An Open Letter To
Cornerstone Bank Customers

September 24, 2008

Dear Customer:

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my confidence in the strength and stability of Cornerstone Bank.  We are all inundated with the news from the national media in regard to the condition of banks.  The emphasis of the broadcasts of these press commentators is on investment banks and money market accounts that are different from what you, our customers, have in Cornerstone Bank, or in any other commercial bank.

Cornerstone Bank is regulated by the State of Nebraska and the Federal Reserve Bank, and our deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, subject to account limitations.  In addition to these regulatory safeguards, we are a strong bank financially with approximately $65 million in Capital and Reserves.  We are fortunate at times like this that Cornerstone has always been managed in a very conservative manner and the quality of our loan portfolio is something of which we are very proud.

I am writing this letter just to assure you that the funds that you have on deposit with Cornerstone Bank are very safe and that we are continuing business as usual and making loans with the same underwriting standards that we have maintained for many years.  We certainly appreciate your business and would welcome the opportunity to discuss our financial condition with you, our customers.

Sincerely,

C. G. Holthus

President & CEO

YORK--Approximately 250 high school students from 17 area high schools attended the 18th Annual Careers in Agriculture Day on September 24 at the York City Auditorium, sponsored by Cornerstone Bank.

Keynote speaker for the day was Mike Johanns, the former Governor of Nebraska and, most recently, the Secretary for the United States Department of Agriculture.  “Think big,” said Johanns.  “Anything you can possible dream of that you can accomplish in a career you can do in agriculture.”

Students learned of educational opportunities, training requirements and salary range potential in agriculture related fields from about twenty presenters and instructors.

Topics included production agriculture; veterinary sciences; agronomy and horticulture; commodity marketing and farm management; sales and ag mechanics; ag finance and banking; a session on “How do I get a Job?” and “Get Smart about Credit”.  Students were also given the opportunity to visit with colleges during a college fair session.

In addition to the sessions, 10 scholarships of $500 each will be awarded to graduating seniors who attended the event.  The scholarships are co-sponsored by Cornerstone Bank and the following Nebraska colleges:  University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Southeast Community College, Beatrice or Milford; Central Community College, Columbus; and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis.

Schools attending Careers in Agriculture Day were Aurora, Bruning/Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Centennial, Central City, Cross County, Dorchester, Fullerton, Giltner, Hampton, Heartland, High Plains, McCool Junction, Rising city, Shelby, Sutton and York.