909 SE Bay Boulevard
PO BOX 2280
Newport, OR 97365

Local Bank Receives Highest National Rating

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 28, 2014

Contact: Fred Postlewait
              Oregon Coast Bank
              541-265-9000

Newport, OR – Bauer Financial, which has reported on the health of the banking industry for more than 30 years, recently released their Star Ratings Report® to include 4th Quarter 2013 data. Oregon Coast Bank, with offices in Newport, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Waldport and Toledo, received five stars, the nation’s highest possible ranking.

Bauer evaluates financial data reported to federal regulators by all U.S. banks and thrifts. Analysts than assign a zero to five-star rating for each institution. Ratings criteria includes capital ratio, profitability/loss trend, evaluating the level of delinquent loans and repossessed assets, market versus book value of the investment portfolio, community reinvestment rating (CRA), and liquidity. Five-star institutions generally have twice the capital required by regulators.

“Virtually everything a bank does is quantified and available for review,” explained Fred Postlewait, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oregon Coast Bank. “However, it can be complex and difficult for an individual to put in an overall financial context. Companies like Bauer do their analysis and then their ratings system allows people to get a very quick, but thorough summary, of the overall safety of their bank. We honestly try very hard to have a strong and secure bank and it is nice when outside experts confirm that success.”

Oregon Coast Bank is a locally owned and operated community bank with over $185 million in assets. The bank has invested more than $462 million into the central coast economy in the form of loans to local families and businesses in the bank’s 12-year history.