Press Release

EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS – April 11, 2016 – Midland States Bancorp, Inc. announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. Midland has applied to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol "MSBI."

Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. will act as lead book-running managers and D.A. Davidson & Co. and Stephens, Inc. will act as co-managers for the proposed offering.

The offering will be made solely by means of a prospectus. When available, a preliminary prospectus can be obtained by writing Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P., Attention: Syndicate, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10020, by emailing syndicate@sandleroneill.com or by calling (866) 805-4128; or by writing Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., 787 Seventh Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10019, Attention: Equity Capital Markets or by calling (800) 966-1559.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time that the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Midland States Bancorp, Inc.
Midland States Bancorp, Inc. is a community-based financial holding company headquartered in Effingham, Illinois, and is the sole shareholder of Midland States Bank. Midland has assets of approximately $3.0 billion, and its Midland Wealth Management Group has assets under administration of approximately $1.2 billion as of December 31, 2015. Midland provides a full range of commercial and consumer banking products and services, merchant credit card services, trust and investment management, and insurance and financial planning services. In addition, commercial equipment leasing services are provided through Heartland Business Credit, and multi-family and healthcare facility FHA financing is provided through Love Funding, Midland's non-bank subsidiaries. Midland has more than 80 locations across the United States.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the proposed initial public offering. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: changes in business plans as circumstances warrant; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and other risks detailed in the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," "Risk Factors" and other sections of the registration statement. We caution you that the forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forwardlooking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "propose," "may," "plan," "seek," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue," or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

Contact:
Douglas J. Tucker
Senior Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Director of Investor Relations
(217) 342-7566