S-8

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

the Securities Act of 1933

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Pennsylvania	23-2195389
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

One Penn Square

P.O. Box 4887

Lancaster, PA 17604

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Options to purchase common stock of Registrant issued by the Registrant pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated June 14, 2004, between the Registrant and First Washington FinancialCorp (“First Washington”), upon conversion of outstanding options to purchase common stock of First Washington issued by First Washington under the First Washington amended and restated 1997 Stock Option Plan, 1999 Stock Option Plan

and 2003 Stock Option Plan

(Full title of the plan)

with a copy to:

Rufus A. Fulton, Jr.,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer	Kimberly J. Decker, Esquire
Fulton Financial Corporation	Barley, Snyder, Senft & Cohen, LLC
One Penn Square	126 East King Street
Lancaster, PA 17602-2893	Lancaster, PA 17604
(Name and address of agent for service)

(717) 291-2411

(Telephone number, including area code of agent for service)

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered(1)(2)	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share(3)	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(3)	Amount of Registration Fee
Common Stock, Par value $2.50	903,350	$7.87	$7,109,365	$836.77

(1) Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be necessary to adjust the number of shares of common stock of Fulton Financial Corporation registered hereby as a result of a stock split, stock dividend or similar adjustment of the outstanding common stock.

(2) Represents the number of shares of common stock of Fulton Financial reserved for issuance as a result of the conversion of options to purchase common stock of First Washington FinancialCorp into options to purchase common stock of Fulton Financial pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 14, 2004, as amended, between Fulton Financial and First Washington FinancialCorp.

(3) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, which has been calculated pursuant to Rule 457(h) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The proposed maximum offering price per share is based on the weighted average exercise price for the options, as converted, to purchase shares of common stock.

This Registration Statement shall become automatically effective upon the date of filing in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act and 17 CFR Section 230.462.

Exhibit Index Begins on Page 11

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Part II

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

The following documents filed by the registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated in and made a part of this registration statement by reference as of their respective dates:

(a) The registrant’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

(b) All other reports of the registrant filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since December 31, 2003.

(c) The description of Fulton Financial common stock contained in Fulton Financial’s registration statement on Form 8-A, dated July 3, 1989, and any amendment or reports filed for purposes of updating such description.

(d) All documents hereinafter filed by the registrant with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, will be deemed to be incorporated by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

Any statement contained in this Registration Statement, or in a document incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein, or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

Not applicable because the common stock is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

Not applicable.

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

Pennsylvania law provides that a Pennsylvania corporation may indemnify directors, officers, employees and agents of the corporation against liabilities they may incur in such capacities for any action taken or any failure to act, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the person under any provision of law, unless such action or failure to act is determined by a court to have constituted recklessness or willful misconduct. Pennsylvania law also permits the adoption of a bylaw amendment, approved by shareholders, providing for the

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elimination of a director’s liability for monetary damages for any action taken or any failure to take any action unless (1) the director has breached or failed to perform the duties of his office and (2) the breach or failure to perform constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct or recklessness.

The bylaws of Fulton Financial provide for (1) indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant and its subsidiaries and (2) the elimination of a director’s liability for monetary damages, to the fullest extent permitted by Pennsylvania law.

Directors and officers are also insured against certain liabilities for their actions, as such, by an insurance policy obtained by Fulton Financial.

ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

Not applicable because no restricted securities will be reoffered or resold pursuant to this Registration Statement.

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.

The following exhibits are filed with or incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (numbering corresponds to Exhibit Table in Item 601 of Regulation S-K):

See Exhibit Index.

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represents a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to Section 13

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or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Lancaster, State of Pennsylvania, on December 31, 2004.

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

/s/    RUFUS A. FULTON, JR.        

Rufus A. Fulton, Jr.

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

Each person whose signature appears below also constitutes and appoints George R. Barr, Jr. and Charles J. Nugent and each of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, as agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacity, to sign any or all amendments to this Registration Statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto such attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as they might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

SIGNATURE	CAPACITY	DATE
/s/    JEFFREY G. ALBERTSON         Jeffrey G. Albertson	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    DONALD M. BOWMAN, JR.         Donald M. Bowman, Jr.	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    BETH ANN L. CHIVINSKI         Beth Ann L. Chivinski	Executive Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)	December 31, 2004
/s/    CRAIG A. DALLY         Craig A. Dally	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    CLARK S. FRAME         Clark S. Frame	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    PATRICK J. FREER         Patrick J. Freer	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    RUFUS A. FULTON, JR.         Rufus A. Fulton, Jr.	Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Director (Principal Executive Officer)	December 31, 2004
/s/    EUGENE H. GARDNER         Eugene H. Gardner	Director	December 31, 2004

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SIGNATURE	CAPACITY	DATE
/s/    CHARLES V. HENRY, III         Charles V. Henry, III	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    J. ROBERT HESS         J. Robert Hess	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    GEORGE W. HODGES         George W. Hodges	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    CAROLYN R. HOLLERAN         Carolyn R. Holleran	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    CLYDE W. HORST         Clyde W. Horst	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    THOMAS W. HUNT         Thomas W. Hunt	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    DONALD W. LESHER, JR.         Donald W. Lesher, Jr.	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    JOSEPH J. MOWAD, M.D.         Joseph J. Mowad, M.D.	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    CHARLES J. NUGENT         Charles J. Nugent	Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)	December 31, 2004
/s/    MARY ANN RUSSELL         Mary Ann Russell	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    JOHN O. SHIRK         John O. Shirk	Director	December 31, 2004
/s/    R. SCOTT SMITH, JR.          R. Scott Smith, Jr.	Director, President and Chief Operating Officer	December 31, 2004
/s/    GARY A. STEWART         Gary A. Stewart	Director	December 31, 2004

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Exhibit Index

Number	Exhibit
4.1	Rights Agreement, dated April 27, 1999 by and between Fulton Financial Corporation and Fulton Bank, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 of Registrant’s Form 8-K filed May 6, 1999
5.1	Opinion of Barley, Snyder, Senft & Cohen, LLC re: legality of the securities
23.1	Consent of Barley, Snyder, Senft & Cohen, LLC (this Exhibit is part of Exhibit 5)
23.2	Consent of KPMG LLP to incorporate by reference its report, dated March 5, 2004
24.1	Power of attorney (this Exhibit is part of Signature Page)
99.1	First Washington FinancialCorp amended and restated 1997 Stock Option Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form SB-2 filed on April 11, 2001
99.2	First Washington FinancialCorp 1999 Stock Option Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form SB-2 filed on April 11, 2001
99.3	First Washington FinancialCorp 2003 Stock Option Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to a Proxy Statement, filed March 28, 2003

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EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

[ON BARLEY, SNYDER, SENFT & COHEN, LLC LETTERHEAD]

December 31, 2004

Fulton Financial Corporation

One Penn Square

Lancaster, PA 17602

Re: Form S-8 Registration Statement

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Fulton Financial Corporation (“Fulton”) in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by means of a registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”), of 903,350 shares of the $2.50 par value common stock of Fulton (“Common Stock”), to be issued upon exercise of options previously granted by First Washington FinancialCorp (“First Washington”) pursuant to its amended and restated 1997 Stock Option Plan, 1999 Stock Option Plan and 2003 Stock Option Plan (collectively, the “Plans”), and converted into options to purchase Common Stock of Fulton (the “Options”) upon the acquisition of First Washington by Fulton on December 31, 2004, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated June 14, 2004 (the “Merger Agreement”), entered into between Fulton and First Washington. The Registration Statement also registers an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be necessary to adjust the number of shares registered thereby for issuance as the result of a stock split, stock dividend or similar adjustment of the outstanding Common Stock.

This Opinion Letter is provided pursuant to the requirements of Item 601(b)(5)(i) of Regulation S-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission for inclusion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

This Opinion Letter is governed by, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, the Legal Opinion Accord (the “Accord”) of the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law (1991), as supplemented or modified by the Pennsylvania Third-Party Legal Opinion Supplement (the “Pennsylvania Supplement”) of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section of Corporation, Banking and Business Law (1992). As a consequence, this Opinion Letter is subject to a number of qualifications, exceptions, definitions, limitations on coverage and other limitations, all as more particularly described in the Accord and the Pennsylvania Supplement, and this Opinion Letter shall be read in conjunction therewith. The Law covered by the opinions expressed herein is limited to the federal law of the United States of America and the law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Except as otherwise indicated herein, capitalized terms used in this Opinion Letter are defined and set forth in the Merger Agreement, the Accord or the Pennsylvania Supplement. Our opinions herein are subject to the following conditions and assumptions, in addition to those set forth in the Accord and the Pennsylvania Supplement:

(1) The shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the exercise of the Options will continue to be validly authorized on the dates the Common Stock is issued pursuant to the exercise of the Options;

(2) On the dates the Options are exercised, the Options will constitute valid, legal and binding obligations of Fulton and will (subject to applicable bankruptcy, moratorium, insolvency, reorganization and other laws and legal principles affecting the enforceability of creditors’ rights generally) be enforceable as to Fulton in accordance with their terms;

(3) No other change occurs in applicable law or the pertinent facts; and

(4) The provision of “blue sky” and other securities laws as may be applicable have been complied with to the extent required.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that the shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the exercise of the Options have been duly authorized and, upon receipt by Fulton of the consideration required thereby, will be legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Barley, Snyder, Senft & Cohen, LLC

EX-23.2

Exhibit 23.2

[KPMG Letterhead]

Consent of Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Fulton Financial Corporation:

We consent to the use in the registration statement on Form S-8 of Fulton Financial Corporation of our report dated March 5, 2004, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Fulton Financial Corporation as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2003, incorporated herein by reference.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

December 31, 2004