Community West Bancshares' Subsidiary, Goleta National Bank, Honored for E-business Excellence.

GOLETA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1999--

Lew Stone, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community West Bancshares (Nasdaq:CWBC), Tuesday announced that its subsidiary, Goleta National Bank, was recently honored for e-business excellence in RSM McGladrey Inc.'s first-ever "Outstanding Mid-Market Business Web Site Awards," cosponsored by AT&T and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

"Successful e-business models are beginning to emerge for mid-market businesses, and Goleta National Bank can be cited as an example," said Robert Larson-Hughes, managing director of RSM McGladrey's e-business services. "They have designed a Web site that excels in information, customer service, design, quality, and connectivity -- the factors that are vital to a successful Internet presence."

Like many others, Goleta National Bank was quick to see the advantages of the Web, for its customers as both a low-cost means of distributing information and services. However, unlike most other banks its size, the bank developed its Web site and banking application in-house.

Stone said, "We believe that our ability to create content, develop applications and respond quickly to market changes is crucial to our ability to compete in the rapidly evolving Web Banking space."

The "Outstanding Mid-Market Business Web Site Awards" are open to businesses in the manufacturing and distribution industries with annual revenues between $30 million and $500 million, and community banks with assets under $2.5 billion.

Web sites were judged by a team of RSM McGladrey professionals, in the information technology and e-business fields. RSM McGladrey is one of the nation's largest accounting, tax, and consulting firms. The complete study is available free of charge at: www.outstandingwebsites.rsmmcgladrey.com.

Community West Bancshares is a technology and financial services company with headquarters in Goleta. The company has three subsidiaries. Palomar Community Bank has a full service branch and a loan production office, both located in Escondido, Calif.

Electronic Paycheck, LLC, provides proprietary technology platforms for the issuance and use of card technology to make payments and establish loyalty programs, and has the ability to settle transactions via ATM and POS networks, the automated clearinghouse system, and via the Internet.

Goleta National Bank has two full service branches, one in Goleta and one in Ventura, Calif., and loan production offices located in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Nevada.