WASHINGTON, D.C. and CHARLESTON, WV-- United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a fourth quarter dividend of $0.29 per share for shareholders of record as of December 14, 2007. Dividends per share of $1.13 for the year 2007 represents an increase of approximately 4% over the $1.09 per share paid for 2006.

The dividend payout of approximately $12.5 million on 43.2 million shares is payable January 2, 2008. The year 2007 is the 34th consecutive year of dividend increases to United shareholders. During this time period, the dividend has increased from $0.06 to $1.13, which represents an annual compound growth rate of approximately 10%. The annualized fourth quarter 2007 dividend of $1.16 equates to a yield of approximately 4.2% based on recent UBSI market prices.

United Bankshares, with $7.7 billion in assets, has 114 full-service offices in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. United Bankshares stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the quotation symbol "UBSI".