8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: September 19, 2003

Date of earliest event reported: September 19, 2003

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Pennsylvania	0-10587	23-2195389
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	Commission File No.	(IRS Employer Identification Number)

One Penn Square, P.O. Box 4887, Lancaster, PA	17604
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (717) 291-2411

Item 7. Financial Statement and Exhibits

Exhibit
99.1	Investor Presentation Slides
99.2	Press Release re: webcast presentation

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure

Pursuant to Regulation FD, information is being attached as an Exhibit to this Current Report with respect to a presentation to be made by R. Scott Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer and Charles J. Nugent, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fulton Financial Corporation (“Fulton”), at an analyst presentation on September 19, 2003. This presentation provides an overview of Fulton’s strategy and performance. The presentation will be webcast. See Exhibit 99.2 for further details.

The presentation may contain forward-looking statements about Fulton’s growth and acquisition strategies, new products and services, and future financial performance, including earnings and dividends per share, return on average assets, return on average equity, efficiency ratio and capital ratio. Forward-looking statements are encouraged by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information is based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Because of the possibility of change in the underlying assumptions, actual results could differ materially from these forward looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: pricing pressures on loans and deposits, actions of bank and non-bank competitors, changes in local and national economic conditions, changes in regulatory requirements, actions of the Federal Reserve Board, Fulton’s success in merger and acquisition integration, and customer acceptance of the Corporation’s products and services. Fulton undertakes no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Fulton Financial Corporation has caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto fully authorized.

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION
By:	/s/    CHARLES J. NUGENT
	Charles J. Nugent Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Date: September 19, 2003

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Fulton Financial Corporation

Presentation to:

RBC Capital Markets

September 19, 2003

Fulton Financial Corporation 1

Forward-looking statement

¨ The following presentation may contain forward-looking statements about Fulton Financial Corporation’s growth and acquisition strategies, new products and services, and future financial performance, including earnings and dividends per share, return on average assets, return on average equity, efficiency ratio and capital ratio. Forward-looking statements are encouraged by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

¨ Such forward-looking information is based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Because of the possibility of change in the underlying assumptions, actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: pricing pressures on loans and deposits, actions of bank and non-bank competitors, changes in local and national economic conditions, changes in regulatory requirements, actions of the Federal Reserve Board, the Corporation’s success in merger and acquisition integration, and customers’ acceptance of the Corporation’s products and services.

Fulton Financial Corporation 2

Presentation outline

R. Scott Smith, Jr.	President and COO
¨ Corporate profile
¨ Strategic initiatives
¨ Asset quality
¨ Future direction

Charles J. Nugent	Senior Exec. VP/CFO
¨ Financial performance

Fulton Financial Corporation 3

Fulton Financial profile

¨ Regional financial holding company (formed in 1982)

¨ 11 bank subsidiaries; 3 financial services subsidiaries

¨ Asset size: $9.2 billion

¨ Second largest commercial bank headquartered in Third Federal Reserve District

¨ Fulton Bank founded in 1882

Fulton Financial Corporation 4

Where are we located?

¨ The Bank	[GRAPHIC]
¨ Delaware National Bank
¨ FNB Bank
¨ Fulton Bank
¨ Hagerstown Trust
¨ Lafayette Ambassador Bank
¨ Lebanon Valley Farmers Bank
¨ The Peoples Bank of Elkton
¨ Premier Bank
¨ Resource Bankshares Corp. (Pending)
¨ Skylands Community Bank
¨ Swineford National Bank

Fulton Financial Corporation 5

Assets by affiliate

(as of 6/30/03, in thousands)

¨ Fulton Bank	$	3,800,000
¨ Lafayette Ambassador Bank		1,087,000
¨ The Bank		1,050,000
¨ Lebanon Valley Farmers Bank		779,000
¨ Premier Bank		607,000
¨ Hagerstown Trust Company		451,000
¨ Skylands Community Bank		375,000
¨ Delaware National Bank		338,000
¨ FNB Bank, N.A.		306,000
¨ Swineford National Bank		277,000
¨ The Peoples Bank of Elkton		105,000

Fulton Financial Corporation 6

Fulton Financial Advisors, N.A.

Includes Dearden Maguire Weaver and Barrett, LLC and Fulton Insurance Services Group

As of: (June 30, 2003)

$4.6 billion; $3.3 billion in assets under management

Products and Services

¨ Personal trust	¨ Insurance
¨ Asset management	¨ Corporate trust
¨ Retirement services	¨ Cash management
¨ Brokerage	¨ Private banking

¨ Named Community-Based Bank Brokerage Program of the Year by Bank Insurance and Securities Association (BISA)

Fulton Financial Corporation 7

Fulton Mortgage Company

¨ Established April 2001

¨ New entity to coordinate residential mortgage lending throughout FFC

n Expanded, competitive product line to customers of all affiliates

n In partnership with each affiliate, focused management team on residential mortgages

n Entry into new markets for FFC

¨ On target for record originations this year

Fulton Financial Corporation 8

Mission statement

¨ We will increase shareholder value and enrich the communities we serve by creating financial success together with our customers and career success together with our employees.

We will conduct all of our business with honesty and integrity.

Fulton Financial Corporation 9

Corporate ethics

¨ Longstanding written code of conduct

¨ No “gray” areas

¨ Expectations clearly outlined

Fulton Financial Corporation 10

What have we accomplished?

¨ 9.3% compounded annual growth rate in earnings per share

¨ 21 consecutive years of record earnings

¨ 29 consecutive years of dividend increases

¨ 10.3% compounded annual growth rate in dividends per share

¨ Proven business model

¨ Consistently high performance

Fulton Financial Corporation 11

Five-year performance

	1998			2002
Net income per share	$	.88		$	1.23
Cash dividends per share	$	.37		$	.56
Return on assets		1.60	%		1.68	%
Return on equity		15.06	%		15.86	%
Efficiency ratio		55.3	%		52.4	%
Dividend payout		41.6	%		45.4	%

All information is as originally reported

Fulton Financial Corporation 12

Stock highlights (as of 8/31/03)

Average daily trading volume	187,053
Number of Market Makers	36
Number of Analysts	11
Number of shares outstanding	109.4 million
Market Capitalization	$2.2 billion

Fulton Financial Corporation 13

Employee stock ownership

¨ 70% of our employees collectively own more than 2 million shares of Fulton Financial Corporation stock.

¨ Stock options help us to retain long-term loyal employees

Fulton Financial Corporation 14

Stock performance (1982-6/30/03)

¨ WITHOUT dividend reinvestment:

15% compounded annual rate of return

¨ WITH dividend reinvestment:

19% compounded annual rate of return

Fulton Financial Corporation 15

Employee retention

[GRAPHIC]

¨ Exempt

¨ Non-exempt

¨ Overall

Fulton Financial Corporation 16

Employee opinion survey

¨ Customer service	¨ Training and development
¨ Management team performance	¨ Sales orientation
¨ Company image and mission	¨ Work effectiveness
¨ Team orientation	¨ Pay and benefits
¨ Technology and systems	¨ Employee satisfaction

Fulton Financial Corporation 17

Retail customer satisfaction

¨ 96% of customers are Extremely or Very Satisfied with their Fulton Financial affiliate bank

Fulton Financial Corporation 18

Deposit composition trends

	June ‘03	June ‘02
Non Interest-Bearing Demand	19%	17%
Interest-Bearing Demand	16%	14%
Money Market	13%	13%
Savings	11%	11%
Time Deposits	36%	40%
Customer Repos	5%	5%
Total Deposits	100%	100%

Fulton Financial Corporation 19

Funding sources

as of 6/30/03

[GRAPHIC]

Deposits and Customer Repurchase Agreements	79%
Capital	10%
Other Borrowings	9%
Other Liabilities	2%

Fulton Financial Corporation 20

Commercial customer satisfaction

¨ 86% of commercial customers are satisfied or very satisfied – results compare favorably to industry benchmarks

¨ Top three rated attributes:

n Services offered

n Convenient bank locations

n Accurate communications

¨ Corporate customers state that what makes Fulton unique is the personal service they receive

Fulton Financial Corporation 21

Community involvement

¨ Employees are actively involved in their own communities

¨ The community benefits from this support

¨ The banks receive additional business as a result of the relationships and goodwill that are developed

Fulton Financial Corporation 22

Corporate strategic initiatives

¨ Achieving consistent earnings growth

¨ Maintaining high asset quality

¨ Expanding the franchise through our well-developed acquisition strategy

¨ Diversifying revenue stream by increasing the contribution of non-interest income

¨ Managing capital

Fulton Financial Corporation 23

Capital (At June 30, 2003)

¨ Total Capital (GAAP):	$	874 million
¨ Total Risk-based Capital:	$	857 million
¨ Ratios:
¨ Total RB Capital		13.9	%
¨ Tier 1 RB Capital		12.7	%
¨ Leverage Capital		9.4	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 24

Proforma Capital (At June 30, 2003)

¨ Total Risk-based Capital:	$	960 million
¨ Ratios:
¨ Total RB Capital		12.3	%
¨ Tier 1 RB Capital		10.9	%
¨ Leverage Capital		8.0	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 25

Acquisitions

n Resource Bankshares (pending)	n Bank of Gloucester County
n Premier Bank	n Delaware National Bank
n Drovers & Mechanics Bank	n Central Pennsylvania Savings Association
n 18 Sovereign Bank Branches	n Hagerstown Trust Company
n Dearden, Maguire, Weaver and Barrett, Inc.	n Denver National Bank
n Skylands Community Bank	n Great Valley Savings Association
n Ambassador Bank of the Commonwealth	n First National Bank of Danville
n Lebanon Valley National Bank	n Second National Bank of Nazareth
n Peoples Bank of Elkton	n Lafayette Trust Bank
n Woodstown National Bank & Trust Company	n Pen Argyl National Bank
	n Swineford National Bank
	n Farmers Trust Bank

Fulton Financial Corporation 26

Premier Bank

¨ A $600 million state chartered bank headquartered in Doylestown, PA

¨ Eight full-service offices serving Montgomery, Bucks and Northampton counties

¨ Historical double-digit growth in deposits, loans, fee income and net income

¨ Strong asset quality

¨ Premier branches are contiguous to current affiliate bank markets

Fulton Financial Corporation 27

Resource Bankshares, Inc.

¨ Assets of $860 million; headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia

¨ The only Virginia-based bank with offices in Virginia’s three major markets

¨ Market area accounts for over 73% of all deposits in state of Virginia

¨ Allows for expansion of Fulton Financial Advisors, retail and commercial banking

¨ Senior lenders average 24 years of industry experience

Page 9

Fulton Financial Corporation 28

What do we look for?

¨ High growth areas

¨ Dynamic market demographics

¨ Strong performance

¨ Asset quality

¨ Talented and dedicated staff

¨ Compatible corporate culture

Fulton Financial Corporation 29

Acquisitions in new markets

What changes?

¨ Replicate strong credit culture

¨ Loan review

¨ Investments

¨ Asset/liability management

¨ Compliance

¨ Common operating platform

¨ Audit

Fulton Financial Corporation 30

Acquisitions in new markets

What stays the same?

¨ Bank name

¨ Board of Directors

¨ Management team

¨ Employees

Fulton Financial Corporation 31

Benefits to new affiliates

¨ Additional capital

¨ Increased lending capacity

¨ Reduced expenses

¨ Management focus on growth, customer service and sales

¨ Proven merger/conversion expertise

¨ Increased non-interest income due to introduction of new products and services

Fulton Financial Corporation 32

Product availability

¨ Residential Mortgages	¨ On-line banking
¨ Investment Management	¨ Debit/Credit cards
¨ Brokerage Services	¨ Cash management
¨ Insurance (whole life, term life, long-term care through Advisors)	¨ Specialized lending (leasing and indirect) ¨ International Services
	¨ Correspondent banking

Fulton Financial Corporation 33

Composition of total revenues

96	97	98	99	00	01	02	6/03
16.0%	16.2%	16.9%	17.9%	19.4%	22.9%	25.0%	28.0%

¨ Other Income ¨ Net Interest Income

Fulton Financial Corporation 34

Other income (YTD June)

	2003		2002		$			%
	(dollars in thousands)
Invt Mgt & Trust	$	17,152	$	14,743	$	2,409		16	%
Mort. Sales & Serv.		11,792		6,064		5,728		94	%
Service Charges		7,766		7,472		294		4	%
Deposit-related fees		7,323		6,995		328		5	%
Cash Mgt Fees		3,628		3,619		9		0	%
Success Card Fees		2,641		2,326		315		14	%
Merchant Fees		2,056		1,893		163		9	%
Other		6,842		6,888		(330	)	-8	%
Total	$	59,200	$	50,000	$	9,246		18	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 35

Investment management and trust services revenue

1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	6/03
13.2%	22.1%	26.8%	18.0%	31.6%	7.4%	11.0%

Fulton Financial Corporation 36

Growth in other income

95	96		97		98		99		00		01		02		6/03
10.6%	13.3	%	10.4	%	10.6	%	13.4	%	14.3	%	35.8	%	18.4	%	18.3	%

Note: In 2001, we acquired Dearden, Maguire, Weaver & Barrett, LLC

Fulton Financial Corporation 37

Moody’s Investor Service

¨ Short-term rating	P-1
¨ Long-term rating	A-1

Fitch Ratings

¨ Short-term rating	F-1
¨ Long-term rating	A

Fulton Financial Corporation 38

Loan diversification

[CHART]	Consumer and Other	11	%
	Residential Mortgage	10	%
	Commercial Loans	32	%
	Home Equity	14	%
	Commercial Mortgage	33	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 39

Summary of larger loans

¨ 21 relationships with commitments to lend of $20 million or more

¨ Maximum individual commitment of $30 million

¨ Average commercial loan commitment is $536,000

¨ Loans and corresponding relationships are within Fulton’s geographical market area

Fulton Financial Corporation 40

Commercial loan concentration

by industry (as of 6/30/03)

Industry	%
Construction	17.2
R/E—Rental	16.6
Services	11.9
Manufacturing	10.4
Retail	8.2
Health Care	7.7
Other	7.5
Agriculture	6.4
Wholesale	5.9
Arts and Entertainment	4.1
Financial Services	2.2

Fulton Financial Corporation 41

Experience of our lenders

¨ The officers who oversee all lending have each worked in this capacity at Fulton for more than 20 years.

¨ This consistency should enable Fulton Financial to maintain its high asset quality in the future.

Fulton Financial Corporation 42

Possible Future

Expansion

[GRAPHIC]

¨ Current Markets

¨ Future Expansion

Fulton Financial Corporation 43

Looking ahead

¨ Continue to build on our strengths

¨ Continue to rely on the expertise and skill of our employees

¨ Stick to banking basics while preparing for the future

¨ Enhance customer relationship management efforts

Fulton Financial Corporation 44

Board of Directors

¨ Focused on maximizing shareholder value with an annual increase in earnings per share in the range of 10%

Fulton Financial Corporation 45

Financial Highlights

Performance Overview

Fulton Financial Corporation 46

Six months ended June 30, 2003

¨ $0.64	Net income per share
	(6.7% increase over 2002)
¨ $0.303	Cash dividends per share
	(11.4% increase over 2002)
¨ 1.64%	Return on Assets
¨ 15.88%	Return on Equity
¨ 52.90%	Efficiency Ratio

Fulton Financial Corporation 47

Average Balances (YTD June)

	2003		2002		$			%
	(dollars in millions)
Investments	$	2,427	$	1,817	$	610		34	%
Loans		5,366		5,421		(55	)	-1	%
Deposits		6,553		6,195		358		6	%
Borrowings		840		625		215		34	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 48

Average Loan Growth (YTD June)

	2003		2002		$			%
	(dollars in millions)
Commercial	$	1,706	$	1,537	$	169		11	%
Comm’l Mort		1,774		1,673		101		6	%
Resid Mort		558		821		(263	)	-32	%
Cons./Other		1,328		1,390		(62	)	-4	%
Total Loans	$	5,366	$	5,421		(55	)	-1	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 49

Peer group

n Commerce Bancorp	n Provident Financial Group
n First Commonwealth Financial	n Riggs National Corp.
n First Financial Bancorp.	n Sky Financial Group Inc.
n FirstMerit Corp.	n Susquehanna Bancshares
n Fulton Financial Corp	n Trust Co. of New Jersey
n Hudson United Bancorp.	n TrustCo Bank Corp. of NY
n Mercantile Bankshares Corp.	n United Bankshares Inc.
n North Fork Bankcorp.	n Valley National Bancorp
n Provident Bankshares Corp.	n Wilmington Trust Co.

Fulton Financial Corporation 50

Net charge-offs to average loans

[GRAPH]

Top 50 Peer FFC

Source: SNL Financial Datasource

Fulton Financial Corporation 51

Non-performing assets to total assets

[GRAPHIC]

Top 50 Peer FFC

Source: SNL Financial Datasource

Fulton Financial Corporation 52

Net interest margin

[GRAPHIC]

Top 50 Peer FFC

Source: SNL Financial Datasource

Fulton Financial Corporation 53

Asset/Liability management

Interest rate “shocks” (as of 6/30/03)

¨ Impact on Net Interest Income:

Rate Change	NII Change (Annual)	% Change
+300 bp	+ $ 34.6 million	+12.2%
+200 bp	+ $ 26.5 million	+  9.4%
+100 bp	+ $ 16.7 million	+  5.9%
- 100 bp	-  $ 17.5 million	-   6.2%

Source: FFC Asset/Liability Modeling

Fulton Financial Corporation 54

Investment portfolio

Portfolio Components ( in millions)	Ending Bal. 6/30/03		Average Life (yrs.)	Credit Rating
Mortgage-backed securities	$	1,951.4	2.3	AAA—agency issued
Treasuries and agencies	$	105.5	0.3	AAA
Municipals	$	269.2	3.5	AAA—insured
Bank-issued Trust preferred stock	$	20.6	24	various/callable: 5 yrs
Other/Short-term Inv.	$	40.6	NA	AAA
Bank Stocks	$	73.8	NA	not rated
FHLB Stock	$	47.9	NA	AAA
Unrealized Gain—Bank Stock	$	9.0
Unrealized Gain—Bonds	$	30.8
TOTAL INVESTMENTS	$	2,548.8	2.46

Fulton Financial Corporation 55

Bank stock gains

(percent contribution to EPS)

[GRAPHIC]

Fulton Financial Corporation 56

Efficiency ratio

[GRAPHIC]

Top 50 Peer FFC

Source: SNL Financial Datasource

Fulton Financial Corporation 57

Other Expenses (YTD June)

	2003		2002		$			%
	(dollars in thousands)
Salaries & Benefits	$	67,814	$	63,665	$	4,149		7	%
Occupancy & Equip.		15,155		14,070		1,085		8	%
Data Processing		5,640		6,163		(523	)	-8	%
Advertising		3,019		3,653		(634	)	-17	%
Telecommun.		2,481		2,661		(180	)	-7	%
State Tax		2,204		2,728		(524	)	-19	%
Stat. & Supplies		2,146		2,439		(293	)	-12	%
Postage		2,006		2,012		(6	)	0	%
Operating Risk Loss		1,138		1,182		(44	)	-4	%
Amortization		719		719		—		0	%
Other Expenses		11,578		12,108		(530	)	-4	%
Total	$	113,900	$	111,400	$	2,500		2	%

Fulton Financial Corporation 58

Accounting/Auditing

¨ Compliance with accounting standards

¨ Designated a financial expert

¨ Disclosure committee

¨ Enhanced Audit Committee role

¨ CFO certifications

¨ Audit Committee approvals of financial filings

Fulton Financial Corporation 59

Looking ahead

Continued focus on:

¨ Strong asset quality

¨ Growth in non-interest income, particularly from Advisors

¨ Expansion of franchise geographically

¨ Increased loan activity

¨ Core deposit growth

Fulton Financial Corporation 60

Overview

¨ Long-term, consistent performance

¨ Talented and dedicated employees

¨ Attractive returns for shareholders

¨ Career success for employees

¨ Financial success for customers

¨ Prosperity for communities

Fulton Financial Corporation 61

Fulton Financial Corporation

One Penn Square

Lancaster, PA 17602

www.fult.com

Fulton Financial Corporation 62

EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2

FULTON FINANCIAL

CORPORATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:    Laura J. Wakeley

Office:       717-291-2379

Fulton Financial Corporation to present at RBC Conference

(Lancaster, PA) – September 15 – Fulton Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: FULT) today announced that it will participate as a presenter at the RBC Capital Markets 2003 Financial Institutions Conference in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

R. Scott Smith, Jr., president and chief operating officer, and Charles J. Nugent, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, are scheduled to make a presentation to attendees discussing the strategies and performance of Fulton Financial Corporation on Friday, September 19, from 12:05 p.m. until 12:35 p.m. eastern time.

A live webcast of the presentation, which will include slides and audio, will be available via the Internet through Fulton Financial Corporation’s website at www.fult.com. (Click on Investor Information, then on Presentations.) Please go to this website 15 minutes early to download and install any necessary audio software you may need to hear the audio portion of the presentation and also to view the slides. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available for 30 days after the conference. There is no charge to access this event.

Fulton Financial Corporation is a $9.2 billion financial holding company based in Lancaster, PA. The company operates 11 banks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

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2003