FIRSTBANK OF ILLINOIS CO
8-K, 1995-12-01
STATE COMMERCIAL BANKS
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                                            December 1, 1995












Securities and Exchange Commission
450 North Capitol Street
Washington, D.C. 20549

             Re:  Firstbank of Illinois Co. Form 8-K

Dear Sirs:

     Pursuant to the filing requirements under the Securities and
Exchange  Commission  Act of 1934, we are  hereby  electronically
filing a current report on Form 8-K.

                                          Sincerely,



                                           By: /s/ Chris R. Zettek
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer


Enclosures

CRZ:ply

                     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                           WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549


                                  FORM 8-K

                               CURRENT REPORT



                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                     the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                              December 1, 1995
                              (Date of Report)



                            FIRSTBANK OF ILLINOIS CO.
              (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



                                    DELAWARE
          (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)


        0-8426                                           37-6141253
(Commission File Number)                     (IRS Employer Identification No.)



             205 South Fifth Street, Springfield, Illinois  62701
                   (Address of principal executive offices)



                                  217-753-7543
             (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

ITEM 5.   Other Events


On  November  30,  1995, Firstbank of Illinois Co.  ("Firstbank")
completed  its  acquisition of Confluence Bancshares  Corporation
("Confluence")  and  its wholly owned subsidiary,  Duchesne  Bank
("Duchesne").   Duchesne, headquartered in St. Peters,  Missouri,
also   operates  a  separate  branch  facility  in  St.  Charles,
Missouri.

Duchesne currently has total assets of approximately $80 million.
The acquisition of all the outstanding common stock of Confluence
Bancshares Corporation was in exchange for approximately  500,000
shares of Firstbank common stock and will be accounted for  as  a
pooling-of-interests.

A  press  release  publicly announcing  the  event  is  attached.

Pursuant  to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange  Act
of  1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                   FIRSTBANK OF ILLINOIS CO.
                                        Registrant


                                   By:  /s/ Chris R. Zettek
                                        Chris R. Zettek
                                        ITS Executive Vice President
                                        and Chief Financial Officer


DATE: December 1, 1995

For Immediate Release
Friday, December 1, 1995

                    FIRSTBANK OF ILLINOIS CO.
             COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF DUCHESNE BANK

      SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 1, 1995  --  Firstbank  of
Illinois Co. today announced it has completed the acquisition  of
Duchesne Bank of St. Peters, Missouri.

      Duchesne Bank, which has total assets of approximately  $80
million,  operates banking offices in St. Peters and St. Charles,
Missouri.   This acquisition will complement the  Des  Peres  and
Ellisville  locations  currently served by  Colonial  Bank  which
became a Firstbank affiliate in 1994.

      Mark  H. Ferguson, Firstbank's chairman and chief executive
officer,  said,  "Duchesne gives us a solid base  from  which  to
expand in St. Charles County. St. Peters is located in the  heart
of one of the fastest growing markets in Missouri.
                                
      "The customer mix at Duchesne Bank is very similar to those
we  serve in our other markets," Ferguson added.  "We are excited
about our opportunities for future growth."
                                
      Richard C. Leuck, president and chief executive officer  of
Duchesne  Bank  said,  "We are excited about  joining  a  quality
organization  like  Firstbank.  Although  it  is  a  much  larger
institution,   Firstbank  has  demonstrated  its  commitment   to
community banking and customer service."

     Leuck and Duchesne's chairman, James Wilhite, said they were
attracted  to  Firstbank  because  of  its  commitment  to  local
decision-making and community-based banking, and because it would
bring  a  much  broader  product and service  mix  to  Duchesne's
customers.   Wilhite  noted that members of Duchesne's  board  of
directors will remain integrally involved in the bank's  business
development efforts in St. Charles County.

                             -more-

     "We have been somewhat constrained by our lending limit as a
relatively   small   bank,"  Wilhite  said.   "With   Firstbank's
resources and much larger lending limits, we will be able to grow
with our customers and expand into products and services that  we
have not been able to offer as a smaller institution."

      Firstbank intends to introduce retail brokerage  and  trust
products  to Duchesne's customers as quickly as possible.   These
products  will  be  provided  by Firstbank's  financial  services
division, Firstbank Financial Group.
                                
      The addition of Duchesne brings Firstbank's total assets in
Missouri's  St.  Louis and St. Charles counties to  approximately
$250  million.   Prior  to  its  entry  into  Missouri  in  1994,
Firstbank  made several acquisitions in the St. Louis Metro  East
area.  In 1986, the Company acquired the United Illinois Banks of
Collinsville, Troy and New Athens, all of which were merged  into
Central  Bank of Fairview Heights after it was acquired in  1991.
Firstbank acquired the deposits of the failed New Athens  Federal
Savings  and  Loan Association in 1990, and in 1993 acquired  The
First National Bank of Highland.  Total assets in the Metro  East
are currently more than $500 million.

      Firstbank is the largest bank holding company headquartered
in  downstate Illinois.  The Company provides banking, trust, and
other financial services through its subsidiaries in Central  and
Southern  Illinois  and  the  St.  Louis  Metro  area.    Company
subsidiaries  include Central Bank (Fairview  Heights);  Colonial
Bank (Des Peres, Missouri); Duchesne Bank (St. Peters, Missouri);
Elliott State Bank (Jacksonville); Farmers and Merchants Bank  of
Carlinville;   The  First  National  Bank  of  Central   Illinois
(Springfield);  First Trust and Savings Bank of Taylorville;  FFG
Trust,    Inc.   (Springfield)   and   FFG   Investments,    Inc.
(Springfield).   The Company operates 35 offices in  13  Illinois
counties and five banking offices in two Missouri counties.




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