Five Star Bank Celebrates Opening of Downtown Rochester Financial Solution Center and Announces Initiatives to Support United Way

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 15, 2016 -- Five Star Bank (“Five Star” or the “Bank”), subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI), today celebrates the opening of its new financial solution center in downtown Rochester. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the branch located in Five Star Bank Plaza at 10:00 am.

Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy, United Way of Greater Rochester President and CEO Fran Weisberg, governmental and neighborhood representatives, as well as executives and members of the Board of Directors from Five Star Bank will be in attendance. The event is open to the public.

Five Star Bank’s financial solution center concept has evolved to meet changing customer needs. It accommodates a wide spectrum of customer preferences with no teller lines, no barriers between bank associates and customers, and hands-on technical support. Customers have the ability to choose their banking experience by accessing available on-site tech pods, mobile banking demonstrations and a staff of Certified Personal Bankers (CPBs), experts trained to meet a broad array of customer needs including mortgages, small business loan applications, investment services, new account openings and account maintenance.

“This is an exciting day for our bank and our associates,” said Martin K. Birmingham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Five Star Bank. “We are very happy to be downtown and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with local residents and workers. We also eagerly anticipate the relocation of our regional administrative center and approximately 150 employees to Five Star Bank Plaza in the first quarter of next year.

“I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank the local contractors and tradesmen who have worked diligently to transform this branch, as well as our new office space in this beautiful building. We appreciate their efforts in partnering with us to achieve our downtown vision.”  

Five Star Bank is dedicated to providing leadership and support for the many communities it serves. In accordance with this guiding philosophy, the Bank also announced two important initiatives today which will support the United Way of Greater Rochester:

• The Five Star Bank Small Business Challenge is a United Way challenge grant to be funded by Five Star corporate and employee donations. All new or increased donations from local small and medium-sized businesses in Monroe County in the 2017 United Way campaign will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000.
   
• The United Way Community Fund will be immediately established to accept public donations at all eight Monroe County Five Star Bank branches.

All funds raised through these initiatives will be used by United Way to help local families overcome the challenges of poverty to build a stronger, more vibrant community for all.

Mr. Birmingham commented, “For nearly 100 years, the United Way of Greater Rochester has been uniting the goodwill and resources of our region so that everyone can thrive, advancing the common good. We make this investment in the United Way – and therefore our community – with enthusiasm and without equivocation, and we look forward to supporting the efforts of those small businesses that contribute and leverage our matching donation.”  

"United Way is honored to partner with Five Star Bank to address poverty in our community," said Fran Weisberg, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester. "We both serve the same community in different ways, and Five Star truly shows how the business community can connect with local people in need to help address some of our most critical challenges here in Rochester."

About Five Star Bank
Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices and 60 ATMs throughout Western and Central New York State. More information on Five Star Bank is available through the company’s website at www.five-starbank.com, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Five Star Bank is a subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (“FII”), a publicly-traded company. FII provides diversified financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank, Scott Danahy Naylon and Courier Capital. FII and its subsidiaries employ approximately 700 individuals. The company’s stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available on the company’s website: www.fiiwarsaw.com.

Five Star Bank Contact:                                                
Shelly J. Doran                                                             
(585) 627-1362 or [email protected]