SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AMCORE Bank has become the exclusive financial partner of the soon-to-open Sears Centre located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. In addition to the financial agreement, select AMCORE Bank branches will now become Sears Centre ticket outlets, and AMCORE bank has obtained naming rights to the Sears Centre Club, now officially The AMCORE Bank Club.
"We are thrilled to be the financial partner of the Sears Centre and are excited about having The AMCORE Bank Club inside the arena," states Regional Market President Fred Alford. "With this partnership, we will have the opportunity to sell tickets at select AMCORE Bank branches in communities near the arena."
The partnership also affords AMCORE permanent signage inside and outside the Centre, lending to greater exposure and name recognition in the Chicago suburbs. "AMCORE is increasing its presence in suburban Chicago, where we currently have 25 branches," states Alford. "The Sears Centre is an important community asset, and we are proud to be a sponsor."
Located half a mile from the old Poplar Creek Music Theater, the Sears Centre will host over 142 events per year and attract in excess of 750,000 people annually. The 11,000-seat arena will be home to four professional sports teams:
* The National Lacrosse League (Chicago Shamrox)
* United Hockey League (Chicago Hounds)
* United Indoor Football League
* Major Indoor Soccer League (Chicago Storm)
Other events scheduled for the arena include collegiate and motor sports, concerts and family theater and ice shows. Visit http://www.searscentre.com/ for up-to-date event information and a complete list of AMCORE Bank outlet locations.
The Sears Centre, a multi-purpose family entertainment/cultural/sports facility, is slated to open in October 2006.
AMCORE Financial, Inc. is headquartered in Northern Illinois and has banking assets of $5.4 billion with 76 locations in Illinois and Wisconsin.
AMCORE provides a full range of consumer and commercial banking services, a variety of mortgage lending products and wealth management services, including trust, brokerage, private banking, financial planning, investment management, insurance and comprehensive retirement plan services.
AMCORE common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol AMFI. Further information about AMCORE Financial, Inc. can be found at the Company's website at http://www.amcore.com/.
