Fills Vacant Board Seat

INDIANA, Pa., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF) today announced that the Board of Directors appointed David S. Dahlmann as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Dahlmann replaces Joseph E. O'Dell, who was Acting Chairman. Additionally, the Board announced that Julia E. Trimarchi Cuccaro has been named to fill the unexpired term of her father, E. James Trimarchi, who elected to retire last month.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/CLW057-a)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/CLW057-b)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030416/FIRSTLOGO)

Mr. Dahlmann has been on the Board since 1998, when Southwest National Corp. merged with First Commonwealth. He is also a director of First Commonwealth Bank, First Commonwealth Insurance Agency and First Commonwealth Financial Advisors. Mr. Dahlmann is an Adjunct Professor at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He was a former Director on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and formerly Vice Chairman of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation. Mr. Dahlmann is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Masters in Business. His community involvement efforts include Vice Chairman of Excela Health System and a Trustee of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Dave resides in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife Kathy and is the father of two and grandfather of four.

Ms. Cuccaro has served on the board of First Commonwealth Bank since 1995. Prior to that she had been a director of National Bank of the Commonwealth, a predecessor of First Commonwealth Bank, since 1992. She is also a director of First Commonwealth Insurance Agency and First Commonwealth Financial Advisors. Ms. Cuccaro is a member of First Commonwealth Bank's credit committee, which reviews and approves the largest credit relationships. Ms. Cuccaro is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, a member of the Board of Trustees of Seton Hill University, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Julia is a 1986 graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts at St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1982. She resides in White Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, with John, her husband and two children, John James and Clara.

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation is a $6.0 billion bank holding company headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania. It operates in 15 counties in western and central Pennsylvania through First Commonwealth Bank, a Pennsylvania chartered bank and trust company. Financial services and insurance products are also provided through First Commonwealth Insurance Agency, and First Commonwealth Financial Advisors, Inc.

SOURCE  First Commonwealth Financial Corporation
    -0-                             01/18/2006
    /CONTACT: John Dolan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, +1-724-349-7220/
    /Photo:  NewsCom:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/CLW057-ahttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/CLW057-bhttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030416/FIRSTLOGO
              AP Archive:  http://photoarchive.ap.org
              PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
    (FCF)

CO:  First Commonwealth Financial Corporation
ST:  Pennsylvania
IN:  FIN
SU:  PER

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5442 01/18/200615:30 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com