SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 20, 2004 - Silicon Valley Bank, a subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bancshares (Nasdaq: SIVB), announced that its second annual SVB Tech Investors Forum will be held September 7-8, 2005 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. The SVB Tech Investors Forum is an independent event providing an open environment for select, high-growth, small cap public and later-stage private technology companies to meet with and present to institutional and private equity investors.

As the premier financial services provider dedicated to emerging and established technology companies, Silicon Valley Bank was recognized for its unique ability to bring together the best high-growth companies in the marketplace and small-cap investors looking for prospective investment opportunities at the first SVB Tech Investors Forum held in San Francisco earlier this month. At the inaugural event, 76 public and private technology companies presented to investors who were present at the two-day forum.

"Like many firms, we have gravitated toward larger-cap tech stocks over the last decade, but the SVB Tech Investors Forum reminded me how stimulating and potentially rewarding small cap tech investing can be. In fact, we intend to follow-up on at least a half dozen of the companies we were introduced to at the Forum," said Robert Merkle of Hotchkiss Associates, LLC in Chicago. "This type of event was sorely needed, since smaller tech firms are an often-ignored segment of the market. We have Silicon Valley Bank to thank for filling the gap successfully with this event."

For more information about the SVB Tech Investors Forum 2005, or to request an invitation, contact Kirsten Degnan at kdegnan@svbank.com.

About Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank provides diversified financial services to emerging growth and mature companies in the technology, life sciences and private equity markets, as well as the premium wine industry. Through its focus on specialized markets and extensive knowledge of the people and business issues driving them, Silicon Valley Bank provides a level of service and partnership that measurably impacts its clients' success. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., the company serves more than 9,500 clients across the country through 26 regional offices. More information on the company can be found at www.svb.com.