Jae Park, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at First Choice Bank (the “Bank”) (OTCQX: FCBK), recently earned the Certified Advanced AML Audit Specialist (CAMS-Audit) credential from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS).

The CAMS-Audit designation is an advanced-level certification and is the first of its kind in the AML and financial crime prevention community. CAMS-Audit equips BSA professionals with the essential knowledge that reinforces internal controls and enhances one’s ability to meet regulatory expectations.

In order to become CAMS-Audit certified, candidates must first become a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). Once accepted into the program, students study, research, and attend pre-class webinars; participate in a three-day live program consisting of lecture, discussion, and group exercises; and finally author a white paper on an approved topic related to the advanced certification.

“Becoming CAMS-Audit certified is a major accomplishment and I applaud the commitment and hard work from the graduates,” says John J. Byrne, CAMS, Executive Vice President at ACAMS. Byrne adds, “Those who receive an advanced certification equip themselves with additional expertise and become an invaluable asset to their institution, firm or agency.”

Mr. Park is responsible for leading the internal processes for promoting and ensuring the Bank’s compliance with laws, regulations, bank policies and procedures. He is also the Chair of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Committee which overseas strategic community partnerships. Mr. Park currently holds two other professional certifications: Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

ABOUT FIRST CHOICE BANK

First Choice Bank, headquartered in Cerritos, California is a community focused financial institution, serving diverse consumers and commercial clients and specializing in loans to small businesses, Private Banking clients, Commercial and Industrial (C&I) loans, and commercial real estate loans with a niche in providing finance for the hospitality industry. The Bank is a Preferred Small Business Administration (SBA) Lender. Founded in 2005, First Choice Bank has quickly become a leading provider of financial services that enable our customers to grow, maintain strength, and reach unprecedented levels of success. We strive to surpass our clients' expectations through our efficiency and professionalism and are committed to being "First in Speed, Service, and Solutions." First Choice Bank stock is traded on the Over the Counter (OTCQX); our Ticker Symbol is FCBK.

The Bank's web site is www.FirstChoiceBankCA.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for the historical information in this news release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such risks and uncertainties include: the credit risks of lending activities, including changes in the level and trend of loan delinquencies and charge-offs, results of examinations by our banking regulators, our ability to maintain adequate levels of capital and liquidity, our ability to manage loan delinquency rates, our ability to price deposits to retain existing customers and achieve low-cost deposit growth, manage expenses and lower the efficiency ratio, expand or maintain the net interest margin, mitigate interest rate risk for changes in the interest rate environment, competitive pressures in the banking industry, access to available sources of credit to manage liquidity, the local and national economic environment, and other risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. First Choice Bank undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors are encouraged to read the First Choice Bank annual reports which are available on our website.