FREMONT, California - December 16, 2005 - The season of sharing is practiced year round by Fremont Bank and its employees who volunteer time and energy to give back to the community. With the Holiday Season comes great need for continued support of our community. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina the folks at Fremont Bank have a desire to ensure the local needs are not forgotten. The Fremont Bank Foundation is giving $1,000 grants to ten organizations in the community helping to provide holiday meals for less fortunate families.

This spirit of giving continues year round at Fremont Bank. A popular program with employees to give something back is called Team H.E.R.O.E.S., an acronym for Help, Educate, Recognize, Organize, Embrace and Serve. "It's wonderful," says BSA/Security Cheri Noniza, who has worked with the bank for 33 years. Employees are invited to sign-up and volunteer one Saturday morning to work on a bank-supported project. When the first list went out in August, at least 20 eager employees signed up to paint two class rooms, pull weeds, plant new flowers and plants, and spruce up the playground at Kidango's Rix Center in Fremont, formerly Tri-Cities Children's Center.

While Noniza was pulling weeds and planting new plants she was thinking of the excitement the facelift would bring to the children. When it came time to sign up again, "I didn't hesitate," Noniza said.

Marie Peterson, chairwoman of the Team H.E.R.O.E.S. program said the second project was planting trees at Q uarry Lakes as part of a bird habitat. The list was open to both employees and their families. "People were clamoring to be on the list," Peterson said. "They really love it. There is more and more desire here at the bank among employees to do community work."

In the same spirit of lending a hand, Hattie Hyman Hughes, President of the Fremont Bank Foundation showed she also can walk the walk. The Foundation has been a presenting sponsor of the HERS Breast Cancer Walk from its inception. This year, Hyman Hughes was asked to be the honorary co-chairman of the event. It was just one step and a little nudge from her son that motivated her to participate in the actual 5K walk. When bank employees learned she had signed up, several women were inspired and signed up too.

It's not just women and families suffering from the devastation of breast cancer that has caught the Foundation's attention, the plight of the homeless is also a concern. So when Hyman Hughes was asked to head a $1.2 million capital campaign for the Rotary Bridgeway Apartments, she agreed. Her efforts with the tremendous support of Rotary and the community made the transitional housing project a reality.

It is therefore no surprise that when the bank learned that East Bay Habitat for Humanity had a project in Livermore, it seemed a natural fit. For more than 25 years, Habitat for Humanity has been helping families to own their own homes through sweat equity and donations of both time and money from the community. Gloria Villasana Fuerniss, Vice President, says Fremont Bank in cooperation with the Bay East Association of Realtors is sponsoring and participating with volunteers for 22 affordable homes for families in Livermore.

Recently Lorie Dunn, Community Lending Manager, was able to pick up her hammer and head down to East Avenue, Livermore to begin building for Habitat for Humanity.

Fremont Bank is more than a community bank, it is an integral part of the community and sharing, no matter what the season, just comes naturally to the employees from executives on down. "It's nice to go out and help the community," Noniza says.

About Fremont Bank
Fremont Bank and its divisions are committed to providing its communities with high-quality, personalized banking services in convenient neighborhood locations. Fremont Bank has built a reputation as one of the most progressive community banks in California.

Fremont Bank was founded in 1964 on the cornerstone value that continues to fuel its success today: fast, friendly, honest service. Customers can still count on receiving this exceptional level of service - a rarity in today's marketplace. For more information, call (800) 743-INFO.

Press Contacts:
Laura Owen
Public Relations, Fremont Bank
Phone: (800) 743-INFO
Email: PublicRelations@fremontbank.com