Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

CARDINAL ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER EARNINGS

LOANS GROW 12%, NET INTEREST MARGIN IMPROVES, MORTGAGE BANKING INCOME CLIMBS, ASSET QUALITY REMAINS STRONG

Cardinal Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CFNL) (the “Company”) today announced earnings of $8.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, for quarter ended September 30, 2011.  This is a 46% increase over earnings of $5.9 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the third quarter of last year.   On a year-to-date basis, earnings were $19.8 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, versus $14.4 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, in 2010. At quarter end, the Company’s assets exceeded $2.5 billion.

Selected Highlights

·                  Loans held for investment grew to $1.515 billion, an increase of $164 million, or 12%, compared to September 30, 2010.

·                  Asset quality continues to be strong.  Nonperforming assets remained low at 0.59% of total assets. Annualized net loan charge offs were 0.44% of loans outstanding.  Real estate owned was a modest $4.0 million, and the Company currently has only $271,000 loans receivable past due 30 days or more.

·                  Non-interest bearing deposits grew to $265 million, an increase of over 25% compared to September 30, 2010.

·                  Total assets at period-end were $2.554 billion versus $2.127 billion one year earlier, an increase of 20%.

·                  The Company’s tax equivalent net interest margin increased to 3.86% for the current quarter, up from 3.84% in the previous quarter and up from 3.82% in the year ago quarter.

·                  Mortgage banking activity was robust as a result of our strategic expansion and a strong market. During the quarter, our mortgage companies and managed mortgage companies received applications with a loan principal value in excess of $1.9 billion.  This compares to $987 million and $1.3 billion for the previous and year ago quarter, respectively.

·                  All capital ratios substantially exceed the requirements of banking regulators to be considered well-capitalized.  Tangible common equity capital (TCE) as a percentage of total assets was 8.91%.

Income Statement Review

For the third quarter of 2011, net income was $8.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share. Compared to the year ago quarter, net interest income increased 11% to $20.1 million from $18.2 million.  For this same period, the tax equivalent net interest margin improved to 3.86% from 3.82%. The margin also improved from 3.84% for the second quarter of 2011.  The growth in net interest income continues to be the result of the Bank’s success in growing its balance sheet while lowering deposit rates and funding costs.  Compared to the year ago quarter, average interest earning assets grew $179 million.  The average balance of the Company’s loan portfolio increased $153 million, or 11%, while the yield decreased 0.30%.  For these same periods, the average yield on all earning assets decreased 0.20% while the average costs of interest bearing liabilities decreased 0.25%.

Noninterest income was $15.0 million for the current quarter compared to $9.3 million for the year ago quarter ended September 30. For the respective nine month periods ended September 30, noninterest income was $27.7 million versus $21.9 million.  During the third quarter of 2011, mortgage banking activity was extremely strong, and gains on mortgage banking activities were $11.3 million versus $5.3 million in the year ago quarter, and $18.7 million versus $11.9 million for the nine month comparable periods. During the most recent quarter, 4,987 mortgage applications were taken with a loan principal value in excess of $1.9 billion versus 3,772 applications with a value of $1.3 billion during the third quarter of 2010.

As previously disclosed, the Company’s wealth management operations has been repositioned to afford less risk and greater scalability for this business unit.   For the quarter, this business produced net income of $20,000.

Noninterest expense increased to $18.9 million from $15.4 million for the three month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  During the most recent quarter, the Company realized a loss of $1.8 million from a prepayment of $40 million FHLB Advances maturing between two and three years.  As a result of this transaction, savings of approximately 0.40% annually on its $280 million FHLB Advance portfolio is anticipated.  Also during the quarter, we experienced additional professional, legal and consulting expenses mainly related to the

previously disclosed matter concerning the Department of Justice.  As mentioned last quarter, depreciation remained elevated this quarter by $200,000 due to the final amortization of loan underwriting software as new systems have been implemented.

For the nine month comparable periods, noninterest expense increased to $49.4 million from $42.6 million.  In addition to the above items, the change also resulted from higher personnel cost and incentive compensation due to the addition and success of business development officers for mortgage banking, commercial lending and deposit activities.   In continuation of executing the Company’s business plan, the mortgage banking subsidiaries added 3 branch locations and 22 employees, including 15 new production officers. As a result of the expansion, expenses in the mortgage subsidiaries increased approximately $3.8 million from the prior year-to date period.

Review of Balance Sheet and Credit Quality

At September 30, 2011, total assets of the Company were $2.554 billion, an increase of 20% from total assets of $2.127 billion at September 30, 2010. Loans held for investment grew 12% to $1.515 billion at September 30, 2011, from $1.352 billion at September 30, 2010.  During this period, the Bank’s investment portfolio increased slightly to $348 million compared to $322 million a year ago. As a result of mortgage banking activity, loans held for sale increased 62% to $553 million versus $341 million at September 30, 2010.

The Bank’s asset growth was funded by a 29% increase in deposits, which grew $399 million and totaled $1.796 billion at September 30, 2011 versus $1.398 billion a year earlier. Approximately $330 million of the increase was short term brokered CDs initiated primarily to match fund the increase in loans held for sale, which are considered short term assets. Additionally, demand deposit account balances increased over 25% year over year, reflecting the Bank’s continued focus on generating lower funding costs.

The quality of the Bank’s loan portfolio has remained strong. The provision for loan losses was $2.9 million for the current quarter versus $3.5 million for the third quarter of last year.  The total allowance for loan losses was 1.60% of loans outstanding from a comparable ratio of 1.66% at September 30, 2010.  The Company’s nonperforming assets stood at 0.59% of total assets at September 30, 2011 compared to 0.46% at June 30, 2011 and 0.57% at September 30, 2010.  Year-to date net loan charge-offs totaled $4.7 million, compared to $4.8 million for the first nine months of 2010.  There were $271,000 loans past due 30 days or more September 30, 2011.

Other Information

With respect to the previously disclosed matter involving the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), the Company continues to cooperate fully with the DOJ in its investigation and has provided relevant information to resolve the issues. It is too early to assess whether the resolution of this matter will have an effect on the Company.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTS

Bernard H. Clineburg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said:

“I am pleased to announce an excellent quarter for Cardinal Financial. Our core commercial lending activities were healthy as evidenced by over $70 million in growth for the quarter and a balance increase of over 12% year over year.  This was achieved while still realizing an increase in the net interest margin.  Loan losses remained minimal as we continued to adhere to our prudent underwriting standards. Credit underwriting remains a core competency of our organization. Additionally, our outstanding results were enhanced by the strategic expansion of our mortgage company and a strong market.

We continue to concentrate on profitability and balanced growth, remaining committed to our shareholders to build upon the core banking strengths of our Company, and we continue to believe that we are well positioned to maximize the value of the Cardinal franchise.”

CAUTION ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements contain information related to matters such as the Company’s intent, belief or expectation with regard to such matters as financial and operational performance, credit quality and branch expansion. Such statements are necessarily based on management’s assumptions and estimates and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties concerning the Company’s operations and business environment, which are difficult to predict and beyond the control of the Company. Such risks and uncertainties could cause actual results of the Company to differ materially from those matters expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. For an explanation of the risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and other reports filed with and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Cardinal Financial Corporation: Cardinal Financial Corporation, a financial holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia with assets of $2.55 billion at September 30, 2011, serves the Washington Metropolitan region through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cardinal Bank, with 27 conveniently located banking offices. Cardinal also operates several other subsidiaries: George Mason Mortgage, LLC, and Cardinal First Mortgage, LLC, residential mortgage lending companies based in Fairfax, with ten offices throughout the Washington Metropolitan region; Cardinal Trust and Investment Services, a trust division; Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc., a full-service brokerage company; and Wilson/Bennett Capital Management, Inc., an asset management company. The Company’s stock is traded on NASDAQ (CFNL). For additional information please visit our Web site at www.cardinalbank.com or call (703) 584-3400.

Cardinal Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries

Summary Statements of Condition

September 30, 2011,  December 31, 2010 and September 30, 2010

(Dollars in thousands)

Cardinal Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries

Summary Income Statements

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010

(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

Cardinal Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries

Selected Financial Information

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data and ratios)

(unaudited)

(1) Tangible book value is calculated as total shareholders’ equity, adjusted for changes in other comprehensive income, less goodwill and other intangible assets, divided by common shares outstanding.

(2) Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income divided by total average earning assets and reported on a tax equivalent basis at a rate of 33% for 2011 and 32% for 2010.

(3) Efficiency ratio is calculated as total non-interest expense (less nonrecurring expense) divided by the total of net interest income and non-interest income.

Cardinal Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries

Average Statements of Condition and Yields on Earning Assets and Interest-Bearing Liabilities

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)