SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 11, 2012) - American River Bank (NASDAQ: [ AMRB ]), a community bank serving the Greater Sacramento Area and Counties of Placer, Sonoma and Amador, today announced that Marie Crayne has been named Vice President, Chief Underwriter.

Ms. Crayne, who previously served as an AVP, Commercial Banking Officer, will be responsible for making quality underwriting decisions on both the business and real estate level as well as managing the underwriting team. Chief Underwriter is a newly-created position and is part of a Company reorganization to drive results through function rather than by geography.

"As we strive to increase our lending capacity and results on both the business and real estate levels, Ms. Crayne's experience coupled with her acumen in credit decisions and client service makes her the perfect candidate to lead the underwriting team in this endeavor," said David Taber, CEO of American River Bank. "Ms. Crayne will be critical to our success as we continue to grow and aggressively seek new relationships."

Ms. Crayne joined American River Bank in March 2009 and has over twenty-two years of banking experience.

About American River Bank

American River Bank is a community business bank serving the Greater Sacramento Area since 1983. The Bank offers a full menu of financial solutions to meet the deposit and lending needs of individuals and businesses. American River Bank, a division of American River Bankshares (NASDAQ: [ AMRB ]) operates a family of financial services providers, including North Coast Bank in Sonoma County and Bank of Amador in Amador County. For more information, please call 916-565-6100 or visit [ www.AmericanRiverBank.com ]; [ www.amrb.com ]; [ www.NorthCoastBank.com ] or [ www.BankofAmador.com ].