Business Bank of Nevada Launches New Brand as It Enhances Its Image and Market Niche.

Business Editors

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is available in a Smart News Release(TM) on

Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000

What began back in February with the changing of senior management has now culminated with the launching of a new look and brand. Business Bank of Nevada today announced that it has officially changed its logo element and design to reflect the new direction of the bank.

While Business Bank is still committed to serving its market niche, which is the business community, the bank is developing a wider array of products and services that will reflect its new brand and image. The bank's logo design has changed from a single line display to a stacked encircled element that management believes will greatly enhance the look and recognition of its new statewide bank.

"We are very excited about the rollout of our new brand because it visually represents to the marketplace what we've been working on internally for the past several months," said Jason Awad, chairman of the board of Business Bank of Nevada. "In order to remain competitive in a highly competitive industry, we needed to enhance our image and create more value for our customers, which we've done and will continue to do as we move forward."

Awad added that next month Business Bank will be one of the first community banks in its market area to introduce online banking services to its customers. This new Internet banking service will allow Business Bank customers the convenience of performing banking transactions such as paying bills, account and wire transfers, direct payroll deposits, ordering coin and currency, check re-orders and much more.

Additionally, Business Bank will be the first community bank in the state to develop and introduce a high-tech sales tool to aggressively attract new clients to the bank. Beginning next month, the bank will equip its business development officers with a CD-ROM that can be incorporated into a laptop computer presentation about the bank. Hyperlinks on the CD-ROM will also allow users to access the bank's Internet Web site with just a click of a button. This high-tech sales tool will replace the need for numerous brochures and collateral material.

"With more and more businesses migrating towards the Internet, we wanted to provide our customers with this added convenience that will allow them to bank when, where and how they want to bank," said Business Bank of Nevada President and CEO John Guedry. "The introduction of our online banking services will put us on a more level playing field with the larger banks, but when it comes to offering more personalized service we feel we'll always be the leader in this area."

Guedry added that contrary to what the bigger banks might say, community banks are thriving today because people and businesses want and deserve a banking alternative that makes them feel important and valued as a client. Banking is still a people-to-people business, and no matter how high-tech it becomes, there will always be a need for direct customer interaction whether it's in a branch setting, in an office or by telephone.

The bank's executive offices and main branch at 6085 West Twain and Jones in Las Vegas is the first of several buildings to rollout the new brand. Over the next several weeks other branch locations in Las Vegas will incorporate the new logo into their signage, which includes the facilities at 3885 South Maryland Parkway, and 7280 West Lake Mead and Tenaya. The bank will unveil its new signage at its Carson City office when a new 5,000 square foot branch opens in December in the Shaheen Business Park at 1811 College Parkway and Goni Road.

Last year, Business Bank changed its name in order to allow for more flexibility and expansion into markets throughout Nevada. Several months after the name change occurred, the bank ventured to the northern part of the state in December of last year. Since entering the northern Nevada market, Business Bank has become one of the fastest growing financial institutions in the Carson City area. Catering primarily to the business market, Business Bank has more than $28 million in total deposits at its Carson City location.

Guedry was appointed president and CEO of the bank in February of this year, which was followed by the naming of Larry Charlton, a longtime banking executive at Bank of America, as executive vice president and chief financial/operations officer of the bank. Following these two appointments, the bank hired Laurie Burk, a 40-year BankAmerican, as senior vice president of Operations and Human Resources, Mark Phillips, also of Bank of America, as executive vice president and chief credit officer, Judy Crosswhite, also with Bank of America, as senior vice president and credit administrator, and Roger Unger, another former Bank of America employee, as senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. In the last few months, the bank has hired away a number of other employees from other large banks as well as smaller community banks.

Business Bank of Nevada is in its fifth year of operation and is one of the fastest-growing independent banks in the state. With four branch locations throughout Nevada, Business Bank has plans to open additional offices statewide in the near future. Business Bank is FDIC Insured and is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and is listed over the counter (OTC) at ticker symbol BBNV.

www.bbnv.com

Note: A Photo is available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.091400/bb14