SCCB upgrades common stock to OTCQX marketplace

Santa Cruz County Bank is the 37th community or regional bank and the 8^th California-based bank to join OTCQX since OTC Markets Group introduced streamlined OTCQX qualification requirements for community banks last spring.

OTCQX for banks is an expansion of the OTCQX marketplace for regional and community banks. This marketplace is designed to meet the unique needs of U.S. financial institutions that are established, well managed, and strongly capitalized. To qualify for OTCQX, banks must meet these high qualitative and quantitative financial standards, be current in their reporting to their bank regulator and regularly publish their news and financial disclosure for investors.

In addition, they must appoint a “Corporate Broker,” a broker-dealer specializing in trading bank stocks, to serve as their advisor on OTCQX. Wedbush Securities is Santa Cruz County Bank’s Corporate Broker on OTCQX.

Through OTCQX, shareholders have access to an efficient trading facility, high quality disclosure and trusted companies so they can trade with confidence.

The other California banks trading on OTCQX include: California Bank of Commerce in Lafayette; Communities First Financial Corp. in Fresno; Community Bank of Santa Maria in Santa Maria; First ULB Corp. in Oakland; Mission Valley Bancorp in Sun Valley; OCB Bancorp in Ojai; and Valley Republic Bank in Bakersfield.

For more about OTC Markets Group and OTCQX, visit www.otcmarkets.com and http://www.otcmarkets.com/services/companies/otcqx-banks/overview.