**Exhibit 24.1**

 

**POWER OF ATTORNEY**

 

**KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS,**that each of the undersigned, being a director or officer, or both, of **FIRST OTTAWA BANCSHARES, INC.,** a DelawareCorporation (“First Ottawa”), does hereby constitute and appoint JOACHIM J. BROWNand DONALD J. HARRIS, with full power to each of them to act alone, as the trueand lawful attorneys and agents of the undersigned, with full power ofsubstitution and resubstitution to each of said attorneys to execute, file, ordeliver any and all instruments and to do all acts and things which saidattorneys and agents, or any of them, deem advisable to enable First Ottawa tocomply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and anyrequirements or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission inrespect thereof, in connection with First Ottawa’s filing of an annual reporton Form 10-K for First Ottawa’s fiscal year 2002 including specifically, butwithout limitation of the general authority hereby granted, the power andauthority to sign his or her name as a director or officer, or both, of FirstOttawa, as indicated below opposite his or her signature, to the Form 10-K, andany amendment thereto; and each of the undersigned does hereby fully ratify andconfirm all that said attorneys and agents, or any of them, or the substituteof any of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

**IN WITNESS WHEREOF**,each of the undersigned has executed this Power of Attorney as of the 28thday of March 2003.

 

 
| /s/ Joachim J. Brown     |   |                                                                                       |
|--------------------------|--------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| JOACHIM J. BROWN         |   | Director and President/ChiefExecutive Officer  (Principal Executive and Financial Officer) |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
| /s/ Bradley J. Armstrong |   |                                                                                       |
| BRADLEY J. ARMSTRONG     |   | Director                                                                                   |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
| /s/ John L.  Cantlin     |   |                                                                                       |
| JOHN L. CANTLIN          |   | Director                                                                                   |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
| /s/ Patty P.  Godfrey    |   |                                                                                       |
| PATTY P. GODFREY         |   | Director                                                                                   |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
|                     |   |                                                                                       |
| /s/ Thomas E. Haeberle   |   |                                                                                       |
| THOMAS E. HAEBERLE       |   | Director                                                                                   |

 

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| /s/ Donald  J. Harris |   |                                                                                               |
|-----------------------|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DONALD J. HARRIS      |   | Director and Executive Vice President,  Cashier, and Trust Officer (Principal  Accounting Officer) |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
| /s/ Erika L.  Schmidt |   |                                                                                               |
| ERIKA L. SCHMIDT      |   | Director                                                                                           |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
| /s/ Thomas  P. Rooney |   |                                                                                               |
| THOMAS P. ROONEY      |   | Director                                                                                           |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
|                  |   |                                                                                               |
| /s/ William  J. Walsh |   |                                                                                               |
| WILLIAM J. WALSH      |   | Director                                                                                           |

 

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