May 1, 2009

Macatawa Bank Wins Awards

Lighthouse Communities gave Macatawa Bank the Enterprise Partner Award

Enterprise Partner Award – Awarded to recognize companies and businesses that engage non-profit organizations expertise, resources and/or partnerships to exemplary results.

Enterprise partners are businesses in the Greater Grand Rapids that are very involved and interests, activities, services provided to develop community services and resources. Corporations that engage with non-profits through philanthropic contributions which have had exemplary results.

Macatawa Bank Wins Award for Promoting Financial Literacy

Holland, Michigan, March 27, 2009 – Macatawa Bank Corp. (NASDAQ: MCBC) has received an award from the Michigan Bankers Association for promoting financial literacy.

Macatawa Bank was recognized with a 2009 Financial Literacy Award from the MBA for “making a special effort to promote” financial literacy. The bank will be honored for its efforts during a special ceremony in May in Spring Lake.

“We recognize the importance of promoting financial literacy among our customers and are very pleased that the Michigan Bankers Association has acknowledged our efforts in this area,” said Phil Koning, President of Macatawa Bank. “I would like to applaud the efforts of Jorge Gonzalez, our Vice President of Community Development, and all his team for their hard work to promote a greater understanding of banking and financial services throughout the West Michigan community.”

Last year, more than 60 Macatawa bankers and staff presented eight financial literacy programs that reached more than 2,100 people in the community – including more than 1,000 children. These programs included:
• Personal Development Account Financial Literacy Program, which partnered with the Kent County Tax Credit Coalition to reach low-income residents. Macatawa Bank opened a fee-free savings account for each client who attended the 12-week program. The Bank matched 50 cents for every dollar saved by participants who successfully completed the program.
• Teach Children to Save Day. Macatawa Bank representatives traveled to a dozen West Michigan schools to teach financial literacy skills in a wide range of classrooms.
• Spanish Literacy Program. Four bilingual professionals served more than 300 Spanish-speaking clients last year. Outreach efforts included on-site classes, columns in local Spanish-language newspapers and radio interviews.
• Financial Literacy for Non-Profits. Macatawa Bank professionals provided on-site classes for a number of non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity, United Church Outreach Centers, Latin Americans United for Progress and others.

Additional programs reached out to middle- and high-school students, low-income residents and Junior Achievement participants. The Bank is currently working to develop a Spanish-language television program on financial literacy, among other ongoing outreach initiatives.

About Macatawa Bank
Headquartered in Holland, Mich., Macatawa Bank Corporation is the parent company for Macatawa Bank and Macatawa Bank Mortgage Company. Through its subsidiaries, the Corporation offers a full range of banking, investment and trust services to individuals, businesses and governmental entities from a network of 26 full-service branches located throughout communities in Kent, Ottawa and northern Allegan counties. Services include commercial, consumer and real estate financing; business and personal deposit services; ATMs and Internet banking services; trust and employee benefit plan services and various investment services. The Corporation emphasizes its local management team and decision making, along with providing customers excellent service and superior financial products.