at an annual meeting except in accordance
with the provisions of this Section 6(a). The officer of the Corporation or
other person presiding over the annual meeting shall, if the facts so warrant,
determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought
before the meeting in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(a) and,
if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and
any such business so determined to be not properly brought before the meeting
shall not be transacted.

         At any special meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be
conducted as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the
Corporation's notice of the meeting.

         (b) Only persons who are nominated in accordance with the following
procedures shall be eligible for election as directors of the Corporation.
Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors of the
Corporation may be made at a meeting of stockholders at which directors are
to be elected only (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or
(ii) by any stockholder


                                        3




of the Corporation who (1) is a stockholder of record on the date of giving
the notice provided for in this Section 6(b) and on the record date for the
determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting, and (2)
complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 6(b). Such
nominations, other than those made by or at the direction of the Board of
Directors, shall be made by timely notice in writing to the Secretary of the
Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder's notice shall be delivered or
mailed to and received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of
the Corporation not less than 90 days or more than 120 days prior to the date
of the meeting; provided, however, that in the event that less than 100 days'
notice or public announcement of the date of the meeting is given or made to
stockholders, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not
later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which
such notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or the day on which public
announcement of the date of the meeting was first made by the Corporation,
whichever shall first occur. A stockholder's notice must be in writing and
set forth (a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for
election as a director, all information relating to such person that is
required to be disclosed in connection with solicitations of proxies for
election of directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to
Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act"), or any successor rule or regulation; and (b) as to the
stockholder giving the notice: (i) the name and address of such stockholder
as they appear on the Corporation's books and of the beneficial owner, if
any, on whose behalf the nomination is made; (ii) the class or series and
number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are owned
beneficially or of record by such stockholder and such beneficial owner;
(iii) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such
stockholder and each proposed nominee and any other person or persons
(including their names) pursuant to which the nomination(s) are to be made by
such stockholder; (iv) a representation that such stockholder intends to
appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the persons named in
its notice; and (v) any other information relating to such stockholder that
would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings
required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election
of directors pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act or any
successor rule or regulation. Such notice must be accompanied by a written
consent of each proposed nominee to be named as a nominee and to serve as a
director if elected. No person shall be eligible for election as a director
of the Corporation unless nominated in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 6(b). The officer of the Corporation or other person presiding at the
meeting shall, if the facts so warrant, determine that a nomination was not
made in accordance with such provisions and, if he or she should so
determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and the defective
nomination shall be disregarded.

         (c) For purposes of subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 6, the
term "public announcement" shall mean disclosure (i) in a press release
reported by a nationally recognized news service or (ii) in a document
publicly filed by the Corporation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission.

Section 7.        PROXIES AND VOTING.

         Unless the Charter of the Corporation provides for a greater or
lesser number of votes per share or limits or denies voting rights, each
outstanding share of stock, regardless of class, is entitled to one vote on
each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders; however, a
share is not entitled to be voted if any installment payable on it is overdue
and unpaid. In all elections for


                                        4




directors, directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast,
and except as otherwise required by law or as provided in the Charter of the
Corporation, all other matters voted on by stockholders shall be determined
by a majority of the votes cast on the matter.

         A stockholder may vote the stock the stockholder owns of record either
in person or by proxy. A stockholder may sign a writing authorizing another
person to act as proxy. Signing may be accomplished by the stockholder or the
stockholder's authorized agent signing the writing or causing the stockholder's
signature to be affixed to the writing by any reasonable means, including
facsimile signature. A stockholder may authorize another person to act as proxy
by transmitting, or authorizing the transmission of, an authorization for the
person to act as the proxy to the person authorized to act as proxy or to any
other person authorized to receive the proxy authorization on behalf of the
person authorized to act as the proxy, including a proxy solicitation firm or
proxy support service organization. The authorization may be transmitted by a
telegram, cablegram, datagram, electronic mail or any other electronic or
telephonic means. Unless a proxy provides otherwise, it is not valid more than
11 months after its date. A proxy is revocable by a stockholder at any time
without condition or qualification unless the proxy states that it is
irrevocable and the proxy is coupled with an interest. A proxy may be made
irrevocable for as long as it is coupled with an interest. The interest with
which a proxy may be coupled includes an interest in the stock to be voted under
the proxy or another general interest in the Corporation or its asset or
liabilities.

Section 8.        CONSENT OF STOCKHOLDERS IN LIEU OF MEETING.

         Except as provided in the following sentence, any action required or
permitted to be taken at a meeting of stockholders may be taken without a
meeting if a unanimous written consent which sets forth the action and is signed
by each stockholder entitled to vote on the matter is filed with the records of
stockholder meetings. Unless the Charter of the Corporation requires otherwise,
the holders of any class of the Corporation's stock other than common stock,
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, may take action or
consent to any action by the written consent of stockholders entitled to cast
not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize
or take the action at a meeting of stockholders if the Corporation gives notice
of the action so taken to each stockholder not later than ten days after the
effective time of the action.

Section 9.        CONDUCT OF VOTING

         The Board of Directors shall, in advance of any meeting of
stockholders, appoint one or more persons as inspectors of election, to act
at the meeting or any adjournment thereof and make a written report thereof,
in accordance with applicable law. At all meetings of stockholders, the
proxies and ballots shall be received, and all questions touching the
qualification of voters and the validity of proxies and the acceptance or
rejection of votes shall be decided or determined by the inspector of
elections. All voting, including on the election of directors but excepting
where otherwise required by law, may be by a voice vote; provided, however,
that upon demand therefor by a stockholder entitled to vote or his or her
proxy or the chairman of the meeting, a written vote shall be taken. Every
written vote shall be taken by ballot, each of which shall state the name of
the stockholder or proxy voting and such other information as may be required
under the procedure established for the meeting. Every vote taken by ballot
shall be counted by an inspector or inspectors appointed by the


                                        5




chairman of the meeting. No candidate for election as a director at a meeting
shall serve as an inspector at such meeting.

Section 10.       CONTROL SHARE ACQUISITION ACT.

         Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter of the Corporation
or these By-laws, Title 3, Subtitle 7 of the Maryland General Corporation Law
(the "MGCL") (or any successor statute) shall not apply to any acquisition by
any person of shares of stock of the Corporation. This Section 10 may be
repealed, in whole or in part, at any time, whether before or after an
acquisition of Control Shares (as defined in Section 3-701(d) of the MGCL, or
any successor provision) and, upon such repeal, may, to the extent provided by
any successor bylaw, apply to any prior or subsequent Control Share Acquisition
(as defined in Section 3-701(d) of the MGCL, or any successor provision).

                                   ARTICLE II

                               BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.        GENERAL POWERS, NUMBER AND TERM OF OFFICE.

         The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the
direction of the Board of Directors. The Corporation shall have the number of
directors provided in the Corporation's Charter until changed as herein
provided. Subject to Section 10 of this Article II of these By-laws (while such
section is in effect), the number of directors may be changed from time to time
exclusively by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a
majority of the Whole Board to a number not exceeding 25 nor less than the
minimum number of directors permitted by the MGCL, but the action may not affect
the tenure of office of any director. The Board of Directors shall annually
elect a Chairman of the Board and a President from among its members and shall
designate, when present, either the Chairman of the Board or the President to
preside at its meetings; provided, however, that while Section 10 of this
Article II of these By-laws is in effect, the Chairman and the President shall
be elected as provided therein.

         The directors, other than those who may be elected by the holders of
any class or series of preferred or other stock, shall be divided into three
classes, as nearly equal in number as reasonably possible, with the term of
office of the first class to expire at the first annual meeting of stockholders,
the term of office of the second class to expire at the annual meeting of
stockholders one year thereafter and the term of office of the third class to
expire at the annual meeting of stockholders two years thereafter, with each
director to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly elected
and qualified. At each annual meeting of stockholders, commencing with the first
annual meeting, directors elected to succeed those directors whose terms expire
shall be elected for a term of office to expire at the third succeeding annual
meeting of stockholders after their election, with each director to hold office
until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified.

Section 2.        VACANCIES AND NEWLY CREATED DIRECTORSHIPS.

         Subject to the rights of the holders of any class or series of
preferred or other stock then outstanding and except as otherwise provided in
Section 10 of Article II of these By-laws (while such


                                        6


section is in effect), newly created directorships resulting from any
increase in the authorized number of directors or any vacancies in the Board
of Directors resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification,
removal from office or other cause may be filled by a majority vote of the
directors then in office, though less than a quorum, and, by virtue of the
Corporation's election made in its Charter to be subject to Section
3-804(c)(3) of the MGCL, any director so chosen shall hold office for the
remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy
occurred and until a successor is elected and qualified. No decrease in the
number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the
term of any incumbent director. A vacancy resulting from the removal of a
director may be filled by the stockholders.

Section 3.        REGULAR MEETINGS.

         Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such place
or places, on such date or dates, and at such time or times as shall have been
established by the Board of Directors and publicized among all directors. A
notice of each regular meeting shall not be required. Any regular meeting of the
Board of Directors may adjourn from time to time to reconvene at the same or
some other place, and no notice need be given of any such adjourned meeting
other than by announcement.

Section 4.        SPECIAL MEETINGS.

         Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by one-third
(1/3) of the directors then in office (rounded up to the nearest whole number)
or by the Chairman of the Board or the President and shall be held at such
place, on such date, and at such time as they or he or she shall fix. Notice of
the place, date, and time of each such special meeting shall be given to each
director by whom it is not waived by mailing written notice not less than five
(5) days before the meeting or by telegraphing or telexing or by facsimile or
electronic transmission of the same not less than twenty-four (24) hours before
the meeting. Any director may waive notice of any meeting, either before or
after such meeting, by signing a waiver of notice that is filed with the records
of the meeting. Attendance of a director at a meeting shall constitute a waiver
of notice of such meeting, except where the director attends the meeting for the
express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the
transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or
convened. Neither the business to be transacted at nor the purpose of any
meeting of the Board of Directors need be specified in the notice of such
meeting. Any special meeting of the Board of Directors may adjourn from time to
time to reconvene at the same or some other place, and no notice need be given
of any such adjourned meeting other than by announcement.

Section 5.        QUORUM.

         At any meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority of the
authorized number of directors then constituting the Board shall constitute a
quorum for all purposes. If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, a
majority of those present may adjourn the meeting to another place, date, or
time, without further notice or waiver thereof.

Section 6.        PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS BY CONFERENCE TELEPHONE.


                                        7





         Members of the Board of Directors, or of any committee thereof, may
participate in a meeting of such Board or committee by means of a conference
telephone or similar communications equipment if all persons participating in
the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Such participation shall
constitute presence in person at such meeting.

Section 7.        CONDUCT OF BUSINESS.

         At any meeting of the Board of Directors, business shall be transacted
in such order and manner as the Board may from time to time determine, and all
matters shall be determined by the vote of a majority of the directors present,
except as otherwise provided in these By-laws, the Corporation's Charter or
required by law. Action may be taken by the Board of Directors without a meeting
if a unanimous written consent which sets forth the action is signed by each
member of the Board of Directors and filed with the minutes of proceedings of
the Board of Directors.

Section 8.        POWERS.


         All powers of the Corporation may be exercised by or under the
authority of the Board of Directors except as conferred on or reserved to the
stockholders by law or by the Corporation's Charter or these By-laws. Consistent
with the foregoing and subject to the limitations set forth in Section 10 of
Article II of these By-laws (while such section is in effect), the Board of
Directors shall have, among other powers, the unqualified power:

                  (1) To declare dividends from time to time in accordance with
law;

                  (2) To purchase or otherwise acquire any property, rights or
privileges on such terms as it shall determine;

                  (3) To authorize the creation, making and issuance, in such
form as it may determine, of written obligations of every kind, negotiable or
non-negotiable, secured or unsecured, and to do all things necessary in
connection therewith;

                  (4) To remove any officer of the Corporation with or without
cause, and from time to time to devolve the powers and duties of any officer
upon any other person for the time being;

                  (5) To confer upon any officer of the Corporation the power to
appoint, remove and suspend subordinate officers, employees and agents;

                  (6) To adopt from time to time such stock, option, stock
purchase, bonus or other compensation plans for directors, officers, employees
and agents of the Corporation and its subsidiaries as it may determine;

                  (7) To adopt from time to time such insurance, retirement, and
other benefit plans for directors, officers, employees and agents of the
Corporation and its subsidiaries as it may determine; and


                                        8



                  (8) To adopt from time to time regulations, not inconsistent
with these By-laws, for the management of the Corporation's business and
affairs.

Section 9.        COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS.

         Directors, as such, may receive, pursuant to resolution of the Board of
Directors, fixed fees and other compensation for their services as directors,
including, without limitation, their services as members of committees of the
Board of Directors.

Section 10.       PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO CONSOLIDATION.

         In accordance with the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of
Merger, dated as of April 19, 2001 (the "Agreement"), by and among MidCity
Financial Corporation ("MidCity"), MB Financial, Inc. (prior to its
consolidation with MidCity, "Old MB") and MB-MidCity, Inc., the following
provisions shall, from and after the Effective Time (as defined in the
Agreement) and until amended, repealed or modified in accordance with subsection
(j) of this Section 10 or expired as provided in subsection (k) of this Section
10, govern directors, officers and committees to the exclusion of any provision
in these By-laws to the contrary. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein
shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Agreement.

         (a) The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall, subject to
subsection (d) of this Section 10, consist of 17 persons, eight of whom are
named in a resolution of the board of directors of Old MB adopted prior to the
Effective Time and nine of whom are named in a resolution of the board of
directors of MidCity adopted prior to the Effective Time. The classes to which
the members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be assigned shall
be as specified in the respective resolutions of the boards of directors of Old
MB and MidCity adopted prior to the Effective Time consistent with the following
table:



                                                                          DIRECTORS DESIGNATED BY:
                                                                            OLD MB      MIDCITY
                                                                          ----------  -----------
                                                                                  
Class expiring at first annual meeting of stockholders:                         3            3
Class expiring at second annual meeting of stockholders:                        3            3
Class expiring at third annual meeting of stockholders:                         2            3


         (b) Any vacancy on the Board of Directors of the Corporation created
by (x) the cessation of service of an MB Director shall be filled by a
nominee selected by vote of a majority of the continuing MB Directors, which
nominee shall be appointed as a director by the Board of Directors,subject to
the fiduciary duties of its members, and (y) the cessation of service of a
MidCity Director shall be filled by a nominee selected by vote of a majority
of the continuing MidCity Directors, which nominee shall be appointed as a
director by the Board of Directors, subject to the fiduciary duties of its
members. If the Board of Directors determines that it cannot, consistent with
the fiduciary duties of its members, appoint a particular nominee selected to
fill a vacancy, another nominee will be selected according to the procedures
set forth in the first sentence of this subsection (b). If the Board of
Directors determines that it cannot, consistent with the fiduciary duties of
its members, appoint such other nominee selected, then another nominee shall
be selected according to the procedures set forth in the first sentence of
this subsection (b) until the Board of Directors


                                       9




appoints a nominee so selected.

         (c) The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall, subject to the
fiduciary duties of its members, nominate and recommend all incumbents for
re-election as directors. If an incumbent declines to stand for re-election, or
if the Board of Directors determines that it cannot, consistent with the
fiduciary duties of its members, nominate and recommend an incumbent for
re-election, or if an incumbent is otherwise unable to stand for re-election, a
candidate will be chosen in place of such incumbent in the following manner: if
such incumbent was an MB Director, the replacement candidate will be selected by
vote of a majority of the continuing MB Directors; if such incumbent was a
MidCity Director, the replacement candidate will be selected by vote of a
majority of the continuing MidCity Directors. The Board of Directors shall, to
the extent permitted by the fiduciary duties of its members, nominate and
recommend such replacement candidate to the Corporation's stockholders. If the
Board of Directors does not nominate such candidate, then the remaining MB
Directors (if such candidate was an MB Director) or MidCity Directors (if such
candidate was a MidCity Director), as the case may be, shall select another
candidate by following the procedures of this subsection (c) for selecting
replacement candidates until the Board of Directors nominates and recommends
such a candidate to the stockholders. This subsection (c) shall not apply with
respect to incumbents who became directors pursuant to subsection (d) of this
Section 10.

         (d) The number of directors of the Corporation may be changed upon the
vote of (i) a majority of the MidCity Directors and a majority of the MB
Directors and (ii) two-thirds of the Whole Board. Any vacancy created by an
increase in the number of directors pursuant to this subsection (d) shall be
filled by a nominee selected by a vote of two-thirds of the Whole Board. Should
such nominee be unable or unwilling to serve or continue to serve, any vacancy
created thereby shall be filled by a nominee selected by a vote of two-thirds of
the Whole Board.

         (e) The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall have an
Executive/Strategic Planning Committee and such other committees as the Board of
Directors may establish in accordance with Section 2-411 of the MGCL, the
Corporation's Charter and these By-laws. The Executive/Strategic Planning
Committee, when the Board of Directors is not in session, shall have and may
exercise all of the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the
management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the
seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it, except
to the extent, if any, that such power and authority shall be limited by the
resolution of the Board of Directors appointing the Executive/Strategic Planning
Committee or in any subsequent resolution of the Board of Directors, and except
for powers which by law may not be delegated to a committee of the Board of
Directors.

         (f) The Executive/Strategic Planning Committee shall have eight
members. The Chairman of the Executive/Strategic Planning Committee shall be an
individual nominated by a majority vote of the MidCity Directors and elected by
a majority vote of the members of the Executive/Strategic Planning Committee.
The Chairman of each other committee shall be elected by a majority vote of the
members of the committee. All committees, including the Executive/Strategic
Planning Committee, shall be comprised of an equal number of MB and MidCity
Directors, to be selected by the MB and MidCity Directors, respectively, unless
waived in writing by a majority of the MB or MidCity Directors (whichever group
would have reduced representation on such committee), and appointed by the Board
of Directors, subject to the fiduciary duties of its members.


                                       10



         (g) The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be
E.M. Bakwin, a MidCity Director designated to serve in the class of directors
whose terms will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders. Should such
individual be unable or unwilling to serve or continue to serve, the Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be a director nominated by
majority vote of the MidCity Directors, which individual shall be appointed by
the Board of Directors, subject to the fiduciary duties of its members. If the
Board of Directors determines that it cannot, consistent with the fiduciary
duties of its members, appoint such nominee, then nominations will continue to
be made by majority vote of the MidCity Directors until the Board of Directors
appoints a nominee selected by the MidCity Directors. The President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation shall be Mitchell Feiger, an MB Director
designated to serve in the class of directors whose terms will expire at the
third annual meeting of stockholders. Should such individual be unable or
unwilling to serve or continue to serve, the President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Corporation shall be such individual as may be nominated by
majority vote of the MB Directors, which individual shall be appointed by the
Board of Directors, subject to the fiduciary duties of its members. If the Board
of Directors determines that it cannot, consistent with the fiduciary duties of
its members, appoint such nominee, then nominations will continue to be made by
majority vote of the MB Directors until the Board of Directors appoints a
nominee selected by the MB Directors.

         (h) A vote of two-thirds of the Whole Board shall be required to
approve any of the following: (i) a sale of the Corporation or any of its
subsidiaries or a sale, assignment, lease, conveyance, transfer or other
disposal of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation or any
of its subsidiaries; (ii) the acquisition of another company or the merger or
consolidation of the Corporation with another company; (iii) the removal of
the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for any reason other than for
willful misconduct, breach of a fiduciary duty involving personal profit,
intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any law,
rule, or regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses) or
final cease-and-desist order, or material breach of any provision of his
employment agreement; (iv) allowing the Corporation, on a consolidated basis,
to exceed an 80% loan to deposit ratio (excluding lease loans where the
related lessee has outstanding securities rated investment grade by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. (or any successor to the rating agency business
thereof) and/or Standard & Poor's Rating Services (or any successor to the
rating agency business thereof) or, in the event the related lessee has not
received any such rating, where the related lessee would be viewed under the
underwriting policies of the Corporation and its subsidiaries as an
investment grade company); (v) allowing the Corporation, on a consolidated
basis, to exceed a 90% loan to deposit ratio (including all lease loans);
(vi) maintaining an annual dividend payout ratio of less than 25% of net
income (as defined under generally accepted accounting principles); or (vii)
allowing the Corporation or any of its depository institution subsidiaries to
maintain a Leverage Ratio of less than 7.0%, Tier 1 Capital Ratio of less
than 8.0% or Total Capital Ratio of less than 11.0%, within the meaning of
such terms under the applicable regulations of the federal banking agencies.
In calculating the dividend payout ratio, extraordinary or non-recurring
gains, including but not limited to any gain resulting from the sale of a
subsidiary of the Corporation, shall not be included.

         (i) By majority vote, the MB Directors shall be entitled to nominate
one MB Director to serve as a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, which
individual shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, subject to the
fiduciary duties of its members. If the Board of Directors determines that


                                       11




it cannot, consistent with the fiduciary duties of its members, appoint such
nominee, then nominations will continue to be made by majority vote of the MB
Directors until the Board of Directors appoints a nominee selected by the MB
Directors. By majority vote, the MidCity Directors shall be entitled to
nominate one MidCity Director to serve as a Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors, which individual shall be appointed by the Board of Directors,
subject to the fiduciary duties of its members. If the Board of Directors
determines that it cannot, consistent with the fiduciary duties of its
members, appoint such nominee, then nominations will continue to be made by
majority vote of the MidCity Directors until the Board of Directors appoints
a nominee selected by the MidCity Directors.

         (j) No amendment, repeal or other modification of any of the provisions
of this Section 10 may be made without the vote of (i) a majority of the MidCity
Directors and a majority of the MB Directors and (ii) two-thirds of the Whole
Board.

         (k) All provisions of this Section 10 shall expire and no longer be
effective on the first to occur of: (i) the third annual meeting of stockholders
of the Corporation held after the Effective Time; or (ii) consummation of a
business combination approved by two-thirds of the Whole Board resulting in the
stockholders of the Corporation owning less than 51% of the resulting entity in
such business combination.

Section 11.  MANDATORY RETIREMENT.

         No person 70 years of age or older shall be eligible for election,
re-election, appointment or re-appointment to the Board of Directors. No
director who has attained age 70 shall continue to serve as a director beyond
the annual meeting of stockholders at which his term as a director expires.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply
to persons serving as directors of the Corporation immediately following the
Effective Time.

Section 12.  RESIGNATION.

         Any director may resign at any time by giving written notice of such
resignation to the President or the Secretary at the principal office of the
Corporation. Unless otherwise specified therein, such resignation shall take
effect upon receipt thereof.

Section 13.  PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT.

         A director of the Corporation who is present at a meeting of the Board
of Directors at which action on any corporate matter is taken shall be presumed
to have assented to such action unless such director announces his dissent at
the meeting and (a) such director's dissent is entered in the minutes of the
meeting, (b) such director files his written dissent to such action with the
secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof, or (c) such director
forwards his written dissent, by certified mail, return receipt requested,
bearing a postmark from the United States Postal Service, to the secretary of
the meeting or the Secretary of the Corporation within 24 hours after the
meeting is adjourned. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a director who
voted in favor of such action or failed to make his dissent known at the
meeting.


                                       12



                                   ARTICLE III

                                   COMMITTEES

Section 1.        COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

         Subject to Section 10 of Article II of these By-laws (while such
section is in effect), the Board of Directors, by a vote of a majority of the
Board of Directors, may appoint from among its members an Executive Committee
and other committees composed of one or more directors and delegate to these
committees any of the powers of the Board of Directors, except the power to
authorize dividends on stock, issue stock other than as provided in the next
sentence, recommend to the stockholders any action which requires stockholder
approval, amend these By-laws, or approve any merger or share exchange which
does not require stockholder approval. If the Board of Directors has given
general authorization for the issuance of stock providing for or establishing a
method or procedure for determining the maximum number of shares to be issued, a
committee of the Board of Directors, in accordance with that general
authorization or any stock option or other plan or program adopted by the Board
of Directors, may authorize or fix the terms of stock subject to classification
or reclassification and the terms on which any stock may be issued, including
all terms and conditions required or permitted to be established or authorized
by the Board of Directors under Sections 2-203 and 2-208 of the MGCL. Any
committee so designated may exercise the power and authority of the Board of
Directors if the resolution which designated the committee or a supplemental
resolution of the Board of Directors shall so provide.

Section 2.        CONDUCT OF BUSINESS.

         Each committee may determine the procedural rules for meeting and
conducting its business and shall act in accordance therewith, except as
otherwise provided herein or required by law. Adequate provision shall be
made for notice to members of all meetings; one-third (1/3) of the members
shall constitute a quorum unless the committee shall consist of one (1) or
two (2) members, in which event one (1) member shall constitute a quorum; and
all matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present.
Action may be taken by any committee without a meeting if a unanimous written
consent which sets forth the action is signed by each member of the committee
and filed with the minutes of the proceedings of such committee. The members
of any committee may conduct any meeting thereof by conference telephone in
accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of Article II.

Section 3.        NOMINATING COMMITTEE.


                                       13




         The Board of Directors may appoint a Nominating Committee of the Board,
consisting of at least three (3) members. While subsection (f) of Section 10 of
Article III of these Bylaws is in effect, the Nominating Committee shall consist
of the members of the Executive/Strategic Planning Committee. The Nominating
Committee shall have authority (a) to review any nominations for election to the
Board of Directors made by a stockholder of the Corporation pursuant to Section
6(b) of Article I of these By-laws in order to determine compliance with such
By-law and (b) subject to Section 10 of Article II of these By-laws (while such
section is in effect), to recommend to the Whole Board nominees for election to
the Board of Directors to replace those directors whose terms expire at the
annual meeting of stockholders next ensuing.

                                   ARTICLE IV

                                    OFFICERS

Section 1.        GENERALLY.

                  (a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 10 of Article II
of these By-laws (while such section is in effect), the Board of Directors as
soon as may be practicable after the annual meeting of stockholders shall choose
a Chairman of the Board, a President, one or more Vice Presidents, a Secretary,
a Chief Financial Officer and a Treasurer and from time to time may choose such
other officers as it may deem proper. Except as otherwise provided in Section 10
of Article II of these By-laws (while such section is in effect), the Chairman
of the Board shall be chosen from among the directors. Any number of offices may
be held by the same person, except that no person may concurrently serve as both
President and Vice President of the Corporation.

                  (b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 10 of Article II
of these By-laws (while such section is in effect), the term of office of all
officers shall be until the next annual election of officers and until their
respective successors are chosen, but, except as provided in Section 10 of
Article II of these By-laws (while such section is in effect), any officer may
be removed from office at any time by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
authorized number of directors then constituting the Board of Directors.

                  (c) All officers chosen by the Board of Directors shall each
have such powers and duties as generally pertain to their respective offices,
subject to the specific provisions of this Article IV. Such officers shall also
have such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred by the Board
of Directors or by any committee thereof.


                                       14




Section 2.        CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

         The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall preside
at all meetings of the Board of Directors and stockholders of the Corporation.
While subsection (i) of Section 10 of Article II of these Bylaws is in effect,
in the Chairman's absence, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors nominated
by the MidCity Directors (the "MidCity Vice Chairman") shall preside; in the
absence of the MidCity Vice Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors nominated by the MB Directors (the "MB Vice Chairman") shall preside;
in the absence of the MB Vice Chairman, the President shall preside. After
subsection (i) of Section 10 of Article II of the Bylaws is no longer in effect,
in the Chairman's absence, the President shall preside.

Section 3.        PRESIDENT.

         The President shall be the chief executive officer and, subject to the
control of the Board of Directors, shall have general power over the management
and oversight of the administration and operation of the Corporation's business
and general supervisory power and authority over its policies and affairs. He
shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors and of any
committee thereof are carried into effect. He may sign account books, deeds,
mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments which the Board of Directors
has authorized to be executed, except where otherwise provided by other
resolutions of the Board of Directors or by these By-laws or the Charter of the
Corporation.

Section 4.        VICE PRESIDENT.

         The Vice President or Vice Presidents shall perform the duties of the
President in his absence or during his disability to act. In addition, the Vice
Presidents shall perform the duties and exercise the powers usually incident to
their respective offices and/or such other duties and powers as may be properly
assigned to them from time to time by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of
the Board or the President.

Section 5.        SECRETARY.

         The Secretary or an Assistant Secretary shall issue notices of
meetings, shall keep their minutes, shall have charge of the seal and the
corporate books, shall perform such other duties and exercise such other powers
as are usually incident to such offices and/or such other duties and powers as
are properly assigned thereto by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the
Board or the President.

Section 6.        CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.

         The Chief Financial Officer shall have the responsibilities and duties
as set forth by the Board of Directors or the President.


                                       15


Section 7.        TREASURER.

         The Treasurer shall have charge of all monies and securities of the
Corporation, other than monies and securities of any division of the Corporation
which has a treasurer or financial officer appointed by the Board of Directors,
and shall keep regular books of account. The funds of the Corporation shall be
deposited in the name of the Corporation by the Treasurer with such banks or
trust companies as the Board of Directors from time to time shall designate. He
or she shall sign or countersign such instruments as require his or her
signature, shall perform all such duties and have all such powers as are usually
incident to such office and/or such other duties and powers as are properly
assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board or
the President, and may be required to give bond for the faithful performance of
his or her duties in such sum and with such surety as may be required by the
Board of Directors.

Section 8.        ASSISTANT SECRETARIES AND OTHER OFFICERS.

         The Board of Directors may appoint one or more assistant secretaries
and one or more assistants to the Treasurer, or one appointee to both such
positions, which officers shall have such powers and shall perform such duties
as are provided in these By-laws or as may be assigned to them by the Board of
Directors, the Chairman of the Board or the President. Each meeting of the
stockholders and of the Board of Directors shall be presided over by such
officer as has been designated by the Board of Directors or, in his absence, by
such officer or other person as is chosen at the meeting. The Secretary or, in
his or her absence, the General Counsel of the Corporation or such officer as
has been designated by the Board of Directors or, in his or her absence, such
officer or other person as is chosen by the person presiding, shall act as
secretary of each such meeting.

Section 9.     ACTION WITH RESPECT TO SECURITIES OF OTHER CORPORATIONS

         Stock of other corporations or associations, registered in the name of
the Corporation, may be voted by the President, a Vice-President, or a proxy
appointed by either of them. The Board of Directors, however, may by resolution
appoint some other person to vote such shares, in which case such person shall
be entitled to vote such shares upon the production of a certified copy of such
resolution.

                                    ARTICLE V

                                      STOCK

Section 1.        CERTIFICATES OF STOCK.

         The Board of Directors may determine to issue certificated or
uncertificated shares of capital stock and other securities of the
Corporation. For certificated stock, each stockholder is entitled to
certificates which represent and certify the shares of stock he or she holds
in the Corporation. Each stock certificate shall include on its face the name
of the Corporation, the name of the stockholder or other person to whom it is
issued, and the class of stock and number of shares it represents. It shall
also include on its face or back (a) a statement of any restrictions on
transferability and a


                                       16




statement of the designations and any preferences, conversion and other
rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends,
qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption of the stock of each
class which the Corporation is authorized to issue, of the differences in the
relative rights and preferences between the shares of each series of a
preferred or special class in series which the Corporation is authorized to
issue, to the extent they have been set, and of the authority of the Board of
Directors to set the relative rights and preferences of subsequent series of
a preferred or special class of stock or (b) a statement which provides in
substance that the Corporation will furnish a full statement of such
information to any stockholder on request and without charge. Such request
may be made to the Secretary or to the Corporation's transfer agent. Upon the
issuance of uncertificated shares of capital stock, the Corporation shall
send the stockholder a written statement of the same information required
above on stock certificates. Each stock certificate shall be in such form,
not inconsistent with law or with the Corporation's Charter, as shall be
approved by the Board of Directors or any officer or officers designated for
such purpose by resolution of the Board of Directors. Each stock certificate
shall be signed by the Chairman of the Board, the President, or a
Vice-President, and countersigned by the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary,
the Treasurer, or an Assistant Treasurer. Each certificate may be sealed with
the actual corporate seal or a facsimile of it or in any other form and the
signatures may be either manual or facsimile signatures. A certificate is
valid and may be issued whether or not an officer who signed it is still an
officer when it is issued. A certificate may not be issued until the stock
represented by it is fully paid.

Section 2.        TRANSFERS OF STOCK.

         Upon surrender to the Corporation or the transfer agent of the
Corporation of a stock certificate duly endorsed or accompanied by proper
evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, the Corporation
shall issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old
certificate and record the transaction upon its books.

         The Corporation shall be entitled to treat the holder of record of any
share of stock as the holder in fact thereof and, accordingly, shall not be
bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or
on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other
notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of
Maryland.

         Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of shares of any class of
stock will be subject in all respects to the Charter of the Corporation and all
of the terms and conditions contained therein.

Section 3.        RECORD DATES OR CLOSING OF TRANSFER BOOKS.

         The Board of Directors may, and shall have the sole power to, set a
record date or direct that the stock transfer books be closed for a stated
period for the purpose of making any proper determination with respect to
stockholders, including which stockholders are entitled to notice of a
meeting, vote at a meeting, receive a dividend, or be allotted other rights.
The record date may not be prior to the close of business on the day the
record date is fixed nor, subject to Section 3 of Article I, more than 90
days before the date on which the action requiring the determination will be
taken; the transfer books may not be closed for a period longer than 20 days;
and, in the case of a meeting of stockholders, the record date or the closing
of the transfer books shall be at least ten days before the date of the
meeting. Any shares of the Corporation's own stock acquired by the
Corporation


                                       17




between the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or
to vote at a meeting of stockholders and the time of the meeting may be voted
at the meeting by the holder of record as of the record date and shall be
counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares entitled to be
voted at the meeting.

Section 4.        LOST, STOLEN OR DESTROYED CERTIFICATES.

         The Board of Directors of the Corporation may determine the conditions
for issuing a new stock certificate in place of one which is alleged to have
been lost, stolen, or destroyed, or the Board of Directors may delegate such
power to any officer or officers of the Corporation. In their discretion, the
Board of Directors or such officer or officers may require the owner of the
certificate to give a bond, with sufficient surety, to indemnify the Corporation
against any loss or claim arising as a result of the issuance of a new
certificate. In their discretion, the Board of Directors or such officer or
officers may refuse to issue such new certificate save upon the order of some
court having jurisdiction in the premises.

Section 5.        STOCK LEDGER.

         The Corporation shall maintain a stock ledger which contains the name
and address of each stockholder and the number of shares of stock of each class
which the stockholder holds. The stock ledger may be in written form or in any
other form which can be converted within a reasonable time into written form for
visual inspection. The original or a duplicate of the stock ledger shall be kept
at the offices of a transfer agent for the particular class of stock or, if
none, at the principal executive office of the Corporation.

Section 6.        REGULATIONS.

         The issue, transfer, conversion and registration of certificates of
stock shall be governed by such other regulations as the Board of Directors may
establish.

                                   ARTICLE VI

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

Section 1.        FACSIMILE SIGNATURES.

         In addition to the provisions for use of facsimile signatures elsewhere
specifically authorized in these By-laws, facsimile signatures of any officer or
officers of the Corporation may be used whenever and as authorized by the Board
of Directors or a committee thereof.


                                       18


Section 2.        CORPORATE SEAL.

         The Board of Directors may provide a suitable seal, bearing the name of
the Corporation, which shall be in the charge of the Secretary. The Board of
Directors may authorize one or more duplicate seals and provide for the custody
thereof. If the Corporation is required to place its corporate seal to a
document, it is sufficient to meet the requirement of any law, rule, or
regulation relating to a corporate seal to place the word "(seal)" adjacent to
the signature of the person authorized to sign the document on behalf of the
Corporation.

Section 3.        ANNUAL STATEMENT OF AFFAIRS.

         The President or chief accounting officer shall prepare annually a full
and correct statement of the affairs of the Corporation, to include a balance
sheet and a financial statement of operations for the preceding fiscal year. The
statement of affairs shall be submitted at the annual meeting of the
stockholders and, within 20 days after the meeting, placed on file at the
Corporation's principal office.

Section 4.        BOOKS AND RECORDS.

         The Corporation shall keep correct and complete books and records of
its accounts and transactions and minutes of the proceedings of its stockholders
and Board of Directors and of any committee when exercising any of the powers of
the Board of Directors. The books and records of the Corporation may be in
written form or in any other form which can be converted within a reasonable
time into written form for visual inspection. Minutes shall be recorded in
written form but may be maintained in the form of a reproduction. The original
or a certified copy of these By-laws shall be kept at the principal office of
the Corporation.

Section 5.        RELIANCE UPON BOOKS, REPORTS AND RECORDS.

         Each director, each member of any committee designated by the Board of
Directors, and each officer and agent of the Corporation shall, in the
performance of his or her duties, in addition to any protections conferred upon
him or her by law, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the books of
account or other records of the Corporation and upon such information, opinions,
reports or statements presented to the Corporation by any of its officers or
employees, or committees of the Board of Directors so designated, or by any
other person as to matters which such director, committee member, officer or
agent reasonably believes are within such other person's professional or expert
competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the
Corporation.

Section 6.        FISCAL YEAR.

         The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be the 12 calendar month
period ending December 31 in each year, unless otherwise provided by the Board
of Directors.


                                       19



Section 7.        TIME PERIODS.

         In applying any provision of these By-laws which requires that an act
be done or not be done a specified number of days prior to an event or that an
act be done during a period of a specified number of days prior to an event,
calendar days shall be used, the day of the doing of the act shall be excluded
and the day of the event shall be included.

Section 8.        CHECKS, DRAFTS, ETC.

         All checks, drafts and orders for the payment of money, notes and other
evidences of indebtedness, issued in the name of the Corporation, shall, unless
otherwise provided by resolution of the Board of Directors, be signed by the
Chairman of the Board, the President, a Vice-President, an Assistant
Vice-President, the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an
Assistant Secretary.

Section 9.        MAIL.

         Any notice or other document which is required by these By-laws to be
mailed shall be deposited in the United States mails, postage prepaid.

Section 10.       CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS.

         To the extent permitted by applicable law, and except as otherwise
prescribed by the Charter or these By-Laws, the Board of Directors may authorize
any officer, employee or agent of the Corporation to enter into any contract or
execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the
Corporation. Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances. A
person who holds more than one office in the Corporation may not act in more
than one capacity to execute, acknowledge, or verify an instrument required by
law to be executed, acknowledged, or verified by more than one officer.

                                  ARTICLE VIII

                                   AMENDMENTS

         These By-laws may be adopted, amended or repealed as provided in the
Charter of the Corporation, except that the provisions of Section 10 of Article
II of these By-laws may be amended or repealed only as provided in subsection
(j) of such Section 10.


                                       20