FORT COLLINS, Colo.: July 6, 2005 - Fort Collins Commerce Bank is now open for business at 3700 South College Avenue in the old Palmer Florist building. Founders Mark Kross and Gerard Nalezny, the bank's president and chief executive officer, respectively, officially opened the doors and began bank operations on Monday, June 27. The two announced plans to organize the community bank in February and by the end of April had completed the capital raising phase.

The speed with which we moved through the application, regulatory and capital raising processes has been remarkable, said Kross. Overall, the reception on all fronts has been tremendous.

Joining the management staff at Fort Collins Commerce Bank are:

• Pat McLaren - Vice President/Operations Manager
• Melissa Unter - Assistant Vice President/Lending
• Erin Hunt - Credit Officer

Collectively, this team's industry knowledge and familiarity with the local business climate are the components that enable us to make our business decisions here, in Fort Collins, said Kross. At the onset, we knew we wanted to create a true community bank. We now have all the pieces in place to deliver a type of banking I'm sure many people thought could no longer be found.

Fort Collins Commerce Bank offers a comprehensive selection of personalized banking services to small to medium-sized business owners, real estate professionals and individuals within Fort Collins and the surrounding communities. The bank is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. A night depository is available and an ATM will be operational shortly.