First Niagara Announces Completion of the Acquisition of National City Branches in...

First Niagara Announces Completion of the Acquisition of National City
Branches in Western Pennsylvania

LOCKPORT, N.Y., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Niagara Financial
Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FNFG), announced today that it has completed the
acquisition of 57 Western Pennsylvania bank branches including $3.9 billion of
deposits and $757 million of performing loans from National City Bank, a
subsidiary of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

All acquired branches in and around Pittsburgh, Warren and Erie, Pa. open this
morning as First Niagara locations. In addition, all First Niagara customers
can also bank at 69 ATMs across the area.

"We are very pleased to begin serving more than 200,000 customers across
Western Pennsylvania," said John R. Koelmel, president and CEO of First
Niagara. "Our ability to complete this transaction and re-open these branches
as First Niagara locations, in less than five months, is a tribute to our
employees, especially the more than 500 new Pennsylvania-based colleagues who
we welcome into the First Niagara family."

At the election of First Niagara and pursuant to the securities purchase
agreement previously entered into between National City, PNC and First
Niagara, First Niagara issued, and National City purchased, $150 million of
12% senior notes maturing September 10, 2014. First Niagara has the ability
to prepay this debt in whole or part prior to the maturity date without
penalty.

First Niagara was advised by the investment banking firm of Goldman, Sachs &
Co. and by the law firm of Luse Gorman Pomerenk & Schick.

About First Niagara Financial Group
With the addition of the acquired branches, First Niagara now has
approximately $13.2 billion in assets and provides financial services to
individuals, families and businesses through 170 branches and five Regional
Market Centers across Upstate New York and Western Pennsylvania. In July
2009, First Niagara announced its plans to acquire Harleysville National
Corporation and its $5.6 billion in assets and 83 branches in the Philadelphia
area, subject to regulatory and Harleysville shareholder approval. For more
information, visit www.fnfg.com.

SOURCE First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.

Anthony M. Alessi, Investor Relations Manager, +1-716-625-7692,
tony.alessi@fnfg.com; or Leslie G. Garrity, Corporate Communications Manager,
+1-716-625-7528, leslie.garrity@fnfg.com