NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR ACQUISITION OF A BANK BY A BANK HOLDING COMPANY

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR ACQUISITION OF A BANK BY A BANK HOLDING COMPANY Hometown Community Bancorp, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust and Hometown Community Bancorp, Inc., both located at 721 West Jackson Street, Morton, Illinois 61550, intends to apply to the Federal Reserve Board for permission to acquire 100% of the shares and thereby control of First Bank of Manhattan located at 230 S State Street, Manhattan, Illinois 60442. This application also includes a request for permission to merge First Bank of Manhattan with Morton Community Bank, located at 721 West Jackson Street, Morton, Illinois 61550. The Federal Reserve considers a number of factors in deciding whether to approve the application, including the record of performance of banks we own in helping to meet local credit needs You are invited to submit comments in writing on this application/notice to Christopher Koopmans, Senior Vice President Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 230 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60604. The comment period will not end before June 21, 2026, and may be somewhat longer. The Board's procedures for processing applications/notices may be found at 12 C.F.R. Part 262. Procedures for processing protested applications/notices may be found at 12 C.F.R. 262.25. To obtain a copy of the Federal Reserve Board's procedures, or if you need more information about how to submit your comments on the application/notice, contact Suchi Saxena, Community Affairs Officer and Vice President, Community Development, at (312) 322-4357; to request a copy of an application, contact Christopher Koopmans at (312) 322-8119. The Federal Reserve will consider your comments and any request for a public meeting or formal hearing on the application/notice if they are received in writing by the Reserve Bank on or before the last day of the comment period. May 22 2026 LILS0523913