WCBO West Coast Bancorp (MM)

West Coast Bank Names Robert Zell and Mary Hood to Agricultural Banking Team Former Washington Mutual Employees Join Colleagues in Expanded Agricultural Presence LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- West Coast Bank (NASDAQ:WCBO) has named Robert Zell Vice President-Relationship Manager and Mary Hood Assistant Relationship Manager in their agricultural banking team. The two join a growing group of former Washington Mutual bankers in the company's Willamette Valley and Portland tri-county agricultural banking team. They will maintain offices in Salem. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010816/SFTH016ALOGO ) Zell has worked in the agricultural industry since 1971, beginning his career as a teacher and subsequently the Farm Credit System. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Huron College in South Dakota. A resident of Keizer, Oregon, he most recently was a commercial banking officer with Washington Mutual NW Agricultural Banking Center in Salem. Hood earned the American Institute of Banking Lending Degree in 1997 and has 13 years of banking experience in the Salem area. She is a director for the Oregon Ag Fest. Xandra McKeown, Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking, said, "Mary and Bob are excellent additions to our agricultural banking team. Their expertise and familiarity with the Willamette Valley market will help us continue to expand our agricultural business, which is a critical sector in the Pacific Northwest's economy." West Coast Bancorp, one of Oregon Business Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For, is a Northwest bank holding company with $1.7 billion in assets, operating 48 offices in Oregon and Washington. The company combines the sophisticated products and expertise of larger banks with the local decision-making, market knowledge and customer service of a community bank. For more information, visit the Company web site at http://www.wcb.com/. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010816/SFTH016ALOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: West Coast Bancorp CONTACT: Xandra McKeown, Executive Vice President of West Coast Bank, +1-503-598-3251 Web site: http://www.wcb.com/

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