The Board of Directors

Heartland Financial USA, Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements (Nos. 333-06233, 333-81374, and 333-06219) on Form S-8 of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. of our reports dated March 8, 2006, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2005 and 2004, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders' equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2005, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005 and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, which reports appear in the December 31, 2005 annual report on Form 10-K of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. and subsidiaries.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Des Moines, Iowa

March 8, 2006