2010-28126. Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding Companies

The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below.

The applications listed below, as well as other related filings required by the Board, are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The application also will be available for inspection at the offices of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing on the standards enumerated in the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the proposal also involves the acquisition of a nonbanking company, the review also includes whether the acquisition of the nonbanking company complies with the standards in section 4 of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise noted, nonbanking activities will be conducted throughout the United States.

Unless otherwise noted, comments regarding each of these applications must be received at the Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of the Board of Governors not later than December 3, 2010.

A. Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Ivan Hurwitz, Vice President) 33 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10045-0001:

1. First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., Buffalo, New York; to acquire 100 percent of the voting shares of NewAlliance Bancshares, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire voting shares of NewAlliance Bank, both of New Haven, Connecticut.

B. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (Colette A. Fried, Assistant Vice President) 230 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60690-1414:

1. Hometown Community Bancorp, Inc., Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, Morton, Illinois; to acquire additional voting shares, for a total of 35 percent of the voting shares, of Hometown Community Bancorp, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire additional voting shares of Morton Community Bank, both of Morton, Illinois.

C. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Glenda Wilson, Community Affairs Officer) P.O. Box 442, St. Louis, Missouri 63166-2034:

1. The First National Bank of Berryville Employee Stock Ownership Trust; Berryville, Arkansas; to acquire an additional 6 percent of the voting shares of First Carroll Bankshares, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire additional voting shares of The First National Bank of Berryville, both of Berryville, Arkansas.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, November 3, 2010.

Robert deV. Frierson,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.