Huntington and Giant Eagle Celebrate Grand Opening of 18 New In-Store Bank Branches in Greater Cleveland Area

Convenient new branches are a key component of both companies' continued commitment to the Cleveland market, eventually creating more than 270 new Huntington jobs

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Underscoring their shared commitment to the Northeast Ohio area, Huntington (NASDAQ: HBAN; www.huntington.com) and Giant Eagle (www.gianteagle.com) today celebrated the grand opening of 18 new in-store bank branches in Cleveland and the surrounding areas in 2011.

Over the next four years, Huntington will eventually open 45, seven-day-a-week, full-service in-store branches in Giant Eagle supermarkets in the Cleveland area, creating more than 270 new jobs. And as part of the companies' exclusive, 15-year in-store branch agreement announced last fall, to make banking more convenient for their customers, Huntington will also add at least 500 jobs throughout the state of Ohio.

"Huntington and Giant Eagle share a vision, wherein customers and communities are our main priority," said Dan Walsh, president for Huntington in the Cleveland Region. "In 2011 alone, Huntington is opening 18 new in-store branch locations. We are excited to offer our customers added convenience with seven-day-a-week, extended-hour banking, and we are particularly proud to help create new jobs in the Cleveland area."

The companies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Lakewood Giant Eagle branch to commemorate all 18 area in-store locations opening in 2011. Already, 10 locations have opened, with the remaining 8 set to open by October 2011.

"We are excited about the added convenience these new Huntington Bank branches will offer our customers, and for the jobs they create," said Tina Flowers, Vice President of Giant Eagle. "For Giant Eagle, it's about improving our customers' ability to complete multiple errands under one roof, whether they are purchasing their weekly groceries, dropping off a prescription in our pharmacy or meeting their banking needs with Huntington."

To commemorate the opening of the new Cleveland area in-store branches, Huntington also made a $10,000 donation to the Cleveland Foodbank, with whom both Giant Eagle and Huntington have a long-standing philanthropic relationship.

"We are extremely grateful for this generous gift from Huntington, and for the longstanding partnerships we've enjoyed with both them and Giant Eagle," said Anne Goodman, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foodbank. "The support from organizations such as Huntington and Giant Eagle allow us to continue our mission of alleviating hunger throughout the Cleveland area."

In attendance at the grand opening were Huntington and Giant Eagle management and staff, leadership from the Cleveland Foodbank and Michael Summers, the mayor of Lakewood, Ohio.

"It's great to see two venerable companies making a long-term commitment to the Cleveland area," noted Summers. "Huntington's expansion in Cleveland, through their partnership with Giant Eagle underscores both companies' commitment to our local communities - and their investment in the economic growth of the Cleveland area is great news."

Huntington's new Giant Eagle in-store branches offer a full range of services and are open seven-days-a-week: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for a total of 75 hours per week, more than any other area bank in the Cleveland area. In addition, 52 other traditional Huntington branches in the Cleveland area have extended hours, each open 67 hours per week.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $53 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The Huntington National Bank, founded in 1866, provides full-service commercial, small business, and consumer banking services; mortgage banking services; treasury management and foreign exchange services; equipment leasing; wealth and investment management services; trust services; brokerage services; customized insurance brokerage and service programs; and other financial product and services. The principal markets for these services are Huntington's six-state banking franchise: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The primary distribution channels include a banking network of over 600 traditional branches and convenience branches located in grocery stores and retirement centers, and through an array of alternative distribution channels including internet and mobile banking, telephone banking, and over 1,300 ATMs. Through automotive dealership relationships within its six-state banking franchise area and selected New England states, Huntington also provides commercial banking services to the automotive dealers and retail automobile financing for dealer customers.

About Giant Eagle

Giant Eagle Inc., ranked 29 on Forbes magazine's largest private corporations list and recipient of Grocery Headquarters' 2007 Retailer of the Year Award and the EPA's ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year Award, is one of the nation's largest food retailers and food distributors with approximately $8.6 billion in annual sales. Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle, Inc. has grown to be the number one supermarket retailer in the region with 170 corporate and 58 independently owned and operated supermarkets in addition to 164 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, north central West Virginia and Maryland

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    Source: Huntington Bancshares Incorporated

Released June 23, 2011