Colorado Business Bank Forms Real Estate Capital Markets Group

Group to diversify and strengthen bank's commercial real estate banking platform DENVER, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado Business Bank is forming a RealEstate Capital Markets Group, building upon and expanding theorganization's already strong real estate banking platform. Led by two market veterans who have recently joined Colorado BusinessBank, Craig Poulter, Executive Vice President, and Kathy Thurston, SeniorVice President, the group will coordinate the Bank's overall approach toreal estate and real estate construction financing. The group will developa comprehensive capital markets product offering and platform for theBank's real estate customers, to include mezzanine debt and otherfinancings, and will also establish a loan syndications desk enabling theBank to expand into larger loan transactions and more effectively andefficiently manage its capital base. "All of the activities of the Real Estate Capital Markets Group willsupport, complement and build upon the strong real estate bankingreputation we have already established in both our Colorado and Arizonamarkets," said Jon Lorenz, Colorado Business Bank CEO. Poulter and Thurston have a combined 40 years of experience in realestate banking and complex real estate transactions such as arrangingconstruction financing for a number of major Denver-area projects,including the final phase of Clayton Lane in Cherry Creek and the recentlycommenced redevelopment of Southglenn Mall. Poulter's most recent experience includes establishing and openingcommercial real estate offices in Los Angeles and Denver for LaSalle Bankas their Group Senior Manager for the Western Region Office, includingmanaging multi-million-dollar portfolios comprised of direct and syndicatedcredit facilities of all types. In addition, Poulter previously managedU.S. Bank's commercial real estate banking activities for Colorado andNebraska. Thurston was most recently the Division Head of LaSalle Bank's WesternRegion Office in Denver for commercial real estate where she was directlyresponsible for the management of the Denver portfolio. Thurston has beeninstrumental in opening regional offices in Denver, Chicago and Milwaukee.Together with Poulter, Thurston built the Denver office into one of LaSalleBank's largest and highest-growth offices outside of its Chicagoheadquarters. Thurston previously held commercial real estate positionswith Vectra Bank and Bank One. Colorado Business Bank is a full-service commercial banking institutionthat offers a broad range of sophisticated banking services -- includingcredit, treasury management and deposit products -- to a targeted customerbase of professionals and small to mid-sized businesses. The bank's parentcompany, CoBiz Financial (Nasdaq: COBZ) is a $2.1 billion financial holdingcompany headquartered in Denver. The company also offers property andcasualty insurance brokerage services through CoBiz Insurance; trust andfiduciary services through CoBiz Trust; investment banking services throughGreen Manning & Bunch; the management of stock and bond portfolios forindividuals and institutions through Alexander Capital Management Group;and employee and executive benefits consulting and wealth transfer servicesthrough Financial Designs Ltd. The discussion in this news release contains forward-lookingstatements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflectedin the forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurancethat such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-lookingstatements involve risks and uncertainties that affect the Company'soperations, financial performance and other factors, as discussed in theCompany's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risksinclude the impact of interest rates and other general economic conditions,loan and lease losses, risks related to the execution of the Company'sgrowth strategy, the possible loss of key personnel, factors that couldaffect the Company's ability to compete in its market areas, changes inregulations and government policies and other factors discussed in theCompany's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.