Plaza Bank Reinvesting $2 Million Into Local Small Businesses

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 5, 2013) - Plaza Bank (OTCBB: PLZB) announced today that it has launched a new program to invest $2 million into small businesses loans in the communities it serves as part of its ongoing effort to provide loans to small businesses in Southern California and Las Vegas.

"It's tremendously important to help make our local communities stronger," said Gene Galloway, President and CEO of the Irvine-based Plaza Bank. "This will help companies and businesses grow, create more jobs and make our regions healthier. It's just the right thing to do."

Plaza Bank has committed to funding $1 million in loans in the Southern California region where it's based and another $1 million in the Las Vegas area where it has a strong, connected business base. The loans will be made in conjunction with the Small Business Administration's Small Loan Advantage program and will range from $5,000 to $50,000. By teaming up with the SBA and utilizing this loan guarantee program Plaza Bank will be able to reduce the amount of paperwork and time needed for businesses to gain access to this important resource in areas not always reached by traditional lending products.

"We know how hard small and midsize businesses work, and how they need everything to be clear and to happen quickly," added Erich Bollinger who is the Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer for Plaza Bank. "We've built our reputation and our relationships on making banking and business easy and responsive for our clients, and we'll put all our expertise to work on these loans."

The Bank will reach out to businesses through local business organizations and chambers of commerce, and through the wide-ranging network of companies and personal connections the Plaza Bank team has in its communities. It is a priority for the Bank to provide business loans to underserved areas in the community.

"These are our neighborhoods, too," Mr. Galloway said. "We want our local businesses to succeed. It's good for them, it's good for us, and it is good for everyone in our regions. We know we have a responsibility to our communities, and this will be yet another way we try to help make them better places."

About Plaza Bank
Plaza Bank is a full service community bank serving the business and professional communities in Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bank is committed to meeting the financial needs of small to middle market businesses and professional firms with loans for working capital, equipment and owner-occupied commercial real estate financing and a full array of cash management services. Our bankers are experienced, professional and knowledgeable. For more information, visit www.plazabank.net or call President and CEO Gene Galloway at (949) 502-4309.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to the safe harbors created by that Act. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information, expectations, assumptions, projections, and management's judgment about the Bank, the banking industry and general economic conditions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, nor should they be relied upon as representing management's views as of any subsequent date. Future events are difficult to predict, and the expectations described above are necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty that may cause actual results to differ materially and adversely.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from those presented, either expressed or implied, in this press release. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the Bank's ability to successfully execute its business plans and achieve its objectives; changes in general economic, real estate and financial market conditions, either nationally or locally in areas in which the Bank conducts its operations; changes in interest rates; new litigation or changes in existing litigation; future credit loss experience; increased competitive challenges and expanding product and pricing pressures among financial institutions; legislation or regulatory changes which adversely affect the Bank's operations or business; loss of key personnel; changes in accounting policies or procedures as may be required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other regulatory agencies; and the ability to satisfy requirements related to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulation on internal control.