NORTHWEST INDIANA BANCORP : ANNOUNCES INCREASED EARNINGS FOR SIX AND THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016

Munster, Indiana - NorthWest Indiana Bancorp (the "Bancorp"), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the "Bank"), reported earnings increase of 14.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the same period for 2015. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, the Bancorp's earnings increased by 13.5%, compared to the same period for 2015. At June 30, 2016, the Bancorp's assets totaled $909.4 million, an increase of 5.1% for the current six-month period.

Net income totaled $4.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $3.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. The net income of $4.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, represent $1.57 earnings per basic and diluted share. For the first six months of 2016, the return on average assets (ROA) was 1.03% and the return on average equity (ROE) was 10.64%.

Net income totaled $2.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $2.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015. The net income of

$2.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016, represent $0.78 earnings per basic and diluted share. For the second quarter of 2016, the return on average assets (ROA) was 1.02% and the return on average equity (ROE) was 10.49%.

"Management continues to carry out the Bank's strategic plan, and the three- and

six-month operating results reflect that. Improved net interest income comes from strong loan growth, along with continued success in growing our deposit relationships. The Bank has also seen some significant advantages in scale through organic growth and fully integrating two acquisitions, leading to improved expense and efficiency ratios," said Benjamin Bochnowski, CEO.

Benjamin Bochnowski also noted, "The Bank's growth and performance is fueled by the continued improvement in Northwest Indiana's economy and by the hard work of our dedicated team of employees. As personal and business banking needs have changed, we have been able to create and grow partnerships with our customers so that they can achieve their financial goals. These results show that we have the capital, management and performance to remain independent and continue to be the local financial partner of choice in the Region."

Net Interest Income

Net interest income, the difference between interest income from loans and investments and interest expense paid to funds providers, totaled $14.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $13.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $1.9 million or 14.5%. The Bancorp's net interest margin on a tax adjusted basis was 3.88% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to 3.78% for the six months ended June 30, 2015. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, net interest income totaled $7.4 million, compared to $6.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015 for an increase of $750 thousand or 11.3%. The Bancorp's net interest margin on a tax adjusted basis was 3.82% for the three months ended June 30, 2016, compared to 3.80% for the three months ended June 30, 2015.

The Bancorp's net interest income was positively impacted by strong balance sheet growth over the prior twelve months, as interest earning assets increased by $95.3 million or 12.6% since June 30, 2015. This increase was attributable to both organic growth and acquisition activity.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income from banking activities totaled $3.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $3.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, a decrease of $174 thousand or 4.7%. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, noninterest income from banking activities totaled $1.8 million, compared to $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $38 thousand or 2.2%.

During 2016, the Bancorp has seen its noninterest income from wealth management operations and banking services increase, while gains from the sale of loans and securities have decreased. The decrease in gains from loan sales, is due to greater mortgage loan refinance activity in 2015, as compared to 2016. In addition, gains on sales of securities were lower for 2016, as a result of fewer available investment cash flow strategies due to current market conditions.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense totaled $12.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $11.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $745 thousand or 6.6%. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, noninterest expense totaled $5.9 million, compared to $5.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $272 thousand or 4.8%. The 2016 increase in noninterest expense is primarily related to the acquisition of another banking institution during the second half of 2015 and the establishment of a captive insurance subsidiary during 2016.

Lending

The Bancorp's loan portfolio totaled $586.1 million at June 30, 2016, compared to

$571.9 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $14.2 million or 2.5%. During the first six months of 2016, the Bancorp originated $150.6 million in new loans, an increase of $4.8 million, compared to same period in 2015. During the six months ended June 30, 2016, commercial, construction and government related loans increased by $17.1 million in the aggregate. During the six months ended June 30, 2016, $19.9 million of newly originated fixed rate mortgage loans were sold into the secondary market resulting in gains of $541 thousand. The loan portfolio represents 68.7% of earning assets and is comprised of 63.9% commercial related credits.

Investing

The Bancorp's securities portfolio totaled $243.2 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $233.4 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $9.9 million or 2.4%. The securities portfolio represents 28.5% of earning assets and provides a consistent source of earnings to the Bancorp. Cash & cash equivalents totaled $31.1 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $11.5 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $19.8 million.

The increase in cash and cash equivalents mostly results from the collection of short- term municipal deposits.

Funding

At June 30, 2016, core deposits totaled $556.5 million, compared to $520.4 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $36.1 million or 6.9%. Core deposits include checking, savings, and money market accounts and represented 74.3% of the Bancorp's total deposits at June 30, 2016. During the first six months of 2016, balances for savings, money market and checking accounts all increased. The increase in core deposits is a result of management's sales efforts along with customer preferences for short-term liquid investments in the current low interest rate environment. At June 30, 2016, balances for certificates of deposit totaled $192.4 million, compared to $194.5 million at December 31, 2015. In addition, at June 30, 2016, borrowings and repurchase agreements totaled $56.6 million, compared to $58.0 million at December 31, 2015, a decrease of $1.4 million of 2.4%.

Asset Quality

At June 30, 2016, non-performing loans totaled $5.4 million, compared to $5.6 million at December 31, 2015, a decrease of $200 thousand or 3.6%. The Bancorp's ratio of non-performing loans to total loans was 0.92% at June 30, 2016, compared to 0.98% at December 31, 2015. In addition, the Bancorp's ratio of non-performing assets to total assets was 0.85% at June 30, 2016, compared to 1.05% at December 31, 2015. The decrease in non-performing loans for 2016 is partially the result of the payoff of one non-accruing commercial real estate loan in the amount of $522 thousand, as well as the result of borrowers generally making more timely payments during the year.

For the six months ended June 30, 2016, loan loss provisions totaled $584 thousand, while $485 thousand in provisions were recorded for the six months ended June 30, 2015. For the three months ended June 30, 2016, loan loss provisions totaled

$288 thousand, while $198 thousand in provisions were recorded for the three months ended June 30, 2015. The 2016 loan loss provisions were primarily related to increased loan originations and overall loan portfolio growth. Loan charge-offs, net of recoveries, totaled $200 thousand for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to charge-offs, net of recoveries of $147 thousand for the six months ended June 30, 2015. At June 30, 2016, the allowance for loan losses totaled $7.3 million and is considered adequate by management. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans was 1.25% at June 30, 2016, compared to 1.22% at December 31, 2015. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of non-performing loans, or coverage ratio, was 136.43% at June 30, 2016, compared to 124.66% at December 31, 2015.

Capital Adequacy

At June 30, 2016, shareholders' equity stood at $86.5 million or 9.5% of total assets. The Bancorp's regulatory capital ratios at June 30, 2016 were 13.6% for total capital to risk-weighted assets, 12.4% for both common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets and tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets, and 9.0% for tier 1 leverage capital to adjusted average assets. Under all regulatory capital requirements, the Bancorp is

considered well capitalized. The book value of the Bancorp's stock stood at $30.23 per share at June 30, 2016.

About NorthWest Indiana Bancorp

NorthWest Indiana Bancorp is a locally managed and independent bank holding company headquartered in Munster, Indiana, whose activities are primarily limited to holding the stock of Peoples Bank. Peoples Bank provides a wide range of personal, business, electronic and wealth management financial services from its 16 locations in Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana. NorthWest Indiana Bancorp's common stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol NWIN. The website ibankpeoples.com provides information on Peoples Bank's products and services, and NorthWest Indiana Bancorp's investor relations.

Forward Looking Statements

"Forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 may be included in this release. A variety of factors could cause the Bancorp's actual results to differ from those expected at the time of this release. These include, but are not limited to, changes in economic conditions in the Bancorp's market area, changes in policies by regulatory agencies, fluctuation in interest rates, demand for loans in the Bancorp's market area, economic conditions in the financial services industry, the Bancorp's ability to successfully integrate the operations of recently acquired institutions, competition and other risks set forth in the Bancorp's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10- K for the year ended December 31, 2015. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by the Bancorp in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Bancorp undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.