EXHIBIT 2.1 ----------- AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER BY AND BETWEEN ST. PAUL BANCORP, INC.

EXHIBIT 2.1
-----------

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

BY AND BETWEEN

ST. ▇▇▇▇ BANCORP, INC.

AND

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ BANCORPORATION, INC.

DATED AS OF

MARCH 15, 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ARTICLE I THE MERGER ................................................... 1
1.1 The Merger. .................................................... 1
1.2 Effective Time. ................................................ 2
1.3 Effects of the Merger. ......................................... 2
1.4 Conversion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Common Stock. ...................... 2
1.5 Options. ....................................................... 3
1.6 Certificate of Incorporation. .................................. 3
1.7 By-Laws. ....................................................... 3
1.8 Directors and Officers. ........................................ 4
1.9 Tax Consequences. .............................................. 4
ARTICLE II EXCHANGE OF SHARES .......................................... 4
2.1 St. ▇▇▇▇ to Make Shares Available. ............................. 4
2.2 Exchange of Shares. ............................................ 4
ARTICLE III REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ CORP.............. 6
3.1 Corporate Organization. ........................................ 6
3.2 Capitalization. ................................................ 7
3.3 Authority; No Violation. ....................................... 7
3.4 Consents and Approvals. ........................................ 8
3.5 Loan Portfolio; Reports. ....................................... 9
3.6 Financial Statements; Exchange Act Filings; Books and Records... 9
3.7 Broker's Fees. ................................................. 10
3.8 Absence of Certain Changes or Events. .......................... 10
3.9 Legal Proceedings. ............................................. 11
3.10 Taxes and Tax Returns. ......................................... 11
3.11 Employee Plans. ................................................ 12
3.12 Certain Contracts. ............................................. 13
3.13 Agreements with Regulatory Agencies. ........................... 14
3.14 State Takeover Laws; Certificate of Incorporation. ............. 14
3.15 Environmental Matters. ......................................... 14
3.16 Reserves for Losses. ........................................... 15
3.17 Properties and Assets. ......................................... 16
3.18 Insurance. ..................................................... 16
3.19 Fiduciary Relationships. ....................................... 17
3.20 Compliance with Applicable Laws. ............................... 17
3.21 Loans. ......................................................... 17
3.22 Affiliates. .................................................... 18
3.23 Ownership of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock. ............................ 18
3.24 Fairness Opinion. .............................................. 19
3.25 ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Information. ..................................... 19

-i-

ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ST. ▇▇▇▇ .................. 19
4.1 Corporate Organization. ........................................ 19
4.2 Capitalization. ................................................ 20
4.3 Authority; No Violation. ....................................... 20
4.4 Regulatory Approvals. .......................................... 21
4.5 Financial Statements; Exchange Act Filings; Books and Records... 22
4.6 Absence of Certain Changes or Events. .......................... 22
4.7 Ownership of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock; Affiliates and Associates.... 22
4.8 Agreements with Regulatory Agencies. ........................... 23
4.9 Broker's Fees. ................................................. 23
4.10 Legal Proceedings. ............................................. 23
4.11 Compliance with Applicable Laws. ............................... 23
4.12 Fairness Opinion. .............................................. 23
4.13 St. ▇▇▇▇ Information. .......................................... 24
ARTICLE V COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS .................... 24
5.1 Covenants of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. ..................................... 24
5.2 Merger Covenants. .............................................. 27
5.3 Compliance with Antitrust Laws. ................................ 27
ARTICLE VI ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS ....................................... 28
6.1 Regulatory Matters. ............................................ 28
6.2 Access to Information. ......................................... 29
6.3 Shareholder Meetings. .......................................... 30
6.4 Legal Conditions to Merger. .................................... 30
6.5 Stock Exchange Listing. ........................................ 30
6.6 Employees. ..................................................... 30
6.7 Indemnification. ............................................... 31
6.8 Subsequent Interim and Annual Financial Statements. ............ 32
6.9 Additional Agreements. ......................................... 32
6.10 Advice of Changes. ............................................. 33
6.11 Current Information. ........................................... 33
6.12 Execution and Authorization of Bank Merger Agreement. .......... 33
6.13 Change in Structure. ........................................... 33
6.14 Transaction Expenses of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. ............................... 33
6.15 Registration of Option Shares. ................................. 35
6.16 Further Actions of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. .................................... 35
ARTICLE VII CONDITIONS PRECEDENT ....................................... 35
7.1 Conditions to Each Party's Obligation To Effect the Merger...... 35
7.2 Conditions to Obligations of St. ▇▇▇▇. ......................... 37
7.3 Conditions to Obligations of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. ..................... 38
ARTICLE VIII TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT ................................. 39
8.1 Termination. .................................................... 39

8.2 Effect of Termination. ......................................... 42
8.3 Amendment. ..................................................... 42
8.4 Extension; Waiver. ............................................. 42
ARTICLE IX GENERAL PROVISIONS .......................................... 43
9.1 Closing. ....................................................... 43
9.2 Nonsurvival of Representations, Warranties and Agreements....... 43
9.3 Expenses; Breakup Fee. ......................................... 43
9.4 Notices. ....................................................... 43
9.5 Interpretation. ................................................ 44
9.6 Counterparts. .................................................. 44
9.7 Entire Agreement. .............................................. 45
9.8 Governing Law. ................................................. 45
9.9 Enforcement of Agreement. ...................................... 45
9.10 Severability. .................................................. 45
9.11 Publicity. ..................................................... 45
9.12 Assignment; Limitation of Benefits. ............................ 45
9.13 Additional Definitions. ........................................ 46

EXHIBITS

A Articles of Combination and Bank Merger Agreement
B Option Agreement
C Certificate of Merger
D ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Stockholder Agreement
E Index Group

iii

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of March 15, 1998 (this
"Agreement"), is entered into by and between St. ▇▇▇▇ Bancorp, Inc., a Delaware
corporation ("St. ▇▇▇▇") and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bancorporation, Inc., a Delaware
corporation ("▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.").

WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of St. ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. have
determined that it is in the best interests of their respective companies and
shareholders to consummate the business combination transaction provided for
herein in which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. will, subject to the terms and conditions set
forth herein, merge with and into St. ▇▇▇▇, with St. ▇▇▇▇ being the Surviving
Corporation (as defined) (the "Merger");

WHEREAS, prior to the consummation of the Merger, St. ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. will respectively cause St. ▇▇▇▇ Federal Bank For Savings, a federal
savings bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of St. ▇▇▇▇ ("St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank"), and
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ National Bank ("Beverly Bank"), a National chartered bank and
wholly-owned subsidiary of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., to enter into a merger agreement, in
the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Bank Merger Agreement"), providing
for the merger (the "Bank Merger") of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank with and into St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank,
with St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank being the "Surviving Bank" of the Bank Merger, and it is
intended that the Bank Merger be consummated immediately after consummation of
the Merger;

WHEREAS, as an inducement to St. ▇▇▇▇ to enter into this Agreement,
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. will enter into an option agreement, in the form attached hereto
as Exhibit B (the "Option Agreement"), with St. ▇▇▇▇ immediately following the
execution of this Agreement pursuant to which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. will grant St. ▇▇▇▇
an option to purchase, under certain circumstances, an aggregate of 1,100,488
newly issued shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
("▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock") upon the terms and conditions therein contained (which
number of shares is equal to 19.99% of the total the number of outstanding
shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock on the date hereof, and

WHEREAS, the parties desire to make certain representations, warranties
and agreements in connection with the Merger and also to prescribe certain
conditions to the Merger;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants, representations,
warranties and agreements contained herein, and intending to be legally bound
hereby, the parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE I
THE MERGER

1.1 THE MERGER.

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, in accordance with
the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), at the Effective Time (as
defined in Section 1.2 hereof), ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. shall merge into St. ▇▇▇▇, with
St. ▇▇▇▇ being the surviving corporation (hereinafter sometimes called the
"Surviving Corporation") in the Merger. Upon consummation of the Merger, the
corporate existence of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. shall cease and the Surviving Corporation
shall continue to exist as a Delaware corporation.

1.2 EFFECTIVE TIME.

The Merger shall become effective on the Closing Date (as defined in
Section 9.1 hereof), as set forth in the certificate of merger (the
"Certificate of Merger") in the form attached as Exhibit C hereto which shall
be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on the Closing
Date. The term "Effective Time" shall be the date and time when the Merger
becomes effective on the Closing Date, as set forth in the Certificate of
Merger.

1.3 EFFECTS OF THE MERGER.

At and after the Effective Time, the Merger shall have the effects set
forth in Sections 259 and 261 of the DGCL.

1.4 CONVERSION OF ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ CORP. COMMON STOCK.

(a) At the Effective Time, subject to Sections 1.4(b), 2.2(e) and
8.1(h) hereof, each share of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock issued and outstanding prior
to the Effective Time shall, by virtue of this Agreement and without any action
on the part of the holder thereof, be converted into and exchangeable for
1.0630 shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ common stock, par value $.01 per share ("St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock"). The ratio of the number of shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock to
be exchanged for each share of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock issued and outstanding is
hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Ratio."

(b) All of the shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock converted into St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock pursuant to this Article I shall no longer be outstanding and
shall automatically be canceled and shall cease to exist, and each certificate
(each a "Certificate") previously representing any such shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Common Stock shall thereafter represent the right to receive (i) the number of
whole shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and (ii) cash in lieu of fractional
shares into which the shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock represented by such
Certificate have been converted pursuant to Section 1.4(a) and Section 2.2(e)
hereof. Certificates previously representing shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
shall be exchanged for certificates representing whole shares of St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares issued in consideration
therefor upon the surrender of such Certificates in accordance with Section 2.2
hereof, without any interest thereon. If prior to the Effective Time St. ▇▇▇▇
should split or combine its common stock, or pay a dividend or other
distribution in such common stock, then the Exchange Ratio shall be
appropriately adjusted to reflect such split, combination, dividend or
distribution.

(c) At the Effective Time, all shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock that are
owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. as treasury stock and all shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
that are owned directly or indirectly by St. ▇▇▇▇ or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of
their respective Subsidiaries (other than shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock held
directly or indirectly in trust accounts, managed accounts and the like or
otherwise held in a fiduciary capacity that are beneficially owned by third
parties (any such shares, and shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock which are
similarly held, whether held directly or indirectly by St. ▇▇▇▇ or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp., as the case may be, being referred to herein as "Trust Account Shares")
and other than any shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock held by St. ▇▇▇▇ or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or any of their respective Subsidiaries in respect of a debt previously
contracted (any such shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock, and shares of St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock which are similarly held, whether held directly or indirectly by
St. ▇▇▇▇ or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., being referred to herein as "DPC Shares")) shall be
canceled and shall cease to exist and no stock of St. ▇▇▇▇ or other
consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor. All shares of St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock that are owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries (other
than Trust Account Shares and DPC Shares) shall become treasury stock of St.
▇▇▇▇.

(d) Certificates for fractions of shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
will not be issued. In lieu of a fraction of a share of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common
Stock, each holder of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock otherwise entitled to a fraction of
a share of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock shall be entitled to receive an amount of cash
equal to (i) the fraction of a share of the St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock to which such
holder would otherwise be entitled, multiplied by (ii) the actual market value
of the St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock, which shall be deemed to be the average of the
daily closing prices per share for St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock for the fifteen
consecutive trading days on which shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock are actually
traded (as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market National Market System) ending
on the third trading day preceding the Closing Date. Following consummation of
the Merger, no holder of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock shall be entitled to dividends or
any other rights in respect of any such fraction.

1.5 OPTIONS.

At the Effective Time, each option granted by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. to purchase
shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock which is outstanding and unexercised immediately
prior thereto shall be converted automatically into an option to purchase
shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock in an amount and at an exercise price
determined as provided below (and otherwise subject to the terms of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Bancorporation 1994 Incentive Stock Option Plan (the "1994 Plan") and the 1997
Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (the "1997 Plan" and collectively with the 1994
Plan, the "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans");

(1) The number of shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock to be subject to
the option immediately after the Effective Time shall be equal to the
product of the number of shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock subject to the
option immediately before the Effective Time, multiplied by the
Exchange Ratio, provided that any fractional shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common
Stock resulting from such multiplication shall be rounded down to the
nearest share; and

(2) The exercise price per share of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock under the
option immediately after the Effective Time shall be equal to the
exercise price per share of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock under the option
immediately before the Effective Time divided by the Exchange Ratio,
provided that such exercise price shall be rounded down to the nearest
cent.

The adjustment provided herein shall be and is intended to be effected in a
manner which is consistent with Section 424(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the "Code"). The duration and other terms of the option
immediately after the Effective Time shall be the same as the corresponding
terms in effect immediately before the Effective Time, except that all
references to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank in the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans (and the
corresponding references in the option agreement documenting such option) shall
be deemed to be references to St. ▇▇▇▇.

1.6 CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION.

At the Effective Time, the Certificate of Incorporation of St. ▇▇▇▇, as in
effect at the Effective Time, shall be the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Surviving Corporation.

1.7 BY-LAWS.

At the Effective Time, the By-Laws of St. ▇▇▇▇, as in effect immediately
prior to the Effective Time, shall be the By-Laws of the Surviving Corporation.

1.8 DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

At the Effective Time, the directors and officers of St. ▇▇▇▇ immediately
prior to the Effective Time shall be the directors and officers of the
Surviving Corporation. As of the Effective Time, St. ▇▇▇▇ shall amend its
bylaws to increase the size of its Board of Directors by one member, and
thereupon invite ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Chairman of the Board of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp., to serve as an additional member (the "New Member") of the Board of
Directors of St. ▇▇▇▇ provided, however, that St. ▇▇▇▇ shall have no obligation
to invite the New Member to serve on St. Paul's Board if such person is not a
member in good standing of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Board of Directors immediately
prior to closing. In addition, all Advisory Board members of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank
identified at Section 1.8 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule (defined
below) who are Advisory Board members as of the Effective Time will be invited
promptly after the Effective Time to serve on an advisory board to St. ▇▇▇▇
Bank after the Bank Merger for a period of no less than 12 months.

1.9 TAX CONSEQUENCES.

It is intended that the Merger shall constitute a reorganization within
the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and that this Agreement shall
constitute a "plan of reorganization" for the purposes of the Code.

ARTICLE II
EXCHANGE OF SHARES

2.1 ST. ▇▇▇▇ TO MAKE SHARES AVAILABLE.

At or prior to the Effective Time, St. ▇▇▇▇ shall deposit, or shall cause
to be deposited, with St. Paul's transfer agent, Boston EquiServe, or such
other bank, trust company or transfer agent as St. ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ select (the
"Exchange Agent"), for the benefit of the holders of Certificates, for exchange
in accordance with this Article II, certificates representing the shares of St.
▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and the cash in lieu of fractional shares (such cash and
certificates for shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock, being hereinafter referred to
as the "Exchange Fund") to be issued pursuant to Section 1.4 and paid pursuant
to Section 2.2(a) hereof (collectively, sometimes referred to herein as the
"Shares") in exchange for outstanding shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock.

2.2 EXCHANGE OF SHARES.

(a) As soon as practicable after the Effective Time, the Exchange Agent
shall mail to each holder of record of a Certificate or Certificates a form
letter of transmittal (which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and
risk of loss and title to the Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of
the Certificates to the Exchange Agent) and instructions for use in effecting
the surrender of the Certificates in exchange for certificates representing the
shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and the cash in lieu of fractional shares into
which the shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock represented by such Certificate or
Certificates shall have been converted pursuant to this Agreement. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. shall have the right to review both the letter of transmittal and the
instructions prior to such documents being finalized. Upon surrender of a
Certificate for exchange and cancellation to the Exchange Agent, together with
such letter of transmittal, duly executed, the holder of such Certificate shall
be entitled to receive promptly in exchange therefor (x) a certificate
representing that number of whole shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock to which such
holder of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock shall have become entitled pursuant to the
provisions of Article I hereof and (y) a check representing the amount of cash
in lieu of

fractional shares, if any, which such holder has the right to receive in
respect of the Certificate surrendered pursuant to the provisions of Article I,
and the Certificate so surrendered shall forthwith be canceled. No interest
will be paid or accrued on the cash in lieu of fractional shares and unpaid
dividends and distributions, if any, payable to holders of Certificates.

(b) No dividends or other distributions declared after the Effective
Time with respect to St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and payable to the holders of
record thereof shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered Certificate
until the holder thereof shall surrender such Certificate in accordance with
this Article II. After the surrender of a Certificate in accordance with this
Article II, the record holder thereof shall be entitled to receive any such
dividends or other distributions, without any interest thereon, which
theretofore had become payable with respect to shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
represented by such Certificate. No holder of an unsurrendered Certificate
shall be entitled, until the surrender of such Certificate, to vote the shares
of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock into which his ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock shall have been
converted.

(c) If any certificate representing shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock is
to be issued in a name other than that in which the Certificate surrendered in
exchange therefor is registered, it shall be a condition of the issuance
thereof that the Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed (or
accompanied by an appropriate instrument of transfer) and otherwise in proper
form for transfer, and that the person requesting such exchange shall pay to
the Exchange Agent in advance any transfer or other taxes required by reason of
the issuance of a certificate representing shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock in
any name other than that of the registered holder of the Certificate
surrendered, or shall establish to the satisfaction of the Exchange Agent that
such tax has been paid or is not payable.

(d) As of the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on the stock
transfer books of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. of the shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock which
were issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after
the Effective Time, Certificates representing such shares are presented for
transfer to the Exchange Agent, they shall be canceled and exchanged for
certificates representing shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock as provided in this
Article II.

(e) Any portion of the Exchange Fund that remains unclaimed by the
shareholders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. for six months after the Effective Time may be
returned to St. ▇▇▇▇. After such funds have been returned to St. ▇▇▇▇, any
shareholders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. who have not theretofore complied with this
Article II shall thereafter look only to St. ▇▇▇▇ for payment of their shares
of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock, cash in lieu of fractional shares and unpaid
dividends and distributions on St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock deliverable in respect of
each share of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock such shareholder holds as determined
pursuant to this Agreement, in each case, without any interest thereon.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of St. ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., the Exchange
Agent or any other person shall be liable to any former holder of shares of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock for any amount properly delivered to a public official
pursuant to applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar laws.

(f) In the event any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or
destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming
such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by St. ▇▇▇▇,
the posting by such person of a bond in such amount as St. ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ reasonably
direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it with respect
to such Certificate, the Exchange Agent will issue in exchange for such lost,
stolen or destroyed Certificate the shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and cash in
lieu of fractional shares deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to this
Agreement.

ARTICLE III

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ CORP.

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. hereby makes the following representations and warranties to
St. ▇▇▇▇ as set forth in this Article III, each of which is being relied upon
by St. ▇▇▇▇ as a material inducement to enter into and perform this Agreement.
All of the disclosure schedules of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. referenced below and thereby
required of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. pursuant to this Agreement, which disclosure
schedules shall be cross-referenced to the specific sections and subsections of
this Agreement and delivered herewith, are referred to herein as the "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. Disclosure Schedule."

3.1 CORPORATE ORGANIZATION.

(a) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. is a corporation duly organized, validly existing
and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
has the corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and
assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly
licensed or qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature
of any material business conducted by it or the character or location of any
material properties or assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or
qualification necessary. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. is duly registered as a bank holding
company with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("FRB") under
the Banking Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended ("BHCA"). The Certificate
of Incorporation and By-Laws of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., copies of which have previously
been delivered to St. ▇▇▇▇, are true, correct and complete copies of such
documents as in effect as of the date of this Agreement. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank and
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust Company ("▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust") are the only subsidiaries of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. that qualify as a "Significant Subsidiary" as such term is defined in
Regulation S-X promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC").

(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank is a nationally chartered bank duly organized and
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the United States. The
deposit accounts of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (the "FDIC") through the Bank Insurance Fund (the "BIF") to the
fullest extent permitted by law, and all premiums and assessments required in
connection therewith have been paid by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank has the
corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets
and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted and is duly licensed
or qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of any
material business conducted by it or the character or the location of any
material properties or assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or
qualification necessary. The Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, copies of which have previously been delivered to St. ▇▇▇▇, are
true, correct and complete copies of such documents as in effect as of the date
of this Agreement.

(c) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is a trust company duly organized, validly existing
and in good standing under the corporate, banking and fiduciary laws of the
State of Illinois. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust has the corporate power and authority to own
or lease all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is
now being conducted, and is duly licensed or qualified to do business in each
jurisdiction in which the nature of any material business conducted by it or
the character or location of any material properties or assets owned or leased
by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary. Deposit or other
accounts in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust are not insured by the FDIC, and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is not
a "bank" as such term is defined in the BHCA. The Certificate of Incorporation
and Bylaws of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust, copies of which have been provided to St. ▇▇▇▇,
are true, correct and complete copies of such documents as in effect as of the
date of this Agreement.

3.2 CAPITALIZATION.

(a) The authorized capital stock of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. consists of 8,000,000
shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock and 1,000,000 shares of serial preferred stock,
par value $.01 per share (the "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Preferred Stock"). As of the date
hereof, there are (x) 5,502,445 shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock issued and
outstanding and no shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock are held in Beverly Corp.'s
treasury, (y) no shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock reserved for issuance upon
exercise of outstanding stock options or otherwise, except for 718,050 shares
of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock reserved for issuance pursuant to the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock
Plans (of which options for 502,599 shares are currently outstanding) and (ii)
1,100,488 shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of
the option to be issued to St. ▇▇▇▇ pursuant to the Option Agreement, and (z)
no shares of Beverly's Preferred Stock issued or outstanding, held in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp.'s treasury or reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock
options or otherwise. All of the issued and outstanding shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability
attaching to the ownership thereof. Except for the Option Agreement and the
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. does not have and is not bound by any
outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, commitments or agreements
of any character calling for the purchase or issuance of any shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Common Stock or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Preferred Stock or any other equity security of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or any securities representing the right to purchase or otherwise receive
any shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock or any other equity security of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. The names of the optionees, the date of each option to purchase ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Common Stock granted, the number of shares subject to each such option, the
expiration date of each such option, and the price at which each such option
may be exercised under the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans are set forth in Section
3.2(a)(i) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule. Except as set forth at
Section 3.2(a)(ii) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, since December 31,
1996 ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has not issued any shares of its capital stock or any
securities convertible into or exercisable for any shares of its capital stock,
other than pursuant to the exercise of director or employee stock options
granted under the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans.

(b) Section 3.2(b) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule sets forth
a true, correct and complete list of all direct or indirect Subsidiaries of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. as of the date of this Agreement. Except as set forth at Section
3.2(b) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. owns, directly
or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of
each of its Subsidiaries, free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances
and security interests whatsoever, and all of such shares are duly authorized
and validly issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive
rights, with no personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof. No
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has or is bound by any outstanding subscriptions,
options, warrants, calls, commitments or agreements of any character calling
for the purchase or issuance of any shares of capital stock or any other equity
security of such Subsidiary or any securities representing the right to
purchase or otherwise receive any shares of capital stock or any other equity
security of such Subsidiary.

3.3 AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION.

(a) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has full corporate power and authority to execute and
deliver this Agreement and the Option Agreement and to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement and the Option Agreement and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly
approved by the Board of Directors of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. The Board of Directors of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has directed that this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby be submitted to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s shareholders for approval
at a special meeting of such shareholders and, except for the adoption of this
Agreement by the requisite vote of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s shareholders, no other
corporate proceedings on the part of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. (except for matters related
to setting the date, time, place and record date for the special meeting) are
necessary to approve this Agreement or the Option Agreement or to consummate

7
12

the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby. This Agreement has been, and
the Option Agreement will be, duly and validly executed and delivered by
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and (assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by St.
▇▇▇▇ of this Agreement and by St. ▇▇▇▇ of the Option Agreement) will constitute
valid and binding obligations of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., enforceable against ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement may be limited by
general principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a court of
equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors'
rights and remedies generally.

(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank has full corporate power and authority to execute and
deliver the Bank Merger Agreement and to consummate the transactions
contemplated thereby. The execution and delivery of the Bank Merger Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly
and validly approved by the Board of Directors of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank and by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. as the sole shareholder of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank. No other corporate proceedings
on the part of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank will be necessary to consummate the transactions
contemplated thereby. The Bank Merger Agreement, upon execution and delivery
by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, will be duly and validly executed and delivered by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Bank and will (assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by St. ▇▇▇▇
Bank) constitute a valid and binding obligation of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, enforceable
against ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be
limited by general principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a
court of equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting
creditors' rights and remedies generally.

(c) Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Option
Agreement by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or the Bank Merger Agreement by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, nor
the consummation by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, as the case may be, of the
transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, nor compliance by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank with any of the terms or provisions hereof or thereof, will (i)
violate any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or the Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, or (ii)
assuming that the consents and approvals referred to in Section 3.4 hereof are
duly obtained, (x) violate any Laws (as defined in Section 9.13) applicable to
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust, or any of their respective
properties or assets, or (y) violate, conflict with, result in a breach of any
provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a default (or an
event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default)
under, result in the termination of or a right of termination or cancellation
under, accelerate the performance required by, or result in the creation of any
lien, pledge, security interest, charge or other encumbrance upon any of the
respective properties or assets of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust
under, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, bond, mortgage,
indenture, deed of trust, license, lease, agreement or other instrument or
obligation to which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is a party, or
by which they or any of their respective properties or assets may be bound or
affected.

3.4 CONSENTS AND APPROVALS.

(a) Except for (i) the filing of applications and notices, as
applicable,as to the Merger and the Bank Merger with the FRB under the
BHCA, the Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS") under the Home Owners Loan Act
of 1933 ("HOLA") and the Bank Merger Act, the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency ("OCC") under the Bank Merger Act and the Office of the Commissioner
of Banks & Real Estate of the State of Illinois (the "Illinois Commissioner")
under the change of control provisions of the Illinois Corporate Fiduciary Act,
as well as any other applications and notices to state officials related to the
Merger (the "State Banking Approvals"), and approval of the foregoing
applications and notices, (ii) the filing of any required applications or
notices with the FDIC and OTS as to the subsidiary activities of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank
which become service corporation or operating subsidiaries of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank and
approval of such applications and notices, (iii) the filing with the SEC of a
registration statement on Form S-4 to register the shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common
Stock to be issued in

connection with the Merger (including the shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
that may be issued upon the exercise of the options referred to in Section 1.5
hereof), which will include the joint proxy statement/prospectus to be used in
soliciting the approval of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s shareholders at a special meeting to
be held in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus"), (iv) the approval of this Agreement
by the requisite vote of the shareholders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., (v) the approval by
St. Paul's shareholders of each of the issuance of the Shares as contemplated
hereby (the "St. ▇▇▇▇ Issuance"), and of an amendment to St. Paul's Certificate
of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of Common Stock to
at least 80,000,000 shares (the "St. ▇▇▇▇ Amendment"), (vi) the filing of the
Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State of Delaware pursuant to the
DGCL, (vii) the filings required by the Bank Merger Agreement, and (viii) such
filings, authorizations or approvals as may be set forth in Section 3.4 of the
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, no consents or approvals of or filings or
registrations with any court, administrative agency or commission or other
governmental authority or instrumentality (each a "Governmental Entity"), or
with any third party are necessary in connection with (1) the execution and
delivery by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. of this Agreement and the Option Agreement, (2) the
consummation by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated hereby, (3) the execution and delivery by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank of the Bank
Merger Agreement, (4) the consummation by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. of the Option
Agreement; and (5) the consummation by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank of the Bank Merger and the
transactions contemplated thereby, except, in each case, for such consents,
approvals or filings, the failure of which to obtain will not have a material
adverse effect on the ability of St. ▇▇▇▇ to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby.

(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. hereby represents to St. ▇▇▇▇ that it has no
knowledge of any reason why approval or effectiveness of any of the
applications, notices or filings referred to in Section 3.4(a) cannot be
obtained or granted on a timely basis.

3.5 LOAN PORTFOLIO; REPORTS.

(a) Except as set forth at Section 3.5(a) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Disclosure Schedule, as of December 31, 1996 and thereafter through and
including the date of this Agreement, none of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank nor
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is a party to any written or oral loan agreement, note or
borrowing arrangement (including, without limitation, leases, credit
enhancements, commitments, guarantees and interest-bearing assets)
(collectively, "Loans"), with any director, officer or five percent or greater
shareholder of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Affiliated
Person (as defined in Section 9.13) of the foregoing.

(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust have timely filed all
reports, registrations and statements, together with any amendments required to
be made with respect thereto, that they were required to file since December
31, 1992 with (i) the FRB, (ii) the OCC; (iii) the FDIC, (iv) the Illinois
Commissioner and any other state banking commissions or any other state
regulatory authority (each a "State Regulator"), (v) the SEC and (vi) any other
self-regulatory organization ("SRO") (collectively "Regulatory Agencies").
Except for normal examinations conducted by a Regulatory Agency in the regular
course of the business of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its Subsidiaries, no Governmental
Entity is conducting, or has conducted, any proceeding or investigation into
the business or operations of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust
since December 31, 1992.

3.6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS; EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS; BOOKS AND RECORDS.

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has previously delivered to St. ▇▇▇▇ true, correct and
complete copies of the consolidated statements of position of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and
its Subsidiaries as of December 31 for the fiscal

years 1995 and 1996 and the related consolidated statements of earnings,
shareholders' equity and cash flows for the fiscal years 1994 through 1996,
inclusive, as reported in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996 filed with the SEC under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), in each case accompanied
by the audit report of ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, independent public accountants with
respect to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., and the interim financial statements of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 1996 and 1997, as included in
the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September
30, 1997 as filed with the SEC. The financial statements referred to in this
Section 3.6 (including the related notes, where applicable) fairly present, and
the financial statements referred to in Section 6.8 hereof will fairly present
(subject, in the case of the unaudited statements, to recurring audit
adjustments normal in nature and amount), the results of the consolidated
operations and consolidated financial condition of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its
Subsidiaries for the respective fiscal periods or as of the respective dates
therein set forth; each of such statements (including the related notes, where
applicable) comply, and the financial statements referred to in Section 6.8
hereof will comply, with applicable accounting requirements and with the
published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto and each of
such statements (including the related notes, where applicable) has been, and
the financial statements referred to in Section 6.8 hereof will be prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied
during the periods involved ("GAAP"), except in each case as indicated in such
statements or in the notes thereto or, in the case of unaudited statements, as
permitted by Form 10-Q. Beverly Corp.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996 and all reports filed under Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since December 31, 1993 comply in all
material respects with the appropriate requirements for such reports under the
Exchange Act, and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has previously delivered or made available to
St. ▇▇▇▇ true, correct and complete copies of such reports. The books and
records of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank have been, and are being, maintained
in all material respects in accordance with GAAP and any other applicable legal
and accounting requirements.

3.7 BROKER'S FEES.

Neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary nor any of their
respective officers or directors has employed any broker or finder or incurred
any liability for any broker's fees, commissions or finder's fees in connection
with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Bank Merger
Agreement or the Option Agreement, except that ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has engaged, and
will pay a fee or commission to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Company Securities, Inc.
("McDonald") in accordance with the terms of a letter agreement between
McDonald and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., dated March 10, 1998, a true, complete and correct
copy of which is attached at Section 3.7 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule.

3.8 ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS.

(a) Except as set forth at Section 3.8 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule, or as disclosed in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996, since December 31, 1996 (i) neither
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred any material liability,
except as contemplated by the Agreement or in the ordinary course of their
business consistent with their past practices, and (ii) no event has occurred
which has had, or is likely to have, individually or in the aggregate, a
Material Adverse Effect (as defined in Section 9.13) on ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.

(b) Since December 31, 1996 ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its Subsidiaries have
carried on their respective businesses in the ordinary and usual course
consistent with their past practices.

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15

3.9 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

(a) Except as set forth at Section 3.9 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule, neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any,
and there are no pending or to the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., threatened,
legal, administrative, arbitration or other proceedings, claims, actions or
governmental or regulatory investigations of any nature against ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
or any of its Subsidiaries in which, to the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., there
is a reasonable probability of any material recovery against or other material
effect upon ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries or which challenge the
validity or propriety of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the
Bank Merger Agreement or the Option Agreement as to which there is a reasonable
probability of success.

(b) There is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory
restriction imposed upon ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., any of its Subsidiaries or the assets
of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries.

3.10 TAXES AND TAX RETURNS.

(a) Each of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its Subsidiaries has duly filed all Tax
Returns required to be filed by it on or prior to the date hereof (all such
returns being accurate and complete in all material respects) and has duly paid
or made provision on the financial statements referred to in Sections 3.6 and
6.8 hereof in accordance with GAAP for the payment of all material Taxes which
have been incurred or are due or claimed to be due from it by Taxing
Authorities on or prior to the date hereof other than Taxes (a) which (x) are
not yet delinquent or (y) are being contested in good faith and set forth in
Section 3.10 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule and (b) which have not
been finally determined. All liability with respect to the Tax Returns of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its Subsidiaries has been satisfied for all years to and
including 1997. The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") has not notified ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. of, or otherwise asserted, that there are any material deficiencies with
respect to the federal income Tax Returns of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. subsequent to 1993.
There are no material disputes pending, or claims asserted for, Taxes or
assessments upon ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries, nor has ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries been requested to give any currently effective
waivers extending the statutory period of limitation applicable to any federal
or state income Tax Return for any period. In addition, Tax Returns which are
accurate and complete in all material respects have been filed by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
and its Subsidiaries for all periods for which returns were due with respect to
income tax withholding, Social Security and unemployment taxes and the amounts
shown on such Tax Returns to be due and payable have been paid in full or
adequate provision therefor in accordance with GAAP has been included by
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. in the financial statements referred to in Sections 3.6 and 6.8
hereto. All ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Tax Returns have been examined by the relevant
Taxing Authorities, or closed without audit by applicable statutes of
limitations, and all deficiencies proposed as a result of such examinations
have been paid or settled, for all periods before and including the taxable
year ended 1993. Neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its Subsidiaries has
consented to any waiver or extension of any statute of limitations with respect
to any Tax. Neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has made an
election under Section 341(f) of the IRC. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has provided or made
available to St. ▇▇▇▇ complete and correct copies of its Tax Returns and all
material correspondence and documents, if any, relating directly or indirectly
to taxes for each taxable year or other relevant period as to which the
applicable statute of limitations has not run on the date hereof. For this
purpose, "correspondence and documents" include, without limitation, amended
Tax Returns, claims for refunds, notices from Taxing Authorities of proposed
changes or adjustments to Taxes or Tax Returns, consents to assessment or
collection of Taxes, acceptances of proposed adjustments, closing agreements,
rulings and determination letters and requests therefor, and all other written
communications to or from Taxing Authorities relating to any material Tax
liability of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. will
not be a "foreign person" as that term is used in Section 1.1445-2 of the
Treasury Regulations promulgated under the IRC. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank is

11
16

not a "United States real property holding corporation" within meaning of
Section 897 of the IRC and was not a "United States real property holding
corporation" on any "determination date" (as defined in Section 1.897-2(c) of
such Regulations) that occurred during any relevant period.

(b) For purposes of this Agreement:

"Tax" means any tax (including any income tax, capital gains tax,
value-added tax, sales tax, property tax, gift tax, or estate tax), levy,
assessment, tariff, duty (including any customs duty), deficiency, or other
fee, and any related charge or amount (including any fine, penalty, interest,
or addition to tax), imposed, assessed, or collected by or under the authority
of any Taxing Authority or payable pursuant to any tax-sharing agreement or any
other contract relating to the sharing or payment of any such tax, levy,
assessment, tariff, duty, deficiency, or fee.

"Tax Return" means any return (including any information return),
report, statement, schedule, notice, form, or other document or information
filed with or submitted to, or required to be filed with or submitted to, any
Taxing Authority in connection with the determination, assessment, collection,
or payment of any Tax or in connection with the administration, implementation,
or enforcement of or compliance with any law, regulation or other legal
requirement relating to any Tax.

"Taxing Authority" means any:

(i) nation, state, county, city, town, village, district, or
other jurisdiction of any nature;

(ii) federal, state, local, municipal, foreign, or other
government;

(iii) governmental or quasi-governmental authority of any nature
(including any governmental agency, branch, department, official, or entity and
any court or other tribunal);

(iv) multi-national organization or body; or

(v) body exercising, or entitled to exercise, any administrative,
executive, judicial, legislative, police, regulatory, or taxing authority or
power of any nature.

3.11 EMPLOYEE PLANS.

(a) Section 3.11(a) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule sets
forth a true and complete list of each employee benefit plan (within the
meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,
as amended ("ERISA")), arrangement or agreement that is maintained or
contributed to as of the date of this Agreement, or that has within the last
six years been maintained or contributed to, by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its
Subsidiaries or any other entity which together with ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. would be
deemed a "single employer" within the meaning of Section 4001 of ERISA or Code
Sections 414(b), (c) or (m) or under which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any such Subsidiary
has any liability (collectively, the "Plans").

(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has heretofore delivered or made available to
St. ▇▇▇▇ true, correct and complete copies of each of the Plans and all related
documents, including but not limited to (i) the actuarial report for such Plan
(if applicable) for each of the last five years, (ii) the most recent
determination letter from the IRS (if applicable) for such Plan, (iii) the
current summary plan description and any summaries of material modification,
(iv) all annual reports (Form 5500 series) for each Plan filed for the
preceding five plan years, (v) all agreements with fiduciaries and service

providers relating to the Plan, and (vi) all substantive correspondence
relating to any such Plan addressed to or received from the Internal Revenue
Service, the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or
any other governmental agency.

(c) Except as set forth at Section 3.11(c) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Disclosure Schedule, (i) Each of the Plans has been operated and
administered in all material respects in compliance with applicable Laws,
including but not limited to ERISA and the Code, (ii) each of the Plans
intended to be "qualified" within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code is
so qualified, (iii) with respect to each Plan which is subject to Title IV of
ERISA, the present value of accrued benefits under such Plan, based upon the
actuarial assumptions used for funding purposes in the most recent actuarial
report prepared by such Plan's actuary with respect to such Plan, did not, as
of its latest valuation date, exceed the then current value of the assets of
such Plan allocable to such accrued benefits, (iv) no Plan provides benefits,
including, without limitation, death or medical benefits (whether or not
insured), with respect to current or former employees of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary beyond their retirement or other termination of
service, other than (w) coverage mandated by applicable Law, (x) death benefits
or retirement benefits under a Plan that is an "employee pension plan," as that
term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA, (y) deferred compensation benefits
under a Plan that are accrued as liabilities on the books of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or
any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, or (z) benefits the full cost of which is borne
by the current or former employee (or his beneficiary), (v) no liability under
Title IV of ERISA has been incurred by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary that has not been satisfied in full, and no condition exists that
presents a material risk of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary
incurring a material liability thereunder, (vi) no Plan is a "multi employer
pension plan," as such term is defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA, (vii) all
contributions or other amounts payable by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary as of the Effective Time with respect to each Plan and all other
liabilities of each such entity with respect to each Plan, in respect of
current or prior plan years have been paid or accrued in accordance with
generally accepted accounting practices and Section 412 of the Code, (viii)
neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has engaged in a
transaction in connection with which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary could be subject to either a civil penalty assessed pursuant to
Section 409 or 502(i) of ERISA or a tax imposed pursuant to Section 4975 or
4976 of the Code, (ix) to the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., there are no pending,
threatened or anticipated claims (other than routine claims for benefits) by,
on behalf of or against any of the plans or any trusts related thereto, and (x)
all Plans (other than Plans providing for the payment of benefits from the
general assets of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary) could be
terminated as of the Effective Time without material liability; (xi) no Plan,
program, agreement or other arrangement, either individually or collectively,
provides for any payment by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary that
would not be deductible under Code Sections 162(a)(1), 162(m) or 404 or that
would constitute a "parachute payment" within the meaning of Code Section 280G;
(xii) no "accumulated funding deficiency" as defined in Section 302(a)(2) of
ERISA or Section 412 of the Code, whether or not waived, and no "unfunded
current liability" as determined under Section 412(l) of the Code exists with
respect to any Plan; and (xiii) no Plan has experienced a "reportable event"
(as such term is defined in Section 4043(b) of ERISA) that is not subject to an
administrative or statutory waiver from the reporting requirement.

3.12 CERTAIN CONTRACTS.

(a) Except as set forth at Section 3.12 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Disclosure Schedule, neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its Subsidiaries is
a party to or bound by any contract, arrangement or commitment (i) with respect
to the employment of any directors, officers, employees or consultants, (ii)
which, upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
or the Bank Merger Agreement will (either alone or upon the occurrence of any
additional acts or events) result in any payment (whether of severance pay or
otherwise) becoming due from St. ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Trust, St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank or any of their respective Subsidiaries to any director,

officer or employee thereof, (iii) which materially restricts the conduct of
any line of business by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust, or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank, (iv)
with or to a labor union or guild (including any collective bargaining
agreement) or (v) except as set forth on Section 3.12(a)(v) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. Disclosure Schedule, any of the benefits of which will be increased, or
the vesting of the benefits of which will be accelerated by the occurrence of
any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Bank Merger
Agreement, or the value of any of the benefits of which will be calculated on
the basis of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Bank
Merger Agreement (including as to this clause (v), any stock option plan, stock
appreciation rights plan, restricted stock plan or stock purchase plan).
Except as set forth at Section 3.12 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule,
there are no employment, consulting and deferred compensation agreements to
which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries is a party. Section 3.12(a) of
the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of all material
contracts (as defined in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K) of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
and its Subsidiaries. Each contract, arrangement or commitment of the type
described in this Section 3.12(a), whether or not set forth in Section 3.12(a)
of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, is referred to herein as a "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. Contract," and neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its Subsidiaries has
received notice of, nor do any executive officers of such entities know of, any
violation of any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Contract.

(b) (i) Each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Contract is valid and binding and in full
force and effect, (ii) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each of its Subsidiaries has in all
material respects performed all obligations required to be performed by it to
date under each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Contract, and (iii) no event or condition exists
which constitutes or, after notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute,
a material default on the part of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries
under any such ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Contract.

3.13 AGREEMENTS WITH REGULATORY AGENCIES.

None of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust, or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank is subject to any
cease-and-desist or other order issued by, or is a party to any written
agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or has
adopted any board resolutions at the request of (each, whether or not set forth
on Section 3.13 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, a "Regulatory
Agreement"), any Governmental Entity that restricts the conduct of its business
or that in any manner relates to its capital adequacy, its credit policies, its
management or its business, nor has ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust, or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Bank been advised by any Governmental Entity that it is considering issuing or
requesting any Regulatory Agreement.

3.14 STATE TAKEOVER LAWS; CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION.

The Board of Directors of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has approved the offer of St. ▇▇▇▇
to enter into this Agreement, the Bank Merger Agreement and the Option
Agreement, and has approved ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. entering into this Agreement, the
Bank Merger Agreement and the Option Agreement, and the transactions
contemplated thereby, such that under applicable law and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s
Certificate of Incorporation the only vote of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. shareholders
necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby (including the
Bank Merger and issuance under the Option Agreement) is the approval of at
least a majority of the outstanding shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock.

3.15 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS.

(a) Each of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiaries is in
compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal and state laws
and regulations relating to pollution or protection of the environment
(including without limitation, laws and regulations relating to emissions,
discharges, releases and threatened releases of Hazardous Materials (as
hereinafter defined), or

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otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use,
treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials;

(b) There is no suit, claim, action, proceeding, investigation or
notice pending or, to the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Bank, threatened (or past or present actions or events that could form the
basis of any such suit, claim, action, proceeding, investigation or notice), in
which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has been or, with respect
to threatened suits, claims, actions, proceedings, investigations or notices
may be, named as a defendant (x) for alleged material noncompliance (including
by any predecessor), with any environmental law, rule or regulation or (y)
relating to any material release or threatened release into the environment of
any Hazardous Material, occurring at or on a site owned, leased or operated by
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, or to the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp., relating to any material release or threatened release into the
environment of any Hazardous Material, occurring at or on a site not owned,
leased or operated by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary;

(c) To the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank,
during the period of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary's
ownership or operation of any of its properties, there has not been any
material release of Hazardous Materials in, on, under or affecting any such
property.

(d) To the knowledge of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank,
neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has made or participated
in any loan to any person who is subject to any suit, claim, action,
proceeding, investigation or notice, pending or threatened, with respect to (i)
any alleged material noncompliance as to any property securing such loan with
any environmental law, rule or regulation, or (ii) the release or the
threatened release into the environment of any Hazardous Material at a site
owned, leased or operated by such person on any property securing such loan.

(e) For purposes of this section 3.15, the term "Hazardous Material"
means any hazardous waste, petroleum product, polychlorinated biphenyl,
chemical, pollutant, contaminant, pesticide, radioactive substance, or other
toxic material, or other material or substance (in each such case, other than
small quantities of such substances in retail containers) regulated under any
applicable environmental or public health statute, law, ordinance, rule or
regulation.

3.16 RESERVES FOR LOSSES.

All reserves or other allowances for possible losses reflected in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp.'s most recent financial statements referred to in Section 3.6 complied
with all Laws and are adequate under GAAP. None of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Trust or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank has been notified by the FRB, the FDIC, OCC, the Illinois
Commissioner or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s independent auditor, in writing or otherwise,
that such reserves are inadequate or that the practices and policies of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank in establishing such reserves and in
accounting for delinquent and classified assets generally fail to comply with
applicable accounting or regulatory requirements, or that the FRB, the FDIC,
the OCC, the Illinois Commissioner or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s independent auditor
believes such reserves to be inadequate or inconsistent with the historical
loss experience of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
has previously furnished St. ▇▇▇▇ with a complete list of all extensions of
credit and other real estate owned ("OREO") that have been classified by any
bank or trust examiner (regulatory or internal) as other loans specially
mentioned, special mention, substandard, doubtful, loss, classified or
criticized, credit risk assets, concerned loans or words of similar import.
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. agrees to update such list no less frequently than monthly after
the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Closing Date or the date
that this Agreement is terminated in accordance with Section

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8.1. All OREO held by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank is being
carried net of reserves at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

3.17 PROPERTIES AND ASSETS.

Section 3.17 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule lists (i) all real
property owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary; (ii) each
real property lease, sublease or installment purchase arrangement to which
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary is a party; (iii) a description
of each contract for the purchase, sale, or development of real estate to which
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary is a party; and (iv) all items of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary's tangible personal property
and equipment with a book value of [$25,000] or more or having any annual lease
payment of [$10,000] or more. Except for (a) items reflected in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp.'s consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 1996 referred to
in Section 3.6 hereof, (b) exceptions to title that do not interfere materially
with ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary's use and enjoyment of
owned or leased real property (other than OREO), (c) liens for current real
estate taxes not yet delinquent, or being contested in good faith, properly
reserved against (and reflected on the financial statements referred to in
Section 3.6 above), (d) properties and assets sold or transferred in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practices since December 31,
1996, and (e) items listed in Section 3.17 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary have good and, as to
owned real property, marketable and insurable title to all their properties and
assets, free and clear of all liens, claims, charges and other encumbrances.
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, as lessees, have the right
under valid and subsisting leases to occupy, use and possess all property
leased by them, and neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has
experienced any material uninsured damage or destruction with respect to such
properties since December 31, 1996. All properties and assets used by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary are in good operating condition and
repair suitable for the purposes for which they are currently utilized and
comply in all material respects with all Laws relating thereto now in effect or
scheduled to come into effect. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary
enjoy peaceful and undisturbed possession under all leases for the use of all
property under which they are the lessees, and all leases to which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary is a party are valid and binding
obligations in accordance with the terms thereof. Neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor
any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary is in material default with respect to any such
lease, and there has occurred no default by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary or event which with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or
both, would constitute a material default under any such lease. There are no
Laws, conditions of record, or other impediments which interfere with the
intended use by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary of any of the
property owned, leased, or occupied by them.

3.18 INSURANCE.

Section 3.18 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule contains a true,
correct and complete list of all insurance policies and bonds maintained by
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, including the name of the
insurer, the policy number, the type of policy and any applicable deductibles,
and all such insurance policies and bonds (or other insurance policies and
bonds that have, from time to time, in respect of the nature of the risks
insured against and amount of coverage provided, been substantially similar in
kind and amount to that customarily carried by parties similarly situated who
own properties and engage in businesses substantially similar to that of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary) are in full force and effect
and have been in full force and effect. As of the date hereof, neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has received any notice of cancellation
or amendment of any such policy or bond or is in default under any such policy
or bond, no coverage thereunder is being disputed and all material claims
thereunder have been filed in a timely fashion. The existing insurance carried
by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiaries is and will continue to

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be, in respect of the nature of the risks insured against and the amount of
coverage provided, substantially similar in kind and amount to that customarily
carried by parties similarly situated who own properties and engage in
businesses substantially similar to that of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiaries, and is sufficient for compliance by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. Subsidiaries with all requirements of Law and agreements to which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or any of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiaries is subject or is party. True,
correct and complete copies of all such policies and bonds reflected at Section
3.18 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, as in effect on the date hereof,
have been delivered to St. ▇▇▇▇.

3.19 FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIPS.

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust is in compliance with all, and is not in violation, and, to
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust's knowledge, is not under investigation with respect to any
violation, of any laws, applicable to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust or the conduct of its
business. Without limiting the foregoing, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Trust has conducted its
business in full compliance with all applicable standards and regulations under
ERISA and the fiduciary laws of the State of Illinois, and in accordance with
all trust and other fiduciary contracts or other relationships. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Trust's business and assets are limited to those that are permissible to be
conducted by and held by a trust under the laws, including without limitation,
the applicable laws of the State of Illinois.

3.20 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Each of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has complied in all
material respects with all Laws applicable to it or to the operation of its
business. Neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has received
any notice of any material alleged or threatened claim, violation, or liability
under any such Laws that has not heretofore been cured and for which there is
no remaining liability.

3.21 LOANS.

As of the date hereof:

(a) All loans owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary,
or in which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has an interest,
comply in all material respects with all Laws, including, but not limited to,
applicable usury statutes, underwriting and recordkeeping requirements and the
Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Real Estate
Procedures Act, and other applicable consumer protection statutes and the
regulations thereunder.

(b) All loans owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary,
or in which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has an interest, have
been made or acquired by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. in accordance with board of
director-approved loan policies and all of such loans are collectible, except
to the extent reserves have been made against such loans in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.'s
consolidated financial statements at September 30,1997 referred to in Section
3.6 hereof. Each of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary holds
mortgages contained in its loan portfolio for its own benefit to the extent of
its interest shown therein; such mortgages evidence liens having the priority
indicated by their terms, subject, as of the date of recordation or filing of
applicable security instruments, only to such exceptions as are discussed in
attorneys' opinions regarding title or in title insurance policies in the
mortgage files relating to the loans secured by real property or are not
material as to the collectability of such loans; and all loans owned by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary are with full recourse to the borrowers
(except as set forth at Section 3.21(b) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule), and each of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary has taken
no action which

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would result in a waiver or negation of any rights or remedies available
against the borrower or guarantor, if any, on any loan. All applicable
remedies against all borrowers and guarantors are enforceable except as may be
limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium or other similar laws affecting
creditors' rights and except as may be limited by the exercise of judicial
discretion in applying principles of equity. Except as set forth at Section
3.21(b) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, all loans purchased or
originated by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary and subsequently
sold by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary have been sold without
recourse to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary and without any
liability under any yield maintenance or similar obligation. True, correct and
complete copies of loan delinquency reports as of February 28, 1998 prepared by
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, which reports include all
loans delinquent or otherwise in default, have been furnished to St. ▇▇▇▇.
True, correct and complete copies of the currently effective lending policies
and practices of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary also have been
furnished to St. ▇▇▇▇.

(c) Except as set forth at Schedule 3.21(c) each outstanding loan
participation sold by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary was sold
with the risk of non-payment of all or any portion of that underlying loan to
be shared by each participant (including ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary) proportionately to the share of such loan represented by such
participation without any recourse of such other lender or participant to
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary for payment or repurchase of the
amount of such loan represented by the participation or liability under any
yield maintenance or similar obligation. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary have properly fulfilled in all material respects its contractual
responsibilities and duties in any loan in which it acts as the lead lender or
servicer and has complied in all material respects with its duties as required
under applicable regulatory requirements.

(d) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary have properly
perfected or caused to be properly perfected all security interests, liens, or
other interests in any collateral securing any loans made by it.

(e) Section 3.21(e) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Disclosure Schedule sets forth a
list of all loans or other extensions of credit to all directors, officers and
employees, or any other person covered by Regulation O of the FRB.

3.22 AFFILIATES.

Each director, executive officer and other person who is an "affiliate"
(for purposes of Rule 145 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), and for purposes of qualifying the Merger for
"pooling-of-interests" accounting treatment) of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. is listed at
Section 3.22 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule, and except as indicated
thereon each such person has delivered to St. ▇▇▇▇, concurrently with the
execution of this Agreement, a stockholder agreement in the form of Exhibit D
hereto (the "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stockholder Agreement"). The ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stockholder
Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by each person that
is a party thereto and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by
St. ▇▇▇▇, constitutes the valid and binding obligation of such person,
enforceable against such person in accordance with their terms, except as
enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity whether applied in a
court of law or a court of equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar
laws affecting creditors' rights and remedies generally.

3.23 OWNERSHIP OF ST. ▇▇▇▇ COMMON STOCK.

Except as set forth at Section 3.23 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure
Schedule, neither ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. nor any of its directors, officers, 5% or
greater shareholders or affiliates (as used above in Section

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3.22) (i) beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or (ii) is a party to any
agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding,
voting or disposing of, in each case, any shares of outstanding capital stock
of St. ▇▇▇▇ (other than those agreements, arrangements or understandings
specifically contemplated hereby).

3.24 FAIRNESS OPINION.

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. has received an opinion from McDonald to the effect that, in
its opinion, the consideration to be paid to shareholders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
hereunder is fair to such shareholders from a financial point of view (the
"McDonald Fairness Opinion"), and McDonald has consented to the inclusion of
the McDonald Fairness Opinion in the Registration Statement.

3.25 ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ CORP. INFORMATION.

The information relating to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and its Subsidiaries to be
provided by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. to be contained in the Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus (defined below) and the Registration Statement (defined
below) will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances in which they are made, not misleading. The Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus (except for the portions thereof relating solely to St.
▇▇▇▇ or any of its Subsidiaries, as to which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. makes no
representation or warranty) will comply in all material respects with the
provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ST. ▇▇▇▇

St. ▇▇▇▇, on behalf of itself and its wholly-owned subsidiary, St. ▇▇▇▇
Bank hereby makes the following representations and warranties to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
as set forth in this Article IV, each of which is being relied upon by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. as a material inducement to enter into and perform this Agreement.

4.1 CORPORATE ORGANIZATION.

(a) St. ▇▇▇▇ is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. St. ▇▇▇▇ has the
corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its properties and assets
and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted, and is duly licensed
or qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the
business conducted by it or the character or location of the properties and
assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or qualification necessary.
St. ▇▇▇▇ is duly registered as a savings and loan holding company with the OTS
under HOLA. The Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of St. ▇▇▇▇, copies
of which have previously been made available to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., are true,
correct and complete copies of such documents as in effect as of the date of
this Agreement.

(b) St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank is a federal savings bank chartered by the OTS under
the laws of the United States with its main office in the State of Illinois.
St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank has the corporate power and authority to own or lease all of its
properties and assets and to carry on business as is now being conducted, and
is duly licensed or qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the
nature of the business conducted by it or the character or location of the
properties and assets owned or leased by it makes such licensing or
qualification necessary. The Charter and By-Laws of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, copies of

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which have previously been made available to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., are true, correct
and complete copies of such documents as in effect as of the date of this
Agreement.

4.2 CAPITALIZATION.

(a) The authorized capital stock of St. ▇▇▇▇ consists of 40,000,000
shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock, of which 34,303,720 shares were outstanding
(net of 1,140,147 treasury shares) at February 28, 1998 and 10,000,000 shares
of serial preferred stock, par value $.01 per share ("St. ▇▇▇▇ Preferred
Stock"), none of which were outstanding at February 28, 1998. At such date,
there were 3,546,195 shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock reserved for issuance
pursuant to options. All of the issued and outstanding shares of St. ▇▇▇▇
Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, with no personal liability
attaching to the ownership thereof, and upon issuance in accordance with the
terms hereof, the Shares will be duly authorized and validly issued, and fully
paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. As of the date of this
Agreement, except as set forth above, St. ▇▇▇▇ does not have and is not bound
by any outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, calls, commitments or
agreements of any character calling for the purchase or issuance of any shares
of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock or St. ▇▇▇▇ Preferred Stock or any other equity
securities of St. ▇▇▇▇ or any securities presenting the right to purchase or
otherwise receive any shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock or St. ▇▇▇▇ Preferred
Stock, other than pursuant to that certain Rights Agreement between St. ▇▇▇▇
and First National Bank of Boston.

(b) All of the outstanding shares of common stock of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank are
owned by St. ▇▇▇▇ free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances and
security interests whatsoever, and all of such shares are duly authorized and
validly issued and fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights,
with no personal liability attaching to ownership thereof.

4.3 AUTHORITY; NO VIOLATION.

(a) St. ▇▇▇▇ has full corporate power and authority to execute and
deliver this Agreement and the Option Agreement and to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement and the Option Agreement and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly approved by the
Board of Directors of St. ▇▇▇▇. The Board of Directors of St. ▇▇▇▇ has
directed that the St. ▇▇▇▇ Issuance and the St. ▇▇▇▇ Amendment be submitted to
St. Paul's shareholders for approval at a special meeting of such shareholders
and, except for the approval of such matters by the requisite vote of St.
Paul's shareholders, no other corporate proceedings on the part of St. ▇▇▇▇
(except for matters related to setting the date, time, place and record date
for the special meeting) are necessary to approve this Agreement or the Option
Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.
This Agreement has been, and the Option Agreement will be, duly and validly
executed and delivered by St. ▇▇▇▇ and (assuming due authorization, execution
and delivery by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.) will constitute valid and binding obligations of
St. ▇▇▇▇, enforceable against St. ▇▇▇▇ in accordance with their terms, except
as enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity whether applied
in a court of law or a court of equity and by bankruptcy, insolvency and
similar law affecting creditors' rights and remedies generally.

(b) St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank has full corporate power and authority to execute and
deliver the Bank Merger Agreement and to consummate the transactions
contemplated thereby. The execution and delivery of the Bank Merger Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly
and validly approved by the Board of Directors of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank and by St. ▇▇▇▇
as the sole shareholder of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank. All corporate proceedings on the
part of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated
thereby have been taken. The Bank Merger

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Agreement, upon execution and delivery by St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, will be duly and
validly executed and delivered by St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank and will (assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank) constitute a valid and
binding obligation of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, enforceable against St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank in
accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited by general
principles of equity whether applied in a court of law or a court of equity and
by bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors' rights and
remedies generally.

(c) Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Option
Agreement by St. ▇▇▇▇ or the Bank Merger Agreement by St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, nor the
consummation by St. ▇▇▇▇ or St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, as the case may be, of the
transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, nor compliance by St. ▇▇▇▇ or St.
▇▇▇▇ Bank with any of the terms or provisions hereof or thereof, will (i)
violate any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of St. ▇▇▇▇
or the Charter or By-Laws of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank, as the case may be, or (ii)
assuming that the consents and approvals referred to in Section 4.4 are duly
obtained, (x) violate any Laws applicable to St. ▇▇▇▇, St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank or any of
their respective properties or assets, or (y) violate, conflict with, result in
a breach of any provision of or the loss of any benefit under, constitute a
default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute a default) under, result in the termination of or a right of
termination or cancellation under, accelerate the performance required by, or
result in the creation of any lien, pledge, security interest, charge or other
encumbrance upon any of the respective properties or assets of St. ▇▇▇▇ or St.
▇▇▇▇ Bank under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, bond,
mortgage, indenture, deed of trust, license, lease, agreement or other
instrument or obligation to which St. ▇▇▇▇ or St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank is a party, or by
which they or any of their respective properties or assets may be bound or
affected.

4.4 REGULATORY APPROVALS.

(a) Except for (i) the filing of applications and notices, as
applicable, as to the Merger and the Bank Merger with the FRB, the OTS and the
OCC and approval of such applications and notices, (ii) the filing of any
required applications or notices with the FDIC and OTS as to the subsidiary
activities of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank which become service corporation or operating
subsidiaries of St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank and approval of such applications and notices,
(iii) the State Banking Approvals, (iv) the filing with the SEC of a
registration statement on Form S-4 to register the shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common
Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger (including the shares of St.
▇▇▇▇ Common Stock that may be issued upon the exercise of the options referred
to in Section 1.5 hereof), which will include the Proxy Statement/Prospectus,
(v) the approval of this Agreement by the requisite vote of the shareholders of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., (vi) the approval of each of the St. ▇▇▇▇ Issuance and the St.
▇▇▇▇ Amendment by the requisite vote of shareholders of St. ▇▇▇▇; (vii) the
filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State of Delaware
pursuant to the DGCL, (viii) the filings required by the Bank Merger Agreement,
and (ix) such filings and approvals as are required to be made or obtained
under the securities or "Blue Sky" laws of various states or with Nasdaq (or
such other exchange as may be applicable) in connection with the issuance of
the shares of St. ▇▇▇▇ Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement, no consents or
approvals of or filings or registrations with any Governmental Entity or with
any third party are necessary in connection with (1) the execution and delivery
by St. ▇▇▇▇ of this Agreement and the Option Agreement, (2) the consummation by
St. ▇▇▇▇ of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby, (3) the
execution and delivery by St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank of the Bank Merger Agreement, and (4)
the consummation by St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank of the transactions contemplated by the Bank
Merger Agreement except for such consents, approvals or filings the failure of
which to obtain will not have a material adverse effect on the ability of
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. to consummate the transactions contemplated thereby.

(b) St. ▇▇▇▇ hereby represents to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. that it has no
knowledge of any reason why approval or effectiveness of any of the
applications, notices or filings referred to in Section 4.4(a) cannot be
obtained or granted on a timely basis.

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4.5 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS; EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS; BOOKS AND RECORDS.

St. ▇▇▇▇ has previously delivered to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. true, correct and
complete copies of the consolidated balance sheets of St. ▇▇▇▇ and its
Subsidiaries as of December 31 for the fiscal years 1995 and 1996 and the
related consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity and
cash flows for the fiscal years 1994 through 1996, inclusive, as reported in
St. Paul's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1996 filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act, in each case accompanied by the
audit report of Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants with respect
to St. ▇▇▇▇, and the interim financial statements of St. ▇▇▇▇ as of and for the
nine months ended September 30, 1996 and 1997, as included in St. Paul's
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 1997, as filed
with the SEC. The financial statements referred to in this Section 4.5
(including the related notes, where applicable) fairly present, and the
financial statements referred to in Section 6.8 hereof will fairly present
(subject, in the case of the unaudited statements, to recurring audit
adjustments normal in nature and amount), the results of the consolidated
operations and consolidated financial condition of St. ▇▇▇▇ and its
Subsidiaries for the respective fiscal periods or as of the respective dates
therein set forth; each of such statements (including the related notes, where
applicable) comply, and the financial statements referred to in Section 6.8
hereof will comply, with applicable accounting requirements and with the
published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto; and each of
such statements (including the related notes, where applicable) has been, and
the financial statements referred to in Section 6.8 hereof will be, prepared in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied during the periods involved, except
as indicated in the notes thereto or, in the case of unaudited statements, as
permitted by Form 10-Q. St. Paul's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 1996 and all subsequently filed reports under Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act comply in all material respects
with the appropriate requirements for such reports under the Exchange Act, and
St. ▇▇▇▇ has previously delivered to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. true, correct and complete
copies of such reports. The books and records of St. ▇▇▇▇ and St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank
have been, and are being, maintained in all material respects in accordance
with GAAP and any other applicable legal and accounting requirements and
reflect only actual transactions.

4.6 ABSENCE OF CERTAIN CHANGES OR EVENTS.

Except as disclosed in St. Paul's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996, true, correct and complete copies of which
have previously been delivered to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., since December 31, 1996, no
event has occurred which has had, or is likely to have, individually or in the
aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on St. ▇▇▇▇.

4.7 OWNERSHIP OF ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ COMMON STOCK; AFFILIATES AND ASSOCIATES.

(a) Except for this Agreement, neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any of its
affiliates or associates (as such terms are defined under the Exchange Act),
(i) beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or (ii) is a party to any
agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding,
voting or disposing of, in each case, more than five percent of the outstanding
capital stock of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., excluding the shares of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock
issuable pursuant to the Option Agreement to be executed subsequent to the
execution of the Agreement.

(b) Neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any of its Subsidiaries is an "affiliate" (as
such term is defined in DGCL Section 203(c) (1)) or an "associate" (as such
term is defined in DGCL Section 203(c) (2)) of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.

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4.8 AGREEMENTS WITH REGULATORY AGENCIES.

Neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any of its affiliates is subject to any
cease-and-desist or other order issued by, or is a party to any written
agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or has
adopted any board resolutions at the request of any Governmental Entity that
restricts the conduct of its business or that in any manner relates to its
capital adequacy, its credit policies, its management or its business, nor has
St. ▇▇▇▇, nor St. ▇▇▇▇ Bank been advised by any Governmental Entity that it is
considering issuing or requesting any Regulatory Agreement.

4.9 BROKER'S FEES.

Neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any St. ▇▇▇▇ Subsidiary nor any of their respective
officers or directors has employed any broker or finder or incurred any
liability for any broker's fees, commissions or finder's fees in connection
with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Bank Merger
Agreement or the Option Agreement, except that St. ▇▇▇▇ has engaged, and will
pay a fee or commission to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. ("▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇") in accordance
with the terms of a letter agreement between ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ and St. ▇▇▇▇, dated
March 12, 1998, a true, complete and correct copy of which has been provided to
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.

4.10 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

(a) Neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any, and
there are no pending or, to St. Paul's knowledge, threatened, legal,
administrative, arbitration or other proceedings, claims, actions or
governmental or regulatory investigations of any nature against St. ▇▇▇▇ or any
of its Subsidiaries in which, to St. Paul's knowledge, there is a reasonable
probability of any material recovery against or other material effect upon St.
▇▇▇▇ or any of its Subsidiaries or which challenge the validity or propriety of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Bank Merger Agreement or
the Option Agreement as to which there is a reasonable probability of success.

(b) There is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory
restriction imposed upon St. ▇▇▇▇, any of its Subsidiaries or the assets of St.
▇▇▇▇ or any of its Subsidiaries.

4.11 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Each of St. ▇▇▇▇ and any St. ▇▇▇▇ Subsidiary has complied in all material
respects with all Laws applicable to it or to the operation of its business.
Neither St. ▇▇▇▇ nor any St. ▇▇▇▇ Subsidiary has received any notice of any
material alleged or threatened claim, violation, or liability under any such
Laws that has not heretofore been cured and for which there is no remaining
liability.

4.12 FAIRNESS OPINION.

St. ▇▇▇▇ has received an opinion from ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ to the effect that, in
its opinion, the Exchange Ratio is fair to St. ▇▇▇▇ stockholders from a
financial point of view (the "▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Fairness Opinion"), and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇ has consented to the inclusion of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Fairness Opinion in
the Registration Statement.

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4.13 ST. ▇▇▇▇ INFORMATION.

The information relating to St. ▇▇▇▇ and its Subsidiaries to be provided
by St. ▇▇▇▇ to be contained in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the
Registration Statement will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances in which they are made, not misleading. The Joint
Proxy Statement/Prospectus (except for the portions thereof relating solely to
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any of its Subsidiaries, as to which St. ▇▇▇▇ makes no
representation or warranty) will comply in all material respects with the
provisions of the Securities Act, Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder.

ARTICLE V
COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

5.1 COVENANTS OF ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ CORP.

During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the
Effective Time, except as expressly contemplated or permitted by this
Agreement, the Bank Merger Agreement or the Option Agreement or with the prior
written consent of St. ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary
shall carry on their respective businesses in the ordinary course consistent
with past practices and consistent with prudent banking practices. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. will use its reasonable efforts to (x) preserve its business organization
and that of each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary intact, (y) keep available to itself
and St. ▇▇▇▇ the present services of the employees of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary and (z) preserve for itself and St. ▇▇▇▇ the goodwill
of the customers of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. and each ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary and others
with whom business relationships exist. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, and except as set forth in the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Disclosure Schedule or
as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement or consented to by St. ▇▇▇▇ in
writing, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. shall not, and shall not permit any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary to:

(a) declare or pay any dividends on, or make other distributions in
respect of, any of its capital stock (except for the payment of regular
quarterly cash dividends by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. not to exceed $.09 per share on the
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock with declaration, record and payment dates corresponding
to the quarterly dividends paid by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. during its fiscal year ended
December 31, 1997 and except that any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary may declare and
pay dividends and distributions to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.); provided, however, that
under no circumstances shall ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. declare, set aside or pay any
dividends if it would result in the holders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock receiving
more than four cash dividend payments in fiscal 1998, when considered with
anticipated St. ▇▇▇▇ dividends based on past practice, nor shall ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
be prohibited from declaring, setting aside or paying dividends consistent
herewith if the Closing Date is such that holders of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock would
receive fewer than four cash dividends in fiscal 1998, when considered with
anticipated St. ▇▇▇▇ dividends based on past practice it being understood that
the parties hereto intend for ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. to pay its regular quarterly cash
dividends to shareholders as to any completed fiscal quarter prior to the
Effective Time;

(b) (i) split, combine or reclassify any shares of its capital stock or
issue, authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect of,
in lieu of or in substitution for shares of its capital stock except upon the
exercise or fulfillment of rights or options issued or existing pursuant to the
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans in accordance with their present terms, all to the extent
outstanding and in existence on the date of this Agreement, and except pursuant
to the Option Agreement, or (ii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire
(except for the acquisition of Trust Account Shares and

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DPC Shares, as such terms are defined in Section 1.4(c) hereof), any shares of
the capital stock of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, or any
securities convertible into or exercisable for any shares of the capital stock
of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary;

(c) issue, deliver or sell, or authorize or propose the issuance,
delivery or sale of, any shares of its capital stock or any securities
convertible into or exercisable for, or any rights, warrants or options to
acquire, any such shares, or enter into any agreement with respect to any of
the foregoing, other than (i) the issuance of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock pursuant to
stock options or similar rights to acquire ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Common Stock granted
pursuant to the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Stock Plans and outstanding prior to the date of this
Agreement, in each case in accordance with their present terms and (ii)
pursuant to the Option Agreement;

(d) amend its Certificate of Incorporation, By-Laws or other similar
governing documents;

(e) authorize or permit any of its officers, directors, employees or
agents to, directly or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate or encourage any
inquiries relating to, or the making of any proposal from, (ii) engage in
substantive discussions or negotiations with or (iii) provide any information
to, any person, entity or group (other than St. ▇▇▇▇) concerning any
Acquisition Transaction (as defined below). Notwithstanding the foregoing,
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. may enter into discussions or negotiations or provide information
in connection with a possible Acquisition Transaction if the Board of Directors
of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp., following receipt of a written opinion of counsel, reasonably
determines in the exercise of its fiduciary duty that such discussions or
negotiations must be commenced or such information must be furnished. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. shall promptly communicate to St. ▇▇▇▇ the material terms of any
proposal, whether written or oral, which it may receive in respect of any such
Acquisition Transaction and whether it is having discussions or negotiations
with a third party about an Acquisition Transaction with, or providing
information in connection with, or which may lead to, an Acquisition
Transaction with a third party. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. will promptly cease and cause to
be terminated any existing activities, discussions or negotiations previously
conducted with any parties other than St. ▇▇▇▇ with respect to any of the
foregoing. As used in this Agreement, Acquisition Transaction shall mean any
offer, proposal or expression of interest relating to (I) any tender or
exchange offer, (II) merger, consolidation or other business combination
involving ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary, or (III) the
acquisition in any manner of a substantial equity interest in, or a substantial
portion of the assets, out of the ordinary course of business, of, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Corp. or ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank other than the transactions contemplated or permitted by
this Agreement, the Bank Merger Agreement and the Option Agreement;

(f) make capital expenditures aggregating in excess of $25,000;

(g) enter into any new line of business;

(h) acquire or agree to acquire, by merging or consolidating with, or
by purchasing an equity interest in or the assets of, or by any other manner,
any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business
organization or division thereof or otherwise acquire any assets, other than in
connection with foreclosures, settlements in lieu of foreclosure or troubled
loan or debt restructurings, or in the ordinary course of business consistent
with prudent banking practices;

(i) take any action that is intended or may reasonably be expected to
result in any of its representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement
being or becoming untrue or in any of the conditions to the Merger set forth in
Article VII not being satisfied, or in a violation of any provision of this
Agreement or the Bank Merger Agreement, except, in every case, as may be
required by applicable law;

25
30

(j) change its methods of accounting in effect at December 31, 1997
except as required by changes in GAAP or regulatory accounting principles as
concurred to by St. Paul's independent auditors;

(k) (i) except as required by applicable law or to maintain
qualification pursuant to the Code, adopt, amend, renew or terminate any Plan
or any agreement, arrangement, plan or policy between ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary and one or more of its current or former directors or
officers, (ii) increase in any manner the compensation of any employee or
director or pay any benefit not required by any plan or agreement as in effect
as of the date hereof (including, without limitation, the granting of stock
options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or
performance units or shares), (iii) enter into, modify or renew any contract,
agreement, commitment or arrangement providing for the payment to any director,
officer or employee of compensation or benefits, other than normal annual
increases in pay, consistent with past practice, (iv) hire any new employee at
an annual compensation in excess of $40,000, (v) pay expenses of any employees
or directors for attending conventions or similar meetings which conventions or
meetings are held after the date hereof, (vi) promote to a rank of vice
president or more senior any employee, or (vii) pay any retention or other
bonuses to any employees;

(l) except for short-term borrowings with a maturity of one year or
less in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, incur
any indebtedness for borrowed money, assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise as
an accommodation become responsible for the obligations of any other
individual, corporation or other entity;

(m) sell, purchase, enter into a lease, relocate, open or close any
banking or other office, or file an application pertaining to such action with
any Governmental Entity;

(n) make any equity investment or commitment to make such an
investment in real estate or in any real estate development project, other than
in connection with foreclosure, settlements in lieu of foreclosure, or troubled
loan or debt restructuring, in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past banking practices;

(o) make any new loans to, modify the terms of any existing loan to,
or engage in any other transactions (other than routine banking transactions)
with, any Affiliated Person of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. Subsidiary;

(p) make any investment, or incur deposit liabilities, other than in
the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, including
deposit pricing, and which would not change the risk profile of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank
based on its existing deposit and lending policies or make any equity
investments;

(q) purchase any loans or sell, purchase or lease any real property,
except for the sale of real estate that is the subject of a casualty loss or
condemnation or the sale of OREO on a basis consistent with past practices;

(r) originate (i) any loans except in accordance with existing ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Bank lending policies, (ii) residential mortgage loans in excess of $500,000,
(iii) unsecured consumer loans in excess of $25,000, (iv) commercial business
loans in excess of $250,000 as to any loan or $250,000 in the aggregate as to
related loans, or loans to related persons, (v) commercial real estate first
mortgage loans in excess of $500,000 as to any loan or $500,000 in the
aggregate as to related loans, or loans to related persons, or (vi) land
acquisition loans to borrowers who intend to construct a residence on such land
in excess of the lesser of 75% of the appraised value of such land or $150,000,
except in each case for loans for which written applications have been received
by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bank.;

(s) make any investments in any equity or derivative securities, or
any debt securities issued or guaranteed by any municipality or otherwise
exempt to any extent from federal, state or local taxation, or engage in any
forward commitment, futures transaction, financial options transaction, hedging
or arbitrage transaction or covered asset trading activities or make any
investments in any investment security with a maturity of greater than one
year;

(t) sell or purchase any mortgage loan servicing rights; or

(u) agree or commit to do any of the actions set forth in (a) - (t)
above.

The consent of St. ▇▇▇▇ to any action by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. or any ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp.
Subsidiary that is not permitted by any of the preceding paragraphs shall be
evidenced by a writing signed by the Chairman, President or any Senior Vice
President of St. ▇▇▇▇.

5.2 MERGER COVENANTS.

Notwithstanding that ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Corp. believes that it has established all
reserves and taken all provisions for possible loan losses required by GAAP and
applicable laws, rules and regulations, Beverly Corp. recognizes that St. Paul
may have adopted different loan, accrual and reserve policies (including loan
classifications and levels of reserves for possible loan losses). In that
regard, and in general, from and after the date of this Agreement to the
Effective Time, Beverly Corp. and St. Paul shall consult and cooperate with
each other in order to formulate the plan of integration for the Merger,
including, among other things, with respect to conforming, based upon such
consultation, Beverly Corp.'s loan, accrual and reserve policies to those
policies of St. Paul to the extent appropriate.

5.3 COMPLIANCE WITH ANTITRUST LAWS.

Each of St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall use its reasonable best efforts
to resolve objections, if any, which may be asserted with respect to the Merger
under antitrust laws, including, without limitation, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
In the event a suit is threatened or instituted challenging the Merger as
violative of antitrust laws, each of St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall use its
reasonable best efforts to avoid the filing of, or resist or resolve such suit.
St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall use their reasonable best efforts to take
such action as may be required: (a) by the Antitrust Division of the
Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission in order to resolve such
objections as either of them may have to the Merger under antitrust laws, or
(b) by any federal or state court of the United States, in any suit brought by
a private party or governmental entity challenging the Merger as violative of
antitrust laws, in order to avoid the entry of, or to effect the dissolution
of, any injunction, temporary restraining order, or other order which has the
effect of preventing the consummation of the Merger. Reasonable best efforts
shall not include, among other things and to the extent St. Paul so desires,
the willingness of St. Paul to accept an order agreeing to the divestiture, or
the holding separate, of any assets of St. Paul or Beverly Corp.

ARTICLE VI
ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

6.1 REGULATORY MATTERS.

(a) Upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement, St. Paul and
Beverly Corp. (as to information to be included therein pertaining to Beverly
Corp.) shall promptly cause to be prepared and filed with the SEC a
registration statement of St. Paul on Form S-4, including the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus (the "Registration Statement") for the purpose of
registering the St. Paul Common Stock to be issued in the Merger, and for
soliciting the approval of this Agreement and the Merger by the shareholders of
Beverly Corp., and the St. Paul Issuance and St. Paul Amendment by the
shareholders of St. Paul. St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall use their
reasonable best efforts to have the Registration Statement declared effective
by the SEC as soon as possible after the filing. The parties shall cooperate
in responding to and considering any questions or comments from the SEC staff
regarding the information contained in the Registration Statement. If at any
time after the Registration Statement is filed with the SEC, and prior to the
Closing Date, any event relating to Beverly Corp. is discovered by Beverly
Corp. which should be set forth in an amendment of, or a supplement to, the
Registration Statement, including the Prospectus/Proxy Statement, Beverly Corp.
shall promptly inform St. Paul, and shall furnish St. Paul with all necessary
information relating to such event whereupon St. Paul shall promptly cause an
appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement to be filed with the SEC.
Upon the effectiveness of such amendment, each of St. Paul and Beverly Corp.
(if prior to the meeting of shareholders pursuant to Section 6.3 hereof) will
take all necessary action as promptly as practicable to permit an appropriate
amendment or supplement to be transmitted to its shareholders entitled to vote
at such meeting. If at any time after the Registration Statement is filed with
the SEC, and prior to the Closing Date, any event relating to St. Paul is
discovered by St. Paul which should be set forth in an amendment of, or a
supplement to, the Registration Statement, including the Prospectus/Proxy
Statement, St. Paul shall promptly inform Beverly Corp., and St. Paul shall
promptly cause an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement to be
filed with the SEC. Upon the effectiveness of such amendment, each of St. Paul
and Beverly Corp. (if prior to the meeting of shareholders pursuant to Section
6.3 hereof) will take all necessary action as promptly as practicable to permit
an appropriate amendment or supplement to be transmitted to its shareholders
entitled to vote at such meeting. St. Paul shall also use reasonable efforts
to obtain all necessary state securities law or "Blue Sky" permits and
approvals required to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
and the Bank Merger Agreement and Beverly Corp. shall furnish all information
concerning Beverly Corp. and the holders of Beverly Common Stock as may be
reasonably requested in connection with any such action.

(b) The parties hereto shall cooperate with each other and use their
best efforts to promptly prepare and file all necessary documentation, to
effect all applications, notices, petitions and filings, and to obtain as
promptly as practicable all permits, consents, approvals and authorizations of
all third parties and Governmental Entities which are necessary or advisable to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including without
limitation the Merger and the Bank Merger). Beverly Corp. and St. Paul shall
have the right to review in advance, and to the extent practicable each will
consult the other on, in each case subject to applicable laws relating to the
exchange of information, all the information relating to Beverly Corp. or St.
Paul, as the case may be, which appears in any filing made with, or written
materials submitted to, any third party or any Governmental Entity in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided,
however, that nothing contained herein shall be deemed to provide either party
with a right to review any information provided to any Governmental Entity on a
confidential basis in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. In
exercising the foregoing right, each of the parties hereto shall act reasonably
and as promptly as practicable. The parties hereto agree that they will
consult with each other with respect to the obtaining of all permits, consents,
approvals and authorizations of all third

parties and Governmental Entities necessary or advisable to consummate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each party will keep the other
apprised of the status of matters relating to contemplation of the transactions
contemplated herein.

(c) Beverly Corp. shall, upon request, furnish St. Paul with all
information concerning Beverly Corp. and its directors, officers and
shareholders and such other matters as may be reasonably necessary or advisable
in connection with the Registration Statement or any other statement, filing,
notice or application made by or on behalf of St. Paul to any Governmental
Entity in connection with the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by
this Agreement.

(d) St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall promptly advise each other upon
receiving any communication from any Governmental Entity whose consent or
approval is required for consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement which causes such party to believe that there is a reasonable
likelihood that any Requisite Regulatory Approval (defined in Section 7.1(c)
hereof) will not be obtained or that the receipt of any such approval will be
materially delayed.

6.2 ACCESS TO INFORMATION.

(a) Upon reasonable notice and subject to applicable Laws relating to
the exchange of information, Beverly Corp. shall accord to the officers,
employees, accountants, counsel and other representatives of St. Paul, access,
during normal business hours during the period prior to the Effective Time, to
all its, Beverly Trust's and Beverly Bank's properties, books, contracts,
commitments and records and, during such period, Beverly Corp. shall make
available to St. Paul (i) a copy of each report, schedule, registration
statement and other document filed or received by it (including Beverly Trust
and Beverly Bank) during such period pursuant to the requirements of federal
securities laws or federal or state banking laws and (ii) all other information
concerning its (including Beverly Trust and Beverly Bank) business, properties
and personnel as St. Paul may reasonably request. St. Paul shall receive
notice of all meetings of the Beverly Corp., Beverly Trust and Beverly Bank
Board of Directors and any committees thereof, and of any management committees
(in all cases, at least as timely as all Beverly Corp., Beverly Trust and
Beverly Bank, as the case may be, representatives to such meetings are required
to be provided notice). Up to two representatives of St. Paul shall be
permitted to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors (except for the
portion of such meetings which relate to the Merger or an Acquisition
Transaction or such other matters deemed confidential ("Confidential Matters")
of Beverly Corp., Beverly Trust or Beverly Bank, as the case may be) and such
meetings of committees of the Board of Directors and management of Beverly
Corp., Beverly Trust and Beverly Bank which St. Paul desires. St. Paul will
hold all such information in confidence to the extent required by, and in
accordance with, the provisions of the confidentiality agreement which St. Paul
entered into with Beverly Corp. dated February 13, 1998 (the "Confidentiality
Agreement").

(b) Upon reasonable notice and subject to applicable Laws relating to
the exchange of information, St. Paul shall afford to the officers, employees,
accountants, counsel and other representatives of Beverly Corp., access, during
normal business hours during the period prior to the Effective Time, to such
information regarding St. Paul as shall be reasonably necessary for Beverly
Corp. to fulfill its obligations pursuant to this Agreement or which may be
reasonably necessary for Beverly Corp. to confirm that the representations and
warranties of St. Paul contained herein are true and correct and that the
covenants of St. Paul contained herein have been performed in all material
respects. Beverly Corp. will hold all such information in confidence to the
extent required by, and in accordance with, the provisions of the
Confidentiality Agreement.

(c) No investigation by either of the parties or their respective
representatives shall affect the representations and warranties of the other
set forth herein.

(d) Beverly Corp. shall provide St. Paul with true, correct and
complete copies of all financial and other information provided to directors of
Beverly Corp., Beverly Trust and Beverly Bank in connection with meetings of
their Boards of Directors or committees thereof.

6.3 SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS.

(a) Beverly Corp. shall take all steps necessary to duly call, give
notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its shareholders within 35 days after
the Registration Statement becomes effective for the purpose of voting upon the
approval of this Agreement and the Merger (the "Special Meeting"). Management
and the Board of Directors of Beverly Corp. shall recommend to Beverly Corp.'s
shareholders approval of this Agreement, including the Merger, and the
transactions contemplated hereby, together with any matters incident thereto,
and shall oppose any third party proposal or other action that is inconsistent
with this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby, unless the Board of Directors of Beverly Corp. reasonably determines,
based upon the written advice of Beverly Corp.'s legal counsel, that such
recommendation or opposition, as the case may be, would constitute a breach of
the exercise of its fiduciary duty. Beverly Corp. and St. Paul shall
coordinate and cooperate with respect to the foregoing matters.

(b) St. Paul shall take all steps necessary to duly call, give notice
of, convene and hold a meeting of its shareholders within 35 days after the
Registration Statement becomes effective for the purpose of voting upon the
approval of each of the St. Paul Issuance and the St. Paul Amendment.
Management and the Board of Directors of St. Paul shall recommend approval of
each of the St. Paul Issuance and the St. Paul Amendment.

6.4 LEGAL CONDITIONS TO MERGER.

Each of St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall use their reasonable best efforts
(a) to take, or cause to be taken, all actions necessary, proper or advisable
to comply promptly with all legal requirements which may be imposed on such
party with respect to the Merger and, subject to the conditions set forth in
Article VII hereof, to consummate the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement and (b) to obtain (and to cooperate with the other party to obtain)
any consent, authorization, order or approval of, or any exemption by, any
Governmental Entity and any other third party which is required to be obtained
by Beverly Corp. or St. Paul in connection with the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

6.5 STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING.

St. Paul shall cause the shares of St. Paul Common Stock to be issued in
the Merger and pursuant to options referred to herein to be approved for
quotation on the Nasdaq Stock Market National Market System (or such other
exchange on which the St. Paul Common Stock has become listed, or approved for
listing) prior to or at the Effective Time.

6.6 EMPLOYEES.

(a) To the extent permissible under the applicable provisions of the
Code and ERISA, for purposes of crediting periods of service for eligibility to
participate, but not for vesting and benefit accrual purposes, under employee
pension benefit plans (within the meaning of ERISA Section 3(2)) maintained by
St. Paul or St. Paul Bank, as applicable, (other than St. Paul's Employee Stock
Ownership Plan), individuals who are employees of Beverly Corp. or any Beverly
Corp.
30

Subsidiary at the Effective Time will be credited with periods of service with
Beverly Corp. or any Beverly Corp. Subsidiary before the Effective Time as if
such service had been with St. Paul or St. Paul Bank, as applicable. Similar
service credit shall also be given by St. Paul or St. Paul Bank in determining
eligibility to participate in other retirement, vacation and similar benefits
provided to such employees of Beverly Corp., Beverly Trust or Beverly Bank
after the Merger.

(b) St. Paul Bank will merge the existing 401(k) plan of Beverly Bank
with the St. Paul 401(k) Plan after the Merger in accordance with the
applicable provisions of the Code and ERISA, subject to St. Paul having
obtained before such merger of plans a favorable determination letter from the
Internal Revenue Service with respect thereto. St. Paul Bank will not be
obligated to make any matching or other employer contributions to either 401(k)
plan after the Merger.

(c) After the Effective Time, employees of Beverly Corp. or its
Subsidiaries who continue to be employed by St. Paul or any of its
Subsidiaries, will be eligible for benefits that St. Paul or such Subsidiary,
as the case may be, provides to its employees generally and on substantially
the same basis to such employees. St. Paul will or will cause St. Paul Bank to
(i) give credit to employees of Beverly Corp. and its Subsidiaries, with
respect to the satisfaction of the limitations as to pre-existing condition
exclusions and waiting periods for participation and coverage which are
applicable under the welfare benefit plans of St. Paul or St. Paul Bank, equal
to the credit that any such employee had received as of the Effective Time
towards the satisfaction of any such limitations and waiting periods under the
comparable welfare benefit plans of Beverly Corp. or its Subsidiaries.

6.7 INDEMNIFICATION.

(a) In the event of any threatened or actual claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal or administrative, in
which any person who is now, or has been at any time prior to the date of this
Agreement, or who becomes prior to the Effective Time, a director or officer or
employee of Beverly Corp. (the "Indemnified Parties") is, or is threatened to
be, made a party based in whole or in part on, or arising in whole or in part
out of, or pertaining to (i) the fact that he is or was a director, officer or
employee of Beverly Corp. or any of their respective predecessors or (ii) this
Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, whether in any case
asserted or arising before or after the Effective Time, the parties hereto
agree to cooperate and defend against and respond thereto to the extent
permitted by applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of
Beverly Corp. It is understood and agreed that after the Effective Time, St.
Paul shall indemnify and hold harmless, as and to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of St. Paul
as in effect on the date hereof (subject to change as required by law), each
such Indemnified Party against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs,
expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees and expenses in advance of the
final disposition of any claim, suit, proceeding or investigation to each
Indemnified Party to the fullest extent permitted by law upon receipt of any
undertaking required by applicable law), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement in connection with any such threatened or actual claim, action,
suit, proceeding or investigation, and in the event of any such threatened or
actual claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation (whether asserted or
arising before or after the Effective Time), the Indemnified Parties may retain
counsel reasonably satisfactory to St. Paul; provided, however, that (1) St.
Paul shall have the right to assume the defense thereof and upon such
assumption St. Paul shall not be liable to any Indemnified Party for any legal
expenses of other counsel or any other expenses subsequently incurred by any
Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof, except that if St.
Paul elects not to assume such defense or counsel for the Indemnified Parties
reasonably advises the Indemnified Parties that there are issues which raise
conflicts of interest between St. Paul and the Indemnified Parties, the
Indemnified Parties may retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to St. Paul, and
St. Paul shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel for the
Indemnified Parties, (2) St. Paul shall be obligated pursuant to this paragraph
to pay for only one firm of counsel for each Indemnified Party, (3) St. Paul
shall not be liable for any settlement effected without its prior written
consent (which consent shall not

be unreasonably withheld or delayed), and (4) St. Paul shall not be obligated
pursuant to this paragraph to the extent that a final judgment determines that
any such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs, expenses, judgments,
fines and amounts paid in settlement are as a result of the gross negligence,
willful misconduct or malfeasance of the Indemnified Party. St. Paul shall
have no obligation to advance expenses incurred in connection with a threatened
or pending action, suit or preceding in advance of final disposition of such
action, suit or proceeding, unless (i) St. Paul would be permitted to advance
such expenses pursuant to the DGCL and St. Paul's Certificate of Incorporation
or Bylaws, and (ii) St. Paul receives an undertaking by the Indemnified Party
to repay such amount if it is determined that such party is not entitled to be
indemnified by St. Paul pursuant to the DGCL and St. Paul's Certificate of
Incorporation or Bylaws. Any Indemnified Party wishing to claim indemnification
under this Section 6.7, upon learning of any such claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation, shall notify St. Paul thereof; provided, however,
that the failure to so notify shall not affect the obligations of St. Paul
under this Section 6.7 except to the extent such failure to notify materially
prejudices St. Paul. St. Paul's obligations under this Section 6.7 continue in
full force and effect for a period of six years from the Effective Time;
provided, however, that all rights to indemnification in respect of any claim
asserted or made within such period shall continue until the final disposition
of such claim.

(b) St. Paul shall purchase for the benefit of the persons serving as
executive officers and directors of Beverly Corp. immediately prior to the
Effective Time, directors' and officers' liability insurance coverage for at
least one year after the Effective Time, under either Beverly Corp.'s policy in
existence on the date hereof, or under a policy of similar coverage and amounts
containing terms and conditions which are generally not less advantageous than
St. Paul's current policy, and in either case, with respect to acts or
omissions occurring prior to the Effective Time which were committed by such
executive officers and directors in their capacity as such ("Tail Insurance").
For the period beginning after one year from the Effective Time, through up to
two years after the Effective Time, St. Paul shall use commercially reasonable
efforts to purchase for the benefit of the persons serving as executive
officers and directors of Beverly Corp. immediately prior to the Effective Time
Tail Insurance; provided, however, that St. Paul shall not be required to spend
more than the amount it paid for the Tail Insurance for the first year
following the Effective Time.

6.8 SUBSEQUENT INTERIM AND ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

As soon as reasonably available, but in no event more than 45 days after
the end of each fiscal quarter (other than the fourth fiscal quarter, as to
which the time period shall be 90 days), St. Paul will deliver to Beverly Corp.
and Beverly Corp. will deliver to St. Paul their respective Quarterly Reports
on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC under the
Exchange Act. Each party shall deliver to the other any Current Reports on
Form 8-K promptly after filing such reports with the SEC.

6.9 ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS.

In case at any time after the Effective Time any further action is
necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of this Agreement, or to vest
the Surviving Corporation or the Surviving Bank with full title to all
properties, assets, rights, approvals, immunities and franchises of any of the
parties to the Merger, or the constituent banks to the Bank Merger, as the case
may be, the proper officers and directors of each party to this Agreement and
St. Paul's and Beverly Corp.'s Subsidiaries shall take all such necessary
action as may be reasonably requested by St. Paul.

6.10 ADVICE OF CHANGES.

St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall promptly advise the other party of any
change or event that, individually or in the aggregate, has or would be
reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect on it or to cause or
constitute a material breach of any of its representations, warranties or
covenants contained herein. From time to time prior to the Effective Time,
each party will promptly supplement or amend its disclosure schedule delivered
in connection with the execution of this Agreement to reflect any matter which,
if existing, occurring or known at the date of this Agreement, would have been
required to be set forth or described in such disclosure schedule or which is
necessary to correct any information in such disclosure schedule which has been
rendered inaccurate thereby. No supplement or amendment to such disclosure
schedule shall have any effect for the purpose of determining satisfaction of
the conditions set forth in Sections 7.2(a) or 7.3(a) hereof, as the case may
be, or the compliance by Beverly Corp. with the covenants set forth in Section
5.1 hereof.

6.11 CURRENT INFORMATION.

During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time,
Beverly Corp. will cause one or more of its designated representatives to
confer on a regular and frequent basis (not less than monthly) with
representatives of St. Paul and to report the general status of the ongoing
operations of Beverly Corp. Beverly Corp. will promptly notify St. Paul of any
material change in the normal course of business or in the operation of the
properties of Beverly Corp. and of any governmental complaints, investigations
or hearings (or communications indicating that the same may be contemplated),
or the institution or the threat of litigation involving Beverly Corp., and
will keep St. Paul fully informed of such events.

6.12 EXECUTION AND AUTHORIZATION OF BANK MERGER AGREEMENT.

Prior to the Effective Time, (a) St. Paul and Beverly Corp. each shall
execute and deliver the Certificate of Merger substantially in the form at
Exhibit C, and (b) St. Paul and Beverly Corp. each shall cause St. Paul Bank
and Beverly Bank, respectively, to execute and deliver the Bank Merger
Agreement, in substantially the form at Exhibit A.

6.13 CHANGE IN STRUCTURE.

St. Paul may elect to modify the structure of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement as noted herein so long as (i) there are no
material adverse federal income tax consequences to the Beverly Corp.
shareholders as a result of such modification, (ii) the consideration to be
paid to the Beverly Corp. shareholders under this Agreement is not thereby
changed or reduced in kind or amount, and (iii) such modification will not be
reasonably likely to delay materially or jeopardize receipt of any required
regulatory approvals. In the event that St. Paul elects to change the
structure of the Merger, the Bank Merger or any other transactions contemplated
hereby, the parties agree to modify this Agreement and the various exhibits
hereto, or enter into any other agreements, to reflect such revised structure.
In such event, St. Paul shall prepare appropriate amendments to this Agreement
and the exhibits hereto, or other documents, for execution by the parties
hereto. St. Paul and Beverly Corp. agree to cooperate fully with each other to
effect such amendments or other documents.

6.14 TRANSACTION EXPENSES OF BEVERLY.

(a) For planning purposes, Beverly Corp. shall, within 15 days from
the date hereof, provide St. Paul with its estimated budget of
transaction-related expenses reasonably

anticipated to be payable by Beverly Corp. in connection with this transaction,
including the fees and expenses of counsel, accountants, investment bankers and
other professionals. Beverly Corp. shall promptly notify St. Paul if or when
it determines that it will expect to exceed its budget.

(b) Promptly after the execution of this Agreement, Beverly Corp.
shall ask all of its attorneys and other professionals to render current and
correct invoices for all unbilled time and disbursements. Beverly Corp. shall
accrue and/or pay all of such amounts which are actually due and owing as soon
as possible.

(c) Beverly Corp. shall advise St. Paul monthly of all out-of-pocket
expenses which Beverly Corp. has incurred in connection with this transaction.

(d) St. Paul, in reasonable consultation with Beverly Corp., shall
make all arrangements with respect to the printing and mailing of the Joint
Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Each of St. Paul and Beverly Corp. shall, if St.
Paul reasonably deems necessary, also engage a proxy solicitation firm to
assist in the solicitation of proxies for their respective the Special Meeting.
Beverly Corp. agrees to cooperate as to such matters.

6.15 REGISTRATION OF OPTION SHARES.

Promptly following the Effective Time, St. Paul will cause to be
registered under the Securities Act the shares of St. Paul Common Stock subject
to issuance under the Beverly Stock Plans.

6.16 FURTHER ACTIONS OF BEVERLY.

Upon the written request of St. Paul, Beverly Corp. shall, within 5
business days of the date of such written request, demand payment of, or cause
Beverly Bank to demand payment of, any and all loans (to the extent identified
by St. Paul) of Beverly Corp. or Beverly Bank, as the case may be, which loans
are (or should have been) set forth at Sections 3.5(a) or 3.21(e) of the
Beverly Corp. Disclosure Schedule, and which loans are secured or
collateralized in any way by Beverly Common Stock.

ARTICLE VII
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

7.1 CONDITIONS TO EACH PARTY'S OBLIGATION TO EFFECT THE MERGER.

The respective obligation of each party to effect the Merger shall be
subject to the satisfaction at or prior to the Effective Time of the following
conditions:

(A) SHAREHOLDER APPROVALS.

(i) This Agreement, including the Certificate of Merger, and
the Merger shall have been approved and adopted by the affirmative vote of the
holders of at least majority of the outstanding shares of Beverly Common Stock
entitled to vote thereon.

(ii) The St. Paul Issuance and the St. Paul Amendment each
shall have been approved by the requisite vote of the outstanding shares of
St. Paul Common Stock.

(B) STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING.

The shares of St. Paul Common Stock which shall be issued in the
Merger (including the St. Paul Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise
of the options referred to in Section 1.5 hereof) upon consummation of the
Merger shall have been authorized for quotation on the Nasdaq Stock Market
National Market System (or such other exchange on which the St. Paul Common
Stock may become listed).

All regulatory approvals required to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby shall have been obtained and shall remain in full force and
effect and all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof shall have expired
(all such approvals and the expiration of all such waiting periods being
referred to herein as the "Requisite Regulatory Approvals"). No Requisite
Regulatory Approval shall contain a non-customary condition that St. Paul
reasonably determines to be burdensome or otherwise alter the benefits for
which it bargained in this Agreement.

(D) REGISTRATION STATEMENT.

The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the
Securities Act, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that
purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the SEC.

(E) NO INJUNCTIONS OR RESTRAINTS; ILLEGALITY.

No order, injunction or decree issued by any court or agency of
competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the
consummation of the Merger or any of the other transactions (an "Injunction")
contemplated by this Agreement or the Certificate of Merger shall be in effect.
No statute, rule, regulation, order, injunction or decree shall have been
enacted, entered, promulgated or enforced by any Governmental Entity which
prohibits, restricts or makes illegal consummation of the Merger.

(F) FEDERAL TAX OPINION.

St. Paul shall have received from Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., St. Paul's
special counsel, an opinion in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
St. Paul, substantially to the effect that on the basis of facts,
representations, and assumptions set forth in such opinion which are consistent
with the state of facts existing at the time of such opinion, the Merger will
be treated for federal income tax purposes as a reorganization within the
meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. In rendering such opinion, such counsel
may require and, to the extent such counsel deems necessary or appropriate, may
rely upon representations made in certificates of officers of Beverly Corp.,
St. Paul, their respective affiliates and others.

(G) POOLING OF INTERESTS.

St. Paul shall have received (i) advice of Ernst & Young LLP and
Grant Thornton, LLP, independent accountants, within two weeks of the date
hereof, to the effect that the Merger will be accounted for as a pooling of
interests, and (ii) as of the Effective Time, a written opinion of each of
Ernst & Young LLP and Grant Thornton, LLP to the effect that the Merger will be
accounted for as a pooling-of-interests.

7.2 CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF ST. PAUL.

The obligation of St. Paul to effect the Merger is also subject to the
satisfaction or waiver by St. Paul at or prior to the Effective Time of the
following conditions:

(A) REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.

The representations and warranties of Beverly Corp. set forth in this
Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and
(except to the extent such representations and warranties speak as of an
earlier date) as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing
Date; provided, however, that for purposes of this paragraph, such
representations and warranties shall be deemed to be true and correct, unless
the failure or failures of such representations and warranties to be so true
and correct, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse
Effect on Beverly Corp. Such determination of aggregate Material Adverse
Effect shall be made as if there were no materiality qualifications in such
representations and warranties. St. Paul shall have received a certificate
signed on behalf of Beverly Corp. by each of the President and Chief Executive
Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of Beverly Corp. to the foregoing
effect.

(B) PERFORMANCE OF COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS OF BEVERLY CORP.

Beverly Corp. shall have performed in all material respects all
covenants and agreements required to be performed by it under this Agreement at
or prior to the Closing Date. St. Paul shall have received a certificate
signed on behalf of Beverly Corp. by each of the President and Chief Executive
Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of Beverly Corp. to such effect.

(i) The consent, approval or waiver of each person (other than the
Governmental Entities referred to in Section 7.1(c) hereof) whose consent or
approval shall be required in order to permit the succession by the Surviving
Corporation pursuant to the Merger to any obligation, right or interest of
Beverly Corp. under any loan or credit agreement, note, mortgage, indenture,
lease, license or other agreement or instrument shall have been obtained except
for those, the failure of which to obtain, will not result in a Material
Adverse Effect on the Surviving Corporation.

(ii) The consent, approval or waiver of each person (other than the
Governmental Entities referred to in Section 7.1(c) hereof) whose consent or
approval shall be required in order to permit the succession by the Surviving
Bank pursuant to the Bank Merger to any obligation, right or interest of
Beverly Bank under any loan or credit agreement, note, mortgage, indenture,
lease, license or other agreement or instrument shall have been obtained except
for those, the failure of which to obtain, will not result in a Material
Adverse Effect on the Surviving Bank.

(D) NO PENDING GOVERNMENTAL ACTIONS.

No proceeding initiated by any Governmental Entity seeking an
Injunction shall be pending.

(E) NO MATERIAL ADVERSE CHANGE.

are inconsistent with the representations and warranties given herein) that
individually or in the aggregate has had or would have a Material Adverse
Effect on Beverly Corp.

(F) LEGAL OPINION.

St. Paul shall have received the opinion of Lord, Bissell & Brook,
counsel to Beverly Corp., dated the Closing Date, as to such matters as St.
Paul may reasonably request. As to any matter in such opinion which involves
matters of fact, such counsel may rely upon the certificates of officers and
directors of Beverly Corp. and of public officials, reasonably acceptable to
St. Paul.

(G) ACCOUNTANT'S COMFORT LETTER.

Beverly Corp. shall have caused to be delivered on the respective
dates thereof to St. Paul "comfort letters" from Grant Thornton, LLP, Beverly
Corp.'s independent public accountants, dated the date on which the Registration
Statement or last amendment thereto shall become effective, and dated the date
of the Closing (defined in Section 9.1 hereof), and addressed to St. Paul and
Beverly Corp., with respect to Beverly Corp.'s financial data presented in the
Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which letters shall be based upon Statements on
Auditing Standards Nos. 72 and 76.

(H) TERMINATION OF DATA PROCESSING CONTRACT

Notwithstanding any other representation, warranty, covenant or other
agreement to the contrary herein, that certain data processing agreement dated
May 1, 1995 between Midwest Payment Systems, Inc. and Beverly Corp., including
all addendums, attachments and other documents incorporated therein or made a
part thereof, shall have been terminated effective May 1, 1998, with no
liability whatsoever as a result thereof or otherwise to Beverly Corp. or any
of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective successors or assigns.

(I) REPAYMENT OF LOANS.

Any and all loans of Beverly Corp. and Beverly Bank as to which St.
Paul has requested that Beverly Corp. or Beverly Bank make demand for payment
in accordance with Section 6.16 above, shall have been paid in full, with no
waiver or negation of any rights or remedies available against the borrower
thereunder.

7.3 CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS OF BEVERLY CORP.

The obligation of Beverly Corp. to effect the Merger is also subject to
the satisfaction or waiver by Beverly Corp. at or prior to the Effective Time
of the following conditions:

(A) REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.

The representations and warranties of St. Paul set forth in this
Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and
(except to the extent such representations and warranties speak as of an
earlier date) as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing
Date; provided, however, that for purposes of this paragraph, such
representations and warranties shall be deemed to be true and correct, unless
the failure or failures of such representations and warranties to be so true
and correct, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse
Effect on St. Paul. Such determination of aggregate Material Adverse Effect
shall be made as if there were no materiality qualifications in such
representations and warranties. Beverly Corp. shall have received a

certificate signed on behalf of St. Paul by each of the President and the
Chief Financial Officer of St. Paul to the foregoing effect.

(B) PERFORMANCE OF COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS OF ST. PAUL.

St. Paul shall have performed in all material respects all covenants
and agreements required to be performed by it under this Agreement at or prior
to the Closing Date. Beverly Corp. shall have received a certificate signed on
behalf of St. Paul by each of the President and the Chief Financial Officer of
St. Paul to such effect.

The consent or approval or waiver of each person (other than the
Governmental Entities referred to in Section 7.1(c)) whose consent or approval
shall be required in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby under
any loan or credit agreement, note, mortgage, indenture, lease, license or
other agreement or instrument to which St. Paul is a party or is otherwise
bound shall have been obtained.

(D) NO PENDING GOVERNMENTAL ACTIONS.

No proceeding initiated by any Governmental Entity seeking an
Injunction shall be pending.

(E) LEGAL OPINION.

Beverly Corp. shall have received the opinion of Clifford M. Sladnick,
Esq., Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of St.
Paul, dated the Closing Date, as to the authorization, validity and
non-assessibility of the St. Paul Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this
Agreement, and as to such matters as Beverly Corp. may reasonably request. As
to any matter in such opinion which involves matters of fact, such counsel may
rely upon the certificates of officers and directors of St. Paul and of public
officials and opinions of local counsel, reasonably acceptable to Beverly Corp.

(F) NO MATERIAL ADVERSE CHANGE.

There shall have been no changes, other than changes contemplated by
this Agreement, in the business, operations, condition (financial or
otherwise), assets or liabilities of St. Paul or any St. Paul Subsidiary
(regardless of whether or not such events or changes are inconsistent with the
representations and warranties given herein) that individually or in the
aggregate has had or would have a Material Adverse Effect on St. Paul.

ARTICLE VIII
TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT

8.1 TERMINATION.

This Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time,
whether before or after approval of the matters presented in connection with
the Merger by the shareholders of Beverly Corp. or St. Paul, if applicable:

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(a) by mutual consent of St. Paul and Beverly Corp. in a written
instrument, if the Board of Directors of each so determines by a vote of a
majority of the members of its entire Board;

(b) by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. upon written notice to the
other party (i) 30 days after the date on which any request or application for
a Regulatory Approval shall have been denied or withdrawn at the request or
recommendation of the Governmental Entity which must grant such Regulatory
Approval, unless within the 30-day period following such denial or withdrawal
the parties agree to file, and have filed with the applicable Governmental
Entity, a petition for rehearing or an amended application, provided, however,
that no party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this
Section 8.1(b), if such denial or request or recommendation for withdrawal
shall be due to the failure of the party seeking to terminate this Agreement to
perform or observe the covenants and agreements of such party set forth herein;

(c) by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. if the Merger shall not have
been consummated on or before December 31, 1998, unless the failure of the
Closing to occur by such date shall be due to the failure of the party seeking
to terminate this Agreement to perform or observe the covenants and agreements
of such party set forth herein;

(d) by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. (provided that the terminating
party is not in breach of its obligations under Section 6.3 hereof) if the
approval of the shareholders of either party hereto required for the
consummation of the Merger shall not have been obtained by reason of the
failure to obtain the required vote at a duly held meeting of shareholders or
at any adjournment or postponement thereof;

(e) by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. (provided that the terminating
party is not then in breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or other
agreement contained herein that, individually or in the aggregate, would give
the other party the right to terminate this Agreement) if there shall have been
a breach of any of the representations or warranties set forth in this
Agreement on the part of the other party, if such breach, individually or in
the aggregate, has had or is likely to have a Material Adverse Effect on the
breaching party, and such breach shall not have been cured within 30 days
following receipt by the breaching party of written notice of such breach from
the other party hereto or such breach, by its nature, cannot be cured prior to
the Closing;

(f) by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. (provided that the terminating
party is not then in breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or other
agreement contained herein that, individually or in the aggregate, would give
the other party the right to terminate this Agreement) if there shall have been
a material breach of any of the covenants or agreements set forth in this
Agreement on the part of the other party, and such breach shall not have been
cured within 30 days following receipt by the breaching party of written notice
of such breach from the other party hereto or such breach, by its nature,
cannot be cured prior to the Closing;

(g) by St. Paul, if the management of Beverly Corp. or its Board of
Directors, for any reason, (i) fails to call and hold within 35 days of the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement a special meeting of Beverly
Corp.'s shareholders to consider and approve this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) fails to recommend to shareholders the
approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, (iii)
fails to oppose any third party proposal that is inconsistent with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (iv) violates Section 5.1(e) of
this Agreement, and by Beverly Corp., if the management of St. Paul or its
Board of Directors, for any reason, (i) fails to call and hold within 35 days
of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement a special meeting of St.
Paul's shareholders to consider and approve the St. Paul Issuance and the St.
Paul Amendment, or (ii) fails to recommend to shareholders the approval of the
St. Paul Issuance and the St. Paul Amendment;

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(h)

(i) by Beverly Corp., if (either before or after its approval by the
shareholders of Beverly Corp.) both (A) its Board of Directors so determines by
a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of its entire Board, at any time
during the ten-day period commencing with the Determination Date, and (B) the
St. Paul Common Stock Average Price on the Determination Date shall be less
than the lesser of $21.25, or $21.25 multiplied by the Index Ratio.

(ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Beverly Corp. elects to exercise
its termination right pursuant to subsection (h)(i), it shall give prompt
written notice to St. Paul (provided that such notice of election to terminate
may be withdrawn at any time within the aforementioned ten-day period). During
the seven-day period commencing with its receipt of such notice, St. Paul shall
have the option of increasing the consideration to be received by the holders
of Beverly Corp. Common Stock hereunder by increasing the Exchange Ratio to
equal the lesser of (A) a number (rounded to four decimals) equal to a
quotient, the numerator of which is $21.25 multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (as
then in effect) and the denominator of which is the St. Paul Common Stock
Average Price (defined below), and (B) a number equal to a quotient, the
numerator of which is the Index Ratio less 0.20, multiplied by the Exchange
Ratio (as then in effect) and the denominator of which is the St. Paul Ratio
(defined below). If St. Paul makes an election contemplated by the preceding
sentence, within such seven-day period, it shall give prompt written notice to
Beverly Corp. of such election and the revised Exchange Ratio, whereupon no
termination shall have occurred pursuant to subsection (h)(i) and this
Agreement shall remain in effect in accordance with its terms (except as the
Exchange Ratio shall have been so modified), and any references in this
Agreement to "Exchange Ratio" shall thereafter be deemed to refer to the
Exchange Ratio as adjusted pursuant to this subsection (h)(ii).

For purposes of this subsection (h), the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:

"St. Paul Common Stock Average Price" means the average of the daily
closing sales prices of St. Paul Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock
Market's National Market Tier (as reported in The Wall Street Journal or, if
not reported thereby, another authoritative source as chosen by St. Paul) for
the 20 consecutive full trading days in which such shares are reported on the
Nasdaq Stock Market ending at the close of trading on the Determination Date.

"Determination Date" means the date on which the approval of the OTS
required for consummation of the Merger shall be received or, if no OTS
approval is required, then the date of the last federal banking approval
required of St. Paul is received.

"Index Price" on a given date mean the weighted average (weighted in
accordance with the factors listed below) of the closing prices on such date of
the companies composing the Index Group ( as defined below). If any company
belonging to the Index Group or St. Paul declares of effects a stock dividend,
reclassification, recapitalization, split-up, combination, exchange of share or
similar transaction between the Starting Date and the Determination Date, the
prices for the common stock of such company or St. Paul will be appropriately
adjusted for use in the Index.

"Starting Date" means the first Nasdaq Stock Market trading day
preceding the date of this Agreement.

"St. Paul Ratio" means the number obtained by dividing the St. Paul
Common Stock Average Price on the Determination Date by the Starting Date
Closing Price.

"Index Ratio" means the number obtained by dividing the Index Price at
the close of business on the Determination Date by the Index Price at close of
business on the Starting Date.

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"Index Group" means the 23 financial institution holding companies
listed at Exhibit E hereto, the common stock of all of which will be publicly
traded and as to which there will not have been, since the Starting Date and
before the Determination Date, any public announcement of a proposal for such
company to be acquired or for such company to acquire another company or
companies in transactions with a value exceeding 25% of the acquirors market
capitalization as of the Starting Date. In the event that the common stock of
any such company ceases to be publicly traded or such an announcement is made,
such company will be removed from the Index Group, and the weights (which were
determined based on the number of outstanding share of common stock)
redistributed proportionately for the purposes of determining the Index Price.
The 23 holding companies and the weights attributed to them are as set forth at
Exhibit E.

(i) by St. Paul if Beverly Corp. has complied with Section 5.1(e)
above, and has given written notice to St. Paul that Beverly Corp. has agreed
to enter into an Acquisition Transaction other than as contemplated hereby;
provided, however, that such termination under this Section 8.1(i) shall not be
effective unless and until Beverly shall have complied with the expense and
breakup fee provisions of Section 9.3 below, and shall have acknowledged in the
written notice to be provided in accordance herewith that the Option granted
pursuant to the Option Agreement shall then be exercisable in accordance with
terms thereof.

8.2 EFFECT OF TERMINATION.

In the event of termination of this Agreement by either St. Paul or
Beverly Corp. as provided in Section 8.1 hereof, this Agreement shall forthwith
become void and have no effect except (i) the last sentences of Sections 6.2(a)
and 6.2(b) and Sections 8.2, 9.2 and 9.3 hereof shall survive any termination
of this Agreement, and (ii) notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in this Agreement, no party shall be relieved or released from any liabilities
or damages arising out of its willful or intentional breach of any provision of
this Agreement.

8.3 AMENDMENT.

Subject to compliance with applicable law, this Agreement may be amended
by the parties hereto, by action taken or authorized by their respective Board
of Directors, at any time before or after approval of the matters presented in
connection with the Merger by the shareholders of Beverly Corp.; provided,
however, that after any approval of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement by Beverly Corp.'s shareholders, there may not be, without further
approval of such shareholders, any amendment of this Agreement which reduces
the amount or changes the form of the consideration to be delivered to Beverly
Corp. shareholders hereunder other than as contemplated by this Agreement.
This Agreement may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed on
behalf of each of the parties hereto.

8.4 EXTENSION; WAIVER.

At any time prior to the Effective Time, the parties hereto, by action
taken or authorized by their respective Boards of Directors, may, to the extent
legally allowed, (a) extend the time for the performance of any of the
obligations or other acts of the other parties hereto, (b) waive any
inaccuracies in the representations and warranties contained herein or in any
document delivered pursuant hereto, and (c) waive compliance with any of the
agreements or conditions contained herein. Any agreement on the part of a
party hereto to any such extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth
in a written instrument signed on behalf of such party, but such extension or
waiver or failure to insist on strict compliance with an obligation, covenant,
agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with
respect to, any subsequent or other failure.

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ARTICLE IX
GENERAL PROVISIONS

9.1 CLOSING.

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the closing of the
Merger (the "Closing") will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the main offices of St.
Paul on (i) the fifth day after the last Requisite Regulatory Approval and
shareholder approvals are received and all applicable waiting periods have
expired, or (ii) such other date, place and time as the parties may agree (the
"Closing Date").

9.2 NONSURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS.

None of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this
Agreement or in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement (other than
pursuant to the Option Agreement, which shall terminate in accordance with its
terms) shall survive the Effective Time, except for those covenants and
agreements contained herein and therein which by their terms apply in whole or
in part after the Effective Time.

9.3 EXPENSES; BREAKUP FEE.

All costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party incurring such
expense, except that all filing and other fees paid to the SEC, the Illinois
Commissioner and the OTS in connection with this Agreement shall be borne by
St. Paul. Except as set forth in the next sentence, in the event that this
Agreement is terminated by either St. Paul or Beverly Corp. by reason of a
material breach pursuant to Sections 8.1(e) or (f) hereof or by St. Paul or
Beverly Corp. pursuant to Section 8.1(g) hereof, the other party shall pay all
documented, reasonable costs and expenses up to $500,000 incurred by the
terminating party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby. In the event that this Agreement is terminated by St.
Paul under Section 8.1(d) by reason of Beverly Corp. shareholders not having
given any required approval, or in the event this Agreement is terminated by
St. Paul by reason of a willful material breach pursuant to Sections 8.1(e) or
(f) hereof, Beverly Corp. shall pay all documented, reasonable costs and
expenses up to $500,000 incurred by St. Paul in connection with this Agreement
and the transactions contemplated hereby, plus a breakup fee of $1.0 million.
In the event that this Agreement is terminated by St. Paul under Section 8.1(i)
by reason of Beverly Corp. having agreed to enter into an Acquisition
Transaction other than as contemplated hereby, Beverly Corp. shall pay all
documented, reasonable costs and expenses up to $500,000 incurred by St. Paul
in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby,
plus a breakup fee of $1.0 million. In the event that this Agreement is
terminated by Beverly Corp. under Section 8.1(d) by reason of St. Paul
shareholders not having given any required approval, St. Paul shall pay Beverly
Corp. $1,000,000.

9.4 NOTICES.

All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and
shall be deemed given if delivered personally, mailed by registered or
certified mail (return receipt requested) or delivered by an express courier
(with confirmation) to the parties at the following addresses (or at such other
address for a party as shall be specified by like notice):

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(a) if to St. Paul, to:
St. Paul Bancorp. Inc.
6700 West North Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60707
Attn.: Clifford M. Sladnick
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
Columbia Square
555 Thirteenth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004-1109
Attn.: Stuart G. Stein, Esq.

and

(b) if to Beverly Corp., to:
Beverly Bancorporation, Inc.
Suite 3E
16345 South Harlem Ave.
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
Attn.: John Van Winkle
President

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Lord, Bissell & Brook
115 South LaSalle St.
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Attn.: Kurt W. Florian, Esq.

9.5 INTERPRETATION.

When a reference is made in this Agreement to Sections, Exhibits or
Schedules, such reference shall be to a Section of or an Exhibit or Schedule to
this Agreement unless otherwise indicated. The table of contents and headings
contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not
affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Whenever
the words "include", "includes" or "including" are used in this Agreement, they
shall be deemed to be followed by the words "without limitation".

9.6 COUNTERPARTS.

This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which shall be
considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when
counterparts have been signed by each of the parties and delivered to the other
parties, it being understood that all parties need not sign the same
counterpart.

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9.7 ENTIRE AGREEMENT.

This Agreement (including the disclosure schedules, documents and the
instruments referred to herein) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes
all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among the
parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, other than the
Confidentiality Agreement, the Certificate of Merger, the Option Agreement and
the Beverly Stockholder Agreement.

9.8 GOVERNING LAW.

This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws
of the State of Delaware, without regard to any applicable conflicts of law
rules.

9.9 ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENT.

The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event
that the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with its
specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the
parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches
of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions thereof
in any court of the United States or any state having jurisdiction, this being
in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity.

9.10 SEVERABILITY.

Any term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or unenforceable
in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the
extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or
unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affecting
the validity or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this
Agreement in any other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so
broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only so
broad as is enforceable.

9.11 PUBLICITY.

Except as otherwise required by law or the rules of the Nasdaq Stock
Market National Market System (or such other exchange on which the St. Paul
Common Stock may become listed), so long as this Agreement is in effect,
neither St. Paul nor Beverly Corp. shall, or shall permit any of St. Paul's or
Beverly Corp.'s Subsidiaries to, issue or cause the publication of any press
release or other public announcement with respect to, or otherwise make any
public statement concerning, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
the Certificate of Merger, the Option Agreement or the Beverly Stockholder
Agreement without the consent of the other party, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld.

9.12 ASSIGNMENT; LIMITATION OF BENEFITS.

Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations
hereunder shall be assigned by any of the parties hereto (whether by operation
of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other parties.
Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure
to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties and their respective
successors and assigns. Except as otherwise specifically provided in Section
6.7 hereof, this Agreement (including the

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documents and instruments referred to herein) is not intended to confer upon
any person other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies hereunder, and
the covenants, undertakings and agreements set out herein shall be solely for
the benefit of, and shall be enforceable only by, the parties hereto and their
permitted assigns.

9.13 ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS.

In addition to any other definitions contained in this Agreement, the
following words, terms and phrases shall have the following meanings when used
in this Agreement.

"Affiliated Person": any director, officer or 5% or greater shareholder,
spouse or other person living in the same household of such director, officer
or shareholder, or any company, partnership or trust in which any of the
foregoing persons is an officer, 5% or greater shareholder, general partner or
5% or greater trust beneficiary.

"knowledge": with respect to any entity, refers to the knowledge of such
entity's directors and officers in the ordinary course of their duties in such
positions.

"Laws": any and all statutes, laws, ordinances, rules, regulations,
orders, permits, judgments, injunctions, decrees, case law and other rules of
law enacted, promulgated or issued by any Governmental Entity.

"Material Adverse Effect": with respect to St. Paul or Beverly Corp., as
the case may be, means a condition, event, change or occurrence that is
reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect upon (A) the financial
condition, results of operations, business or properties of St. Paul or Beverly
Corp. (other than as a result of (i) changes in laws or regulations or
accounting rules of general applicability or interpretations thereof, or (ii)
decreases in capital under Financial Accounting Standards No. 115 attributable
to general changes in interest rates), or (B) the ability of St. Paul or
Beverly Corp. to perform its obligations under, and to consummate the
transactions contemplated by, this Agreement, the Certificate of Merger and, in
the case of Beverly Corp., the Option Agreement.

"Subsidiary": with respect to any party means any corporation,
partnership or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated,
which is consolidated with such party for financial reporting purposes.

[SIGNATURES PAGE FOLLOWS]

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, St. Paul and Beverly Corp. have caused this Agreement
to be executed and delivered by their respective officers thereunto duly
authorized as of the date first above written.

ST. PAUL BANCORP, INC.

ATTEST:

By: /s/ By: /s/
------------------------------- -----------------------------
Name: Clifford M. Sladnick Name: Joseph C. Scully
Title: Senior Vice President and Title: Chairman and Chief
Corporate Secretary Executive Officer

BEVERLY BANCORPORATION, INC.

ATTEST:

By: /s/ By: /s/
------------------------------ -----------------------------
Name: John D. Van Winkle Name: Anthony R. Pasquinelli
Title: President Title: Chairman

EXHIBIT 2.1 ----------- AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER BY AND BETWEEN ST. PAUL BANCORP, INC.

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