WSBA Western Sierra Bancorp (MM)

Western Sierra Bancorp Named an 'All Star' by Sandler O'Neill & Partners CAMERON PARK, Calif., July 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Western Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:WSBA), a multi-bank holding company, was named to Sandler O'Neill & Partner's Bank and Thrift "Sm-All Stars Class of 2004." The Sm-All Stars is an elite class of the top 5% of small cap banks that have out-performed its peers in profitability, growth, credit quality, and capital strength. Companies were evaluated based on absolute performance in each of eight financial variables including EPS growth, loan growth, deposit growth, ROAE, nonperforming asset ratios, net charge-off ratio, and Tier 1 capital ratio. To earn Sm-All-Star status, the banks needed to be at or above the peer median for each metric and be considered "Well Capitalized" per the tier 1 ratio. Of the 596 small cap banks evaluated, Western Sierra Bancorp is one of only 30 publicly traded banks that achieved this prestigious award. "We're very proud to be recognized as an All-Star. The recognition belongs to our successful business plan implemented by a team of motivated professionals that has allowed our company to be a top performer" stated Gary D. Gall, President and CEO, Western Sierra Bancorp. Western Sierra Bancorp is comprised of Western Sierra Bank, Lake Community Bank, Central California Bank, and Auburn Community Bank and has assets exceeding $1.1 billion. The Company operates in the counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Lake, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Amador, Contra Costa, Tuolumne, and Butte. This document may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. For a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ, please see the publicly available Securities and Exchange Commission filings of Western Sierra Bancorp, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and particularly the discussion of risk factors. For additional information and press releases visit the Company's web site at http://www.westernsierrabancorp.com/. To listen to the second quarter earnings conference call recording, click on the "Investors" link. DATASOURCE: Western Sierra Bancorp CONTACT: Gary D. Gall or Anthony J. Gould, both of Western Sierra Bancorp, +1-530-677-5600 Web site: http://www.westernsierrabancorp.com/

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