Lewiston, MAINE (February 25, 2010) – More than 100 community members, officials and residents came out this morning to celebrate the completion of the Birch Hill Senior Housing Project that has created affordable homes on what had been a long-vacant property

Photo from left to right: Jim Delamater, Northeast Bank; Ron Philips, Coastal Enterprises; Margaret Bean, Maine Housing (behind); Lucie Ottati, Birch Hill Resident; Kevin Reilley, Benchmark Construction (behind); Governor John E. Baldacci; Richard Berman, Development Collaborative; Mayor Laurent Gilbert, City of Lewiston.

The event at the corner of Birch and Knox streets in Lewiston featured speakers from the collaborating partners of the project who spoke on the importance of affordable senior housing in Maine, the various challenges that the project faced and the successful collaboration of local and state organizations. Facility tours were given and refreshments were provided by Willie Bean’s.

“Birch Hill is one of those projects that has truly had a positive impact on the community. These economic times are unprecedented, and capital is the difference between a project like Birch Hill coming to fruition or simply being a plan on the shelf. That is why we believe it is imperative for those of us who can, to work together to continue to invest in our future,” said Jim Delamater, President and CEO of Northeast Bank.

“The real story of Birch Hill is in how it got created. It is a story of collaboration and leadership. It involved collaboration of many key partners and it is a story of leadership as each partner had to exert their individual leadership to create the development. Hopefully, we will see more projects like this over the coming year and we are thankful that this development came to fruition for the residents and the community,” said Richard Berman of Developers Collaborative.

Also featured at Thursday’s event was Lucy Ottati, a new resident of the Birch Hill Apartments. She shared her gratitude and excitement about her new home.

“It’s a joy to wake up every day in a place surrounded by activity. To look outside my apartment and see kids getting off the school bus and having people around really makes me feel part of a community, and I’m just honored to be living here.”

Local and state officials were also present, including representatives from Senator Olympia Snowe’s and Congressmen Michael Michaud’s’ offices. Mayor Larry Gilbert of Lewiston spoke about the project being a part of Lewiston’s revitalization and the city’s goals for the future.

“The City of Lewiston continues to seek out and embrace opportunities to grow and develop through worthwhile projects like this one, even amidst the struggles of the current economy. . . We will continue to invest and reach out to our partners to do what needs to be done to meet the needs of our community and our residents.”

Gov. John E. Baldacci attended the event as the keynote speaker. He congratulated the partners of the project on their success and also spoke on the importance of collaborative development in the state.

The Birch Hill Senior Housing project has created 20 units of simple yet elegant affordable elderly rental housing in a new building in downtown Lewiston. The unit mix includes 17 one-bedroom units and 3 two-bedroom units, with 5 units to be fully handicapped accessible. All 20 of these units will be targeted to households aged 55 or older with incomes at or below 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). Wireless broadband access is built in to the facility and a computer is available in the community room for residents. The building also has a laundry room available to residents.

The Birch Hill Senior Housing project started construction a year ago on a 15 year vacant lot in the heart of Lewiston’s downtown. Its completion was made possible through a public-private partnership between the City of Lewiston, Lewiston Housing Authority, Maine State Housing Authority, Coastal Enterprises Inc., Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, Benchmark Construction, Developers Collaborative and Northeast Bank.

About Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank, a leader in delivering one-stop shopping for financial services, is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northeast Bancorp (NASDAQ: NBN). The Company has approximately $612 million in assets as of December 31, 2009 and operates 26 retail outlets, including 11 bank branches, 15 insurance offices and 3 financial centers serving the financial needs of western, central, mid-coastal and southern Maine, as well as seacoast New Hampshire. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found on its website at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989.

Fan NEB on Facebook * Join the NEB group on LinkedIn * Follow NEB on Twitter: @northeast_bank * Check out the NEB YouTube Channel

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Lewiston, MAINE (February 22, 2010) – Northeast Financial, located at Northeast Bank, announces the hiring of two new financial consultants, Matthew Simard* and Michael Robin*, and one new registered customer services specialist, Helen Belisle.  Simard & Robin are Registered Representatives and Investment Adviser Representatives of Commonwealth Financial Network.

Simard, Belisle and Robin have joined Northeast Bank as a team of financial specialists who will help clients pursue their financial goals through creating and implementing a comprehensive long term plan.  This is an ongoing process that will be specifically tailored to their clients’ needs and risk tolerance.

“In the current economy, people are looking to experienced professionals for help, so we are excited to bring on Matt, Helen, and Mike to our team of experts who provide our customers with the financial information they need,” says Jim Delamater, President and CEO of Northeast Bank.

Simard has as Bachelor of Administration in Economics from Colby College in Waterville. He also sits on the Board of Advocates for Children and lives in Auburn.

Robin also has a Bachelor of Administration in Economics, with a focus in Financial Markets, from University of Maine in Orono. He volunteers at the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook and resides in Gray.

Belisle attended school at Mid Maine State College in 1994 and is an active volunteer with United Way and various elder services in her community. She lives in Greene.

*Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA / SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Investment and Insurance products are: not insured by the FDIC; not a deposit or other obligation of, or guaranteed by, the financial institution; and subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.

About Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank, a leader in delivering one-stop shopping for financial services, is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northeast Bancorp (NASDAQ: NBN). The Company has approximately $612 million in assets as of December 31, 2009 and derives its income from a combination of traditional banking services and non-traditional financial products and services including insurance and investments; operating eleven traditional bank branches, fourteen insurance offices and three investment centers that serve seven counties in Maine and two in New Hampshire. Information regarding Northeast Bank Insurance Group, Inc. and Northeast Bank can be found on its website at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989.

Photo from Left to Right:  Mike Robin, Helen Belisle, and Matthew Simard

The adventures of Bruce McToose, the fictional “Celebrity Traveler and Explorer”, is the subject of “The Norway Show”, a half hour program to be featured on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network new series “Maine Community Film Collaboration.” Dates of the show are Sunday, February 21, 11 PM and Saturday, February 27, 11:30 AM. The show follows Bruce McToose as he visits the city of Norway, Maine in his misguided search for the famous fjords of Norway – the country

            As the show progresses its clear to viewers that Bruce Mctoose will never finds the fjords of his quest. Instead, with humor and an infectious charm, Bruce McToose stumbles upon becoming an Ambassador of Goodwill. During his ramblings he meets many friendly citizens of the city of Norway and discovers some of the city’s history and famous places. Another highlight of this episode reveals the colorful traditions and characteristic of the country of Norway.

            “The Norway Show” is the inspiration of father and son team, Steve and Josh Hrehovcik. Steve serves as producer and director. Josh portrays the character Bruce McToose and handles writing and story development.

            “The Norway Show” had an original appearance on WPME-TV and had several showings on Portland’s Community Television Network.

Producer Hrehovcik, says, “In future shows we will be traveling around the state to various cities with foreign connections. In Paris, Maine Bruce will hope to climb the Eiffel Tower; in China he’ll want to stroll on the Great Wall; in Mexico he’ll search for some Aztec artifacts. Also on our list of “distant lands” are Poland, Naples, Rome, Denmark, Sweden, Moscow, Egypt and several others.”

In his portrayal of Bruce McToose, Josh Hrehovcik dons an Australian hat, Aussie accent and traveling gear as part of his many adventures.

            Bruce McToose’s travels are all in good fun and an excellent way explore the world without leaving the state of Maine.

The MPBN new series “Maine Community Film Collaboration” is proud to offer diverse selections of productions that showcase our region, people and culture.  Working with organizations like the Maine Film and Video Association local producers can submit completed projects to be considered for air.

            For more information about the exploits of Bruce McToose visit: www.BruceMcToose.com.

            For details about MPBN schedules visit: www.mpbn.org.

Lewiston, MAINE (January 06, 2010) – Continuing to add jobs to handle an increasing demand for mortgages, Northeast Bank announces the hiring of Julie Poulin, a new mortgage loan officer at the bank’s Gateway branch in Lewiston.

Northeast Bank announced earlier this month that it has created 10 new positions to handle the increase in demand for mortgages due in part to the expansion and extension of the Home Buyer Tax Credit program signed into effect recently for people buying homes from December 31, 2009 to June of 2010.

“Julie has years of experience as a mortgage loan consultant and financial planner, so she is a perfect fit for our team of mortgage loan professionals and an excellent resource for our customers,” says Marcel Blais, Senior Vice President & COO of Northeast Bank.

Poulin is the second addition for Northeast Bank since their expansion announcement earlier this month and following the hire of long term mortgage banker, Skip Trafton as Director of Mortgage Sales for the bank.

Poulin holds a degree in Accounting from Husson College and graduated “Best of Class” from University of Loan Origination in Dallas, TX. She is also the secretary for the Androscoggin Advisory Partners, Inc. and Captain of a hockey team in the Women’s Hockey League in Auburn. Julie lives in Lewiston with her husband and four children.

About Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank, a leader in delivering one-stop shopping for financial services, is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northeast Bancorp (NASDAQ: NBN). The Company has approximately $604 million in assets as of September 30, 2009 and operates 26 retail outlets, including 11 bank branches, 15 insurance offices and 3 financial centers serving the financial needs of western, central, mid-coastal and southern Maine, as well as seacoast New Hampshire. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found on its website at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989.

Fan NEB on Facebook ? Join the NEB group on LinkedIn ? Follow NEB on Twitter: @northeast_bank ? Check out the NEB YouTube Channel

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Rosa Scarcelli, Democratic candidate for governor, today urged holiday shoppers to buy as much as they can from local businesses that provide Maine-made products and services.

Scarcelli has created a list on Twitter of 51 Maine companies to make it easy for her followers to find local shops and businesses that make everything from pastries and cheese to furniture and jewelry.

“One of the best things we can do for Maine’s economy right now is to buy holiday gifts from local businesses and producers,” Scarcelli said. “If every family spent just $10 on Maine grown food or products, it will put millions of dollars in the hands of Maine business people. It’s a way to have our own stimulus package under this year’s Christmas tree.”

Scarcelli is circulating her Twitter list (https://twitter.com/rosascarcelli/maineproducts) that groups 51 producers of Maine-made products as a reminder to her 400 followers on Twitter to buy local.

“The variety of Maine-made products is truly amazing,” she said. “Everything from high-end electronics to hand-crafted jewelry and toys. You can easily find great gifts made right here in Maine without going too far from home. And I’m sure my list just scratches the surface. I’m hoping other Twitter users will recommend more Maine companies to add to the list.”

Other made-in-Maine businesses and farms can be easily located on the web, she said. “Buying from Maine businesses and producers this holiday season is a twofer,” she said. “You’ll get high quality gifts and help Maine businesspeople through these difficult economic times,” Scarcelli said.

Scarcelli recently released the first chapter of her book, Maine Rising, Creating Jobs, Moving Maine Forward, an action strategy for creating 50,000 jobs in Maine that includes proposals to aid the creation of small businesses and encourage more locally produced farm products. For more information, go to www.RosaForMaine.com

About Rosa Scarcelli: Scarcelli, 39, Democratic candidate for governor, is the owner and CEO of Stanford Management that provides quality, affordable housing in more than 30 Maine communities. A native of Wilton, Scarcelli said she wants to use her business skills to help create a better climate in Maine for job creation and growth. She lives in Portland with her husband Thom and their three children ages 12, 9 and 8.

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077