County Bank Announces the Retirement of Board Member Lloyd Ahlem and the Appointment of Roberto Salazar to the Board of Directors.

Business Editors

MERCED, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2002

County Bank announces that Dr. Lloyd Ahlem is retiring from the Board of Directors, assuming the new role of Director Emeritus. Dr. Ahlem began his tenure in 1995 and has served as Chairman for three of the seven years that he was with the Board. In a farewell address to team members, Ahlem states that he has been privileged to be a part of our organization. Having reached mandatory retirement age he says that he believes more fully in the enterprise of County Bank than ever before.

"Lloyd will be greatly missed, he has played a key role in the decisions regarding the Bank and has been a great example of true leadership," stated Tom Hawker, President and CEO of County Bank and Capital Corp of the West. "We wish Lloyd all of the best in his retirement and we know that as a Director Emeritus we will see him often," continued Hawker.

Along with the retirement of Ahlem comes the appointment of Roberto Salazar. Mr. Salazar was decided on by the Board and was unanimously asked to join them in September 2002. Mr. Salazar was born in Cordoba, Argentina in 1937 and became a citizen of the United States in 1971. He has a BA in Political Science and a MA in Public Administration both from California State University, Hayward. His professional background spans from 1961 to the present with positions in Finance as well as Management Consulting. Mr. Salazar is currently a Corporate Consultant and the Owner/Director of the Central Valley Employee Assistance Program. "We are pleased to have Roberto join the board and believe that he will bring a new perspective to our organization," stated Hawker.

"Several reasons contributed to my decision to accept the appointment of director," stated Mr. Salazar. "County Bank has a firmly established Mission Statement and a set of Core Values that permeate every level of the day to day operations of the bank. I also believe that the Board and Management team at the bank are a group of individuals with proven integrity whose credibility and experience make this organization one that I look forward to being a part of," continued Salazar.

County Bank is an Independent Community Bank with 18 full service branches, including 2 commercial lending centers, serving customers in the counties of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Merced. Capital Corp of the West, the holding company of County Bank, has assets over $1 billion and is located in Merced, California at 550 West Main Street. Capital Corp of the West can be found on the World Wide Web at www.ccow.com and is traded through the National Stock Exchange (Nasdaq:CCOW). County Bank is a member of FDIC and is an equal housing lender and can be found on the Internet at www.countybank.com.