LOCKPORT, N.Y., July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FNFG) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of fourteen cents ($0.14) per share on outstanding FNFG common stock. The dividend is payable on August 18, 2009 to stockholders of record on August 4, 2009.

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary First Niagara Bank, has assets of $11.6 billion and deposits of $6.2 billion at June 30, 2009. First Niagara Bank is a community-oriented bank providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses through 113 branches and four Regional Market Centers across Upstate New York. In April 2009, the Company announced plans to add another 57 branches in Pittsburgh, Warren and Erie, Pa., additional deposits of $4.2 billion and additional loans of $839 million in an acquisition that is expected to close in September 2009, pending regulatory approval. For more information, visit www.fnfg.com.

    Corporate Information
    First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.   Transfer Agent and Registrar
    6950 South Transit Road               American Stock Transfer & Trust
    P.O. Box 514                           Company
    Lockport, New York 14095-0514         6201 15th Avenue
    Telephone (800) 201-6621              Brooklyn, NY  11219
    www.fnfg.com                          Telephone 1-877-785-9670
                                          www.amstock.com

SOURCE First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.