First Trust/FIDAC Mortgage Income Fund : First Trust Mortgage Income Fund Declares its Monthly Common Share Distribution of $0.16 Per Share for April

First Trust Mortgage Income Fund (the "Fund") (NYSE: FMY) has declared the Fund's regularly scheduled monthly common share distribution payable on April 16, 2012 to shareholders of record as of April 4, 2012. The ex-dividend date is expected to be April 2, 2012. The monthly distribution information for the Fund appears below.

The majority, and possibly all, of this distribution will be paid out of net investment income earned by the Fund. A portion of this distribution may come from net short-term realized capital gains or return of capital. The final determination of the source and tax status of all distributions paid in 2012 will be made after the end of 2012.

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide a high level of current income. As a secondary objective, the Fund seeks to preserve capital. The Fund pursues these investment objectives by investing primarily in mortgage-backed securities representing part ownership in a pool of either residential or commercial mortgage loans that, in the opinion of the Fund's investment sub-advisor, offer an attractive combination of credit quality, yield and maturity.

First Trust Advisors L.P., the Fund's investment advisor, along with its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P., are privately-held companies which provide a variety of investment services, including asset management and financial advisory services, with collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $54 billion as of February 29, 2012 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts.

Brookfield Investment Management Inc., the Fund's investment sub-advisor, is a global investment advisor focused on specialized equity and fixed income securities investments. The firm is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a global alternative asset manager with approximately $150 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011 and over 100 years of history in owning and operating assets with a focus on real estate, infrastructure, power and private equity. Brookfield Investment Management Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisor, and with its affiliates had approximately $21 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011. Headquartered in New York, the firm maintains offices and investment teams in Chicago, Boston, London, Hong Kong, Sydney and Toronto.

Past performance is no assurance of future results. Investment return and market value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Principal Risk Factors: Investment in this Fund involves investment and market risk, management risk, credit risk, prepayment risk, reinvestment risk, interest rate risk, floating rate CMOs and inverse floating rate CMOs risk, bond market risk, economic sector risk, inflation risk, U.S. government securities risk, government agency risk, asset-backed securities risk, market discount risk, leverage risk, interest rate transactions risk, derivatives risk, market disruption risk, portfolio turnover risk, tax risk relating to investments in certain REMICs, and illiquid/restricted securities risk. The risks of investing in the Fund are spelled out in the prospectus, shareholder reports and other regulatory filings.

The Fund's daily closing New York Stock Exchange price and net asset value per share as well as other information can be found at www.ftportfolios.com or by calling 1-800-988-5891.

First Trust Mortgage Income Fund
Press Inquiries: Jane Doyle, 630-765-8775
Analyst Inquiries: Jeff Margolin, 630-915-6784
Broker Inquiries: Jeff Margolin, 630-915-6784