IONIA, Mich., Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: IBCP), the holding company of Independent Bank, a Michigan-based community bank, announced that its Board of Directors appointed Matthew J. Missad to the boards of the Corporation and the Bank. Mr. Missad is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Universal Forest Products, Inc. ("Universal"). Mr. Missad has served as CEO of Universal since July of 2011. Prior to that time, Mr. Missad served as general counsel for over 25 years and as Executive Vice President for over 15 years.

William B. ("Brad") Kessel, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Independent Bank Corporation, commented: "We are delighted to add Matt to the Boards of Directors of both our parent company and the Bank. Matt brings many skills to our Board, including experience as the CEO of a publicly traded company, an extensive legal background and outstanding leadership qualities."

Matthew J. Missad commented: "I am excited to join the Board of Directors of Independent Bank Corporation. The Company has a rich history, celebrating its 150(th) anniversary in 2014. I look forward to working with a talented Board of Directors and management team at IBC."

Universal Forest Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: UFPI) is a holding company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It provides capital, management and administrative resources to various subsidiaries that supply wood, wood composite and other products to the retail, construction and industrial markets. Universal operates facilities throughout North America and employs over 5,000 individuals. For its most recent completed fiscal year, Universal reported net revenues of approximately $2.5 billion.

Mr. Missad is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, a Licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Michigan, and has the Certified Public Accountant Certificate of Examination.

About Independent Bank Corporation

Independent Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: IBCP) is a Michigan-based bank holding company with total assets of approximately $2.24 billion. Founded as First National Bank of Ionia in 1864, Independent Bank Corporation operates a branch network across Michigan's Lower Peninsula through one state-chartered bank subsidiary. This subsidiary (Independent Bank) provides a full range of financial services, including commercial banking, mortgage lending, investments and title services. Independent Bank Corporation is committed to providing exceptional personal service and value to its customers, stockholders and the communities it serves.

For more information, please visit our Web site at: www.IndependentBank.com.

Any statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "contemplates," "feels," "expects," "estimates," "seeks," "strives," "plans," "intends," "outlook," "forecast," "position," "target," "mission," "assume," "achievable," "potential," "strategy," "goal," "aspiration," "opportunity," "initiative," "outcome," "continue," "remain," "maintain," "on course," "trend," "objective," "looks forward" and variations of such words and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "might," "can," "may" or similar expressions, as they relate to Independent Bank Corporation or its management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are predicated on the beliefs and assumptions of Independent Bank Corporation's management based on information known to Independent Bank Corporation's management as of the date of this news release and do not purport to speak as of any other date. Forward looking statements may include descriptions of plans and objectives of Independent Bank Corporation's management for future or past operations, products or services, and forecasts of Independent Bank Corporation's revenue, earnings or other measures of economic performance, including statements of profitability, business segments and subsidiaries, and estimates of credit trends. Such statements reflect the view of Independent Bank Corporation's management as of this date with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks materialize or should underlying beliefs or assumptions prove incorrect, Independent Bank Corporation's actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences are changes in general economic, political or industry conditions; changes in monetary and fiscal policies, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; volatility and disruptions in capital and credit markets; the interdependence of financial service companies; changes in regulation or oversight; unfavorable developments concerning credit quality; any future acquisitions or divestitures; the effects of more stringent capital or liquidity requirements; declines or other changes in the businesses or industries of Independent Bank Corporation's customers; the implementation of Independent Bank Corporation's strategies and business models; Independent Bank Corporation's ability to utilize technology to efficiently and effectively develop, market and deliver new products and services; operational difficulties, failure of technology infrastructure or information security incidents; changes in the financial markets, including fluctuations in interest rates and their impact on deposit pricing; competitive product and pricing pressures among financial institutions within Independent Bank Corporation's markets; changes in customer behavior; management's ability to maintain and expand customer relationships; management's ability to retain key officers and employees; the impact of legal and regulatory proceedings or determinations; the effectiveness of methods of reducing risk exposures; the effects of terrorist activities and other hostilities; the effects of catastrophic events; changes in accounting standards and the critical nature of Independent Bank Corporation's accounting policies. Independent Bank Corporation cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. For discussion of factors that may cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, please refer to "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Independent Bank Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Independent Bank Corporation does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect facts, circumstances, assumptions or events that occur after the date the forward looking statements are made. For any forward-looking statements made in this news release or in any documents, Independent Bank Corporation claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

SOURCE Independent Bank Corporation