Financial Institutions, Inc. Announces Dividend

December 4, 2003

WARSAW, N.Y., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Financial Institutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISI) announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per common share, payable on January 2, 2004 to shareholders of record on December 17, 2003.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030114/FISILOGO )

In addition, the Board declared a quarterly dividend of $2.12 per share on Series B-1, 8.48% Preferred Stock and $0.75 per share on Series A, 3% Preferred Stock, payable on January 2, 2004 to shareholders of record on December 17, 2003.

With total assets of $2.2 billion, Financial Institutions, Inc. is the parent company of Wyoming County Bank, National Bank of Geneva, Bath National Bank and First Tier Bank & Trust. The four banks provide a wide range of consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, municipalities and businesses through a network of 48 offices and 69 ATM's in Western and Central New York State. FII's Financial Services Group also provides diversified financial services to its customers and clients, including brokerage, trust, insurance, employee benefits and compensation consulting. More information on FII and its subsidiaries is available through the Company web site at www.fiiwarsaw.com.

SOURCE  Financial Institutions, Inc.
    -0-                             12/04/2003
    /CONTACT:  Ronald A. Miller, Senior Vice President & CFO of Financial
Institutions, Inc., +1-585-786-1102/
    /Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030114/FISILOGO /
    /Web site:  http://www.fiiwarsaw.com /
    (FISI)

CO:  Financial Institutions, Inc.
ST:  New York
IN:  FIN
SU:  DIV

LI 
-- NYTH117 --
7575 12/04/200314:35 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com