Civista Bancshares, Inc. added to membership of Russell 2000® Index

SANDUSKY, Ohio, June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CIVB) ("Civista") was added as a member of the Russell 2000^® Index, effective after the US market opened on June 26, as part of the 2017 Russell indexes reconstitution.  Membership in the Russell 2000^® Index, which remains in place for one year, is based on membership in the broad-market Russell 3000^® Index.  The stock also was automatically added to the appropriate growth and value indexes.

"Our addition to the Russell 2000^® Index is a direct result of the strategic decisions we have made over the past few years.  Our market capitalization has increased from $40.5 million on December 31, 2012 to $199.1 million on June 23, 2017," commented James O. Miller, Chairman, President and CEO.  "The addition to the Russell 2000^® Index will allow for more trading liquidity in our stock. Liquidity is an important consideration for many investors as they review alternatives. We believe the increased liquidity in our stock may tend to more investor visibility and potentially a higher valuation.  It may also make our stock a more attractive currency in potential acquisitions."

Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies.  Approximately $8.4 trillion in assets are benchmarked against Russell's US indexes.  Russell indexes are part of FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider.

For more information on the Russell 2000^® Index and the Russell indexes reconstitution, go to the "Russell Reconstitution" section on the FTSE Russell website.

About Civista Bancshares, Inc.:
Civista Bancshares, Inc. is a $1.6 billion financial holding company headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio.  Civista's banking subsidiary, Civista Bank, operates 29 locations in Northern, Mid-Central and Southwestern Ohio.

Civista Bancshares, Inc. may be accessed at www.civb.com.  The Company's common shares are traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "CIVB".  Civista's depositary shares, each representing a 1/40^th ownership interest in a Series B Preferred Share, are traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "CIVBP".

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Civista.  For these statements, Civista claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.   Statements in this press release should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Civista, including the information in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance.  The forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.  We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will" and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.  Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other factors detailed from time to time in Civista' reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in "Item 1A Risk Factors" of Part I of Civista's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.  Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.  Civista does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.

About FTSE Russell:
FTSE Russell is a leading global index provider creating and managing a wide range of indexes, data and analytic solutions to meet client needs across asset classes, style and strategies.  Covering 98% of the investable market, FTSE Russell indexes offer a true picture of global markets, combined with the specialist knowledge gained from developing local benchmarks around the world.

FTSE Russell index expertise and products are used extensively by institutional and retail investors globally.  Approximately $12.5 trillion is currently benchmarked to FTSE Russell indexes. For over 30 years, leading asset owners, asset managers, ETF providers and investment banks have chosen FTSE Russell indexes to benchmark their investment performance and create investment funds, ETFs, structured products and index-based derivatives.  FTSE Russell indexes also provide clients with tools for asset allocation, investment strategy analysis and risk management.

A core set of universal principles guides FTSE Russell index design and management: a transparent rules-based methodology is informed by independent committees of leading market participants.  FTSE Russell is focused on index innovation and customer partnership applying the highest industry standards and embracing the IOSCO Principles.  FTSE Russell is wholly owned by London Stock Exchange Group.

For more information, visit www.ftserussell.com

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SOURCE Civista Bancshares, Inc.