WHITTIER, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Friendly Hills Bank (OTC:FHLB) (BULLETIN BOARD: FHLB) is pleased to announce that it has established a full service construction loan department. The department will be headed by Senior Vice President/Manager, Fred O. Cartozian, who has over 40 years of real estate/construction lending experience. The construction team will include Vice Presidents Michael S. Barnett and Maribel G. Flores. They will be handling all types of construction lending to include single family and commercial development, as well as rehabilitation loans for single family residences. "Fred Cartozian and his group are seasoned bankers who have a solid customer base in our local and surrounding communities," commented Jeffrey K. Ball, Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. "Despite current economic conditions, our focus on relationship banking has provided us with continued opportunities to service strong and experienced developers on sound projects. Fred is a highly respected construction lender in our service area who brings with him a team of professionals who share Friendly Hills Bank's core values of exceptional client service and integrity." Friendly Hills Bank is a community bank which was formed to primarily serve the Southern California communities of Whittier, La Habra, Santa Fe Springs and La Habra Heights, as well as the surrounding markets of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Focused on serving businesses and professionals, the Bank was established in 2006 by prominent members of the local community who were seeking an alternative to the larger financial institutions in the area. The bank is headquartered at 16011 E. Whittier Blvd. in Whittier, California. For more information on the Bank, please visit http://www.friendlyhillsbank.com/ or call 562-947-1920. DATASOURCE: Friendly Hills Bank CONTACT: Jeffrey K. Ball, Chief Executive Officer, or George W. Peterson, Chief Financial Officer, both of Friendly Hills Bank, +1-562-947-1920 Web site: http://www.friendlyhillsbank.com/

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