Colorado Business Bank is forming a Real Estate Capital Markets Group, building upon and expanding the organization's already strong real estate banking platform.

Led by two market veterans who have recently joined Colorado Business Bank, Craig Poulter, Executive Vice President, and Kathy Thurston, Senior Vice President, the group will coordinate the Bank's overall approach to real estate and real estate construction financing. The group will develop a comprehensive capital markets product offering and platform for the Bank's real estate customers, to include mezzanine debt and other financings, and will also establish a loan syndications desk enabling the Bank to expand into larger loan transactions and more effectively and efficiently manage its capital base.

"All of the activities of the Real Estate Capital Markets Group will support, complement and build upon the strong real estate banking reputation we have already established in both our Colorado and Arizona markets," said Jon Lorenz, Colorado Business Bank CEO.

Poulter and Thurston have a combined 40 years of experience in real estate banking and complex real estate transactions such as arranging construction financing for a number of major Denver-area projects, including the final phase of Clayton Lane in Cherry Creek and the recently commenced redevelopment of Southglenn Mall.

Poulter's most recent experience includes establishing and opening commercial real estate offices in Los Angeles and Denver for LaSalle Bank as their Group Senior Manager for the Western Region Office, including managing multi-million-dollar portfolios comprised of direct and syndicated credit facilities of all types. In addition, Poulter previously managed U.S. Bank's commercial real estate banking activities for Colorado and Nebraska.

Thurston was most recently the Division Head of LaSalle Bank's Western Region Office in Denver for commercial real estate where she was directly responsible for the management of the Denver portfolio. Thurston has been instrumental in opening regional offices in Denver, Chicago and Milwaukee. Together with Poulter, Thurston built the Denver office into one of LaSalle Bank's largest and highest-growth offices outside of its Chicago headquarters. Thurston previously held commercial real estate positions with Vectra Bank and Bank One.

Colorado Business Bank is a full-service commercial banking institution that offers a broad range of sophisticated banking services -- including credit, treasury management and deposit products -- to a targeted customer base of professionals and small to mid-sized businesses. The bank's parent company, CoBiz Financial (Nasdaq: COBZ) is a $2.1 billion financial holding company headquartered in Denver. The company also offers property and casualty insurance brokerage services through CoBiz Insurance; trust and fiduciary services through CoBiz Trust; investment banking services through Green Manning & Bunch; the management of stock and bond portfolios for individuals and institutions through Alexander Capital Management Group; and employee and executive benefits consulting and wealth transfer services through Financial Designs Ltd.

The discussion in this news release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that affect the Company's operations, financial performance and other factors, as discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks include the impact of interest rates and other general economic conditions, loan and lease losses, risks related to the execution of the Company's growth strategy, the possible loss of key personnel, factors that could affect the Company's ability to compete in its market areas, changes in regulations and government policies and other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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