California Republic Bank (OTCBB:CRPB) today announced the hiring of Mark Olson as its new CFO, starting February 3, 2014. The Bancorp also announced that its current CFO, Andy Reid, will stay on as its Chief Accountant and report directly to Mr. Olson going forward.

"Mark is a great addition to our executive management team and brings significant experience as a bank holding company CFO, and has considerable capital markets and auto finance expertise," stated Jon Wilcox, CEO.

"We are pleased to have someone with Mark's level of leadership join our company. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and will be a key contributor in managing the financial aspects of the company's growth in the years to come. He will be responsible for overseeing all accounting functions of the holding company, the Bank and CRB Auto," commented John DeCero, President.

With regard to Mr. Reid, Jon Wilcox stated: "Andy Reid has done a tremendous job guiding us to where we are today, and we are appreciative for all of his hard work and dedication. We are happy to announce that he will continue to play an important role within our finance team as we embark on our next level of growth."

Mark Olson comes to California Republic Bank with a distinguished and impressive resume. Most recently he served as the CFO of Heritage Oaks Bank in Paso Robles. Prior to that Mr. Olson was the CFO of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, a $6 billion bank, guiding it through its acquisition by Union Bank.

Prior to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Mr. Olson served as Finance Director at Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, a $120 billion commercial banking subsidiary of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the fifth largest bank holding company in the United States. He also served as Controller and then later CFO of Westcorp, a $16 billion financial services holding company for Western Financial Bank and WFS Financial, an Irvine based savings bank and a nationwide automobile lender, until its acquisition by Wachovia Corporation in 2006. Mr. Olson began his career at Ernst and Young in 1988 before joining Westcorp.

Mr. Olson is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Utah State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

About California Republic Bancorp:

California Republic Bancorp is the holding company for California Republic Bank. California Republic Bank is a full-service commercial bank providing loans, deposit and cash management services to individuals, businesses, investors and professionals. The Bank offers its clients direct access to decision makers, unparalleled responsiveness, seasoned Relationship Managers and state-of-the-art technology. The Bank has four full-service branches serving Southern California located in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Irvine and Westlake Village. The Bank also operates an indirect auto finance division, CRB Auto, which purchases auto contracts from both franchised and independent automobile dealerships throughout California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Iowa.

For more information, contact Jon Wilcox, CEO, or John DeCero, President, at 949-270-9719. You can also visit the Company's website at www.crbnk.com.

California Republic Bancorp's Board of Directors includes:

Inside Directors: Jon Wilcox, CEO, and John DeCero, President.

Outside Directors: Robert Barth, Chairman of the Board of California Republic Bank and CEO of Black Equities Group Ltd.; John Bendheim, President of Bendheim Enterprises, Inc.; Marc Brutten, Entrepreneur and CEO of Westcore Holdings; Bob Din, CEO of En Pointe Technologies; John Hagestad, Managing Partner of SARES-REGIS Group; Warren S. Orlando, Chairman, 1st United Bancorp Inc.; and J. Scott Watt, President and CEO of the Watt Group of Companies.

For information regarding the purchase or sale of California Republic Bancorp's stock, contact Michael Natzic of Crowell, Weedon & Co. at 800-288-2811.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to the safe harbors created by the act. These forward-looking statements refer to California Republic's current expectations regarding future operating results, and growth in loans, deposits, and assets. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed, suggested or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to (1) the impact of changes in interest rates, a decline in economic conditions and increased competition by financial service providers on California Republic's results of operations; (2) California Republic's ability to continue its internal growth rate; (3) California Republic's ability to build net interest spread; (4) the quality of California Republic's earning assets; (5) changes in the level of non-performing assets and charge-offs; (6) the effect of changes in laws and regulations with which California Republic must comply; (7) changes in estimates of future reserve requirements based upon the periodic review thereof under relevant regulatory authorities and accounting requirements; (8) acts of war or terrorism or natural disasters; (9) the timely development of new banking products and services; (10) the success of products and services, such as the indirect auto loan business; (11) technological changes; (12) cyber-security threats, including loss of system functionality or theft or loss of data; (13) the ability to increase market share and control expenses; (14) changes in California Republic's organization, management, and compensation; and (15) California Republic's success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing items.

California Republic does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.

California Republic Bancorp
John DeCero, President
949-270-9797