UMBF UMB Financial Corporation

UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF) Chief Investment Officer Bill Greiner releases the following statement concerning the current Holiday spending environment: Early possible threats to holiday spending have abated in recent weeks, increasing the likelihood of another strong holiday spending season. Gasoline prices have dropped from dangerous highs and the upward push in interest rates from the Fed has come to a stop, at least for now. Employment remains strong, and consumers are likely to at least match last year�s spending patterns, despite softness in the housing sector. Areas of possible strength include home electronics. We expect the web-based retailers to continue to gain market share. Additionally, on a possible �surprise� basis, the major upscale department stores appear to be well positioned to enjoy a strong holiday period. Last year�s retail stars, iPods and flat-screen televisions, are down roughly 20 percent from 2005 prices and should be expected to be hot items again this year. Bill Greiner Chief Investment Officer UMB Financial Corporation Bill Greiner is chief investment officer of UMB Financial Corporation�s Asset Management Division is Kansas City, Mo. He has spent his entire career in the investment field, with more than 25 years investment management experience. Greiner most recently was named Business Week�s �Fearless Forecaster: 2005 Stock Market Strategist of the Year� in December 2005. He received this distinction by being the investment strategist who most accurately forecasted where the U.S. markets would end up at the close of 2005. UMB Financial Corporation is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offering complete banking and related financial services to both individual and business customers nationwide. Its banking subsidiaries own and operate 140 banking centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Subsidiaries of the holding company and the lead bank, UMB Bank, n.a., include an investment services group based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a trust management company in South Dakota, and single-purpose companies that deal with brokerage services, consulting services and insurance. UMB was named one of Business Week's "Web Smart 50" companies in 2005. UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF) Chief Investment Officer Bill Greiner releases the following statement concerning the current Holiday spending environment: Early possible threats to holiday spending have abated in recent weeks, increasing the likelihood of another strong holiday spending season. Gasoline prices have dropped from dangerous highs and the upward push in interest rates from the Fed has come to a stop, at least for now. Employment remains strong, and consumers are likely to at least match last year's spending patterns, despite softness in the housing sector. Areas of possible strength include home electronics. We expect the web-based retailers to continue to gain market share. Additionally, on a possible "surprise" basis, the major upscale department stores appear to be well positioned to enjoy a strong holiday period. Last year's retail stars, iPods and flat-screen televisions, are down roughly 20 percent from 2005 prices and should be expected to be hot items again this year. Bill Greiner Chief Investment Officer UMB Financial Corporation Bill Greiner is chief investment officer of UMB Financial Corporation's Asset Management Division is Kansas City, Mo. He has spent his entire career in the investment field, with more than 25 years investment management experience. Greiner most recently was named Business Week's "Fearless Forecaster: 2005 Stock Market Strategist of the Year" in December 2005. He received this distinction by being the investment strategist who most accurately forecasted where the U.S. markets would end up at the close of 2005. UMB Financial Corporation is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offering complete banking and related financial services to both individual and business customers nationwide. Its banking subsidiaries own and operate 140 banking centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Subsidiaries of the holding company and the lead bank, UMB Bank, n.a., include an investment services group based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a trust management company in South Dakota, and single-purpose companies that deal with brokerage services, consulting services and insurance. UMB was named one of Business Week's "Web Smart 50" companies in 2005.