Columbia Bancorp Applies for Pasco, Washington, Branch

    Business Editors

    THE DALLES, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2005--Columbia Bancorp (NASDAQ: CBBO) announced that its subsidiary, Columbia River Bank, will be submitting an application to the FDIC to establish a new full-service branch in Pasco, Washington, which will be the second Columbia branch in the Tri-Cities market area of South Central Washington State.
    "We are excited about expanding our presence in this area. Our expertise in lending for small business, agricultural and professional services will be a competitive advantage for us," said Roger L. Christensen, President and CEO.
    In 2004, Franklin County was the fastest growing area in Washington State with population growth of 15.5%, fueling the Tri-Cities metropolitan statistical area growth of 10.6%. The area has produced rapid employment growth, up 10.2% between 2000 and 2003. In addition, the area ranks second in the state in farm employment, has a very large food processing industry, and leads the state in wine employment without counting any jobs at the farming or distribution level.
    "The new business development going on in the neighborhood where our new branch will be located is simply remarkable," said Craig Ortega, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "The fast-paced growth in the area makes it an excellent location, and it appears to be under represented by community banks based on the number of businesses and new development in that section of the city."
    The Tri-Cities are located in South Central Washington near the confluences of the Columbia, Yakima and Snake Rivers and include Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, in addition to the communities of West Richland, Prosser, Benton City and Connell. This area is considered to be the gateway to the agriculturally rich Columbia Basin. The proximity of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the United States, has unlocked a wealth of agricultural possibilities. The Tri-Cities are connected to the major highway system through Interstate highways I-82 and I-182 and link I-90 to the north with I-84 to the south.

    ABOUT COLUMBIA BANCORP

    Columbia Bancorp (www.columbiabancorp.com) is the financial holding company for Columbia River Bank, which operates 20 branches located in The Dalles (2), Hood River, Bend (4), Madras, Redmond (2), Pendleton, Hermiston, McMinnville (3), Canby and Newberg, Oregon, and in Goldendale, White Salmon and Kennewick, Washington. To supplement its community banking services, Columbia River Bank also provides mortgage-lending services through Columbia River Bank Mortgage Team and brokerage services through CRB Financial Services Team.

    Forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and the business of Columbia are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in such statements. These include, without limitation, the impact of competition and interest rates on revenues and margins, and other risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to the year 2005, as may be detailed from time to time in Columbia's public announcements and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "continue", "plans", "intends", or other similar terminology. Columbia does not intend to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release, other than in its periodic filings with the SEC, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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CONTACT: Columbia Bancorp Roger L. Christensen, President and CEO 541-298-6633 or rchristensen@columbiabancorp.com Craig J. Ortega, Executive Vice President and COO 541-298-3152 or cortega@columbiariverbank.com

KEYWORD: WASHINGTON OREGON INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING SOURCE: Columbia Bancorp

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