E.M. DOWNER III

Mr. Downer III became the third generation of Downers to serve as President of the Bank in 1971. "My father was a very thoughtful person," Mr. Downer III says. "He went out of his way to take care of people. He regarded people at our Bank as part of his family. So do I."

Mr. Downer III is known for his care and compassion for the Bank's employees and the communities which the Bank serves.

Under his watch the Bank celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1980. His tenure as Chairman began shortly after the Bank's move to its present headquarters location at the Hilltop in Richmond. To many, the site is now a center of business activity. In 1987, the Bank opened its new Operations Center in Hercules signaling a major commitment to meeting the future needs of our customers.

The decade of the nineties is marked by the Bank's first presence outside of West Contra Costa and with subsequent commercial and corporate offices in Walnut Creek, Oakland, Marin, the Napa Valley and Pleasanton.

In addition, locations were opened in supermarkets in Moraga and Walnut Creek. Providing more convenient remote access was a priority for management with the introduction of On-Line ScreenPhone™, On-Line PCBanking, TeleBanking, Gold MasterMoney Card as well as foreign ATM surcharge rebates. The Mechanics Bank proved a community bank could effectively compete with the largest banks in the area of innovative remote access banking.

In 1995, the Bank achieved over one billion dollars in assets.

With the Bank's one-hundredth anniversary close at hand, The Mechanics Bank continues to grow, under the careful guidance of E.M. Downer III, with the same priority of serving the needs of its customers and the community better than any other financial institution.

The fine Downer family tradition of independent community banking first begun in 1905 by E.M. Downer and carried forward by E.M. Downer Jr. and E.M. Downer III continues on course.

Our History:

E.M. Downer

E.M. Downer Jr.

E.M. Downer III