Bank of Marin Receives National Recognition

Named to List of Top Performing Small-Cap Banks in the U.S. by Sandler O’Neill and Receives Bauer Financial Superior Five-Star Rating for the 41^st Consecutive Quarter

• Press Release
• Source: Bank of Marin Bancorp
• On 2:02 pm EDT, Wednesday September 23, 2009

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC - News) has been recognized by Sandler O'Neill + Partners L.P., a New York investment banking firm, as one of thirty “2009 Sm-All Stars” and by Bauer Financial, the leading independent bank and rating research firm, with a superior five-star rating, its highest rating.

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Symbol	Price	Change
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Sandler O'Neill evaluated all 509 publicly traded banks with a market capitalization of less than $2 billion and identified the 30 top performing small-cap banks and thrifts in the nation. In announcing the Sm-All Stars, Sandler O'Neill's Director of Research Mark Fitzgibbon and Associate Director Daniel Arnold said, "In all, our screening methodology eliminated 94% of the institutions being evaluated. The performance metrics of the remaining 30 institutions are outstanding."

Companies were evaluated based on absolute performance in eight financial variables: growth in EPS, loans and deposits, return on average equity, nonperforming assets to loans plus OREO¹⁾ ratio, net charge-off ratio, reserves to nonperforming assets ratio and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio. To earn "Sm-All Star" status, the banks and thrifts needed to be at or above the peer median for the first seven metrics surveyed, plus be considered "Well Capitalized" per the Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio.

“Bank of Marin has always focused on responsible, conservative growth serving the needs of our local communities, and we are honored to be recognized for our strength, stability and consistent performance,” said Russell A. Colombo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Marin.

Bauer Financial has awarded Bank of Marin with its highest five-star rating for 41 consecutive quarters and has listed Bank of Marin on the recommend list for 70 straight quarters. Bank of Marin is the only bank headquartered in Marin County to receive this recognition.

Bauer Financial has been reporting and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983 and their star ratings classify each institution based upon a complex formula factoring in current and historical data.

About Bank of Marin Bancorp

Bank of Marin Bancorp's assets currently exceed $1 billion. Bank of Marin, as the sole subsidiary of Bancorp, operates thirteen branch offices in California and a commercial loan production office in San Francisco. The Bank's Administrative offices are located in Novato, California and its Wealth Management Services are located in Corte Madera, Novato and Petaluma, California. Bank of Marin is included in the Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index and has received a superior five-star rating from Bauer Financial for 41 consecutive quarters, and has been named to the Bauer Financial recommended list for 70 straight quarters (www.bauerfinancial.com). Bank of Marin has been recognized as one of the "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" and one of the “Top Corporate Philanthropists” by the San Francisco Business Times. For more information, visit Bank of Marin at www.bankofmarin.com.

¹⁾ Other Real Estate Owned

Bank of Marin Bancorp
Malin Clark, 415-884-4757
malinclark@bankofmarin.com