Exhibit 99 - First Commonwealth Financial CorporationPress Release dated August 3, 2006

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***** NEWS RELEASE *****

| TO:    | All Area News Agencies | **For More Information Contact:**            |
|--------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|   |                   |                                         |
| FROM:  | First Commonwealth     | **John Dolan, Executive Vice President and** |
|   | Financial Corporation  | **Chief Financial Officer**                  |
|   |                   | **First Commonwealth Financial Corporation** |
| DATE:  | August 3, 2006         | **(724) 349-7220**                           |

 

**First Commonwealth Announces Receipt ofRegulatory Approvalsand Exchange Ratio for Laurel Capital Merger**

Indiana, PA., August 3, 2006-First Commonwealth Financial Corporation(NYSE:FCF) today announced that it has received all regulatory approvalsrequired to complete the pending merger of Laurel Capital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:LARL) into First Commonwealth.  Aspecial meeting of the shareholders of Laurel Capital will be held on August25, 2006 to vote on the merger.  If theshareholders of Laurel Capital approve the merger, the parties expect tocomplete the merger following the close of business on August 28, 2006.Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of Laurel Capital mayelect to receive $28.25 in cash, 2.229 shares of First Commonwealth commonstock, or a combination of cash and shares of First Commonwealth common stockin exchange for each of their shares of Laurel Capital stock, subject toallocation and proration to ensure that 70% of the total merger considerationis paid in the form of First Commonwealth common stock.  The exchange ratio was determined based onthe average of the closing sale prices of First Commonwealth common stock onthe New York Stock Exchange for the ten trading days ending on August 2, 2006,which is the trading day preceding the expiration of all statutory waitingperiods for the regulatory approvals.First Commonwealth Financial Corporation is a $5.9 billion bank holding companyheadquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania. It operates 101 retail branch offices in 15 counties in western andcentral Pennsylvania through First Commonwealth Bank, a Pennsylvania charteredbank and trust company.  Financialservices and insurance products are also provided through First CommonwealthFinancial Advisors, Inc. and First Commonwealth Insurance Agency.Laurel Capital Group, Inc., headquartered in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, is theholding company of Laurel Savings Bank with total assets of $314.3 million,deposits of $258.8 million and shareholders' equity of $27.8 million at March31, 2006.  Laurel Savings Bank has eightfull service offices, including seven in Allegheny County and one in ButlerCounty.

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**MORE**

Laurel Capital and First Commonwealth have filed adefinitive proxy statement / prospectus and other documents concerning theproposed merger transaction with the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC).  Laurel Capital has mailed theproxy statement / prospectus to its shareholders in connection with the specialmeeting of shareholders to be called to consider the merger.  BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING THEMERGER, SHAREHOLDERS OF LAUREL CAPITAL ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT /PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANYAMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANTINFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION. You can obtain a free copy of the proxystatement / prospectus, as well as other filings containing information aboutFirst Commonwealth and Laurel Capital, at the SEC's website(http://www.sec.gov).  Copies of theproxy statement / prospectus and the SEC filings that have been incorporated byreference in the proxy statement / prospectus can be obtained, without charge,by directing a request to the Secretary of First Commonwealth FinancialCorporation, Old Courthouse Square, 22 North Sixth Street, Indiana, PA 15701,(724) 349-7220, or to the Secretary of Laurel Capital Group, Inc., 2724 HartsRun Road, Allison Park, PA 15101, (412) 487-7404.  To obtain timely delivery, you should submit your request nolater than August 18, 2006.This press release may be deemed to be solicitation material with respect tothe proposed merger of First Commonwealth and Laurel Capital.  Laurel Capital and its directors andexecutive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation ofproxies from the shareholders of Laurel Capital in connection with the proposedmerger.  Information about the directorsand executive officers of Laurel Capital, their ownership of Laurel Capitalcommon stock and their interests in the proposed merger is set forth in thedefinitive proxy statement / prospectus, dated July 20, 2006, for the specialmeeting of Laurel Capital shareholders to consider the merger, as filed withthe SEC.  

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