ISLANDIA, NY--(Marketwire - May 25, 2012) - Empire National Bank (OTCQB: [ EMPK ]) announced today that Janet T. Verneuille has been appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the bank, effective July 2, 2012. Ms. Verneuille has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, much of which has been with The Bridgehampton National Bank, where she served in numerous executive officer capacities, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Controller and Director of Internal Audit.

Her broad background in banking, accounting and finance includes significant experience in financial and tax reporting, budgeting, capital management, strategic and tactical planning, investment portfolio management, investor relations, human resources, loan administration and asset-liability management. Earlier in her career, she was employed at the former European American Bank working in its branch network and later serving as a lending officer.

"We are excited to have Janet join the Empire team," stated President Thomas M. Buonaiuto. "Her depth and breadth of experience will be a real asset to our senior management team as we continue to grow our banking organization."

Prior to Ms. Verneuille's appointment, President Buonaiuto had been serving as the bank's principal financial and accounting officer. "The additional resources that Janet brings to our senior management team will enable Tom to more fully focus on the continued implementation of our growth strategy, as well as the management of our overall operations," stated Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas C. Manditch. "We have known Janet for years and believe that she is a good fit for our bank."

Ms. Verneuille is a Certified Public Accountant and spent almost five years at KPMG working in its Long Island office. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Public Accounting from Hofstra University and a Masters degree in Social Policy from SUNY Empire State College. She is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, where she served as a Capstone Advisor from 2005-2011.

About Empire National Bank

Empire National Bank is a Long Island-based independent bank that specializes in serving the financial needs of small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, nonprofit organizations, real estate investors, and consumers. The bank has three banking offices located in Islandia, Shirley and Port Jefferson Station. The bank takes pride in understanding the needs of each and every customer so that it can deliver the highest quality service with a sense of urgency.

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose any statements contained in this report that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate" or "continue," or comparable terminology, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, many of which are not within Empire National Bank's control. The forward-looking statements included in this report are made only as of the date of this report. The bank has no intention, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.