Nov. 8, 2007

BERKELEY - Cal Athletics and Bank of the West have agreed to a five-year corporate sponsorship extension through 2012.

"In many ways Bank of the West has been the flagship sponsor for Cal Athletics," Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. "They have a long sponsorship history, and their reputation for excellence as a company based in the Bay Area with the Bear logo is a perfect fit for the Cal Golden Bears. We are proud that Bank of the West will continue to support the Bears for the next five years."

Bank of the West has been a long-time supporter of Cal Athletics, dating back to 1998 with sponsorship entitlements such as the Memorial Stadium video board, which is titled "Bank of the West Bear Vision." Most notably branded as the "Official Banking Partner of Cal Athletics," Bank of the West has also provided many services and memorable items for Cal fans, including ATM service in Memorial Stadium, football trading cards in 2006 and Joe Roth Memorial hats, which will be distributed at the Cal-USC football game this Saturday.

"Bank of the West is especially proud to be prominently linked with the great tradition and future of Cal Athletics - not least because we share the bear icon," said president and chief operating officer Michael Shepherd. "Our five-year contract extension continues a very happy association."

Founded in 1874, $59.4 billion-asset Bank of the West (bankofthewest.com) is the second-largest commercial bank based in California. Bank of the West offers a full range of business, trust, international and personal banking services. The bank currently operates more than 700 branch and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states, including 100 in the greater Bay Area.