M&T Bank ranked as the #1 SBA lender in Buffalo, Rochester and Baltimore, and finished 9th nationally in the number of total loans made through the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) most popular small business lending program during the federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. M&T has now been the leading SBA lender in some of its core markets for more than a decade.

M&T issued 692 of the SBA's 7(a) loans, which is the SBA's largest loan program providing operating capital to small business.

M&T is the leading bank SBA lender in Syracuse, behind the New York Business Development Corp., and is highly active providing loans through its network of business bankers in offices throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

"Now more than ever, small business owners and entrepreneurs need the support of bankers in their community who can consistently help provide them with the capital and sound advice they need to operate their businesses - and to create new jobs in our economy," said Darren J. King, executive vice president for business banking at M&T.

"Our top ten ranking reflects M&T's expertise and unwavering commitment to serving small business in our communities, where we've always worked to build relationships with owners, and to understand the unique dynamics of their small businesses."

In addition to its standard business services, M&T has increased its focus on helping business owners to optimize their cash flow. Additional information about M&T's small business products and services can be found at www.mtb.com/business.

M&T Bank Corporation, founded in 1856, is one of the top 20 commercial bank holding companies in the nation, with $69.9 billion in assets and more than 800 branch offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. More information is available at www.mtb.com.