FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jonatha King, King Communications
Cell: 805.637.7494; Ofc: 805.898.8990
Email: king@kingcommunications.biz

January 27, 2016, Santa Barbara, Calif. – When American Riviera Bank (OTC Markets: ARBV) and The Bank of Santa Barbara recently merged under one name – American Riviera Bank — each had its own IT management provider. As with most mergers, service providers often lose contracts when the business pie shrinks. In the case of this merger, both IT providers were given an opportunity to vie for the bank’s new, exclusive IT management company position. After extensive review, Goleta-based CIO Solutions, The Bank of Santa Barbara’s original IT vendor and one of the Central Coast’s fastest growing technology companies, was selected to advance, improve and manage the bank’s technology tools and capabilities.

“American Riviera Bank already provides cutting edge technology to its business and individual customers including a robust online banking platform, mobile deposit, and access to every ATM in the country,” according to the bank’s new Chief Operating Officer Joanne Funari. “Now we want to take that technology to the next level and explore additional ways to enhance each customer’s experience. CIO Solutions’ mission is to customize and provide IT options that did not exist before, delivering them with creativity, imagination, excellence, and integrity. That makes them a perfect fit for our future expansion.”

CIO Solutions designed much of The Bank of Santa Barbara’s original infrastructure. Now the IT company is helping American Riviera Bank merge systems and data, augment its data backup, disaster recovery, virtualization, and network operations, while also overseeing and managing its day-to-day IT needs.

“We are very pleased to be helping such a forward-thinking financial institution to achieve their mission, which is to offer innovative technology and a level of customer service that blows the competition out of the water,” Eric Egolf, the company’s president said. With an expanding base of its own staff of more than 50 employees and a new Central Coast office in San Luis Obispo, CIO Solutions currently has approximately 150 managed clients under contract from Paso Robles to Los Angeles, as well as nationally and globally. Their services include traditional and virtual network management and support, data storage design and protection, private and hybrid cloud computing, unified communications systems, and other technical solutions “that meet our clients’ ever-evolving business and growth challenges.”

When American Riviera Bank and The Bank of Santa Barbara consummated the merger on January 1, 2016, the combined bank had assets in excess of $400 million. Current branches are located in downtown Santa Barbara, Goleta and Montecito.

For more information, contact American Riviera Bank at www.americanrivierabank.com or 805.965.5942 or CIO Solutions at www.ciosolutions.com or 805.692.6700.

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