FRBA First Bank

First Bank Completes Merger With Heritage Community Bank

HAMILTON, NJ--(Marketwired - March 10, 2014) - First Bank (NASDAQ: FRBA) announced today that it had completed its previously announced merger with Heritage Community Bank effective as of the close of business on March 7, 2014. Shareholders of both banks approved the merger at special meetings held on March 5, 2014. As a result of the merger, First Bank will operate 8 branches in four New Jersey counties, including the 3 former Heritage Community Bank branches in Morris County.

President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Ryan said, "The closing of the merger represents another step in our continued growth, and we remain excited about our prospects in an industry where headwinds are subsiding and renewed consolidation should create additional expansion opportunities. We believe Morris County will be a great market for our brand of relationship banking."

Peter Kenny, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Community Bank stated, "A strong community banking operation in the Morris County market is assured by the merger, and I look forward to helping First Bank continue to build out its commercial lending platform."

Each Heritage Community Bank share was exchanged for 0.4534 First Bank shares. First Bank issued an aggregate of 875,251 shares of its common stock.

About First Bank

First Bank (www.firstbanknj.com) is a New Jersey state-chartered bank with eight full-service branches in Denville, Ewing, Hamilton, Lawrence, Randolph (2) Somerset, and Williamstown, New Jersey. First Bank offers a traditional range of deposit and loan products to individuals and businesses throughout the New York City to Philadelphia corridor. First Bank's common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "FRBA".

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, either expressed or implied, which are provided to assist the reader in understanding anticipated future financial performance. These statements involve certain risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management, which are subject to factors beyond First Bank's control and could impede its ability to achieve these goals. These factors include those listed in our Registration Statement on Form 10 under the caption "Item 1A- Risk Factors", and general economic conditions, trends in interest rates, the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, and results of regulatory exams, among other factors.

CONTACT: Patrick L. RyanPresident and CEO (609) 643-0168patrick.ryan@firstbanknj.com