FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             Stock Symbol: LPSB
May 9, 2008                                      Traded on NASDAQ Capital Market

CONTACT:
Lee A. Brady
President and Chief Executive Officer
(219) 362-7511

        LaPorte Bancorp, Inc. Holds First Annual Meeting of Stockholders;
  Informally Discusses Stock Repurchases With the Office of Thrift Supervision

     La Porte,  Indiana - May 9, 2008 - LaPorte  Bancorp,  Inc. (the  "Company")
(NASDAQ  Capital Market:  LPSB),  the parent company of The LaPorte Savings Bank
(the  "Bank")  announced  today the  results  of its  first  Annual  Meeting  of
Stockholders,  which was held on May 6,  2008.  At the  meeting,  the  Company's
stockholders  elected Lee A Brady, Paul G. Fenker and Ralph F. Howes to serve on
the Board of Directors,  each for a three year term.  Each of these  individuals
were  incumbent  members of the  Company's  Board of  Directors.  The  Company's
stockholders  also ratified the  appointment  of Crowe Chizek and Company LLC as
the Company's  independent  registered  public auditing firm for the year ending
December 31, 2008.

     President  Brady also discussed the Federal rule  prohibiting  issuer stock
repurchases  during  the first  year  following  mutual  holding  company  stock
offerings.  Under  applicable  regulations,  the  Office of  Thrift  Supervision
("OTS")  will  waive such  prohibition  only in  "extraordinary  circumstances."
President  Brady  indicated  that he has  discussed the matter  informally  with
members of the OTS staff and was informed  that,  as a general  matter,  the OTS
does  not  consider   current   market   conditions  to  be  an   "extraordinary
circumstance"  justifying a waiver of the one year prohibition.  President Brady
stressed that the OTS's comments were informal but that, based on these comments
and in order to save time and expense,  the Board has  determined  not to file a
waiver  request with  respect to stock  repurchases  at this time.  The one year
prohibition on stock repurchases by the Company will lapse on October 12, 2008.

     This   press   release   contains   certain   forward-looking   statements.
Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate
strictly  to  historical  or  current  facts.  They  often  include  words  like
"believe,"  "expect,"  "anticipate,"   "estimate"  and  "intend"  or  future  or
conditional  verbs such as "will," "would,"  "should," "could" or "may." Certain
factors  that could cause  actual  results to differ  materially  from  expected
results  include  changes in the interest rate  environment,  changes in general
economic  conditions,  legislative and regulatory  changes that adversely affect
the business of The LaPorte Savings Bank, and changes in the securities markets.
Except as required by law,  the Company does not  undertake  any  obligation  to
update any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in belief, expectations
or events.