Standard & Poor's Announces Change to U.S. Index

NEW YORK, N.Y., Dec. 27  /PRNewswire/ -- First Cash Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:FCFS) will replace Republic Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:RBNC) in the S&P SmallCap 600 index after the close of trading on Friday, December 29. Republic is being acquired by Citizens Banking Corp. (NASDAQ:CBCF) in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals.

Standard & Poor's will monitor this transaction, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/ .

First Cash Financial provides specialty consumer finance products. Headquartered in Arlington, TX, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Consumer Finance Sub-Industry index.

  Following is a summary of the change:

                  S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - December 29, 2006
                                 GICS ECONOMIC    GICS SUB-
                    COMPANY         SECTOR        INDUSTRY

                   First Cash                     Consumer
  ADDED            Financial      Financials      Finance

                    Republic                      Regional
  DELETED           Bancorp       Financials       Banks




Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned.

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DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's



CONTACT:  David M. Blitzer, Ph.D.

Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee

[phone]



Web site:  http://www.standardandpoors.com/

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