News Details

Mike Mantle Named to Top Retail and Business Banking Post at California Bank & Trust

April 2, 2003

OAKLAND, Calif., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- California Bank & Trust (CB&T) has named Robert Michael "Mike" Mantle as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of its Retail & Business Banking and Community Development Divisions. Mantle will oversee more than 60 branches throughout the Los Angeles, Orange County, Bay Area, Sacramento and Central Valley areas.

The move signals CB&T's continued commitment to retail banking. In this position, Mantle will focus on increasing assets and lending activity by serving the deposit and credit needs of individuals and small businesses using branches as a primary source of banking contact.

"Mike's strong business banking background and proven track record in retail and small business banking will help us move to our next level of success," said CB&T President, Chairman & CEO David Blackford. "His expertise will continue to bolster our efforts in the retail and business banking units."

Mantle previously was Director of CB&T's Small Business, Community Development, and Northern California Regional Banking Divisions. In this position, Mantle was responsible for developing and managing public/private partnership loan and investment programs, including Small Business Administration (SBA) and government-guaranteed small business lending, affordable housing construction and term financing, tax-exempt and taxable bond financing and affordable single-family home ownership initiatives. Mantle will continue with these in addition to his new responsibilities.

Commenting on his appointment, Mantle stated, "I am excited about this opportunity to further develop CB&T into a key consumer and small business bank. We have the geographic coverage, product offerings and management team to make it happen."

With more than $8 billion in assets, CB&T is the sixth-largest commercial bank headquartered in California and Mantle said he plans to leverage CB&T's culture and reputation to provide a level of customer service rarely found in today's financial services marketplace.

"The small business market continues to applaud CB&T's unique approach and personal service for firms of all types throughout the state," he said. "Our expertise is helping California businesses and families because we have localized decision-making by experienced bankers."

During Mantle's tenure at CB&T, the Bank was named as the No. 3 SBA lender in California by the SBA, based on the SBA's fiscal 2001 and 2002 results. In 2002, CB&T also was rated "Outstanding" by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for the Bank's record of making loans to, investing in and providing services for underserved communities.

Mantle joined CB&T in 1999 after 25 years at Bank of America, where he held positions in retail banking management, commercial banking, and real estate. He was founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America Community Development Bank from its 1989 start-up until 1998. Under Mantle's leadership, the bank had grown by 1998 into a $2.5 billion institution with offices in 37 states and community development loan originations exceeding $1.4 billion for small businesses and affordable housing projects across the U.S. It also was the nation's largest single originator of SBA loans in 1998.

Mantle serves on the board of the National Equity Fund, the Development Training Institute, and MinBanc Foundation. He is a past appointee to the State of California Small Business Development Board, past Chair of the American Banker's Association Community Development Lending Committee, and a past member of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition's Bankers Roundtable and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board of Freddie Mac.

A graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business' Executive Program, Mantle is a frequent speaker at conferences sponsored by the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, FDIC, and Office of Thrift Supervision. Mantle has received numerous awards, including a Certificate of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

California Bank & Trust, a subsidiary of Zions Bancorporation (Nasdaq: ZION), is one of the largest banks based in the California with over $8 billion in assets and more than 90 branch offices. With local management and decision-making and an emphasis on relationship banking, CB&T provides a variety of products, resources and financing solutions for businesses and individuals, including wealth management, Internet banking, commercial and small business lending, cash management and international banking. Visit CB&T's Web site at www.calbanktrust.com .

Zions Bancorporation is one of the nation's premier financial services companies, consisting of a collection of great banks in select high growth markets. Under local management teams and community identities, Zions operates over 400 full-service banking offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. In addition, Zions is a national leader in SBA lending, public finance advisory services, agricultural finance and electronic bond trading. The company is included in the S&P 500 Index. Investor information and links to subsidiary banks can be accessed at www.zionsbancorporation.com .

SOURCE  California Bank & Trust
    -0-                             04/02/2003
    /CONTACT:  Steve Borg, +1-510-627-7955, borgs@calbt.com, or Chuck Laham,
+1-858-793-7481, lahamc@calbt.com, both of California Bank & Trust/
    /Web site:  http://www.zionsbancorporation.comhttp://www.calbanktrust.com /
    (ZION)

CO:  Zions Bancorporation
ST:  California
IN:  FIN
SU:  PER



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9459 04/02/200313:55 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com