N@N

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ UMB Financial Corporation ] (NASDAQ: UMBF) announces it has been recognized by [ Sandler OaNeill and Partners ] as a top performer on the a2012 Bank and Thrift Sm-All Starsa report, marking the second time the bank has been recognized with the distinction.

"provide investors with a narrow list from which to uncover the next crop of leading small-mid cap banks and thrifts, and most important, expose them before they are discovered by the rest of the world."

To determine the annual report, Sandler OaNeill and Partners selected the 25 top performers out of 461 publicly traded banks and thrifts in the U.S. with a market capitalization of less than $2 billion. Selections are made based on evaluation criteria measuring growth, profitability, credit quality and capital strength. According to Sandler OaNeill and Partners, the class of 2012 delivered bottom line results that were markedly better than the industry as a whole.

aWe were honored to receive recognition on the All Stars list in 2009, and we are pleased to once again be listed among the top performing banks in this category,a said Mariner Kemper, Chairman and CEO of UMB. aWe are in a position to be recognized as a top performer because we remain true to our time-tested business model, which allows us to be a stable financial partner our customers can confidently trust today and in the future.a

First published in 2004, Sandleras stated purpose for the report is to aprovide investors with a narrow list from which to uncover the next crop of leading small-mid cap banks and thrifts, and most important, expose them before they are discovered by the rest of the world.a Sandler OaNeill and Partners is a full-service investment banking firm dedicated to providing comprehensive, innovative advisory and transaction execution services to the financial industry.

About UMB

UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offering complete banking, payment solutions, asset servicing and institutional investment management to customers. Its banking subsidiaries own and operate banking and wealth management centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Subsidiaries of the holding company and the lead bank, UMB Bank, n.a., include mutual fund and alternative investment services groups, single-purpose companies that deal with brokerage services and insurance, and a registered investment advisor that manages the company's proprietary mutual funds and investment advisory accounts for institutional customers. For more information, visit umb.com or follow us on Twitter at @UMBBank, Facebook at facebook.com/UMBBank and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/umb-bank.