San Francisco, CA -- Feb. 9, 2001 - Silicon Valley Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bancshares, has opened its second San Francisco office at 185 Berry Street, Suite 190, in San Francisco.

The new office will support Silicon Valley Bank's existing San Francisco regional office and focus exclusively on providing financial services to over 500 technology and life sciences companies in San Francisco. This will be Silicon Valley Bank's 25th office nationwide.

"We are excited about the opening of a second San Francisco office, enabling us to better serve our growing client base in the area," said Teresa Heller, manager of the Bank's Northern California Technology Group. "Being physically closer to clients that were previously served out of our Santa Clara office means we can be more responsive to their needs."

Silicon Valley Bank serves emerging growth and middle market companies in targeted niches, focusing on technology and life sciences, while also addressing other specific industries in which it can provide a higher level of service and better manage credit through specialization and focus.

The Bank operates throughout the Silicon Valley: Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Sand Hill, the center of the venture capital community in California. Other regional offices within California include: Irvine, Los Angeles, Napa Valley, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma. Office locations outside of California include: Phoenix, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; West Palm Beach, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Durham, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Northern Virginia; and Seattle, Washington.

SVB Contact: David Grandey, (408) 654-7289, dgrandey@svbank.com.