EXHIBIT 99.1

January 29, 2019 - For immediate release

Contact:  Scott Shockey, CFO (740) 446-2631

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio - Ohio Valley Banc Corp. [Nasdaq: OVBC] (the “Company”) reported consolidated net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2019, of $3,856,000, an increase of $2,958,000 from the $898,000 earned for the fourth quarter of 2017.   Earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2018 were $.82 compared to $.19 for the prior year fourth quarter.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, net income totaled $11,944,000, a 59.1 percent increase from net income of $7,509,000 for the year ended December 31, 2017.  Earnings per share were $2.53 for 2018 versus $1.60 for 2017.  Return on average assets and return on average equity were 1.12 percent and 10.63 percent, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to .74 percent and 6.95 percent, respectively, for the same period in the prior year.

Thomas E. Wiseman, president and CEO of Ohio Valley Banc Corp., commented, “The last quarter of 2018 signaled growth for OVBC.  Not only in commercial loans as you will see in our earnings release, but physical growth as well as we began construction on two new locations: OVB on the Square and OVB Bend Area Office.  OVB on the Square is our project to reclaim one of the bank’s first locations and outfit it to become our new headquarters.  The OVB Bend Area Office is a new branch location, estimated to open in the first half of 2019.  We look forward to better serving the Meigs/Mason area with convenient drive-thru lanes and a modern, comfortable office.”

For the fourth quarter of 2018, net interest income increased $284,000, and for the year ended December 31, 2018, net interest income increased $1,993,000, from the same respective periods last year.  Positively impacting net interest income was the growth in earning assets.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, average earning assets increased $51 million from the same period the prior year.  The growth in average earning assets was primarily attributable to an increase in balances being maintained at the Federal Reserve and from the loan portfolio.  The $30 million increase in average balances being maintained at the Federal Reserve was related to the growth in average deposits exceeding the growth in average loans, partially due to an increase in seasonal deposit balances associated with clearing tax refunds.  This increase in average balance, when coupled with the 100 basis point increase in short-term interest rates since December 31, 2017, generated an additional $1,017,000 in year-to-date interest income.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, average loans increased $21 million from the same period last year, led by growth within the commercial loan segment.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, interest and fees on loans increased $2,183,000 from the same period last year.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, the net interest margin was 4.43 percent, compared to 4.49 percent for the same period the prior year.  The decrease in net interest margin was related to the higher balances maintained at the Federal Reserve, which diluted the net interest margin due to the yield on those balances being less than other earning assets, such as loans and securities.

For the three months ended December 31, 2018, the provision for loan losses decreased $1,299,000, and for the year ended December 31, 2018, the provision for loan losses decreased $1,525,000, from the same respective periods in 2017.  For the three months ended December 31, 2018, the negative provision for loan loss expense of $656,000 was primarily related to the improvement in certain economic risk factors contributing to lower general reserves.  During the fourth quarter, the level of classified loans, or those loans demonstrating financial weakness, declined from the prior quarter due to the improvement in financial performance by certain loan relationships.  In addition, our historical loss rates on loans, overall loan delinquency, and regional unemployment improved from the prior quarter.  In association with these lower risk factors, the general reserves required for the allowance for loan losses decreased.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, the provision for loan losses incurred of $1,039,000 was primarily related to year-to-date net loan charge-offs of $1,810,000, which was partially offset by lower general reserves in relation to the improved risk factors experienced in the fourth quarter.  The ratio of nonperforming loans to total loans was 1.25 percent at December 31, 2018 compared to 1.36 percent at December 31, 2017.  The allowance for loan losses was .87 percent of total loans at December 31, 2018, compared to .97 percent at December 31, 2017.

For the three months ended December 31, 2018, noninterest income totaled $1,397,000, a decrease of $531,000 from the same period last year.  Noninterest income totaled $8,938,000 for the year ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of $497,000 from the same period last year.  Contributing to the decrease for the quarter and part of the year-to-date was the loss on sale of other real estate owned, which increased $539,000 for the quarter and increased $370,000 for the year.  The primary contributor was the liquidation of one foreclosed property during the fourth quarter of 2018, which resulted in a loss on sale of $594,000.  Further contributing to the year-to-date decrease was income on bank owned life insurance.  In conjunction with various benefit plans for directors and key employees, the Company maintains an investment in bank owned life insurance.  During 2017, the Company received life insurance proceeds of $514,000, which contributed to the $509,000 decrease in bank owned life insurance income for 2018.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, tax refund processing fees totaled $1,579,000, a decrease of $113,000 from the same period the prior year.  The decrease was related to the lower per item fee received by the Company under the contract with the third-party tax refund product provider.  Partially offsetting the decreases above was the increase in interchange income earned from debit and credit transactions.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, interchange income increased $286,000 from the same period last year in relation to the growth in number of cards issued and higher transaction volume.

For the three months ended December 31, 2018, noninterest expense totaled $8,183,000, an increase of $47,000 from the same period last year.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, noninterest expense totaled $37,426,000, an increase of $817,000, or 2.2 percent, from the same period last year.  The Company’s largest noninterest expense, salaries and employee benefits, increased $130,000 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2017 and increased $1,382,000 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017.  The increase was primarily related to annual merit increases and higher health insurance expense.  Partially offsetting the year-to-date increase above was lower expense associated with foreclosed assets and lower marketing expense, which decreased $261,000 and $257,000, respectively, from the year ended December 31, 2017.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, income tax expense totaled $2,255,000, a decrease of $2,231,000 from the same period last year.  As part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted on December 22, 2017, the Company’s statutory federal income tax rate was reduced from 34 percent to 21 percent resulting in lower tax expense.  In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company recorded a one-time charge of $1,783,000 to revalue the Company’s net deferred tax asset in accordance with the tax rate change.

Ohio Valley Banc Corp. common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol OVBC.  The holding company owns Ohio Valley Bank, with 19 offices in Ohio and West Virginia, and Loan Central, with six consumer finance offices in Ohio.  Learn more about Ohio Valley Banc Corp. at www.ovbc.com.

OHIO VALLEY BANC CORP - Financial Highlights (Unaudited)
		Three months ended								Twelve months ended
		December 31,								December 31,
		2018				2017				2018				2017
PER SHARE DATA
Earnings per share		$	0.82			$	0.19			$	2.53			$	1.60
Dividends per share		$	0.21			$	0.21			$	0.84			$	0.84
Book value per share		$	24.87			$	23.26			$	24.87			$	23.26
Dividend payout ratio (a)			25.77	%			109.75	%			33.20	%			52.36	%
Weighted average shares outstanding			4,737,193				4,697,592				4,725,971				4,685,067
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT (in 000's)
Dividends reinvested under
employee stock ownership plan (b)		$	-			$	-			$	173			$	188
Dividends reinvested under
dividend reinvestment plan (c)		$	321			$	372			$	1,379			$	1,539
PERFORMANCE RATIOS
Return on average equity			13.39	%			3.22	%			10.63	%			6.95	%
Return on average assets			1.49	%			0.35	%			1.12	%			0.74	%
Net interest margin (d)			4.50	%			4.47	%			4.43	%			4.49	%
Efficiency ratio (e)			66.40	%			64.30	%			70.47	%			70.48	%
Average earning assets (in 000's)		$	963,707			$	951,037			$	997,385			$	946,403
(a) Total dividends paid as a percentage of net income.
(b) Shares purchased from OVBC.
(c) Shares may be purchased from OVBC and on secondary market.
(d) Fully tax-equivalent net interest income as a percentage of average earning assets.
(e) Noninterest expense as a percentage of fully tax-equivalent net interest income plus noninterest income.
OHIO VALLEY BANC CORP - Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
		Three months ended								Twelve months ended
(in $000's)		December 31,								December 31,
			2018				2017				2018				2017
Interest income:
Interest and fees on loans		$	11,231			$	10,772			$	44,365			$	42,182
Interest and dividends on securities			851				768				3,224				2,944
Interest on interest-bearing deposits with banks			287				124				1,608				582
Total interest income			12,369				11,664				49,197				45,708
Interest expense:
Deposits			1,221				858				4,155				2,843
Borrowings			335				277				1,316				1,132
Total interest expense			1,556				1,135				5,471				3,975
Net interest income			10,813				10,529				43,726				41,733
Provision for loan losses			(656	)			643				1,039				2,564
Noninterest income:
Service charges on deposit accounts			533				562				2,084				2,137
Trust fees			66				63				263				240
Income from bank owned life insurance and annuity assets			195				245				717				1,226
Mortgage banking income			117				101				342				265
Electronic refund check / deposit fees			13				25				1,579				1,692
Debit / credit card interchange income			926				870				3,662				3,376
Gain (loss) on other real estate owned			(634	)			(95	)			(559	)			(189	)
Other			181				157				850				688
Total noninterest income			1,397				1,928				8,938				9,435
Noninterest expense:
Salaries and employee benefits			5,411				5,281				22,191				20,809
Occupancy			418				439				1,754				1,770
Furniture and equipment			248				262				1,023				1,049
Professional fees			479				454				2,016				1,792
Marketing expense			(10	)			249				777				1,034
FDIC insurance			79				99				447				465
Data processing			(65	)			429				2,115				2,081
Software			373				384				1,533				1,486
Foreclosed assets			74				74				238				499
Amortization of intangibles			30				36				135				156
Other			1,146				429				5,197				5,468
Total noninterest expense			8,183				8,136				37,426				36,609
Income before income taxes			4,683				3,678				14,199				11,995
Income taxes			827				2,780				2,255				4,486
NET INCOME		$	3,856			$	898			$	11,944			$	7,509