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                                  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 EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

           Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) July 18, 2006

                             FIRST BUSEY CORPORATION
             ------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           Nevada                       0-15959                  37-1078406
- ------------------------------        ------------          -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission            (I.R.S. Employer
      of incorporation)               File Number)          Identification No.)

          201 West Main Street, Urbana, IL                          61801
      ----------------------------------------                   ----------
      (Address of principal executive offices)                   (Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code (217) 365-4513


         --------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities
    Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange
    Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
    Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
    Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13a-4(c))

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ITEM 2.02 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION. On Tuesday, July 18, 2006, the Registrant issued a press release disclosing financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2006. The press release is made part of this Form and is attached as Exhibit 99.1. The press release made a part of this Form includes forward looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward looking statements include but are not limited to comments with respect to the objectives and strategies, financial condition, results of operations and business of the Registrant. These forward looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and the risk that predictions and other forward looking statements will not be achieved. The Registrant cautions you not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual future results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward looking statements. ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS. (d) Exhibits: 99.1 Press Release, dated July 18, 2006.

SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Date: July 18, 2006 FIRST BUSEY CORPORATION By: /s/ Barbara J. Harrington -------------------------- Name: Barbara J. Harrington Title: Chief Financial Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX 99.1 Press Release, dated July 18, 2006.

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

    FIRST BUSEY CORPORATION EARNINGS RELEASE FOR QUARTER ENDING JUNE 30, 2006

     URBANA, Ill., July 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

                              FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

     Net income increased $759,000 or 12.1% to $7,035,000 for the quarter ending
June 30, 2006, as compared to $6,276,000 for the comparable period in 2005. For
the quarter ending June 30, 2006, earnings per share on a fully- diluted basis
were $0.33, an increase of $0.02 or 6.5% from $0.31 for the comparable period in
2005. On a year-to-date basis, net income increased $1,090,000 or 8.5% to
$13,902,000 as compared to $12,812,000 for the comparable period in 2005. For
the six-month period ending June 30, 2006, earnings per share on a fully-diluted
basis were $0.65, an increase of $0.03 or 4.8% from $0.62 for the comparable
period in 2005.

     Net interest income increased $2,102,000 or 12.3% to $19,251,000 in the
second quarter of 2006 compared to $17,149,000 in the comparable quarter in
2005. Interest income increased $8,206,000 during the second quarter of 2006
compared to the same period in 2005 due primarily to loan growth combined with
higher yields on investment securities and outstanding loans. Interest expense
increased $6,104,000 during the second quarter of 2006 compared to the same
period in 2005. The increase in interest expense reflects the combination of
growth in deposits and long-term debt and a market driven increase in deposit
and borrowing rates. The increase in long-term debt is primarily associated with
the July 2005, acquisition of Tarpon Coast National Bank.

     Provision for loan losses was $300,000 during the second quarter of 2006
compared to $1,425,000 in the comparable period of 2005. As a percentage of
total outstanding loans, the allowance for loan losses was 1.27% as of June 30,
2006 and 1.34% as of June 30, 2005.

     Non-interest income increased $940,000 or 15.8% to $6,904,000 during the
second quarter of 2006. Growth in non-interest income is due primarily to growth
in customer service fees, trust fees, and net security gains.

     Non-interest expense increased $2,635,000 or 21.7% to $14,787,000 during
the quarter ended June 30, 2006, due primarily to increased operating costs and
amortization expense associated with growth in the Florida market.

     First Busey Statutory Trust IV issued $30,000,000 trust preferred
securities on June 15, 2006, for the primary purpose of redeeming outstanding
trust preferred securities under First Busey Capital Trust I in the amount of
$25,000,000. The annual interest rate under the new securities is fixed for five
years at 6.94% versus 9.00% on the redeemed securities. The offering and
associated lower interest rate provides an additional $5,000,000 in liquidity
with an approximate annual after-tax interest expense reduction of $90,500.

                                FINANCIAL SUMMARY



                                           Three Months Ended              Six Months Ended
                                                June 30,                       June 30,
                                      ----------------------------    ----------------------------
                                          2006            2005            2006            2005
                                      ------------    ------------    ------------    ------------
                                                 (in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                          
Earnings & Per Share Data
Net income                            $      7,035    $      6,276    $     13,902    $     12,812
Basic earnings per share                      0.33            0.31            0.65            0.63
Fully diluted earnings per share              0.33            0.31            0.65            0.62
Dividends per share                           0.16            0.14            0.32            0.28
Average Balances
Assets                                $  2,297,781    $  2,014,470    $  2,276,421    $  2,000,229
Investment securities                      324,806         310,795         328,351         319,349
Loans                                    1,791,837       1,553,819       1,770,244       1,522,930
Earning assets                           2,122,695       1,880,471       2,104,425       1,865,819
Deposits                                 1,820,999       1,603,725       1,807,986       1,590,417
Stockholders' equity                       171,943         140,684         171,088         139,587
Performance Ratios
Return on average assets                      1.23%           1.25%           1.23%           1.29%
Return on average equity                     16.41%          17.89%          16.39%          18.51%
Net interest margin                           3.74%           3.74%           3.72%           3.69%
Efficiency ratio                             55.90%          51.45%          55.58%          50.87%
Loan Performance
Net credit losses                     $        402    $         87    $        498    $        213
Accruing loans 90+ days past due             1,347           1,270           1,347           1,270
Non-accrual loans                            4,656           1,880           4,656           1,880
Foreclosed assets                              561           3,811             561           3,811


BUSE Stock Performance First Busey Corporation began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on October 1, 1998. Below is information for BUSE representing the annualized total return as compared to other indices for the 5 year period ending June 30, 2006. As of June 30, 2006: Closing Price $ 20.47 Price/earnings ratio 14.83x Price/book ratio 252% 52-week price range $ 18.03 - $ 21.25 Book value per share $ 8.11 YTD dividend per share $ 0.32 Annualized total return for the 5 year period ending June 30, 2006: BUSE 13.66% S&P 500 Index 2.49% NASDAQ Composite 0.86% CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) June 30, ---------------------------- 2006 2005 ------------ ------------ (in thousands, except per share data) Assets Cash and due from banks $ 61,099 $ 55,611 Federal funds sold - 1,600 Investment securities 319,984 305,991 Loans 1,839,443 1,575,742 Less allowance for loan losses (23,392) (21,119) Net loans $ 1,816,051 $ 1,554,623 Premises and equipment, net 40,799 27,635 Goodwill and other intangibles 58,804 35,247 Other assets 45,638 47,155 Total assets $ 2,342,375 $ 2,027,862 Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity Non-interest bearing deposits $ 251,544 $ 205,212 Interest-bearing deposits 1,610,657 1,427,502 Total deposits $ 1,862,201 $ 1,632,714 Federal funds purchased & securities sold under agreements to repurchase 68,497 37,532 Short-term borrowings - 1,000 Long-term debt 168,863 151,801 Junior subordinated debt owed to unconsolidated trusts 55,000 50,000 Other liabilities 13,907 10,941 Total liabilities $ 2,168,468 $ 1,883,988 Common stock $ 22 $ 21 Common stock to be issued 292 - Surplus 45,103 28,147 Retained earnings 136,820 121,453 Other comprehensive income 5,459 7,744 Treasury stock (11,729) (11,026) Unearned ESOP shares (2,058) (2,456) Deferred compensation for stock grants (2) (9) Total stockholders' equity $ 173,907 $ 143,874 Total liabilities & stockholders' equity $ 2,342,375 $ 2,027,862 Per Share Data Book value per share $ 8.11 $ 6.99 Tangible book value per share $ 5.37 $ 5.28 Ending number of shares outstanding 21,444,766 20,592,251

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, ---------------------------- ---------------------------- 2006 2005 2006 2005 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ (in thousands, except per share data) Interest and fees on loans $ 32,465 $ 24,921 $ 62,447 $ 47,783 Interest on investment securities 3,157 2,501 6,282 5,042 Other interest income 69 63 122 223 Total interest income $ 35,691 $ 27,485 $ 68,851 $ 53,048 Interest on deposits $ 12,713 $ 7,671 $ 24,044 $ 14,446 Interest on short-term borrowings 817 352 1,305 581 Interest on long-term debt 1,864 1,511 3,714 3,052 Junior subordinated debt owed to unconsolidated trusts 1,046 802 2,039 1,559 Total interest expense $ 16,440 $ 10,336 $ 31,102 $ 19,638 Net interest income $ 19,251 $ 17,149 $ 37,749 $ 33,410 Provision for loans losses 300 1,425 700 2,115 Net interest income after provision $ 18,951 $ 15,724 $ 37,049 $ 31,295 Trust fees $ 1,642 $ 1,471 $ 3,158 $ 2,911 Commissions and brokers' fees 710 525 1,379 1,051 Fees for customer services 2,802 2,519 5,338 4,852 Gain on sale of loans 538 589 1,072 1,012 Net security gains 862 250 1,086 412 Other 350 610 1,044 1,281 Total non-interest income $ 6,904 $ 5,964 $ 13,077 $ 11,519 Salaries and wages $ 6,772 $ 5,438 $ 13,269 $ 10,635 Employee benefits 1,445 1,175 2,948 2,379 Net occupancy expense 1,257 1,121 2,504 2,068 Furniture and equipment expense 948 743 1,748 1,426 Data processing expense 490 578 894 1,067 Amortization expense 352 195 704 390 Other operating expenses 3,523 2,902 6,863 5,436 Total non-interest expense $ 14,787 $ 12,152 $ 28,930 $ 23,401 Income before income taxes $ 11,068 $ 9,536 $ 21,196 $ 19,413 Income taxes 4,033 3,260 7,294 6,601 Net Income $ 7,035 $ 6,276 $ 13,902 $ 12,812 Per Share Data Basic earnings per share $ 0.33 $ 0.31 $ 0.65 $ 0.63 Fully-diluted earnings per share $ 0.33 $ 0.31 $ 0.65 $ 0.62 Diluted average shares outstanding 21,433,249 20,514,271 21,446,704 20,549,358

CORPORATE PROFILE First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE) is a financial holding company headquartered in Urbana, Illinois. First Busey Corporation has two wholly- owned banking subsidiaries with locations in three states. Busey Bank is headquartered in Urbana, Illinois and has twenty-two banking centers serving Champaign, McLean, Ford, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties in Illinois. Busey Bank also has a banking center in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a loan production office in Ft. Myers, Florida. On June 30, 2006, Busey Bank had total assets of $1.9 billion. On July 29, 2005, First Busey Corporation acquired Tarpon Coast Bancorp, Inc. and its primary subsidiary, Tarpon Coast National Bank, Port Charlotte, Florida. Busey Bank Florida and Tarpon Coast National Bank merged at the close of business on February 17, 2006, and the resultant bank is Busey Bank, N.A. Busey Bank N.A. is a federally-chartered bank headquartered in Port Charlotte, Florida, with eight banking centers serving Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties in Southwest Florida. Busey Bank N.A. had total assets of $432 million as of June 30, 2006. Busey provides electronic delivery of financial services through Busey e-bank, http://www.busey.com . Busey Investment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Busey Corporation and owns three subsidiaries. First Busey Trust & Investment Co. specializes in asset management and trust services. First Busey Securities, Inc. (member NASD/SIPC) is a full-service broker/dealer subsidiary. Busey Insurance Services, Inc. is a provider of personal insurance products. Busey Investment Group has approximately $2.3 billion in assets under care. First Busey Corporation's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the symbol "BUSE." First Busey Corporation has a repurchase program in effect under which it is authorized to purchase up to 750,000 shares of stock. SOURCE First Busey Corporation -0- 07/18/2006 /CONTACT: Barbara Harrington, Chief Financial Officer of First Busey Corporation, +1-217-365-4302/ /Web site: http://www.busey.com / (BUSE)