Santa Cruz County Bank Ranks in American Banker Magazine's Top 200 Best Performing Community Banks and Thrifts in the United States

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Cruz County Bank (SCZC) announced today that it has ranked 103^rd in the Top Performing 200 Community Banks and Thrifts in the United States. Performance data and rankings were released in American Banker Magazine's May 2013 publication. A total of 851 institutions, with less than $2 billion in assets, were included in the nationwide ranking. Ranking was based upon 3-year average return on equity for the years ending December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.  

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A total of 18 California banks made American Banker Magazine's Top 200 Community Bank list. The median 3-year average return on equity for the top 200 banks was 9.58% compared to a median of 5.63% for all 851 companies. Santa Cruz County Bank's 3-year average return on equity was 9.6%.

David Heald, President and CEO commented, "This outstanding performance ranking is the result of our focus and commitment to enhance shareholder value. Our Board of Directors, our Management team and our entire staff are to be commended for our performance, which is especially significant taking into consideration this was achieved during one of the most challenging economic periods our country has experienced."

ABOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BANK
Santa Cruz County Bank, founded in 2004, is a locally owned and operated community bank with offices located in Aptos, Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. The Bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and individuals; including business loans, lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, agricultural loans, SBA and USDA government guaranteed loans, credit cards, merchant services, remote deposit capture, and online banking bill payment and cash management. For the past seven years, the Bank's SBA Department has been recognized as a top SBA lender in Santa Cruz County for 7a and 504 loans.

RATINGS & AWARDS
The Findley Reports, Inc.
2012 – One of eleven "Exceptional Banks" in California
2011 – "Super Premier Performing Bank"

Bauer Financial Reports, Inc.
Santa Cruz County Bank has also received the distinction of 4-Star "Excellent" and a 5-Star "Superior" by Bauer Financial Reports, Inc., for financial performance every quarter since 2007.

For more information, visit www.sccountybank.com.

Santa Cruz County Bank's common stock is listed Over the Counter (OTCQB) under the stock symbol SCZC.

This release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties may include but are not necessarily limited to fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, government regulations and general economic conditions, and competition within the business areas in which the Bank is conducting its operations, including the real estate market in California and other factors beyond the Bank's control. Such risks and uncertainties could cause results for subsequent interim periods or for the entire year to differ materially from those indicated. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. The Bank undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Santa Cruz County Bank