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
Date of report (date of earliest event reported) May
24, 1996
First Interstate BancSystem
of Montana, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its
charter)
Montana
333-3250 81-0331430
(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission
(IRS Employer
incorporation or organization) File No.)
Identification No.)
P.O. Box 30918, 401 North 31st Street, Billings, MT
59116-0918
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code
406/255-5300
Not
applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last
report)<PAGE>
Item 5. Other Events
Attached hereto as Exhibit 99 is the press
release by First Interstate BancSystem of
Montana, Inc. announcing its signing of a
definative agreement with Wells Fargo & Company
to purchase the First Interstate Bank of
Montana, N.A. with offices in Kalispell, Great
Falls and Cut Bank, as well as the First
Interstate Bank of Wyoming, N.A. with offices in
Casper, Riverton, and Laramie.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibits
99 Copy of Press Release
announcing First
Interstate BancSystem of
Montana, Inc.'s signing
of a definative agreement
with Wells Fargo &
Company to purchase the
First Interstate Bank of
Montana, N.A. with
offices in Kalispell,
Great Falls and Cut Bank,
as well as the First
Interstate Bank of
Wyoming, N.A. with
offices in Casper,
Riverton, and Laramie.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, on June 13, 1996.
FIRST INTERSTATE BANCSYSTEM OF MONTANA,
INC.
By: /S/ Terrill R. Moore
Terrill R. Moore
Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer<PAGE>
Exhibit 99
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 28, 1996
-----------------------------------------------------
First Interstate BancSystem of Montana, Inc. (FIBM), a
Billings-based bank holding company
announced today that it had signed an agreement to
purchase the First Interstate Bank of Montana,
N.A. with offices in Kalispell, Great Falls and Cut
Bank, as well as the First Interstate Bank of
Wyoming, N.A. with offices in Casper, Riverton, and
Laramie.
According to FIBM President Tom Scott, "The First
Interstate banks we are purchasing are owned
by Wells Fargo Bank and were part of Wells' April 1,
1996 acquisition of First Interstate
Bancorp's 13 state operation. Our purchase is a major
step that provides us with an opportunity
to expand our presence in western Montana and southern
Wyoming."
He added, "The news that Wells Fargo was buying First
Interstate was understandably confusing
to many of our customers. We are a privately owned
Montana/Wyoming company operating
under a franchise agreement with First Interstate and
therefore not included in the Wells
Fargo/First Interstate transaction. As part of our
agreement with Wells Fargo, we will keep the
First Interstate Bank name."
He concluded by saying "This acquisition is an
opportunity for us to clarify our identity as a
regional banking organization dedicated to serving our
markets in Montana and Wyoming. We
bring to these new markets a commitment to service that
will meet or exceed our customers'
expectations, and we will actively participate in
making their communities a better place to live
and work. We hope to retain the bank's existing
employees and, in fact, add employees to provide
a new level of service. We believe in local decision
making, and we are confident that our
customers will appreciate our bank's ability to respond
to their needs and our commitment to the
communities we serve."
FIBM operates 13 Montana bank offices in Billings,
Missoula, Bozeman, Livingston, Gardiner,
Miles City, Colstrip, and Hardin, and 6 Wyoming offices
in Sheridan, Gillette, Buffalo, and
Greybull. FIBM reported year-end 1995 assets of $1.3
billion. With the acquisition of the 6
additional offices, FIBM's assets would reach
approximately $1.9 billion. Regulatory application
will be made immediately and approval is expected
before year-end, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL:
Neil Klusmann, Vice President
First Interstate BancSystem of Montana, Inc.
(406)255-5308 FAX - (406)255-5350
