Tamalpais Bank Awarded Preferred Loan Status in Sacramento and Fresno by SBA

Tamalpais Bank and Epic Bancorp CEOs' to Present at Sandler O'Neill and Cohen Bros. Investor Conferences

Tamalpais Bank (the Bank), a wholly owned subsidiary of Epic Bancorp (NASDAQ: EPIK) (the "Company"), today announced that it has been approved for expansion of its Preferred Lender Program (PLP) status by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) into the Sacramento and Fresno Districts. The Bank has previously been approved PLP status in the San Francisco District.

The status, awarded to only a limited number of financial institutions, will allow Tamalpais Bank to streamline the processes involved in securing financial assistance for small businesses.

"We are pleased to be able to increase our geographic reach by obtaining PLP status in the Sacramento and Fresno Districts," said Mark Garwood, President and CEO of Tamalpais Bank. "We have recently opened our Sacramento Loan Production Office, and our preferred status ensures that we will be able to process, close and service SBA loans quicker than we have in the past, helping local businesses obtain financing for operations and growth."

PLP status is granted only to Lenders that have demonstrated the highest degree of proficiency in processing and servicing SBA-guaranteed loans. Since it began operations in January 2004, the SBA Department of Tamalpais Bank has funded $39 million in SBA backed loans, and is currently the only lender headquartered in Marin with this PLP status.

"Now that we have PLP status in the San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno Districts we are able to obtain SBA loans throughout Northern California," said Michael Rice, Tamalpais Bank Senior Vice President, and Small Business Lending Manager. "We have hired two experienced in-market banking officers to drive loan production, Jason Ehn in the North Bay Region and Terry Sharp in the Greater Sacramento Region. We have also increased our underwriting and processing staff in anticipation of significantly increased loan volume. With our PLP status in the new Districts and the seasoned SBA team at Tamalpais Bank we will be able to service small businesses over a much wider area with improved speed and service."

The Company also announced that Mark Garwood and Kit M. Cole, Chairman and CEO of the Company, will participate at the Sandler O'Neill Conference that is being held at the Four Season Resort, Aviara in North San Diego, March 8-10, 2006. Mr. Garwood is scheduled to participate in the Northern California panel discussion from 3:25 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. PST on Thursday March 9, 2006. The Sandler O'Neill panel discussion will be available to investors, analysts and the general public via live webcast. Those interested in listening to the webcast should register online through the Company's website www.epicbancorp.com or through Sandler O'Neill's website at www.sandleroneill.com. Mr. Garwood's panel discussion will be available on the Company's website under the investor relations webcast and presentation link, the day of the event. The webcast will be archived for thirty days after the event beginning March 10, 2006.

The Cohen Bros. Conference is being held at the Mandarin Oriental in New York on March 14, 2006. Ms. Cole and Mr. Garwood are scheduled to present from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. EST. The presentation will be available to investors, analysts and the general public via live webcast. Those interested in listening to the webcast should register online through the Company's website www.epicbancorp.com. The presentation will be available on the Company's website under the investor relations presentation link on Thursday, March 9th, 2006.

About Epic Bancorp

Epic Bancorp (www.epicbancorp.com), based in San Rafael, CA, is the holding company of Tamalpais Bank and Epic Wealth Management. The Company had $462 million in assets and $313 million in deposits as of December 31, 2005. In 2005, Epic was named one of only 38 financial institutions in the United States to receive the prestigious "Sm-All-Star" ranking by Sandler O'Neill & Partners LLP, a New York-based, full service investment-banking firm serving the financial industry. For additional information, please contact Mark Garwood at 415-526-6400.

About Tamalpais Bank

Tamalpais Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Epic Bancorp, operates six branches in Marin County and has announced plans to open a seventh in Tiburon in 2006. Tamalpais also has two loan production offices (in Sacramento and in Santa Rosa). The branches are located in Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, San Rafael and Terra Linda.

About Epic Wealth Management

Epic Wealth Management specializes in helping clients of Tamalpais Bank and other high net worth families reach their lifetime financial goals through a collaborative, comprehensive and education-oriented approach to investment management. Epic Wealth Management and Epic Bancorp are located at 851 Irwin Street in San Rafael. For additional information about Epic Wealth Management, please call 415-526-4300.

This news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operation and business of Epic Bancorp and its subsidiaries. These include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to or are dependent on estimates or assumptions relating to the prospects of loan growth, credit quality, changes in securities or financial markets, and certain operating efficiencies resulting from the operations of Tamalpais Bank and Epic Wealth Management. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following possibilities: (1) competitive pressure among financial services companies increases significantly; (2) changes in the interest rate environment reduce interest margins; (3) general economic conditions, internationally, nationally or in the State of California are less favorable than expected; (4) legislation or regulatory requirements or changes adversely affect the businesses in which the consolidated organization is or will be engaged; (5) the ability to satisfy the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations governing internal controls; (6) volatility or significant changes in the equity and bond markets which can affect overall growth and profitability or our wealth management business, and (7) other risks detailed in the Epic Bancorp filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Epic Bancorp, investors and others are cautioned to consider these and other risks and uncertainties. Epic Bancorp disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments.

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