Filed by Humboldt Bancorp Pursuant
to Rule 425 under the
Securities Act of 1933 and
deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Humboldt Bancorp
Commission File No.: 0-27784
Press Release
December 11, 2000
Source: Humboldt Bancorp
Humboldt Bank Named Leading Small Business Lender in Humboldt and Trinity
Counties
The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently designated Humboldt Bank as the
leading lender of SBA loans in Humboldt and Trinity Counties for the 2000 fiscal
year. This is the second consecutive year that Humboldt Bank has been awarded
this achievement. Including all of its subsidiaries, Humboldt Bancorp made 52
loans totaling in excess of $7.5 million dollars. The organization received the
designation of SBA Preferred Lender in 1998.
"We are very proud to be the leading SBA lender in both Humboldt and Trinity
Counties for the last two years because we specialize in helping local
businesses grow and prosper." remarked Bob Moore, Vice President/Manager of
Humboldt Bancorp's Government Guaranteed Loan Division. "We recognize small
businesses for their importance as the primary source of new job creation,
innovation and employment to a majority of our local work force."
Humboldt Bank, founded in Eureka in 1989, operates ten branches in Humboldt,
Trinity and Mendocino counties. Its holding company, Humboldt Bancorp (Nasdaq:
HBEK), has three other subsidiaries, including Capitol Valley Bank in Roseville;
Capitol Thrift and Loan in Napa, with eight other branches throughout
California; and Sacramento-based Bancorp Financial Services, Inc., that is
jointly owned with Tehama Bancorp of Red Bluff. Pending regulatory and
shareholder approval, Tehama Bancorp intends to merge into Humboldt Bancorp
during the first quarter of 2001. If consumated, the merger would elevate
Humboldt Bancorp to one of the 20 largest independent financial institutions in
California and one of the four largest in Northern California.
Contact: Bob Moore, (707) 269-3120, [email protected]
Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. SBA Preferred Lender.
Additional Information and Where to Find It: Humboldt Bancorp has filed a
Registration Statement on SEC Form S-4 and Humboldt and Tehama has filed a Joint
Proxy Statement/Prospectus with the SEC in connection with the merger. Upon
effectiveness, Humboldt and Tehama will mail a Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus
to stockholders of Humboldt and Tehama containing information about the merger.
Investors and security holders are urged to read the Registration Statement and
the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus carefully when they are available. The
Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will contain
important information about Humboldt, Tehama, the merger, the persons soliciting
proxies relating to the merger, their interests in the merger, and related
matters. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of
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these documents through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
When available, free copies of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and these
other documents may also be obtained from Humboldt by mail to Humboldt Bancorp,
P.O. Box 1007, Eureka, California 95502, attention: Investor Relations,
telephone (707) 445-3233.
In addition to the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus, Humboldt and Tehama file annual, quarterly and special
reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and
copy any reports, statements or other information filed by Humboldt or Tehama at
the SEC public reference rooms at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549
or at any of the SEC's other public reference rooms in New York, New York and
Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information
on the public reference rooms. Humboldt's and Tehama's filings with the SEC are
also available to the public from commercial document-retrieval services and at
the Web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
Participants in Solicitation: Humboldt, its directors, executive officers and
certain other members of management and employees may be soliciting proxies from
Humboldt stockholders in favor of the issuance of common stock in the merger.
Their ownership interest in Humboldt and interest in the proposed merger is set
forth in the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus
filed with the SEC.
