BEND, Ore., May 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cascade Bancorp (headquartered in Bend, Oregon) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank of the Cascades, today announced that Patricia L. Moss, President and CEO of Cascade Bancorp and CEO of Bank of the Cascades, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2006 Award in the Pacific Northwest. According to Ernst & Young, the awards program was designed to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs on a regional, national and global level who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. Moss was selected as a finalist from 55 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special 20th anniversary gala event on June 23, 2006, at the Westin Bellevue. Moss commented, "I am sincerely honored to be included with this outstanding group." She continued, "I would also like to recognize Bank of the Cascades team of bankers whose daily commitment to customers and community have contributed greatly to this recognition." Moss, who has been part of the Bank since its inception in 1977, is a leader who truly understands the value of a highly committed and talented team. She provides focused leadership for her team, while also being very much a part of the team. She promotes a model which is collaborative in nature, encourages independent thinking and provides opportunity for creativity and achievement of goals. Within her model, there is always room for new ideas, as well as solid business reasons for practices currently in place. Cascade Bancorp (headquartered in Bend, Oregon) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank of the Cascades, have a business strategy that focuses on delivering the best in community banking for the financial well-being of customers and shareholders. The Bank implements its strategy by combining outstanding service, competitive financial products, local expertise and advanced technology applied for the convenience of customers. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2006. The overall national Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipient is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo. About Cascade Bancorp and Bank of the Cascades Founded in 1977, Bank of the Cascades offers full-service community banking through 21 branches, including 11 in Central Oregon, four in the Salem/Keizer area, five in Southern Oregon and one office in Portland. The Company recently acquired F&M Holding Company operating Farmers & Merchants State Bank. Farmers & Merchants State Bank is a 12 branch bank serving the Boise, Idaho/Treasure Valley market with assets of approximately $600 million. Cascade Bancorp has been rated among the top performing banks in the nation for the eighth consecutive year by Independent Community Bankers of America as well as in rankings by US Banker Magazine. In addition, The Seattle Times named Cascade Bancorp in the top tier of the annual Northwest 100 ranking of all publicly traded companies in the Pacific Northwest, and it was among the top 20 "Best Companies to Work For" in Oregon Business magazine. For further information on the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.botc.com/. About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards The Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051020/SFTH095 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Bank of the Cascades CONTACT: Patricia L. Moss, CEO, Bank of the Cascades, President and CEO, Cascade Bancorp, +1-541-385-6205, or Debbie C. Amerongen, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Deposit Manager, Bank of the Cascades +1-541-385-6205 Web site: http://www.botc.com/

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