Santa Cruz County Bank Ranks 6th in the Nation For Best Performing Community Banks Under $3 Billion

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Cruz County Bank www.sccountybank.com (OTCQX:SCZC), with assets over $1.7 billion, is a top-rated community bank headquartered in Santa Cruz County. Today the Bank announced it has earned the #6 ranking on the S&P Global Market Intelligence annual rankings of 2022's best performing community banks in the nation with assets under $3 billion.

Eight California banks earned a spot on the Top 100 best performing community banks list. Rankings are based on financials for the year ended December 31, 2022. This is the sixth year Santa Cruz County Bank has ranked in the Top 100 Community Banks in the United States. The Bank also has a Bauer Financial Superior Rating (5 out of 5 stars), IDC Superior Rating, and is a Super Premier Performing Bank with the Findley Reports.

Krista Snelling, President and CEO remarked, "Our rank of 6^th in the nation, among 3,782 community banks under $3 billion, is a testament to the hard work, vision and focus of our entire team. Ranking 2^nd among the eight California banks places us firmly in the top tier within the state. Our industry rankings and financial strength provide confidence and security to our shareholders, clients and community. "

S&P Global Market Ratings Criteria
To compile these rankings, S&P Global Market Intelligence calculated scores for each company based on seven metrics: pretax return on tangible common equity, efficiency ratio, cost of funds, five-year average operating revenue growth, five-year average net charge-offs to average loans and leases ratio, nonperforming assets and loans 90 days or more past due as a percentage of total assets and leverage ratio. Each company's standard deviation from the industry mean was calculated for every metric, weighted, then combined to derive a performance score. To help normalize the data and mitigate the impact of outliers, caps and floors were applied for each metric.

Criteria for the ranking included a gross loans and leases-to-total assets ratio of at least 33% with no more than half of those loans in credit cards; a leverage ratio of at least 5%; no active severe enforcement actions; a result other than "substantial noncompliance" or "needs to improve" in the bank's most recent Community Reinvestment Act exam; a yield on loans and leases of no more than 3x the industry median of 4.88%; and no more than half of the entity's revenue coming from nontraditional banking activities. Additionally, industrial banks, non-depository trusts, companies with a bankers' bank certification, and banks with parent companies that have total assets of $10 billion or more were omitted.

Based on the above criteria, 3,782 banks and thrifts were eligible for this analysis.

ABOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BANK
Santa Cruz County Bank was founded in 2004. It is a top-rated, locally-owned and operated, full-service community bank headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. The Bank has branches in Aptos, Capitola, Cupertino, Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. Santa Cruz County Bank is distinguished from "big banks" by its relationship-based service, problem-solving focus and direct access to decision makers. The Bank is a leading SBA lender in Santa Cruz County and Silicon Valley and a top USDA lender in the state of California. As a full-service bank, Santa Cruz County Bank offers competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and individuals, including business loans, lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction lending, agricultural loans, SBA and USDA government guaranteed loans, asset-based lending, credit cards, merchant services, remote deposit capture, mobile and online banking, bill payment and treasury management. True to its community roots, Santa Cruz County Bank has supported regional well-being by actively participating in and donating to local not-for-profit organizations.

Santa Cruz County Bank stock is publicly traded on the OTCQX U.S. Premier marketplace under the symbol SCZC. Stock purchase orders may be placed online, through a brokerage firm, or through Market Makers listed in the Investor Relations section of the bank's website. For more information about Santa Cruz County Bank, visit www.sccountybank.com.

This release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties may include but are not necessarily limited to fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, government regulations and general economic conditions, and competition within the business areas in which the Bank is conducting its operations, including the real estate market in California and other factors beyond the Bank's control. Such risks and uncertainties could cause results for subsequent interim periods or for the entire year to differ materially from those indicated. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. The Bank undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Santa Cruz County Bank