Brad Pitts Joins County Bank.

Business Editors

MERCED, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 2000

County Bank has recently welcomed Brad Pitts to their staff of professionals at the bank's Modesto Branch.

A high profile banker in construction lending, Pitts is well experienced in his field. All County Bank construction loans will be overseen by Pitts at the Modesto location.

Pitts brings with him over 30 years experience in construction lending and has previously been associated with several major lending institutions in the Central Valley. Ed Rocha, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, stated, "Brad Pitts' particular expertise in this specialized field along with his activities in the community make him another asset to our team at County Bank. We are delighted to welcome Brad aboard."

County Bank's philosophy of community banking is maintained with the addition of Pitts. As a member of the United Way, Modesto Rotary and other service organizations, Pitts has chaired several committees.

Brad Pitts and his family are familiar faces in Modesto. Wife, Anna Pagonis-Pitts is a school teacher at Sonoma Elementary. They have one son, John Smolak, a Sophomore at Beyer High School. Pitts has been in the Modesto area since 1980.

County Bank is an independent community bank, with 15 branches serving customers in the counties of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Tulare and Merced. Capital Corp of the West, the holding company of County Bank, has assets of over $500 million, is located in Merced, and can be found on the World Wide Web www.ccow.com and traded through the National Stock Exchange (Nasdaq:CCOW). Capital Corp of the West offices are housed at the Merced facility at 550 West Main St. The Bank is a member of FDIC and an equal housing lender.